What is the Extended Download Service (EDS)?
EDS essentially allows you to download your purchase again for up to two (2) years, in the event your computer crashes or the downloaded file becomes damaged or corrupt. It can be thought of as an insurance policy in case anything goes wrong with your computer or the downloaded product. When you have downloadable items in your order, you will see a link to add EDS to your order on the shopping cart page or the checkout page. Upon payment of the specified fee, Digital River, Inc. ("DR") agrees to provide you (the "End User") a service that enables the End User to make multiple downloads of digital computer software products (a "Product" or "Products") purchased in a single order (an "Order") and downloaded from this Web site (the "Site") for a period of two (2) years after the date the End User purchases the Product (the "Service"). Click here for full details about EDS.

To purchase EDS for download products in a completed order, you must look up your order and complete an additional purchase.

O rly. I just went to pick up Metro 2033 from the recent THQ sale. So's I'm ready to check out and I think what the hell I'll grab Stalker too. THQ throws "EDS" in my cart for 4.99 USD. I'm thinking "wtf is this"? And then I start reading. So really, I buy the game and then I pay THQ a fee on top of that for the privilege to access the games I've already paid them for in case something goes amiss. GOG must have spoiled me because I find this to be absolute utter bullshit. Why should I have to pay them again for something I've already paid for. It's not like they're storing the damned games for people. They are already up there for sale. So, if there is a good reason why a fee like this should exist can someone please explain it to me.

...server cost/storage fees/cloud space/fuckifiknow?

It's a standard store 'feature' for any web store being run by Digital River. Just remove it from your cart, back up your downloaded installer (I'm pretty sure you can do that from the THQ store) and you're good to go.

Note that Metro 2033 is a Steamworks game--you'll get a key to activate through Steam. You'll then get all the usual Steam features just like if you had bought it through Steam. Steamworks games never expire once activated, not even after the purchase expires on the originating site.

Similarly, most EA games can be activated on Origin. As with Steamworks, games activated on Origin never expire and you can continue downloading and playing as usual.

Unfortunately for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and various other non-Steamworks/EA games you're stuck with whatever scheme the distributor has going, so go with Crassmaster's advice or look for a better deal somewhere else.

2 years? So it's just renting it then?

The expiry date is for re-downloading the installer. The game itself can be installed and played after that date as long as you have a backup of the installer.

Activation of bundled DRM (if any) is handled by the publisher, not Digital River, so should still function after the download expiry date has passed.

To have people download their games from torrents instead, saving them server costs.

It gets worse with physical media. Decided I buy a few games for 11 Euro - Amazon added another 11 Euro shipping. Even though all is from the same seller! I see myself forced to contact the seller directly if I want the games, not buying like that.

This is similar to the BS that some retail stores do with warranties on electric goods. "For ten bucks extra you get a tow year warranty".

Wow, you want to charge me for my legal rights that I have anyway? While it technically is somehting else than the legal warranty, it makes no difference in 99% of the cases.

So, wait, if you purchase a game without this guarantee thing, you're only allowed to download it once? What do they do about failed downloads, then?

You can download as many times as you want within 30 days of purchase, or two years if you pay for EDS. You can still retrieve the product key(s) from your account after the expiry date, but the download option is no longer offered.

Your license for the product never expires, only your access to a fresh copy of the installer for it.

4 or 5 years later you feel nostalgic and since then your backup HDD crashed, you know, the one that had all your saved installers on it. So you feel like playing the game and guess what, you have to pay for it again.

They're just sneakily trying to sell a service along with it (though of course they would label it that).

What a joke. Another great money making attempt on unsuspecting gamers worth a boycott.

All of this EDS sounds like utter bollocks.
That is the whole point of buying DD games. So that you could not just download and activate/play it once, but also could come back anytime in the future re-download, re-install and re-play whatever you like. Or else all of these fatures would all be available via purchasing physical media (yeah I know about limited activations just as you know what a parrot and a hook mean).
I understand why OnLive has limited time of access to its games - they are running those on their servers, but this is utter rubbish. I would never buy DD game with such limitations.

Thanks for pointing this out, i will stay away from this.

Digital River have been doing this for a decade now. How they still have clients is beyond me.