No but really, it wasn't just an impulse post :) At least for me, the biggest hindrance to Steam is the spyware-like client. I was once quite OCD about not getting that thing on my PC but the circumstances are making me consider this again. Sure, if we get a simultaneous release of a game on both platforms it'd be stupid to buy it on Steam. But otherwise, I don't see myself whining on developer and GOG forums to maybe get a DRM-free release 2 years after the game comes out anymore.

The anti-DRM stance is very important of course, and I'd still steer clear of anything that has some non-sense always-online requirement or similar crap regardless. But when well-meaning publishers like Degica, who explicitly state that they don't like or use crippling DRM, get turned away I begin to wonder what the bigger threat here is. GOG "curation" is starting to become something that bugs me just as much as DRM these days. You know, with GOG you can't play the games when you are always online either :)

On a side note, I wonder how something like Astebreed got released so easily. I've checked the wishlist and there is 20+ votes. And the game is not a very good shmup in my opinion, not much depth there, ie. you clear it once, see all the gimmicks, and you are pretty much done with it. Is it the production value and the cinematic experience that wows some random GOG dude checking the game out?

Hard to beat the top (Tyrian 2000 is pretty much cream of the top.) . And yeah, I'd rather buy an airplane sim or racing games first.

Well, technically it's Degica (since they're publishing CAVE games, and have stated that they're interested in a GOG release), but GOG isn't exactly interested. Here's an email that an employee from Degica got from GOG regarding the game on here:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55529&sid=8d188932dec3f90533cf09d2a63905e5&start=180

I forget what thread it was in, but GOG has stated that they don't know if Mushihimesama is a financially viable investment and that they are waiting to see if it is profitable on Steam before thinking about bringing it here.

No, this is not acceptable. A company that sells indie shmups and crap ports like Raiden Legacy has no right to be ignorant of a company like Cave.

1) If a game is relatively unknown outside of Japan, why then would GOG pursue countless no-name strategy /indie RPG titles that are unknown worldwide?

2) Waiting to see how a game performs on Steam at this time of year before approving it is a great way to ensure that most interested customers buy it on Steam during one of their sales, and thus, have no need for it on GOG.

It just doesn't make sense.

That reasoning is so ridiculous it almost makes me angry.

Tyrian 2000 is like One Must Fall 2097 and Jazz Jackrabbit in that a lot of PC gamers think it's the best in the genre because the pickings were so slim, and nostalgia has kept that alive against all reason (to see this effect in reverse, look at Goldeneye against the best PC FPSes of the era).

Tyrian 2000 is fine, I guess. It's slow and the levels are never particularly interesting and the ship is floaty as hell, but... it's fine. But even at the time there were plenty of games with far tighter mechanics and far more interesting designs, and today it's not even a contest.

But Tyrian 2000 is what exclusive PC gamers remember, so it's what GOG puts up.

Tyrian is one of the best games here! I play ti every day.

I just wish I could figure out how to get my Carrot ship back without using codes. There used to be another way.

Git gud GoG.

Did you play it on a faster speed, like Turbo? And on higher difficulty levels?

This is actually a pretty accurate assessment. I loved Tyrian back in the day, but when I got into the genre properly and started playing some of the other stuff out there, I realized it's actually just plain bad. It's an alright game if that's all you have access to, but... why limit yourself?

Sure did. That makes it more difficult, but doesn't change things like bland design or inertia on ship movement.

Have you played anything from Cave, Psikyo or Raizing, or even classics like Darius Gaiden, Rayforce, Raiden II, Gradius or R-Type?

FWIW, Degica has said that if they can't get a GOG release worked out, they'll look at releasing DRM-free through Humble Store. I somehow doubt Humble will turn them down on that.

Sure. Gradius has slow and awkward movement, Darius eats quarters for lunch despite being a console game, R-Type is slower than Tyrian at times.

I've played Gradius I-III, Parodious 1-2, one of the Darius games, and R-Type Super and III. And if we're talking about bland design, then how about the boss recycling of Gradius or how most of the enemies are nothing more than flying circles?

As for games by Cave, nope. I've barely even heard of them.

I had Gradius on my NES. I hated that damn thing! ;P