GameTap Launches

[if76]

GameTap (http://www.gametap.com/home/Home), the Turner company's game network has launched today with their initial selection of games. Billed as an aftermarket source of revenue for publishers and developers, Gametap promises to be a haven for older games. The selection, to some people's dismay, is made up mostly of old to ancient console games. Here's a snippet:

Flicky™ Action Genesis SEGA Corporation
Jewel Master™ Action Genesis SEGA Corporation
Landstalker™ Adventure Genesis SEGA Corporation
Alex Kidd™ in the Enchanted Castle Action Genesis SEGA Corporation
Ecco the Dolphin™ Adventure Genesis SEGA Corporation
Shadow Dancer™: The Secret of Shinobi Action Genesis SEGA Corporation
Columns III™: Revenge of Columns Puzzle Genesis SEGA Corporation
Astrosmash™ Action Intellivision Intellivision Lives
Skiing Sports Intellivision Intellivision Lives
Night Stalker™ Action Intellivision Intellivision Lives
Alex Kidd in Miracle World™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
The Ninja™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Enduro Racer™ Racing Master System SEGA Corporation
Bomber Raid™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Kung Fu Kid™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Phantasy Star™ Role-Playing Master System SEGA Corporation
Fantasy Zone™: The Maze Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Alex Kidd™: The Lost Stars Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Kenseiden™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Quartet™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Aztec Adventure™ Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Fantasy Zone™ II: The Tears of Opa-Opa Action Master System SEGA Corporation
Myst® Adventure Windows UbiSoft
Rayman® 3: Hoodlum Havoc Action Windows
There are about 20 PC games to about 200 console games. If I wanted to play Alex Kidd again, I'd get an emulator...or not.

[XxSATANxX]

Holy crap what a waste of Bandwidth. Time Warner is like a giant company that houses
stupid. Funny to see LOCK ON on the list though......

[LilEvilFish]

I'd rather scratch my eyes out with a fork than play another Alex Kidd game

[DCJoeDog]

(looks at own desktop for emulators)
2600 - check
7800 - check
Coloecovision - check
Intellivision - check
NES - check
SNES - check
N64 - check
Sega Master System - check
Genesis - check
SEGA CD - check
23X - check
TG-16 - check
Neo-Geo - check
MAME - check
GBA - check
3DO - check


Tell me again why I need this, Gametap you call it?

[Magnanimous Gnome]

*Looks up DCJoeDog's IP, alerts the authorities*

[mister_slim]

Tell me again why I need this, Gametap you call it?
So Sega will die a little less? So maybe Beyond Good & Evil will get a sequel?

[Ernst_Jager]

This gives people a legal chance to own and play these games on their computer.
I'm surprised some of the major anti-piracy people on this site haven't commented on this yet.

[danhoo]

So Sega will die a little less? So maybe Beyond Good & Evil will get a sequel?

Sega's death appears to be unstoppable. As much as I would love a BG&E sequel, having a downloadable BG&E via GameTap isn't going to make enough money for Ubisoft to warrent a sequel. Sorry.

[DCJoeDog]

*Looks up DCJoeDog's IP, alerts the authorities*
If you must *yawn*

ALso, I am anti-piracy, but these are old games no one is making anymore money on, and this is a last ditch effort to churn out what little money they can to save their butts.

And I LOVE SEGA, own and still play Dreamcast, and my 50+ games. You don't see that eemulator on the list, do you?

[LilAbner]

You guys are totally out of touch with reality.

Not everyone has the means and/or knowledge to get an emulator and ROMs. Most people are not "l33t hax0rz" like you guys. This is an easy way for people to play classic games legally.

It's no different from when they announced the PSP movies...you guys said this would be a huge flop, and it's the exact opposite. I personally am not interested in PSP movies, but I can see why some would be. It all depends on your lifestyle.

[NoName]

Yay! Ecco the dolphin! Oh wait... no... maybe I should be posting while sick o.0.

[KarmaGhost]

Oh, so that's what that commercial with the talking Pitfall allegators was for on adult swim.

[DCJoeDog]

I saw that one and the DIgDug one. Both were funny.

[civx]

(looks at own desktop for emulators)
2600 - check
7800 - check
Coloecovision - check
Intellivision - check
NES - check
SNES - check
N64 - check
Sega Master System - check
Genesis - check
SEGA CD - check
23X - check
TG-16 - check
Neo-Geo - check
MAME - check
GBA - check
3DO - check


Tell me again why I need this, Gametap you call it?

It's a legal way to play old games.

[if76]

You guys are totally out of touch with reality.

Not everyone has the means and/or knowledge to get an emulator and ROMs. Most people are not "l33t hax0rz" like you guys. This is an easy way for people to play classic games legally.

It's no different from when they announced the PSP movies...you guys said this would be a huge flop, and it's the exact opposite. I personally am not interested in PSP movies, but I can see why some would be. It all depends on your lifestyle.

I thought PSP movies would flop because people weren't that interested in watching movies on a bus not because people would have the technical knowhow to download their own movies and put them on memory stick . I still think the format is pretty limited.

What upsets me about Gametap is that they have a chance to provide hundreds if not thousands of old PC games and they're not. Where is Lemmings, TIE Fighter, Mechwarrior 3, MDK, Emporer of Dune, Total Annihilation, Sim Ant etc. etc. If they can make a good Genesis emulator, surely they can make a good DOS emulator. C'mon now.

[civx]

I thought PSP movies would flop because people weren't that interested in watching movies on a bus not because people would have the technical knowhow to download their own movies and put them on memory stick . I still think the format is pretty limited.

What upsets me about Gametap is that they have a chance to provide hundreds if not thousands of old PC games and they're not. Where is Lemmings, TIE Fighter, Mechwarrior 3, MDK, Emporer of Dune, Total Annihilation, Sim Ant etc. etc. If they can make a good Genesis emulator, surely they can make a good DOS emulator. C'mon now.

Give it time. It JUST launched! I signed up for the free trial just to see what it's all about. I just wish I could change the resolution =/

[Rommel]

I own every game I currently have on emulator. I even deleted my Neo geo ROMs once the company's assests were picked up following them closing. So neener, neener, neener.

[MStiles]

ALso, I am anti-piracy, but these are old games no one is making anymore money on, and this is a last ditch effort to churn out what little money they can to save their butts.

And I LOVE SEGA, own and still play Dreamcast, and my 50+ games. You don't see that eemulator on the list, do you?

No one is making any more money on? Hel-LO!? You're saying that in a thread for an actual service in which PEOPLE ARE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE MONEY ON THE GAMES. What about all those Midway and Capcom and Atari retro collections that go on sale all the time (Capcom Classics released just last week). That's not making money on these old games?

While I'm at it, using ROMs illegally isn't justified just because you think the games are old and shouldn't be charged for anymore. Your own opinion of the worth of the games doesn't override the law.

[agentgray]

Resurrect.

Now that this has been out, has anyone given it a try. $14.95 a month sounds pretty reasonable. The titles on here are pretty impressive, especially the ones from Ubisoft.

The title list has grown a LOT since the original post of this thread.

http://www.gametap.com/home/game_titles/index.jsp