Gametap

When I first heard about Gametap, I thought that it would be a horrible idea. Real crash and burn type stuff. It's a service that allows the user to download and play old games from the Atari era up till the present on their computer. Essentially, it hopes to replace your collection of old systems and games. I'm a fairly avid gamer: I've got the old Nintendo 64, my Playstation, my SNES--hell, I've even got an NES sitting around in my closet somewhere. Not only do I own those systems, but I have a ton of games for each one. What possible use could I have for a service that purported to provide me with things I already have?

     I didn't plan on trying the service out at all, until I started collecting Coke Rewards. After saving up enough for a month of the service, I figured I might as well give it a shot. After all, I had almost nothing to lose.

      Color me surprised. Not only was there a wealth of games already available, but they included a slick interface and loads of fairly hard to find games(Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts, I'm looking at you guys). The sheer magnitude of the catalog made me slaver with anticipation, and I found myself spending the next few hours just going on an ADD fueled tour de force of nostalgia. At about one life per game, I blew through most of the SNES titles in a few hours. On top of this, the library includes PC games such as Baldur's Gate and Planescape:Torment, classics that are rather epic games (lengthwise) in their own right.

I suppose Gametap's greatest strength lies in it's convinience. After all, why bother connecting a mess of wires to a TV that may or may not play your games when you can just download them and play almost instantly?