The other day I briefly mentioned Good Old Games, but now the beta is going and I’ve actually had a peek inside. It’s tremendous.

I have not actually used it (yet) myself, but here are some of the good things I’ve been hearing:

Lots and lots of titles. Unlike other game portals, I don’t see any filler. Nearly everything on the site is a AAA title of yesteryear, without padding out their list with shovelware and Bejeweled knockoffs. Nearly every game is $6. A few are $10. A lot of games are actually The Base Game + An Expansion for $6. “No DRM” is listed as a selling point. It’s been so long since anyone treated me like a customer that I’d forgotten what it feels like. I’m welling up right now. Most of it downloaded as zip files for easy archiving, and the game is a single exe installer. Plus you can download it as many times as you want from their site. They aren’t just offering the game. In some cases you can get, “the full manual in PDF, the game’s reference card, an avatar pack, as well as MP3s of the game’s soundtrack! Separate downloads too, so you don’t have to get it all unless you want it.” Most of the games are from The Golden Age. Modern enough to run without tricky emulation, old enough to run on whatever dusty old heap you might have lying around. You can get support, which is something you won’t get if you pick up one of these games at a yard sale.

This is an amazing thing. I’m actually feeling a profound sense of guilt that I haven’t given them any money yet. Not for a game, but just, you know, in general. I know I’m getting Freespace 2, and with these prices it’s actually pretty easy to just toss a couple of extra titles into your shopping cart.