Promise of a better rental future?

Okay, I've been hearing about Gamefly for a while now, from some sketchy words about it in the beginning to the recent kind words via Penny Arcade. Couple that with my recent dissatisfaction with my local Hollywood Video (a combination of not having new releases until they were old plus not being able to find discs that are technically 'availible rentals') plus my fondness for Netflix and I decided that Gamefly might be a good way to go. So, consider this an experiment. Today I'm documenting my sign-up and two weeks after, I'll write up a little summary on the experience.

I started off by clicking through Gamefly's banner at Penny Arcade. Say what you will about them, but the hours unitdaisy and I have spent laughing over the turtle are well worth more than the .02 cents click-through profit they'll receive. After clicking on the sign-up option I was notified that if you continue with the subscription you receive a free subscription to Electronic Gaming Monthly. Yeah, say what you will about them too, but I like print gaming mags. You'll find out why in a few weeks. So, the deal just got sweeter. Signing up was relatively painless and quick and within no time I was able to add games to my queue. I quickly added two games that I was sure weren't worth buying, but I still wanted to see them: P.N. 03 (based off Ruti's review) and Futurama (possible drek, but I'm a fan of the series). I clicked through 'Rent it!' and received a relatively sparse page in Opera, my browser of choice and clicked on 'Continue Browsing' and BOOM - window gone. While I appreciate Gamefly's pop-up sniffing (I didn't have to change my preferences and allow pop-ups) I don't appreciate my damn main window being shut down. My tip? Don't have any pop-ups on a commerce site.

Spam ahoy?

Next up, I was going through my preferences and saw a few items worth noting. For one, when you're signing up Gamefly asks you which consoles you own. My initial thought was 'oh, they'll use this to help cue you to what you may like, just like my favorite non-sexual partner Netflix!' No. Go to Your Account > Email Subscription and you will conveniently see that you will be notified with new releases for each console you stated you own (not too bad), Gamefly special offers (again, not too bad - it doesn't completely stink of spam) and Partner Offers! Oh boy - please flood my inbox with spam about the latest Dragon Ball Z video set! In the interest of reporting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I am resisting every bone in my body and keeping the defaults on. In fact, I'm even adding the Xbox to my list - just so I can report what those with all three current consoles might get their inbox's fisted with. Also, you can actually change your membership to rent one game at a time for $13.95, rather than two at once for $21.95. Personally, I'd also like a three game option, perhaps for $24.95 or so. Say I rent two duds, I don't want to wait for another. But perhaps I'm too stuck in the Netflix mindset.

And that brings me to my next point - I'm so used to Netflix that I expect the same out of any similar service. When I first signed up for Netflix I spent hours rating films - yes, I tried to teach Netflix what I liked so I could get recommendations. The result was basically that I've seen too much for Netflix to suggest anything worthwhile, but it showcases a glaring omission on Gamefly's account - there are no ratings. There's no community. You cannot write reviews, you can't click a star system. There's no visible feedback whatsoever. I know that more people on Gamefly are going to be hardcore, and have a rough idea what most games are like but really - they're blanketing people with their new advertising campaign. And a lot of people interested aren't going to be hardcore and don't know their Ikaragu from Gungrave. A ratings, review and recommendation system would severely help - not only with other customers, but for those that like giving input and trying new games out.

Oh boy. Thanks Gabe.

So far, my experience has been relatively positive but not completely exceptional. I like incentives like the EGM subscription but I didn't expect it and forgot about it after I registered (as all I really want are the games). The site isn't the easiest to navigate and killing my window when I'm browsing definitely turns me off a bit, but if they're able to deliver the goods soon, in good condition and with manuals then I'll be happy.

So now we play the waiting game.

...

To quote Homer Simpson, "The waiting game sucks."