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GOG Launches Preservation Program for Timeless Classics | Retro Gaming News 24/7
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this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Its just a rebrand of what they already did with bringing back old games the publishers didnt support anymore and updating them for current platforms isnt it?
Yeah, I've been confused about this. They are basically branding the games they don't own but are supporting out of pocket, if I understand correctly.
So no, they don't own Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3, but they did the work to make them run on modern PCs, so they are now flagging them as part of their preservation program. I don't think it goes beyond that, but it's useful to have a flag for them, I suppose. It may make it easier to sell the idea to publishers or whatever.
The GOG library has been building since 2008, when Vista was the current windows version.
Some titles that worked at some point over the last 16 years may have some developed issues on modern hardware, drivers, or operating systems.
This program is at least confirming it works on windows 10/11 and common 2024 hardware
That's fair, I hadn't considered the scenario of a bunch of old GOG-supported games needing updates.
I mean, in my defense that's because a lot of the older catalogue is just running under DosBox, but there's definitely more finicky stuff in there as well.
My personal experience has been that it’s games from the post-DOS era, especially PC games from the very late 90s and early 00s, that can be really tricky.
I’ve had better luck running games from that era from my GOG library via Lutris on Linux than Windows 10/11.
The ones that run in DOS Box are comparatively easy!
Late 90s/early 00's Windows software was very finicky. Lots of very specific solutions to play back video integrated right into games and other weird dependencies that never carried forward (for good reason). Some decent games in there, too. Discworld Noir is famously picky, and that may be the best of the trilogy.
So yeah, I'm on board with what Gog does to those. If they want to brand that effort, I'm good with that, as long as nothing with the rest of their policies for GoG changes.
From one side, it does seem like they're selling something old as new, but from the other, it seems they're retooling the adaptation process. And as people seem to slowly but surely pressure companies into going back to making quality products, perhaps it's GOG's way of saying they're in this bandwagon of quality shift too.
Yeah I'm not sure what they're actually doing here, GOG has always included fixes and patches for the games they distribute.