If you love gaming but don't want to shell out hard-earned dough for stacks of games, using the Gamefly service can give you relatively inexpensive access to an unlimited rental library.
If you want to do a lot of gaming or play a small number of games for a long time, Gamefly's tiered pricing plan probably offers a better deal than if you rented from your local video store or bought a game outright--a new game costs $40 to $60.
At Gamefly, you can rent games for all major consoles including the Sony PlayStation 2, the Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360, and the Nintendo GameCube. Games for handhelds such as the PSP, the Nintendo DS, and the Game Boy Advanced also are available, as are movies you can play on the PSP.
And Gamefly management says that the company is already beginning to bank games for the much-anticipated Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3.
How the Service Works
You could call Gamefly the Netflix of video games. As a customer, you create a list of games you are interested in renting, which is called your GameQ. Gamefly then ships the games in the order that you list them. If your first choice is unavailable, the company will send you your second choice. The games ship free of charge, and include a return envelope with prepaid postage.
Once you tire of a game, send it back, and the company will send you the next game listed in your GameQ. In my tests, games shipped within 24 hours, and took about two to four days to arrive.
When you sign up, you have several pricing options. For those who want to sample the service without spending a penny, Gamefly offers a ten-day free trial. After that, you pay $9.95 for the first month, and $14.95 a month thereafter to rent one game at a time. If you'd like to check out more than one game at a time, the price rises to $14.95 for the first month, and $21.95 a month thereafter.
Once you've established your account, you can upgrade to a plan that allows multiple game rentals. For $28.95 a month, you can have three games out at a time; $35.95 bumps that number up to four games at once.
Additional Features
Say you've been playing your rented FIFA World Cup 2006 game for several weeks and you like it so much that you want to buy it. As a Gamefly member, you have the option of buying your game at a discounted price: In your GameQ, which lists the games you've checked out, press the Keep It button next to your desired game, and your account will be charged automatically. The original case and manuals will be sent to you.
Concerned parents can set up accounts for their kids. The adult creates the account and maintains a master password that lets them change the account's privileges and permissions. Parents can block content or specific games that they deem unfit for their kids.
Gamefly's site is very gamer and community oriented. You can refer to a game's user ratings for guidance, and add your own rating. If you want to say more about a game than a numerical rating allows, you can write your own review or read those that other members have posted.
As an avid gamer, I found the selection remarkable. And in the rare instance that a game didn't arrive, I filled out a simple form on the Gamefly site, and the next game in my GameQ was sent to me, no questions asked.
All in all, I found Gamefly to be a great site for gamers looking to play a wide variety of games with out spending hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. Game on!
A great site for gamers looking to play a wide variety of games at a good monthly price.
Monthly plans start at $14.95.
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