« It is not the size of your Macintosh but how you use it. | Main | Review : Jakks TV Game Atari 2600 Paddle »
Review : IntoTheGame.com
About a month and a half ago I was contacted by IntoTheGame.com the video game rental service and they wanted me to try out their package.
The way that it works is you sign up on their website for their game rental subscription service starting at $19.95 a month and then put together a wish list of games that you would like to rent. Then they mail two games off the top of your wish list in cardboard slips with return envelopes. You then play them to your heart's content and mail them back in the return envelopes and they send you a new game off your wish list. If you end up really liking the game you can buy it and not send it back. They have a three game package for 24.95 a month and a four game package for 29.95 a month. This is similar to Netflicks.com but they are all about Video games. They have a pretty good selection of PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox games and they even Dreamcast, PSOne, Sega CD, and Saturn games. I don't know of any place that you can even rent Sega CD and Saturn games so that is pretty cool.
The games are sent to you via US Postal Service so you can expect about a two day turn around each way. Say you sign up for a game on Tuesday you would get it on Thursday. When you want to get another rental you mail it back and they swap it out with a new one about four days after you mailed it back. One really slick thing is that the envelopes work in apartment mail boxes. I am never home to sign for stuff and getting a CD/DVD based game in my mail lock box works out. I was a bit worried that I would get it lost in the mail but it worked.
This works out if you like to try a wide variety of games and if you like to rent a bunch of games. This would also be handy if the rental stores in your area suck. I tried out Katamai Daimacy and was hooked. I doubt that you can get that at your local Blockbuster.. Right BBQ?
The price of the service is about the same as a value game or a older used game. One nice thing about buying a game is that you can not play it and not feel guilty about leaving it on your shelf when I got a rental game in the mail I was compelled to put it to the front of my list of games that I am currently playing.
I might think about signing back up for IntoTheGame rental service later on. I don't see this replacing buying games but it can be a nice supplement to have a fresh stream of rented games on tap over the net and your friendly mail carrier. If you like to buy crap on line or if you are already hooked on Netflicks then you could see how this is super cool.
Jake at January 16, 2005 
Reviews
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/cgi-bin/mtype/mt-tb.cgi/750
Comments
I'd like to have one of those shops here in good olde Europe.
PLEASE!!! PRETTY PLEASE!
Posted by: Jim at January 17, 2005 7:33 AM
Is this game rental company as dark and evil as netflicks? I know netflicks will take their sweet time if you return a movie real fast. ie: If me and a buddy both recieve a movie on the same day, and I return mine the next day, and my buddy returns his 5 days later, they will act upon his movie more quickly than mine, because he kept his longer. This is to minimize the number of movies you can get in a month, so they make more money. I've heard this from several people.
I love the idea, but it seems that companies just want to make money, and nothing else, like give people the goods they offer, but then again, who am I to say, I've never tried either of the services.
Posted by: Shawn at January 17, 2005 1:18 PM
They are not connected with Netflicks.com and they were prompt in swapping out my games.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at January 17, 2005 7:22 PM
fyi: it's netflix...i dont mean to be anal about it. :)
i'm curious as to how they treat their game discs. i dont rent from blockbuster anymore but i'd always be pissed everytime i rented a movie from them and the movie was scratched up to play properly all the way through.
shawn: what's the age difference btw your netflix account and your buddies account? i recall that netflix would give higher priority of movies to newer subscribers than people who've been with them for a while...especially for new releases.
Posted by: jon at January 17, 2005 8:10 PM
I think www.gamefly.com is Netflix affiliated.
Posted by: Anthony at January 17, 2005 8:33 PM
I've been very happy with Blockbuster online's DVD rental service. They have been very fast in sending movies out as I return them. The price is right there with Netflix, and the nice thing is that they give you two in-store rentals each month, which are valid for games as well as DVDs.
As for games, I've always wanted to try out an online rental service, but I like to buy games and keep them. I'm a pack rat. It isn't pretty.
Hey Jake! I've missed frequenting your site lately. I killed my rinserepeat domain, but I am hoping I'll stick around now that I have rediscovered your place...
Posted by: Jeff at January 18, 2005 12:13 PM
Jon:
re-your comment on the age thing.
Thats a good point you bring up. That's most likely their process. It would make sense, but still, shouldn't everyone be equal in retail. Anyway, your probibly right Jon.
Posted by: Shawn at January 19, 2005 12:02 PM
Check out www.gamefly.com.
Been using them for two years now and except for the big titles (Halo 2 and GTA), I've stopped buying games.
Posted by: Trashie at January 31, 2005 2:48 PM
