The 1990s were heady times for the high-tech industries, and nowhere was this more evident than the so-called ‘dot-com bubble.’ The Internet, having finally come of age with the explosion of widespread, affordable access, was viewed as the next great frontier. Like the Emperor who had no clothes, people cheerfully poured millions of dollars into various dot-com ventures, no doubt assuming that the bread they cast upon the waters would be immediately repaid tenfold.

Sorry, folks, the real world doesn’t look like that, as scores of ‘irrationally exuberant’ investors learned. The ‘free lunch’ wasn’t, as it turned out, and the result has been a sort of re-trenching across the World Wide Web, as options are re-assessed, and various entities look for their niche, their way of making money. One of the more ironic signs of this trend has been the proliferation of pernicious advertising: pop-ups, pop-unders, Java ads, Flash ads, embedded media players beginning to air TV-style ads. I say ‘ironic’ because the sudden depression in advertising rates has been the very thing that has forced a sort of frantic scramble to find the most effective advertising means, so as to maximize what these sites are able to collect.

Gamenikki, as you know, has staunchly remained true to its ad-free roots. We don’t accept banner ads, pop-ups, Flash ads, etc. If we have our way about it, we never will. There is, at least in our eyes, a sort of provider-consumer covenant at work here. It’s a matter of trust. You, our readers, come here trusting that we will provide you not only with thorough evaluation of the multitude of video games (and movies, as our sister site Cinenikki.com will attest), but with an environment that allows you to peruse those evaluations in leisure and comfort. We do so for two reasons. First, and foremost, we’re avid Internet users, too. We know how much it sucks to go looking for information about the hottest game, new or forthcoming, only to have our browsers taken over by unasked-for advertising. The second reason is that we hope you spread the word about what a great place Gamenikki is to get such information.

With all of that said, just as revenue-driven sites have had to adapt to the changing realities of the Internet, to a certain extent, so have we. Because we hold so dearly to our ad-free status, there have sometimes been gaps in our game coverage – games have been released for which we haven’t received reviewable copies. The whys and wherefores aren’t important; what is important is that we fill those gaps, by hook or crook. We continue to work on the game companies in question, in the hopes that we can continue to establish solid relationships throughout the industry, but what may come to pass three or six months from now doesn’t help us – or you – today.

So we have a new partner, of sorts, in our relentless effort to bring you the most comprehensive game coverage we can. GameFly is the first, and so far as we can tell, only, company to offer online game rental. In fact, they have graciously agreed to allow us access to that service in order to fill the aforementioned gaps in our coverage. In return, they’ve asked only that we make you folks aware of the service they provide, and to provide you with a link through which you can test-drive their service free of charge for 10 days. In addition to this article, every time we post a review courtesy of assets GameFly provides us, we will include a grateful acknowledgement of their assistance, as well as the aforementioned link, similar to Cinenikki’s current relationship with NicheFlix. No pop-ups, no pop-unders, no banner ads flashing wildly across your screen.

Without spending too much more time on the topic, let me just briefly give you a rundown of what the GameFly service is, and how it works, now that I’ve had a little bit of hands-on experience with it. Basically, think of it as a sort of ‘summer reading list,’ only aimed at video games instead, and on a year round basis. Additionally, instead of other people telling you what to play, you get to make that decision for yourself.

After signing up for the free 10-day trial, you’re able to create what GameFly refers to as your ‘GameQ’. The ‘GameQ’ is a queue, or a list, of games that you’d like to play, whether they’re old favorites, hot new releases, or highly anticipated future releases (Halo 2, anybody?). They currently have games available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, and I have a hard time foreseeing a scenario where the forthcoming Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Pocket aren’t a part of that rotation once they hit the street this Christmas. More to the point, your Q can contain titles from any or all of the platforms currently carried by GameFly.

They have three different tiers of service available – although only two of the three are immediately available to new accounts. For more casual players, or people who generally concentrate exclusively on a single game when they’re playing, the most basic level allows subscribers to have one game at a time out for $13.95/month. Their most popular plan is the second tier, which allows users to rent two games at a time for $21.95/month. If your account remains in good standing for 60 days – presumably making your payments each month, returning games in the condition in which they were received, etc – a third tier opens up, allowing you to rent three games at a time for $29.95/month. In each case, the monthly fee is static; which is to say, regardless of how many games you go through in a month, you pay the same amount. No late fees, whatsoever. Obviously, the more you use the account, the better a value it becomes.

Each game arrives in a CD sleeve with a padded mailer and postage pre-paid return envelope, making returning the game a snap. Just stick it in its envelope, pop it in the mailbox, and your next game, depending upon immediate availability, will be shipped out as soon as they receive the game you’re returning. If you discover a game that you really like, GameFly includes the option with most titles (but not all, in order to maintain availability of the most popular games) to actually purchase the game at a discounted price. If you do so, they’ll send you the original box and instructions (the instructions don’t ship with the game; you can find basic instructions on the website, however), as well as the next title on your GameQ.

It’s also worth noting that while their average turnaround time for shipping the next title from the GameQ to a subscriber is 2-4 days, the first two titles off of my own (which you can expect to see reviewed here within the next several days!) took just 24 hours each. That’s impressive, but I’m also absurdly close to their distribution center, so that may be coloring matters somewhat.

All told, it’s a crisp, professional service, and the selection is outstanding, with over 1,000 games between the three consoles and GBA. We’d encourage you to give it a try, particularly since they offer a free 10-day trial to all comers. You’ll need a credit card in order to establish the trial, primarily because GameFly makes the “Buy It!” option available to all subscribers, trial or otherwise. If you decide that the service is worth keeping – and I have every confidence that you will – GameFly will then use the credit card number you provide to begin charging the monthly fee once the 10-day trial expires.

I’d like to make one thing clear, however. There is absolutely no obligation on your part. If you decide the service isn’t for you, then you’re free to cancel at any time during the 10 days with no strings attached. Aside from the ability to provide a greater expanse of game coverage to our readers, there’s nothing in it for us. If you appreciate, as we do, GameFly’s assistance in helping us with that expansion, the best way to let them know is to sign up for their free trial.

At the very worst, you’ll decide it’s not for you, and walk away richer for having experienced a game or two with which you might not otherwise have been familiar. At best, you’ll discover a means of broadening your gaming horizons in ways you never thought possible, while simultaneously allowing Gamenikki to bring you better coverage than ever before.

Give it some thought, won’t you?

-Josh Allen
Assistant Editor, Gamenikki