by NBKFuzzy at 31 May 2009, 08:18
You have to. Steam isn't just some third party program. Think of it as the internet mall. It has almost every game on it, excluding EA, and Blizzard Entertainment products. Very few games require Steam to run, but DoW2 does. This has plenty of benefits:
1. Force-patching makes you always up to date.
2. In-game chat with anybody on your steam friends list(like Xfire)
3. Smoothly downloads patches.
4. Once installed, if you get a new computer or whatever, Steam always remembers your CD key with your game registered onto it. So you can't really get your CD key stolen.
Most Steam games, including DoW2, can be purchased with the DvD, which I prefer, since like you said, you have a solid copy of it with you. When installing DoW2, it will simply install Steam and if you don't have a steam account, you make it via installation process.
The most popular Steam product is by far Half-Life. All the Half-Life titles, including the most popular Counter Strike, require steam to play.
The worst part is GFWL(Games for Windows Live). Its ok, and a lot of people like it, but I'm not to big of a fan, but to be honest its mostly personal bias. My first experience with GFWL on Gears of War went awry, and I have hated it since. Its been nice to me in DoW2 but I still look at it as a shady man in the corner... It basically just is good for the Achievement system in game, which gives you MS G. These are basically online credits that you can purchase things you would normally buy with real money through Microsoft. Such as addons to games. It also gives the Trueskill system which is good... I guess. It makes you match with players to fight against that are the same skill as you, based on the games you played, and how you played. Problem is if you havent played any, how does it know? It doesn't. Takes about 10 games apparently.
My muse is a fickle bitch, with a short attention span.