GOG announced today that it will give you your money back for games you purchase and are unable to run. Players are encouraged to first use the support page to find a solution to the problem, submitting a ticket describing the issue if they need further help. But in the case that even GOG's "top men" can't find a solution, the site will offer a refund within 30 days after purchase.
Even better, if you've bought the game by mistake (I own Dark Souls on two platforms because of such a mistake) or just changed your mind about the game, you can get a refund within 14 days, assuming you didn't download it. No test drive here, folks—you play it you pay for it.
This is a really great guarantee, though, especially for a retailer like GOG, which deals in older games that can result in compatibility issues despite the company's best testing efforts and stated system requirements.
Electronic Art's " Origin Great Game Guarantee ," is similar but more limited. It allows you to get a full refund 24 hours after first launching the game, or seven days after purchase, whichever comes first.
Still, both beat Steam's frighting, all caps warning regarding refunds, or the lack thereof:
"ALL CHARGES INCURRED ON STEAM, AND ALL PURCHASES MADE WITH THE STEAM WALLET, ARE PAYABLE IN ADVANCE AND ARE NOT REFUNDABLE IN WHOLE OR IN PART, REGARDLESS OF THE PAYMENT METHOD, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT."
OKAY STEAM.
