Hi forum,
I want to buy an old game - Medieval: Total War (2002).
Start tl;dr bit:
Well actually, I already own it, but I wasn't able to run it. I couldn't even install it, but managed to install it on a Windows 7 computer I have, take those files and registry entries over to my Windows 10 PC, which did "install" it (in a very janky way), but the game executable does not launch now that it's installed. Likely due to a lack of Windows drivers to perform the copyright protection old games require before they allow themselves to launch. It's a problem I'm familiar with and tried a few workarounds to, but still had no luck, so I've reluctantly given up on that for now. I don't mind the idea of this game appearing in my Steam library going forward.
The game is available on Steam for $15. I would rather not pay that. As I said, I OWN this game. No way that I know of to make use of my old CD keys to receive a digital copy, so I guess I'll have to pay it.
End tl;dr bit.
I'm wondering if there's any/many online games retailers (like Green Man Gaming, for example) where I might look for this game and others. I've seen G2A come up, but have read some sellers on it are dodgy. CDKeys.com is another, and while MTW is for sale there for cheaper than Steam, it says it cannot be activated in Australia. Has anyone bought a game off CDKeys.com or somewhere similar and then redeemed it in a different country using a VPN? Not sure it's worth the hassle/risk to save a few dollars in this case, and/or get my Steam account banned.
Hopefully that makes sense. Any suggestions on retailers, or ways I might get to play one of my nostalgic favourites, would be appreciated.
Cheers
The game (Gold/Complete Edition) goes on sale often on Steam; I would wait around for a discount, as it goes down to the $2-$5 when on sale. The next sale on Steam should be in 10 days or so, that's the Steam Summer Sale 2022. Last Steam Summer Sale, the game (Medieval: Total War - Collection) was $3.74. If you can wait a week and a bit, this is your best bet.
Some keyshops are selling it for around the $5 mark right now, like Gamivo and Kinguin. I personally haven't had many bad experiences with key sellers/marketplaces, definitely YMMV though. The one time I had a bad experience with a key seller was with Eneba, but I was refunded after a week or two after receiving a dud key.
Have a look through here if you wish:
https://gg.deals/game/medieval-total-war-collection/
And here for the game's price history on Steam:
https://steamdb.info/app/345260/