The concept of an online games rental house seems like a no-brainer. Take the selection of Blockbuster, the ease of use of Netflix, smash 'em together and you get Red Octane, easily the biggest place to rent games online. Just slap down less than $20 a month and you have access to an unlimited number of rentals for that month.



It seems more than a few people have noticed this, to the effect of an over 30% increase in rentals, a statistic that's no doubt bolstered by the fact that game sales in general are up, (way up, in fact, hitting an almost 75% jump over last month) with the release of Microsoft's Xbox Live and the Network Adaptor from Sony. Of course, the fact that the games industry is staring down one of the best holiday seasons in history doesn't hurt, with huge-name titles like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Splinter Cell, Metroid Prime and sleeper hits like MechAssault.



"Consumers are given more choices on great games than ever before. An increasing number of people have found that RedOctane is a service that allows them to play all of these incredible games without emptying their wallets," explains Kai Huang, RedOctane's CEO. "Most of our customers own 2 consoles and if they were to purchase the top 2 games for each console, it would cost them over $200, which is basically the cost of another game console. Our G2 Program* by comparison only costs $18.95 a month. G2 members can play up to two games at a time and can swap those games in for other games when they're done."



We've used the service and it couldn't be easier, with the only real drawback being the fact that you have to wait for the games to get mailed to you. Still, the price, convenience and selection rock, and if you're into checking out games before you buy 'em, this should be your next stop. Tell 'em PSX2.com sent ya.