Well... if it is something that every game on GFWL or every game on GFWL from a certain time period has then I think it is a meaningless distinction at best. It is hard to find the exact discussion I was talking about. But there are plenty of mentions of that limit online still:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=15808978

Here is a reference of them having a fixed policy no matter the thought of publshers and developers:

[url=http://forums.2k.com/showthread.php?56859-Are-you-sure-this-game-is-using-old-GFWL-(NON-SSA)&s=35cf13cdc0513636c3136382f79520a2&p=635784#post635784]http://forums.2k.com/showthread.php?56859-Are-you-sure-this-game-is-using-old-GFWL-(NON-SSA)&s=35cf13cdc0513636c3136382f79520a2&p=635784#post635784[/url]

A reference to the supposedly DRM free Fallout 3 having limited activations: http://www.overclock.net/t/649834/gfwl-games-have-an-activation-limit (Hence why I won't get the game)

Problems with GTAIV: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1038034630&postcount=29

A reference to someone being DENIED a new key: http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=51974 (The last post in the thread is yet another person with Fallout 3 problems)

The mob mentality of PC gaming never ceases to amaze me, even more so when the falsehoods that arise from this come from blatant fanboyism and where the accusations often levelled at it also apply to Steam (although, when it applies to Steam, the same 'features' are acceptable and good all of a sudden). People don't hate on GFWL because it is genuinely bad (although, like Steam, it is). People hate on it because it is 'cool' to hate on it.

As Velvet said, the only GFWL games to use DRM were the ones towards the end of the service's life - a few I can think of are Section 8, Dark Souls and...I can't think of any others of note. Dirt 3 maybe? And these games use the new Steam-style authentication system without limited activations.

Fallout 3 is and was DRM-free. You can install the game and create an offline profile without ever having to connect to the internet. The only way you will be bitten by the activations is if you activate it on an online account.

The same would apply to GTA4 - it works perfectly fine on an offline account and does not ever need to connect to the GFWL service. However, GTA4 has separate SecuROM DRM, but claiming that the game has GFWL DRM on that basis is misleading and wrong.

Same applies to Gears of War - it doesn't ever have to connect to the net if you create an offline profile.

From my perspective, people hated GFWL because it was a shit piece of software and never worked properly. Admittedly, Steam is a shit piece of software as well, but at least it works most of the time - whereas GFWL was very slow and riddled with region restrictions to the point where it didn't allow you to play a game properly in spite of buying the region specific version of it. It's not a question of whether or not DRM implemented by either Steam of GFWL is bad, it's the question of GFWL itself being bad.

I could see some people considering GFWL better than Steam when everything works as inteneded - but... Well, I've never seen that occur, at the very least it slowed down launch of any game by extremely long login times and weird way of doing updates.

It does require GFWL installation tho, which is already an issue on Win8

Each has their pros and cons. GFWL games have the benefit of running off the bat without having to start a client first - log-ins are handled in the background.

The region locks and patching issues apply to both Steam and GFWL though - both hold your game hostage while they're updating (GFWL being marginally worse in this respect due to the updating occurring in-game).

Also, Steam also has plenty of problems with regional restrictions. Here in Germany, we can't play uncensored versions of Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, Inversion, Saints Row 2 and 3 and soon also Wolfenstein: The New Order. Yet, as I say, it's a severe case of double standards. Applied to GFWL, the whole community is up in arms about it, but when applied to Steam, they're simply "bound by the constraints of the law".

I don't have a problem with people liking or not liking GFWL. My problem is with those who apply double standards to the whole affair.

You say that you can understand people who find GFWL better but have never seen it working properly - the same applies to Steam. But again, when people start reporting of problems with Steam (offline mode, activation, VAC), in comes the mass wave of people believing that there is no problem, the user is just doing it wrong. If I came onto a PC gaming forum and said I had problems with playing offline on GFWL, everyone would say "fuck GFWL". If I came onto that same forum and said I had problems with playing offline on Steam, everyone would start accusing me of spreading falsehoods and getting it wrong.

See the problem?

Sorry but GFWL is worse than Steam. Way worse. I linked to several concrete cases of people having issues and not ust with games from the end of its life. I too had issues. Very concretely GFWL Legacy has that 15 install limit, Steam it self(with no 3rd party DRM added) doesn't have any install or authentication limits. Steam works in my country, GFWL doesn't(GFWL titles on Steam don't appear at all for me for example). I spent hours upon hours to get Gears of War PC to work . I have never had to do that with any Steam titles. Claims of Steam being just as bad as GFWL are just whitewashing GFWL issues. Nothing else.

My issues with installing Gears of War PC back then are the reason for my permanent boycotts of GFWL and ATI/AMD GPU's(I ran into a nasty hardware malfunction error). Nothing you say can make those issues disappear I DID have those issues. Just as the people I linked DID run into issues with Fallout 3, GTA IV and other games.

Edit:

When you point out issues with GFWL that are bad and don't apply to Steam(Install/activation limits on GFWL Legacy, extremely limited regional availability, save game corruptions and the like) you are NOT employing any form of double standards.

Edit2:

What is wrong with pointing out concrete issues X, Y and Z that apply to one service but not the other? How is that a double standard?

Well yes, but Steam does't sell region restricted games in regions where they aren't going to work, whereas GFWL had two layers of region restrictions:
a) The same as Steam does
b) 'Supported countries' - when you buy Dawn of War 2 in Slovakia, where DoW 2 is legally sold, you can't play multiplayer because GFWL does't recognize Slovakia as supported country. This might have changed recently tho, I wouldn't know - thankfully, Czech Republic has been added to the list of supported countries.

Nonetheless, my argument was than when Steam works as advertized, it's far better than when GFWL works as advertised. GFWL was just a massive list of bad design - not only game updates, even client updates ran in-game. When I was on slow connection, my computer was basically locked for prolonged periods of time. Additionally, I've never seen Steam to flatout refuse to work, altho that might just be my personal experience. GFWL on the other hand ... Yeah.

Lastly, when you install a DRM-free game via Steam, you can just copy it over wherever you want and play it with no attachment to client or your account whatsoever. GFWL games still tend to have the attachment to GFWL - so if your system does't support it, you're out of luck, unless you're willing to use a crack. It does't matter that you can create an offline account, the bloody thing just won't work - and as I said, there are issues with getting it to work on Win8 already, even tho the base game works fine, like Gears of War.

And in spite of doing all of this crap, it failed to offer any worthwhile cloud or online-based functionality - getting a game up with your friend was awkward at best, even when you both happened to be in a supported country.

Just... GFWL was turd and I'm glad to be finally rid of it.

Morrowind GOTY from Mastertronic [s]is DRM-Free[/s].

Edit: actually it WAS DRM-Free a few years ago, long before Skyrim's release and Bethesda's embracement with Steam. Now it requires steam, according to Mastertronic's website.

Mini Ninjas, released in 2009 by Hitman devs IO Interactive has no intrusive online activation DRM.

It's also available on British amazon for around GBP 1-2, I urge each and every one of you you to get a copy! (Or at least vote for it on the gog wishlist)

Yeah, I guess I should probably update this now...

Added:
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (Europe)
Lego Lord of the Rings (Europe)
Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (Europe)
Don't Starve (Germany)
The Witcher 3 (Worldwide)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (Europe)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (Europe)
MotoGP 13 (Europe)
The Sims: Medieval (Europe)
Major League Baseball 2K11 (Europe)
Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past (Europe)
Mini Ninjas (Europe)
Jurassic Park: The Game (Europe)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Europe)

Provisionally added:
Risen 3 (Germany)

I know this is getting on a bit now, and I'm not sure if you're still wanting to know, but I've just confirmed that the retail release of Shadow Warrior does indeed require Steam. A shame, but can't be helped.

Pretty weird considering it is on GOG. Why do developers put DRM on retail when there are non-DRM versions available as digital downloads (or vice versa)?

A shame indeed. I bought SW here during the Christmas sale and enjoyed it so much that I was more than willing to pay money for a boxed copy. Oh well, their loss, if they insist on such stupidity. (And if consumers insist on a Steam key, why not include one on an extra piece of paper? The German retail release of Lilly looking through somehow managed to do this, why can't a company like Mastertronic handle it the same way?

Yes, Mastertronic's page has been properly updated, but I was initally informed about it by a friend.

I wonder, by the way; does Divinity: Dragon Commander also require Steam?

Because it's not about piracy - it's about secondhand sales. Also, developers are usually a little more reasonable (Flying Wild Hog handled their own digital publishing, retail was handled by Mastertronic), while publishers usually have their heads up their asses when it comes to such things.

There are quite a few games which have been released DRM-free on GOG or Humble Store and yet are Steam-bound on disc. Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is one of them.
Oooh, I didn't know this. Thanks :) Added.
Yes and no. The version on the disc is the Steam backup and only works with the enclosed Steam key. However, the box includes a GOG key as well.

So while technically "DRM-free", the box itself has no collector's value and no resale value.

Yeah, I was really surprised to see LLT on the shelves of a local Saturn. It's a very pretty box too, but unfortunately, it's two times the price it is here on gog. If the boxed version should ever be available for less than €5, I'll definitely get a copy.