ORIGINAL: PDiFolco
Mmm, you should rethink your position : in fact, Steam/impulse/whatever will only allow you to redownload as long as they are in business *and* that their proprietary software and DRM works on your system *and* that you don't have a broken web connection..
OTOH putting all the non-DRMed Matrix games files to an external HD, USB key, whatever, is much more of a guarantee for the future !!
whats important to you is not the same as whats important to me. i care about convenience. it is my primary overriding concern. i dont want a box, a manual, a card with my serial printed on it, a usb key, an external drive, a burned disk, or any other physical thing period connected with my purchase.
i can absolutely guarantee you that the odds of me misplacing/damaging any physical backup of a game after a period of 2+ years is FAR greater than the odds of steam up and disappearing in such a way that i lose all access to my games over the same period of time. and even IF steam should tank at some point in the nebulous future, chances are good every single game ive purchased on there will be dirt cheap from some other source by that time, making it not too burdensome to rebuy the few games that i will want to replay again.