The onset of video game rental services has been a boon to gamers. They are really practical and convenient - just fire up your PC and you're on your way to enjoying the latest games you want, all from the comfort of your own home. Just wait for the games to arrive on your Game localization services doorstep, and you can start playing to your heart's content. Neat, eh?

These services are less expensive, too. Now you don't have to go out and buy the games you want. For a monthly subscription fee that may be cheaper than you expect, you can easily rent the games instead, without having to pay up for each and every game you rent. You don't even have to pay for the postage, since most video game rental companies shoulder it all for their subscribers.

If you're thinking that the service is similar to your local game rental shop, think again. Does your local game shop let you keep the games you rented until you have played them to your heart's content? Do they wave off the late fees you incur if you don't return the games on time? No? I didn't think so.

As a rule, online video game rental services do not charge their subscribers for late fees, nor do they impose a return date for rented games. That alone makes it worthwhile to sign up for a subscription, in my opinion.

The selection of games that most of the major game rental services provide to their subscribers is another factor that you should consider. Thousands of game titles in all the popular formats are available (even for PS3, Nintendo Wii, and the Xbox 360). If you're a handheld gamer, fear not! Your games are supported, too.

Here's a bit of advice if you're planning to sign up for a subscription: you should pick out a game rental plan that fits your gaming habits. Select a plan that fits in perfectly with the number of games you're planning to rent at a time. There are plans for renting games from just two every week, up to twenty games per month.

Since I'm giving you advice anyway, let's talk about other things to look for when you want to sign up for a game rental plan in any service:

Features - Go for a service that offers totally-free postage both ways. And by that, I mean renting and returning a game doesn't have to cost you a single penny in Game localization services shipping charges. The service should also have established a "no late fees, no return dates" policy. If you find one that offers a free trial membership, so much the better. Lastly, the service should let you cancel your membership any time you want.

Searching and Navigation - Their website should let users easily search and find the games they want. As a rule of thumb, their games library should be categorized according to console, popularity, genre, name, and ESRB rating (if available).