The PC version is a much older release. GameSpy was a thing when it came out, I don't think it's a good benchmark for how this upcoming rerelease is going to be.
GameSpy is patched out of the game now, and I'm pretty sure you can play over LAN regardless. Plus the games are available on GOG. If you don't want to put up with microtransaction nonsense in these games, there's for sure a route to avoid it.