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Mass Effect for PC is a pirates dream

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/mass-effect-pc.html

So... Mass Effect on the PC is going to have SecuROM like Bioshock had: 3 installs before you have to phone up. OK, nasty but nothing beyond what you have with installing Windows. PCs are evil right? Now how can that possibly be made worse? Oh, I see. Every 5 to 10 days it dials home to check that you've still not pirated it and if this doesn't work it's going to shut you down.

If you don't play the game for 10 days and then try to play with no internet connection, you know if your laptop isn't on the internet or something, then you can't play.

PC gaming is screwed, everybody is too willing to pirate and it scares the publishers too much. Now if only we could come up with a way to play where you always have to be connected to an authenticating server in order to play. In fact why not make that server actually be the game and just charge for the login. You never hear about MMO piracy now, do you?

And people wonder why I've given up PC gaming for anything other than MMOs. Give me a console any day of the week, far less hassle.

posted @ Wednesday, May 07, 2008 2:39 PM

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# re: Mass Effect for PC is a pirates dream

Left by Van Hemlock at 5/7/2008 3:18 PM
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It all makes me angry.

Not so much the sheer affrontery of assuming that I am a criminal in the first place.

Or the resignation I have to accept that any game I buy these days will simply refuse to work next time I get a new CD drive or reinstall my OS. (I can positively identify at least five old PC games that I've liked, and can no longer play, that have been torpedoed by half-arsed and unsupported DRM crap like the above)

No, the most anger is caused by the sheer impotence of it all. The above plan won't work, and will drive players away. In turn, game company will put the subsequent low sales down to Ebil Pirates (Who are obviously ALL PC Gamers), and simply bugger off and only make console games in future, and there's nothing I can do about it. The Death of PC Gaming indeed...

# re: Mass Effect for PC is a pirates dream

Left by Changling bob at 5/7/2008 3:23 PM
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And so, the easiest way to play the game is to pirate it, precisely because of the anti-piracy measures.

Also, the server thingy already exists in Steam, but even that stopped me from playing Half-Life 2 (which I had downloaded and installed through steam) after setting steam to offline mode when I knew I wouldn't be online when I wanted to play, as playing 'can't be done in offline mode'. Or something. Woo.
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