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Reader Comments (111)

Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:48PM Ziekk said

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Soon they'll make you wear ID Badges to get into their buildings, where you can play on their Approved PC's.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:23PM Joeybeast said

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I believe it's called Arcade, or Internet Cafe.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 9:51PM (Unverified) said

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crap, not big brother again
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:49PM Zertoss said

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So Ubisoft's DRM punishes legit users just like everyone else's DRM. Who'd have thought?
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:56PM (Unverified) said

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Good news everyone! Oh wait.. that's not good news at all...
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:50PM Anonononomous said

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It never sounded like a good idea.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:49PM ahac said

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I think it's an awesome idea... except for the "you need to be online" part.
Having your saves uploaded and synched, achievments, etc... that is something pirates can't provide.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:10PM BrianH said

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i don't know how old you are ahac (eh, age might not be a factor, i didndt know how else to start this comment), but this system is terrible.

Forcing people to be online to play a single player game is ret@rded.

Saving my files half way across the world is ret@rded, i want my saves on my computer.

this system is crap, and pirates will easily get around it, this isn't anything special to bypass.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 9:17PM (Unverified) said

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It sounds like a great idea -- for a rental service.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:53PM RKN said

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Cool, let's dump the PSP platform entirely as well.

Ass.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:54PM That Burning Sensation said

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The only people this DRM is going to affect are the people who actually BUY the freaking game. Hackers will find a way around this and will blog about it the next day. This is all pointless. If a human being can create something another human being can dismantle it. . . Its that damn simple.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:57PM ahac said

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I'm not so sure.
It seems that games will save directly to the server. No server = no way to save.
We might see some kind of pirate servers that you can run on your PC... easy to make... unless the saves use some kind of encryption... which is very likely.

I'm really interested in how this will end. If they succeed and if it becomes much harder to pirate those games then this will be the future... not only for PC gaming but for all gaming.

But if they fail... then at least other developers won't get such ideas for some time. :P
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:50PM mcarage said

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You just told ubisoft the only way to stop piracy is to create skynet. You killed us all.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 7:56PM CaramelZappa said

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@ahac

People have figured out more complex attempts before. It's not this simple, but a fix could include just pointing the game to a fake server that is really your own pc. It will certainly take more time than your average securom workaround but it will definitely happen, and when it does the pirates will have the superior version of the game and the legitimate customers will have broken garbage.

If DRM has proved anything it's that you can't stop pirates with it, you can only put-off legitimate customers. As far as I've seen the PC market has been steadily going down for the most part, while use of intrusive DRM has gone up. Coincidence? I think not. Game companies need to stop wasting money fighting with immoral, cheap bastards who wouldn't buy their games anyways and start listening to their paying customers who don't want handcuffs on the products they buy.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:55PM sigma8 said

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If your goal is to have 0% piracy, I agree, abandon the PC. Because it won't happen. If your goal is to do something innovative, a full-fledged computer offers the best environment to do it. If all the major publishers want to drop making games on PC, I wouldn't be upset. Guess I won't get to play a crappy over-DRM'ed Modern Warfare 3, and I'll be stuck with indie "junk" like Torchlight instead. Sign me up, please!
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:55PM RKN said

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I think I will purchase AC2 for PC when it comes out next month, and then will promptly proceed to crack it. I like the concept of having saves and other information stored in a cloud, as do some Steam games. Aside from that, bleh.

I don't want to be online all the time to play the SINGLE-PLAYER MODE.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:06PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

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Kills the usuability of a portable device like a laptop without a constant internet connection. We often times go on long road trips and play computer games when we're driving ... couldn't play AC2 though!
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:45PM spencer8ab said

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I've only had to crack two games, purchased legitimately, Spore, because of it's install limit, and MGS pc, because all of the fixes for modern computers were integrated with no-cd cracks.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:00PM BrianH said

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sorry, but if this dlc comes with steam, then im not buying it.

and of course, when this doesn't sell well, it will be because not enough sales were processed, and not because of their terrible system.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:07PM BrianH said

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argh, i meant to type, that if this game has this DRM and Steam then i am not buying it.

better yet, if this game has this kind of drm, Period, it is a no buy, no pirate, no play.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:18PM RKN said

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Unfortunately Brian, there are games on Steam which have DRM. In fact, Batman Arkham Asylum has Securom DRM on the Steam version with activation limits but none on the retail copy. : /
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:23PM BrianH said

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yea, it's not nearly as bad as this though.

Im used to drm, thats fine, i've gotten over it.

but when some british twat tells me that i can't play my single player game offline, is when i tell said british twat to stick his game up his ass.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:56PM That Burning Sensation said

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Yeah no amount of reasoning will stop blogging from idiots, I just say dump the idiot from the internet completely.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:56PM (Unverified) said

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This sounds similar to the DRM that made it's way into Dragon Age: Origins. At least for the xbox version there were times when it would refuse to allow you to play any of your save games because it couldn't contact their servers. I believe it was officially for checking DLC, but the effect sounds similar and equally annoying.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:00PM Ballistic3188 said

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dragon age is slightly better difference. you need internet to start or resume a game with DLC attaced to it. however if your internet cuts out. you can still play.

but all being said it sucks i hope they never go to that way again. ME2 has a better set up as it doesn't require internet connection.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:58PM Dolar said

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Except, it only took around a week to crack that system for DA and the DLC was up on the pirate sites.

No matter what the DRM, it is going to be cracked. The DA DLC thing did take a bit longer then most, but still it was cracked.

All it does is punish, us, the legit customers in the end.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:56PM Professor Lario said

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I hate to post off-topic here, but I hope my fellow Joystiqers will help me out. I am looking to return to some PC gaming after a long absence. Are there any good PC gaming web sites/resources out there? I know the larger game sites cover PC, but it seems only as an afterthought.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:13PM Anonononomous said

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Rock Paper Shotgun
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:17PM Petebot330 said

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun caters directly to PC gaming. They're fun to read as well...I don't even own a PC and I read it. They shine plenty of light on indie games as well as the AAA stuff...
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:22PM Flo said

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Destructoid
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:38PM Anonononomous said

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Destructoid is truly awful and actually has no love for PC gaming.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:14PM Unknown said

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Yeah, don't bother going to D-Toid for PC. They never review/plays games on PC, and purposefully starts flame articles targetting PC.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:23PM RKN said

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I like Hardforum.com
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 8:01PM CaramelZappa said

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Yea. It's pretty obvious that none of the Joystiq writers are really PC gamers, it shows in their completely shallow coverage of the platform, which I find sad because I really think it's just as important as any of the consoles or handhelds.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 8:04PM CaramelZappa said

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@Abibibiniys & Petebot330

Wow, thank you guys so much for that link. This blog is awesome. As soon as I saw the AAAaaahh! article on the front page I was sold.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 10:42PM Cheesus Crust said

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BigDownload and Overclock.net
Also that Rock website is pretty good too! I didn't know about it Thanks!
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:56PM That Burning Sensation said

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Yeah no amount of reasoning will stop blogging from idiots, I just say dump the idiot from the internet completely.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 4:58PM sigma8 said

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I do not like Steam, and try to avoid buying things in it.. That said, I do like Steam's design. The only thing I don't like is that I'm afraid it will become a Valve-controlled monopoly--other than that, it's excellent. Anybody trying to make their own digital distribution system should spend 80% of their effort simply copying Steam.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:02PM Dale P said

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Oh hai, impulsedriven.com
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:17PM Unknown said

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Impluse's catalog is too small/niche. Steam has also been around longer, it can throw its weight around with events like the X-Mas sales and not even feel a sting.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:00PM sonicspike41 said

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Plenty of Valve titles are pirated too, and plenty of Steam-based titles. But of course the friendliness and ease of Steam has been known to convert at least a few pirates into legitimate customers (and those sweet prices don't hurt either).

@Big N00B

Actually piracy is beatable on the PC, it just requires that they build in a crap ton of fail-safes should one method fail. Look at Windows for example. I had a friend who's legitimate OEM copy screwed up so bad he had to do a Windows Repair. So when he tried to repair it (using a different disc since his didn't come with an OEM repair one), it asked for a serial before he could log in (which he thought he lost). He used a pirated serial and it completely locked him out of his system so he couldn't even log in without having a valid key first.

He ended up getting a new PC with Win7 since his was older than dirt anyways.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:01PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

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This is why I prefer gaming on consoles. What a bunch of BS you have to go through to play a damn game. The irony in all of this: It'll still be pirated. The only difference is now people will actively pirate it in droves because of this superflous DRM. I didn't like that bad ole DRM so instead of boycotting the game I stold'd it. That'll show em! Double edged sword FTL.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 6:39PM RKN said

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It actually makes me consider renting AC2 for the 360, where I would have bought it for the PC. : (
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:05PM BigD145 said

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Dear Ubi,
Stop it.
Signed,
A past, but not current, consumer of Ubi products
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:12PM KeenCommander said

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My Internet toasts out all the time. I could never buy one of these games, not even just as a protest, I mean...it wouldn't even be playable. Bad enough getting the random messages that you've been disconnected from GFW live.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:16PM sigma8 said

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@Big N00B: Sure, your console can play the game without any upgrades.. So have fun playing your iterative console games within a closed ecosystem and no modding abilities (but if there are any games that support mods, please thank the people on PC's with the PC versions who are making them). Please also enjoy paying a yearly $50 toll for the online privilege, on top of the generally higher game prices.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:20PM sonicspike41 said

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Case: $30
CPU (AMD x3 2.47GHz): $50
RAM (2GB): $50
Motherboard: $45
GPU (geforce 9600/GT240): $80
HDD (160GB): $40
Keyboard/mouse: $10
Total: $305
OS (Win7 x64): $105
Total with OS: $410

That setup will play a crap ton of current gen games just fine.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:27PM Kleptomaniac said

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I was gonna pick this up, but after hearing this I think I'll pass. And when people decide likewise not to buy it due to this ridiculous system Ubisoft will blame the pirates.
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:29PM Alex R said

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It would be nice if we could just trust people to pay for and use the software legally and sensibly. Of course this will never happen, but it's a nice thought.
DRM sucks. Who thought THAT was a good idea?
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Posted: Feb 17th 2010 5:29PM DudeGuyMan said

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This is just like the 360's DRM if your licenses are not tied to your console. If you are in the middle of an XBLA game and you lose your Xbox Live connection. The game resets instantly and goes back to the title screen and into trial mode.

One of the main reasons I will never buy "Games on Demand".
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