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So, I was going to try out the Demo of Bioshock today. I downloaded the demo through Steam (even Steam has some uses) and got all ready to see what all the hype was about. Now, I have listened to various pod casts this week and read some articles which painted Bioshock in a great light - while also noting that the game ships with that lovely (and controversial) protection schema known as SecuROM. Apparently, a few issues have come up dealing with the decision by 2k (or whoever made that decision) to use the SecuROM protection system - one of which is tied in with how you not only have to have this SecuROM installed -but you have to activate the game online.. and, get this, you only have 2 activations PER KEY. Thats right, as of right now there is no method to ‘un license’ a PC, and installing too much new hardware can invalidate your key activation (much like with Windows activation).

Of the prominent people to talk about SecuROM (which included Leo Laporte and a few other ‘names’ in the ‘biz’) the one that struck a deep chord was Dan Stapleton - Senior Associate Editor at PC Gamer Magazine. In the PC Gamer Blog In Depth coverage, Mr. Stapleton talked about his trials and tribulations with the games DRM; and how, in order to get 2k/SecuROM to unlock his key again, he had to take digital photos of his DVD & User Guide to prove he owned the game.. wow right? This was multiplied as more and more reports came in from users having trouble authenticating their copies of the game, having troubles with SecuROM errors, etc. In its defense, 2k Games has come out and said that they are changing the # of activations from 2 to 5, and are going to be providing a tool to ‘un license’ a computer so that the key can be used again if the game is uninstalled.

Ok, now that some back story is out of the way - I downloaded the demo on Steam; I figured, hey Steam has its own DRM right? The first time I launched the demo it was fine - the initial graphics were amazing and the game was running very smooth. I closed out the demo so that I could get away from the PC to do some things, came back in a bit and launched the game again - should be pie right? Nope. Guess what I was greeted with when I launched the game again?

Thats right - a lovely SecuROM Error. Here is what SecuROM’s website has to say about this error:

SecuROM™ has determined that a Process Explorer program is running in the background.

• Please close this program and reboot your machine before you start the application.

If the application still won’t start, please send a SecuROM™ analysis file to support@securom.com (see Support Info section on how to prepare and send an analysis file).

Well, isn’t that nice? SecuROM doesn’t like Process Explorer because it has capabilities to dump process activities to file - so people could figure out what SecuROM is doing I guess; Ya wanna know the best part? I DIDN’T HAVE THIS PROGRAM RUNNING! I run it now and then, but it was not running when I went to launch the demo - the ONLY way for SecuROM to know it was there would be to do some snooping in my registry; something that I am not too keen on.

So thats that, I am not even going to think about playing this demo - or even consider purchasing (when I have cash) the game; no matter how great it looks and how great the game play reviews are. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for game developers not getting screwed out of revenue by Pirates - even if it means using annoying DRM schemes; but this is just too much (I am not alone, a Google search for this type of issue brings up tons of pages - 2k’s forums are abuzz with complaints [very little company response as well - but at least they did announce something]).

You lost me at the Demo 2k. You lost me at the Demo.

I will close with two hypothetical musings: 1) Why the hell does a DEMO have a full SecuROM schema active? and 2) Why in hell does the Steam version use this damn DRM when it has its own?

Technorati Tags: Bioshock, 2k Games, SecuROM, Steam, Demo

Gametap & Codemasters recently announced a 2 year deal to bring Codemaster games such as Overlord to NA subscribers starting soon. The games to be added will also include some release day openings (like Gametap did with Tomb Raider: Anniversary). This is a good move for Gametap & Codemasters - it helps Gametap keep adding some great stuff, and helps Codemasters get more circulation for their titles.

Here is a detailed announcement from joystiq.com (Full Page Link Here)

Online PC and Mac gaming smorgasbord GameTap is teaming up with Codemasters for a two-year North American deal featuring Codemasters’ software to GameTap subscribers on day and date of release. Along with this deal, GameTap will have Codemasters’ recent releases like Colin McRae DIRT and the incredibly enjoyable (and depressingly overlooked) Overlord available to subscribers soon. GameTap subscribers will have no excuse not to try Overlord. The minions from Overlord are what you wish the darklings from The Darkness would have been like. Beyond the games mentioned, potential superstar title Clive Barker’s Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty will be part of that future day and date deal. All these titles will also be available to purchase through GameTap’s digital store, but seriously, the cost of one game will get you four months of GameTap service.

We continue to be impressed with GameTap’s expanding services and ridiculously affordable price, not to mention their free ad-driven gaming space. GameTap now has their Mac client, the RE\Visioned series, a massive list of franchises, and in many cases you can play the games with your keyboard and mouse or hook up a Xbox 360 controller (wired or wireless) for a console feel. The Codemasters partnership looks like it’ll save PC gamers much cash in the future — always a good thing.

Things are looking up for GameTap!

Technorati Tags: GameTap, Codemasters, New Deal, Tomb Raider, Overlord, Gaming News