Mmmmm Steam? :)

Woodwater

Nope, there's a simple way to allow your 360 to read burned games and because it's constantly updated by some community online, even with MS updates people play online.

ArkadiyG

As to the topic, I think it's disgusting to see such piracy for new games. The numbers are shocking for me. It doesn't surprise me when games that aren't in stores are pirated so much, but for a new game to be outright stolen basically is shocking!

Zunnoab

corvette53p

colinber

SionnachBan

Overlord44

Once a gain has been sold once it no longer generates money for the publisher and thus the developer.

However it does keep generating money for the store that takes the entire sale each time a copy is resold and traded in.

As for the PC gaming market, its simply dying because its so hardware centric, reguiring an outlay of money each year to maintain a stable framerate with each generation of games.

Comparitvly the cosnole market requires and outlay of money only once per generation.

EpicFailSpy

I repeat my suggestion to revert to old methods of inviting new commenters based on merit. The crowd gets dumber and dumber in here.

Barts

Creasy

It's not like I'm the only one who doesn't equate piracy and theft. The RIAA might try and sell this to you, but they don't prosecute you through criminal courts, they sue your ass off. Why? Because copying files isn't theft.

Oh, and when I call out hypocritical bastards, of course I'm not justifying piracy. How did you perceive anything else than an attack on the hypocrites in the post?

----

@Jonn:"None of the people who say "get with teh technologies!!one" ever have an actual alternative in mind."

Apart from the whole list of alternatives I gave in the post? Reform? Abandoning the system? Tomayto? Tomato? Ill defined semantics without relevance.

hahnchen

Gagamus

Brocklesocks

But if you mod your xbox, when it RRoDs you're outta luck, I guess :). I think for this reason there cannot be many people pirating x360 games.
I still think game rentals are much more damaging. Btw, aside from UK, in Europe we don't have game-rentals.

somarix

Ahhh the good ole security through obscurity method. Maybe if we don't talk about it people won't think to do it....yeah, doesn't work that way.

qumahlin

As fas as my saying that he is respected in the community, you can see EXACTLY who respects him by clicking his commenter page. I am NOT saying that if you have friends and followers that your opinion is valued higher than another's. My point was that if EndersGame wants to make his point and have people take him seriously, he should do it with logic and reason instead of random personal attacks.

I would much rather see people saying "you are a hypocrite and here is why", than " Fuck off you stupid douche. ". One comment is a statement with some kind of basis to it (in the mind of the commenter anyway). The other is an empty, mindless response that adds no value.

As for your statement:
"Being judgmental doesn't necessarily mean said judgments are wrong."

I just want to say that....well, you see......the thing about that is......

fuck....I got nothin. You nailed that one.

;)

Mr.SithNinja

Just because someone downloads a game doesn't mean they don't talk about it. They go and download a game, find it good and suggest other people go buy it. Other people who wouldn'tve bought it in the first place.

That "pirate" just got the company 3 sales, 1 from him for buying it after trying it and 2 from the people he talks to.

And piracy is theft on the high seas, downloading games you don't have a license for is copyright infringement.

One leaves you without your belongings, the other is making a copy.

Evangel

tounge73

He said, in the same post he mocked EndersGame for sounding like an "after school special".

"Cruithne is a respected member of this community and calling him "

Respected by who, exactly?

"All discussion and exchange of ideas are lost in the fray."

1. That's half the fun!
2. Seriously, haven't several of the pro-piracy commentors called their opponents hypocrites, based on the assumption that their opponents, at some point in their life, pirated music?
3. Being judgmental doesn't necessarily mean said judgments are wrong.

Jonn

If I missed the point of the story I am sorry. I dozed of a little bit in the middle of your after shool special-esque diatribe, but I did the end and while your action vs. consequence statements hold water, I fail to see how the responsibility of parent falls on you.

Your comment:
"Guys like Cruithne and stereoa are emoldened by the lack of consequences here. If someone here held them accountable for the bullshit they post, then maybe less people like them would be here polluting this site."

If you feel that way then submit their names for review on Bannhammer Monday. There are people here whos' job is to hold people accountable for their post and behavior on this site.

If I may make a suggestion: You might want to dial down the name calling and judgmental ranting that you have been doing. Cruithne is a respected member of this community and calling him ( and I am paraphrasing here from your multiple posts) a 'stupid idiot douchbag pirate' probably isn't going to help your cause if you are wanting people to take what you say seriously. When threads deteriorate into name calling all that is accomplished is one giant clusterfuck of people ranting on each other and people stop trying to understand where the other is coming from. All discussion and exchange of ideas are lost in the fray.

Mr.SithNinja

People don't have patience.

gebbie

sjheiss

Gagamus

Null-Python

Dblockzero

Dblockzero

Audioblack

lifeinthefridge

DomZ

VP-Fan

rainofwalrus

evilworms

Katorok

rainofwalrus

octoSink

No, it's not; in all of the examples you mentioned, money gets back to the people who made the game. Rental places pay licensing fees, and even your friend loses use of the game as long as you have it. Piracy doesn't give the developer a sou.

The ends generally don't justify the means, unless lives are in jeopardy. You will not die without a copy of GTA IV.

@Evangel: "To everyone commenting on the "go and buy this" comment, "piracy" (It's really copyright infringement, piracy is theft on the high seas) is as much of an advertisement of a game as a billboard."

1. Imagine: every time you looked at a McDonald's billboard, a Big Mac appeared on your lap. How many people would go to the restaurant if they could get the burger for free?

2. It's "piracy", Mr. Sematics. Don't try to euphemize it.

3. Reviews suck? Why don't you just find actual people you know who have played the game? Walk into Gamestop, ask the dudes hanging around.

@lonkley: Your post seems to assume that it's possible to deliver every copy of every game a store is going to sell upon release at the same time.

@stereoa: protection which would be much less stringent if less people pirated. Catch-22. Even if every pirate on earth stopped, right now, the protection would still be on new games, "just in case".

@Laidbackga: "I am the consumer. These companies want my money. I should be able to go through whatever means I choose to make sure that my money gets spent correctly."

I'm noting a logic gap here. If you should retain some control of your money, how come "they" don't retain some control of their game? And why do you keep referring to "companies", not even by name? Have you, like so many pirates, abstracted their deeds into an "Us v. Them" mentality?

@RobertFoster: And people have "always" been robbed, assaulted, and other worse crimes.

@hahnchen: "Pirates aren't breaking into people's homes and removing items. They're copying items that aren't theirs, unlike the tangible and quantifiable loss of a product when theft occurs, the value of a pirated product is more ill defined."

Would you define someone who hacks into someone's bank account and ganks their life savings a "thief"? The only real difference is that piracy is one or two removes from direct theft.

It's very simple; if one has something that is sold, and it wasn't found, won, gifted, or paid for, then it's theft.

"I'd be surprised if any of those espousing "PIRATES = BASTARDS" weren't just hypocritical tits who gorge on free music."

Which has absolutely nothing to do with justifying piracy. It's an Ad hominem. If people couldn't speak out against things they'd done, there'd be no point to things like AA.

@H8ff0000: Ironic that the idiom you use refers to using a product for a short time, for free, and with the owner's consent.

Basically, you just described a demo.

@hahnchen: SO instead of reform, you'd rather just abandon abandon the system entirely?

I note that none of the people who say "get with teh technologies!!one" ever have an actual alternative in mind.

@Overlord44: Have you ever heard of the term "implied contract"?

"They need to make their minds up as to WHICH it is - licensed, or owned."

It's licensed. It's always been licensed, really, with everything. You can buy a book, but you can't type it up, slap your name on it, then take it to a publisher and get it published.

Jonn

ca$h

xBETAx

lifeinthefridge

Al Bino

The Great Aussie Evil

Sandbox_Emperor

oneasianthug

oneasianthug

黒天使

King of Kings

King of Kings

some countries no one can justify importing retail games and selling them in shops , hard to believe but very true

黒天使

UltraMagnus

Gamers love games so it upsets them when their beloved game is taken by pirates probably even more when they (the pirate) get to play it before they do. However, the same ones in an uproar have probably downloaded a song or had a buddy make them a copy of a cd.

This is the definition of hypocrisy.

Heihachi.vs.Kazuya

yojimbo32

Mass effect and ass creed (halo 3 can't remember) were both released and made available for download before their street date, any anticipated release is usually smuggled from one of the many distribution points and ripped and uploaded online.

There is currently no way for microsoft to detect the hack if you play on live.

Heihachi.vs.Kazuya

UFO

I am just going to wait and buy it. My friend had a modded 360 but I am gonna try to avoid his house till it comes out and I play it for myself.

Mr.SithNinja

Oh? What's that? I can't? Hm, I guess it mustn't be a license then. Also, I don't recall signing any legal documents.

People are trying to have their cake and eat it - the RIAA and the MPAA are pulling the exact same stunt. They need to make their minds up as to WHICH it is - licensed, or owned.

Overlord44

Overlord44

UFO

I agree with you on this - the music industry has some serious issues. There is a lot of greed, a lot of monopolistic behaviour inherent in the industry. A bunch of MBAs come in and start trying to figure out ways to get people to buy products as many times as possible. That's been going on in the DVD industry for a while now with "multiple bites out of the apple" type special editions.

But I suppose that my point was that piracy wasn't the solution to fixing the music industry. The falling price of music falling has less to do with piracy and more to do with a shift in the overall demand as well as techological advances in manufacturing while maintaining the same price to profit ratio. The profit margin to make a CD/game/DVD is actually very tight. What piracy has done is forced an increase in price to account for sales lost, so although overall we see a drop in price, it is less than it would have been otherwise.

In addition, this affects the pricing of newer formats as well to a degree. The pricing of current Blu-ray discs has already taken into account the estimated loss of sales due to piracy.

Ultimately, I am very unhappy with the state of the music industry. Being a musician myself, I may be biased - but it just irks me how pirates try to justify their actions without taking into account the consequences, assuming that the only ones affected are the rich record companies.

@Mr. Mastodon Farm: Yes, yes, you're right. I forgot about those guys :)

Spoony Bard

HOW is there a difference? You're talking of copyright issues. What exactly do you think the physical disc is at Gamestop? It's an individual license to play the game. I cannot fathom how you people can think there is a difference between the two. And if you have that opinion to begin with, obviously nothing will change your mind.

Anyway, I'm done with this conversation if people aren't going to be reasonable. If honestly think downloading a game for free isn't the equivalent of stealing it, there's nothing that can be done for you. Just keep on justifying your behavior however you can. It's like a bad driver faulting the other person in an accident. They're physically unable to look at themselves and ask "what am I doing wrong?"

mva5580

WolfGod

Mr. Mastodon Farm

FelicioLostHorizonPT

Ra is on That 70s Show

You can't fight the public, as hard as the RIAA tries. Great economic theory there, but the price of music has fallen since the dawn of p2p. The whole music industry is changing, bands placing more emphasis on live music, increasing the influence (and I guess jobs) of gig promoters. The music industry is trying its hand at licensing deals with the likes of Nokia, and they're now trying to sell us one track as many times as possible with Guitar Hero, Singstar et al.

Are you saying these music pirates are responsible for fucking things up? No, this is a demand based economy, if you fail to adapt to the wants of your fans, and they are fans, then you fail.

hahnchen

I am the consumer. These companies want my money. I should be able to go through whatever means I choose to make sure that my money gets spent correctly.

Sure. Just like these companies also have every right to charge what they want for a game. They also have every right to go after those that use their product that THEY spent hours/months/years making but felt that they shouldn't pay for it like the rest of the people out there.

Just forget it. I'm done.

We can only hope.

I download games and I am willing to bet that I contribute more profit to the video game industry than you. Whether you agree with my practises has no effect on me. But when you disrespect me, call me delusional, and make me out to be some low life leech on the gaming industry; then my friend, I take it personally.

You contribute more than me? Oh, that is rich. I'd like to hear your explanation for that. And for next time, it's PRACTICE, not PRACTISE.

Spoony Bard

OK, let's explain it nice and slow. Games/videos/movies/CDs are sent out to all stores ahead of time since some places will have a delay in receiving them. They are put out on the floor on the SAME DAY everywhere so it is not unfair to customers in Anchorage, Alaska when lil' Arsenic gets his GTA4 early. This is also so that sales tracking of 1st day/1st week sales are accurate.

I swear, sometimes I just don't know...

Spoony Bard

munchausen

Those of you that have reservations and put your 60 bucks down already.

You actually SPENT the money to pre-order it, and some douche at Gamestop is not allowed to sell you the game until 4/29 because Rockstar says so. Meanwhile its just sitting on a giant pallet in their storage area behind the store waiting to be put on the shelves.

All while pirates play away blissfully.

That is the real injustice..

arsenic0

Adam Rock

gamedismantler

But this is partially Rockstar's fault.

What is with all of these companies shipping out games to sit in the back of stores for a week or more?

Thats just asking for some kid worker to go into the back room and take a copy and put it on the net.

The same crap happened with Rock Band, GH3, and Mass Effect. I went to gamestop a day or two early and they had them in stock, but would not sell to me.

The internet never says no to me.

arsenic0

Statements talking about the music industry and how they're "screwing" you? Sorry, but that's bullshit. You bought an album on vinyl - great. You want to buy it on tape or CD? THAT IS YOUR CHOICE. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to buy it. I have friends who had to leave the music industry because of what piracy has done. Not just artists - but recording engineers, producers...the list is endless. But yeah, they were all greedy bastards, so they must have had it coming.

One more thing - contrary to what you may believe, piracy actually has driven UP prices in the long run for legitimate customers. It's very simple microeconomics, if anyone needs an explanation let me know. But who cares, right? As long as you can download the music/movies/games you want to for free. And not only that, but pat yourself on the back for your tenacity and ingenuity. And then wonder why so many people are pissed off at your attitude towards an industry they love.

Unbelievable.

And in particular:

@Cruithne: Wow, that's some great resolve. Stand by your morals and never back down from your commitment to stealing from others. Good for you.

@penaloza: What is your problem? "F*** Rockstar"? Are you retarded or something? And don't use my car as your image - it's a disgrace to S2000 lovers everywhere.

Spoony Bard

H8ff0000

hahnchen

pharago

CyberG4

H8ff0000

brooza

P.S. Downloading...

Elemence

brooza

EndersGame

Pirates aren't breaking into people's homes and removing items. They're copying items that aren't theirs, unlike the tangible and quantifiable loss of a product when theft occurs, the value of a pirated product is more ill defined. Many of them wouldn't have bought the game anyway (this doesn't make it right).

But there is gulf of difference between doing a smash and grab at GameStop to downloading copies.

----

Incidentally, I am a casual pirate of games, my conscience is OK with a low level of piracy. It's the same for music and film, and I'd be surprised if any of those espousing "PIRATES = BASTARDS" weren't just hypocritical tits who gorge on free music.

hahnchen

I had a roomate who pirates dozens of 360 games but at the same time invests in stocks of the companies he pirates from.

Serously, some of these people are brainless!

fenderfuel08

To the commenter who said you cannot connect online, with a hacked box, you are incorrect. You just disable the chip and you then play online. Can you play burnt games online? No. Can you play with a hacked box? Yes.

ZWarren69

@EGBTMagus: There's no need to generalise, many people who pirate games do indeed go on to buy them for various reasons. I can see how those comments might appear misplaced or disingenuous but really it's not.

Cigol

Pity it mentions the region thing. I was planning on getting it from Play-Asia for ~€40. Maybe the NTSC-J version is region free.

RobertFoster

alienmastermind

Probably not...

bobtheduck

mikeloxlong

frankenfine

Judge

Thanks, but I don't need you to tell me what's morally right and wrong. I explained to you why I feel justified in playing this game before it is released. Don't tie me in with Cruithne, either, because I don't agree with his "Anarchy! Fuck the man!" point of view. I think this should be closed as it has been confirmed a real leak and there is no more discussion here.

stereoa

The frontiers of law in this area are pretty murky, I admit... Especially when figuring out 1st amendment rights to be accorded to american citizens accessing or broadcasting media over the internet outside the territorial boundaries of the country (fascinating subject, also touches a bit on the warrantless tapping issue), but when it comes to privacy, its recent history would suggest its settled. Again, only as settled as a 4-5 year old precedent can be.

BTW, on the topic of bad laws (I'd love to talk about it, but then i'll go into the history of living constitutionalism, and the legitimacy of original meaning, and get totally distracted), NYC has a law which allows women to walk around topless, as long as its not for business purposes. OTOH, we also have a law saying it is illegal for a woman to be on the street in body hugging clothing.

Tax dollars at work...

iamcool388

That's unfortunate.

evslin

+ Watch video

A Puckish Satire of Contemporary Mores

j14rk1n

Pay to play is wrong.

GTA RULES! GOTY!

liquidmonk

misterthou

Look. You people who are trying to debate the piracy is ok, why don't you just walk into Best Buy, Wal-Mart, or wherever, and just take the game off the shelf and walk out of the store without paying. Let me know how that goes. Oh no you say? You wouldn't dare to that because it's not anonymous action? Ohhhhhh, I see.

The ONLY DAMN REASON people download games illegaly is the same reason people make idiotic-ass remarks on the internet. Because it's anonymous. There are no repercussions, and there never will be. Why are blogs, message boards, and the such so insanely popular? Because people can bitch about anything with this "I'm a badass" attitude and have zero repercussions to their reputation. You think everyone on the internet talks this way in public. HELL NO. We all know they don't.

And it's the same damn thing with piracy. You wouldn't just walk into a retail store and steal games off the shelf, because there is a realistic chance you'll be caught and damage done to you in a very real way. But with piracy, people see it as an anonymous, easy way to get something for free that they should be paying for.

I have an very, VERY hard time believing all of you people who are trying to condone piracy would have no problem with it if you were someone who put a lot of hard effort into making a game and then some guy comes along and downloads it for free. No problem, right? Hey it's a way of trying out of the game, and we're all just POSITIVE that no one would ever keep a game permanetly in this fashion. Come on.

The ONLY thing I am giving the benefit of in this argument I've read so far is that I don't see piracy as hugely different from buying games used. Because it's a situation where the developer gets no money from that purchase. But it still needs to be understood that the game has to be bought by someone originally for a used game transaction to take place. So it's still NOT exactly the same thing.

mva5580

Dyram

There's actually more demos available than there have ever been.

Being able to stream demos off the net and directly to your console has allowed for an unpredented level of participation with demos.

Before, the only time you were playing a demo was the one you got off the PC Gamer cd or the Official Playstation Monthly disc.

Before that...nothing.

So don't come here with your sad and inaccurate excuses why it's necessary to pirate.

EndersGame

No. I don't.

Let me tell you a story...it's long, but relevant. Trust me.

:)

Where I live, there's lots of little kids running around. A number of them being boys from the age of about nine to about twelve.

Boys at this age get into shit. That's what they do.

My wife and daughter and I are out for a walk and we're heading up our driveway when we see three boys repeatedly ramming their bicycles into a nearby neighbor's fence for no other reason to destroy it.

My wife politely tells them to stop and not only does that but let's them know about a park where they can ride their bikes all day and not get into any trouble.

The boys disappear and we think nothing more of it. Three minutes later, my wife is inside our house, I just got my little girl bundled into our house and I hear the three boys again. I look around the corner and they're taking turns ramming their bicycles into the "FOR SALE" sign on our front lawn, trying to smash it and knock it over.

I don't yell but I do take a hard tone with them and ask them what they thought they were doing. They clam up immediately because they know they're doing something wrong. So, I give them shit for about five minutes and then tell them to go home. I let them know that if I saw them around here doing stuff like that again, they're going to be sorry. Fifteen minutes later two parents are knocking on my door demanding to know why I threatened their kids. It all got worked out but HERE'S the issue.

When I was ten and twelve, if I got yelled at by a neighbor and I went home and immediately told my parents about it, I'd be grounded and most likely slapped in the back of my head by my dad.

This encouraged me to not get into trouble.

With that said; if I DID do something stupid and I DID get busted for it, it also made me intelligent enough to not brag about it or talk about it publically because if it did get back to my parents, there would be some significant consequences.

Guys like Cruithne and stereoa are emoldened by the lack of consequences here. If someone here held them accountable for the bullshit they post, then maybe less people like them would be here polluting this site.

EndersGame

I should've said that Tuesday is for the US ... I've heard that it's Friday in the UK.

dead_red_eyes

Fireblast

I agree with you 100%, and in an age of less and less demos, or charging for demos (GT5P, Xbox Live Gold getting demos earlier, etc) the consumer must do something to justify his/her purchase. What option is there? Rent? What if you can't rent a game? Read a biased, paid-for review?

stereoa

Piracy is theft. It is not a gray area -- theft is theft. Period.

wheezo

sometimes piracy is a good thing , mostly it's not

黒天使

But Rockstar deserves to be supported. Like I said... vote with your dollars. Thats the only language companies understand... and thats the only barometer which matters in the end to them.

I havent gotten the pre-order, but I am going to a midnight launch, and when the stores open the next day in case I dont get one.

iamcool388

As a second, less serious thought, I wonder how Icon, etc, pulled this off *glances over at EA* :)

PugDaddyD

PugDaddyD

In one case, someone is paying for the content coming out in the public realm. In the other case, someone is possibly getting the content through nefarious means in the first place, and there is no hope of the developer seeing a cent from that. Unless the people downloading it play nice, and buy the game after trying it.

I am sure you do, but you have to admit, most people dont. The assumption that most people will buy games after deleting their downloaded copy depends on me believing that most people are honorable. Sadly, but thankfully, I dont.

iamcool388

Fireblast

Really? All well most games come out on a Friday here in the UK, i cant ever remember a game coming out on a Tuesday here before

Raikkenon

Not quite sure why but that's how it is. There are some companies that mess with that formula, Nintendo being one but generally...generally, Tuesday is the designated launch day.

EndersGame

Piracy.

It sure as shit wasn't the benevolence of that fat cats who run the music industry.

Cruithne

I respect you man. You do a good job moderating here. I am not condoning piracy, but I believe it's a fine line. I am not flaunting my pirate penis, I am simply trying to do two things. 1) Contribute to the topic about speculation of a PAL copy of GTAIV out in the wild. 2) Make a side comment on how, although people may pirate, it does not necessarily mean that they will not support the author.

Iamcool,
I paid for it in full. 59.99 plus state tax. If you don't believe that, don't believe I pirated it. You and the others who doubted me seem to think my motive is to get the game free or in your case, cheap. What would be the point of a putting 5 dollars down on a preorder just to feel morally right about stealing a game?

stereoa

Tuesday is pretty much the national release day for new movies, games and music albums.

dead_red_eyes

I'll play nice if you play smart.

I KNOW I'm capable of being nice. You being smart? I significantly doubt it.

Kotaku doesn't HAVE to be open to all sides on the piracy debate. It's www.kotaku.com.

NOT www.douchebagdemocracyparty.com.

They don't need to be on ANY side of ANY issue unless they choose to be and I highly fuckin doubt they're going to encourage idiots like you and others on this thread that wear their ignorance like a badge of fucking honour.

EndersGame

Because it's gaming related, and it's big news.

dead_red_eyes

2SBs

So much ignorance in that statement, I don't even know where to begin.

dead_red_eyes

Laidbackga

Raikkenon

Cruithne

I WISH game downloads DID come with a self destruct feature, so that way I won't have to explain myself to people who belive that just because it's illegal means it's wrong. Downloading a game for review purposes is the exact same thing as smoking a joint. Is it illegal? Yes. Should it be? No.

I am the consumer. These companies want my money. I should be able to go through whatever means I choose to make sure that my money gets spent correctly.

Just forget it. I'm done.
I download games and I am willing to bet that I contribute more profit to the video game industry than you. Whether you agree with my practises has no effect on me. But when you disrespect me, call me delusional, and make me out to be some low life leech on the gaming industry; then my friend, I take it personally.

Laidbackga

If you didnt notice Im a total asshole btw. :D

Witzbold

I'm glad you got GTA4 for... 5 bucks. So just wondering, what happens when you dont pick up your pre-order? Nothing? No way dude... thats too easy !

I apologize for feathers ruffled and tempers unleashed. I dont particularly care about piracy really, but when something like this happens to a game I care about, an industry I want to see do well, then it pisses me off.

Funny that GTA4, the game of screwing the rules, just got screwed itself. How... ironical.

iamcool388

PlaidNinja

Cruithne

But here in KOTAKUTOWN we have rules and standards.

You folks can kill eachother at my feet outside the gates for all I care, but dont be pullin any shit inside.

You want to flaunt your pirate penis go do it at the many sites that promote such habbits.

We sure as hell dont here thats why.

This aint about freedome and all that bullshit, its just about following a simple set of common sense house rules.

Witzbold

I downloaded the ISO and checked it out. Sure enough, it seemed legitimate. As I turned on my XBox, the tab said Grand Theft Auto IV. I could not believe my eyes!

The intro started - and my how glorious! And of course, I wasn't going to keep it. But I had to see if it was real. So I started playing it.

...

Hours later, my friends, I have gotten to the end of the game. This has truly been a treat! The ending is so cool, when Nico ends up -

I kid, I kid. But I had at least one of you going there for a second :)

Spoony Bard

Enders, you sound jealous and Lethal, you must think that piracy hurts game sales. You know what hurts game sales? Really bad protection to avoid piracy. Piracy is going to happen. I have paid for the game in full, I am not going to wait until a certain day to play it , just so Take 2 can calculate how many first day sales they had. I am sorry, I supported the game, it is done, and I am going to play it now.

Also,
crim·i·nal·ist (krm-n-lst)
n.
A specialist in the collection and examination of the physical evidence of crime.

Criminalistic is a made up word, dude, and if it was an adjective of the noun criminalist, it wouldn't make sense to use it in that context.

Back to GTAIV.

stereoa

Cruithne

Laidbackga

Preorders can't be canceled and refunded. Nope. No way. Not a chance.

Lethal_Dosage

Man! You're AWESOME! It must be awesome to be so awesome...and cool.

I've never been ignorant enough or dim-witted enough to brag publically about doing stupid, criminalistic things.

But I'm neither c00L or 4w350m3...

EndersGame

stereoa

If people want great games to keep coming they need to support them.

rochec

Pirates are highly unlikely to get at the key, and if they did, they'd have bigger targets than games.

hahnchen

No, it's not. How delusional can you possibly be to believe downloading a video game illegally is anywhere near the same as renting a game from a video store?

@Evangel:

So, because it'll still sell ten billion copies, it's okay to pirate the game? I'm a little foggy on my federal laws, but last I checked, regardless of how many copies of a game are sold, illegal downloads are still ILLEGAL. You're still taking money away from people who have poured their heart and soul into a game, regardless of how much it is.

And, there's a huge difference between an illegal download and a demo. Duh.

You people should be smarter than this...especially you "star" commentators.

Lethal_Dosage

Tsk tsk, you know don't have the right to tell me or anyone what to do. And thanks for being vocal about keeping piracy alive, really. It's a grand fucking time over here in music industry right now.

dead_red_eyes

Cagny

Also, there were plenty reviews of Assassin's Creed which mentioned that gameplay was repetitive. 60 bucks is enough money to do your research before you plonk it down for a game. But what do I know, i'm just a poor college kid hahaha :-)

iamcool388

It would be awesome if you were.

EndersGame

They sure did.

Stupid pirates.

dead_red_eyes

Ho hum...

Cruithne

Wolfers

lonkley

It's such a small price to pay to kill piracy altogether and ensure game devs receive the money they've worked hard for.

unmarkedone

Señor Vorpal Kickass'o

Poison

I agree with Barts about downloading games as a trial. A demo of a game shows you part of what's in the game. Lets say Asassin's Creed, a demo of that may include just a single level, but from all reports, after playing the demo, you've essentially played the entire game. You're gonna be pissed if you play the demo and then buy the game only to find out it's nothing more than the demo, stretched out over 10-20 hours.

Evangel

ChoZ3nWon

Dijkie1337

Cruithne