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THE EFFECT OF MASSIVE GREED

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 89 / 146
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is an opinion review based on certain core characteristics of this release. I never post reviews before actually using a product first-hand. What urged me to post this warning was the unbelievable information confirmed these past weeks about the PC version of the game. And it was what made me cancel my PreOrder.

At first we were told that there will be WEEKLY ONLINE AUTHENTICATIONS - FOREVER(!) The predictable outrage that followed included questions to the effect of: "What does EA thinks they are selling? NASA's trajectory software?". And they were justified; I recently bought ADOBE's CREATIVE SUIT 3 (a much more expensive software than a PC game mind you) and it required only an initial activation.
What was to happen after an unavoidable format? What about if you were to find ourselves between internet providers for some days or your system crashed? There was no end to the ridiculous problems stemming from such a "security scheme". Were they kidding?
Apparently they were...! The perpetual activation security scheme obviously was nothing more than vapporware and a PR attempt to make the LIMITED INSTALLATIONS issue more palatable - by generating artificial customer relief and all... (Nevertheless, re-authentication will still be required after every patch or update, including the automatic ones).

YES, LIMITED INSTALLS!!! (We only get 3!) Well, we can all thank 2K GAMES & BIOSHOCK for introducing and opening THAT can of worms - but hasn't anyone at EA heard how hard BIOSHOCK's PC sales were hit by that disastrous decision? At what laughable lengths their Customer Community office had to go to explain such hostile measures to their own customers? History does indeed repeat itself as a farce...

For the record, I have games (such as STARCRAFT, PLANESCAPE TORMENT & EMPEROR OF DUNE amongst others) that I have been replaying over and over these past decade. Would that have been possible it their Installations were limited to 3 (or 5)? Who on earth gave the idea that PC games are Kleenex tissues: use once (or thrice) and throw away?!

And, let me guess: in order to enforce the limited installations, exactly like BIOSHOCK, there will be IRREMOVABLE FOLDERS placed in our systems' Root that will effectively revoke our Administrator rights to our own PCs!

Since even excellent games get completely ruined by RIDICULOUS DRM schemes, a 2-star ratting is more than deserving.

In the end it boils down to this: who actually will be owning my copy? Are we to pay $50 only to...RENT this from its publisher - and potentially be pestered with the weekly need to prove our purchase FOREVER? And what makes this even harder to understand: will such extreme measures actually prevent piracy? Of course not! They did not work for BIOSHOCK, why should they start working now?

One has to ask: what is next in store for customers that make the mistake of buying such a product? Chinese water torture? The Iron Maiden? Orwellian rat-masks? Guantanamo?

NO THANKS! No RENT-A-GAME game is worthy of such harassment!
I canceled my PreOrder some days ago. I will give EA the chance and wait to see whether they are willing to fix it. If this idiocy persists however, well, there are a lot of other games in the sea...

Avoid Mass Infect and send a message to EA

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 84 / 132
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Despite having opened a stickied FAQ thread on the official Bioware forums, representatives of the company have still not provided answers to any of the following questions-

Will there be a revoke tool to reclaim activations?

What changes to hardware will require a re-activation?

Does Securom install anything on the user's system and if so, is it removed once the game is uninstalled?

What information about the user's PC is gathered and how and where will it be stored? Will it be deleted after a certain period of time?

Will the DRM conflict with any other applications? If so, does it require these applications to be shut down, or uninstalled?

What would be the cost of contacting EA by phone to authorise further activations?

These questions, and others, have been asked multiple times and have never been answered despite the game being released in the next day or so. One of the comments from a Bioware QA bod named Stanley Woo is telling-

"We have never promised, and can't and won't promise an ETA for answers, or that your question can or will be answered at all, or that the answers will satisfy you. But we will do what we can to keep the community informed."

When a company either doesn't know details about its own product, or is apparently too embarrassed to answer perfectly legitimate questions on it, I think it's only fair that potential customers give them a wide berth.

Avoid Mass Effect and send EA a message that gamers won't be treated like thieves by default and won't put up with crippleware.

Mass Effect DRM / SecuROM punishes consumers

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 66 / 114
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

SecuROM makes a comeback in Mass Effect requiring users effectively install rootkits on their PCs to ensure they are not pirating software. I can understand wanting to protect your product from being pirated, but the only thing this does is punish the end consumer actually paying for your product.

If you want to educate yourself as to what you will be putting on your machine when you install this game I advocate you read the wikipedia page on SecuROM, a technology developed by Sony who had no problems in the past putting a rootkit on your machine without your knowledge or consent (see Sony BMG CD copy prevention scandal).

I found the xbox 360 version of this game to be quite fun, but I can't give it more than one star for the PC due to their copyright protection scheme. It punishes legitimate consumers who purchased the product, especially if multiple activations are required due to the purchase of new computers or OS reloads.

3 activations, EA believes paying customers are criminals!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 65 / 102
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Securom is used in Mass Effect PC and it limits the number of installs to 3 before you have to call EA and prove you own the game. Who knows if EA will still support his game five or ten years down the road. However, that is not the biggest problem. I understand DRM is meant to curb pirarcy, but the DRM in Mass Effect is counter productive because it encourages people to pirate the game. The reason for this is because the pirate offer a better version compared to Bioware/EA. Until game publishers stop treating paying customers like criminal, do yourself and your fellow gamers a favor and do not buy this game until it is superior to 'other versions'.

Note: I played Mass Effect to death on the 360 and have been a huge fan of KOTOR, but Bioware has crossed the line.

Contempt For the Customer

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 53 / 91
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The mandatory internet connection, and the limited installs are deal killers for potential buyers like me. If the usage restrictions are removed in the future I may reconsider a purchase, but for now I decided to cancel my preorder and select another sci-fi game in its place (i.e. Sins of a Solar Empire). Sins of a Solar Empire From a more customer-friendly company.

Mass Effect Massively Disappoints :(

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 52 / 88
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'll be honest and say that I have not played this game. However, the point is moot, because no matter how fantastic this game is--it could be 10x better than COD4--I will not exchange my hard earned money for an untenable and abusive DRM scheme.
While it is true that EA has removed the dial-in portion--except to download content--they still only allow you to install 3x max, and it still installs the $$ecurom rootkit. I, for one, have reason to format my HD more than that over the course of the year, whether because of malfunctioning drivers, Trojans or whatnot, so am I supposed to purchase the game again--they'd like that wouldn't they.
Look at it this way, imagine if after you bought a car Honda sent someone to your house to install a machine in your car to scan your license to check that it wasn't revoked, and that you're current with your insurance, and that you don't drive past the speed limit, and if you do they take your keys away. And if you modify the car you have to pay them a fee and if you don't they'll sue you. This is in effect what EA has been doing with $$ecurom in their games.
Only in the software industry is it acceptable for the manufacturer of a product to want control over its use after the customer gives them the money. Imagine if the same logic applied to buying a newspaper. It would come under lock and key, they'd have to mail you the key to open it, and you'll have to pay extra for the metro section--50 cent extra fo style section.

-NO TO DRM TYRANNY!!!

Too bad I can't enjoy the fun game buried beneath the DRM garbage.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 87 / 134
Date: May 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was craving for a sci-fi RPG, and Mass Effect seemed like a great game... until I learned of the horrible DRM system that it incorporates.

Yes, this single-player game uses a draconian copy protection system where you need to be connected to the internet in order to activate. All you get is 3 activations before having to call EA Tech Support and beg for an extra one. So even though you are paying for it, you don't actually own your copy of the game. This is even worse than StarForce. At least with StarForce I could install and play the game without being connected to the internet.

Basically it means that you can NOT install the game when you want, or where you want. While pirates enjoy a painless gaming experience, all fair usage rights are removed from us paying customers. The whole online activation process is very inconvenient; especially in the future when the activation servers WILL go down, or when you will want to install the game on a computer that's not connected to the internet. I guess this is how EA likes to thank their paying customers.

Oppose this oppression of our fair usage rights (yes it sounds cheesy, but obviously that's exactly what EA's intentions are). Vote with your wallet by avoiding this game. There are plenty of other games (with minimal or no copy protection) to choose from.

they're not lying, mass effect will certainly have a mass effect on your computer

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 55 / 84
Date: May 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I usually don't review products before I purchase them, but once in a while there is a ridiculous exception that necessitates preemptive action.

The other reviewers have already said all that needs to be said about the effects of installing the game. Honestly, I would LOVE to play this game; but when it comes with the cost of threatening the proper functioning of my system and potentially being monitored by some malware-like program, I will gladly look the other way.

Developers need to come up with better ways of preventing piracy instead of stooping so low. They condemn hackers and other such programmers but now they're behaving like them, how ironic...

Do yourself a favor and stay clear of this one until it's cured of its disease...

DO NOT BUY THIS ORWELLIAN TROJAN HORSE

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 53 / 87
Date: May 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Everything has already been said by the other reviewers related to the secuROM trojan horse, rootkit, DRM madness that has deluded EA and the Mass Effect product marketing team.

DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION and send a message back to the EA myopists!

Avoid this version

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 52 / 83
Date: May 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

As others mention, this has nasty "activation" DRM. I've been waiting well over a year to buy it, but obviously skipped it because of that.

Luckily there's a decent alternative-rent it or buy it for the 360. Okay, not ideal. For a variety of reasons I'd rather play it on PC, but I've just rented it on the 360 and it plays fine from what I've seen so far. Just don't support products that tie your game to a particular system or install through "activation".

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