Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis - Gold Edition Review

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Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis - Gold Edition ReviewIn my opinion this has to be one of the things that any gamer who even remotely enjoys action/first person shooters must own. This is the most in-depth game ever in this genre. You can fly, drive, snipe, lead, and any other thing any real soldier could. This is the best tactical sim. ever. Also the game has a very in depth story-line, which is one of the best, next to Dues-Ex. I enjoy almost any kind of game, but this is one of my top 3. Probably number 1. The designers are Czech, and they realistically modeled the speech. All of the Russian is pronounced correctly and the statements make sense. This is another game in which you must "stop n' drop" to have a chance in a fire-fight. Also most of the fire-fights go on at long distances, in which the enemy is barely in sight. The weapons are modeled realistically, and there is a huge variety. I always drop the M-16 and grab an ak (more stopping power). Wounds are realistically modeled. There is also a large variety of transports, tanks, copters, and a plane. With the gold upgrade, there are some new things and a new 20 mission campaign.Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis - Gold Edition Overview

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Shadowgrounds Survivor Review

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Shadowgrounds Survivor ReviewFollowing in the footsteps of the original 'Shadowgrounds' (a 3rd person shooter with RPG type upgrades), Frozenbyte has come up with this sequel...
Some points of interest; some good...
1.)Good spooky atmosphere with excellent effects done with ambient lighting (especially from your flashlight), deep shadows and weather. The audio is also quite good.
2.)In this game you take turns being one of three fighters, each with their own skills and unique weapons; you choose one of the three to use for the finale.
3.)Each weapon has 3 major up-grades available (by using your hard earned XPs or finding hidden items within the maps); there are also a couple of minor player up-grades as well.
4.)There is a Mech that you can operate in a couple scenarios, and a turret gun in another.
5.)You have five lives for each segment; The first four deaths result in regeneration at the spot where you died. With the 5th death, however, you restart the level (not the entire game).
6.)There is another game mode that becomes unlocked with progress; it's called 'Survival' (and aptly named) . In this mode you have one life, and you try for the highest score (kill count + time) in whatever amount of time you last. This is a short, brutal game (I've gone longer that 4 minutes once), but kind of fun; in fact, probably more challenging than the actual game itself. Again, as with the finale, you can choose any of the three 'heroes' for this mission.
7.)A finale that is do-able (I found the ending in the original game was almost impossible, except on easy)And, the not so good...
1.)The game is quite short; I finished it is less than 2 days of intermittent play. Maybe 5+ hours in total.
2.)Overall the game play, weapons and aliens were very similar to the original 'Shadowgrounds'. Really very little new here.
3.)On visiting the 'Frozenbyte' website, it appears the game must be purchased (at least at this point in time) through 'Steam' (that's where I got my copy). I've had absolutely no problem with this or another other 'Steam' product I've purchased, but I realize some potential buyers maybe put off with this. I felt I needed to at least mention this for the sake of completeness.
Conclusion:
If you enjoyed the original, you will probably like this game. It is, in my opinion, not as good as the original*, BUT, it is not bad. Also, it's fairly short in actual playing time. 3 Stars.
*after finishing this game, I went back and replayed some of the original game (to compare the two). It seemed to me this game, although there were some tough areas, was much easier than the original. It just didn't have the same persistent sense of urgency and tension that made you want to play on and on, like the first had.
Shadowgrounds Survivor Overview

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Tom Clancy's EndWar Review

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Tom Clancy's EndWar ReviewBased more on games like Ground Control or World in Conflict than Tom Clancy's previous games, "EndWar" is a real-time-tactics game taking place in World War III.
EndWar's depiction of WW3 is fought between the United States, Europe, and Russia after Russia sabotages European missile defense networks to cause them to attack a US spacecraft. The game takes place in the future, and all the units are meant to reflect this. Gone is the modern-day grittiness of most Tom Clancy games, as well as the fairly plausible storylines. What's mostly odd about the plot is that it's meant to take place in the same universe as Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, meaning that the three main superpowers, despite having worked together for years, decide to go to war at the drop of a hat.
The goal in EndWar's standard mode is to capture command nodes, which are locations scattered around the map. Controlling half of them starts a five-minute countdown timer; controlling all of them leads to instant victory. The player commands up to 12 units, each a platoon of 4 squads or vehicles. There are 6 types of unit. Riflemen (meant to be elite special operatives, not standard army grunts) are good against other infantry and can capture nodes the fastest. Engineers are armed with missile launchers and various tools, but do poorly against other infantry and capture nodes more slowly. Transports can carry infantry and have good anti-air weapons, but are weak against tanks. Tanks do well against ground vehicles, but poorly against air vehicles. Helicopter gunships destroy tanks easily, but are vulnerable to transports and engineers. Finally, artillery is powerful at a distance, but highly vulnerable at close range.
The seventh vehicle type is the command vehicle; you can only have one on the battlefield at a time. The command vehicle offers two major advantages. The first is satellite imaging. The game is viewed with a camera that follows one of your units; there is no "free camera". There is a mini-map, but for practical purposes all the player's orders need to be issued from a third-person camera perspective. With a command vehicle active, the player can go into a more traditional top-down view and see the whole battlefield, as well as issue orders. Losing the command vehicle, or choosing not to bring it, means you don't get access to that ability. Secondly, the command vehicle can launch Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to scout locations or fire missiles at enemy units.
One of the game's main attractions is that it can be played by voice - all units, command nodes, and visible enemies are given a name ("Unit 1", "Point Alpha", and "Hostile 1", for example). By following the game's methodology, in theory it should be possible to say "Unit 1 attack Hostile 1". However, one of the main problems with this concept is that saying all that stuff (for every single action you would take in the game) takes a long time, and it's really just easier to use the mouse. Using the game controller (for the PS3 or Xbox versions of the game) also seems like an unusual hassle; really, as with any RTS, using the mouse is basically the best idea. The voice commands are a neat idea, but also impractical.
The game's other main feature is that units are persistent and unique. Each platoon has its own callsign and matching voice; as you play through the game's Risk-like main game, your platoons gain experience, and gains access to upgrades to attack, defense, mobility, and so on. Therefore, keeping your platoons alive becomes a major priority. If a platoon is injured heavily (having lost 3/4ths of its squads), they are evacuated by helicopter unless the enemy specifically chooses to continue attacking them (which results in permanently losing them). Luckily, the computer does not do that; it's only a risk from particularly cruel players online. The customizability and uniqueness of each unit means that losing a particularly favored one is a direct punch to the player. Unit voices can be either male or female, with a variety of accents; the Europeans, for example, have French, Italian, German, or Spanish accents (Britain is neutral in the game's universe). Therefore, recognizing a unit by its voice can assist in making speedy decisions on the battlefield - if a unit says it's under attack, you can recognize the voice and go to its aid more easily. You can even assign camouflage to your whole unit, to make them distinct from other players' units.
One of the main problems with the gameplay in EndWar is the superweapons. After half of the control points on a map are captured by one side or the other, both sides get access to their superweapons, which include a laser satellite for the Europeans and an orbital missile platform for the United States. These weapons cause massive destruction, and are guaranteed to wipe out any units caught in their range. In fact, they are one of the few sources of perma-death in the game (if the targeted unit is wounded enough). What's frustrating about this is that there's no way to avoid it, you simply have to resign yourself to losing your units once half the map is conquered. It's not like one side has to set up arrays or whatever; once you hit half, everyone gets a nuke.
The other main problem is that the gameplay is very repetitive. The main Risk-style conquest mode has you attempting to take over the entire world, but what it actually pans out to is doing a single play style (capture the nodes) over and over and over until you win. The six unit types mean that there's not a lot one can do in terms of strategy or development, though the unique platoons at least give it some variety.
Overall, EndWar is a good concept, but a lot of its potential was taken out by being adapted for consoles. The controls on the PC are basically good, with some frustrating bits arising from unit selection (you can't select units on the mini-map, for example, and it's hard to drag a selection box over helicopters without selecting units far in the background as well). However, for the most part, EndWar is a good game with a lot of neat elements to it.
7/10.Tom Clancy's EndWar OverviewExperience World War III in your living room with Tom Clancy's EndWar, a revolutionary new game destined to change simulated war-games on the PC platform forever.Nobody thought humanity could possibly let it really come to this, but in 2016, the unthinkable happens… The first nuclear exchange occurred over Middle Eastern soil. It lasted only 5 hours and resulted in the launch of the world's first joint missile defense system to ensure peace, that is, until now. With the United States, the European Federation and Russia at odds a final war is inevitable. Although intercontinental ballistic missiles have been rendered obsolete, command technology has evolved. Now battles will be fought from war rooms. Leaders will rise and countries will fall.

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Rage Review

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Rage ReviewI recently completed id's Rage for the PC, so I decided to post a review of the game. Here are ten important things you need to know:
1. Gameplay - Simply put, Rage is fun. The controls feel smooth and natural as you progress through an exciting world of action and suspense. The gameplay is mostly linear, but there is enough variety to keep it interesting. Furthermore, the sidequests are fun, and they mesh well with the pace of the game. Rage doesn't push too many boundaries, but it doesn't feel like it needs to.
2. Graphics - The world of Rage is as rich and beautiful as a post-apocalyptic world can be. Up close, the textures appear slightly low-res, but that barely impacts the overall presentation. Minor texture popping is an issue, although it has mostly been remedied with recent updates.
3. Characters - The characters that live in Rage are vibrant and well-voiced, but they are ultimately unmemorable. Some blame is due to the fact that you never get to stay in one town for very long, but the primary fault is that there is no character development. The characters only exist to assign missions and provide atmosphere to the story and environment.
4. Plot - The recycled story is Rage's weakest feature. What exists is well-delivered, but it will leave you wanting more, especially after the game's anti-climatic conclusion. Plot voids may be acceptable in some action games, but Rage is designed to make the player crave something epic. This expectation ultimately leads to disappointment.
5. Multiplayer - Rage has two multiplayer modes, but neither is compelling, and deathmatch is completely absent. This omission is disappointing because Rage's weapons would have been exciting to experience competitively. Although id used to be the king of PC multiplayer, potential players should know that Rage is mostly a single-player experience.

6. Weapons and Items - Rage provides an assortment of weapons, items, and ammunition that greatly enhances the gameplay. Although many weapons seem familiar, some provide enough of a twist to make Rage unique. Unlike some first-person shooters, buying ammo seems essential, especially if you want the full impact of what the game has to offer.
7. Driving - Driving is a major aspect of Rage. It's required in order to progress the story and to safely travel, and it's a primary means to make money. Vehicle maintenance and acquisition is also required. Rage does a great job balancing these aspects and making them feel like a natural part of the game.
8. Enemies - Rage is populated with various factions of people, so you'll encounter a decent variety of foes that gradually increase in difficulty and complexity. The only disappointment is that the best, most impressive boss fight occurs early in the game, and there are few major encounters to look forward to after that.
9. Immersion - Despite its fantastic gameplay, Rage suffers from not being immersive enough. Overall, the environment feels decorative. There are way too many invisible walls, and there is very little to interact with or destroy. It's annoying when enemies use and drop weapons that cannot be picked up, and it's annoying to loot them just to get their cash and ammo.
10. Mini Games - Rage offers a small assortment of mini games including a card game that relies on your ability to find and collect the cards as you perform your missions. However, these games feel inconsequential as there are no rewards for playing them other than money and achievements, and money never feels scarce.
Conclusion
Rage provides an incomplete experience, and it will not be appreciated by players who demand depth in story. However, despite its flaws, there is a lot to love. Most importantly, Rage is fun! I recommend it for anyone who can appreciate an single-player action game for the entertainment it provides.Rage OverviewRAGE is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind. You emerge into this vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and the Authority - an oppressive government regime that has a special interest in you in particular. Featuring intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id's revolutionary id Tech 5 technology, RAGE promises an experience like no other.Fearing a planet-wide extinction from a massive asteroid headed towards Earth, world leaders are faced with the inexorable task of ensuring human survival. Left with few alternatives, life-sustaining pods filled with select people are buried deep beneath the earth's surface. You are one of the chosen members of these modern day arks and abruptly enter the RAGE universe after surfacing alone. Leaving you to your own devices to stay alive in a world filled with those who prefer you dead, RAGE combines powerful storytelling with heart-pounding action.

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Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast Review

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Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast ReviewFirst a small gripe: I truly wish LucasArts would release more Star Wars games like "Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast". Due to the lack of recent releases, I fear they've sold out to console game systems like Dreamcast and Playstation. My hope is they will return to the PC market and start churning out more games like this, which, well, kicked the Tabasco sauce out of any console Star Wars game in recent memory.
Simply put, the game is awesome. It's the first Star Wars game where the lightsaber is truly the most powerful weapon, provided its mixed with a few good force powers. Without a doubt the original JK and "Mysteries of the Sith" are both five star games, but the lightsabers were weak at best and downright useless at worst, except for the few times you had to use them to defeat other saber wielding opponents. I mean, in the original JK you had to face your enemy dead on to block a projectile. You couldn't throw your saber, couldn't jump three feet without pushing two buttons at once, and the moves you had.....slash, slash, buck-up, slash. That's pretty much it. In "Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast" you utilize more of the Episode I fighting style. In other words, you're flying all over the place (flipping, rolling, jumping 30 yards sideways, running up the walls) and not just standing there hoping your enemy will come close enough to hit. By the end of the game you have some truly impression abilities. You can throw your saber at will, throw your enemies at will, and jump 40 feet in the air at will. The gameplay is the best I've seen in a long time - great replay value.
I know some reviewers have complained about the difficulty level, and they're absolutely correct to complain. Even on easy the game is anything but. It's not just difficult puzzles or levels, either. Some places are difficult to get past just because of the enemies. On top of that the game does have it's fair share of frustrating puzzles. To solve these you can either buy the strategy guide (I wouldn't suggest spending the money, unless you want multiplayer tips) or search for an online walkthrough. There are plenty of them out there. That's what I did on more than one occasion, and that alleviated some of the frustration. Still, it took me two weeks to beat, playing on average an hour a day. The difficulty makes it fun, though, in a way, since the game's not over before you've even taken the shrink wrap off the box.
All in all, a must for fans of the original JK and first-person shooters in general. A definite Game of the Year contender.Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast OverviewIn the tradition of the multi-award-winning Star Wars: Jedi Knight, Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2, Jedi Outcast features rebel agent Kyle Katarn in exhilarating first-person action. Several years have passed since Kyle avenged his father's death and saved the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec and his band of Dark Jedi. Allowing his Force powers to languish for fear of falling to the dark side, Kyle entrusted his lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, vowing never to use it again. But when a new and menacing threat to the galaxy emerges, Kyle knows he must reclaim his past in order to save his future.
LucasArts is developing Jedi Outcast in partnership with Activision's critically acclaimed Raven Software. Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers, and the lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes. Jedi Outcast features expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber, with new attack and defense moves. Tap into the powers of the Force, including jump, push, Jedi mind tricks, and more. Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with an arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, and blaster rifle to name but a few.
Explore breathtaking Star Wars locales such as Cloud City, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers' moon--plus some never-before-seen locations. Multiplayer options include deathmatch, saber-only deathmatch, and team capture the flag.

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Metro 2033 Review

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Metro 2033 ReviewI read a of the reviews and was very skeptical. However, I am happy with the game and highly recommend it.
I go into every game without any pre-conceived notion of what I think they should be. Other reviewers whining about Stalker this... Fallout that... what a crock. Each game should stand on it's own and this one does. Sure it isn't perfect. I have only played a couple I thought were, so it's easy to want to set the bar to high. However, this is an extremely engrossing game. The graphics are awesome. Also, I guess if you are using an old Atari you might have problems running it. I am having no problem playing it on a 3 year old 2.3GHz dual core with 4GB Memory and a GTX280 card. I have the game set a step below the highest settings allowed on at 28" monitor at 1920x1200. The graphics on this are quite simply, very immersive and extremely well done. You really feel like you are in the subways.
Next, the complaints that it is linear are tiresome also. Some people like that style of play. Crysis is probably one of the best games ever made. However, it is very linear. Pesonally, I don't always want a game with a bunch of side missions that add little to the story, if only to make the game longer. Borderlands, Fallout3, Stalker, and games like Oblivion bored me to tears because of this, while others love that style of game. To each their own I say.
Lastly, everyone likes different things. When I was younger I like the games with big inventories, having to sleep to heal, collecting stuff, building levels and so forth. However, as I've gotten older I just want to play a great game. The simple FPS where you arm yourself and go to work kind of games are my choice now. I don't want to spend a week creating my charater and buidling up levels or over thinking what gun... what ammo, take the side quest, save the princess, where am I on the map... I just want to play. F.E.A.R., Crysis, COD4, FarCry, Half-Life, Bioshock to name a few are just like Metro. Your character is determined, your destination is linear, and there aren't lots and lots of choices, but it is engrossing and fun with just the right mix while keeping the game moving.
So, if you are looking for a game that is fun, looks great, and is worth buying... Metro 2033 is a pretty good choice.Metro 2033 OverviewStory The apocalypse came by our own making, with a single blinding flash, followed by a firestorm of sheer flame. It took just an hour and a half to wipe out 3.5 billion people and 10,000 years of civilization, plunging humanity into a hopeless Dark Age. In the aftermath, survivors in Moscow moved underground and slowly organized into small socially and politically independent tribes, clustered around the city's deep, subway stations. The young man, Artyom is among them. A member of the first generation of children raised in the subterranean world following the apocalypse, he has only the vaguest recollections of life above ground, and contact with other humans beyond those that inhabit his local station, "Exhibition," but he will have to face new experiences with both if humanity is to survive. Mutated beasts known as "Dark Ones" are spreading throughout the isolated stations of the Metro, and Artyom has been chosen as the messenger to spread the news of the new peril.

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BioShock Review

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BioShock ReviewLet's keep this sweet, organized and fair.
UNDISPUTED FACT:
BIOSHOCK will only install for a limited number of times (it was 3 but - after a deluge of eMails and bad reviews - it was upped to 5). So, if you install it you will be reluctant to uninstall once finished and will have to carry those 9GB on your HardDrive for a long time. On top of that, its resale value is down the drain the moment one pops the box open...
Even after the patch that removed the activation limit, uninstalling still leaves behind certain irremovable folders that will make sure it can be re-established in the future.
So one has to ask: even after paying $50 for it, WHO ACTUALLY OWNS MY COPY?
UNDISPUTED FACT:
The game utilizes an overzealous version of SecuROM 7+. They either activated all its available options or had a special version custom made. No other game company dared behaving in such heavy-handed way. This means that if your computer has more than one disc drive (or even one but non-DRM certified) it may block them, whereas the game may not even install if you are running virtual drives or have certain media-burning software installed (even NERO has been known to be considered ..."pirate-ware"!)
DISPUTED FACT :
It has been widely reported that BIOSHOCK installs a RootKit. Both MICROSOFT's ROOTKIT DETECTION TOOL and AVG ANTI-VIRUS detected either the RootKit or its actions. Recently, AVG was made to release a special update (just for BIOSHOCK) to ignore this alert.
In hacker lingo, to "take someone's Root" means to insert a procedure that "will allow the intruders to maintain root access (highest privilege) on the system without the system administrator even seeing them".
Official BIOSHOCK announcements (and their "unofficial" reviewers here at AMAZON) will try to persuade everyone who would listen that there is nothing there, so stop looking and don't even mention it.
Understandable reaction since, the existence of a RootKit would be a solid basis for class-action litigation.
Weight the facts and judge for yourself.
UNDISPUTED FACT:
BIOSHOCK effectively revokes our Administrator rights on our own computers. Here is what happens: even after completely uninstalling the game there is a mystery folder that canNOT be removed, no matter what!
On WinXP it is located here:
"C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\SecuRom"
As administrators, we could (unwisely) delete even Windows System folders - yet BIOSHOCK's mystery folder apparently claims a higher authority level? What this folder does and why should it get placed into OUR computers so that we cannot remove it even as Administrators, is beyond me. And I, for one, do NOT appreciate it one bit. (A quick internet search revealed a number of suggestions on how to get rid of it, ranging from clearly unsafe to catastrophic...)
True, almost every game leaves one or two folders behind after uninstalled - but this NEVER REVOKES OUR ADMINISTRATOR RIGHTS to delete them!
I do understand that there are production and publishing costs to get recovered as well as profit projections to be reached. Companies that wish to protect their investment will always try to fight piracy. This is only reasonable and expected.
However, with BIOSHOCK, as it is currently available by 2K GAMES, it gets WAY OUT OF HAND & WELL BEYOND RIDICULOUS!!
No one in the game-publishing industry seems to learn from past mistakes: every security system eventually gets cracked and every "OnLine activation requirement" eventually gets bypassed. So, utilizing an overly intrusive, inconvenient and possibly dangerous security kit only serves in penalizing the people who actually paid good money for their product - and manage to shoot their sales in the foot at the same time.
Look what happened with HALF-LIFE 2: legitimate buyers still have to put up with activating the game every time we want to play - and of course VALVE paid the price: unprotected HL1 had sold TWICE as many units as STEAM-"secured" HL2 ever did (8million and 4million respectively, Source: THE WASHINGHTON POST)
Since I would NEVER install a contraption such as BIOSHOCK onto my computer and wished to have hands-on experience before I reviewed the game, I asked around and a colleague of mine had already made the mistake of purchasing it and installing on his laptop.
THIS IS NOT A BAD GAME.
The environments are well designed and have a pleasant retro patina; the graphics are very nice, even though they do not meet the hype. They are comparble to older games such as HL2 (not to mention STALKER).
You see, dark is not always moody, and blurry cannot always be mistaken for dreamy.
I did love the music though! Both the collection of happy-go-lucky and Big-Band romantic 1940's songs (contrasting with the bleak environment) as well as their smart timing, added to the overall experience.
It was the gameplay I was the least impressed.
Totally linear - as it is has come to be expected from any FPS today I am afraid. To be fair, I cannot imagine a Single Player holding a storyline without being more or less linear (even "free"-roaming FAR CRY did not escape this curse) - but then again, that is why I am not a game designer. And unless the publishers release their creative suffocation of the true game artists, there is no hope for a worthy successor to SYSTEM SHOCK 2.
The controls are not hard to get used to; if not, they are completely remapable; nevertheless, I would love to have an real inventory: cycling between which plasmid and which ammo for which gun can get pretty frustrating. Fast.
Not that hitting your enemies does any good. For a game that is based on an alternative reality scenario and counts in immersing you into that world, the damage dealt by the guns is pretty unrealistic. A double-barreled full blast with the (augmented!) shotgun in the head of a generic splicer will NOT take him down.
And what's with the scarce ammo!? I ended up using the 1-2 combo (electric plasmid shock followed by quick ...wrench hits) one picks up in the first 10 minutes of the game throughout because the ammo was either of the wrong type or too expensive or nowhere to be found. Only at the very end was there an abundance of both money and ammo but by then they were pretty useless: a fully charged electric plasma gun and some propelled grenades is all one needs.

And, finally: dying. Regeneration chambers turn the game into a check-point one - and I hate checkpoint-games. Most often than not, they are chosen in order to artificially augment the gameplay duration (having us replay the same segments over and over - instead of saving wherever we feel like it). Moreover, when progressing, you usually end up getting killed just before the next regeneration chamber (and having to repeat quite a distance from the previous one) whereas, when facing a Boss, regeneration takes away all the suspense. Keep respawning, you will eventually get him, his health does not increase if you do.
So, all in all, BIOSHOCK is a good game BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE WORTH ITS EXCESSIVE DRM TROUBLE.
It is only a slightly above-average game; and if 2K GAMES did not have the guts to publish it for PCs (and is hiding it within an intrusive security Kit) it should have stuck with Xbox.
Even BIOSHOCK designers acknowledge there is a serious issue with the security measures forced upon them by the publisher. These measures are hurting their game and, so, THERE IS AN UPDATED VERSION COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO FIX THIS!
Don't take my word for it. Google for "Ken Levin-Interview" and "BIOSHOCK-Fixed-Version" and see for yourself. (I tried to add links but Amazon, apparently, does not allow them)
BIOSHOCK has it all: SecuROM 7, temperamental and Limited number of Installations, overzealous Drive-Blockers, possible cloaked RootKits, irremovable folders...NONE of which is Clearly marked on the product description!!
As it is, it will come NOWHERE NEAR MY SYSTEM!
I would advise waiting for 6 months, they will either clear it up or it will find its way to the clearance bins...Just last week I bought RISE & FALL: CIVILIZATIONS AT WAR for $2.99 (less than 8 months after its release) - and that nugget featured STARFORCE of all things!
- -- --- ----- -------- ------------- --------------------- -------------------------
UPDATE:
By now there are over...130(!) Comments on this Review (pages 1-2 & 9-10 are especially...informative). Over these weeks, there have been numerous attempts to suppress my review with either negative votes (that appear overnight in bursts - over...140 in the last three days alone!) or overly insulting comments - with my replies to them "mysteriously" receiving enough negative feedback to get folded as "not helpful" within minutes. The same happened as well to supportive comments posted by other customers.
When this was not enough, a "shady character" (who constantly changes her nickname) managed to become enough of a nuisance to have AMAZON REMOVE this review...TWICE(!).
Amazon decided to split the baby in half: it restored but kept from the first page no matter the customers' feedback. Not until the introduction of the Amazon's New Rating system was this review fully restored.
Even after the partial restoration of this Review, AMAZON's voting system is still getting abused in order to hide as "not helpful" comments posted by anyone else even remotely mentioning the serious issues of this game.
We can only guess what affiliation this individual has with the game publisher or SecuROM...
My special THANKS to: H.LE, BIBLE&SWORD & SEGA-SLAYER - and to ALL OF YOU ANONYMOUS FRIENDS who supported this review during the weeks the Dark side seemed to prevail (and managed to bury it in the last pages) - and continue to do so.
Do not hesitate to let them know what you think of their methods...BioShock Overview

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