Some personal thoughts on piracy (warning - long post)

[BeefJerky]

sometimes the only way to tell if I want the product is to see the full version.

I see where you're coming from, but it does not make much sense (well it does, but not enough to justify it...if that makes sense). You have so many resources nowadays to find out if you want it. you can look up user reveiws and "official" reviews or you can ask friends if they own it. you can download the demo (most of the time) and if there is no demo i dont think you should take it upon yourself to steal a demo. It would be like going to a camera store and stealing a camera so you can test it rather than google-ing reviews of it to see if it is any good. it is up to the retailer to decide whether or not to spend time to make a demo for their product or to isolate a section of it for evaluation purposes

Here's Gamespot's summary of New Vegas, a game that by anyone's standard is buggy and broken to all hell at release: "A few technical problems aren't enough to sully this enjoyable and sophisticated adventure through the western wastes." Here's another excerpt: "Don't let the quirks frighten you away, however: New Vegas' nooks and crannies are bursting with grimy treasures waiting to be dusted off and admired by intrepid explorers."

Could the ass-kissing get any more obvious? How about a 5.0 rating with a promise to re-review it after a decent patch instead of an 8.3 because it's broken? Now, here's a statement from a well-known review site from 10 years ago:

"Do you have a new product or title to be released before Christmas?

Typically this is the busiest time of year for the gaming industry
and we at the Adrenaline Vault are ready to help you get the word out!

Between now and the end of the year for every company the that advertises with us we will run a feature article on their game or hardware. That is like having a seperate site devoted to your product exclusivly ...a site complete with interviews, screenshots, and a preview. See our our most recent features at:

As you can see the " Feature Article" along with an advertising banner is a very effective and informative tool. If you are interested in scheduling it is important that you contact me asap, as these articles are time consuming and require coordinating the times of both our writers and the artist with the necessary personnel from your company."

Getting the picture yet? The game industry by and large isn't a bunch of nerds who love their hobby anymore. It's a billion-dollar industry that will cut corners and collude for a profit margin and screw you over doing it.

Nobody cares about what the game industry wants us to see in demos. We know better. It's too late to play the morality card.