I love gaming on the PC. So much so that it took me several years to buy a current generation console.

I like my XBox360 (Suck it, Sony) well enough, but honestly, some games are just better on PC.

EA has singlehandedly been trying to crush the life out of PC gaming since at least 1997. How do I know? Consider this statement from EA subsidiary Bioware's technical producer Derek French: (From Shacknews...)

BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days to continue working.

"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.

If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function. "After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French.

The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."

According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."

French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.

Well, I guess that means no more long vacations of just gaming through a single player game at the cabin in the woods or in distant places off the grid. Oh wait, that was selfish. How about this: the Military guys who take laptops cannot reliably get an internet connection. So in addition to a shit headed Senator wanting to take away anything pr0nlike, EA WANTS TO TAKE GAMES FROM OUR MILITARY! (A forum user brought it up, but I have several other contacts in the Marines still that game so it wasn't his fault that I brought this up.) I don't usually saber rattle with "If you do X the terrorists win," but this is fucking absolutely insane. When I was in in the mid 90's it was hard enough to find shit to blow off steam in downtime. After a long day of eating shit and taking orders to eat shit, the last thing a service member needs is to be staring at a dialog box from EA that says, "ROFLPWNED No Intarwebz, No Game." This is a prime instance of DRM fucking the shit out of the consumer. I encourage EVERY service member to download a cracked version before leaving on deployment, and skip the retail bullshit.

I bought Mass Effect new, ONLY because it was a Bioware game, and KOTOR kicked ass, but had it required this amount of fuckwittery on the XB360, I would have been pissed. I am still a little pissed, just at the concept of giving Bioware/EA money to pull this stunt. I am really and truly ashamed that I plunked down my money for the game.

Here is what you can do to help: If you are a console gamer, check this list of EA owned studios, if there is a game you want to play coming out from one of those, BUY IT USED or let it hit the clearance rack before you buy it. If you are a PC Gamer, buy it used or wait for it to hit the clearance rack. (It's Cheaper that way anyway..)

EA is currently trying to Acquire Take Two, and if they succeed, be aware that Rockstar stuff will be affected as well. I apologize to my friends in the industry, but the only thing the companies seem to listen to is losing money.

UPDATE (1729 5/8/8)
I was pondering all of the ways that this could go bad, and it hit me. Random Keygens. I cannot WAIT to see the note from EA saying a legit copy is invalidated because of the key being randomly generated and then registered. This deal is so bad for consumers on so many levels.

UPDATE (1900 5/9/8)
It appears that Bioware has backed down from the Idiocy that pervades Electronic Assfuck Arts and has decided on a single activation option for new installs and reactivation when you grab the DLC or later items. Whether EA will also take this away from Spore is anyone's guess. Details are on page 3 of the thread because I am tired of copypastaing the front page.

The discussion that spawned this is located here (CLICKY)