Mass Effect 2 Leaks to BitTorrent Before Official Release

Ernesto
January 24, 2010
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BioWare,
mass effect,
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Just a few days short of its official debut at retail stores, BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 has become widely available on file-sharing networks. The leak has resulted in massive piracy as more than 300,000 gamers have either downloaded or are in the process of downloading a copy of the highly anticipated game via BitTorrent.

Last Thursday, both the PC and Xbox360 versions of the upcoming Mass Effect 2 game leaked to BitTorrent, which didn’t go unnoticed by the masses.

The game is scheduled to be sold in stores starting Tuesday in North America and Friday throughout Europe, but many curious customers couldn’t wait until then and have downloaded an unauthorized copy instead.

At the time of writing, tens of thousands of people are downloading the game, which is more than 14 gigabytes worth of data for the PC version and over 13 gigabytes for the Xbox360 version. According to the latest statistics gathered by TorrentFreak, more than 300,000 people started downloading the files in the past days.

All purchased copies of Mass Effect 2, developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts, will come with a ‘Cerberus’ Network Card. The card is required to download in-game items and new missions that will become available when the game is officially released, but it’s possible to play the game just fine without it.

According to reports from many downloaders, the game lives up to its expectations. Hundreds of people have reported their successful completion of the game already, in playing times ranging from 10 hours to well over 30 hours.

Although the ‘Cerberus’ Network Card might not prevent people from grabbing an early copy of the game on BitTorrent, it might help to convert illegal downloaders who like the game into buying customers, if it’s not hacked or cracked itself.

Whether Mass Effect 2 will come close to the massive popularity of Modern Warfare 2 among BitTorrent users is doubtful, but the game will certainly make an appearance in the 2010 most pirated games list later this year.

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freeinternet

they should have a way to make you pay for playing online or somehow…

wake up people! is not piracy any more, just distribution..
noNazi

Yeaaah Seeeeed plz!
Tommy

Thats really funny actually. I know a guy who had jacked a compy for cod MW2 from is workplace weeks before it came out.
Quasimodo

Awesome game.

Actually going to buy it.

When it is around 5-10 $
Not before.
ANDY

i would download it but u cant play online with pirated games coz u get banned, and i dont like the downloading 13GB part, unless i get a faster connection:(
Le Fake

There is no real way of fighting file-sharing anymore. It’s simply too huge to just disappear, no matter what laws are put in place.

The only way for content creators to cope with the situation is to come up with new ways of getting people to pay.
Adam

these ppl that download need to be beat to within inches of their respective lives. Be it music, video games, artwork, or anything else YOU HAD A HAND IN CREATING, how would YOU FEEL if you got ripped off like that?? People (myself included – pianist & keyboardist w/ release on itunes) spend YEARS pouring bits of themselves into these various works (ya can’t tell me some characters in ME 2 didn’t come from somebody’s memories from life)… to have these things ripped as they are is just about the worst thing I can think of. EVERY DOWNLOADED COPY OF ANYTHING NOT ONLY PREVENTS SOMEONE FROM PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY HURTS LIKE HELL EMOTIONALLY. Damn… copy protection or SOMETHING to prevent these illegal downloads (if not some thing to prevent leaks all together)… it’s the 21st freakin’ century; something needs to be done.

for all those like myself who actually BUY the things we use (ME 2 included, naturally), a pat on the back is deserved.
Anonymous

@7

obvious troll is obvious…*throws them into a garbage can*
hmmm

I gotta be honest I don’t think file sharing is going to keep anybody from providing for their families, if anything it will help people provide for their families. You have to understand that the majority of people whom file sharing is screwing, are rich anyway. File sharing just allows those who may not be as fortunate to gain access to free movies/music/etc.
Anonymous

#7 is an obvious troll.
PIRATE4LIFE

Downloading it now! And Tatsunoko Vs Capcom for the Wii!

@ 7 Jan 25, 2010 at 00:39 by Adam
How do you like me now!!! Downloaded over 60 games for the Wii! And over 700 for the PC. How do you like me now hum!!!!!
Mark

I’ve always wondered where the games leaked actually come from…

I’ve the Razor1911 copy in my download queue at the moment from Rapidshare, but this is one I’ll actually go out and buy.
I LOVED the first game and I gather there’s no DRM with this copy, just a simple disc check. :)
Anonymous

Amazing game, i’m enjoying it a lot. Will be buying it when it’s released. I completed the first before buying it too. Great games.
@7

@7 – Your an idiot.

I’m really enjoying the game. I’m going to buy it when its released. And I also completed the first before buying it too. Great games, worth the money!
samantha

I downloaded the game and it is great! I am gonna but it as soon as it is released in my region :-)

Love you BW xxx
samantha

I downloaded the game and it is great! I am gonna buy it as soon as it is released in my region :-)

Love you BW xxx
daviddanut

Bet Bioware are pissed off :)

Mind you, I’m still buying it, friendly DRM so they’re having a sale off me.

BT has slowed down my net already for downloading too much, I’m sure they’ll slow to about dial up if I stick another 14GB down the line. Damn 18 month contracts!
tman

@#7
Get a real job like the rest of us if you can’t make a living. What makes you think you are entitled? Lots of people have to get employment in other industries because jobs go away for one reason or another. Suck it up sally.
zeebart

try before you buy is just the way it needs to be w/ pc games…alot of them just suck period…

“don`t feed the trolls”
Tigger

Ive queued it up =)
May take a while to download tho =/
Im downloading it, and im not going to pay for it! I liked the first Mass Effect, the story was amazing, but i wasnt too keen on the combat…plus bollocks am i paying £50 for a game!
….I have however pre-ordered Alien Vs Predator =) Im a fan of the old AVP games and movies, the new one looks sw333333t! And @ £20 with a FREE game to play in the mean time….its a bargain!

#7
“how would YOU FEEL if you got ripped off like that??”
Id would feel great knowing that my work is popular! It would assure me that i had a future creating….whatever it is ive created! Besides, if your getting pirated en mass, then it stands to reason your also selling en mass.
Money really isnt a factor – the whole “PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES” arguement really doesnt stand up.
If something is released and doesnt get pirated…it can only mean one thing – Its not popular, which means it wont be selling in the shops either =P
duane

I wish TorrentFreak could gather its own statistics (e.g. by polling its readers) on how many of the downloaders will in fact go out and buy the game afterwards.

Does downloading cause more or fewer people to buy? Does the quality of the game (which they get to test before buying) play any part in their decision?
Reasoned Mind

“the whole “PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES” arguement really doesnt stand up.”

Well…..it actually kinda does. It’s simple economics, and you can’t fight that reality. The game creator either recoups the cost plus the interest on the loans that support the creative/publishing/marketing/graphics/packaging/administrative and distribution staff……or they do not. If they do and they see a reasonable profit when compared with other tangible, analog sales that can’t be taken without paying, they’ll make another game.

But if piracy reduces their sales enough that they don’t recover their costs?

They lose whatever they had invested and they don’t work in digital anymore. Simple economics. If you want fresh milk, you have to feed the cows and pay the farmers. Pirating this game means you didn’t feed OR pay. This isn’t rocket science, y’know.
noogie

my junk burns!
politux

I don’t download video games as I don’t have a gaming console or a gaming PC. I do however consume large amounts of other types of data, including HDTV, blu-ray rips, ebooks for my sony reader, etc. I get the content from BitTorrent for one reason only. I can.
Stephen

Chances are BioWare and Electronic Arts will benefit from having this game torrented, since it’ll create plenty of interest and even though it seems many people here are ready to buy regardless, the ‘Cerberus’ card is likely to add extra impetus. They just need to get the pricing right…
Me

@Adam
I currently have 61 PC games downloaded onto my PC. Should I be beaten to an inch of my life? Thanks to Steam I have payed for all 61 of these games. There is absolutely nothing wrong with “downloading” and even the effects of “illegal file sharing” are in question. I have downloaded hundreds of games. The ones that I had any replay value to me are the ones that I purchased.

Games that I pirated before buying:
UT, UT2004, UT3, Audiosurf, Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike Source, Doom 1, 2, 3, Quake 1, 2, 3, Half-life 1, 2, ep1, ep2, Portal, TF2, Borderlands.

Starting to see a trend? If not, I’ll explain it to you. I like to know that my money isn’t going to be wasted on some excuse of a game. If it is worth the number they put on the “sticker” in MY opinion I’ll pay for it.
strife

Bit late on the news…

Mass.Effect.2.XBOX360-GLoBAL
2010-01-20 – 22:06:08

Mass Effect 2-Razor1911
2010-01-21 – 18:08:41

Times are GMT.
Gfssd

@20 Get ‘em
Anonymous

@7

What would you say if 1000 people bought your cd because they liked it – and came by it via bittorrent.

Go cry somewhere else faggot.
Anon

I just finished the game with everything done, bought and upgraded in it and I must say: This is something I’m so going to buy.

The ending of the game just blows you away! Totally awesome! And the storyline, characters and choices are just beautiful! Kudos to Bioware for creating an excellent game, this just moved past Dragon Age on the most wanted game I’m going to buy.

And like some others have stated: I as well prefer to play the game before I buy it. Playing a demo isn’t the same as playing the full game, and if you liked it a lot many ends up buying the game.

Almost every single game I’ve bought on Steam is a game I’ve already pirated once. If I like it enough to play through it more than once, then I buy it. If I don’t, why waste money on something which has no replayability.
Hans Pandeya

I would d/l but don’t have time to invest, ive got more pressing matters like taking a dump.
Obedient

I am not a gamer, so I am not downloading this nor will I download this or any other game.
Response to # 7, Adam:
So you want to call yourself a righteous person and a victim, do you? How about the theft of our hard-earned money by the government in the form of incometaxes?? Whey are you going to b&^%ch about that?
OR, is it only OK when the authorities/corporations do it?
Matt

Just to be clear I do believe that pirating without later going out and buying is stealing, which I hope no one here would try to argue is morally acceptable. With that said, I understand that many people want to get an idea of what they’re buying, but honestly if you download say bioshock, for example. Then you play through and you enjoy it but don’t think it’s worth a second playthrough. Does that mean it’s alright for you to just no buy it? Replayability is important, and many feel that it is a necessary part of a good game, but I don’t feel a lack of it justifies stealing.

No one can really be convinced pirating is wrong, everyone just has to decide for themselves. I appreciate the job that game developers do, and try to do, and thus I pay them for their work. If you choose not to, it’s your own business, I just understand where people come from when they are upset with pirates getting a free ride, and having sequels paid for, for them, by honest gamers.

The try before you buy rational just seems like a slippery slope to me, because if you’re on the line about a game being worth buying after you pirate it and beat it, you’re very likely to just not bother since you already got what you wanted. I’m not innocent either, just putting forth some food for thought.
ppl complain about piracy

Lets be realistic if fair prices where charged piracy would be much more minimal but why does the usa pay 40-50% less for a game then we do ? Same goes for music its a joke

Pricing is notbased on fair cost Plus profit but rather on what people are excpected/ or will pay.
redbaron

Wow, 13-14GBs for a game. Damn, and I remember the times when the games where max. a couple of MBs. As for the leak – well, nice one. Not the first, not the last. :D Actually many games I’ve downloaded illegally and tried out, I bougth later (mostly when the prices sink a lot :)). Don’t understand what’s the whole fuss about. Companies should rely on multiplayer game on their servers when it comes to pirated or not pirated games. Look at WOW. Sure there are lot’s of pirate-servers, but to play the real thing and get support you have to buy it and regularly pay for it (that’s why I’m not playing it lol).
CDXX

#7 (Adam) is just jealous that no one is torrenting his gay piano music…
Artificial Energy

@7

i love you! can I keep you? what bridge do you live under? i’ll come pick you up and we can get you a troll makeover! YAY!!!
Tigger

@ 32 Matt
You make some fair points.
I dont see downloading as “stealing”, as the age old example goes :-
If i steal a car, i am depriving someone of that car, if i download what is just information, all i do is (questionably) deprive someone of ‘potential’ monetary gain.

As far as games go, i play quite alot, some pirated, but alot i buy. The reason i dont buy all the games i want to play, is simply because i cant justify spending upto £50 every couple of weeks on the latest game. If all games were released for say £10, i would not pirate them.
I dont mind seperating with my money, but in the end, i only have so much…
Moral acceptability is subjective =/
No one wants to do the “wrong” thing, but if you have no money and have no intention of ever buying a particular game, who are you harming by downloading it?
Heh – when did the world become so grey? =P
Sean

I’m a musician and I’d love if my stuff was on bittorent.(Well, I could easily up the torrent myself, but I want to wait til the content is better)
I know many other musicians who would love to be ‘pirated’. When I make my first album I will leak the album onto the net and also have a physical CD you can buy from my site, or local record store.

You can make decent money from gigs.
$10 cover charge. 100 people go, split the money 75/25, I just made $3250 in one night!

If I did this only once a week, I could still cover all my bills and food. I wouldnt have spending money, but thats what day jobs are for.
Sean

$25o** lol my bad.
Admiral Hackett

All true spectres will purchase this game.
HappyMan

I don’t have to download games, I steal them from work (I work in a store) I have actually stolen couple 100 games, for Wii, DS, PSP, PS2, PS3, and PC.
And you know what, I have stolen the consoles to, and those dumb bastards at work doesn’t suspect a thing (Have worked there for 3,5 years)

And now I have put away a Xbox360 Elite! I grab that one on my next work day!
lonewolf

*sigh* and people wonder why ‘pirates’ are viewed so negatively.

Is it so bad to buy a game? Yes, I have to agree, it is bloody expensive – 60$ for a game is a bit much in my books. 50$ is still much – I would much rather see games debut at 30 or 40$.

But the cost of games follows the cost of production – prettier graphics need better computers, programers, designers, larger design teems, engineering teams, etc. etc. etc. Making a ‘game’ is a massive million dollar undertaking.

Do I wish it was cheaper? Fuck yes I do. I’d snap this game up in a second if it were under 50$. I might be a half-broke college student, but I work enough to buy a 50$ game once or twice a month.

Do I think this piracy is helping? God I hope it does – I hope that every person who downloads it buys a copy later. Otherwise all they are doing is proving the point that piracy can only hurt the industry – which in turn hurts filesharing.

Filesharing is a good thing – but as long as piracy and filesharing are seen in the same light, the fight against one will hurt the other!
Anonymous

I downloaded this game, but won’t play it. I got it for the sole reason of helping out my ratio, which it has enormously.
djnforce9

What #7/Adam seems to forget is that the developers and anybody else involved in the development of this game HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID so no, pirates aren’t ripping them off directly at all or costing them their jobs.

Anyhow, I got this too and already played it for a while. While I did play a good portion of the first game and enjoyed it, I’m having trouble really getting into this one. I certainly am not going to buy this right away. Maybe when the price comes down. Otherwise I’ll just remove this game and move on (Bioshock 2 will be along shortly anyway).
anon

Just another +1 for downloading does not equal stealing.

Downloaded Mass Effect when it was released, played a couple of levels and forgot about it, because there were bugs and issues with the video driver.
Now I bought Mass Effect for 5 Euro from Steam at Christmas promotion, and didn’t even install it yet – I just wanted to support them because it was a good game.

Now I downloaded Mass Effect 2 probably a couple of days ago yet it’s still on my seedbox – didn’t even bother to copy and install it on my computer – so at least one person who downloaded the release didn’t yet “pirate it”.

If I like it, 95% I’ll buy it when it’s below 10 euro on Steam, be it promotion or not.
R

Uploading pre-releases is pretty risky, since it draws way more attention and the penalties are far higher.
That said, the biggest WTF here is the fact that they’re actually requiring a network card to play the game. A USB dongle I could accept, but a network card? Good luck getting that to work under Linux, or if you’re expansion slots are already full. As it is they’re probably just using the MAC address, which is fairly simple to spoof.
Reasond Mind

How is centipede formed? How RIAA get homeless?
SectorX4

Grabbed this when the ISO came out as I couldn’t wait for my Steam pre-order to be unlocked.

Have been playing it for a bit and it looks like I can just import my save when my pre-order gets unlocked though which is good.

For the first time in a while (mainly due to Steam) I’m on the other side of the fence having to wait for the official release while everyone else already has it rather then having it a week before people who have pre-ordered.
GP

Maybe they’ll learn not to withhold finished products for “anticipation value”. Just release the damn thing when it is done, and “pirates” won’t be able to release it before it is released… Duh?
Trelew

Just a little bit of conspiracy paranoia here…what if this was leaked to the P2P forums by Big Business early as a part of a big PR campaign?

Game gets massively downloaded, the sales are not what they wanted, then a massive propaganda campaign starts with the media stating the revenues from this game have been stolen by internet pirates. Someone will get caught and play the piranha in the courts and then the courts and governments will come out with corporate friendly legislation and kill the effectiveness of the internet.

Something to think about considering how a game got on the BitTorrents before the official release.
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Raisin Brain

I disagree with #22 Reasoned Mind

Most games offer online play for more challenge and extra fun which gamers usually look forward to and most games would require a paid account for online. That would mean one have to acquire a legit disc.

Bottom line if a game is good people will likely buy and support it to play online. Thus no sales lost.
U.N. Owen

I pre-ordered my copy of this game 3 months ago, and I pre-ordered Dragon Age also both collector’s editions, so they can kiss my butt that I downloaded them a couple days early, they had my money MONTHS early.

And with like dragon age even the digital collector’s edition was just ridiculous expensive so especially if someone has already paid off their pre-order then Bioware and any other game company can kiss off about people getting it a few days early.

At $50-$80 (depending on if you get Collector’s or not) for some of these games I’m glad I get them a couple of days early this way. Just waiting for Tuesday to get my Gamestop Pre-order bonus’s.
observer

I submit that #7 is the one who actually uploaded at least one of the original torrents. He did so, then decided to make comments here so that others would read them, and possibly interest others even more in the game. I believe that #7 is actually on the side of file sharers, but wants to come across as a troll in order to increase the hype. I think the job was done well. It created discussion amidst the name calling, which was good.
Unauhorized Content Consumer

I refuse to buy or play another game until Duke Forever comes out.

COME ON! Give ME something worth paying for!
BIOS

@54

Waiting on Duke Nukem 4Ever as well :(
PiratesAreCustomers2

downloaded this > bought it
downloaded mw2 > game is fun not gonna buy because the networking is lolbad might change my mind if someone makes a dedi server mod :Z
neostyles

People who perpetuate this sort of things are perhaps the lowest form of life. Once again, pirates show that they think they are entitled to anything they want. All they are interested in what helps them. They don’t care about anything beyond themselves. The internet has truly become a tool for defrauding others.

People who say that this thing will never stop are just being disingenuous.. The average person who runs an illegal piracy site isn’t some hardened criminal. They are just a spoiled person who probably lives in their basement. Once they start sending people to jail for this kind of thing, you will definitely see it go down.

I will proudly be purchasing a LEGAL copy the day the game is released.
neostyles

Bottom line if a game is good people will likely buy and support it to play online. Thus no sales lost.

You are a moron if you really believe that. Has it never occurred to you that the whole convenience of digital piracy lies in getting things for free? Once someone has what they wanted for free, what is their incentive to buy it like everyone else?

EVERYONE who buys things runs the risk of buying something bad. That’s why we do research. We look at reviews, we read articles, etc. But that would require actual work which is clearly too much to ask.
Michael

Well what did they think was going to happen? Relece dates always bite them in the ass, especially when the product is in the store’s store room up to a week and a half before its street date.
With a game this popular. You know someone is going to grab a copy and pirate onto the net.
PiratesAreRetarded

All you pirates are retards.

It doesn’t hurt the industry if you pirate games because they’re already rich? Thats retarded. Guess what happens to studios who make games that don’t make back the project’s budget? They all get fired…

I know some of you are saying you will buy it but not until its cheap as shit. You are playing a brand new game, pay the fucking price that it should be bought for. Waiting until its $5-10 is still being a cheap as fuck pirate.

Outside of the US 360 games actually have lower sales than their PS3 counterparts. That is retarded. The only reason there are more sales inside the US is because of that massive number of consoles. I’m sure nearly 50% of the fucking userbase are pirating fucks.And the reason they are all 360 fans is because the PS3 hasn’t been hacked yet.
Anonymous

@ #22, Paid Shill

“You can’t fight reality”? That’s pretty ironic coming from somebody who spends all their time on Torrent Freak trying to.

The reason the whole “PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES” argument doesn’t stand up is because, A. it’s likely Bioware has already been payed, B. the massive piracy of Mass Effect 1 failed to hurt Electronic Arts & Bioware to any meaningful degree considering there is now a Mass Effect 2, which makes it very hard to pretend the piracy of ME2 is going to hurt them either, and C. it revolves around the easily debunked fallacy that one download equals one lost sale.

How easily debunked?

Read the comments on this article. Almost everybody downloading ME2 is also going to buy it, and good luck proving they won’t.

Adam’s comment is predicated on complete bullshit and so is your defense of it.

@Matt

You believe wrong. It’s one thing to say you personally feel that pirating without later going out and buying is morally wrong, but it’s another thing entirely to call it stealing.

Morality is subjective and open to interpretation, theft is not. Theft is an objective concept without any grey area or room for interpretation.

Saying that you believe filesharing is theft is just like saying that you believe cats are dogs, or that the sky is green with yellow polkadots.

Everybody’s entitled to their beliefs, but nobody’s entitled to redefine the truth to make it fit their beliefs.

Yes, that includes you. Neat, huh?
Azenghoul

What really gets me is that it’s been leaked, 300k people are downloading it and will have it for free before it’s release date, yet the publishers solution is to hold tight to their release date, better way to stop pirates instead of trying to kill us is to see if it’s leaked, if so, release it ffs, the one game i buy and it gets leaked early :S

Still, going to pirate this, f waiting a week to play this awsomeness
Fr33-1-I’3d-W1lly

these ppl that download need to be beat to within inches of their respective lives. Be it music, video games, artwork, or anything else YOU HAD A HAND IN CREATING, how would YOU FEEL if you got ripped off like that?? People (myself included – pianist & keyboardist w/ release on itunes) spend YEARS pouring bits of themselves into these various works (ya can’t tell me some characters in ME 2 didn’t come from somebody’s memories from life)… to have these things ripped as they are is just about the worst thing I can think of. EVERY DOWNLOADED COPY OF ANYTHING NOT ONLY PREVENTS SOMEONE FROM PROVIDING FOR THEIR FAMILIES, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY HURTS LIKE HELL EMOTIONALLY. Damn… copy protection or SOMETHING to prevent these illegal downloads (if not some thing to prevent leaks all together)… it’s the 21st freakin’ century; something needs to be done.

for all those like myself who actually BUY the things we use (ME 2 included, naturally), a pat on the back is deserved.

7 Jan 25, 2010 at 00:39 by Adam
to qoute /\ this dude.

it’s not a fight against the hardworking people who make things like this. it’s a fight against the greedy corps. i pay for quality products like this game if i had a computer. lol but u ask how am i writing this message. well that’s a mystery. i know people who work for the big wigs in the gaming industry. and they download torrents while they are working on projects. we all pay for the media in some way. but it’s silly to have it thrown down our face as the world is catching up. the consumer who have more access to the internet as exploring possibilities to things they would or could never have. it may be wrong to some and certain laws. but u can’t police the world when you can’t physically hold on to a byte or bit. to put up defenses is useless when there will always be a crack in the wall for the mice to scurry through. crossing the line can’t be determined when you have access to anything at any moment. legal or not. the two companies that are trying to hold on to what little they can. are trying to be Team America with information. and they are failing at an epic rate. wasting money and resources just like local, county, state, and country employees and higher up corp positions. stop the greed u are fucking this world up more then it’s turning out to be. i honestly can’t wait till WW3 within our lifetime.
Comeoncomcast (aka Andrew)

Its 15GB’s lol
Quasimodo

Lets have a look at the prices for the standard PC version:

Amazon.com 46$ (32.5€)
Amazon.co.uk £27 (31€)
Amazon.de 43€
Steam 50€ (you’ve got to be joking !!)

No fucking way !!!

In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the middle of a sodding economic crisis and on the edge of a global depression.

Cut the price tag down to a reasonable number like 5 to 10 $ , and sales will explode.
gameloo.info

We can’t say enough as this is only the early of 2010. I am sure more hits will come!
pirated

I just finished my PC run through on saturday to get ready for my release-date-delivered copy from amazon. I just had to support the PC version since the DRM is gone.

Although they’re still targeting the second-hand market with all this 0-day DLC and whatnot. (although they’re still doing it on consoles. So not an actual issue besides me being annoyed at that fact)
errrrr

i wont buy anything from EA or Bioware after my rollercoaster ride with dragon age digital deluxe ultra late unable-to-provide-service fiasco. besides, from the first 5hours of game it seems to be glorified corridor shooter even further dumbed down for consoles. i highly doubt i will even finish the game. there are two “modes” – corridor/open area with cover + shooting or scanning the planet and launching probes. i doubt the vehicle section is going to be anything interesting. complete lack of inventory managment, loot (cmon, RPG has to have loot) and oversimplified action (ahah cryo rounds are a “special power”) make this a dull game.
Unauthorized Content Consumer

Somehow this sounds really really suspicious.

The game was probably leaked so people would like the game enough to buy the full uncrippled multiplayer version.

That to me would be; Great Marketing Genius.

Now come on, give me Duke Forever!!!!!!!!!!!

DUKE FOREVER!
DUKE FOREVER!
DUKE FOREVER!
lith

Look there are games u pirate and there are just games u dont… ME2 is 1 of those u dont. Another point is, when i didnt work i used 2 pirate games because my parents didnt want 2 buy me games lol. Now that im working, i can afford to buy games, and i enjoy them alot more then just pirating them. Im also getting older maybe more wisdom, and now i realize pirating games is killing the industry, and if u cant see that u either an idiot or just very naive. I guess some ppl cant help it, but if u can help the industry dont destroy it. Like matt said “33″ u cant convince ppl pirating is wrong u need 2 decide that for urself.
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Bpy6

#69
absolutely agreed
ME1 was a great RPG, lot’s of side quests, stats, inventory, shopping, cool dialogues.
I pirated it, then bought it

ME2 is just a dull stupid shooter with a little bit of dialogues, no inventory, stupid health regen, no decent advancement, NO LOOT, and no side roleplaying quests (just some idiotic repetitive shoot’em up optional missions)
Seems like Bioware failed for me for the first time in history.
a happy pirate am I

me, personally, I download movies and tv shows. games i’ll play at a buddies house and if I like ‘em, i’ll buy ‘em!

Just because I can!!
Yakushev

@lith
I own over 60 games and im still going to test games before i buy them, you can take your “pirates killing teh industryyy” and shove it where the sun don’t shine
otter

Meh. I preordered the DDE on Steam. Bioware have their money from me, and i’ve legitimately purchased it. ‘m just playing it a little early is all.
otter

Addendum: To be honest, for the people that have preordered digital copies, it’s the same as a simple street-date break.
lith

HAHA love that, truth hurts doesnt it… haha whatever, u do ur testing lol
Traum

Must try it first and then with network game comes alive… it´s not piracy any more, it´s just distribution (like first commenter said).
Pingback: Mass Effect 2: revuelto de información | ALT1040
Mieka

http://extratorrent.com/article/200/393+bittorrent+sites+shut+down+by+brien.html

393 BitTorrent Sites Shut Down By BRIEN
Quasimodo

So they say.

I’d really like to see that list of those 393 sites.

Maybe those copyright nazis should read into Darwin and finally realize their feeble attempts to root out filesharing are ultimately futile.

Evolution is a funny thing.

The more you try to exterminate a virus, the more it adapts and the more resiliant it gets.
Better leave it alone and learn how to live with it.
Anon

MW2 pretty much cleared up the idea that mass piracy kills games.

Most pirated is also biggest seller. Huh…

No – not all games are that well recieved, and no, not all games benefit from the multiplayer that makes pirating much harder, but the facts are the facts. Billion dollar sales figures..

So – it’s safe to say that:

1) Good games make money.
2) Piracy won’t kill the industry.
3) Crappy products that used to rely on conning people into buying them will loose out.

Oh no!!

Actually, it’s a little like what iTunes is doing to musicians. You used to have to buy the entire album, all 2 good tracks and 18 crap ones of it. Now, you can just go buy the good songs, and look whats happened?

More musicians out there, better albums, less crap. It’s like Darwinism for content creators. Some of you will be the evolutionary dead-ends – and that may suck for you but the rest of us? We love it!
Freaky

I downloaded it and played over the weekend its freaking awesome aside from some ridiculous clipping bugs.

I’ll buy both games next month,Mass Effect is a great franchise and it deserves support.

Good games deserve the cash.
Pingback: Mass Effect 2 Available to Download for Free via Bittorrent Before Official Release
GetTheNew

Wow, even the DLC just dropped for ME2 – http://www.getthenew.com/blogEntry.php?entry=828
Meh

Is this really torrentfreak material ? Another mainstream game leaked a few days before the release date. Yawn. This happens every time. Post this to on freakbits instead.
Anonymous

@Reasoned Mind and neostyles

Obvious trolls are obvious.
Cujo

statistics from my part of the world:

the folks who can afford it will pay for it ,, and the folks who would have never paid for it will download it ,, there are some exceptions ,, but not many.

reduce prices and perhaps things will change

1 X $50.00 = $50.00
5 X $10.00 = $50.00

look at the potental
AlienDK

I think it is worth noting that the “network card” is not actual hardware, but just a credit card shaped card with an activation code or something like that. http://www.gamesbloggo.com/wp-content/uploads/me2_collectors_content.jpg
Soundwave (Have a Cigar)

Personally, I won’t download a game unless it’s no longer available or not sold in my country. If it’s not worth paying for, then it’s not worth having.

I always wait a long time and buy it when it gets about $20 (actually sometimes wait until its about $5), but I realize younger gamers are obviously not that patient.
Sergeant K

Why are all these people arguing against piracy on Torrentfreak? I feel like fish are jumping out of the lake to spit water at me, silly fish get back in the water, this isn’t the place for you. I pre-ordered the game twice, TWICE, because I want to support this kind of game for PC.

I’m so tired of people talking trash about people they don’t understand, file sharer’s have so many different reasons for doing what they do that saying anything that encompasses ALL file-sharing individuals is impossible, invalid, and idiotic. Some people are broke, some people don’t get the games where they live, some people just wanna make sure it’s worth their money because they are almost broke, and thank god, I swear if I’d payed 50 bucks for Section 8 instead of downloading it, I’d… well it’s too terrible to contemplate. Needles to say the game was a steaming elephantine pile of unholy demon-beast excrement that should never have seen the light of day let alone traded for cash. Oh and most PC games are NON-REFUNDABLE so fuck off!

Digital distro is the future, “but all the stores and publishers will lose jobs!” fuck em, cars put the buggy man outa business, computers killed the shit out of the typewriters, hell the first guy making spears out hunted the other guys and took all their women, women being the currency of the time.

Progress is scary, change is painful, but it’s also inevitable. can’t stop it, only gonna make yourself and everyone around you miserable by trying.
@88

Too right soundwave . You do have to LOL at the “I’ve bought it/will be buying it, but I couldn’t wait 48hrs to play so I dloaded 15GB of data” Gnats have a longer attention span/patience.

Mind you, thats better than I steal it cause I can / they’re all rich BS

Obvious theif is obvious
@85

Obvious ignorant biggoted thief is Obvious
(albeit Anonymous)
lol

Already beat it! Can’t wait for ME3, on a aide note this game is totally worth it. I beat it for 360 but as soon as I can I’m buying it for ps3.
Whatever

There is always someone to blame for virtual lost sales.

First piracy, now used games market. Next time taxation ? Then goverments needs to pay a fee ?

What if you buy a used bicycle and you’re not allowed to have lights on it until you pay a fee to the bicycle shop and then still need to buy lights (you’re allowed to ride it but not in the dark). There would be huge protests immediatelly because it wouldn’t be fair so why would it be different with games.

(Troll preemptive disclaimer: Completely no interest in this game whatsoever)
nah in baltimore

Someone had a valid comment. If we are in the middle of a fscking screwed up economy. Why have games been getting more and more expensive?

It would make sense to at least have the game sold at a reasonable price. I dont play much games anymore, but back when I was younger games at most tapped out at 50 dollars for games you knew were gonna be stellar….nowadays they go overboard to 60-80 dollars….first off Im a muthafkkkin G and Ill never corporation lil bow wow me….(lol joking Im listening to rap as I type this), but really that is entirely to expensive and eventually if all the games are priced like this you will see fewer and fewer people buying anyhow.

Im sure most users would like to buy the game in hand instead of sitting at the computer for 3 days to download a 15gb game. Take advantage of that companies! Release the game at a sensible price. As a bonus its known in marketing that many customers wont return a product even if they at least feel they werent cheated in price or in general if they are just lazy.
Anonymous

@91

Obvious troll is obvious for assuming #85 is a thief.
w00t

0 seeds, 42weeks remaining… awesome
Matt

@62 anon

Allow me to correct my previous statement then since semantics seem to matter to you; Piracy is stealing if you don’t go out and buy the game afterward.
Grimm

Okay no. 7 aka troll, here is a bit of common sense for you.

Any true gamer especially pc gamers know that without money going to the devs. of the games the industry would die. Therefore most that pirate a good game go out and buy it to show support to the devs, in hopes that it encourages them to develop more games of the same quality or higher.

The act of downloading a game and not liking it so you don’t buy it makes it so the devs of crappy games either do better next time or don’t have a job.

I can’t even tell you how ripped off I used to feel by seeing massive advertising for a game and waiting for its release and then paying the $50 price with my hard earned money to be let down by a crappy game that was just hyped so the development company could make a quick buck. Therefore I have no issues with downloading a game and then purchasing it, if its worth buying and letting the devs of bad over hyped games go without feeding their families b/c they have been ripping people off for years.

One other thing, you seem like an angry guy #7. Why not try a different instrument where you can vent your anger through your music b/c nobody likes angry pianists.
Artificial Energy

@61

it’s cute how you try so hard to sound like you know what you’re talking about and even try adding what can only be assumed as YOUR interpretation of an “intelligent” post yet you lower yourself to simply call all “pirates” retarded. congratulations. you are dripping in concentrated FAIL with a side of TROLL.

and if you really want to be Mr. Well Informed you would know that an actual “pirate” is someone who profits from illegally obtained intellectual property. sharing files for free does not constitute piracy. it is sharing. sharing does not equal criminal activity. 9 times out of 10 if i download something i really like for free i will support the artist, production staff or developers and BUY that particular thing. if that constitutes piracy then ARRRRRRRR!!!!
GetTheNew

No More Heroes 2 just hit torrents – check out our review: http://www.getthenew.com/blogEntry.php?entry=847
GetTheNew

I think we were the first to announce it, go us! Come visit so we can get more readers + writers.
Pingback: Mass Effect 2 Sees Vast Pre-Release Piracy « Komplett Ireland
@95

Obvious bigot is obvious
@89

You pre-ordered the same game twice wow!
Bullzeye

@89

Also, PC games these days come with DRM that acts like spyware (SecuROM).
Sergeant K

@103: As a nearly middle age bachelor I have a bit of extra disposable income and I really want publishers to put more support into PC gaming. Got a friend I’m gonna send the second copy to, he’s a console gamer so I’m gonna force him to play on the PC for a while hehe.

@104: Yes and any game that has too much DRM gets torrented, like Spore. worst DRM at the time, now probably one of the most pirated games ever. These publishers really don’t know what the hell they are doing. Fortunately Mass Effect has none or the nastier DRM.

Every dollar is a vote for more, so I’m gonna be careful what I buy. Just saw Avatar in theater, in 3D. First time since Iron Man I felt like I got my moneys worth (new theater now serves beer).
MATT

got it, love it, thanks demonoid! Only buying if securom and windows live garbage is removed. otherwise no $$ for bioware.
Decorus

I torrented it and I preordered the game its sitting at my house in its box and when I get home I’m going to install it, but sadly unless I torrented it the game is just going to sit on my hard drive all week until I can play again friday night…
Don’t assume the people who torrented it didn’t buy the actual game.

Hell there are people who “stole” copies from the store they worked at so they could play it early.

A few months ago I went to a store to pick up a game I preordered and they couldn’t find it or the 400 other copies they ordered someone literally stole the entire shipment from inside thier store.

How bout all those people who got all the DLC free for xbox360 thanks to the Microsoft screw up?

There is no real evidence to suggest that the number of people who got it off torrent don’t have a legit copy or will go out and buy a legit copy after trying it out.
sexy beast

i think bio ware should have a pay pal account bc id throw them money, but not 60$. that just crazy. or lower the price to like 25 $ for a 2 week span. i would pay that! What happend to game companies having good will?

btw trolls that have posted before and after me dont worry i still love u. even if u act silly at times.
jamie

@7 Jan 25, 2010 at 00:39 by Adam
big deal, copy protection will never work with the pc. it will ALWAYS get hacked. and there will always be leaks. some people just dont have a way to buy a $60 game all the time.
Anon

And guess what, it’s still gonna sell like nuts.

Also

“pianist & keyboardist w/ release on itunes” <<< this guysa trimindis f4g.

Words. They cannot grow big enough to fit the f4gness of him.
Decorus

500,000 copies sold on the first day in the United States alone. at 60+ dollars a pop.. So thats what 300 million dollars in US Sales alone. For a game that cost oh I think 150 million to make. Thats 150 million dollars of net profit…

Yeah Piracy is really hurting thier profit margins….

NOT!!!!
Sergeant K

@ Decorus

my calculator says 30 million, and dev costs haven’t been released yet(I’m betting 30-60 mill), I’m not arguing about your point I don’t think piracy has near the impact these assclowns would like us to think it does, but a misplaced decimal point makes a huge difference. Oh and Sales have reached 2 Mil so far :-D

$120 mil first week? hard to complain about piracy when your raking in money like that.
EffingSad

These comments are fukkin sad. The vast majority of you are morons who have no real idea of what is going on around you; even in the midst of ‘your’ scene.
ffs, torrent if you must, but shut the fuck up.
mushroomboy

first off, I’m not reading all the responses

Seccond… Well there is none, but here’s my real response.

For all who don’t like downloading…. I downloaded MW2, thought it was fun, bought it to play online, now I hate it. I payed for CS and CS:S and you know what? I’d play CS:S over most games I’ve ever seen today. In fact I’m usually playing L4D2 right now, though I still need to buy it. I just downloaded it a week ago to see if I liked it. But really, MS2? Prob not, most single player games I won’t ever pay for. Mainly because it’s an epic fail. Single player is lame anymore, every story line is about the same. I’d really like it if they had multi, as it has great visuals. But whatever, to whoever think they need to pay… Suck it. I remember the scene before faggots like you knew about BT, and it should have stayed that way.
Pingback: Graphic Nature: Mass Effect 2 – We Are Movie Geeks | .:: MrCoi Blog ::.
Aceofspades

I downloaded this game then bought it. I’m tired of companies saying every download is a lost sale.
Pingback: Mass Effect 2: Biggest game of 2010? – Tech Jackal | .:: MrCoi Blog ::.

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