Halo 2 available on Internet

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:37 am

If you're a big-time pirate, a French-dialogue copy of Halo 2 was leaked this week and is available now on the Internet. In fact, I saw a link to the torrent on the home page of suprnova.org this morning.

Warning: Gamespot.com is reporting that anyone who is caught downloading this is subject to a $100,000 fine.

And no, no, no: I didn't download it and am not downloading it. I don't download software. I use P2P for audio delights and a few episodes of TV shows, only.

Plus I pre-ordered a legit copy of Halo 2 ...

Take care,
PK

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:47 am

I also refuse to DL software. IMO, you are gutless if you DL it. With that being said, I can't wait for my legit copy of Halo 2 to arrive Nov 9th. I have feeling that the online battles are gonna be epic. Looks like great fun. I haven't played CTF since the TFC mod of Half Life.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:56 am

That's funny that you bring this up because I just realized that they had X-Box games on the suprnova site. How the heck to you use those anyway? Do you just download them and burn them to a DVD or do you need a modified drive in your X-Box? I am not planning on doing it (seriously), I am really just curious if it is that easy to pirate games.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 10:00 am

Spooky wrote:That's funny that you bring this up because I just realized that they had X-Box games on the suprnova site. How the heck to you use those anyway? Do you just download them and burn them to a DVD or do you need a modified drive in your X-Box? I am not planning on doing it (seriously), I am really just curious if it is that easy to pirate games.

No clue. I've never done it. I'm almost sure you need a modded console, though.

Parker downloads and burns backups of games of which he supposedly owns the retail version, which by the way makes zero sense to me. Maybe he can shed some light on it.

Out,
PK

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 10:50 am

Spooky wrote:That's funny that you bring this up because I just realized that they had X-Box games on the suprnova site. How the heck to you use those anyway? Do you just download them and burn them to a DVD or do you need a modified drive in your X-Box? I am not planning on doing it (seriously), I am really just curious if it is that easy to pirate games.

You can burn them to a DVD or network your XBox to your computer and copy them to the hard drive. Most people with mods also buy a larger hard drive so they can fit more games on it.

And obviously I don't have a mod, or I'd post more often on games (the only games I've gotten in the last year are NFL and NHL 2K5). Halo 2 will probably be my next purchase.

tsunami · Post by **tsunami** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:03 am

-Double post-

tsunami · Post by **tsunami** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:04 am

pk500 wrote:
No clue. I've never done it. I'm almost sure you need a modded console, though.

Parker downloads and burns backups of games of which he supposedly owns the retail version, which by the way makes zero sense to me. Maybe he can shed some light on it.

Out,
PK

Yes, you do need a modded console. And there is no way that Parker owns all of the retail versions of the games he talks about, especially since he mentions alot of European releases and Japanese games(most which aren't even released to retail yet). I am aware of the "scene" and coincidently, he talks about getting games that have just been released on the Internet.

But, you'll probably have to wait until his self imposed "business trip" is over to get clarification from him.

Or, until the blod stop pouring from his eyeballs so that he can see the screen and type something.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:18 pm

Does anyone really think for those who didn't pre-order, that it'll be difficult to find on release day? This is the most anticipated XBox game ever. One would think there's going to be a massive amount of copies available just about everywhere (Best Buy, Circuit City, GameStop, EB Games, Wal-Mart, etc.).

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:22 pm

Dan:

Well, Microsoft could pull a "Sony" and create artificial shortages around the release time to build demand, which spawns more press coverage and buzz.

Sony did the same thing with the PS2 at its launch. It had to know this would be the hottest-selling console ever, yet it didn't produce nearly enough to go around for the first couple of months. I still believe to this day that Sony did it on purpose to generate buzz about the PS2 and gaming in the mainstream press.

It worked. Gaming started to go mainstream with the PS2.

A pre-order is $5. So if you're concerned about shortages, just drop an Abe Lincoln on the counter at your local EB the next time you cruise by. That's what I did -- figured it couldn't hurt.

Take care,
PK

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:12 pm

Waiting for our friendly neighborhood pirate Parker to give us those impressions.

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:40 pm

"Yes, you do need a modded console. And there is no way that Parker owns all of the retail versions of the games he talks about, especially since he mentions alot of European releases and Japanese games(most which aren't even released to retail yet). I am aware of the "scene" and coincidently, he talks about getting games that have just been released on the Internet.

But, you'll probably have to wait until his self imposed "business trip" is over to get clarification from him.

Or, until the blod stop pouring from his eyeballs so that he can see the screen and type something."

None of the betas or retail games from Europe and Japan I talk about I have downloaded. Either I have imported them myself or I have taken advantage of the media connections I have.

As far as Halo 2, I could have an English beta they will be sending out to mags in about 2 weeks. I don't know anyone in France and since I don't download full games off the net, I can't help you yet. But I'm not much of an FPS fan anyway.

"Warning: Gamespot.com is reporting that anyone who is caught downloading this is subject to a $100,000 fine."

Gamespot is clueless as usual. Microsoft could file a civil suit against downloaders for whatever fine they want, but as far as copyright laws, that depends on what country the person is from largely. And usually even in these cases, there is a dramatic difference in the fines and/or jail sentences, on a case-by-case basis.

GROGtheNailer · Post by **GROGtheNailer** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:42 pm

Like I mentioned in a post a while back, I d/load pc games, try them. If they work fine on my cpu and I like the game then I will buy it. Xbox games I dont bother, I can always rent to try plus the consoles are all the same configuration so I need not worry about that.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:47 pm

Puts on magic Parker secret decoder ring...

Replace "media connections" with "P2P and usenet buddies"

Replace "I don't download full games off the net" with "I can get away with saying this load of BS because downloads do no come with instructions, therefore it is not a full game"

Replace "But I'm not much of an FPS fan anyway" with "damnit the link to the Halo 2 demos were already dead"

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:49 pm

Like I mentioned in a post a while back, I d/load pc games, try them.

I do the same.

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:57 pm

bdoughty wrote:Puts on magic Parker secret decoder ring...

Replace "media connections" with "P2P and usenet buddies"

Replace "I don't download full games off the net" with "I can get away with saying this load of BS because downloads do no come with instructions, therefore it is not a full game"

Replace "But I'm not much of an FPS fan anyway" with "damnit the link to the Halo 2 demos were already dead"

And replace that with "I don't give a rat's ass what you believe".

If I wanted to, I could download the french beta in a few hours. There are plenty of working links.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 4:02 pm

The advantages of downloading, aside from not paying for them, is that you can run them from the hard drive.

Even the PS2 had a program which would let you rip games to a hard drive, from which they would load faster. No disc errors.

But these games running off the hard drive won't work for online games because they probably check for a disc ID of some kind.

As for possible shortages, there is no excuse for software shortages. None whatsoever. It costs pennies to press extra discs. By contrast, hardware production and inventory management is a great deal more difficult.

That is why Microsoft's profit margins are way bigger than Intel's profit margins, even though they each have huge market shares.

NovaStar · Post by **NovaStar** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:02 pm

How do you guys thing Halo 2 will play in single player mode? It seems that the online mode is what everyone is excited about, well, I don't have xbox live. I pre-ordered the game but if the single player version is not going to be as good as the online version should I bother?

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:57 pm

NovaStar wrote:How do you guys thing Halo 2 will play in single player mode? It seems that the online mode is what everyone is excited about, well, I don't have xbox live. I pre-ordered the game but if the single player version is not going to be as good as the online version should I bother?

I think Halo was the second-best game released on the XBox (after KOTOR). I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that the sequel will rock.

The last part of 2004 will be an FPS orgy. Call of Duty expansion pack (which is fantastic), Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and Metroid Prime 2. So much FPS action I'm going to keep a spoon handy just in case I go into a seizure.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:29 pm

NovaStar wrote:How do you guys thing Halo 2 will play in single player mode? It seems that the online mode is what everyone is excited about, well, I don't have xbox live. I pre-ordered the game but if the single player version is not going to be as good as the online version should I bother?

Nova:

Halo was single player only, and it was fantastic. So unless Bungie pulls a Ubi Soft and ignores single player to blow its load on online play like Ubi Soft did with Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, I think single player will kick ass in Halo 2.

Take care,
PK

NovaStar · Post by **NovaStar** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 9:12 am

What's up PK, it has been a minute. Yeah, I will have to fly blind on this one since the game is going to sell like hotcakes upon release. So, if the single player mode has suffered, I guess I will return it, but I am definitely going to buy it.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 11:27 am

And replace that with "I don't give a rat's ass what you believe".

If I wanted to, I could download the french beta in a few hours. There are plenty of working links.

Certainly true. I view the whole situation as a rental although to some people that isn't "ethical". I've already bought the game myself plus I plan to play it on Xbox Live. I consider this to be like an unofficial demo although I know some people will end up not buying the game. I was as eager to try it as most people were but they'll still get my money.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 11:33 am

well.....how is it?

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Fri Oct 15, 2004 11:47 am

Sudz wrote:well.....how is it?

Well without spoiling anything for anybody who wants a virgin experience my initial thoughts were that if you liked the first you'll like this one. More of an evolution instead of a revolution which could be viewed as good thing or a bad thing depending on how much you liked the originial. Staying purposefully vague so as not to piss anybody off or get Jared in trouble.

Still very early in and since it's in French obviously, I don't know what the hell is going on. I just have to go look in my objectives constantly.

I'm definitely going to buy it just for Xbox Live alone.