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[Rahul]

EDGE online makes note of an inquirer article commenting on how it seems HL2's offline mode is still requiring an online connection and that none of this HL2-Steam enforced connection is obvious from the packacing:

"More interesting, perhaps, are the legal agreements that surround a purchase of Half-Life 2. One is that no mention of Steam is on the HL2 box or in the End User License Agreement, yet it is required to play."

Also:

The German Consumer Association has recently found that the packaging on Half-Life 2 is misleading. In a report made following complaints from the public, they said that the mere listing of an internet connection under the 'other' category in system requirements did not accurately describe the true extent of the internet tie-in with the game, and ordered Vivendi to amend the packaging and untie Steam from HL2 or face a hefty fine.

Finally, the author concludes with some inspiring hate:

"So what's the best course of action? Well, as always, it's to get people with lots of money to go after Valve. The Germans have already done it. If you're really annoyed at Valve for the whole situation, organise some mates and complain to your country's consumer association to get something done. You'll find they're surprisingly receptive to things like this."

 

[Ferrio]

Don't mention the war!

 

[ToxicAdam]

Valve will send over David Hasselhoff to smooth things over ... its going to be a-ok!

 

[Blackace]

Don't mention the war!

been a long time since Ferrio has made me laugh out loud

 

[Scrow]

:lol

There goes all Valve's money to develop HL3...

 

[Guns N' Poops]

Valve will send over David Hasselhoff to smooth things over ... its going to be a-ok!

:lol

 

[RevenantKioku]

Don't mention the war!

"You started it!"
"You were the ones who invaded Poland!"

 

[ManaByte]

Doesn't the box say "Internet Connection Required"?

 

[Brofist]

:lol at the predictable responses. Not that I even knew Hasselhof would make an apperence, but I mean at the people lining up to side with Valve.

 

[Nerevar]

:lol at the predictable responses. Not that I even knew Hasselhof would make an apperence, but I mean at the people lining up to side with Valve.

why? It's another stupid lawsuit, albeit this one is in Germany instead of America. It lists an internet connection as required to play the game. This is just more bitching about Steam from people. Yeah, it was annoying that the servers went down and it was hard for people to play the game on day 1 the moment they bought it. Boo-fucking-hoo.

 

[Blimblim]

why? It's another stupid lawsuit, albeit this one is in Germany instead of America. It lists an internet connection as required to play the game. This is just more bitching about Steam from people. Yeah, it was annoying that the servers went down and it was hard for people to play the game on day 1 the moment they bought it. Boo-fucking-hoo.

Well, if the fact that an internet connection is required to play the game was only listed in the small requirements on the box, then I'd say let them sue.
Who actually reads the requirements ? Back when I still bought PC games, I sure didn't.
I know that HL2 in France had a big sticker about the internet requirement. If it was not the case and lots of people got stuck with unplayable games because of this, then I guess they have every rights to sue.

 

[Deg]

Well it doesnt have to be an all or nothing situation.

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

EULA =/= Box

 

[maskrider]

Just a single line at the bottom of the box on my package, but I knew that before buying the game. Heh !

And I certainly don't like the way it needs an Internet connection to play a single player game, sometimes I regret to play only genuine copy of games.

 

[Nerevar]

Who actually reads the requirements ? Back when I still bought PC games, I sure didn't.

So it's ok for you to sue a company because of your own ignorance? There's a reason that there's a listing for minimum requirements. What if I owned a 486 processor, is it ok for me to sue Valve because I can't play their game because "it doesn't meet the minimum requirements, and nobody reads those anyway?" It's not Valve's fault or Vivendi's fault that the consumer was too stupid to look at the minimum requirements and realize that their current PC doesn't meet them.

EULA =/= Box

While I agree, the article makes specific mention of the "packaging" of the game in relation to Steam, which I presume to mean the box alone.

 

[Malakhov]

Blood is also illegal in games in Germany so...

 

[ram]

Valve will send over David Hasselhoff to smooth things over ... its going to be a-ok!

...i am looking for freedom.....i am looking for love....

yeah >:O

 

[segasonic]

Blood is also illegal in games in Germany so...

I heard sex is illegal in the US. How do you guys proliferate?

 

[Guns N' Poops]

...i am looking for freedom.....i am looking for love....

yeah >:O

Nah nah, you are german, you should know the lyrics :O.
It's "I've been looking..."

 

[D-Back]

Germans also thought....


Ah nevermind , its too easy

 

[Malakhov]

I heard sex is illegal in the US. How do you guys proliferate?

Games featuring blood or gore that is believably human are illegal in Germany.

The censored german version of HL1 contained robots instead of humans, no blood at all and civilians were immortal...