HalfLife 2

[Bob the Insane]

Hello,

I saw HL2 in shop yesterday for about $60. There was a warning by the shop that this game could not be returned no matter what (I can grasp this). But this was the reasoning: HL2 requires activation and once activated on a PC it could never be activated on another. Is this discouraging buy, copy, install, refund clients or is it really that strict? It's sad if it were the latter. I purchase HL2, decide for myself it's a great game but that my system needs a serious upgrade to play it how I want, or better I need a complete new system. I won't be able to play this game then. Quite discouraging.

Repeated online checking for legality to play a SP game is not nice either.

Who can enlighten me here?

Don't know about the USA but in the UK standard consummer rights apply and if the produce is faulty (i.e. disk is scrached or broke) or not fit for purpose then they have to take it back...

It is not really any different to the MMORPGs out there, think Planetside or EverQuest...

Repeated online checking for legality to play a SP game is not nice either.

In particular for this point, Half-Life to is only activated when installed, it does not have to be activated again unless you uninstall and reinstall it (I think)... If you are not uninstalling you definately only have to active it the once...