(Ive mentioned these points in other threads but thought they also deserved to be mentioned here)
If I was given a choice between a game with Starforce protection or a game with an Online Activation (like HL2) I would honestly prefer the online activation!
Starforce messes with your system and can cause hassles with other programs the whole time! And does their Starforce Clean really fix those hassles? Starforce doesnt tell you its installing!
Online Activation however is only a hassle for a short time, thats during the actual activation (except for dialup users, the hassle could be a longer one). Online activation tells you what is happening, it is not hidden from you! Once the game is activated you dont have anymore 'hidden' hassles. Like with HL2, once the game has earnt its profits they can release a patch so you dont need the disc to play, they can possibly even release a patch to stop the online activation?
But even if a starforce game has earnt its profits, and they release a patch for you to be able to play without the disc, would you really be free of the problems starforce has already created for your system?
I really dont like the Online Activation, it is a hassle but nowhere near the hassle of Starforce!
Since I for one had major problems with the Starforce Protection, I always create a ghost image before installing a new game. Luckily I had ghost images from before my system ever came in contact with a Starforce game! After installing a starforce game i found a lot of my other games would not even autoplay, my drives where reading the disc names even after the disc had been ejected, I had programs no longer working properly, I had CD's/DVD's which would not eject, I had all sorts of problems!! I never had any of these problems before I installed Starfoce and even after using 'Starforce Clean' these problems were still there!
But as soon as I ghosted back to before Starforce all my problems magically disappeared!
Regardless of how much any future games gets hyped up I will not be installing them if they have the Starforce virus!
