Crysis & Warhead - CDs or Steam/Driect2drive?

N

nanobeast

Limp Gawd
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Sep 21, 2007
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I am looking to buy the Original Crysis and Crysis Warhead (either new or used).

Is it better to buy CDs or from online place like Steam?

What would be my best option?

Thanks
 
There's not really much difference. I'm not sure about where you live, but here in Australia you can get the retail DVDs cheaper than you can get it on steam, so I'd buy that. But if you like the convenience of Steam, get it on that. As far as I'm aware there's no difference between the two versions. The Steam version of Warhead has an activation limit of 5 (from memory), so you aren't dodging the DRM by getting it on Steam anyway.
 
I'd rather buy the disc version because once your done, you can sell it. If you buy Steam or D2D you're forever locked into owning it. I think Warhead just uses a regular key that doesn't lock to any account. The truth of the matter is though that for the past couple of years, PC games are not shipping with just disc checks anymore. You have to input the CD key into your account or jump through some other hoops that console gaming doesn't.
 
bigdogchris said:
I'd rather buy the disc version because once your done, you can sell it. If you buy Steam or D2D you're forever locked into owning it. I think Warhead just uses a regular key that doesn't lock to any account. The truth of the matter is though that for the past couple of years, PC games are not shipping with just disc checks anymore. You have to input the CD key into your account or jump through some other hoops that console gaming doesn't.
Click to expand...

Yeah I dont believe Warhead links the CD key to your EA account, but it does still have limited activations so I'm not sure if people/retailers would want to buy it 2nd hand. Also you can buy the brand new retail copy of the game dirt cheap anyway, so I dunno if anyone would bother buying it 2nd hand.
 
I just got both of mine on sale through Steam dirt cheap.

Hope you have fun not being able to defeat the final boss in Crysis...:rolleyes:
 
Crysis 1 uses a CD-Check. Crysis Warhead has Securom activation with 5 activations. To revoke one, you need to download a revoke tool from EA's website. I found that when I had changed motherboards on my PC two years ago, I had lost an activation when playing the game again due to it thinking it was on another PC. What a pain that you have to revoke it yourself. With some games like GTA4, it automatically removes an activation when you uninstall the game, but Warhead doesn't. :mad:
 
nerdydesi said:
Crysis 1 uses a CD-Check. Crysis Warhead has Securom activation with 5 activations. To revoke one, you need to download a revoke tool from EA's website. I found that when I had changed motherboards on my PC two years ago, I had lost an activation when playing the game again due to it thinking it was on another PC. What a pain that you have to revoke it yourself. With some games like GTA4, it automatically removes an activation when you uninstall the game, but Warhead doesn't. :mad:
Click to expand...
Wow this is the reason why I was having so much trouble trying to install the disc version. So I gave up and bought the STEAM version which I think may have been a mistake because now I can not use the CRYSIS benchmark tool.. :mad:
 
bigdogchris said:
I'd rather buy the disc version because once your done, you can sell it. If you buy Steam or D2D you're forever locked into owning it. I think Warhead just uses a regular key that doesn't lock to any account. The truth of the matter is though that for the past couple of years, PC games are not shipping with just disc checks anymore. You have to input the CD key into your account or jump through some other hoops that console gaming doesn't.
Click to expand...

When Steam sells the Crysis pack for like $6 each during sales, it's just not worth it for me to look for and buy the disc versions (plus shipping) just to have the privilege of selling.

And I can download the games to any computers I want to use.
 
nerdydesi said:
Crysis 1 uses a CD-Check. Crysis Warhead has Securom activation with 5 activations. To revoke one, you need to download a revoke tool from EA's website. I found that when I had changed motherboards on my PC two years ago, I had lost an activation when playing the game again due to it thinking it was on another PC. What a pain that you have to revoke it yourself. With some games like GTA4, it automatically removes an activation when you uninstall the game, but Warhead doesn't. :mad:
Click to expand...

Games with activations that you can supposedly get back through uninstalling/revoke tools are shit. Do these publishers seriously expect me to remember which of my hundred or so games have activation limits and how to revoke them every time I change hardware or reformat my PC?

I ran out of Warhead activations a few months back simply from changing my hardware a few times since I bought it and reformatting a couple of times (going from XP to Windows 7 beta, then 7 beta to 7 full, when my seagate drive died and i changed to a WD black, then changing to an SSD, that's 4 activations gone already).

The only activation limit I dont mind and think is completely reasonable is what Live for Speed uses. You start with 2 or 3 activations (dont remember exactly), then each month you gain 1 activation up to a maximum of 2. So if you have 2 activations in the bag, you'll always have 2 activations, but if you use 1 and drop to 1 activation, in a month's time you'll get another one back.

Its not totally fool proof in case you have more than 2 hardware issues in a month, but you can always contact them and get them back if you need, but there's no issues where a year or two down the track when you've totally forgotten about the game then come to install it, you'll always have an activation or 2 up the sleeve.

But yeah, I digress. It really doesn't matter which version you get of Crysis, digital or retail. If you want it in your steam list, just buy it on steam. Though you may be able to find the retail copy cheaper.
 
i got both games for around $3.75 each from steam (during sales). You can wait around for these, but I am not sure how far steam games can be modded. If you plan to mod, be on the safe-side and pick-up the CD
 
I dont know about the crysis games, but im pretty sure the quake games (and honestly, i believe its on all the games on steam) allow the same modding whether retail or steam. Ive installed for quake1, dark places, the 1gb rygels textures, cd music, skins, and some other stuff. Same thing for quake 2, i installed all the mods/addons/skins (making it 2gbs) that i use to play with in q2 retail. The only issue i know of in regards to this, is with patch releases for quake 3. Somebody on steam's forum asked about downgrading to a lower patch instead of 1.32, and from the community that did sound like a no.
My opinion is wait for it to go on sale on steam. You cant beat discless! I really like steam and think its a good thing. Sadly i do end up buying most of my pc games i have on disc, but now i dont have to worry about scratching my ID Anthology box set!
 
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