Halo 2 is out. Seriously.

[dunchy]

And my friend is playing it at his house right now. Anyhow, take a look at this:

Halo 2 Has Leaked, Post Spoilers Here!
The game has leaked to many a torrent site. Spoil the **** out of the game here.

Here's an article on the reaction from Microsoft.

"Microsoft slams Halo 2 leak
by Tom Bramwell
Halo 2, Microsoft's most prized Xbox asset and its biggest hope for success this Christmas, has been leaked onto the Internet just days after developer Bungie officially completed work on the game and announced that it had shipped it off to manufacturing, and nearly a month prior to its official US release date, November 9th.

The highly anticipated first-person shooter has appeared on various newsgroups and websites already, and its proliferation amongst the underworld of Xbox gamers downloading illegal software is likely to be swift and damaging.

Earlier today a number of websites using the popular BitTorrent file distribution format indicated that hundreds of users were downloading the game, which reportedly clocks in at just under three gigabytes in size. Early reports suggest that it's a PAL version of the game with French language dialogue and English subtitles.

Reacting to the news this morning, Microsoft slammed those responsible and described downloaders and people hosting the file as thieves, encouraging real fans with any information to come forward and help it track down the source of the leak. The company's statement follows in full:

"Microsoft has learned that a version of Halo 2 has been posted to various newsgroups and web sites. We consider downloading this code or making it available for others to download as theft. We are currently investigating the source of this leak with the appropriate authorities. Pending the result of our investigation, we do not have further comment. Microsoft takes the integrity of its intellectual property extremely seriously, and we are aggressively pursuing the source of this illegal act.

"The launch of Halo 2 worldwide remains unaffected."

The good news for Microsoft is that only Xbox owners with modified consoles - a relatively small percentage of the total number of Xbox owners - will be able to play the game at all, and that the key Xbox Live component and the functionality it offers will be unavailable to pirates.
There is also a sense, given the popularity of the Halo franchise and the reverence most Xbox owners offer it, that a lot of the people downloading it this week and in the future will be rather more likely to buy it afterward than they would be with other games.

And even if that weren't true, the publisher would still be able to extract some small consolation from the fact that piracy is unlikely to deny Halo 2 a successful launch. As Doom III proved earlier this year, pre-release piracy isn't enough to stop a highly anticipated game hitting the peak of the charts.
It is nonetheless a source of some embarrassment for Microsoft, particularly with nearly a whole month to go before the game makes it onto high street store shelves, and it'll be interesting to see how the company deals with those responsible when it inevitably unmasks them."

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=56931

Thoughts?

[Spartan-II]

BASTARDS... I agree with microsoft. Thievery it is!! I think that the people who leaked it should get the death penalty. I also discourage anyone from getting it. (illegal version)

[Battlecruiser]

Any true Halo fan wouldn't play it. Even if Halo 2 was in front of me, I wouldn't play it if it's illegal. I mean, I'd rather just wait till November 9th, and play it then. That way if your playing with a friend, when something surpirisng happens, both of you will be surprised, and it will be so fun. But if you already know what's going to happen, then when you play Halo 2 with your friend, it won't be right. Also, all the game developers and everyone have been working their hearts out, and november 9th may be one of the most memorable days of their lives. Now, that it is leaked, it just would leave a bad feeling. I already have it, and I am not even a developer.
Well, that's my opinion, so don't flame me.

Oh yeah, and the guy who leaked it should be arrested, and put in jail for a long time.

[Spartan-II]

Any true Halo fan wouldn't play it. Even if Halo 2 was in front of me, I wouldn't play it if it's illegal. I mean, I'd rather just wait till November 9th, and play it then. That way if your playing with a friend, when something surpirisng happens, both of you will be surprised, and it will be so fun. But if you already know what's going to happen, then when you play Halo 2 with your friend, it won't be right.
Well, that's my opinion, so don't flame me.I am in total agreement.

[TheGreatBrain]

That bites the big one, but it's not like they arn't still going to sell a million billion copies.

[ZeroDarkStar]

Frankly, I've been tracking this all day, and my conclusion is clear: I will never take part in this, and the demented men and women who put this out WILL be tracked down and persecuted. Microsoft isn't going to let a leaked copy of their biggest game EVER slip by.

[Markpyro]

I would be seriously tempted, i have to admit, but i would report anyone who got halo 2. If it was sitting right in front of me, i would save it untill Nov. 9 and play it with the rest of the world.

[Battlecruiser]

Frankly, I've been tracking this all day, and my conclusion is clear: I will never take part in this, and the demented men and women who put this out WILL be tracked down and persecuted. Microsoft isn't going to let a leaked copy of their biggest game EVER slip by.
Yeah, I agree 100%. You have to have no dignity left in you to do such a thing. And even if you don't, why not just wait about 3 weeks? If you can't, that means you have no patience AND no dignity, which I have to say is pretty sad.

[Sheep_Have_Wool]

Frankly, I've been tracking this all day, and my conclusion is clear: I will never take part in this, and the demented men and women who put this out WILL be tracked down and persecuted. Microsoft isn't going to let a leaked copy of their biggest game EVER slip by.
How would you suggest they stop it? If they can't protect their OS, which requires activation, how can they prevent piracy of a game? Almost all games that come out are out for download - usually before release in the case of a very popular game. This isn't unexpected. It happened with Doom 3, now with Halo 2, and it will again with Half-Life 2. It's bad, but it's an expected part of the business.

[Forerunner]

Wow, that's just wrong. How could someone actually do that?! Dang. I hope Microsoft goes Skynet on their asses.

[Dark_Viper]

yea i saw this on The Screen Savers last night.... even though its the french version.. that still sucks

[Moser]

All I have to say about this is: Bastards.

[ZeroDarkStar]

How would you suggest they stop it? If they can't protect their OS, which requires activation, how can they prevent piracy of a game? Almost all games that come out are out for download - usually before release in the case of a very popular game. This isn't unexpected. It happened with Doom 3, now with Halo 2, and it will again with Half-Life 2. It's bad, but it's an expected part of the business.

Help of fans, obviously. Fans see a link, they tell Microsoft, they reverse-engineer, starting by WHOISing the domain owner, and move on from there.

[hammocksleeper]

I think it's awesome. A free game to play almost month before anyone else gets it? Think how good you will be, and how much of a head start you will have, once your friends start playing it when it is officially released. I'm sure the developers are pissed, though.

[Forerunner]

I think it's awesome. A free game to play almost month before anyone else gets it? Think how good you will be, and how much of a head start you will have, once your friends start playing it when it is officially released. I'm sure the developers are pissed, though.
Getting a head start is not the issue here. That's just sick.

[dunchy]

Help of fans, obviously. Fans see a link, they tell Microsoft, they reverse-engineer, starting by WHOISing the domain owner, and move on from there.

Next to impossible with all the underground FTP sites that are private, after operation Buckaneer and the other recent operation by the FBI, private sites are extremely private to get into, only existing members can have access. In other words, nobody can get in.

Halo 2 is a fun game, it's harsh when Earth gets blown up though :( The focus of this, I've allready bought halo 2, pre-ordered and all. Doesn't bother me that much because I've paid in full for the game.

Any true Halo fan wouldn't play it

I would tend to disagree, but I would say a valient Halo fan wouldn't play it. Hardcore fans play anything to do with the game.

I was just upset as you guys are when HL coding got released to the public, but after some vent time i realized it didn't matter in the end. Valve got butt raped, and who's fault was it that their security was not tight enough? That's right, Valve's. Nothing, I repeat, Nothing is sacred on the Internet. For the record though before some kid tries to report me to the authorities, I did not download HL2 onto the computer then network it to the X-box. I shall take the other side of the fence in this debate for some fun, we need spice in this forum!!! :D


And Earth is destroyed in Halo 2.






























Just kidding, did I get ya? :D

[Carnage]

YOU DAMN TEASE!!! ;_;

[Sheep_Have_Wool]

Help of fans, obviously. Fans see a link, they tell Microsoft, they reverse-engineer, starting by WHOISing the domain owner, and move on from there.Most pirating doesn't go on via FTP anymore anyway - it's all done via peer to peer networks, bittorrent, and IRC. It's possible to crack down on the first two, but IRC is pretty much impossible. Even if MS DID find someone who was serving Halo 2, it's probably on someone's box who is being used as a zombie by someone else. If it was so simple to catch people who commit crimes online, we'd have a spam, spyware, virus, and pirate free Internet. As we don't, I'd be inclined to believe it wasn't *quite* so easy.

[Battlecruiser]

I would tend to disagree, but I would say a valient Halo fan wouldn't play it. Hardcore fans play anything to do with the game.
That's what I meant by a true fan.

[LordAhriman]

Funny how when HL2 is pirated, everyone insults Valve. Not so here.

[Seal]

i cant understand the zealotry around this thing.
first, you do not need to care about it. if you want to wait till the retail, then do so.
the leak isn't affecting you any way, unless some lamers spoil the key elements of the story.
only the expirienced XBox users can use Halo 2 now (say, ones with modchip), let them have it, if they want. again, it is not affecting the rest.

[Forerunner]

And Earth is destroyed in Halo 2.

Just kidding, did I get ya? :D

Hey, I'd believe it. The Spartans OWN on the ground, but every small win on the ground is usually followed by a huge loss in space because the Covenant's tech is just SO much better than ours! I mean, it would be routine for the Covenant to Ice the planet, they just haven't known where it is until now...

[Cross_Fire]

but every small win on the ground is usually followed by a huge loss in space...
You stole that line from "First Strike. ;)

Anyway, my dad actually found a website that had the pirated version. He told me he could get it, but I told him that it was wrong. And yet, he still is getting it... (but that dont mean that I wont get the real version when it comes out.)

[Sheep_Have_Wool]

Funny how when HL2 is pirated, everyone insults Valve.
This is because the code leak came from Gabe Newell, the marketing guy over there, and never should have happened. He was apparently using an unsecured Windows 98 machine for some of his marketing work, and happened to have a build of Source on his machine. Yes, this is the same Gabe Newell who just had his account on a popular HL2 fansite hacked. His super-secret password? gaben. Apparently the guy who guessed it said it only took him 3 tries, and then posted a "HL 2 has gone gold!" note.

As for Bungie/MS, this "leak" came after the game went gold, and moved into 3rd party hands. This happens with every game, as it moves around to reviewers, distributers, ratings boards, etc. Someone burns a copy for a friend, and things spread from there - it's not really anything that MS or Bungie could control.

[dunchy]

Most pirating doesn't go on via FTP anymore anyway - it's all done via peer to peer networks, bittorrent, and IRC. It's possible to crack down on the first two, but IRC is pretty much impossible. Even if MS DID find someone who was serving Halo 2, it's probably on someone's box who is being used as a zombie by someone else. If it was so simple to catch people who commit crimes online, we'd have a spam, spyware, virus, and pirate free Internet. As we don't, I'd be inclined to believe it wasn't *quite* so easy.

Pretty much you got it. Couple of side points though:

Mass transfers are generally done through the p2p programs, Warez, Kazaa, Morphius, Napster, ect. It's easy to work, most can be found.

You then have the little (very little) bit harder to use torrent sites, which I guess could be counted as P2P, just another avenue.

Then there's FTP. The big rings still use this, and it's these big fishes the governments want taken down. It's very small, but when 400GB is the starting size at one of these sites, and much, MUCH, MUCH more for the big ones (anyone remember the Drink or Die group, look at how much GB was used one their server) and that's where the government likes to strike.

This is because the code leak came from Gabe Newell, the marketing guy over there, and never should have happened. He was apparently using an unsecured Windows 98 machine for some of his marketing work, and happened to have a build of Source on his machine. Yes, this is the same Gabe Newell who just had his account on a popular HL2 fansite hacked. His super-secret password? gaben. Apparently the guy who guessed it said it only took him 3 tries, and then posted a "HL 2 has gone gold!" note.

As for Bungie/MS, this "leak" came after the game went gold, and moved into 3rd party hands. This happens with every game, as it moves around to reviewers, distributers, ratings boards, etc. Someone burns a copy for a friend, and things spread from there - it's not really anything that MS or Bungie could control.

This lamb is on the ball! I couldn't have said it better than that :)

[Battlecruiser]

This is because the code leak came from Gabe Newell, the marketing guy over there, and never should have happened. He was apparently using an unsecured Windows 98 machine for some of his marketing work, and happened to have a build of Source on his machine. Yes, this is the same Gabe Newell who just had his account on a popular HL2 fansite hacked. His super-secret password? gaben. Apparently the guy who guessed it said it only took him 3 tries, and then posted a "HL 2 has gone gold!" note.

As for Bungie/MS, this "leak" came after the game went gold, and moved into 3rd party hands. This happens with every game, as it moves around to reviewers, distributers, ratings boards, etc. Someone burns a copy for a friend, and things spread from there - it's not really anything that MS or Bungie could control.
Hmmm... nice information.

[Nozomu]

Funny how when HL2 is pirated, everyone insults Valve. Not so here.
The difference is that with Half-life 2 the source code was stolen. This means that any mildly proficient hacker could use it to create all manner of game-breaking hacks and exploits. If it's just the game and not the source then it shouldn't affect its playability.

[CODEZERO]

5 more days........eager must buy

[hammocksleeper]

Oops delete me. Or ignore me. :)

[Forerunner]

I Can't Wait Anymore!!! Halo 2 Where Are You!!!!!! Only A Few More Days!

[KillJoY]

Hey, Halo 2 really is out, seriously.

[Sikawtic]

Hey, Halo 2 really is out, seriously.... xD

[Forerunner]

... xD
I agree: XD