Bioshock 2 DRM: As Pointless As Ever

Well, the less-anticipated news of system specs and DRM on Irrational’s most-wanted sequel Bioshock 2 has been released, and hoo boy, it ain’t pretty. This might be a sale-killer if you’re on a dial-up or a shaky connection, guys, because Bioshock 2’s DRM is going to kick the crap out of your connection. Again.

The system specs themselves aren’t too worrying - pretty standard in this day and age.

System Requirements:

Minimum:

# OS: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7
# Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz or better, Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0Ghz Processor or better
# Memory: 2GB
# Graphics: NVIDIA 7800GT 256MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon X1900 256MB graphics card or better
# DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
# Hard Drive: 11GB
# Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0C compliant sound card or onboard sound

Recommended:

# Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core 2.60Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Dual Core 2.13Ghz
# Memory: 3GB
# Graphics: NVIDIA 8800GT 512MB graphics card or better, ATI Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card or better

The main scare is in the DRM (the Digital Rights Management) or to put it another way the stuff that’s bundled with the game that’s forcibly installed and will kick your ass if you’re pirating it. Only it won’t do that, because code monkeys will crack it within the week. But that’s besides the point. Let’s see what we’ve got.

Other Requirements & DRM:

# Initial installation requires one-time internet connection; Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE; software installations required including Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

Additionally, Bioshock 2 will require a 15-machine install limit.

What the hell? Bioshock 1 caused a huge stir with its own DRM, which was considered so restrictive that 2K games eventually just removed half of it. Now they’re going beyond the impossible and making it worse. And I thought having to jump through 9 windows to play the single-player game I already bought was a problem exclusive to Rockstar’s GTA4!

No, this looks like a trend. Why do I need Games for Windows Live on Bioshock? Why do I need to be on Games for Windows Live to save the singleplayer game that I bought? And - similar to GTA4 - why do I need to be on GFW Live if I’m already using Steam? (Actually, I know the answer to that question - multiplayer.) If I’ve got that right, then Steam users are going to need to wait for Steam to update, undergo SecuROM activation and install limits, then log into GFW Live once Bioshock 2 has actually started.

And the great thing is that half of it pointless. The people who want to steal Bioshock 2 are going to steal Bioshock 2 anyway. You can’t stop ‘em; it’s a fact of life. So who then is this DRM aimed at, exactly? I’m not sure, but I know who’s going to be inconvenienced by it. Gamers.