‘Indy 4’ Drops Thursday

Early reviews for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which opens Thursday, are leaking in and they’re a mixed bag. Critics say things seem a bit forced and restless. Plus there are … spoiler alert … aliens.

Yeah — times like this, certain bromides pop into the brain, like, “you can’t take it with you,” or, “let sleeping dogs lie.”

Oh well. Either way, we’ll be here Wednesday at midnight to watch geriatrics swing from trees!

Here’s a trailer:

BioWare Drops DRM (Kind Of)

It seems the people have spoken, and somebody listened.

In an update to the “Mass Effect” DRM saga we’ve been watching, BioWare (EA) has pulled a 180, saying they will not ship the game with SecuROM software which would have required users to “authenticate” their copy of the game every 10 days.

When BioWare announced the DRM scheme for the PC edition of sci-fi game, fans flooded the developer’s official online forum with complaints — many vowed never to buy it or any other BioWare game with the DRM.

Within days of that announcement, the developers released this:

BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

The DRM isn’t gone completely. Players will have to activate the game once and re-activate it when installing modifications or downloadable content.

A similar DRM plan for the highly anticipated EA PC title “Spore” was also downgraded.

Drop DRM? Are You Crazy?

Speaking of DRM, an interesting story in the Guardian from last week talks about how, despite music labels trending away from DRM and hard data which shows no rise in piracy when music comes DRM-free, Apple’s iTunes couldn’t have succeeded without it.

In fact, it was Apple’s new DRM-backed music monopoly that forced the major labels to abandon DRM, says the article, not some act of goodwill to the customers.

The story also touches on Apple’s future as a possible subscription-based music service.

Read it here.

DRM Drops It Like It’s Hot, Says Mike Doolittle

Someone named Mike Doolittle asked why people hate DRM over at gamecritics.com.  Many people answered, including yours truly.

Here’s the link.