Owners of the Steam version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 have a nice surprise coming with the release of the newest patch: Removal of the game's SecuROM DRM. That update is in addition to a number of other fixes and changes included in the patch, version 522175, which range from better notifications when failing to join a multiplayer server to the server browser now sorting by lowest ping by default.
The patch for Steam users will come slightly later than it will for those with a retail copy, as it has to go through additional QA testing. It may be wise to hold off on updating for the time being, as there have been reports on the EA forums of crashing and freezing issues for some users. As the patch is only applied on the client side, and not to the servers, you'll be able to play with others who have successfully patched their game without patching yourself.

This isn't the first time we've seen SecuROM patched out of an EA game; last year, we saw it removed from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. In other instances, we've seen the harsh restrictions SecuROM can impose be lifted (to an extent): Both BioShock and BioShock 2 had their activation limits removed, thanks no doubt to the outcry from gamers who didn't want to be treated so poorly simply because they reinstalled their game more times than 2K decided to allot them.

Indeed, we've seen gamers rebel against companies who have decided to include SecuROM -- which many consider to be nothing more than spyware -- in their titles. Angry gamers slapped EA with a class action lawsuit over its inclusion with Spore and sabotaged the game's Amazon ratings. Responses like that surely played a role in more recent games abandoning SecuROM from the start, Dragon Age: Origins being just one example.

Source: 1up.com
Link: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178386

Posted to news, thanks.

Hi, I'm one of those crazy Mac guys out here in the gaming world. I'm excited about Steam coming to the Mac platform. Since Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is on Steam, does that mean it's likely coming out for Mac? I currently boot into XP Pro to play but it's a pain. Although, in order to make maps for CoD4 I need to work in Windows anyway.

How exactly does the Steam system work anyway?

edited on Mar. 18, 2010 08:44 pm by BigAl444

Steam is basically Xbox live.

It's a program that you can run and has some subsystems, including a web browser, a shop (where you can buy and download games very quickly and efficiently), a friends list, profile management and other assorted features that make your gaming experience easy and user friendly.

There's only one bad thing about steam, any game over £20 is usually £10 more than the standard retail equivalent. This isn't too bad though considering your using Steams servers etc but it should be closer to £5 not £10 surcharge.

Anyway, it's pretty good and I've noticed a few games on Steam that have Mac compatible versions, so I don't think it'll take long for Steam to build a Mac friendly catalogue.

As a note: I DO NOT WORK FOR VALVE BUT WILL ACCEPT MONEY FOR HELPING TO ADVERTISE hehe

"Battlefield Bad Company 2 is the buggest piece of poo-poo!!!! My PC version is good for one thing. Crashing! Why am I so surprised? DICE has yet to ship a game that wasnt a hunk of buggy garbage. I am tired of getting burned by them."
- Porter from IW

SparkyMcSparks writes...

i bought it for pc and i absolutely <3 it!! what kind of crashes are you experiencing? bsod? desktop? whats ur system specs? can your system run it? http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/intro.aspx

I love the game, no problems at all for me. Can't get enough of hardcore rush on africa harbour..

I appreciate the explanation. We'll see what comes up.


techno2sl writes...

Rasta writes...
yeh. i prefer 2v2 or 4v4 i always win :>