Don’t Buy Steam Powered Games - A Christmas Tale of Disappointment

How disappointing for my 11 year old son. I bought a new copy of Order of War from EB Games for him for Christmas today, but when I installed it, I got the message:

“Duplicate Product Code - The product you’ve entered has already been activated by an existing Steam account and is therefore invalid. Your activation of Order of War Retail has not been completed.”

You see this game is “Steam Powered”, which means you have to have an internet connection and a Steam account to install the bloody thing. Oh, it is written on the box, in about 4 point type on the back.

I suspect the Steam Powered is a clunky and unreliable way of trying to overcome software piracy. I’m not the only one with problems either. Here’s a Google search on duplicate product code steam. I guess I’m not alone in my frustration.

So now I have to go through the process of either returning the game to the retailer when next it opens in the new year, or work through the Steam help desk process to try and get it fixed. From reading one forum post, that seems to take a week or so.

Based on the feedback on the Internet about Steam support, I think I’ll just return the game to the retailer, get a refund and ask them what non-Steam powered games they have.

You see the Steam CD Key reactivation process is a pain. You have to register for yet another Steam account, no, you can’t use the Steam account you created when you first install the game.

The process is along the lines of:

1. Register a support account at Steam support
2. Confirm the email
3. Find the support request area
4. Realise that you have to take a digital picture of the back of the instruction book to prove that you did, in fact, buy the game.
5. Borrow a digital camera. Hey Steam Support - not everyone owns a digital camera !
6. Take the picture of the back of the instruction book
7. Upload the picture to your PC
8. Complete the support request and attach the digital picture from your PC
9. Return the digital camera from where you borrowed it
10. Wait for Steam support to get back to you with an answer. Who knows how long that will take over the Christmas period.
11. Write a blog post slamming the whole Steam system

I don’t know, we can land a remote vehicle on Mars, but we can’t some up with a simple and reliable software activation process.

Do not, I repeat, do not buy Steam powered games. Especially if you don’t want to disappoint a child on Christmas day.

Angry Dad of Disappointed Child

This entry was posted on December 25th, 2009 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.