Nigh Invulnerable said:
How about developers give us halfway decent demo versions before we buy a game? That way I know if I'll like the way it plays before I invest $60 in a game that may be utter crap to me. Reading reviews, checking out forums, etc. can only take you so far. I've seen many positive reviews for games I thought were boring. Case in point, the Metal Gear Solid series. Everyone is all over Kojima and his 'epic' story, but I got tired of the formula during my play through of MGS 2. Everyone continued to rave and rant about the third and fourth installments, but I never forked out the dough because it was too much money for something I couldn't test out to see if they'd changed anything. Basically, developers need to let us test drive a game before we sink our money into it.
You're right; the developers are at fault for a) not making good enough games (because if they did, no one would steal them) and b) not providing good enough demos, which would deter people from stealing because no one wants to steal a crappy game.
In that world, why would developers charge anything at all in the first place? In a perfect system, people would be able to get all the games for free, and if they liked it, contribute what they thought the game was worth. Only that's not what happens. For every honest gamer out there who does just that, there are 9 or 19 or 99 pricks who not only take it for themselves, but make it available for a few more.
Software piracy is the reason so many good companies have a hard time getting enough funding to develop games, to hire programmers and the rest of the staff to make a really good game. Everyone bemoans the EA Games of the world, and complains that innovation and creativity are being plowed under for bad titles that perpetuate a previously successful series. But those huge companies are best at making enough cash to fund PC games, and the little developers can't, because 99% of their finished product is being stolen.
So 3 reviews went on and on about how good it was, you bought it and thought it sucked. Don't blame your difference in taste for piracy, expand your search for information, man. Games aren't free.