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Be
Careful Where and How You Purchase Software
by
Michael Lafferty
Here’s
a warning to everyone who buys software.
A
phone call was received at 9 a.m. one recent morning from a gentlemen
identifying himself as a representative with a software company in San Diego.
He said that I had filled out a form about purchasing discount software. I
replied I had no knowledge of doing that. "You must have because I
certainly wouldn’t be calling you out of the blue from San Diego," he
stated. He repeated that phrase moments later.
(It
should be noted that I live in the Mountain Time zone, a one-hour difference
from San Diego. If he was calling at 9 a.m. MT, it was 8 a.m. Pacific Time.
Perhaps too early for businesses to be open, but certainly not too early for
telemarketers. And we will not even address how he was able to get around the
anonymous caller rejection service activated on the phone and still be
identified on Caller I.D. as ‘anonymous.’)
I
did agree that perhaps my name could have been passed out with the
registration of a program – though I tend to doubt that one too. He smoothly
asked if I would be interested in saving money on software purchases. I
replied that I was a professional software reviewer and receive titles
frequently. "We know that," he said, "but wouldn’t you like to
compare the prices?"
Hmm,
let me see … I receive titles free, which I review (yes for those wondering,
it is a nice job, but remember that it is work and not only do you have to
approach each program with a critical eye, but there are deadlines to meet).
Compare prices?? How can you compare with free?
He
hung up.
There
is really no way at this time to know if this was a scam or not. But please
consider several things before you purchase software over the phone. This
industry is huge. There is a lot of money tied up in it – not only on the
publisher’s end, but with gamers as well. And sooner or later, there will be
some individuals who think they can con gamers into sending them money for
inferior products or no product at all.
Be
aware of who you are dealing with. Don’t go handing out credit card
information to people who call you out of the blue offering discounts on
games. The best advice is to shop and compare. You are obviously connected to
the Internet, and that gives you such an edge over telemarketers.
Many
sites offer secure e-commerce (purchasing over the Internet). Gamezone.com has
a terrific site (http://gzdev.wpengine.com/gameshop/index.htm), listing just
about everything as it hits the store shelves. Or check out the publisher’s
homepage. Shop around. Trusting e-commerce with an established site whose
livelihood depends on prompt, customer-friendly service sure beats a smooth,
double-talking telemarketer anytime.
And
Speaking of Games …
Command
and Conquer Tiberian Sun fans get ready. An expansion pack is set to hit
store shelves March 9, at least that is the word from Westwood Studios. Command
and Conquer Tiberian Sun Firestorm will feature 18 new single-player
missions and more than 30 minutes of live-action sequences. If you finished
playing the original game, you probably know that NOD leader Kane dies. No, he
doesn’t come back, but someone does pick up where he left off. There are
also 15 new multiplayer maps, new units with names like the Juggernaut, the
Mobile War Factory, Mobile Stealth Generator and Cyborg Reaper. New options
have been added to the Battle Map creator. In multiplayer action, through
Westwood Online, you can join either the GDI or NOD, and compete with gamers
worldwide for domination of the planet. There are 30 territories up for grabs,
and the competition promises to be intense.
You
must have a copy of C&C Tiberian Sun to play, and the minimum system
requirements are a P166 with 32 megs of RAM, 4x CD-ROM, 16-bit sound card and
a DirectX-compatible sound card. The Firestorm expansion pack requires a copy
of Command & Conquer.
Sports
fans get ready – Activision is partnering with pro skateboard superstar Tony
Hawk for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Expect this title in the fall.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was a console title that has been a fixture on
top-selling lists since its release in September 1999. Activision is looking
to extend that success beyond the console realm to the PC. The program will
feature a roster of pro skaters, intuitive controls and enhanced skating
physics. There are any number of tricks and combinations the gamer can
perform, including grabs, grinds, inverts and lip and nollie tricks. There is
also a Skatepark editor which will enable serious players to design their own
parks from scratch using ramps, rails, obstacles and quarterpipes.
Finally
… Eidos Interactive, who had an amazing string of games in the latter months
of 1999, is cranking up the machine again and should be springing a whole
series of new games upon the waiting public. Remember Thief? Thief
II The Metal Age should be hitting store shelves in March. The slogan of
the game is: “Don’t be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what it hides.”
Those fans who live, eat and breathe the Thief series can snag wallpaper for
the upcoming title at: ftp://ftp.eidosinteractive.com/pub/thief_metalage/wallpaper/set3.zip
Also
due out soon is Tomb Raider: The Lost Artifact, which is a sequel to
Tomb Raider 3 and features six new levels.
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