Product Keys for games

dr4g0nf1y · 7 Sep 2009 at 12:02

Never happened to me but I'm just asking out of interest. With all these places where you can download hacked games from and with key gens has anyone actual bought a new game, opened it up and suppled the product key only to have it not accepted?

Liquidfox · 7 Sep 2009 at 12:09

I've heard of it happen a few times, but never experienced it personally.

Dark_Angel · 7 Sep 2009 at 12:10

Not had it happen, but as above have heard of cases where it happens.

barmyllama · 7 Sep 2009 at 12:18

I had it with FarCry 2, it came on release day and my CD key didn't work.

I had to use a NO CD crack in the end just to play the game.

Turns out they hadn't uploaded the correct CD keys to the activation server.

So there must be instances of genuine key not working for similar reasons in other games.

VeNT · 7 Sep 2009 at 12:34

Diablo II LOD expansion did it to me. had to call them up to get a new one

ots3go · 7 Sep 2009 at 13:06

I can't recall what game, but I can distinctly remember having to scan the booklet and CD to get a new key.

wozencl · 7 Sep 2009 at 13:23

Rainbow Six: Las Vegas (2??) came bundled with my graphics card, after it installed PunkBuster - or whatever it's called - it asked me for the product code which I duly entered only to be told it was invalid. :rolleyes:

Suffice to say I didn't even bother to download a NoCD fix - I just chucked it in the pile of junk games.

Dark_Angel · 7 Sep 2009 at 13:36

Rainbow Six: LV is a good game series

Frapple · 7 Sep 2009 at 13:58

Happened to me with Delta Force: Black Hawk Down.

Claimed the key back from their support department - only for them to let someone else claim it back from me!

shauncr91 · 7 Sep 2009 at 14:43

Never happened to me.

Mahnsikir · 7 Sep 2009 at 16:22

Kinda happened to me with Neverwinter Nights, played it a couple of times online with a friend, few weeks later kept on getting CD-key in use, grrr :mad:

Wasn't that bothered as we hardly used public servers so we just went the LAN route.

Oh and with my old pre steam copy of Half Life generations some evil person had registered it on steam by the time I realised it was even possible. Steam support couldn't help as I had no proof of purchase as it was bought years previous.

Azagoth · 7 Sep 2009 at 17:24

Doom3 for me, took it back to the shop and bought X3: Reunion instead.

dr4g0nf1y · 7 Sep 2009 at 17:25

Mahnsikir said:
Steam support couldn't help as I had no proof of purchase as it was bought years previous.

Normally they'd just ask for you to scan the cd key to prove it's yours and then deal with the other account it's logged to

Sunbed · 7 Sep 2009 at 17:29

I got it with STALKER, bought it 2nd hand for dead cheap.. and key didn't work!

Swi1ch · 7 Sep 2009 at 18:50

It's unlikely to happen unless you need to activate the game as most torrented games won't play online without a valid cd-key. It was a problem when Half Life 2 came out as people were opening boxes in stores, noting the key and registering it to a new Steam account for cheating on so they didn't get their normal account VAC banned.

Tobes · 7 Sep 2009 at 18:57

Aren't most keygens just a database of keys rather than a generator now a days?

liveforeva · 7 Sep 2009 at 19:37

Happend to me with left 4 dead, it said key invalid or the key had already been used. So i took it back and changed it for another copy then it worked fine.

AbsenceJam · 7 Sep 2009 at 19:52

The chance of a keygen generating a real key is tiny. In cases where a key from a game you've purchased doesn't work it's probably a publisher/manufacturer screw up.

Mahnsikir · 7 Sep 2009 at 20:24

dr4g0nf1y said:
Normally they'd just ask for you to scan the cd key to prove it's yours and then deal with the other account it's logged to

Thats what I thought (and what they usually do) but because it was bought pre steam they needed me to scan in a reciept or some BS. Not bothered about it though.

timaloy · 8 Sep 2009 at 09:41

dr4g0nf1y said:
Never happened to me but I'm just asking out of interest. With all these places where you can download hacked games from and with key gens has anyone actual bought a new game, opened it up and suppled the product key only to have it not accepted?

yes ,i bought ,cant remember ,1 of the call of dutys and it hapned 2 me ,had 2 return the game and book and they sent me a new 1