If this got as far as being pressed (even if it was just an initial test pressing), wouldn't that mean there are several thousand copies all over the world?
Strangly enough, I just had a conversation about this last night with Corpsicle on nx's irc channel (although he wasn't very open minded about it...). Here is what was said:
Fabrizo: Do you dl dc games? Im trying to find out if propeller arena realy was ripped recently
corpsicle: i heard someone bought the gold copy
corpsicle: just like halflife
corpsicle: and that was released shortly after
Fabrizo: I dl'd a few vids that got me interested in the game, but unless someone ripped it im never going to be able to try it out
corpsicle: it will get ripped eventually
Fabrizo: I wish I knew halflife for dc was ultra-rare early, cause I remember that my video rental store had a copy for sale
corpsicle: its just that by ripping the gold copy, he makes the "original" drop in price ALOT
corpsicle: =P
corpsicle: so he's loosing money by ripping it
corpsicle: no they didnt
corpsicle: halflife was never released
Fabrizo: yea, it was, i saw it with my own eyes
corpsicle: there is 1 gold copy, thats it
Fabrizo: that was the only copy I ever saw though
corpsicle: it was canceled
corpsicle: it was never released
corpsicle: believe me
corpsicle: they might have had a box for preorders or something
corpsicle: but they did not have the game i assure you
Fabrizo: It wasn't for pre-orders, it was for rent, (for about a week...), then they decided to sell it.
corpsicle: seriously
corpsicle: check any site, any source at all
corpsicle: it was never released
Fabrizo: then how come its on the net?
Fabrizo: their must be originals if their are copies
corpsicle: someone got hold of the gold copy
corpsicle: it was recently sold on ebay
corpsicle: the gold copy is the one that they make originals off
corpsicle: it got that far and was then cancelled
corpsicle: so the guy who bought it on ebay ripped it
corpsicle: and voila, we have copies
Fabrizo: recently = ?
corpsicle: weeks
Fabrizo: half-life for dc has been on the net for nearly a year
Fabrizo: It was just very badly distributed. Now its been re-ripped, and re-distributed
corpsicle: sure there might have been copies before, since the gold disc obviously has been in existance since they made it
corpsicle: and im pretty sure whoever owned it made copies for backup at least =P
Fabrizo: Their are lots of games like half-life for dc, where their were in fact copies made, but in such increadably limited quantities that the gaming community refuses to acnowledge their existance. Its like, "If I don't have it, and cant find it, it doesn't exist". Thrill kill is a good example of this. Copies were released in europe, as well as the us, but their were so few that only a few 'hard core' collectors, and piraters, have them.
corpsicle: halflife was never released
corpsicle: anywhere
Fabrizo: not officialy
corpsicle: is there another way to release games ??
corpsicle: and inofficial way ?`
Fabrizo: yes. People working on the games can make copies of them with the equipment available to them. use pre-created, or original booklets, and cd art, then distribute it to friends, family, and on the side for a small bit of profit.
corpsicle: thats not "released" =P
Fabrizo: Return fire for the saturn, which was just released, proves that you don't need much to make a game look official, and still not be.
corpsicle: this argument is not holding up
Fabrizo: explain.
corpsicle: so what you are saying is that someone on valve MIGHT have made illegal copies and distributed them with original box and manuals ?
Fabrizo: Its a possibility. They have every resourse at their disposal to do so if they wanted.
corpsicle: even if that were true, which it isnt, that doesnt mean its released
corpsicle: it was officially canceled, and never put into production
Fabrizo: you can't prove to me that it isn't true. And 'released' in my book means that they exist, and are in the hands of several people that didn't make the game.
corpsicle: then you are truly lost
Fabrizo: Im not lost, I have a valid point, as do you.
Fabrizo: You believe what you believe, I believe what I believe, and in this situation neather of us can truly prove the other wrong.
corpsicle: im not saying it cant be true, but im saying that it doesnt matter, because its still not released
Fabrizo: Matter? I never said it did, I was simply going through what I believe was the reason for the existance of the copy I saw.
Fabrizo: or didn't see, according to you.