Let's talk about the old copy-protection shenanigans...

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Throughout my entire gaming life, I only ever owned one game with the copy protection still active: Loom (1990).

I thought having to match images to unlock this game about casting spells was kinda neat, but the novelty wore off rather fast once I found myself doing it like fifteen times during the entire adventure... But that also worked as sort of a weird motivator, making me play the game longer than I normally would have every time I fired it up just to avoid having to punch in the code again. It was a weird thing indeed.

NOW, I know for a fact that some games weren't nearly as charitable with their copy-protection, making you match boring rows and columns on impossible shades of magenta, aggressive red or baby blue just so you wouldn't be able to photocopy them -- that was hell and I don't think it has gotten any more defensible since.

I even remember getting properly paranoid of ever losing my manual, for that would lock me out of my damn game, which I'm sure many kids suffered from back then.

Do you remember any copy-protection that was either neat to the point of easing the pain or that unforgettable kind of hellish that actively discouraged you from playing your damn games?

 

[Heinzu]

I remember this back in the day.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

Throughout my entire gaming life, I only ever owned one game with the copy protection still active: Loom (1990).

I thought having to match images to unlock this game about casting spells was kinda neat, but the novelty wore off rather fast once I found myself doing it like fifteen times during the entire adventure... But that also worked as sort of a weird motivator, making me play the game longer than I normally would have every time I fired it up just to avoid having to punch in the code again. It was a weird thing indeed.

NOW, I know for a fact that some games weren't nearly as charitable with their copy-protection, making you match boring rows and columns on impossible shades of magenta, aggressive red or baby blue just so you wouldn't be able to photocopy them -- that was hell and I don't think it has gotten any more defensible since.

I even remember getting properly paranoid of ever losing my manual, for that would lock me out of my damn game, which I'm sure many kids suffered from back then.

Do you remember any copy-protection that was either neat to the point of easing the pain or that unforgettable kind of hellish that actively discouraged you from playing your damn games?

NGL I am (obvs) a fan of Loom but I totally spaced on the copy protection lmao dunno if I'm just forgetting it or if all my copies where cracked.

I was gonna bring up the famous Pirate Wheel from Monkey Island which is a classic.

There was also that infamous copy protection on Spyro 3 that let you play most of the game, but it delets your save when you hit the end. It also randomly deleted Dragon Eggs and Gems while you're playing.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

Ok, so it's not 90s but Denuvo is the worst copy-protection,
it cramps my pirate lifestyle

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Ok, so it's not 90s but Denuvo is the worst copy-protection,
it cramps my pirate lifestyle

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I heard they are properly aggressive towards the user, too.