Local Version Games Same As Us Versions?

[dudeyone]

I've seen some cheap PC games being sold like 500-700 BHT as local versions. Are those the same as US versions with access to US multiplayer gaming and such? Is it in English?

[Supernova]

PC games sold here (albeit pirated) are more or less the same. However, you won't be able to play online unless you have a valid cdkey or play on 'cracked' servers.

[dudeyone]

I was talking about the legit localized version ones that cost 500-700 BHT. Pirated ones goes for way less.

[oldgeezer]

I was talking about the legit localized version ones that cost 500-700 BHT. Pirated ones goes for way less.

I have many of these games, all FPS. I have found no differences between these and those I buy from Amazon in the U.S. Some are UK versions. Only makes a difference when you want to patch a game.

Some here in Thailand the instructions are in Thai and with one exception the on screen text and speech is in English. After playing several hundred of the latest games, the instruction booklets are not very necessary anyway. The one exception is Crysis, which for some reason is all in Thai including the screen.

The pirated games need to be cracked, many don't load and most won't uninstall. I would not trust them to be virus or adware free either. Buyer beware of these.

[Gluestick]

The difference between the real games that you buy here vs. the ones overseas is how you activate them. You can activate the games that you buy in Thailand here but you might have problems if you try to play the games once you leave Thailand. They are basically games that are "for Thailand." I don't know how they know where you are, whether through an ip check or something. People that have bought games in Thailand and then tried to play them back in the US or something have come across activation problems. Basically, if you plan on being in Thailand and playing the game, buy them here. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to buying the game from your home country, don't because you might have a problem. I bought the Orange Box here in Thailand and I play it in Thailand. Others have done the same thing but tried to play it in their home country with activation problems. It's lame that they bought a legitimate version of the game and can't play it but most "real" games here say that they are for play in Thailand. So make sure you know what you want to do with the game.

Edited November 21, 2009 by Gluestick

[quiksilva]

I have been buying games for both myself and for Christmas presents for my family in the UK for the last ten years. The genuine games that I have brought can be played both online and offline both here and abroad with no problem.

The content is also the same. They are truly great value.

They are restricted to be for sale in Thailand only, and can not sold elsewhere, but that in my experience has not limited where they can be played.

The biggest problem I have found is that manuals are always in Thai and sometime the in game text is only in Thai. Battlefield 2 was like this but language mods were available on line that did not interfere with punkbuster etc. This has included Valve games such as half life 2 which require steam registration, again no restrictions on activation or playing online were found etc. (not using any proxies either).

Not saying others experiences are incorrect, but felt it was worth sharing mine too.

[quiksilva]

Just bought Left for dead 2 which can only be registered for use in Thailand. It can not be used overseas. First time I have ever seen that.

So moral of the story is check each game with the game shop before you buy. Zest are usually pretty good about letting you know what can and can not be used, and even ask you to check the system specs before buying.

Edited December 1, 2009 by quiksilva

[DP25]

As far as I know only Valve games have this restriction that you must activate the game in Thailand. At least for Orange Box and L4D1&2. I'm not sure what happens if you activate the game in Thailand on Steam and then later try to play somewhere else, all the problems I've read about were people ordering cd keys online from abroad. But yes you can play on US servers although I wouldn't recommend doing so from Thailand, most games have local servers.

There are dozens of other games I've bought that work fine and don't care where you are, most have no way of checking anyway. Every game I've bought except Command and Conquer has been entirely in English, with only a Thai manual, but you can check for specific games on the Zest or i27games websites.