Sega giving away copies of Eternal Arcadia

[10.12.00] » Next Famitsu to include "trial" version of Sega's latest RPG.

    Gamers with an import-friendly Dreamcast are in for a treat. The latest issue of the popular gaming magazine Famitsu, on sale Friday in Japan, will include a free "trial" version of the recently released Eternal Arcadia (Skies of Arcadia in the US). As previously reported, Eternal Arcadia will be the first experiment in Sega's new @barai system, which allows gamers to purchase an electronically locked trial version of full Dreamcast games. If gamers enjoy the first 15-20% of the game that the @barai version offers, they can go online with their Dreamcasts, pay the full price, and download a small electronic "patch" to open up the rest of the game.

   This is certainly a bold move by Sega, as the GamePro-like circulation of the magazine will put the two-disc game into the hands of thousands for the equivalent of three dollars. The stand-alone @barai version of Eternal Arcdia went on sale October 5th for about $9.50. But it remains to be seen if Sega's new strategy will result in any actual sales for the company. Given the speed and tenacity of piracy on the Internet, it is highly likely the @barai system will be cracked in a matter of days, if not hours. Presumably, Sega has some sort of security system in place in combat this, but only time will tell whether the Sky Pirates can withstand the software pirates.