Before you go blaming this guy, you must be 100% certain it is pirated. The first thing to spot is the dvd cover does it look like the art is copy/pasted - looks like it's a scanned, copied and paste job? Also the dvd itself - mine has silent hunter written over it with a uboat being depth charged and the art on it is genuine meaning it doesn't look like a copy/paste job, mine also has the key written across it, check the manual as well does it look new? or does it look like the manual was a copy/past onto a home made book. Really it comes down to this pirates are cheap & just plain stupid, they must think we're all colored blind or something as all the above ive mentioned are the giveaways. The biggest giveaway is pirated copies cannot play online so load SH3 up and see if you can join a multiplayer game, if its a copy theirs no way ubi.com will let you play online - they will check your key and know its cracked.

Also if you recieved the game sealed in plastic im sure its genuine. Then again they might of just got more clever?

If the fellow selling it to you went through all the trouble of finding a box with cd code, all packaging and in plastic I say he's earned his money. I don't think anyone pirating a game would go to that length :know:

I agree. Take your time on the clean up and re-install. Judging by the post of yours with the crew not fixing things. I believe you have a lot to learn in this game. Get your patches straighten out then go play:rock:

i have just recieved an email from the guy i bought it from and he has confirmed it was a "back-up" version....which to me is a pirate copy plain and simple:stare: .
He has given me the option of a refund, or to prevent me from reporting him he has offered me a further 10 "back-ups" of the top 10 selling pc games, can you believe this guy :doh:

I have requested a full refund and past his details and emails on to ebay. I must now look in the shops for a trusted, legit, mint, real macoy version of SH3.

Agreed, i do need some practise and experience with the game to learn how to run a U-Boat as shallow as a worms grave, but it helps when the game can be patched etc to iron out those little bugs :lol:

Thanks to everyone who help me out on this thread :up:

You did the right thing there:up:

FYI Amazon have SH3 in stock...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_...&Go.x=0&Go.y=0
£12.99 for the DVD, that's cheap enough. Actually cheaper than that after I looked (£4.99) can this be right?

I believe you can get a good clean unused game right here at Subsim.com!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:up::up::up::up::u p: