The end of the year: PS3 has been compromised

It's the end of 2010 as we say good-bye to a great year in gaming. The Wii, the 360 and the PS3 all did well, especially the PS3 because I said so. But it seems the PS3 has been compromised. Just when we thought the PS3 had finally won out, a group of hackers decided to tell Sony that "You cannot beat us."

"Approximately a half hour in, the team revealed their new PS3 secrets, the moment we all were waiting for. One of the major highlights here was, dongle-less jailbreaking by overflowing the bootup NOR flash, giving complete control over the system. The other major feat, was calculating the public private keys (due to botched security), giving users the ability to sign their own SELFs Following this, the team declared Sony's security to be EPIC FAIL!

How dare you. Sony is suppose to be the only company not to be hacked and you went and did that. How dare ANYONE do this to Sony. YOu leave them alone or I will whine like I have never whined before.

Well, that's pretty much it. 2011 will be a special 20th Anniversary for Sonic, and I have a review planned for Sonic Colors. See ya in 2011

Works Cited:
3DGameman

Because Patent Troubles are not limited to video games

Since the year 2004, it seems the video game industry was hit by numerous patent lawsuits. Whenever it is Motiva vs Nintendo, Anascape vs Microsoft, or MicroUnity vs Sony, these lawsuits pop up all over the place. Now it seems Smartphones are the new victim of the Patent Lawsuit-a-thon. Earlier this year, Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen sued companies like Apple, Google, Facebook and other companies

A firm owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has filed a lawsuit against Google, Apple, Facebook, and other companies alleging that they have violated patents related to search, multimedia, screen pop-ups and database management.

Interval Licensing filed the patent lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington. The companies named in the lawsuit are Aol, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo and YouTube.

The four patents cover several technologies related to search, multimedia, databases and screen activity, said David Postman, a spokesman for Allen. Details about how the 11 defendants are allegedly infringing Interval's patents will come out as the lawsuit progresses, he said.

A Federal Judge gave Paul Allen till December 28th to amend his lawsuit, providing more details of his claim. That was yesterday, and I bet the amendment didn't pass. Well unfortunately, I was wrong, and it seems the Android Phone is under fire(And I just bought one last week before Christmas)

The amended complaint makes a number of infringement allegations against Google, and those relate to (among other Google offerings) Android. There are two paragraphs that accuse Android. The first one:

44. Defendant Google has infringed and continues to infringe at least claims 4, 8, 11, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of the ’652 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 271 by making, using, selling, distributing, and encouraging customers to use devices containing the Android Operating System and associated software such as Text Messaging, Google Talk, Google Voice, and Calendar. Devices containing the Android Operating System and associated software infringe by displaying information including, e.g., text messages, Google Voice messages, chat messages, and calendar events, to a user of a mobile device in an unobtrusive manner that occupies the peripheral attention of the user. For example, as demonstrated by Exhibit 24, when a user receives a new Google Voice message, the Android Operating System and Google Voice software display a notification in the status bar screen for a short period of time.

The relevant patent is US Patent No. 6,034,652 on an "attention manager for occupying the peripheral attention of a person in the vicinity of a display device".

Paragraph 54 makes an equivalent assertion concerning a related patent:

54. Defendant Google has infringed and continues to infringe at least claims 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15 of the ’314 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 271 by making, using, selling, distributing, and encouraging customers to use devices containing the Android Operating System and associated software such as Text Messaging, Google Talk, Google Voice, and Calendar, and by making and using the hardware and software that operate the Android and Android Market infrastructure. Google’s infringement of the ’314 patent that relates to Android results from substantially the same activities as its infringement of the ’652 patent, described above in [paragraph] 44.


That could be trouble for the Android compared to the iPhone. And while Apple is named in the lawsuit, it doesn't do much for the iOS. Unless Allen decides to do the impossible and do that.

Works Cited:
IT World(August 2010)
FOSS Patents written by Florian Mueller
More info here

I'm BAAAAACK

Well folks. We are back and raring to go. In case anyone wants to know, I spent 8 of my days in Maui all while spending the rest jamming on World of Warcraft. In fact, I'm raring that I am ready to write that review of Sonic Colors and rip it apart and...

Wait. Did you say the NPD came while I was away? Urrgh. Fine.

But before we do that, how about a quick report. Entertainment Weekly marked Kirby: Epic Yarn as the worst game of 2010. Something I have to disagree with because Kirby isn't a blue hedgehog, nor is he a bunch of naughty care bears.

However, it seems Jim Sterling of Destructoid, which has no relation to MSNBC, has pointed out a contradiction in nominating Kirby: Epic Yarn as the worst game.

A pink globe gets plopped into a world constructed of colorful twine and craftsy cloth, and the result is likely the most adorable game ever. Yes, it's kinda easy, but you'll never stop smiling. B+


For a magazine that dedicates itself more to celebrities than to gaming, it seems they say it all: Good Games are the worst. In fact, I'd take the Angry Video Game Nerd's advice and play nothing but bad NES games from here on out.

And now for the NPD. Unfortunately, the hardware sales is where I must throw up. Why?


Nintendo DS: 1.5M
Xbox 360: 1.37M
Wii: 1.27M
PS3: 530k
New! PSP: 288K
New! PS2: ~80K

uDraw - 190K


The DS, 360 and Wii all have sold over 1 million units each while the PS3 only around half a Million, the PSP at 288K and the PS2 below 80K. This is ridiculous. The Wii outsells every Sony system combined? That's like Donkey Kong Country returns selling ridiculously well despite being undersold by Call of Duty. And speaking of which....


01. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, PC, NDS) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD ** - 8.4 Million (4.9 Xbox 360, 3.1 PS3)
02. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (360, PS3) UBISOFT ** - 1.14 Million
03. Just Dance 2 (Wii) UBISOFT - <700K
04. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS
05. Fable III (360) MICROSOFT**
06. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) NINTENDO - 430.5K
07. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3, 360, Wii, PC) ELECTRONIC ARTS - 417K
08. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) SONY** - 400K
09. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP,PC) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
10. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) NINTENDO**

Call of Duty: Black Ops sold an impressive 8.4M units across all platforms with the 360 version selling the most. Assassin's creed: Brotherhood also sold a million across both platforms. Just Dance 2 dances behind in 3rd, but ahead of Madden NFL 11 with Fable III right behind. DKC Returns sold more than 400K in its debut month, though it is odd to see a 3rd party Wii title outsell a 1st party Wii title.

But what's really nerve racking is that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit outsold Gran Turismo 5. That's Sony's flagship racing title. How dare a 3rd party knockoff outsell the real deal, even if the newest GT won't let you import your saves from the Prologue title. Rounding out the Top 10 are NBA 2K11 and Wii Fit Plus.

(Special thanks to NeoGAF for providing the numbers)

Who will have a Merry Christmas and who will get the lump of coal? I sure hope it's Nintendo because I'm biased like that.

Works Cited

Destructoid
NeoGAF

New stuff from the Reporter

Folks, we are already in December and I can smell the taste of gamingism that will make you rock your socks off

First off, Apple has announced that it will be creating a device that will be free of 3D Glasses. That's right, perhaps an iPod that projects in 3D, or perhaps a 3D Projector

Apple has been awarded a U.S. patent for a display system that would allow multiple viewers to see a high-quality 3D image projected on a screen without the need for special glasses, regardless of where they are sitting.

Following the success of 3D films in movie theaters, home electronics manufacturers are hoping that 3D technology will entice consumers to buy new TV sets and Blu-ray players. But entertainment is far from the only field in which 3D can enhance the viewing experience: others include medical diagnostics, flight simulation, air traffic control, battlefield simulation, weather diagnostics, advertising and education, according to Apple's U.S. patent 7,843,449 for a 3D display system, awarded Tuesday.

That's right. You can kiss those Televisions good-bye because we're getting one step closer to embracing Star Trek, Star Wars, Transformers, or, in our lifetime, Power Rangers. And who cares if this is different than the ideal 3D iPod we hoped for. This should go up against Nintendo's 3DS because it has 3D in it, not because of what they can do.

Second off, attention World of Warcraft fans. In less than 3 days, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the 3rd Expansion to the ever popular World of Warcraft franchise, will finally be in stores. The main antagonist is a cross between Puff the Magic Dragon and Gutsman. AKA: Deathwing



New things included includes new playable races(Goblin, Worgen), new secondary profession(Archaeology), all new areas in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, all new dungeons and raids, and an all new conflict between the Alliance and the Horde.

Meanwhile, as King Varian Wrynn continues his war against the Horde in an effort to finally snuff them out, mounting pressure is up against him thanks to the Tea Party of Azeroth, who is calling for the King to be dethroned and a Capitalistic system installed. Sorry King Wrynn, but your people have spoken and only Capitalism can beat the Horde and Deathwing at the same time, all while causing the working middle class to lose their jobs and take up shelter in Westfall

Finally, it seems VGChartz's daughter site, GamrFeed, is questioning Game Journalism by comparing 3 sties: Joystiq, Kotaku, and Destructoid

Some would call game journalism a kind of enthusiast press, and on many counts I find it hard to disagree with them. Like with other forms of enthusiast press, big gaming sites rely not only on strict gaming news, but also an array of gaming-related stories to flesh out their coverage. Sometimes these related stories fall within acceptable levels. At other times some of the content posted to gaming blogs makes me feel simply terrible for the state of the field.

Jim Sterling, review editor at Destructoid, says that calling game journalism a form of journalism at all is usually incorrect.

“I think calling it ‘journalism’ is wrong most of the time,” Sterling said. “Publishers have way too much power over outlets, the review scoring system is mired in backwards thinking that says anything below a 7/10 is unacceptable, and we have some websites writing purely for Google Trends and not for their readers.”

Now you hold it right there, Mr Sterling. Anything below a 9/10 is what's unacceptable, not anything below a 7/10.

But what disturbs me is the charts that they pull up(Located at the link below). Kotaku has the most Misleading Headlines according to VGCharts, followed by Destructoid and Joystiq. Now I do object to that, because isn't it suppose to be the other way around? And it's not just that, Joystiq also has the least amount of times where they don't cite only official sources. CURSE YOU JOYSTIQ

But there is hope, it seems when it comes to sources listed, Kotaku edges out both Joystiq and Destructoid. They're great, but they're no Fox News. And also, when it comes to posts unrelated to gaming, Kotaku dominates both Joystiq and Destructoid. Still no Fox News. There's more in there, but then again, I'd be comparing all 3 to Fox News.

But let's face it. No matter how much fair and unbalanced bias you put in your Gaming articles, you're never going to get up to Fox News. Hell, you'll be lucky to get up to CNN's point of view. I suggest hiring Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck to do your gaming news for you, except that IGN is more closer to Fox News than the other 3 combined.

Lastly, I'm still miffed at Jim Sterling for giving a positive review to Sonic Colors DS. CURSE YOU STERLING! Oh just you wait Sterling. When I post up my review of Sonic Colors, I will prove to be more fair and balanced that you will ev...wait. I just got this call. I have to be away from the computer for 8-9 days?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This is what I get for slacking off on this Blog

Works Cited
Yahoo News
GamrFeed(VGChartz)

What will November bring?

Today is the first of December. The month of Christmas. Last month was the Black Friday month. What will November bring compared to the month of October?

Month of October? I didn't even do the sales numbers yet. Let's look at them Hardware and Software wise

Hardware:

Nintendo DS - 342k
Xbox 360 - 325k
PS3 - 250k
Wii - 232k
PSP - 75k

Hardware wise, the 360 is the only console to go up while others are going down. The Wii is behind the PS3 while the PSP is dead last with less than 100K. The DS remains on board with 342K, slightly more than the 360.

Software wise....



01. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, WII, PC) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE - 1.15 Million
02. Fallout: New Vegas **(360, PS3, PC) BETHESDA SOFTWORKS - 1,117,000
03. Medal of Honor **(360, PS3, PC) ELECTRONIC ARTS - Over 1 Million
04. Fable III **(360) MICROSOFT - 580K
05. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II **(360, PS3, WII, PC, NDS) LUCASARTS
06. Halo: Reach **(360) MICROSOFT - 315K
07. Just Dance 2 (WII) UBISOFT - 286K
08. FIFA Soccer 11 (PS3, 360, WII, PS2, PSP, NDS, PC) ELECTRONIC ARTS
09. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, WII, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS
10. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (PS3, 360, PS2, WII, PSP) THQ - 225K

NBA 2K11 leads the pack with Fallout: New Vegas right behind. Medal of Honor manages to sneak their way into number 3 with Fable 3 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II right behind. Halo Reach fell to number 6 with Just Dance 2 at number 7. Fifa Soccer 11, Madden NFL 11 and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 round out the top 10.

But where were games like Kirby: Epic Yarn or Castlevania: Lord of Shadows? Both failed to crack the Top 10(Though Kirby sold around 150K in its debut month). And unfortunately, while Shaun White's Skateboarding title sold more than Tony Hawk's Shred 2, that isn't saying much because nether title got even around 10K(Combined as well).

Will November be the month that belongs to Call of Duty? Of course. Anything else and that would be unpatriotic.

The Sonic Cycle is not something to be broken

Folks, I am as mad as HFIL. And for many reasons. Days ago, Sonic Colors released on the Wii and DS. And do you know why I'm fuming? According to MetaCritic, both games have the following score

Wii version: 78/100
DS version: 80/100

What happened? I haven't been disappointed in being disappointed since Viva Pinata was well received. In fact, I am fuming over these positive reviews from the following sources.

Vandal Online: We can say without hesitation than this is the best Sonic game for the Wii, and maybe the best Sonic 3D ever made.
Eurogamer Italy: Sonic Colours embraces everything a SEGA fan could ever hope for or dream. Platforming has rarely been so fun and engaging.
Nintendo Power: A fantastic game. Not just a step in the right direction, but an unequivocal success. In fact, it's the best entry in the series since the Blue Blur's 16-bit heyday. [Dec 2010, p.78]
IGN Sonic Colors is a dizzying combination of the distantly familiar memories of the first few Sonic titles combined with thoughtful new abilities and mostly well executed level design.
1UP: Despite some of the end-game content feeling designed to annoy the hell out of those who made it that far, the tally of cheap deaths can't detract from the facts: Sonic Colors is the best 3D Sonic game in ages.
GameSpot: Sonic Colours offers a mix of 3D action and classic Sonic side-scrolling with dazzling visuals and exhilarating platforming.

How dare they say its a good game. HOW DARE THEY! And how dare this game violates the Sacred Sonic Cycle.

Due to space reasons, you can click here to look at it.

Folks. The Sonic Cycle isn't a cycle to judge if a Sonic game will be bad. It is more than that. It is a relic that is meant to be respected and obeyed. This cycle is suppose to tell us that we need to remain in the status quo, even if it spreads to other franchises like Final Fantasy. To say that this game breaks the Sonic Cycle is blasphemy, even if they are right I still say its blasphemy.

But there is good news. At least 1 reviewer panned it: Jim Sterling of Destructoid.

Destructoid: Sonic Colors feels like a step right back into the same *CENSORED* this series has drowned in for the past decade. If I had to pick a color for this game, it would be brown, for very obvious reasons.

A good eye Jim for respecting and obeying the Sonic Cycle. I would praise you, if not for the fact that you GAVE THE DS VERSION A POSITIVE SCORE.

Destructoid(DS Version: Sonic Colors DS is the best Sonic game released this year. Easily.

STERLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*Shakes Fist* What the heck were you doing? How dare you say that the game is the best Sonic game released this year and giving it a 85/100. I demand you strike 40 points off the score and state this

Sonic Colors DS is the best Sonic game released this year. But that's not saying much at all because even ET for the Atari is better than this hunk of stinky garbage

And the irony of these reviews is that Sonic Colors is now equal to the reviews of Sonic 4 Wii, which is higher than Sonic 4 for PS3 and 360. But something else has struck my nerve with Jim Sterling. FOllowing his reviews of both Sonic Games, this happened

For a sense of scale, I’m 6’2″, and yet if I laid down next to this image, I would only just about be tall enough to lick Sonic’s little furry *CENSORED*. You ever been to a convention and seen those giant canvas banners hanging from the wall? Yeah … now I have one in my rain-soaked back garden.For the record, I have a very short list of suspects who would have orchestrated this, and as soon as I work out what the Hell I’m going to DO with this thing, I will start working out how to get you *CENSORED* back.

Still, at least Sega has a better sense of humor about reviews than most Sonic fans.

Well I'm glad you have a sense of humor, because I DON'T! How dare you get something for doing a negative review of a video game. You should be ashamed of yourself. You and SEGA, Jim Sterling.

Actually, that does sound like a good idea. Tune in for when I review Sonic Colors and show how much this game bites in every way possible, and hope SEGA sends me something for my troubles.

Works Cited:
Meta Critic Sonic COlors Wii
Meta Critic Sonic Colors DS
TSSZ News(Original article at Destructoid

Good News with bad news: Double trouble

And we're talking 2 tales from the highfront. One about the X-Box 360's answer to the Wii. And the other is about the newest Call of Duty.

First off, last week, Microsoft released the new Kinect accessory for the X-Box 360. The system is more of a glorified eye camera, but it seems this so-called glorified eye camera may be doing better than planned, despite getting some criticism. This device, that replaces the controller with a new gimmick...YOU, have sold almost half a million in its first week.

If you've been listening to any sort of Xbox official at Microsoft, you know the company expects Kinect to be something like the Super Bowl, the second coming of Christ, and , all wrapped up into one amazing product which will sell through the roof. Microsoft has poured $500 million into a promotional campaign for Kinect, more than any Xbox product of the past. It also says it plans to sell more Kinects in its first two months than any game console has ever sold in the same period of time.

So, in that context, is 480,000 all that amazing? It's nearly on par with the pace of PlayStation Move, which currently tilts the global sales scales at around 2.5 million. The Move was released in September.

Unfortunately, those numbers come from VGChartz, because the NPD is too lazy to release sales numbers of accessories like Move. Cnet believes that Kinect could outsell Move by the end of the holiday.

IDC, which conducted a survey in September with more than 750 "core" console gamers, expects that Microsoft will sell 2.5 million to 3 million Kinect units in the United States in the fourth quarter. It expects Sony to sell 2 million to 2.25 million Move units here in the same period.

Good News for X-Box, bad news for Playstation, Nintendo, and anti-Motion gamers who sit on their butts all day gaming while getting fatter and fatter.

On the homefront, Call of Duty: Black Ops. While reviews aren't as good as Modern Warfare 2, sales wise seem to be different.

Forget what you've heard about Call of Duty Black Ops' PC bugs and Cuba-baiting for a moment. Publisher Activision Blizzard just tapped the wire to brag that their latest first-person shooter has officially put the screws to Modern Warfare 2's first-day sales figures, outselling its record-breaking predecessor by a record-shattering 16 percent.

So much for fears the franchise's success rose and fell on Infinity Ward's watch. Developed by Activision series alternate Treyarch, Black Ops pulled in $360 million in North American and UK sales during its first 24 hours.

Good news for Activision Blizzard, Treyarch and FPS fans. Bad news for Reviewers, Infinity Ward and Halo fans. While Halo Reach sold an impressive number, Call of Duty left Master Chief and friends out in the cold and if 2007 wasn't the end of Bungie's child, then 2010 may as well be that end.

Works Cited
I4U
CNet
Yahoo News

Fear remains in gaming.

While the blasphemer Jon Stewart was successful in showing reason over fear over the weekend at the rally(CURSE YOU JON FOR HURTING MY IDOL STEPHEN COLBERT), fear continues to rear its ugly head. In this case, it's the Supreme Court hearing over the case between the Video Game industry and the state of California.

The soon-to-be-ex-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and California Assemblyman Leland Yee are looking to ban the sale of video games to minors. So far, the industry sued and was able to prove to each court that the law itself was unconstitutional.

The law itself states this

(A) Comes within all of the following descriptions:
(i) A reasonable person, considering the game as a whole, would
find appeals to a deviant or morbid interest of minors.
(ii) It is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the
community as to what is suitable for minors.
(iii) It causes the game, as a whole, to lack serious literary,
artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.
(B) Enables the player to virtually inflict serious injury upon
images of human beings or characters with substantially human
characteristics in a manner which is especially heinous, cruel, or
depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the
victim.

That law itself sounds alot like the Miller Test, which labels what is considered Obscene, which itself is not free speech. That didn't stop the Westboro Baptist Church from picketing funerals(Speaking of which, they are also having a Supreme Court case against Albert Snyder, who sued originally over the former picketing the funeral of Snyder's deceased son).

Now you're thinking "Oh, but the courts will declare it unconstitutional." THINK AGAIN! Despite the backings of groups like the ACLU and the United States Chamber of Commerce to companies like Activision and Microsoft, this case could go ether way. And should the courts rule in favor of Leland Yee, the results would mean that sales of violent video games to kids would be a crime. That alone would make brick and mortar retails scared like Shaggy and Scooby when they encounter the Creeper to sell almost any game that has a form of violence in it.

Arguments begin tomorrow morning on election day. If you want more, go to the link provided below.

In other news that others have reported on, Keiji Inafune left Capcom

*Insert people screaming here*

For more info on the case, you can look it up at Kotaku

When Nightmares attack: NPD September 2010 and more

It's been a long time since I posted an NPD report. But this report will come with 2 extras that will cause speculation that will make you scream more than the cutscenes of Metroid Other M.

Normally, I would use tables for the NPD hardware or software. Not this time. Here are the raw numbers of all, but the PSP and PS2

360- 483,989
PS3- 312,000
Wii- 254,000
DS- 403,000

A combination of Move and Halo 3 is what brought down the Wii for the first time ever. I think it's time to CELEBRATE THE END OF NINTENDO! That's right. Even though it will take a long time before ether system truly outsells the Wii, we're still declaring ether Microsoft or Sony the Winner.

As for the software?

Halo Reach (360) - 3.3 million
Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP)
Dead Rising 2 (360, PS3, PC)
NHL 11 (360, PS3)
FIFA 11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, NDS)
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
Mafia II (360, PS3, PC)
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (PS3, 360, NDS, Wii)
Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Modern Warfare 2 (360, PS3, PC)

Not much to say, except how the heck did Metroid make the list? Also, games will more likely be bunched together instead of being separate SKUs. Halo Reach is number 1 followed by Madden NFL 2011. Dead Rising 2 is number 3, with NHL and FIFA right behind. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep comes in with Mafia II and Spider-Man right behind. Metroid other M is the lone Wii-exclusive title with Modern Warfare 2 rounding out the top 10.

Now some Nightmares. First off, Sony. Rumor has it that Apple, makers of the iPod, iPhone, iPad and iAmamillionare, is said to be buying out various companies. The Kaufman Brothers speculate that EA, Netflix and Facebook are on Apple's to-buy list. But more came out when this came up.

But it today emerged that financial wires have also nodded to Adobe, Disney and - wait for it - Sony.

Sony. Sony of all people to be bought out by Apple? The last thing we need is an iPlaystation or an iVaio or a iWalkman, which unfortunately has ended its production. Of course, that is just speculation when in the NY times article, no mention of Sony.

Now for Microsoft. Despite being number 1 again since the Price Drop and the new model, CNNMoney reports that the Microsoft brand may be dying and not just the X-Box brand itself.

Microsoft has been late to the game in crucial modern technologies like mobile, search, media, gaming and tablets. It has even fallen behind in Web browsing, a market it once ruled with an iron fist.

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Outgoing Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie called out Microsoft's lost ground in a blog post over the weekend.

"Our early and clear vision notwithstanding, [competitors'] execution has surpassed our own in mobile experiences, in the seamless fusion of hardware & software & services, and in social networking & myriad new forms of internet-centric social interaction," he said.

It's not like Microsoft didn't foresee the changes ahead. With a staff of almost 90,000, the company has many of the tech world's smartest minds on its payroll, and has incubated projects in a wide range of fields that later took off. Experiments like Courier (tablets), HailStorm/Passport (digital identity), and Windows Media Center (content in the cloud) show the company was ahead of the game in many areas -- but then it either failed to bring those products to market, or didn't execute.

Is the house of Windows falling apart? Are people throwing rocks into Windows? What problems are in the X-Box and Windows department?

With Xbox, Microsoft succeeded at innovating: It created a competitive video game brand for hardcore gamers. But even Xbox was outdueled by Nintendo with the Wii, which outsold Xbox by appealing to casual gamers.

Then there's the epicenter of the Microsoft universe: Windows. Microsoft likes to point out that its operating system is its biggest consumer brand and Windows 7 has been selling rapidly. Its new version has sold 240 million licenses in a year, making it the fastest-selling OS in Microsoft's history.

But Windows' momentum isn't from consumers. In fact, consumers are a worry for the Windows division, because they have dramatically slowed their purchases of PCs in recent months.

Rather, the fast sales are coming from businesses, which significantly delayed their purchases of new Windows licenses because Windows Vista was bug-ridden mess. Then the recession hit. A years-overdue corporate PC refresh cycle is now happening all at once.

In other words, regular consumers don't give a rat's ass about Microsoft.

Next NPD, if it comes out, may be doom and gloom for any one company, or all of em. Can you figure out which one? Stay tuned, and remember to join the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear if you can, or watch it this Saturday.

Works Cited:
Computer and Video Games
The New York Times
CNN Money

NPD's fallout: Angst if you do, Angst if you don't

Folks, if you remember last week, the NPD announced that they were no longer posting up the hardware and software sales to the public. It hurt me so much that I didn't post up any numbers that have been shown. But the NPD has finally released its reason why. And sure enough, it makes me mad

She explained, "We’ve long acknowledged that our reporting of monthly point-of-sale purchases (covering new physical sales of hardware, software and accessories only, not used game sales) did not represent 100 percent of the consumer spend on the industry."

NPD said earlier this month it would stop reporting specific U.S. monthly hardware sales figures and video game software sales figures, although the group said it may release some unit sales data on a case-by-case basis. The firm still reports dollar-sales figures from retail.

The majority of the industry's consumer spend still happens at physical video game retailers, said Frazier. But business models based on digital downloads, virtual item buys, mobile apps and subscription models are generating more and more revenue for game companies.

100%? Digital Downloads? HOW DARE YOU! How am I to prove my overly-bias attitude towards a game console if you decided not to show the sales figures of every system released that month? Oh I am angry at the fact that you took away my reason to be a jerkass. And don't you dare pull your "Unnecessary Angst" on me.

"Since new physical sales at retail have been down for some months now, the news that the industry is beleaguered has been widely covered, and it has caused unnecessary angst for many," Frazier said.

NPD reported last week that combined digital, used and rental game sales were between $2.6 and $2.9 billion for the first half of the year, in addition to the $3.7 billion spent at physical retail on new games, hardware and accessories for the period.

Oh you just didn't. YOU JUST DIDN'T. HOW DARE YOU!

Now am I to brag that the Playstation 3 outsold the Wii if you refuse to release the numbers? This makes me so mad that I want to start a Video Game variation of the Tea Party

Works Cited:
Gamasutra

NPD: This is the end my friends

Normally, today would be the day when the NPD would release its data, both Hardware and Software. When the NPD released its data, the respective fanboy who hardware is number 1 would get bragging rights over the others. Lately, it has been Microsoft, but most of the time it's Nintendo.

But it seems that starting this month, the NPD may no longer show the public the sales numbers of its hardware and software, period.

NPD's monthly public report on video game software and hardware sales in the US will change this month. The most noticeable alteration will be the removal of hardware and software unit sales. The company will still provide a monthly list of the top ten selling "physical purchases" (i.e. brick-and-mortar retail) on consoles, but by title and not by individual platform SKUs -- meaning multi-platorm games will be clumped in one sum. The company will also continue to provide notes from its analyst, which may contain software sales figures. If this format seems familiar... congratulations, you're a reader of the weekly UK Chart-Track sales data.

That alone is gonna bring down fanboys left and right. How are we to prove our doucheness if we don't have any proof that our system is doing better? Or which version of a multiplatform game is selling better?

Folks. It's pretty obvious.

THE INDUSTRY IS OUT TO GET YOUR FANBOYISM! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

"This post also reminds you to join the March to Keep Fear Alive"

Works Cited:
Joystiq

Extra Life/Game Over: A relic is broken

Folks, this week is Sonic 4 week. Sonic 4 has released on the Wii and iPhone and will also release on the 360 and PS3. But something within me has sparked an outrage, which brings us to the Extra Life/Game Over segment

First off, a Game over to SEGA for breaking the Sonic Cycle. That's right. We look at the Sonic Cycle for Hype and Hope and it gets shattered when it doesn't meet our expectation. It's a religious symbol of the Sonic fan community.

But when SEGA decided to release a good Sonic game on Consoles for once, I got steamed. A Sonic game that is good?

It may not be the be all end all Sonic game that professed enthusiasts like myself have been waiting 15 years for, but Sonic 4 is a fun, frenetic download for fans and newcomers alike. "Game Informer review"

Sonic 4 is short, but sweet and well worth downloading"IGN Review"

It's deserving of your time and your money despite its length. But more importantly, it's deserving of the name 'Sonic The Hedgehog 4'. That was always going to be this game's biggest challenge, but it's succeeded with aplomb"GameRadar

SEGA. What are you doing? You just broke a sacred code of shame. You just wrecked the Sonic Cycle. Now how am I gonna get disappointed at a video game character who looks almost like Mickey Mouse's long lost brother? SEGA, you better mess up Sonic Colors or I will throw a fit bigger than whoever yelled about Final Fantasy XIII on the X-Box 360.

Speaking of Final Fantasy, an Extra Life to SquareEnix for finally causing Final Fantasy to jump the shark. And oh boy. IT's a doozy.

Final Fantasy XIV is in no way, shape, or form ready for commercial release. We suppose there is potential down the line for the experience to improve with patches and tweaks, but that doesn't justify why the game is in such shambles at launch. "GameTralers review"

While there's a lot to consider when building your ideal class, there's far too little interesting structured content to chew on, resulting in an experience that quickly grows tedious and tiresome. "IGN Review"

It's a shame they weren't put to use in a game worthy of the Final Fantasy brand. Certainly, Final Fantasy XIV will improve as features are added, yet the failures go beyond the superficial. Updates may address a multitude of flaws, but "fun" is not a feature that can be added with a simple patch."Gamespot review"

SquareEnix, thank you for filling in a gap that SEGA destroyed. In return, we have forged a new cycle called "The Final Fantasy cycle." The cycle goes like this

1) SquareEnix announces new Final Fantasy: People hype it

2) Final Fantasy gets tons of videos: People hype it to hell as the best game

3) Reviews come out not so good: People swear off of Final Fantasy, till the next announcement

But I'm warning you Square. My bout with SEGA went sour because of Sonic 4. Don't you dare make Final Fantasy XV the best game ever or you will feel my rage. And I guarantee it

Note: All reviews(With the exception of the GameSpot review of Final Fantasy XIV) can be found off of Metacritic

Wow. Has it been that long since my last post?

So yeah. It's been awhile since my last post. But we can state this in a few posts

1) GoG.com came back online days after it shut down. For what was panic, it did cause people to flip out over the fear of losing their content.

2) The 3DS's release date is said to be in March. Rumor has it that it will cost more than a PSP did in 2005. Personally, I think that's actually a good idea because the last thing you need are kids demanding mommy to get a 3DS and a copy of Spongebob 3D

3) NBA Jam will feature the return of Bill and Hillary Clinton as well as Al Gore. Also featured are President Obama and Vice President Biden. No word on why Michelle Obama isn't in the game. I assume she faints at the sight of a Basketball. Also for you Tea Partiers, we have George W Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain, and everyone's favorite Mama Grizzly Sarah Palin. Next thing you'll know Sarah will quit the game halfway to protest Obama's goal tending tactic.

GoG.com, where are you?

Folks, yesterday we awoke to a rude awakening yesterday when GoG.com's site has shut down. Instead of having their service available, they had the following message available.

We have recently had to give serious thought to whether we could really keep GOG.com the way it is. We've debated on it for quite some time and, unfortunately, we've decided that GOG.com simply cannot remain in its current form.

We're very grateful for all support we've received from all of you in the past two years. Working on GOG.com was a great adventure for all of us and an unforgettable journey to the past, through the long and wonderful history of PC gaming.

This doesn't mean the idea behind GOG.com is gone forever. We're closing down the service and putting this era behind us as new challenges await.

On a technical note, this week we'll put in place a solution to allow everyone to re-download their games. Stay tuned to this page and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

All the best,
GOG.com Team

Back in 2008, GoG.com launched its service with one thing: Cheap classic games on the PC with no DRM. But it seems that business practices have forced them to close up shop. However, some word on what will happen to your purchases has come out.

First of all, we apologize everyone for the whole situation and closing GOG.com. We do understand the timing for taking down the site caused confusion and many users didn't manage to download all their games. Unfortunately we had to close the service due to business and technical reasons.

At the same time we guarantee that every user who bought any game on GOG.com will be able to download all their games with bonus materials, DRM-free and as many times as they need starting this Thursday.

The official statement from GOG.com's management concerning the ongoing events is planned on Wednesday. If you want to receive further information about GOG.com, please send an email to update_media@gog.com if you're a media representative or to update_users@gog.com if you're a user without a GOG account.

To those who have a GoG.com, be patient. You will be getting your stuff back starting that day. As for the service itself, it is unknown on what will be the fate of GoG.com.

Works Cited
GamePolitics

NPD August 2010: Lonely Summer edition

Folks, I may have overslept on this month's NPD due to anticipations of WoW: Cataclysm. But lemme assure you, I have read up on the NPD and it ain't pretty.

August 2010

System	Sales
Wii	244K
DS	343K
Xbox 360	357K
PlayStation 3	226K
Playstation Portable	79K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

July 2010

System	Sales
Wii	253.9K
DS	398.4K
Xbox 360	443.5K
PlayStation 3	214.5K
Playstation Portable	84.0K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

Compared to last month, hardware sales decided to take a dive. Only the PS3 went up. Despite this, the 360 continues its lead against the DS and the Wii. The PSP is in a horrible position right now selling under 100K.

But unfortunately, this isn't the only set of bad news that's going on. Software sales aren't looking hot ether

Software	Publisher	System	Sales
Madden NFL 2011	Electronic Arts	360	920.8K
Madden NFL 2001	Electronic Arts	PS3	893.6K
Super Mario Galaxy 2	Nintendo	Wii	124.6K
Mafia 2	360	Take 2	121.6K
New Super Mario Bros DS	Nintendo	DS	110.4K
New Super Mario Bros Wii	Nintendo	Wii	N/A
Mafia 2	Take 2	PS3
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2	Activision	360	N/A
NCAA Football 2011	Electronic Arts	360	N/A
WiiFit Plus	Nintendo	Wii	N/A

While Madden NFL 2011 is a smashing success on the 360 and PS3, the PS2 version trailed and the Wii version is nowhere on the top 20(I am only recording the Top 10). Furthermore, the gap between Madden NFL on PS3 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is wider. Another word of warning is that New Super Mario Bros Wii did less than 100K in software sales. Bad software, or the recession? Regardless, it sucks to be video game software.

No doubt Halo Reach will be in the top spot. But will gaming continue its decline? Stay tuned.

Double Trouble: Penny Arcade Expo edition

For those of you who are attending the Penny Arcade Expo, you should be aware of two things going on. And that leads us to tonight's Double Trouble

First off, we all know about the fabled Duke Nukem Forever. That game has been in development FOREVER. I thought no one would ever release that game since 1998. Then the following just happened.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Duke Nukem is back and Duke Nukem Forever is coming out next year, with someone new developing it: GEARBOX SOFTWARE

The title will be a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, which Pitchford himself had worked on, and will feature both multiplayer and single-player modes. The title is expected to ship next year, with Gearbox currently in the "polishing phase."]

In addition, Jim Sterling had this to say about the return of the king himself after test driving Duke Nukem Forever

Gearbox Software is possibly insane for taking on this project, a game which has twelve years of expectations and notoriety behind it. However, the studio has risen to the challenge and created a game that feels so incredibly Duke that you have to respect it no matter what. This is Duke Nukem at his puerile finest, and just from the demo, I was laughing out loud. It's not even that it's particularly witty. The humor is just so incredibly stupid that it starts to take on the illusion of brilliance, and that's what matters.

Welcome back Duke. Hail to the King indeed.

Meanwhile, in LucasArts booth, something strange happened to Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2 for the Wii. As if Smash Bros just infested it.

New Star Wars Multiplayer Might Remind You Of Super Smash Bros. At PAX, LucasArts is showing off what person after person keeps calling Star Wars Smash Bros. Wrong?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WRONG? I'VE PLAYED SMASH BROS AND I KNOW WHAT SMASH BROS IS!

The video I've shot and am showing you here is the offline multiplayer mode in October's Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. And, no, its designer says, Smash Bros. was not the inspiration.

Not the inspriation? Smash Bros was the game that made all out brawls popular on video games. What other game was the inspiration?

It turns out that creative lead James Clarendon at Red Fly Studio is a fan of many fighting games and drew from inspirations as diverse as SNK vs. Capcom and... The Outfoxies? Clarendon told me that that game is an antecedent of Smash Bros. What he liked about that one is its use of transforming levels.

OutFoxies? What's an Outfoxies? This is a Smash Bros clone and...



Nevermind. I take it back.

Works Cited: Destructoid Article 1: Yup, Gearbox brings Duke Nukem Forever to PAX
Destructoid Article 2:
I played Duke Nukem Forever today ... what the f*ck!?
Kotaku: New Star Wars Multiplayer Might Remind You Of Super Smash Bros.

For more on the Outfoxies, go here

Commodore: Back with a Vengeance, and a side story on Kingdom Hearts

Folks. I am excited. It seems Commodore, one of the makers of the computers of the early 80s before Microsoft stepped, may be back with a vengeance. The computer maker has announced that it's making a comeback with the old Computer inside a Keyboard made for a new generation.

In addition to newer models for the sleeker, geekier, modern computer whiz, Commodore is even coming out with a new variation of its old C64 model. Destructoid has this to say

The systems may look old on the outside but have enough packed inside to make for a rather serviceable computer. The Commodore PC64 will include an Intel Atom 535 processor with an NVIDIA Ion2 graphics card, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a terabyte hard disk and a DVD-ROM (with optional Blu-Ray). The system is expected to release in time for the holidays.

Commodore fans. Your time of salvation has come. Everyone else, I suggest you give it a shot.

Here's hoping that these keyboard computers are backwards compatible with oldskool Commodore Programs and allows me to hook up the keyboard to a Television Screen.

And Very late news. For those of you who own a PSP Go, it seems Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep will not be a downloadable game and will be a retail-only game. That is just wrong. What are you thinking SquareEnix? I want a reason to trash my PSP-2000 and go with just PSP Go. I want to GO and you're telling me to STOP. HOW DARE YOU.

Works Cited: Destructoid
You can read more about The Kingdom Hearts story here

Mega Man Online: First Trailer

We all believe that Mega Man Universe is the Mega Man MMO. We thought it would be the Mega Man game to play with others.

Not so fast. Capcom has revealed the trailer of Mega Man Online with help by Neowiz. And Kotaku is the first to report on this trailer.

At least, they do in this teaser trailer for the game, which owes as as much to something like Akira as it does the Blue Bomber. There is of course no gameplay footage to be seen, but if you've ever dreamt of an adult-oriented Mega Man animated feature, then you'd better watch the clip below. Then watch it again.

Mega Man fans will note that the game is throwing together some of the franchise's different series, with both Mega Man and Mega Man X characters squaring off together.

That's right. Let's throw in Mega Man, Roll, Dr Light, Proto Man, Bass, and Dr Wily alongside Iris(Aren't you suppose to be dead?), Alia, and Signas.

Anyway, here's the Trailer.



Works Cited: Kotaku

Was Sony's lead more Luck-based?

Recently, a new Game Overthinker has questioned on how Sony may have got to the top of the hardware charts between 1994-2005. Many reasons why Sony dominated included this

1) During the SNES/Genesis era, game carts were still considered the media used for gaming systems while CDs started to take off for Computers

2) SEGA's attempt to enter the CD market was piss-poor at best.

3) Nintendo made a dick move with Sony on the CD-Rom system, switched over to Phillips, then abandonded it completely.

4) SEGA kept dropping the ball with the Saturn. Especially in America(In Japan, it still held out)

5) Nintendo stuck with Carts for the N64.

6) 3rd Parties left Nintendo and SEGA for Sony when the Playstation came out.

That, along with other events lead to the Playstation domination that started in the late 90s, a time when gaming meant huge epic adventures, gorgeous cut scenes, more M-rated titles, and bishounen mama's boys like Sephiroth. What lead to the PS2's epic domination may have included....

1) DVDs as the main source of media

2) Nintendo jumps onto disc media, but only propriatery media

3) Microsoft's X-Box project gets out of the door almost as bad as SEGA. Halo ironically, bailed them out

4) Games like GTA, Kingdom Hearts, Jak and Daxter, etc. Basically, Sony continuing to hold onto 3rd party presence.

So what happened? What turned a once-great hardware company into dead last for a majority of this generation? Why did Sony, who got back at Nintendo for ditching them on the CD-Rom, wound up getting clubbed by the same company?

You can watch the Overthinker clip here as MovieBob himself has a look into Sony's past, their success, and their failure.

Going on an 8-Bit Rampage

Grand Theft Auto. It is the game that created the famous "Steal people's cars and do whatever the hell you want with them" gameplay. So awesome that it spawned many different variations, and flavors. Some of em taste like Asphalt. But one person decided to take the oldskool GTA formula, and go wild with it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you, the WiiWare-exclusive title: Retro City Rampage



That's right. Nothing like a good GTA-clone if its a) 8-bit b) Over the top c) Borrows elements from Contra, Metal Gear and Bionic Commando and d) Is completely over the top all complete with a story.

If you want to read more about it, check out the link below.

You can ready up more at The official website

NPD July 2010: Wings of Liberty Edition

Folks. It's August time and we're gonna take a peak at the last month in game sales during Comic-Con time. How well has each system done? Let's find out

July 2010

System	Sales
Wii	253.9K
DS	398.4K
Xbox 360	443.5K
PlayStation 3	214.5K
Playstation Portable	84.0K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

June 2010

System	Sales
Wii	422.5K
DS	510.7K
Xbox 360	451.7K
PlayStation 3	304.8K
Playstation Portable	121.0K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

While the 360 is the only system to remain above 400K, sales overall have dropped big time. The Wii is slightly above the PS3. The PSP is below 100K. It's almost like earlier this year.

And suffice to say, it's gonna be worst for the software. Why? Well, let me show ya.

Software	Publisher	System	Sales
NCAA Football 2011	Electronic Arts	360	368.0K
NCAA Football 2001	Electronic Arts	PS3	298.8K
Crackdown 2	Microsoft	360	208.8K
Super Mario Galaxy 2	Nintendo	Wii	193.0K
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4	Warner Bros Interactive	DS	141.7K
Red Dead Redemption	Take 2	360	N/A
Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4	Warner Bros Interactive	Wii
Dragon Quest IX	SquareEnix	DS	N/A
New Super Mario Bros Wii	Nintendo	Wii	N/A
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2	ActivisionBlizzard	360	N/A

Overall, sales are down. The 360 version of Red Dead Redemption fell to 7 while the PS3 version fell off the charts. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is still in the Top 4 while the DS version of Lego Harry Potter is in 5th and its Wii version is in 7th. New to the charts is Foozball ala NCAA in the Top 2 charts with Crackdown 2 right behind. Not to rain on anyone's parade, Dragon Quest IX is right behind the Wii version of Lego Harry Potter. Rounding out the Top 10, New Super Mario Bros Wii and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the 360.

But why are sales down? Is it because the people aren't interested? Or have Starcraft 2 dominated? Word has it that Starcraft 2 sold 721K in North America and more than a Million Worldwide, making it the best selling game of last month. Has the Starcraft craze struck down console gaming that month? And if so, will it give Consoles another kick in the nuts this month? Stay tuned for next month.

Double Troube: Activision and Nintendo

There's trouble in the air and it's not just the end of Chowder. It's Double Trouble

First off, my finger is pointed at Activision. Or rather this article on how to be better than Activision

Today, almost everyone loves EA, thanks to new IPs, but largely because it’s no longer the top dog, nor does it make waves in the press. Instead, the critics cast stones at Activision. Gamers despise Activision because it released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. They also hate the way the publisher treated Infinity Ward, despite the fact that Infinity Ward created Modern Warfare 2. They hate Activision because it teamed with Blizzard, but they still love Blizzard, despite the fact that it has links to Activision. And since these people sit online waiting for Activision to say or do something unsavory (even if it involves announcing another Shrek game), that means journalists have to write plenty of anti-Activision articles to feed to flames. To that, I have this to say:

Leave Activision alone.

How dare you tell me to leave Activision alone. I wanna scream at them because I can just like I did with Electronic Arts(And I still scream at EA like a rabid jackass). And yes, I hate Activision because they are popular and their games are selling compared to Game X. But the ranting goes on

First, I’m willing to bet that the company hasn’t done anything terrible to you, unless you consider releasing some bad games a terrorist act. Second, I’m also willing to bet that the company you work for is about as evil. But here’s the thing about using that word. Evil and business don’t always go together, and you can’t link the two unless you understand how the latter works.

Listen, no one should blame Activision for milking franchises till they dry up. If you truly feel passionate about recycled content and sequels, then you obviously don’t watch movies, TV or listen to music. Never forget that video games are a business, and some publishers don’t bring awful Japanese RPGs to the U.S. so they can sell 6,000 copies.

But I want the Awful Japanese RPG over the genericly good FPS(Unless you have something like Starcraft). And lemme tell you something. We should be more passionate about Original IPs all while they rot on the shelf while we buy and whine about Generic Sequel number 666. That's proof that we care about gaming, by refusing to buy the Original IPs.

And what's worse, these are his suggestions on how to handle Activision

On that note, I have two suggestions for you if you despise Activision.

1. If you hate Activision, stop buying its games. Even better, stop talking about Activision. My car has a dent in the hood, and I forget it exists because I don’t obsess over it every single day of my life.

But I wanna talk about Activision and their evils. We're on a crusade, not a boycott. And I would rather buy the games and whine about it proudly than not buy its games and praise Activision. Got a better suggestion?

2. If you hate Activision, go buy several thousands shares of Activision. Then you can attend investor meetings and scream at Bobby Kotick until you pass out.

A good idea. Unless you consider being tasered at an investor meeting a good idea. Then forget it. I'll stick to being a flaming jackass at Bobby Kotick and sinking lower than him.

And second off, Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has released a Document about the Social Acceptance of Video Games. Due to the size of this, I have created a link to said image

Just click here

Now take alook at that bar and tell me what's wrong? You know what's wrong? WE LOST MOVIES, MUSIC AND TV TO THE CASUALS. That's right. Those kinds of stuff should only be made for us for our little funtimes in our basements. Not to everyone. And we're slowly, but surely, losing video games to the massive audiences. Soon, everyone, even the local Tea Parties, will be enjoying fragging each other in Halo Reach Deathmatches. Imagine your own Grandmother beating the pants off of you in Starcraft II.

Scary isn't it?

Works Cited:
Run DLC Article: Leave Activision Alone by Chris Buffa
Nintendo Annual Report(Link by GoNintendo)

IGN to knock 80 points off its review scale

Folks, times are changing and it doesn't look good. It seems our buds at IGN will be revamping its review system. This is according to Hillary Goldstein of IGN

I'm referring to our review scale which has, since IGN's inception more than a decade ago, scored games on a 100-point scale. That changes today.

After many long discussions (and really, this has been going on for years), we've decided to alter our review scale. From today forward, we will score games on a 20-point scale (meaning games score will be 7.0 or 7.5 or 8.0, etc.).

This is an outrage to us geeks. Gone will be the day where one point justifies that game a is better than game b. And here's is Hilary's justification to the bastardization of the score system

But more and more the score (with a 100-point scale) has come to define the game, which is not our intention. The score should say, "This game is in the same league as these other games of the same score" and the criticism lives within the text (which we hope you all read) as well as the discussions that occur after the review.

My hope is that by simplifying the score, we open up further debate. The "best" game won't be determined strictly by a tenth of a point (as is the current case with Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption) but instead by legitimate discussion comparing the quality of two games that are relative equals.

But here's the thing Hilary. We don't want legitimate discussion. We want to flame each other over a stupid review score by a single decimal to determine what game is good and what game is bad. Next thing you'll know, other review sites will be doing the same thing, like Gamespot, or Destructoid....wait. Destructoid does something like that.

Works Cited:
Take a wild guess

Starcraft and my days at Comic-Con

Folks, it's been awhile since I last posted as I was having too much fun at Comic-Con. There were many games that I tried out in addition to Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I also played Marvel vs Capcom 3, Metroid Other M, OkamiDen, Sengoku Basara Samurai Hero, and the DS version of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Anyway, on Tuesday, many familiar PC gamers picked up their rifles and yelled "Hell. It's about time." That's right, we all got Starcraft fever and every one of you should have Starcraft 2.

But what about those who got the Collector's Edition? Well this is for you boys

1) A Copy of Starcraft 2
2) An artbook of Starcraft 2
3) A behind the scenes DVD of Starcraft 2
4) A Soundtrack
5) A USB Drive that resembles a Metal Dogtag. A copy of the original Starcraft and its expansion Brood War are installed on it
6) A Comic book featured around the War Pigs unit
7) And downloadable content that activates when you link the Collector's Edition to your Battle.net Account(A newer variation of Thor and a Mini-Thor pet for World of Warcraft users)

Reviews are starting to come in for this game and so far, many reviews enjoy the new take on Starcraft. I will be testing out this new game. If you have the chance, go ahead and pick up Starcraft 2, or double dip for the Collector's Edition. In the meantime, happy hunting.

You can look at the reviews at:
Metacritc

Comic-Con Impressions: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Folks, I've been to Comic-Con preview night, and lemme tell ya, it makes a buffalo stampede look like a quiet crowd. I was able to get my hands on a Wii-exclusive title: Batman the Brave and the Bold, a Wii/DS Exclusive title based on the Animated Series of the same name.

For those of you wanting a Wii Brave and the Bold take on Arkham Asylum, think again. This game is a complete 100% 2D Beat-em-up. You can choose between Batman and the pre-selected partner of that stage. For the Catwoman stage, you have Robin. For the Rogues gallery, you have Green Lantern Guy Gardner.

You attack with the A button and jump with B. The cOntrol pad will select you special ability and you can use it with Z. C is to block. And when you have a Super Charge, shake both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck to perform a super attack that will knock your enemies senseless. You can even invite a 2nd player to join you.

If you're looking for an epic Batman title, you're better off with Arkham Asylum 1 or 2. But if you're wanting a good ol fashion beat-em-up, The Brave and the Bold may be for you.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Pre-Comic Con Capcom edition

Folks, we are 2 days away from Comic-Con and already there is a massive storm brewing over what may be shown. Ladies and gentlemen, the Double Trouble: PRe-Comic-Con Capcom edition.

First off, word has it that Capcom is collaborating with Namco on a new Fighting game. Or should I say, 2 Fighting Games.

Capcom vs Namco
Namco vs Capcom

So why 2 Fighting Games? Turns out there is rumors that there will be 2 styles of Fighting. Capcom's side will be 2D ala Street Fighter. Namco's side will be 3D ala Tekken. Here's what Kotaku had to say

Note these are fighting games, not a continuation of the old Namco x Cappcom RPG title that appeared on the previous hardware generation. Why two games? Simple: each company makes one! Capcom would be developing Capcom vs Namco, built on the Street Fighter IV engine, while Namco will develop Namco vs Capcom, which will run on the Tekken 6 engine.

As fighting game fans are already no doubt coming to grips with, this would mean two significantly different games, Street Fighter IV's 2D arenas contrasted nicely with Tekken's more three-dimensional combat.

GI say that Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono is handling Capcom's side of the deal, while it's expected Namco Bandai's Katsuhiro Harada will be in charge of the opposing project.

That's right. You want to partake in this process? You can choose between 2D or 3D Gameplay. Those who grew up on Street Fighter or Darkstalkers can go Capcom vs Namco while those who are familiar with Tekken or Soul Calibur can go Namco vs Capcom. Everyone wins, unless you're a gamer who thinks 3D Polygons are blasphemy to gaming.

Second, last week, Capcom announced a new Mega Man game called Mega Man Universe. This game will be available on PSN and XBLA and from the looks of the trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IkCn8ucFJg

it looks like players will play as Mega Man, Ryu(street fighter), Arthur(Ghouls N Ghost) and the Mega Man on the Mega Man 1 cover*SHOT*

Later this week, we'll learn more about Mega Man Universe and the Capcom/Namco collaboration. Till then, stay tuned

Works Cited

Kotaku

Note: I may be testing out games at Comic-Con tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled.

NPD June 2010: In memory of Peter Fernandez (1927-2010)

Folks, before we get down to the NPD Nitty Gritty, just wanna pull something up about Comic-Con. As a word of warning, the Comic-Con will have some unnecessary guests in the form of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Westboro Baptist Church, the notorious "Gods Hates Fags" congregation out of Kansas, will be in San Diego next week to rain down 45 minutes of eternal and inconsequential damnation upon your idolatrous worship of Spider-Man and Green Lantern.

That's right Churchgoers of Optimus Prime and Megatron. You're going to hell because you'd rather be an Autobot or a Decepticon, and not a flesh'n blood human.

Moving right along, it's NPD time again. And we just came off of the last NPD a couple of weeks ago. How'd we do hardware wise?

June 2010

System	Sales
Wii	422.5K
DS	510.7K
Xbox 360	451.7K
PlayStation 3	304.8K
Playstation Portable	121.0K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

May 2010

System	Sales
Wii	334.8K
DS	383.7K
Xbox 360	194.6K
PlayStation 3	154.5K
Playstation Portable	59.4K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

Believe it or not, Sales are up this time. The 360 overtakes the Wii while the DS maintains its lead over both systems. Even the PS3 made a huge jump. But it seems the PSP is over 100K. No word on the PS2 as it looks like the NPD has called it quits on the PS2.

Software time. And we're going back to the old Chart compared to May's report. So how'd we do this time? Did Autobots and Decepticons rumble in? Did a Snake sneak through? Let's find out

Software	Publisher	System	Sales
Red Dead Redemption	Take 2	360	582.9K
Super MArio Galaxy 2	Nintendo	DS	548.4K
Red Dead Redemption	Take 2	PS3	380.3K
New Super Mario Bros Wii	Nintendo	Wii	200.9K
Just Dance	Ubisoft	Wii	174.8K
Wii Fit Plus	Nintendo	Wii	N/A
Toy Story 3	Disney Interactive	DS
UFC 2010: Undisputed	THQ	360	N/A
Lego Harry Potter	Warner Bros	Wii	N/A
UFC 2010: Undisputed	THQ	PS3	N/A

Nnnnn...no. Unfortunately, Optimus Prime, Big Boss and even Zero failed to make the Top 10 games. While Red Dead Redemption is continuing its spot on the charts, Mario is starting to weaken the Sheriff Red Dead's grip by bypassing the PS3 version. New Super MArio Bros Wii is right behind the PS3 version with Just Dance dancing in 5th. Wii Fit Plus is still on the charts. Strangely, the DS version of Toy Story 3 is the only version of Toy Story 3 on the charts. Rounding out the top 10 are UFC 2010 in 8th and 10th respectively while Lego Harry Potter is sandwiched in between. So much for relying on Dumbledore.

Will Seth Green convince DS owners to get Dragon Quest IX when next month's sales come out? Stay tuned.

Works Cited:
Kotaku report on Westboro Baptist Church

BREAKING: Sonic's new voice actor

Folks, we just got word that Jason Griffith and Amy Palant will no longer be the voice of Sonic and Tails as Sonic and SEGA All-Star Racing is their last role. Sonic's new Voice Actor is now Roger Craig Smith.

Smith's no stranger to SEGA ether. He has had voice roles in two other SEGA games: Madworld and Valkyria Chronicles. He is also the current voice of Chris Redfield since Resident Evil 5.

Replacing Amy Palant is Kate Higgins of Naruto fame(Voice of Sakura), Like Roger, Kate has had voice roles in both Valkyria Chronicles and Madworld. She is also the voice of Tina Armstrong in Dead or Alive.

Not to be down and out, Mike Pollock will remain on board as Eggman's voice actor.

Works Cited: Sonic City blognik

Backlash on Blizzard = Boo boo by ESRB

Folks, if you play World of Warcraft, many of you had gotten teed off over the Real ID system that was implemented with Patch 3.3.5. Many fans have written to the ESRB over the complaint on Blizzard's Real ID system.

During the recent Real ID catastrophe on the forums, many players decided to appeal to an industry source that might have been able to sway Blizzard to change its mind. These players contacted the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) as a Better Business Bureau-type middleman in this situation with their concerns. The ESRB itself has championed such causes in the past with its Privacy Online program, which is designed to help companies meet various privacy laws like the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

That should be enough to teach Blizzard not to use real names in a fantasy game, right?

However, it appears as if the ESRB don't necessarily understand the basics themselves. In what could be called a rookie mistake, the ESRB did a Reply All to everyone who had emailed them with concerns, thus unintentionally exposing almost 1,000 email addresses to the other recipients.

Oops. Looks like the ESRB accidentally pulled the same situation that Blizzard did, except with Email addresses. It's almost as if Beavis and Butthead themselves were the ones who did the replying



But fortunately, the ESRB has issued an apology involving what justhappened.

Yesterday we sent an e-mail to a number of consumers who wrote to us in recent days expressing their concern with respect to Blizzard's Real ID program. Given the large number of messages we received, we decided to respond with a mass e-mail so those who'd written us would receive our response as quickly as possible - rather than responding to each message individually, as is our usual practice.

Through an unfortunate error by one of our employees, some recipients were able to see the e-mail addresses of others who wrote on the same issue. Needless to say, it was never our intention to reveal this information and for that we are genuinely sorry. Those who write to ESRB to express their views expect and deserve to have their contact and personal information protected. In this case, we failed to do so and are doing everything we can to ensure it will not happen again in the future.

The fact that our message addressed individuals' concerns with respect to their privacy underscores how truly disappointing a mistake this was on our part. We work with companies to ensure they are handling people's private information with confidentiality, care and respect. It is only right that we set a good example and do no less ourselves.

We sincerely apologize to those who were affected by this error and appreciate their understanding.

Sincerely,
Entertainment Software Rating Board


Folks, if you want more on the Real ID fiasco, you can read more about it here. And keep your eyes on this page tomorrow. I have a feeling the NPD will be available.

Works Cited
WoW page 1 This includes the letter concering the Real ID fiasco.
WoW Page 2

Everybody's a little bit racist

Folks, if you're like me, you're itching to go get a copy of Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS. However, the folks at SquareEnix are a little uneasy lately. According to this translated interview, Yuji Horii, who worked on Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, had this to say about Turn-based RPGs nowadays

"I sometimes wonder why the U.S. reviewers are more negative towards turn-based battle system. Real-time play has fun aspects too, but for this type of game there is more strategy that comes with a turn-based system. Also, you can play with other people in this game and decide what actions to take together. Real-time play has fun aspects too, but for this type of game there is more strategy that comes with a turn-based system So, you can play with other people in this game and decide what actions to take together."

Now come on Yuji Horii. That's not fair to say the least. If what you said was true, Final Fantasy XIII would have bombed harder than 1.8 million units. I mean, its not like it sold worst than FFXII in America. Heck, it's not like he has a thing with Elder Scroll and....

Oblivion. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I like that a lot.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Say it ain't so Yuji Horii. Say you didn't betray your Japanese RPG fan community for Elder Scrolls IV

Works cited IGN

May NPD 2010: Better late than never

Folks, after along time, the NPD for May 2010 has finally arrived. And it took a long time for it to come out.

Now normally, we would do the hardware first and then the Software. But this time, I'd like to do something different. We're gonna show the software first. The software. And we're gonna do it in ascending order with the Top 20 courtesy of Gamasutra(Please note we can only list the Sales of the top 5 games.

Number 20: Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, Wii): STrange. I thought this would do almost as well as Wii Fit

Number 19: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward/Activision, Xbox 360): Hey. What happened to Battlefield 2: Bad Company? Why is this still in the Top 20?

Number 18: ModNation Racers (United Front/Sony, PS3): An enjoyable racer which unfortunately isn't doing as well as Mario Kart. Speaking of which, look at Number 16

Number 17: Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom, PS3): The newest update to Capcom's 4th Street Fighter game. But didn't Capcom have numerous Street Fighter chapters before?

Number 16: Mario Kart, with wheel (Nintendo, Wii): How this is still in the Top 20 is beyond me.

Number 15: Just Dance (Ubisoft, Wii): You ain't the late Michael Jackson with this game.

Number 14: God of War III (Sony Santa Monica, PS3): Kratos continues his training despite his fall from the top. And he has another game coming to the PSP.

Number 13: Pokemon Heartgold (Nintendo, DS): This version isn't as golden as the Silver version when it comes to sales

Number 12: New Super Mario Bros (Nintendo, DS): There are still people who want to play Mario's first return to 2D Gaming

Number 11: Lost Planet 2 (Capcom, Xbox 360): Not as big as the first Lost Planet. But it still gets the job done.

Number 10: Skate 3 (EA Canada/Electronic Arts, Xbox 360): EA's Skate continues its domination over Skateboarding games. But will Shaun White threaten EA's domination?

Number 09: Pokemon SoulSilver Version (Game Freak/Nintendo, NDS): Why is Silver worth more than Gold? I may never know

Number 08: Alan Wake (Remedy/Microsoft, Xbox 360): Detectives Wanted.

Number 07: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo, Wii): There's no stopping Mario's 2nd 2D return.

Number 06: Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo, Wii): They're still using that Balance Board? And I haven't got it yet?

Number 05: UFC 2010: Undisputed (Yuke's/THQ, PS3): The PS3 version of the UFC's Martial Arts fighter(Sales Figures: 192.3K)

Number 04: UFC 2010: Undisputed (Yuke's/THQ, Xbox 360): Careful. Don't let Brock Lesnar's fist go to your face(Sales Figures: 221.1K)

Number 03: Super Mario Galaxy 2(Nintendo, Wii): For the first time, a traditional Mario game doesn't hit the top spot on arrival(Not counting Mario Kart Wii)(Sales Figures: 563.9K)

Number 02: Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar San Diego/Take-Two, PS3): Reach for the Skies(Sales Figures: 567.1K)

Number 01: Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar San Diego/Take-Two, Xbox 360): Now why didn't Rockstar sign a deal with Disney and Pixar to put Woody, Jessie and Bullseye into this game? It would have caught the attention of Toy Story fans. Rockstar, Disney, you boys better put Woody in the next Red Dead title(Sales Figures: 945.9K)

And that's the Software. Now we're moving onto the hardware. Now right now, I assume that Red Dead Redemption helped the sales of the 360 and PS3 hardware. Well, lemme see it clear and bright.

May 2010

System	Sales
Wii	334.8K
DS	383.7K
Xbox 360	194.6K
PlayStation 3	154.5K
Playstation Portable	59.4K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

April 2010

System	Sales
Wii	277.2K
DS	440.8K
Xbox 360	185.4K
PlayStation 3	180.8K
Playstation Portable	65.5K
PlayStation 2	Unreported

NOOOOOO!

Well, unfortunately, it seems Wii sales have gone up while 360 sales have only edged up. PS3 sales unfortunately have fallen. DS sales are lower than the Wii's, but are still better than the Playstation Portables. How the mighty have fallen for Sony's PSP. Even a UMD-free PSP couldn't save them.

See you in a couple of weeks when we do the next NPD. Will it be lead by Autobots and Decepticons? Or has a Snake snuck in there?

Gamasutra article here

Sony: LEAVE 3D GLASSES ALONE

Everyone has a Chris Crocker deep on the inside. Sony is one of em, as the head of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida, tells Nintendo that poking fun at 3D Glasses is completely Taboo

"I have hope that they have a broader perspective with 3D," says Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida. "When you listen to what they are saying about the effect of 3D perspective to the games, they are saying the same message we are, but they don't have to bash some small part of what the other company is doing,

Exactly. They also had this to say about Nintendo

"We'd like to work together to promote 3D."

Personally, I think Nintendo is making a big mistake on creating a video game handheld that uses 3D Without the glasses. In fact, I would prefer if the system required a really bulky headset to wear just to see the real 3D popping out at ya. In fact, Sony agrees with needing glasses for true 3D

"If you really want a big theater experience, of course you have to wear glasses. With the latest technology, the glasses are light and you kind of forget you're wearing them after awhile."

But I object to kind of forget. If I want 3D glasses, I want them as bulky as possible, and as expensive as possible. Sony, do us all a favor and make the bulkiest and most expensive 3D Glasses as possible. It will do us all a favor on 3D so that we don't go breaking and/or misplacing our 3D glasses when Nintendo can do this without the need for em.

Works cited:
Destructoid

Normally, we don't cover Non-video game-related posts...

But this one is an exception.

Kevin Pereira of G4's Attack of the Show has done a Special Report on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. You can take alook at them at the links below


http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/exclusives/71218/BP-Gulf-Oil-Spill-Devastation.html
http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/exclusives/71229/BP-Oil-Spill-Effect-on-Wildlife.html

Zzzz wha?

Wait. E3 is over already? And we didn't get a chance to cover the Sony panel?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But anyway, for those of you who did look at E3 are aware of what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft had to offer. Many sites claim that E3 belonged to Nintendo due to their Wii game lineup and the upcoming 3DS. But one magazine claimed that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are completely out of touch with their fanbase, compared to Apple, who had NO showing at E3 this year

Microsoft's presentation on Monday set the tone for the week: There's a new Halo game coming out, but this time with space battles. The entire presentation reminded me of that Simpsons episode where Malibu Stacy gets a new hat. Halo: New Hat is due out sometime in the next year, will likely set some sales records, but will move the industry forward as much as a tractor on cinder blocks.

After the presentation, I called my old college hall mate who now works for Microsoft up in Seattle. We discussed the possibility of more Halo games coming out, including Halo racers, Master Chief themed pet games, and the potential for the faceless Halo protagonist becoming like Sonic, a bloated whore who has sold every ounce of dignity to produce increasingly irrelevant games. And we both realized we'd get paid handsomely for creating and covering these games. Maybe the industry doesn't need fixing.

Exactly. Halo is a franchise that keeps pumping out game after game after game, even though there are only 3 Halo games out on the 360 and a 4th is coming. I bet it can't catch up to the number that Super Mario Bros can get.

But something else bothered me. Goldeneye. What did Macworld have to say?

The saddest bunny that Nintendo pulled out of its hat was the trailer for a new Goldeneye 007 game. The reveal was met not by wowed enthusiasm, but instead with the sound of thousands of hands slapping a thousand foreheads. Electronic Arts tried to reboot/cash-in the Goldeneye franchise years ago with Goldeneye: Rogue Agent. Rogue Agent was a horrid mess of a game with a great premise; this new Goldeneye title looks like a horrid mess of a game with a bad premise. Nintendo is essentially trying to remaster a masterpiece while updating it with things like Daniel Craig's face.

There is no way the game can live up to the iconic Nintendo 64 first person shooter, and without the original developers from Rare, this new Goldeneye will be as well received as Blue Brothers 2000 or New Coke.

Of course Nintendo is gonna fail on their new Goldeneye. It's not like Activision is in charge of it and that Eurocom, who is working on this game, has hired former developers of the original Goldeneye. And how dare you compared this to Blues Brothers 2000 and the New Coke. Real men compare it to the Apple Pippin system that was a watered down Mac.

But finally, MacWorld looked at Nintendo's 3DS, and suffice to say, they're still stroking their iPhones

The Nintendo 3DS will sell like gangbusters but it still doesn't signal that Nintendo has any understanding of how the mobile market is changing. Sure, the 3DS has 3D graphics without glasses--but also without a sense of perspective. That is to say, Apple is eating their market and Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime is sitting in the white Buick with the devil as they go over the cliff, laughing, a la Thelma and Louise.

Of course it will sell like gangbusters but continue to suck. We've been saying about that for the Wii for years and yet it still continues to trounce the 360 and PS3 month after month. But what did they have to say about Sony?

Sony at least knows that the casual gaming market is gone to them. Apple's SDK can't be beaten by conventional platforms or conventional weapons, so at Sony's presentation, Sony reps took time to mew that their PSP platform is for "serious gamers." Which would explain the declining sales.

Exactly. Only serious gamers buy a PSP and/or a DS. Real gamers prefer to buy fart apps and other junk on their iPhone.

But Macworld had the final say of this.

The three big console developers, previously unchallenged in their supremacy, have become complacent swine, out of touch with the modern gamer. They keep making games that they already made because they know they will sell, not because they will be challenging, creative, or fun. How many times has Zelda been remade? Do we really need yet another Mortal Kombat, Twisted Metal, or Halo game? The snake is eating its own tail.

I don't have a problem with reboots per say, so long as we also have new franchises, new titles, and new genres to explore. And that what was lacking at E3 this year. While the big boys were wrestling over who had the better motion controls and who could find the most obscure old game they could remake, quietly you began to wonder how long the industry could keep this up. Hiring models to promote your game and giving away free Xbox 360s to journalists is only going to keep the barbarians at bay for so long

Of course they don't know what modern gamers want. Hell, modern gamers don't know what modern gamers want. And the reason why we barely get new IPs, new Genres, new flim-flam, new yadda yadda yadda, is because we buy what we like. We shouldn't buy what we like. We should buy what Macworld says and support a 4th Swine. After all, everyone knows that the iPhone is better than the Wii, 360, PS3, PSP, DS and PC simply because you can play Katamari Damacy while struggling to get the controls down. Who needs proper controls when you can struggle just to get them down?

Works Cited: PC World

E3: Nintendo Conference

So yesterday's conference from Microsoft was kinda blah for many people. How does Nintendo stack up? Let's talk, shall well.

If there is one thing I'm hoping for from Nintendo, it's the 3DS. Come on Nintendo, show me the money. Show me the 3DS, Nintendo. I wanna see it in action.



OMG! ZELDA SKYWARD SWORD FOR WII! NOW I AM EXCITED FOR NINTENDO AND..

Wait. Wasn't I suppose to anticipate the 3DS? Come on Nintendo. Where is it?



EPIC MICKEY! OMG THEY GOT 2D/3D IN THERE.

Wait a minute. I wanted info on the 3DS. I mean, is it that hard to get info on the Nintendo 3DS?



OMG! GOLDEN SUN DS! GOLDEN SUN DS! NINTENDO LISTENED TO US!

Snap out of it, Saburo. You know better than to hype a current gen game when you're suppose to anticipate the 3DS. Now show us some real gold, Nintendo



GOLDENEYE! GOLDENEYE! GOLDENEYE! GOLDENEYE! GOLDENEYE!

Wait a minute. Why am I chanting to a Wii remake of an old N64 game? Come on Nintendo. Show us the 3DS Booty



OMG! KIRBY'S BACK! KIRBY'S BACK! KIRBY'S EPIC YARN!

No, bad Saburo. Bad, bad, Saburo. You're getting yourself distracted with this. Focus on the 3DS. Come on, 3DS, 3DS, 3DS



DONKEY KONG IS BACK! OMG IT'S DONKEY KONG AND IT'S A 2D DONKEY KONG GAME! I WANT IT I WANT IT I...

Okay, that's it. If they don't show the 3DS, I am gonna scream. So, SHOW THE 3DS GODDAMNIT!



YES! YES! YES! IT'S THE 3DS! FINALLY, NINTENDO HAS SPOKEN TO US!

So far, announced titles include a new Resident Evil, a port of Starfox 64, a new Mario Kart, a new Nintendogs, a port of Metal Gear Solid 3, Kingdom Hearts, and even *GASP* Super Street Fighter IV

So there you have it. For more info, go to Destructoid on the 3DS, Wii, DS and others. Special thanks to the Youtube accounts for providing the Trailers for the respective games.

Later on, I will post some info on the Sony conference.