There has been a double whammy of news going on this week. So much that it will drive you mad.
First off, is Electronic Arts. In the last two years, EA was declared the worst company in America by Consumerist, no thanks to the Mass Effect 3 ending drama and the SimCity debacle. But this year, it seems EA met its match.
Video game giant Electronic Arts stepped into the Worst Company In
America nonagon of unpleasantness this morning crowned with two Golden
Poos and with the confidence that the tournament’s only two-time winner
deserves. But in the end, it wasn’t EA that was carried out of the arena
in victory — it was Time Warner Cable.
In the narrowest margin of victory since 2011, when BP beat Bank of America for the WCIA by less than one percent, Time Warner Cable upset EA’s attempt at a three-peat by eking out 51.2% of the vote.
Despite its cock-up of the Battlefield 4 and Titanfall releases, EA
just didn’t have the all-out support that it had received in the
previous two tournaments. And while Time Warner Cable has always merited
a spot in the WCIA brackets, the company’s pending merger with former
WCIA champ Comcast undoubtedly played into readers’ voting decisions.
Judging by the absolute crushing that Comcast brought down on Yahoo in
its first round match, there is a lot of hatred out there for the
nation’s largest cable/Internet provider, and today’s TWC result
confirms that voters are more than happy to spread that hate around.
In theory, there could be a final Death Match showdown between merger
partners TWC and Comcast, but there are some big speedbumps in the way.
Before we can even start planning that contest, TWC will need to defeat
Koch Industries in Round Two.
What an upset. But when you go up against a company that wanted to merge with Comcast and make itself the most powerful Cable/Internet company in the world, it's no contest to why Time Warner Cable managed to squeeze out EA.
Our second whammy comes from Leland Yee. Many know this fellow at the California State Senator who wanted to regulate violent video games like tobacco and alcohol, is now under fire when he was arrested on March 26th on bribery and corruption charges. What did he do for bribery and corruption? Well GamePolitics has this to say.....
In the fall of 2012, in exchange for a $10,000 campaign donation to
help pay down the debt from his failed mayoral campaign (the legal limit
on individual donations applied to retiring such a debt is $500), Yee
put in a good word with the Department of Public Health and wrote an
official letter of support for a software consulting company that
desired to expand into the San Francisco Bay area.
On March 29, 2013, in exchange for a $6,800 campaign donation towards
his bid for Secretary of State, Yee had a staff member present an
official State Senate proclamation on his behalf at the Chee Kung
Tong's 165th anniversary dinner. What's the Chee Kung Tong?
Essentially the Chinese mafia. Seriously.
So wait a minute. Lemme get this straight. You mean to tell me that Leland Yee doesn't like violent games getting into the hands of kids, but he favors a mafia? What kind of hypocrisy is this anyway? But it gets worse from here.
During the summer of 2013, Yee introduced a medical marijuana
businessman to two state legislators that could help him expand his
business into California in exchange for $21,000-worth of donations to
his campaign for Secretary of State. In this case, $6800 is the legal
limit for individual donors.
In an attempt to solicit even more donations, from August 2013 right
up until about two weeks ago, Yee tried to broker a deal between an arms
dealing acquaintance of his and a Jersey businessman with admitted mob
ties (another undercover FBI agent).
Yeah, didn't see that one coming, did you?
There were talks of $50,000 for the first successful arms deal (that
would have brought weapons from the Philippines to a port in New Jersey)
and Yee using his position as Secretary of State to help ship weapons
to Africa and launder money from the proceeds made by future sales of
weapons.
As it happened, Yee's weapons contact fell through but it turned out he knew another arms dealer in the Philippines.
You know, I'm beginning to think that Leland Yee gets his ideas from Grand Theft Auto of all games. For someone who wanted the game to be sold like cigarettes, he sure shows he ain't a moral champion.
Summing up, Yee could be on the hook for one count of "Conspiracy to
Deal Firearms Without a License to Legally Import Firearms" and six
counts of "Wire Fraud of Honest Services" (the illicit campaign
donations). The former carries a penalty of up to five years in prison
and the latter 20 years. Both carry a $250,000 fine. Add all that up
and that could possibly amount to 125 years in prison along with a fine
of $1.75 million.
I'm not the one to laugh it up, but I gotta say this.
HAH HAH!
There was a third whammy that went on. Earlier this week, Facebook bought out the Oculus Rift and that lead to a fury of flames. However, due to the complexity of this story and the drama surrounding it, I cannot cover everything in this one page. Keep your eyes peeled for my Oculus Rift Drama update.
Works Cited:
Consumerist
GamePoltics
Friday, March 28, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Comcast-Time Warner Merger Squabble
As you are all aware, Comcast has plans on merging with Time Warner Cable last month. For Comcast, it would make them the bigger Cable/Internet service of America. But for many customers for ether side, it's a no-win situation as that means
-Less Competition
-Higher prices
-And a chance of tiered Internet service
And if you play on X-Box Live, Playstation Network, Nintendo Network, various PC online gaming services(Like Battle.net, Steam, EA's Origin), or even on your Smartphone or Tablet that's tethered to your Wi-fi, you may experience a change in quality that may result in slower speeds or laggy online gameplay with Net Neutrality thrown in the garbage.
But it seems the State Governments are starting to take notice and are joining forces to battle the merger.
Florida and other U.S. states will join the Justice Department in seeking to determine if Comcast's plan to merge with Time Warner Cable is legal under U.S. antitrust law, Florida said in a statement to Reuters.
"We are part of a multistate group reviewing the proposed transaction along with the U.S. DOJ (Justice Department) Antitrust Division," the Florida state attorney general's office said in an emailed statement.
It was not known how many states had joined the task force.
Separately, Indiana officials were also looking at the deal to determine "the potential impact in Indiana." Erin Reece, a spokeswoman for the Indiana attorney general's office, did not indicate if Indiana was part of the multistate group.
The attorneys general group is focused on broadband rather than cable in assessing the $45.2 billion deal, according to a source familiar with the effort who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the states' review of its proposed deal.
This might have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But regardless, we all need to be aware of the Comcast-Time Warner Merger. Should they succeed, it means less competition. And that's not good for a free market now, is it?
Works Cited:
Huffington Post
-Less Competition
-Higher prices
-And a chance of tiered Internet service
And if you play on X-Box Live, Playstation Network, Nintendo Network, various PC online gaming services(Like Battle.net, Steam, EA's Origin), or even on your Smartphone or Tablet that's tethered to your Wi-fi, you may experience a change in quality that may result in slower speeds or laggy online gameplay with Net Neutrality thrown in the garbage.
But it seems the State Governments are starting to take notice and are joining forces to battle the merger.
Florida and other U.S. states will join the Justice Department in seeking to determine if Comcast's plan to merge with Time Warner Cable is legal under U.S. antitrust law, Florida said in a statement to Reuters.
"We are part of a multistate group reviewing the proposed transaction along with the U.S. DOJ (Justice Department) Antitrust Division," the Florida state attorney general's office said in an emailed statement.
It was not known how many states had joined the task force.
Separately, Indiana officials were also looking at the deal to determine "the potential impact in Indiana." Erin Reece, a spokeswoman for the Indiana attorney general's office, did not indicate if Indiana was part of the multistate group.
The attorneys general group is focused on broadband rather than cable in assessing the $45.2 billion deal, according to a source familiar with the effort who was not authorized to speak on the record.
Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the states' review of its proposed deal.
This might have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But regardless, we all need to be aware of the Comcast-Time Warner Merger. Should they succeed, it means less competition. And that's not good for a free market now, is it?
Works Cited:
Huffington Post
Monday, March 10, 2014
NPD January 2014: Yeah, I'm still late edition
Yep. We're late again on the NPD. So what can I do when I'm lazy?
Before we get into that, it's time we say a fond farewell to Jack Tretton. Effect March 31st, Jack Tretton will be stepping down from his position as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America. When asked about his departure, he had this to say.
"I leave knowing that the PlayStation brand has never been stronger, PlayStation 4 momentum continues to accelerate, and the future will only get brighter for our gamers," Tretton said in the announcement. "Serving PlayStation fans for the past 19 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. Your passion for gaming inspired me every day."
Also effective March 31st, Shawn Layden, Sony Network Entertainment International EVP and COO, will take Tretton's place as CEO
Now, just so you know, this year will mark the final year we will be doing NPDs. After the December NPD, that's basically it. It's been a long time, but I'm actually starting to tire from doing NPD reports. Anyway, onto the Top 10 software
At number 10: Tomb Raider 2013 from SquareEnix for the PS4, XBone, PS3, 360 and PC. Wait, did they actually re-release the title?
At number 09: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, XBone, PS3, PS4, 3DS, Wii U, Vita and PC. Glad they put Deadpool in this game with Nolan North voicing him
At number 08: FIFA 14 by EA for the PS4, XBone, PS3, 360 and Vita. Wait, why would they not do a PC version?
At number 07: Minecraft by Mojang, 4J Studios and Microsoft for the 360. Yes, I still wanna give credit where credit is due.
At number 06: Madden NFL 25 by EA for the XBone, PS4, 360 and PS3. At least this didn't get any scorn through server outtages
At number 05: GTA V by Take 2 Interactive for the 360 and PS3. Next Generation console not needed.
At number 04: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii U and PC. Kinda wished they crossed over with Disney's Pirates of the Carribbean.
At number 03: Battlefield 4 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC. Wait. You mean server issues didn't bring this game down?
At number 02: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 Interactive for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC. Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal is coming out with a game of his own called Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn(I am not kidding)
And at Number 01: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision Blizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii U and PC. Apparently, the only Activision Blizzard title on the Top 10
But it seems January, the tables have turned on the XBone and now the PS4 is outselling the former by about double the sales. It is said that the XBone sold around 143K while the PS4 sold a bit more than 280K. But what about the other consoles? No one knows.
February seems like a lame duck month for new consoles unless you're Donkey Kong. What changes will it bring? Stay tuned
Works Cited:
Ars Technica
NeoGAF
Before we get into that, it's time we say a fond farewell to Jack Tretton. Effect March 31st, Jack Tretton will be stepping down from his position as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America. When asked about his departure, he had this to say.
"I leave knowing that the PlayStation brand has never been stronger, PlayStation 4 momentum continues to accelerate, and the future will only get brighter for our gamers," Tretton said in the announcement. "Serving PlayStation fans for the past 19 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. Your passion for gaming inspired me every day."
Also effective March 31st, Shawn Layden, Sony Network Entertainment International EVP and COO, will take Tretton's place as CEO
Now, just so you know, this year will mark the final year we will be doing NPDs. After the December NPD, that's basically it. It's been a long time, but I'm actually starting to tire from doing NPD reports. Anyway, onto the Top 10 software
At number 10: Tomb Raider 2013 from SquareEnix for the PS4, XBone, PS3, 360 and PC. Wait, did they actually re-release the title?
At number 09: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, XBone, PS3, PS4, 3DS, Wii U, Vita and PC. Glad they put Deadpool in this game with Nolan North voicing him
At number 08: FIFA 14 by EA for the PS4, XBone, PS3, 360 and Vita. Wait, why would they not do a PC version?
At number 07: Minecraft by Mojang, 4J Studios and Microsoft for the 360. Yes, I still wanna give credit where credit is due.
At number 06: Madden NFL 25 by EA for the XBone, PS4, 360 and PS3. At least this didn't get any scorn through server outtages
At number 05: GTA V by Take 2 Interactive for the 360 and PS3. Next Generation console not needed.
At number 04: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii U and PC. Kinda wished they crossed over with Disney's Pirates of the Carribbean.
At number 03: Battlefield 4 by EA for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC. Wait. You mean server issues didn't bring this game down?
At number 02: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 Interactive for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC. Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal is coming out with a game of his own called Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn(I am not kidding)
And at Number 01: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision Blizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii U and PC. Apparently, the only Activision Blizzard title on the Top 10
But it seems January, the tables have turned on the XBone and now the PS4 is outselling the former by about double the sales. It is said that the XBone sold around 143K while the PS4 sold a bit more than 280K. But what about the other consoles? No one knows.
February seems like a lame duck month for new consoles unless you're Donkey Kong. What changes will it bring? Stay tuned
Works Cited:
Ars Technica
NeoGAF
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