Thursday, August 28, 2014

How to go too far: Part 2

Normally, I would want to talk about the new Nintendo news going on like the Smash Bros Leak, the Pokemon/Tekken fusion and the Mario Kart 8 DLC.  But I have to get this out of the way.

Days ago, I talked about the flight of Sony Online CEO John Smedley getting diverted to Phoenix, Arizona over a false bomb threat.  And once again, it seems there is a new low within gaming.  This time, directed at the host of "Tropes vs Women" Anita Sarkeesian.

Ever since the start of her kickstarter towards the "Tropes vs Women" video blog, Anita has been on the receiving end of harassment by various gamers and trolls.  Defenders like Tim Schafer and Jim Sterling had to stand up for her, with Jim pointing out that Anita wouldn't have had this kind of publicity if the angry gamers didn't flip out over this.

But now, it has come to this.




Sarkeesian, whose video articles showcase negative representations of women in video games, often publishes captions of threats she is sent via Twitter, email and though other communication channels. Many of these threats include sexual violence, while some mention her address and family.

On Wednesday the situation had escalated to the point that she contacted the authorities and vacated her home.

"Some very scary threats have just been made against me and my family. Contacting authorities now," she wrote on Twitter, before adding:

"I'm safe. Authorities have been notified. Staying with friends tonight. I'm not giving up. But this harassment of women in tech must stop!"

The threats and hateful comments sent to Sarkeesian are often in response to her collection of essays, called Tropes Versus Women, which examines why women are often represented as powerless, sexualised and enfeebled characters in games.

Though a vocal, and often abusive, minority of games enthusiasts condemn her work, Sarkeesian's analysis is widely praised by some of the most prominent games industry figures, from Tim Schafer to Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckman.




 I'm no fan of Anita.  Heck, I barely even watch her videos.  But this kind of attack was a new low for many of these gamers.  And I, frankly, am ashamed that this is happening.  To those of you who justify this, you need to get a grip.  There is no justification to this what-so-ever.  You can like or dislike her videos.  But these kinds of attacks need to stop for the sake of sanity, because by doing this, you will end up justifying Antia's arguments.

That is all.

Works Cited:
Computer and Video Games

Sunday, August 24, 2014

How to go too far.

Early yesterday, a group of hackers known as Lizard Squad has taken down the Playstation Network and Blizzard's Battle.Net servers(Along with various others).  This is what Shack News had to say


Several gaming servers have been at the receiving end of DDoS attacks over the past several hours. Blizzard's Battle.net servers, Riot's League of Legends, Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile, and PlayStation Network are among those under attack by a group of hackers calling themselves Lizard Squad.

Several tweets have gone up throughout Saturday evening, in which Lizard Squad has taken responsibility for the attacks. The group started with Blizzard's servers that include Hearthstone, Diablo 3, World of Warcraft and others. The group quickly spread to League of Legends and Path of Exile before deciding to spread their terror to PlayStation Network. The latter's outage is not related to the scheduled maintenance set to begin Monday morning.




A harmless little DDOS attack, nothing to worry about except no way to play your favorite games online, right?  Then just recently, it started to get worse.




American Airlines has diverted a flight carrying the president of Sony Online Entertainment following what may have been a bomb threat by a group of alleged hackers—the same group that has claimed responsibility for a series of outages across the PlayStation Network and other gaming services this weekend.

This afternoon at around 1:30pm Eastern, the group Lizard Squad tweeted at American Airlines to say that a flight carrying John Smedley, president of SOE, the developer behind EverQuest Next among other games, had "explosives on-board."



 Wait a minute.  What did Jason Schrier of Kotaku say?  And this about the Lizard Squad?



At around 3:00pm Eastern, Smedley tweeted that American Airlines had changed his flight's destination.

"Something about security and our cargo," Smedley added.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but their website's flight tracker confirms that the airline diverted flight #362 this afternoon. Representatives for SOE also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.




And thus my faith in humanity just dropped.

Folks, there is nothing funny about this incident what-so-ever.  It doesn't matter what problems the company has, pulling something like this off is going too far.  I urge gamers who ether like or hate Sony to condemn this kind of incident.  There is no justification in this kind of Twitter Pranks.

Works Cited:
Shack News
Kotaku

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

NPD Super Late June 2014

So yeah.  I'm super late, considering the July numbers are due tomorrow.  But I will get this done. 

At number 10: GTA V by Rockstar/Take 2 Interactive for the 360 and PS3.  Warning, stay off online due to a certain annoying mod.

At number 09: Tomodachi Life by Nintendo for the 3DS.  As if Animal Crossing wasn't enough

At number 08: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision for the 360, PS3, PS4, XBone, Wii U and PC.  Rumor has it that Advanced Warfare will also be on the Wii U in addition to the usual suspects.

At number 07: Wolfenstein: The New Order for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  Evening Red

At number 06: NBA 2K14 by 2K Games for the 360, PS3, PS4, XBone and PC.  We still miss seeing Michael Jordan on the hoops.

At number 05: FIFA 14 by EA for the 360, PS3, PS4, XBone and Vita.  Wait, wasn't there a 3DS, Wii and PS2 version as well?

At number 04: UFC by EA for the PS4 and XBone.  The problem is, trying to decide which version is the best

At number 03: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360 and PS3.  Who said you need a huge budget to win?

At number 02: Mario Kart 8 by Nintendo for the Wii U.  Now with seven troublemaking Koopas

And at Number 01: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the PS4, 360, XBone, PS3 and PC.  Wii U version coming soon.

It was during that time that Mario Kart 8 sales were at the 885K range and are close to hitting the 1 million unit sold range.  Even more so, it is said that the XBox family has sold the most games across the 360 and XBone combined.

As for hardware, it's no secret that the PS4 is outselling the XBone.  The 3DS is holding steady.  But surprisingly, the Wii U is now above 100K, hovering around the 140K range.  Mario Kart 8 may have helped give Nintendo that boost.

How well will Mario Kart 8 keep Nintendo above?  More importantly, how well will the industry fair in this drought?  Stay tuned this week when I reveal the NPD of July.

Works Cited: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=857224

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Gaming at Comic-Con

Starting tomorrow, the San Diego Comic-Con will once again be in town.  And like last year, there will be gaming companies who will show off their wares to their consumers. 

Microsoft will once again be located at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.  They will have the following games available.

Sunset Overdrive
Evolve
Forza Horizon 2
Fable Legends
Ori and The Blind Forest
Super Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix
Madden NFL 15
Skylanders Trap Team
The Evil Within
The Crew
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)
Killer Instinct
Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved
Project Spark
Minecraft
Powerstar Golf
Project Totem
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
#IDARB
Fenix Rage
Dance Central Spotlight
Titanfall
Forza 5
Kinect Sports Rivals

In addition, Microsoft will have two panels available for the public:  
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Developer Panel  
Digging E.T. -  Behind the Scenes of the Xbox Originals Documentary, “Atari: Game Over”

Both panels will be on Friday.  So any fan of the XBox should definitely check it out.

As for Nintendo, they will also be back at the Marriott next door to the Convention Center.  So any and all Nintendo fan should check it out.  Their games will be

3DS:
 Wii U:

 In addition, Nintendo will also have another Super Smash Bros tournament going on.  This time, it is the 3DS version that will be the center point of the tournament.  Those who are attending Comic-Con can sign up early on Friday all while the video will be recorded for the who internet to see.


So far, we have Microsoft with 2 panels and Nintendo with a Smash Bros Tournament.  But what happened to Sony?  Turns out, they have no plans for the San Diego Comic-Con this year compared to previous years.  Why did Sony drop the ball on Comic-Con this year?  With no news regarding Comic-Con and their attempt to appeal to the general public, it seems this might be a big mistake for the house of Playstation.

Anyway folks, if you're looking for a good console clash, check out the Nintendo or Microsoft gaming lounges this week at Comic-Con.

Works Cited: 
XBox
Nintendo

Friday, July 4, 2014

NPD May 2014: Why talk about video games?

Before I discuss about the NPD, let's discuss things.  As of now, both Kaz Hirai and Satoru Iwata have confirmed that they will be remaining as CEO of their respective bases of operation: Kazi Hirai for Sony and Satoru Iwata of Nintendo.  But both have been grilled by their respective shareholders for lagging sales, especially with Iwata who wasn't available due to health issues.

As a matter of fact, one investor at Nintendo wonders why Nintendo keeps making video games?




I do not understand video games and I even feel angry because, at Nintendo's shareholders' meetings, the shareholders always discuss things relating to video games or such childish topics as "what the future of video games should be," while I, for one, was flabbergasted that Mr. Iwata continues to hold his position although he had said that he would resign if the company's performance were bad*.

I hope that Nintendo's shareholders' meeting will become an opportunity where the shareholders discuss the company's business operations from the viewpoints of capital gain and dividends




Exactly.  Why bother being a company about designing video games when you could be something more like a bank?  In fact, hasn't that shareholder consider wanting to ask Bains Capital on buying out Nintendo in the future?  It's not like they'll destroy the company from within.

Anyway, it's that time again.  Time to see what games sell and what don't.

At number 10: Call of Duty: Ghosts by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, PS4, XBone, PC and Wii U.  A best friend to man's best friend.

At number 09: Kirby: Triple Deluxe from Nintendo for the 3DS.  Since when did an antagonist become a captive?

At number 08: Titanfall by EA for the 360, XBone and PC.  Still not as good as Loadout.  XP

At number 07: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 Interactive for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  Bet Shaq can't shoot a 3 pointer

At number 06: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, PS4, XBone, 3DS and Wii U.  Rumors of the X Box systems not getting this game were shot down, believe it or not.

At number 05: Minecraft by Mojang and 4J studios for the 360 and PS3.  Just be sure you're not being stalked by Cree...*BOOM* Too late

At number 04: Wolfenstein: The New Order by Bethesda for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and  PC.  Welcome back BJ Blazkovic

At number 03: MLB 14: The Show by Sony for the PS3, PS4 and PSVita.  In memory of Tony Gwynn.  RIP

At number 02: Mario Kart 8 by Nintendo for the Wii U.  Now with 7 Koopaling Goodness

At number 01: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  Wangsty goodness.  XP

As you are aware, Mario Kart 8 debuts at number 2, just shy of being  number 1 thanks to Watch Dogs(Later due out on the Wii U).  But still a nice display of power by Nintendo of all companies.  As for the hardware, the PS4 is the number one hardware followed by the 3DS.  And the Wii U may still be lagging, but it has gone up from last year, at least showing it has some form of legs.

Speaking of legs, the XBone may be getting some in June thanks to a price cut and the removal of Kinect.  How will that favor Microsoft in June?  Stay tuned.

Works Cited: Kotaku

NeoGAF

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

E3 Smash Madness

Folks, we've had a good run of E3.  The last couple of days brought with us anticipation to the upcoming games of E3.  Games like Destiny, Project Spark, Hyrule Warriors, the new Little Big Planet, Sonic Boom and various others blew the minds of gamers.

Meanwhile, Sony announced it's Micro Console the Playstation TV.  The system will be out in North America during the Fall and will retail for ether $99 or $139 for the system, a controller, a game(Lego Movie) and an 8GB Memory Stick.

But what was the biggest announcement of E3 2014?  It may be nothing but Super Smash Bros.  Already due out in October for the 3DS version and the Holidays of 2014 for the Wii U version, the hype for what may be Nintendo's biggest title ever is at its highest. 

And while we have characters like the Miis and Palutena joining us, the biggest surprise was the announcement of Namco's own Pac-Man



That's right folks.  Pac-Man, the famous power pellet muncher and Ghost snacker will be joining Mario, Sonic and Mega Man in the 4th Super Smash Bros. 

And believe it or not, there was a Smash Bros Invitational Tournament hosted by Nintendo, marking this as the first Smash Bros 4 Tournament.  You can check out the complete video courtesy of Youtube user ZephyrSonic.



All in all, Super Smash Bros is the game to look forward to.  Keep your eyes peeled this October for the 3DS version and the Holiday season for the Wii U version.

Monday, June 9, 2014

NPD April 2014: E3 Day

Folks. Today is the day E3 steps down and shows off the future of video games.  Later on, I'm going to talk about each of the panels.  But before I do that, here's what's going on in the sales of Video Games in April

At number 10: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, Wii U, PS4, XBone and PC.  Shiver Me Timbers

At number 09: Grand Theft Auto V from Take 2 and Rockstar for the 360 and PS3.  Now why haven't they made a PC version?

At number 08: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by Activision Blizzard for the 360, PS3, Wii U, PS4 and 3DS.  It's not really that amazing

At number 07: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, PS3, Wii U, DS, 3DS, XBone, PS4, PSVita and PC.  I still can't believe Disney let Warner Bros publish a Marvel game

At number 06: The LEGO Movie Video Game by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, 3DS, PS3, Wii U, XBone, PS4 and PSVita.  There's still one more on the list

At number 05: LEGO The Hobbit by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, 3DS, Wii U and PSVita.  Told ya there was one more.  LEGO games are still going on strong

At number 04: Minecraft by Microsoft and Mojang for the 360.  Also, keep your eyes peeled for Notch's new game "Cliffhorse."

At number 03: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  I hope you're a better free thrower than Shaq.

At number 02: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision Blizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, Wii U and PC.  I dunno, we could use more explorative FPSs unlike this game.

And at number 01: Titanfall by EA for the 360, XBone and PC.  Personally, I enjoyed Loadout more.

Overall, Software Sales are down 10% year over year despite a jump in hardware.  But while the PS4 has the best selling hardware, the XBone is starting to take a dive at around 115K.  And that may be a disaster considering that Mario Kart 8 is coming out in May and despite Titanfall being at number 1, it may not be enough to stave off the Wii U if Mario Kart 8 gets its up there.

Later today, I'll talk about most of the events going on at E3.  So keep your eyes peeled.

Works Cited: NeoGAF