[Jawbone54]

Nice joke, but it also serves as a good recommendation. I'm texting her right now.

[The Final Dakar]

I thought it might.

[exca1ibur]

Just disconnect it from the network and you are golden.

[Jawbone54]

I would have to turn it on to do that. I don't want to disconnect my router. I want to play some MW2 tonight on 360, after all.

[Jawbone54]

IGN PS3 has put up a FAQ on what they know so far.

The question is just how POed people will be if it loses some of their hard-earned trophies. Also, will potential PS3 owners who have been looking enviously at the PS3 Slim shy away after a potentially-massive blunder on Sony's part?

The wife has been instructed to stay off.

[angelmb]

You were warned.

[The Final Dakar]

Warned, what? That its cold there?

[starman]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

PS3s Suffering From Global Network Lockdown [UPDATE 5] - PS3 - Kotaku


At a loss for words.

Red ring of what?

[Chongo]

I just want the NAT problem fixed.

[Hawkeye_a]

The first half of this year is looking really really crowded..... some major releases....
-Starcraft2(PC/Mac)
-Super Mario Galaxy 2(Wii)
-Metroid Other M(Wii)
-Monster Hunter 3(Wii)

I would have liked to space these games over 18 months, but they're all set to be released by July. I don't think I've ever seen this many "major" game releases in the first half of a calendar year ever.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

The first half of this year is looking really really crowded..... some major releases....
-Starcraft2(PC/Mac)
-Super Mario Galaxy 2(Wii)
-Metroid Other M(Wii)
-Monster Hunter 3(Wii)

I would have liked to space these games over 18 months, but they're all set to be released by July. I don't think I've ever seen this many "major" game releases in the first half of a calendar year ever.

You forgot:

Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 2
Heavy Rain

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by starman 

Red ring of what?

Bah...

RRoD can't be fixed overnight with a simple update. At least the systems themselves are still holding together nicely.

And, yeah, it's fixed. I'll be Heavy Raining it up sometime late tonight.

[The Final Dakar]

Tuesday News: Drama! Edition


Scandal Hits Call Of Duty Devs: What We Know - Infinity Ward - Kotaku

What's Been Rumoured

- That IW bosses Vince Zampella and Jason West have been fired. Neither the pair nor Activision have issued statements regarding the issue, so the nature of their employment (or departure) is yet to be confirmed; remember, the Activision SEC filing only mentions "two senior employees", it doesn't name names. Indeed, we haven't heard anything from Zampella regarding the situation.

- That Activision sent security guards to the Infinity Ward offices. Who those men are, who sent them and more importantly, what they were doing there have yet to be determined. All we have are reports that they were "bouncer-types", nothing more.

What We Know

- The Activision SEC filing is legit, and is concrete information. They are serious allegations, and will probably result in a major lawsuit.

- Jason West no longer works at Infinity Ward. His Linkedin profile page is legitimate, and clearly states that he ceased employment at the studio in March 2010. We just don't know why/how he no longer works there.

Rumor: Japanese game programmers report low salaries



PS3 clock bug squashed; games are playable [update]

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Scandal Hits Call Of Duty Devs: What We Know - Infinity Ward - Kotaku

I am not a fan of this story.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

The first half of this year is looking really really crowded..... some major releases....
-Starcraft2(PC/Mac)
-Super Mario Galaxy 2(Wii)
-Metroid Other M(Wii)
-Monster Hunter 3(Wii)

I would have liked to space these games over 18 months, but they're all set to be released by July. I don't think I've ever seen this many "major" game releases in the first half of a calendar year ever.

Starcraft 2 will not be out until fall at the earliest. The rest? Meh.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I am not a fan of this story.

I'm not against IW here, but my guess is they sold their soul to Devil, and now they don't like the price when he came a calling.

Speaking of Kotick, without actually knowing anything, his "take the fun out of gaming" quote comes back to mind.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I'm not against IW here, but my guess is they sold their soul to Devil, and now they don't like the price when he came a calling.

Definitely the most likely theory.

The other slightly different possibility is that they started thinking their crap doesn't stink and "How could Activision fire us? We ARE Call of Freakin' Duty!" Perhaps they showed outright hostility towards the big suits, and thought they could get away with whatever they wanted, although it's unclear what kind of behavior that would entail.

Still, this is a shocker.

[The Final Dakar]

Well the word a few months back was MW3 was being shunted to a new developer so IW could focus on a new IP. Perhaps this was news to Activision. Other possibilities include this being related to some of the backlash of MW2 (no dedicated servers, was Activision call, not IWs) or MW2 DLC.

Like I said, all speculation.

Edit: Forgot this earlier.

Déjà Vu Surrounds Infinity Ward Rumors - Original - Kotaku

In 2002, nearly a dozen developers walked out of Tulsa-based studio 2015, the team behind the PC game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Rumor has it that the developers did not want to be chained to Medal of Honor and be at EA's beck-and-call.

Those developers went off to Encino and established Infinity Ward. Ironically, the developers were then acquired by Activision and began making Call of Duty games, starting with Call of Duty in 2003.

[Jawbone54]

As long as I still get good IW games, Call of Duty or not, I'll be happy.

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by starman 

You forgot:

Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 2
Heavy Rain

and God of War III

[exca1ibur]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Well the word a few months back was MW3 was being shunted to a new developer so IW could focus on a new IP. Perhaps this was news to Activision. Other possibilities include this being related to some of the backlash of MW2 (no dedicated servers, was Activision call, not IWs) or MW2 DLC.

Like I said, all speculation.

Edit: Forgot this earlier.

Déjà Vu Surrounds Infinity Ward Rumors - Original - Kotaku

Good find. Sounds like the Bungie scenario. Sell out now, regret later.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

"..the Wii, to me, I would describe it as a Virus, that doesn't stick. Everyone comes home, it's a toy, people have got to realize the Wii is a toy, not an entertainment focused product. People come home, someone, they play Wii for a bit, feel it's really cool, blah blah blah, they go out and buy one."

Destructoid - Former DICE CEO says the Wii is a virus

[The Final Dakar]

That quote is ooooooold.

Edit: Actually looks like the quote is unoriginal. Been said before.

[The Final Dakar]

More supposition: Zine Article MW2 Dev- Infinity Ward: Missing Execs

While rumors initially indicated the meeting was based around discussions of Infinity Ward wanting to break away from Activision, sources are now indicating that they wished to renegotiate their existing contracts with Activision to maintain the status quo, while Activision wished to adjust the contract in their favor. Sources claim that both IW and Activision have an aggressive contract over the CoD franchise that is renewed every 5 years, 2010 being the year for re-negotiations.

If it's true, sounds like dirty pool on Activision's part.

[Stogieman]

girlgamer.com? Really?

[The Final Dakar]

Because news reads better if you know someone with boobs typed it, duh.
(Found the link on the IW forums)

[The Final Dakar]

The crazy rumors continue to fly: Infinity Ward Has Not Received Royalties for Modern Warfare 2�|�Binge Gamer Dot Net

Infinity Ward has yet to be paid a single dime in royalties for Modern Warfare 2, which has earned Activision over one billion dollars in revenue. (NOTE: To clarify, everyone who spoke with me mentioned this. Whether or not IW and Activision had an agreement in place for royalty payments is unknown at this time. It’s just curious that everyone brought this up.)

Their current contractual obligation expires in October, which could explain why Activision has (allegedly) been looking to dump Modern Warfare 3 off to another developer. The probem with this is that Infinity Ward still technically owns the rights to the Call of Duty franchise (at least partially). Some people close to the situation see Activision’s current actions as a power play to try and bully Infinity Ward into either staying with Activision in one capacity or another (buyout or contract extension) or to at least acquire the Call of Duty name.

Edit: Not that anybody cares, but my best analysis is this: There's an obvious power struggle going on, either regarding IW future (autonomy), MWs or both. Using the media's portrayal of Kotick's cut-throat mentality, Activision decided to cut off the head of the IW snake (perhaps the entire studio is revolt?) which is why they fired both the President and CEO. I'm guessing they hope the resulting mess at the studio left in wake of losing the brains of the op will allow them to swoop in and have their way with them.

[exca1ibur]

Call of Duty has been ripped from IW now.

Activision's New Plans For Call of Duty Include New Developer, New Genres - Infinity Ward - Kotaku

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Edit: Not that anybody cares, but my best analysis is this: There's an obvious power struggle going on, either regarding IW future (autonomy), MWs or both.

Looks like it was the latter.

Infinity Ward Vs. Activision: The Battle For Creative Direction - Infinity Ward - Kotaku

But in the past 24 hours the long-rumored problems between Activison and IW have come a little more clearly to light. A source familiar with the studio told Kotaku that Infinity Ward has long bristled at the notion of any studio other than IW making a Call of Duty game. The studio heads' renewed 2009 contract with Activision affirmed that only Infinity Ward would be allowed to make Call of Duty games set in the modern era, according to the source.

Kotaku has continued to hear from sources that Infinity Ward wanted to make either a new intellectual property or a game set in the future — the two projects might be one and the same — but that Activision resisted that.

Tensions between Infinity Ward and Activision had intensified in recent months to the point that IW would only deal with two employees from the publisher, according to Kotaku sources.

Activision's New Plans For Call of Duty Include New Developer, New Genres - Infinity Ward - Kotaku

Publisher Activision announced today new "strategic plans" for the Call of Duty franchise, announcing a new developer for the shooter franchise and confirming the departure of key Infinity Ward staffers.

Activision announced it will form a "dedicated business unit that will bring together its various new brand initiatives with focused, dedicated resources around the world." It plans to expand the Call of Duty brand "with the same focus seen in its Blizzard Entertainment business unit" with a focus on "high-margin digital online content and further the brand as the leading action entertainment franchise in new geographies, new genres and with new digital business models."

In 2011, Activision will release another new Call of Duty game from Sledgehammer Games, the recently formed studio lead by Dead Space creative leads Glen A. Schofield and Michael Condrey. The title will "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre."

[Jawbone54]

I am giddy: Tecmo Super Bowl Remake Coming To Xbox 360, PS3

-Online Multiplayer: Find your old buddies online and challenge them to matches just like back in the day
-2D + 3D Graphics: Experience all new 3D graphics with the ability to switch to the classic 2D style!
-Customizable Teams and Rosters: Play as any of the 32 teams with customizable team names and rosters in full seasons
-Online Leaderboards: Compare your stats in a wide array of online leaderboards
-Classic Game Modes: Battle it out with your friends and kick off a game in Preseason, Season or Pro Bowl modes

The original Super Bowl (Tecmo Bowl was okay) rocked my world. Even if it's just for nostalgia's sake, this purchase is a lock for me.

[exca1ibur]

I hope they have current rosters since there is no mention of an NFL License in there. EA might have the exclusive right affecting this, but I hope not. Either way I agree it looks pretty damn good. I have Tecmo Bowl on my iPod. It's Classic.

UPDATE: No NFL license based on the playbook here. Oh well, still looks fun to me though.

[Jawbone54]

Not even real players, I guess. Meh...

Bummer, but yeah, I'll still buy it.

[jokell82]

Thank EA for that nonsense. I'm still bitter about it. ****ers.

[SpaceMonkey]

Nice! I'm not good enough at Madden to have any fun with it online, so this could be cool.

[klb5090]

Halo Reach Beta w/ Jetpacks trailer !?!?!WOPIUE)(*@&#()*^%!^&!!*_!)(@%&*!^!*&%!

Ok maybe i'm excited, i didn't think i would be

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Halo Reach Beta w/ Jetpacks trailer !?!?!WOPIUE)(*@&#()*^%!^&!!*_!)(@%&*!^!*&%!

Ok maybe i'm excited, i didn't think i would be

That's what I was going to ask all of you who played Halo 3 back in the day. What about the rest of you? Still too burnt out?

[The Final Dakar]

Meh.

---

Rare to build new studio in Birmingham, England
What do they need a studio for? It's not like they make games.


Study suggests game marketers are 'missing the mark'

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by starman 

You forgot:

Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 2
Heavy Rain

Woa an FF game and ME2 as well ? As exca1ibur pointed of GoW3 as well. I wonder if these are products delayed due to the release of MW2 last holiday ?

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by jokell82 

Starcraft 2 will not be out until fall at the earliest. The rest? Meh.

"Blizzard Entertainment has moved the anticipated release date of StarCraft II to the first half of 2010..." - Link (thats the most recent official mention of a release timeframe that i found)

Mario and Metroid(by Team Ninja) , is a 'meh' ? I thought you "core" guys liked Team Ninja's games, maybe it's 'meh' cause it's on a Nintendo platform ?

[Jawbone54]

Super Mario Galaxy was one of my favorite games I've ever played, but the Metroid Prime series was horribly overrated, IMO. They were good, solid games, but not amazing. I actually think the first two were better than 3.

Also, Monster Hunter Tri? Who plays these things?

The Wii has a lot of really fun games, but they're missing an epic, cinema-quality feel. It's not that the games are bad by any means, but it's hard to feel engrossed in a story on the Wii when people have been playing games like Heavy Rain and Mass Effect. That doesn't make someone a graphics snob; it just means they're drawn to the most life-like experience they can find. That's just human.

The biggest problem with the Wii is also the biggest strength of the Wii: the controller. It's fantastic for new types of games, but not so hot for traditional games. It works great for Wii Sports, but not so much for Call of Duty or sports titles (excluding the terrific Tiger 10 for Wii). The graphical differences aren't even as big of a problem as the controller.

The controller made gaming more inviting for non-gamers (everyone unanimously agrees), but it pushed traditional gamers a little further from the Nintendo love boat (Nintendo fans have difficulty accepting this part).

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Halo Reach Beta w/ Jetpacks trailer !?!?!WOPIUE)(*@&#()*^%!^&!!*_!)(@%&*!^!*&%!

Ok maybe i'm excited, i didn't think i would be

Dammit! I can't view the video at work.

I'll check it out when I get home.

[The Final Dakar]

Shit I forgot to Post

NPD: Online Gamers Spend on Average 8 Hours a Week Online Playing - Xbox 360 - Kotaku

For consoles, the Xbox 360 was the top video game system used for online gaming at 48%. In contrast to 2009, when Wii was leading over PS3 by 8 percentage points, PS3 and Wii are now neck and neck, with about 30 percent of online gamers reporting that they use each system for online gaming.

Gamasutra - News - Analysis: Infinity Ward's Double-Edged Sword?
If you're interested in the drama, a nice analysis with some fresh info. A little long to post here.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

"Blizzard Entertainment has moved the anticipated release date of StarCraft II to the first half of 2010..." - Link (thats the most recent official mention of a release timeframe that i found)

Mario and Metroid(by Team Ninja) , is a 'meh' ? I thought you "core" guys liked Team Ninja's games, maybe it's 'meh' cause it's on a Nintendo platform ?

Expected is the key word here. Blizzard is like Valve - they only ship a product when it is done and they NEVER meet an expected release date.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Halo Reach Beta w/ Jetpacks trailer !?!?!WOPIUE)(*@&#()*^%!^&!!*_!)(@%&*!^!*&%!

Ok maybe i'm excited, i didn't think i would be

Hmm, interesting. I feel I would have been sorely disappointed by ODST and thus less apt to check out Reach. Looks cool, but I'll wait and see if the usual gang here is going to get it, because i find more and more that I hate playing with randoms.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Mario and Metroid(by Team Ninja) , is a 'meh' ? I thought you "core" guys liked Team Ninja's games, maybe it's 'meh' cause it's on a Nintendo platform ?

I love the whole Metroid Prime series, but not enough to buy another system that has bullsh!t controls. Mario Galaxy looked sweet, but again with my hatred of motion controls.

If either game came out for the GC I'd buy it.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Halo Reach Beta w/ Jetpacks trailer !?!?!WOPIUE)(*@&#()*^%!^&!!*_!)(@%&*!^!*&%!

Ok maybe i'm excited, i didn't think i would be

Now that looks sweet. Can't wait for the beta to be released. The jet packs remind of Natural Selection. It was a game based on the Half Life 2 engine. If you played as a Marine, one of the equipment upgrades was a jet pack.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Mario and Metroid(by Team Ninja) , is a 'meh' ? I thought you "core" guys liked Team Ninja's games, maybe it's 'meh' cause it's on a Nintendo platform ?

I own only one Team Ninja game (Ninja Gaiden 2), which I got for $10 and never got around to playing. Can't really say much of anything about their games.

And yes, quite a bit of it is because of the platform. Sorry, but the control scheme just sucks.

[The Final Dakar]

Thursday News: The Drama continues... Edition

Ousted Infinity Ward founders file suit against Activision -- Joystiq
Kotick is too smart for the timing to be incidental...


Borderlands getting more DLC -- Joystiq
I swear, sek, come early summer, we're Borderlanding it up again.


Valve teases Apple announcement of ... something [update] -- Joystiq
I pretty much have to post this since its a Mac forum.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Valve teases Apple announcement of ... something [update] -- Joystiq
I pretty much have to post this since its a Mac forum.

This has me very excited, although my better judgement is telling me to believe it when I see it.

[The Final Dakar]

Underrated game. I was playing that this summer for a while (The non-updated 360 version) and it really is a well-designed game. The Basement of the Farmhouse level is a 60 spy-flick lovers wet-dream.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Borderlands getting more DLC -- Joystiq
I swear, sek, come early summer, we're Borderlanding it up again.

I'm down, though I hear the Mad Moxxie DLC is piss poor and should be avoided.

I think :maroma: has the new General Knoxx DLC, I wonder if he'll tell us what he thinks about it.

Besides BioShock 2, I can't think of a single game I'm going to buy until Fallout: New Vegas consumes my life in the fall. I wouldn't think twice about dropping 30 bucks on Borderlands DLC.