bitburo

The massive backlash against EA over the “draconian” DRM which came bundled with the $49.99 game has prompted EA to alter the controversial software - a step in the right direction.

But that’s all it is: a step. Not only that, they should have done this when the controversy first surfaced. Better yet, they could have easily predicted (based off of the Mass Effect fiasco) the customer reaction and nipped it in the bud.

Read MORE >>

As usual, Bukola of MsPixel.com (a favorite blog of mine which focuses on the intersection of social media and gaming) has offered up a thoughtful review of the hot topic Spore DRM debate and how EA has dealt with the ‘crisis.’

Head over to MsPixel.com and subscribe to her RSS feed if you haven’t already.

If you’re one of the many Xbox 360 gamers who has been waiting with mounting dread for that day where you finally have to splurge on the 120GB HD to accomodate the massive amounts of XBLA titles and DLC, there’s some good news.

It looks as though the Xbox 360 console isn’t the only piece of hardware that Microsoft is dropping the price on. GameDaily has verified that the 120GB HD, previously priced at $179, will now be sold for a modest $149. Still too damn expensive, if you ask me; you could pay another $50 and pick up an extra Arcade.

That said, at least there is a storage solution for the 360. Yeah, that’s right, Wii - I’m looking at you.

A few days ago I posted a link to MMORPG.com for their free Warhammer beta key give-away. Well, they’ve run out. Obviously.

Thankfully, for those of you just now getting in on the game, Warcry.com is hosting a similar beta key give-away on their website. You just have to register to enter, no random lottery, no surveys, nada.

If last week’s give-away was any indicator, these things will go fast, so head on over and get your key now.

Amazon users’ revolt over the inclusion of SecuROM DRM with Spore continues, garnering 845 negative reviews since the release less than 24 hours ago.

Since our article this morning over 600 new reviews have given Spore a one-star rating. Wow.

If this is the first time you’re hearing of Spore then it’s safe to say you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past three years. A rock on the moon. A moonrock, if you will.

The hype for this game has been nothing short of astonishing. At E3 2005, three years before the game’s release, it won the Best of Show, Best Original Game, Best PC Game, and Best Simulation Game Game Critics Awards. At E3 2006, it won Best PC Game, Best Original Game, and Best Simulation. Spore won the GameTrailers E3 2008 Award for Best PC Game. It also won the E3 2008 Overall Best of Show from GameSpy.

So why, one day after its North American release, have 239 out of 281 Amazon reviews given Spore 1 single, lonesome star?

Read MORE >>

No need to pay FilePlanet, MMORPG.com has just announced the release of 3,000 totally free beta keys for Warhammer Online. At the time of this article, there are 2,262 keys remaining.

Aching to try the new game? Head on over and grab yourself a key. All you need to do is make an account with MMORPG.com.

Hurry, they’re going fast!

“Trying to recreate Venezuelan-style fuel riots on the streets of London is completely irresponsible and downright dangerous,” said British MP Lynne Featherstone of Electronic Arts’ latest (and greatest?) marketing ploy.

EA’s upcoming title, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, takes place in a fictitious Mad Max-style Venezuela, where you play as a mercenary and use fuel as currency. To promote the game, EA took over a petrol station in North London, armed with £20,000 ($34,846 USD) worth of free fuel.

Read MORE >>

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave since the 2005 E3 you’re probably already aware: old people love the Wii. Headlines like “Video Games Conquer Retirees,” “Retirement home: Wii Will, Wii Will Rock You,” and “That’s how Wii roll: Video bowling big hit with local seniors,” spring to mind.

That’s great. The more people playing video games, the better. That got me to thinking: what kind of games do well with geriatric gamers? The Wii Sports game is always in the news, but there have to be more options - so I’ve compiled a list of five games your grandma can’t live without.

Read MORE >>

Some of you may have noticed a lack of content over the past few days - sorry about that. I’ve been involved in a super secret mega ultra marketing project which has sucked up more of my time than Bomberman and Raving Rabbids combined.

Starting tomorrow we’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming. In the meantime, however, you should head over to MsPixel.com for an interesting and engaging look at how the gaming medium fits in to the ever-evolving world of social media. Bukola, the site’s author, is sharp as all hell and offers a fresh perspective on a topic which is only becoming more and more important.

Social engineering, one of the oldest methods of accessing information you’re not supposed to, recently claimed another victim in the Xbox Live community: Halo 3 multiplayer producer Joe Tung. Bungie has confirmed that Tung’s Xbox Live gamertag (and all of the information associated with it) had been compromised.

“We can confirm that Joe’s account was compromised,” Bungie Studios writer Luke Smith told MTV News. “Representatives from Microsoft aided Joe in swiftly resolving the issue.”

Read MORE >>

Bethesda has announced that gamers lucky enough to attend PAX this year might also get some hands-on time with Fallout 3- that is, if you’re lucky enough to make it to their booth in the 50,000 strong crowd.

Six Fallout 3 kiosks will be running in the Bethesda booth, and developers will be on hand to talk to fans. Even if you aren’t one of the lucky ones who gets some hands-on time with what many are already calling the game of the year, Bethesda will be conducting a live demonstration in the Main Theater at 2:30PM on Saturday, and later that night they’ll be hosting a post-apocalyptic movie showing in the Raven Theater.

(via Kotaku.com)

Sega has released a new gameplay trailer for their Wii remake of the Dreamcast cult classic, Samba da Amigo. If you’re epileptic then you probably shouldn’t watch this, but if not, keep an eye out for another staple Sega character - Sonic the Hedgehog.

Affordable SEO

Some of you may have already read about the school murder which occured in South Africa the other week. An 18 year old, reportedly dressed as a member of the band Slipknot, attacked a 16 year old boy with a ’samurai sword’ and left him to bleed to death on the schoolyard. Another student and two gardeners were also injured.

It’s tragic, and unfortunately it seems to happen fairly frequently (adolescents committing violent crimes, not masked ninja-attacks), so by now we’re familiar enough with the scenario that we can look at the situation from a reasonable standpoint. Right?

Read MORE >>

The classic PC franchise is making its way over to WiiWare, developer Hudson announced today, and the new title’s focus hasn’t shifted from what it’s always done best: online play. The new WiiWare game boasts 8-person multiplayer battles, leaderboards and online tournaments.

“The Bomberman franchise is one of Hudson Entertainment’s most popular,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “We’re driven by the support of the fans and strive to provide unique new gameplay features with each new Bomberman title to please the longtime fans, as well as make the game accessible to newcomers.”

To sweeten the deal, you’ll even be able to play as your Mii. Given my half-forgotten love affair with this game almost a decade ago, I’m definitely going to download.

Mark it on your calendar, guys, and I’ll see you in the Bomberman Arena. I hope you like the taste of sulfur.

(via Kotaku.com)

Every gamer old enough to hold down a job has at least once fantasized about revving up their Lancer and taking their boss down a peg. Well, Hollywood has done you one better - they’re taking out their future bosses and getting some great industry contacts in the process.

Nerd Poker was started by a group of young Hollywood execs who were fed up with getting ‘owned’ by teenagers and the nasally mockery that entails. It began with four people, screenwriter Justin Marks, Variety reporter Ben Fritz, Misher Films exec Kevin Chang and William Morris agent Derek Douglas. Now membership has swollen to 95, and they play every Thursday.

Justin Wilson, director of alumni relations at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, explains that Hollywood networking is usually “of the boring, drinking variety,” and that networking boils down to “getting yourself in front of someone so they’ll remember you.”

Personally, I’d prefer to be remembered as the stealthy assassin who decimated your entire team from the shadows rather than “the scruffy young guy who couldn’t hold his martinis real well - but hey, he told that great story about the Siamese twins,” so I can definitely see the appeal.

(via LA Times)

Was the newest Grand Theft Auto installment a little too short for you? Good news, gamer- according to an unconfirmed report from RPG-TV, the first of two installments of Downloadable Content for the title is slated to hit the Xbox 360 this November, adding a whopping 15 hours of extra gameplay to the story.

So far neither Microsoft nor Rockstar have commented, keeping mostly silent about what the DLC is going to include. The only concrete information they’ve confirmed is that it will be available some time this fall.

Wow, two internet rumors in one day. This is real journalism, folks, stand back and marvel.

(via Shacknews)

If you’re reading this, chances are you own a Wii, PS3 or an Xbox 360. You might even own two. But chances are you don’t have all three (unless you’re one of those jerks who makes more money than me) and it’s with that in mind that I’m posting this list.

I’ve compiled five different websites for each system (that’s 15 sites in total, if you’re really poor at math) where you can enter to win a free console. Some of these are geographically restricted, so make sure to read the fine print.

Just an FYI, but you may want to use a throw-away email address when you enter these, as I get the distinct impression you’ll be signing up for about a thousand different newsletters. Don’t forget to check that email once the contest is up, though!

Read MORE >>

The internet grapevine is abuzz with the newest Xbox 360 rumor, namely that the repriced Arcade console will ship with a motion controller and a set of mini-games developed by Rare in time for the 2008 Holiday season.

A source at Microsoft spilled the beans to Xbox 360 Fanboy, saying that the Arcade will come bundled with the usual items (512 MB memory card, etc.) as well as a motion sensitive controller. That combined with the price slash will put the 360 in direct competition with the Wii for holiday shoppers.

None of this has been officially verified by Microsoft, so it could very well be that none of the above is true, but following the blatantly casual-centric Xbox push at Leipzig, I wouldn’t be surprised.