The Select and Start News Report: 03.17.08
Posted by Vincent Chiucchi on 03.17.2008
Manhunt 2 is finally allowed in the UK, more news on the Take-Two/EA buyout, BioShock 2 announced, more info on the so called "Mortal Kombat" murder, and more.
Welcome to the Select and Start News Report, where my NEW official Smash Bros code is 3480-2266-9771. For some reason the code changes if you decide to delete your data and start anew. And to think I could've waited a couple of days when that Wi-Fi option was said to be fixed and wouldn't have to go through this. Ah well, I still have all characters unlocked now anyway.
So that's enough about Smash Bros. Let's get to non-Smash related news.
Big News
MISSING MARINE FOUND DEAD [credit: GamePolitics]
A few weeks ago there was a report of a marine, 24-year-old Eric Hall, who went missing after playing Call of Duty 4 due to him being severely traumatized from fighting in the Iraq. Sadly, Eric Hall was recently found dead inside a culvert. It's not clear why Hall crawled 60 feet into the roadside culvert. His motorcycle was found nearby.
My condolences to the family of Eric Hall.
MANHUNT 2 BAN LIFTED IN THE UK; GAME STILL SUCKS [credit: GamePolitics, Destructoid, GameDaily, Joystiq]
The Manhunt 2 Saga continued over in the UK, where after many appeals from Rockstar, the game's banning has finally be lifted and will now go with an "18" rating. The Video Appeals Committee (VAC) has appealed the rejection made by the The British Board of Film Classifications regarding the censored version of the game, and now the game will be made available sometime in the future. The British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport also stated that they will let the decision stand because, as they say it themselves, "It is important to note that there is no conclusive evidence of any link between playing computer games and violent behaviour in real life..."
Well there you go UK. Now you can let out all that anger you've probably built up knowing that you're not going to get Smash Bros until possibly the Fall.
THE EA/TAKE-TWO BUYOUT SAGA [credit: GameSpot, GameDaily, Gamasutra]
Here's the latest news in the ongoing deal between EA and Take-Two.
-With this buyout seemingly looming closer by the day, Take-Two has set up a severance plan for employees should Take-Two be bought out. Executive employees will receive 1.5 times their salary as well as a bonus for up to 18 months should they be fired without cause within the year Take-Two is bought out. This does not include Chairman Strauss Zelnick, Chief Executive Ben Feder, and other top executives because they are under a different severance plan. All other employees will be paid out up to six months' worth of their salary. This plan is basically to reassure employees in case something were to happen in the buyout.
Well that's good to hear.
-Meanwhile, ever since Take-Two refused the offer, shareholders have been upset with them. The two largest shareholders in Take-Two Interactive have reduced their stakes. U.S. based mutual fund company Oppenheimer Funds, cut its share holdings from 23% to 11.5%, and FMR LLC, parent company for the Fidelity mutual funds, went from 14.7% to 2.75%. Some shareholders are now suing Take-Two for 'breaches of fiduciary duty' for refusing to explore EA's offer, arranging a large payout for executives if the company is acquired, and other matters, according to court documents.
Sounds more like if they can't get the money from the buyout, they'll get the money by suing. Maybe I should buy some of this stock just so I could sue.
-And now, as some have predicted, EA is attempting a hostile takeover of the company. If Take-Two does not accept the current $2 billion offer by 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on Friday, April 11, EA will be taking it's offer to the shareholders, who with the discontent mentioned before, will probably be more then glad to take EA's offer.
Look's like it's going to happen after all, and EA will once again become the biggest game company in America.
BIG DADDY IS COMING BACK [credit: CVG, Gamasutra, GameDaily]
In their latest conference call, Take-Two announced that BioShock 2 is currently in development and is scheduled to be released around Fall 2009. The new 2K Marin studio will be handling the game, but Ken Levine will still be involved while also working on another project with 2K Boston/Australia.
Hopefully this one will start less controversies over killing little girls and less panic over malware claims. But then again with the way the media is just DIEING to say something negative about the game industry, it's probably going to happen even if they have to lie about it.
For example...
"MORTAL KOMBAT MURDER" HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MORTAL KOMBAT [credit: GamePolitics]
Remember that story a few months ago about 7-year-old Zoe Garcia that was killed by two teenagers and Mortal Kombat was blamed? Turns out the whole "Mortal Kombat" thing was made up by one of Zoe's murderers, 17-year-old Lamar Roberts. Zoe's mother Dana Trujillo was arrested on an old child abuse warrant from New Mexico. Social service records reveal 20 complaints of abuse directed toward Zoe, in both Colorado and New Mexico. A report also said Roberts was abusive towards the child when intoxicated.
Funny, I wonder why THAT wasn't ever reported by the mainstream media?
Tidbit News
-Atari has hired some financial advisors on whether or not they should accept Infogrames offer to have Atari's remaining stock bought out. Just take the damn deal already Atari! [credit: GameDaily]
-By the time you read this, Governor Spitzer should be officially gone for doing in real life what he bashed Grand Theft Auto for. Seeing how it's St.Patrick's Day, I will definitely drink to that! [credit: Kristen]
-16-year-old Chris Chike of Rochester, Minnesota, now holds the World Record for "Highest Score for a Single Song on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock", getting 840,647 points and 97% note completion on DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" on expert difficulty. Okay, now let's see him try "Raining Blood" on Hard. [credit: GameSpot]
-An Xbox 360 gamer named Nathaniel sent his broken Xbox 360 to Microsoft to repair. But it wasn't just any oridinary Xbox 360: The case had original artwork from noted Halo fan artist Luke McKay, signatures from Halo development team members, and other unique scribblings, and was assured by Microsoft that his case would be fine. Well, some asshole scrubbed all that off while repairing it, which of course was very upsetting for Nathaniel. After posting a blog about it, Bungie decided to cheer the guy up by sending him tons of hard-to-find Halo memorabilia, including the spartan helmet signed by the studio staff. [credit: Yahoo Gamess]
-In an interview with Massively.com, Rockstar president Sam Houser talked about the possibility of making a GTA MMO game. The problems however, according to him, is that creating an MMO that's not an RPG is hard to make successful, and the game just might degrade into hundreds of people just shooting at each other. Yeah, I pretty much see that happening as well. [credit: GameDaily]
-With Metal Gear Solid 4 being the final Metal Gear game for Kojima, he's already starting on a brand new title. Information about this new title won't be available until MGS4 and the upcoming Metal Gear Online have both been released. I wonder if that has to do with that weird zombie idea he once mentioned. [credit: GameDaily]
Gaming Calendar
March 25th - FFVII: Crisis Core to be released
April 4th - Myst Online to be discontinued
NEW: April 9th - Games from "The Orange Box" to be available separately
Now I can get Portal without all that Half-Fortress Team-Life watchamacallits.
April 15th - Okami gets ported to the Wii
April 20th - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games to be released
April 22nd - The World Ends With You to be released
April 27th - Mario Kart Wii to be released
April 29th - Grand Theft Auto IV to be released
May 12th - WiiWare Service to be launched
May 19th - Wii Fit to be released
May 2008
-Mass Effect gets ported to the PC
-R-Type Command to be released
-Haze to be released
June 3rd - Ninja Gaiden II to be released
June 12th - Metal Gear Solid 4 to be released
June 28-29 - Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational convention to be held
June 2008 - Guitar Hero: Aerosmith to be released
Spring 2008:
-Heroes of Might and Magic Kingdoms to be released
-Death Jr.: Root of Evil to be released
September 7th - Spore to be released
September 2008 - LittleBigPlanet to be released
October 3-5 - E for All 2008 to be held
October 9-13 - The Tokyo Game Show 2008 to be held
November 2008 - Gears of War 2 to be released
Fall 2008 - Resistance: Fall of Man 2 to be released
The Bible Is Worse Than Grand Theft Auto
Or in this week's case, worse than Mortal Kombat. This week's passages come from Joshua 7, where someone has stolen the "Accursed Thing," even though it never really says what it was. A copy of Grand Theft Auto perhaps? Anyway, the LORD tells Joshua to kill whoever took the accursed thing. Eventually they find out Achan took it, and he's going to pay the price for sinning against the LORD God of Isreal. But he's not the only one that gets it:
7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
Wow. So not only does Achan get done in, but also anyone related to him and his animals? Looks like the Bible of approves of going after people Guilty of Association. I'll be sure to hurt people associated with those I don't like more often. Thanks Bible!
The Video of the Day
If you're going to use the Landmaster Tank in Smash Bros Brawl, be careful where you use it, or you'll end up like Wolf:
"This plan is basically to reassure employees in case something were to happen in the buyout."
More likely it's another poison pill to try and stave off an EA buyout, much like the picking up of 2K Czech and early announcement of BioShock 2. This announcement ratchets up the takeover costs for EA - they're either forced to keep workers they'd have downsized or pay them out the bonus.
Posted By: Rod Oracheski (Registered) on March 17, 2008 at 02:11 AM
hey vincent, my friend code is 3093 6731 7058. we should brawl dude
Posted By: zer0vrs (Registered) on March 17, 2008 at 02:22 AM
so in regards to EA buying out take two, what does that mean for games like the NBA 2K series? Does that just mean we get stuck with crappy NBA Live in future and no alternative?
Posted By: asylum777 (Registered) on March 17, 2008 at 03:45 AM
i have added you vincent, and also the dude who dropped his code two posts above. i've been having the "awaiting registration" problem, but it's worth a shot.
ssbb #4553 9679 3708
Posted By: mattballs (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 06:44 AM
Of course that means if EA Buys out Take Two that NBA 2K is screwed...
As a side note, these bible things are making me laugh, keep them up... (It makes me want to watch Dogma many more times...)
Posted By: Travis (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 06:58 AM
I live about 50 miles from where those two teens killed that little girl. Nobody believed the whole "Mortal Combat (hey, that's how the press spelled it)" link.
Posted By: Ty Huston (Registered) on March 17, 2008 at 10:45 AM
I must be missing something. Is this Orange Box Games being sold apart thing for the consoles? Because I bought Portal like 2 months SEPARATELY.
Posted By: natedoggcata (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 11:21 AM
5155 2592 5796
Feel free to add me.
Posted By: steve swartz (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 01:26 PM
To natedoggcata: I believe it's for Steam/PC.
Posted By: Vincent Chiucchi (Registered) on March 17, 2008 at 01:59 PM
You really should do a little more research before you start bashing people's beliefs! First of all, you're reading from Joshua (in the Old Testament).. The Old Testament is before Jesus Christ and things were a lot harsher before Christ became the propitiation/sacrifice for our sins. Second of all, you don't even know what was taken... People like you like to bash "Bible-thumpers".. Don't know why you guys on here always have to go on rants about the Bible.. guess because you guys have nothing better to do with your lives than to put people and their spiritual beliefs down. Way to go! :-P
Posted By: Spyke (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 06:44 PM
You know the Bible is meant for spiritual truths more than literal truths don't you?
asshole
Posted By: Barbecued Ribs (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 08:28 PM
The argument for a less literal translation is very much a revisionist approach taken to combat the rapid rate with which civillisation is evolving intellectually; the more we are learning about ourselves, the world and existence as a whole, the less credence we give to a book that displays such a ridiculously naive approach to those subjects.
In times much closer to the existence of Jesus, people were not talking "metaphorically" about the creation of man out of dust, or that of women out of a single rib from a man's body; they were interpreted literally because, at that point, nobody was present to disprove such nonsence.
Today, thanks to the evolution of man and science, Christianity has been forced to adopt a far more metaphorical approach to their stories; "No, that snake did not ACTUALLY talk, it's meant metaphorically!"...
Literal translations used to be made to justify the treatment of women as inferiors, as too the lack of rights for blacks; certainly in the not too distant future Christianity and its meek-minded followers will have to revise their translations relating to rights of homosexuals. This flexibility allows it to continue its disastrously depressing hold on civillisation.
On a more related point to the article, is it just me or is this site a little light on PS3-related topics? There seems to be an abundance of Wii and 360 articles, yet scarcely any for Sony's behemoth. Maybe I'm simply smoking too much crack.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on March 17, 2008 at 11:54 PM
