The Select and Start News Report 01.19.09
Posted by Vincent Chiucchi on 01.19.2009
Circuit City goes out of business, how Galaga helped Alec Baldwin's drug problems, teenager who killed parent over Halo 3 found guilty, Sony possibly asking what you want in a PSP2, and more!
Here's a random thought I've had: If Jack Thompson really wants to cripple the game industry, what he should do is start making patents over anything game related then sue the first company that supposedly steals his ideas. Worked for Anascape.
Big News
CIRCUIT CITY IS OUT OF BUSINESS [credit: GamePolitics, Destructoid, The Escapist, Joystiq]
Start checking out your local Circuit City: The company is officially out of business and is now liquidating their stock. Late last year the company was facing financial troubles as the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed 155 stores. They were hoping to find a buyer for the company but failed. Roughly 30,000 Circuit City employees are going to lose their jobs. Although nearly all stores will be closed down, because of the company's $1 billion online business, Growth Ventures Group CEO Love Goel says it may remain as an online retailer. Bloomberg news says it's OOB sales should be starting now and will end by March 31st. Circuit City held 5-10% of the US video game market.
I heard this company was going to go out of business about a year ago, so I'm not surprised this has happened. Personally, I never really cared for Circuit City. Best Buy always seemed like the better store to me anyway.
First 1UP gets drastically changed, and now Circuit City is going under. What awful business news will we have next week?
In the book "Moments of Clarity", full of testimonies from people with addictions, actor Alec Baldwin talks about his drug abuse during the 80's, who says that after partying all night, he would go out and play Namco's classic shooter Galaga to unwind.
"I would play video games from, like, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and I would wind down. Then I'd go home and go to bed. This was the only way I could go 'beta' and go into that state I needed to be, where I could calm down and take my mind off everything. I didn't want to see anybody, talk to anybody, deal with anybody.
A "moment of clarity" came when he saw pity in the face of Julian, the person who ran the parlor.
"I was doing a show then ['Knots Landing'], making tens of thousands of dollars a week, which was part of the problem. Julian would put the key in the lock and open the door, and he would just kind of look at me like, 'Wow, I'm glad I'm not you.' You got no idea, Julian. Julian, I need you. I need you to get that key and open the f---ing door and let me in. I got to play 'Galaga.' "
Wait...he used video games to unwind from drugs? I thought video games caused people to DO drugs! My lord, somebody call the experts! This can not actually be possible! [/bored sarcasm]
SURVEY HINTS AT PSP 2 [credit: Kotaku, CVG]
It's been about four years since the PSP initially came out, and while it has sold a good amount of units, it's way behind the Nintendo DS and software sales haven't been doing well. As for the other features the handheld has besides gaming, most of them are now looking outdated to other handheld electronics such as the iPhone. These could be signs that Sony should be making a completely new handheld rather then continue redesigning their current one, especially when the redesigns have problems of their own.
That might be actually happening if a recently discovered survey is any indication. According to Kotaku, Sony is conducting a survey for gamers to rank what features they would want the most. These are some of the features mentioned:
-Was smaller, yet retained most of the current PSP's screen size
-Offered social networking functionality on the XMB
-Included a keyboard for easer internet browsing and communication
-Offered Bluetooth wireless support for easy pairing with other devices
-Had a touch screen
-Had an improved screen for more dynamic graphic displays
-Offered the ability to find others near you who want to connect for online gaming
-Offered an e-comic/book download service through the PlayStation Network
-Included a hard drive for memory storage
I noticed that having a second analog nub wasn't listed. Wasn't that the reason a lot of PSP games suffered?
DANIEL PETRIC GETS LIFE SENTENCE [credit: The Escapist, Gamepolitics]
Daniel Petric, a teenager who murdered his mother and seriously wounded his father when they refused to let him play Halo 3, was found guilty of aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder and other charges, and now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Petric was not allowed to get the game but bought it anyway, so his parents took it away and hid it in a lockbox containing a 9mm handgun. Petric broke into the box, got the game, and then used the gun to kill his mother and wound his father. After shooting both, Petric tried to frame his father by placing the gun in his hand. Petric lawyers said that it was the addiction to Halo 3 that caused Petric to attempt to kill his parents, but Judge James Burge ruled that out.
The Judge, however, did have to say this following the verdict: The Court must enter a finding of guilty on the counts set forth in the indictment. That being said, it's my firm belief as a human being - and not as a jurist - that Daniel does suffer from a serious defect of the mind. This Court's opinion is that we don't know enough about these video games. In this particular case, not so much the violence of the game because I believe in the Halo 3, what it amounts to is a contest to see who can shoot the most aliens who attack. It's my firm belief that after a while the same physiological responses occur that occur in the ingestion of some drugs. And I believe that an addiction to these games can do the same thing. The dopamine surge, the stimulation of the nucleus accumbens - the same as an addiction. Such that when you stop, your brain won't stand for it. The other dangerous thing about these games, in my opinion, is that when these changes occur, they occur in an environment that is delusional. Because you can shoot these aliens, and they're there again the next day. You have to shoot them again. And I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea, at the time he hatched this plot, that if he killed his parents, they would be dead forever.
In other words, same old shit.
Tidbit News
-Speaking to MCV, 2K Games President Christoph Hartmann thinks publishers are making too many crappy casual games on the Wii, causing customer confusion and upsetting retailers. So uh...what else is new? [credit: GameDaily]
-A 21-year-old Copenhagen man and his friend were playing a PlayStation 3 game so soundly that a neighbor called the police thinking it was real gunfire, so the Danish SWAT team came and ordered them to come out and surrender. The two were arrested on suspicion of mayhem and then soon released after a search of their apartment uncovered no firearms. Wow, those PS3 games truly are more realistic! [credit: GamePolitics]
-The BBFC revealed that MadWorld, the ultra-violent Wii game with only three colors, has been given a rating of "18" without any cuts needing to be made in the game. [credit: GameDaily]
-Nintendo revealed a patent they made several made months ago about making an option in the game that makes the CPU take control of the gameplay in case the player finds the game too hard to complete and have hints pop-up in the game to help them. Oh jeez Nintendo, why not include a free strategy guide for every one of your games while you're at it? [credit: GameDaily]
-Rumor is going around that EA has officially cut ties with developer Pandemic Studios' offices in Brisbane, Australia. An unnamed says that EA has "set free" the office and that they retain their original intellectual properties and equipment. The Brisbane office was working on a Batman game based on The Dark Knight until budget and deadline problems caused the game to be cancelled. No official word about this was given by anyone at EA or Pandemic Studios. [credit: Kotaku, Gamasutra]
-Representative Joe Baca (D-California) has introduced a new bill called the "Video Games Health Labeling Act", in which video games that are rated T or M would have to carry a label warning that says that excessively playing violent video games can cause aggressive behaviour. Meanwhile, I notice The Bible doesn't have a warning label of any kind. Look into that sometime won't you congressmen? [credit: GameSpot]
-In other stupid law news, a New York assemblyman submitted a new legislative proposal aiming to prohibit the sale of video games containing negative racial stereotypes and/or actions toward a specific group of persons to minors. So I guess it's okay to make games where you can hate on white people then? [credit: Gamasutra]
-Remember the text-based adventure Zork from the 70's? Dublin-based Jolt Online Gaming is partnering with IP-holder Activision to bring back Zork as a browser-based MMO. Entitled "Legends of Zork", there are now taking applications for beta testers at their official web site. Just make sure to watch out for grues. [credit: Gamasutra, GameSpot]
-Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter is predicting that the 80GB PS3 is going to be dropping it's price from $399 to $299 by April, with Microsoft dropping the 60GB 360 Pro from $299 to $249 around the time of E3. [credit: GameSpot, GameDaily]
-Can't wait for Final Fantasy XIII this year? Well good news: It's not coming out this year! While Japan will get the game for the PS3 in 2009, the US won't be seeing in until April 2010 at the earliest. [credit: GameDaily, CVG, Gamasutra]
[GH vs. RB]
-MTV Games and Harmonix have finally released the music store for the Wii version of Rock Band. The store has 50 downloadable tracks, which includes the 20 free tracks that were released late last year. Tracks will sell for 200 Wii Points ($2) individually. [credit: GameDaily]
-Activision announced that Bruce Springsteen will release songs for Guitar Hero World Tour on January 27th, 2009. The Bruce Springsteen Track Pack will feature Born to Run and My Lucky Day, the latter coming off his new album "Working on a Dream" which also releases on January 27th, 2009. [credit: GameDaily]
January 20th - Ar tonelico 2: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
January 21st - Skate 2 (X360, PS3)
January 26th - MLB Front Office Manager (PS3, X360)
January 27th - Afro Samurai (X360, PS3)
February 2nd - Gauntlet (DS)
February 3rd:
-Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii)
-My WorldMy Way (DS)
-Burnout Paradise ported to PC
-Ninja Blade (X360)
February 5th - Halo Wars DEMO (XBL)
February 10th:
-Legacy of Ys: Books I & II (DS)
-Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3, X360)
-F.E.A.R. II: Project Origin (PS3, X360)
-X-Blades (PS3, X360, PC)
February 17th:
-Street Fighter IV (X360, PS3)
-Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
-Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (X360)
-Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP)
-Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (X360, PS3)
February 20th - The Sims 3 (PC)
February 23rd - Dawn of War II (PC)
February 24th:
-Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (X360)
-The Godfather II (PS3, PC, X360)
-Star Ocean: The Last Hope (X360)
February 27th:
-Killzone 2 (PS3)
-Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (Wii)
February 28th - Tabula Rasa to be shut down
March 2nd:
-Damnation (PS3, X360, PC)
-Shellshock 2: Blood Trails (PS3)
-This Is Vegas (PS3)
-Samurai Shodown Anthology (PSP)
March 3rd - Halo Wars (X360)
March 13th - Resident Evil 5 (X360, PS3)
March 17th:
-Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
-GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS)
-Trackmania DS
-Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (Wii)
March 22nd - Pokemon Platinum (DS)
March 24th - Phantasy Star Portable (PSP)
March 29th - Guitar Hero: Metallica (X360, PS3)
March 31st - MadWorld (Wii)
May 1st - Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360, PS3, PC)
Video of the Day
You've been sackrolled!
(How long until this gets taken down or muted because of YouTube's latest copyright bullshit?)
I've been rolled so many times, I know the song and sing along.
Posted By: Guest#7548 (Guest) on January 18, 2009 at 11:51 PM
What's that supposed to mean?
Posted By: John De Large (Registered) on January 19, 2009 at 04:38 AM
I'm glad circus city going out of business...back when final fantasy 7 came out on ps1 they charged me $70 for it knowing it was sold out across town...reap what you sew
Posted By: ExodusAoA (Registered) on January 19, 2009 at 06:56 PM
Don't bother with CC yet. I was there tonight and it's obvious that they simply raised all their prices to MSRP and then discounted them... meaning all the items are either still at their original CC price or maybe a little more expensive. Give it another week or two, because right now you can find things cheaper online.
Shame about Circuit City, but you could see it coming.
First of all, they didn't have the money to update their credit card systems at many of their older stores. Seriously, in 2008, you should not be having to shove the receipt in a big plastic device and having the customer sign on it with a special pen.
Secondly, they let go all of the employees making the most money... the problem was that these were all the knowledgeable employees! These were the people that, for the most part, cared about their jobs and the product they were selling. They were all replaced with minimum wage service drones.
Posted By: Scott B (Registered) on January 19, 2009 at 08:36 PM
My biggest wish for a PSP2 would be for it to not be thought of as a second-class citizen by Sony. It needs to be more than simply a portable PS2.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on January 19, 2009 at 10:17 PM
They really shouldn't bother with another PSP. Being last place in handheld and console wars has to get old, I don't know why they would want to put themselves through it again.
Posted By: Drew Robbins (Registered) on January 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM
[GH vs. RB]
