Hm.
It would figure I post my musings on gaming’s future and RealID’s impact on it when Blizzard officially retracts the whole big mess. It’s still worth mentioning that it’s scary that this could still potentially be a reality but at least they finally got the picture. They carefully chose their words with saying
“at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums.”
Knowing marketing and PR that means “for now”. We’ll see, Acti- ahem, Blizzard, we’ll see…
Blizzard’s RealID controversy, TF2 finally updates the Engie, Crackdown 2 and much more.
Things have been hectic in GNSU HQ (especially with the holiday cutting the week short) but despite being insanely busy a lot has been going on game wise so let’s take a look at this past week in gaming.
This is how some trolls are likely reacting to the Blizzard Real ID Controversy.
This image speaks volumes
In a move that mirrors Activision’s series of questionable decisions, Blizzard decided they would modify their battle net policies.
The fan fueled sequel to the highly popular King’s Quest series has had a trouble history but it’s seeing the light of day thanks to Activision. ”Thanks to Activision” is not a phrase you hear very often these days from the gaming community so who would have thought they’d allow the troubled production to proceed with a release? “The Silver Lining” Chapter 1: Episode 1 is due out July 10th FREE with the rest to follow (free as well.) Though the story of The Silver Lining encompasses 9 chapters total, only two will end up being developed. The bangin’ trailer is after the jump. Check that out!
Looks like more MW2 DLC will be on its way out soon. That can mean only one thing – bitching from the community is imminent! The package is detailed in the video above. Included in the DLC pack are three new maps and two recycled ones at a whopping $15 bills – which many will note is a quarter of what you probably spent for the entire game in itself.
One fan's reaction...
I wonder how many boycott groups will pop up this time. Given the history of fan reactions it’s a very likely possibility but in the end it’s probably not going to have a huge impact. Despite complaints last time most people bought the damn thing and will, in all likelihood, do so again.
That’s not to say we think it’s all good on Activision’s part to do this. It’s moreover to reinforce the point that no matter how much we bitch, it’s going to happen anyway. The masses are still eating it up regardless.
In other news, there is still no word on whether or not you will be able to drive the WAAAAAMBULANCE in this update.
The Call of Duty series is certainly a popular franchise, in particular Modern Warfare 2, that has generated a lot of discussion in the video game community. The chatter surrounding the game in the past 6 months has been constant ranging from the popularity and success of MW2 to the controversy surrounding releases and developers.
Before MW2 was even released there was a stir surrounding the famous airport mission and more recently the shakeup with Activision and Infinity Ward. Some say that any publicity is good publicity and in a sense this is true. Even if games are pulling in negative press it’s still putting the game, the developers, and their publisher out there on the web. Hop on google and give “call of duty” a search and behold the myriad of links regarding a variety of topics.
The reason this is relevant is due to impending release of Black Ops. The “Infinity Ward Situation” will surely contribute to the press for the upcoming Activision title, especially because this is being developed by Treyarch. Treyarch and Infinity Ward were the two subsidiaries charged with developing CoD titles and now that Infinity Ward is missing more than half its staff this could be big for Treyarch. Fans of the series are split between which studio puts out the better product.
Black Ops is highly anticipated but it’s questionable whether or not it will have the level of success that MW2 especially after the incredible amount of negative press Activision has received recently. On the other hand, a lot of people also claimed they’d boycott MW2 or the new updates for it and that CLEARLY went over well.
In the end, whether or not people play the new title on a scale as large as MW2, people are afraid of Activisions intentions, a point made clear by their concerns regarding their involvement with Blizzard. One can only wonder when the Guitar Hero series will be bastardized further by getting linked up to the Call of Duty titles.
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Learn about this and more in the latest GNSU podcast where we discuss Modern Warfare 2, Lego Rockband, what we’re currently playing and more. Also, Arien tells the tragic, incestuous tale of Star Wars.
Following news that China is shutting down World of Warcraft due to “gross violations of Chinese law”, North Korea has announced that they will also shut down World of Warcraft. This is a rather curious statement seeing as there is no WoW in North Korea. Kim Jong-il, or Dear Leader as he is known in his home country and in the online world (with “Killa Crew” after his name), had this to say:
“After a recent visit to China, I have come to the conclusion as to what is best for our homeland. I will not allow other world leaders to pressure me and tell me what games are best for us to play.
On his way to an Aion fan meet
We oppose the recreational policies of the United States of America but we do not oppose the American players. We have many good alliances in the United States. I must take a firm stance and let the world know that North Korea is also a world power. I also really like Aion.”
Aside from his brief speech this morning, Kim Jong-il could not be reached for further comments. A spokesperson for the “Dear Leader” gave the following statement:
“It’s no secret our leader is opposed to letting his people play World of Warcraft. Representatives from Blizzard have refused to meet our demands of erecting a statue of our Dear Leader in game. It is with that in mind that he could not possibly allow his people to suffer through the hardships of level grinding without simultaneously paying homage to their role model and spiritual guide. Please buy Aion instead.”
Despite an obvious objection to World of Warcraft (which Kim Jong-il has been quoted as describing “products of capitalist influence in the working class movement. And they are a poison that destroys our Party and the working class movement in Korea.”) it is not expected that these statements will impact any sales of the game. It is suspected that most of this is a ruse for Kim Jong-il to test nuclear weapons in Azeroth.
In other news, sales of Aion have dropped dramatically following the North Korean leader’s fierce endorsement as shown below in these national ad campaigns:
From posters plastered on government buildings
Aion: The Tower of Eternity and the good of North Korea
Photographic evidence suggests Kim Jong-il purchased a motion capture suit in hopes of incorporating his image into the game
Ayman al-Zawahiri declares jihad on western gamers in his latest video.
In a recent video issued to Al Jazeera, Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the horrifying attack in an airport in the upcoming video game, Modern Warfare 2. Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the leaders of the terrorist organization, is seen in the video professing the attack as retaliation for the defeat of the unnamed Middle Eastern country from the first Modern Warfare. “Western intervention into the affairs of Muslims knows no bounds, and they hound us into the digital world,” alledges al-Zawahiri. “It is up to us to respond in kind, and defend our cyber bretheren.”
Presiden Kotick gears up to defend his other franchises from Al Qaeda.
Handicam footage of the horrfying event was leaked onto the internet days ago, quickly being DMCA’d wherever it is uploaded by the legal team at Activision. While Activision claimed to be removing the videos to limit the backlash, their determination to remove all traces of it so quickly lead many skeptics to believe that the attack to be an inside job by Activision. Bobby Kotick, president and CEO of Activision, defended the company and its property, stating, “The developers at Infinity Ward are working day and night on this issue. We have been unable to remove the offending scene from the finished product, but have been able to make it a skippable event.” He went further, pledging to personally combat terrorism in any way he can. His hardline stance has boosted his popularity as president of Activision, after suffering recent public relation snafus with the gaming public. It is still unknown how Al Qaeda implanted the level into the game in the first place.
These moves do not go far enough for Australia, however. They are looking at ways to bump the rating for Modern Warfare 2 to 18+, essentially banning the game from the country, fearing a virtual attack on their own civillians. Other countries have not followed suit, choosing to listen to President Kotick’s rhetoric. “If you do not allow Modern Warfare 2 into your homes, the terrorists have won. It’s that simple.”
The Good News Shut Up Podcast
