The Daily Video Game Zerg - 11/18/08 - Don't Microwave the Cat

Sony and Microsoft seem at odds over Netflix content distributed via the XBox 360

New XBox 360 Experience goes live
The much heralded XBox New Experience goes live today. While Microsoft touts the NXE as rivaling the invention of the television and as a new era in home entertainment. In reality, as is customary with Microsoft, they have just taken what was available on the market and put it into one package. While convenient and creative, copying the Nintendo Mii system is not what one would call a new era.

No Sony movies on XBox 360 Netflix
Netflix subscribers eager to watch movies after the New Xbox Experience update were disappointed to find that they cannot watch movies from Columbia Pictures, a Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary. Is this an evil plot by Sony to throw a wrench into the NXE or a simple case of contractual misunderstandings.

Netflix Vice President Steve Swasey explains "As watching instantly becomes a more prominent part of the Netflix service, our goal is to have all of our streaming content licensed for all of our partner devices. We're doing well in this area, but it will take some time before we fully achieve that goal. Today, titles regularly come in and out of license and there is a natural ebb and flow to what we have on license at any given point in time. In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console. Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers' computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and we hope they'll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortly."

Chronicles of Spellborn beta and release date
The somewhat mildly anticipated MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn has announced beta testing will begin November 27th and the game will be released to the public in January with a paid subscription model offering low level gameplay for free. Players who want to journey outside the starter areas will have to subscribe. In other news... 12 million people play World of Warcraft.

While we're talking about World of Warcraft. again. and again.
The UK's The Independent published an interesting article about the violence in World of Warcraft. It's a somewhat scary yet strange insight into what makes World of Warcraft players tick. Did we mention? 12 million people play World of Warcraft?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/is-world-of-warcraft-just-mindless-violence-1024311.html

Look! Mo' MMO's!
Cryptic Studios, creator of City of Heroes, Star Trek Online and Champions Online says they want to take MMORPG's to the PS3 in a bid to match rival SOE's console ambitions. To date, the only MMORPG's to have had any success on console platforms was SOE's Everquest Online Adventures and Square Enix's Final Fantasy MMORPG.

Looking out for #1
There was a time when MMORPG publisher would delay product updates, expansions and even new games as to not compete head on with World of Warcraft. Times have changed. Both EA Mythic and Turbine have made head to head challenges against Blizzard by releasing expansions and critical updates in the face of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Turbine released its Mines of Moria expansion only days after Lich King and EA Mythic announced its first major update and game event in the wake of a community exodus back to Azeroth. It is highly unlikely that either of these direct challenges will succeed.

If you cook a cat in a microwave, you can't play video games
Unless of course, you have your parent's permission. A judge in Edmonton, that's in Canada btw, sentenced two teens to a video game ban. It also stipulates that in order to play video games they have to have their parent's permission. "Nobody knows why these young men did what they did," said Crown prosecutor John Laluk, so yes, it must have been video games and not their 80's coke snorting hippie wanna be parent's lack of parenting skills.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=ec319a1b-cfed-471e-a7bd-e6346d618a5e

Mugshot Slots anger former victims
In an effort to help catch alleged criminals in Japan, Famista, Inc. is releasing a video game that shows mug shots of Japan's most wanted. This doesn't sit to well with victim's families who claim that a commercial property is being established which capitalizes on the victims of crimes.
The Article

Today's Releases

Skate It
Skate It unleashes the Flickit revolution on the Nintendo Wii. Use the Wii Remote and Wii Balance Board to string together your sickest tricks for the ultimate line. Ride with the pros, own the best spots in San Vanelona, and rake in sponsorships on your path to becoming Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year. Available on Wii and DS.

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch - Mama Kills Turkeys

PETA releases a killer flash game and Laura Croft goes on an adventure.

Street Fighter IV announced
Street Fighter, a legend in the arcade and the living room returns in an all new 3D release expected in February. In this installment, Street Fighter goes 3D with the original cast on console platforms only.

Another player pulls up a chair at the MMORPG table
Ubisoft has announced a plan to slowly ease themselves into the MMORPG market, potentially with a Tom Clancy themed project. Even in the face of failure after failure in the MMORPG market, Ubisoft feels there is room for yet another in the space. These days, unless your game is set in an Orc vs. Human aligned world with PVE character progression and the name "World of Warcraft" in the title, it appears your game is doomed to never break the 1,000,000 subscriber mark.

D-Day minus one
Tomorrow, Microsoft will roll out its New Xbox 360 Experience, a move similar to a previous New Game Experience, that of Sony's Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG back in 2005. Like SOE, Microsoft has decided that the Xbox 360 needs to reinvent itself from the ground floor. How will this New Experience be received by millions of gamers has yet to be determined, but its doubtful that people will stop playing their XBox and start playing World of Warcraft because of the move.

Netflix on the Xbox 360
In a move that goes unnoticed to most Xbox 360 users Netflix services will be available on the console tomorrow. For fans of Netflix, this is a huge addition to home theater experience as the Netflix online catalog includes over 12,000 titles including movies, television shows and hard to find anime and classic television making the XBox 360 a bit more attractive to middle America looking for a gaming / home entertainment system over the PS3 and its Blu-Ray.

Playstation 3 & Blu-Ray bundle at Amazon
Amazon.Com is now offering a PS3 bundle which includes a new 160GB PS3, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN download voucer and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499. Other retailers followed suit including Target, offering a $40 gift card when you purchase the 80GB PS3.

Going completely unoticed
Lord of the Rings Online has just released a new expansion, The Mines of Moria while in Mines of Moria, it's basically the same as the original, except this time it all happens underground. Unfortunately, most MMORPG players don't care as Wrath of the Lich King also promises more of the same except that it has 12,000,000 addicts worldwide.

PETA enters the video game market
PETA today announced their new game, Cooking Mama Mama Kills Animals. While the game is intended to warn us against the evils of the Thanksgiving experience, it's damn funny. In fact, this is one of the best web games we have seen to date and we hope it pushes the envelope on browser based video game violence. This game gets a 10/10 from Zergwatch. While PETA urges you to contact Majesco, creator of Cooking Mama to ask them for vegetarian recipes, I don't think you'll be seeing Cooking Mama: Look Ma, No Meat! anytime soon.
http://www.peta.org/cooking-mama/index.asp

Today's Releases

Tomb Raider Underworld
For generations, stories have been told of the fearsome weapon of Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Legend holds that Thor's hammer had the power to smash mountains into valleys and to destroy even the gods. For more than a thousand years it has existed only as a myth...until now. In an ancient ruin on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, Lara Croft uncovers proof of the Norse underworld and the mythical hammer. As she attempts to unravel the secrets behind these myths, Lara's perilous journey leads her toward a forgotten power that, if unleashed, could lay waste to all civilization.

Legendary (PC)
All the creatures of myth, legend and lore are real-they've just been sealed away for thousands of years inside Pandora's Box. When a thief named Deckard is hired to steal an ancient artifact, he unwittingly triggers a war between man and myth. Giant Gryphons rule the skies, Werewolves tear the innocent limb from limb and cities are held under siege as creatures we'd dismissed as the imaginings of our ancestors prove to be very real and very angry at being prisoners for untold milennia. As the only person able to seal the box, Deckard finds that he must work with a shadowy secret society to save civilization before it's torn apart by tooth and claw.

Naruto: the Broken Bond
Now a respected ninja, Naruto evolves into a mature and strong hero. However, with his new status comes responsibility, and Naruto soon finds himself surrounded by conflict. Forced to relive bitter memories, Naruto's best friend Sasuke strikes out on a self-destructive quest for power. Now with the help of his friends, Naruto must confront Sasuke and save him before it's too late.

Sonic Unleashed
Take an unforgettable journey around the world in Sonic Unleashed! With seamless 3D to classic 2D perspectives, new speed capabilities, and an all new proprietary engine, as well as new combat, movement, functional abilities and platforming, Sonic is UNLEASHED like never before!

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11/17/08 - Lich King to die for

A boy collapses while playing Wrath of the Lich King. Turn your Xbox into a Wii. Miley Cyrus Dies.

Boy collapses after playing Lich King for 24 hours
"A schoolboy collapsed and went into convulsions after playing a new version of the World of Warcraft computer game for 24 hours straight." according to the Times Online, a UK media service.

While WoW addiction is nothing new, admitting you had to be rushed to the hospital because of your WoW addiction is pretty rare.

You can read the full article here: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5173755.ece

Battlefield Heroes a no go for 2009
EA Dice pushes the release date of its upcoming Play 4 Free release to 2009. The game had a beta and May and while EA promised users a Q4 2009 launch, but instead the beta was taken off line and EA returns to the drawing board. Perhaps a free to play game is not the right business strategy at this point, considering our economy.

PS3 Turns 2
The Playstation 3 console turns 2 today, however during these two years, we have lost track of how many times Sony performed makeovers on the console in an effort to dig itself out of the number three spot in the console market. At this time two years ago, the PS3 could be found on Ebay for over $2,000. Today, you can find used units for as low as $150.00. So if you were one of the people who bought a $2,000 PS3, you still made a better investment than if you bought GM stock instead.

The Xbox Experience turns your Xbox in to a Wii
To compete with the Wii this holiday season, Microsoft announced price cuts and Mii's for their gaming console. On Wednesday, your XBox 360 will become Wii 360 as the competition to cut and paste what works for your competitors is taken to new levels.

Wii Music flops
After 11 days, Wii Music sold just under 81,000 copies compared to 700,000 boxes sold by Wii Fit in its first 11 days. While the concept seems kind of neat and the title might be revivable with Rock Band type accessories, I think anyone who wants to be a virtual rock star is already on board the Rock Band train.

Miley Cyrus dies again
While this is not video game related, Miley Cyrus' YouTube page was 'hacked' once again, this time the video posted depicted Miley's alleged death at the hands of a drunk driver. Just something interesting to Google while you're at work. If this doesn't inspire you to buy a Hannah Montana game, I'm not sure what would.

Weekend Roundup
As this column is not written on weekends, each Monday, there will be a weekend roundup for the stuff we missed.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe released for PS3 and XBox 360. This title might be one of the most exciting releases for the videogame comic fans. Batman vs. Raiyden. Who winz?

Today's Video Game Releases

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe When a cataclysmic force merges conquerors from two universes, conflict is inevitable. Kombat forces friends to fight, worlds to collide, and unlikely alliances to be forged. In order to save all they know, the heroes and villains of Mortal Kombat must wage war against the combined might of the DC Universe (DCU). How can either side prevail when rage blinds them to the dark threat poised to destroy them all?

Left 4 Dead A new and highly virulent strain of the rabies virus emerges and spreads through the human population with frightening speed. The pandemic's victims become grotesquely disfigured widely violent psychopaths, attacking the uninfected on sight. As one of the "lucky" few apparently immune to the sickness, you, unfortunately, are also trapped in a city crawling with thousands of the bloodthirsty Infected. Alone, you're dead. But together with a handful of fellow survivors, you might just fight your way to safety Need for Speed Undercover

NCAA Basketball 09 College Basketball arrives for its annual installment, this time as NCAA Basketball 09, from EA Sports.

The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria he 2007 PC MMO Game of the Year returns with an all-new breakthrough title! The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria drops you into the dark majesty of the world beneath Middle-earth. Explore a truly vast underground environment like you’ve never seen before. Battle the terrors of the Nameless Deep with new legendary items that evolve and grow in power as you do. Experience the dread and wonder of Moria as one of the new Rune-keeper and Warden classes. Achieve greatness as you seek to claim the knowledge and power lost for generations!

The Daily Video Game Zergwatch 11-14-08 In tough time, Play video games

When the going gets tough, the tough play video games
An NPD report states that the video game industry experienced an 18% overall increase in 2008, while the stock market has dropped nearly 30% during the same periods. During hard economic times, it is natural for "comfort" items to surge in popularity as things such as vacations, new cars and lavish luxuries become a thing of the past. While most admit that the industry is not 100% recession proof, the console market is one of the few U.S. industry to experience growth in 2008.

Has Blizzard KO'd EA Mythic?
Seemingly overnight, Warhammer Online server populations were hovering at the low to medium mark, not even 24 hours after Wrath of the Lich King has been released. Warhammer's RVR zones seemed like ghost towns and scenarios had queues up to 20 minutes, when just hours before Lich King's release, queues were in the single minutes. This drop was evident across the board as those who have freed themselves of Warcraft's changes, seemingly flocked back to the game in bulk.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles rumors shot down
Square Enix has stated that rumors spreading about the cancellation of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are just indeed rumors. While they never usually comment on such rumors, this one seemed to have spun far out of control and the company issued the statement to put to ease any fears of cancellation.

Athene gets banned
The self proclaimed greatest World of Warcraft Paladin gets banned once again from the game, this time for allegedly exploiting in Wrath of the Lich King. Made popular by the WoW subculture for his ability to power level World of Warcraft characters, his website claims "World first level 80", however his recently published YouTube video shows that he got banned at level 79, so the race for first World of Warcraft level 80 is still up for grabs.

Cheaters never win
Microsoft announced yesterday that Xbox 360 console owners who have modified their system will no longer be able to connect to the Xbox Live Servers. This is just one step in Microsoft's strategy to combat software piracy.

The Daily Zerg 11/14/08

When the going gets tough, the tough play video games
An NPD report states that the video game industry experienced an 18% overall increase in 2008, while the stock market has dropped nearly 30% during the same periods. During hard economic times, it is natural for "comfort" items to surge in popularity as things such as vacations, new cars and lavish luxuries become a thing of the past. While most admit that the industry is not 100% recession proof, the console market is one of the few U.S. industry to experience growth in 2008.

Has Blizzard KO'd EA Mythic?
Seemingly overnight, Warhammer Online server populations were hovering at the low to medium mark, not even 24 hours after Wrath of the Lich King has been released. Warhammer's RVR zones seemed like ghost towns and scenarios had queues up to 20 minutes, when just hours before Lich King's release, queues were in the single minutes. This drop was evident across the board as those who have freed themselves of Warcraft's changes, seemingly flocked back to the game in bulk.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles rumors shot down
Square Enix has stated that rumors spreading about the cancellation of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are just indeed rumors. While they never usually comment on such rumors, this one seemed to have spun far out of control and the company issued the statement to put to ease any fears of cancellation.

Athene gets banned
The self proclaimed greatest World of Warcraft Paladin gets banned once again from the game, this time for allegedly exploiting in Wrath of the Lich King. Made popular by the WoW subculture for his ability to power level World of Warcraft characters, his website claims "World first level 80", however his recently published YouTube video shows that he got banned at level 79, so the race for first World of Warcraft level 80 is still up for grabs.

Cheaters never win
Microsoft announced yesterday that Xbox 360 console owners who have modified their system will no longer be able to connect to the Xbox Live Servers. This is just one step in Microsoft's strategy to combat software piracy.

The Daily Zergwatch 11/13/08 - From Blizzard With Love

From Azeroth with Love

The new Trekkies
There's only one thing that can be worse than a Star Trek convention or a gathering of Star Wars fans at the premier of a new Star Wars film, midnight launches of World of Warcraft expansions. The diehard fans were out in full force last night, dressed as their favorite heroes and villains from Azeroth. Eager and willing to shell out a few bucks for the latest installment of the Blizzard treadmill, everyone wanted to be the first to login and create the first Death Knight, a new "Hero" class available to players who purchase the expansion. Wrath of the Lich King promises more of the same for World of Warcraft. It includes more raids, more dungeons and more gear that most people who play the game will never see because they don't have the ability to invest the time required to obtain those items.

John Smedley speaks about about new Star Wars MMORPG
In a recent interview on Massively.com, SOE President, John Smedley finally breaks his silence about the newly announced Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG being developed by Bioware. While Bioware and John Smedley both agree that there are plenty of Star Wars fans for both MMORPG's to succeed and that each game is a unique and different Star Wars experience, John Smedley does suggest the possibility to sunset the much troubled Star Wars Galaxies should subscriptions drop significantly. At this point, if somebody hasn't quit Star Wars Galaxies by now, chances are they never will and shutting down the game will be the only option for them to realize their dream had actually died two years ago.

Just in case you weren't paying attention
The ESRB, concerned that people do not fully understand or appreciate simple ratings similar to the Motion Picture Association, have followed suit by adding additional paragraph explanations in addition to the existing ESRB ratings. In some cases, the writing could be over 100 words long in description detailing vivid accounts of game play possibilities.

For example, the descriptive text for Resistance 2, an M for Mature game reads "Resistance 2 is a first-person shooter set in an alternate 1950's environment where the Earth has been overrun by aliens. Players must shoot their way through hordes of aliens, large-scale bosses and sometimes robots, using a variety of guns and grenades. Aliens and humans get blown up, torn apart, shot, impaled and killed in gushes of red blood and body parts. During cutscenes, team members are killed by aliens, and in one instance, executed by another character. Characters use strong profanity (e.g., "f*ck" and "sh*t") during gameplay and cutscenes. "

While the ESRB goal is to create additional roadblocks for kids trying to con mom or dad into a game, they are essentially giving them more reason to by the game. In the future we may even see publisher's advertising their games and bragging about the total word count given by the ESRB to gauge a game's cool factor.

Those crazy guys at Apple are at it again
After failing to capture the PC market and succumbing to the will of Microsoft, Apple has found its niche in the mobile phone and gaming business and has once again issued a challenge to current leaders Nintendo and Sony that it will probably not win. While at a convention recently, Iphone product marketing president Greg Joswiak claims that the Wii-esque abilities of the new iPod Touch and iPhone, packaged with their ability to play 3D games, motion video, email and yes, telephone services will eventually conquer the handheld gaming market.

At last check, iPhone and iPod Touch start out over $200, may require additional purchases and subscriptions, the Nintendo DS is a cool $129 and has a complete line of Mario games. The major market audience for handheld gaming systems does not require email, motion video or cell services. While they may beat the PSP in the long run, its because the PSP has been a lukewarm failure. As a parent, I won't be buying my kids an iPhone any time soon, but I will fully support their Nintendo DS addiction and until Apple markets to the requirements of parents, iPhones will just be the coveted gadget for teens and the middle aged professional.

Blame it on the market
This week, Circuit City announced that is has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing a slowing economy and decline in overall sales. While the company feverishly tries to renegotiate their way out of leases for proposed new stores and draws up a list of December 31st closures and layoffs, they did manage to secure a 1.1 billion dollar line of credit to be used for restructuring. While the market and economy could very well be factors in the company's demise, competitor Best Buy, while recognizing a softening consumer base continues to stay afloat. If you have ever been in a Circuit City or Best Buy, I'm sure you know the real reason for Circuit City's woes.

IGN bitchslaps Halo 3 Recon
In a surprise move, IGN slams the $60 price tag on the Halo 3 recon standalone expansion. Citing sources that claim the expansion is at most a 6 hour game play experience. IGN can usually be found cuddling every free game they receive. This move is unexpected and may hurt their future abilities to get their hands on other future Bungie releases. Ok, so maybe that's not such a bad thing.

The Daily Zerg - 11/12/08 - The world is not enough for Richard Garriott

The World is Not Enough For Richard Garriott

Lost In Space
Richard Garriott, the self proclaimed Lord, has returned from outer space with a revelation. While looking down on earth from the International Space Station, it all became clear to Garriott. It was a message from above with a greater calling. Richard Garriott has decided to abandon the sinking ship which is NCSoft after a 50% dowturn in revenue over the past year, a lack luster release of the self touted Tabula Rasa and a year filled with layoffs. While this may seem like more bad news for NCSoft, when you peel away all of the self indulgence of Richard Garriott, all you are left with is a game he produced 10 years ago and not much else since.

World of Warhammer
While touted by some as Failhammer, usually those who play World Warcraft, Warhammer Online faces a crucial moment tonight as World of Warcraft's expansion, Wrath of the Lich King is set to release. At release, Warhammer was hailed by the misinformed gaming media as a competitor to World of Warcraft, while it is actually an alternative to World of Warcraft. In Warcraft, you dredge through a seemingly endless layer of dungeons and dragons with the end game goal being to amass a wealth of virtual gear while teaming with friends to destroy Non Player Characters, which makes it essentially a Cooperative gear based Player vs. Environment experience.

Warhammer is a Player vs. Player centric game in which the ultimate end game goal is to defeat the opposite side by taking their capital city. There are very few similarities between the two games, but their audience does overlap and the WotLK expansion will prove to be a critical turning point in the overall success of Warhammer.

I Want to Eat Your Brain
The zombie hunting action thriller, Left 4 Dead demo is now available to everyone. Until today, the demo was available only to preorder customers. The game is set to ship on November 18th. Left 4 Dead is a cooperative zombie killing online adventure for up to 4 players.

Back to the Future
After the blockbuster success of Call of Duty 4, EA decided to go retro and return to World War II for Call of Duty: World at War. The game has received high praise from the major media outlets, but are gamers ready to go back in time or have they experience enough of World War II as we progressed from Castle Wolfenstein to Medal of Honor to the early Call of Duty releases?

Limitless Possibilities with Limited Possibilities
After inciting the Muslim world earlier this fall, Media Molecule is now inciting its customers with what users are claiming is blatant disregard for community and the hours of work they put in to create levels for the recently released Little Big Planet. The main contention from the player base is the lack of clear and defined rules for level creation. As the product description for the game states: "Imagine a world that's yours to shape, build and explore. LittleBigPlanet puts the power of absolute creation into your own hands. If you can see it, you can enhance it. If you can't see it, you can invent it." as long as we agree with you. In their defense, Media Molecule has pledged to take a look at the moderation process.