As of today, the recent PSN outage has gone from nuisance to disaster. Right now, your personal information may be out in the open, ready to be taken by a malevolent hacker. Who would've known that downloading your favorite downloadables would end up potentially costing you more money than you bargained for? Let me tell you who's having a field day with this one: Nintendo. If only Sony didn't save your credit card information, if only each and every time you wanted to download something you had to type in all those numbers, maybe a disaster like this would not have happened.
But what is done is done. Sony has admitted that some aspects of the situation are out of their control and now the user must step in to clean up their mess. I mean, they're asking you to order a free credit report. They're telling people what numbers they must call if they want to maybe avoid a potential financial disaster, said numbers belonging to the government and banks. Sony is helpless, it has lost control, control it never really had. From the beginning this has been a PR disaster, much like a year ago when all "fat" PS3s broke down. They've been slow to respond and haven't offered any sort of solutions or compensation. And for that, shame on you Sony.
Of course, Sony will pull out of this. The hackers will be found and tried. The PSN will rise from its own ashes and after a 3 hour long firmware update, everything will be back to normal. But at what cost? The PS3 has had a very rough year (so far), hackers finding loopholes in what used to be an impregnable fortress. They are under constant attack, be it from the pricks who call themselves Anonymous, or from independent hackers like Hotz. With this most recent breach into the system, which will probably lead to a 2 week PSN outage, consumers around the globe have seen the dark side of ordering things online, the one thing they feared the most the first time they entered their credit card number into a computer, that thing being credit card fraud. And today, in many people's minds, the Playstation Network is not a reliable service.
So what can Sony do to recover from this?
S.O.S PSN
Marketing Blitz: Sony puts a huge sum of money into building a new image, promoting user friendly services, focusing on security. This would require good PR.
Hire Hotz: Sony would have to bite the bullet on this one. Despite probably despising the man who ruined their system's security, he may hold the key to building better firmware to avoid this kind of thing ever happening again.
Eliminate Anonymous: Sony is a major company spanning multiple continents. It should have no problem destroying these self declared Robin Hoods.
Rewrite Everything: Sony could rewrite the entire firmware, making a new OS with new security. All they would have to do is eliminate the old one like they eliminated certain features on the console.
What do you think? Is there any way Sony can come out on top?
So we're a quarter of the way through what already seems like a banner year for games (aren't they all?). We've seen some really awesome releases as well as some pretty disappointing/crap ones ("cough" Homefront "cough").
So here are the awards for all of these games, games that will probably be much talked about when the GB crew locks themselves in a room for Game of the Year Deliberations.
What are your favorites? Please leave your comments below :)
2011's 2010 Game of the Quarter of the Year
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Criterion really hit this one out of the park. Of course, the autolog feature had me coming back to the racing mayhem but the slew of DLC (there are currently 4 packs available) really gave one of 2010's best game a lot of added replay value. Despite the fact that they were hidden on the disc, these packs kept this awesome racer spinning in my 360 long after the New Year.
Best use of Blood/Gore
Bulletstorm
Sure, this choice is obvious but you've got to admit you laughed the first time you shot a guy square in the balls before kicking him in the face. This took brutal executions to a whole new level, giving Fox News a field day. My personal favorite is what the drill gun does to the enemies, making them spin like break dancers on the ground. Dead Space 2 is a very close runner up and loses only because Bulletstorm has 131 ways to kill your enemies in gut splattering ways while Dead Space's, sometimes more elaborate, are less varied.
Most Frustrating Game that You Still Love
Marvel Vs Capcom 3
Not everyone was old enough ten years ago to master the ins and outs of Marvel Vs Capcom 2, but these same people hoped that the third installment of the popular fighting franchise would finally give them a chance to get in on the fun without being hammered by Sentinel. Their hopes were dashed approximately 10 hours after the game released. Sure the game's control had been simplified but that group of elites who ruled the only scene had transitioned onto MvC 3 ready to kick your ass. Despite my 30 loss streak, I still came back for more punishment thanks to fun gameplay and the wide variety of characters.
Best New Character
General Sarrano (Bulletstorm)
The dirty mouthed general is (for me) the most memorable character of this year so far. His southern hilly billy personality and his sometimes racist jokes made the third half of Bulletstorm a lot more entertaining. He's the funniest part of Bulletstorm (and God knows how hard it is to do funny in this medium) and deserves his own game. Not bad for someone who's named after a type of ham (the best type mind you).
Game You've Already Forgotten About
DC Universe Online
Who can really say what went wrong with this game. Maybe because the super hero MMO had already been done in better and more interesting ways. Maybe because because of weird of weird network problems. Maybe because Jeff didn't much care for it. Or maybe because there wasn't Green Lantern as a mentor or inspiration which made me turn this game off permanently.
Best Sequel
Dead Space 2
Killzone 3 is more Killzone. Little Big Planet is more like Little Big Planet 2.0. And Marvel Vs Capcom 3 is just more frustration. Dead Space 2 on the other hand is Dead Space 1, minus the faults with everything turned up to 11. The amount of crazy stuff in its 8 hour campaigne is crazy, trading scares for high end thrills that made most people want to go back for a second time in Hardcore mode, only to die before the end of the first chapter.
Best Cursing
Bulletstorm
As said by the great Jeff, cursing can make your game feel immature. But when you're kicking dudes in the ass as they fly in slow motion towards you, a good fuck yeah seems like a good reaction to the craziness that's going on around you. Despite being sometimes hit or miss, Bulletstorm's part of the game is an integral part of the game.
Best Original Score
Crysis 2
Despite a strong showing by Dragon Age 2 and Dead Space 2, Crysis 2 has this one guitar rift that you hear almost all the time that sounds so dramatic, that you instantly want to dive in slow motion of your couch, shooting people in the face. This rift is used to punctuate almost all of the game's set pieces and even after spending more than a few dozen of hours listening to it, I still can't get over it.
Most Attractive Lady
Merrill (Dragon Age 2)
2011 has been a strong year so far for woman in gaming. It seems that we are finally over our Lara Croft fetishes and are ready to move on with our lives. Bulletstorm, Dead Space 2 and Crysis 2 all star strong woman with personality. None of them however, are exceptionally attractive which is where Merrill comes in. Despite not having large breasts or a tight ass, her quirky, shy personality along with her large Avatar-like eyes make her really attractive to me. And no, I do not have a pennant for elves.
Best Ending
Dead Space 2
All I have to say is: BANANAS.
Worst Game of the Quarter-of-the-Year
Homefront
Sure, there are worst games that came out this year, but none were as mainstream as Homefront. You know when a developer is serious about his game when he advertises it so much that you see it before the 8pm news in France. Hell, I was onboard with this game the second it was announced. The disappointment was gigantic, starting with the poor visuals and continuing with the clunky gameplay. As of this writing, half the player base can't get online because the game can't find "the beacon" which nobody knows what that means. I'm sick of talking about this game, you should read my review if you want to know more.
Game of the Quarter-of-the-Year
Dead Space 2
All in all, it was a fight between Crysis 2 and Dead Space 2. Crysis has a solid multiplayer, which Dead Space lacks. However, Dead Space 2 has a campaign so memorable that I still talk about it on a regular basis. A perfect mix of horror and thrills gave RE 5 a run for its money. The pacing was consistent, keeping you glued to your controller until the end. Giving Isaac a voice was a really good idea (something Crysis 2 should learn) and was all in all the best experience I've had all year (so far).
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My counter petition is up ! As many of you may know, Ryan is trying to destroy the NDX ! Let's get behind Jeff and save the podcast and sign this petition !
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ndx4ever/
EDIT
We're winning ! We can do this !
EDIT
It's getting late where I live so I'm off to bed, we're at 900 and have an over 100 signature lead. If everything goes according to plan, we should win this. You guys are great and thanks to you, the NDX will survive ! CHU CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU
PS: Don't forget to rub it in Ryan's face and alert Jeff once we make it to 1000 :)
This site has alot of GOTY awards don't you think ? I mean everyone has done it at this point and for that I congratulate for clicking on this instead of rolling your eyes and moving on. I've tried to do something a little different here: Instead of giving my top ten or my Game of The Year (aka telling you that Brotherhood, Red Dead, Mass Effectt or Star Craft are good games) i've made random categories that will hopefully make you laugh or anger you !
Enjoy !
Best Death
Commander Shepard (Mass Effect 2)
Killing your main character off att the beginning of the game is a bold move. But making his death extremelly painful and fun to watch ? Bravo ! Seriously, the poor guy. You'd think he'd have an awesome death, one where he sacrifices himself for mankind, saving the day. But not here. He falls into a trap and dies what I think is the most painful way to go: his suit is breached and he loses oxygen. Like a fish out of water, gamers got to watch him wretch in pain as he ran out of air and died in the cold, blackness of space. This was one of the best scenes of 2010 and in my opinion the best death.
Best use of the F-Bomb
"That was pretty fucking ninja" (Medal Of Honor)
Nothing spells patriotisme like a good F-bomb. After capturing an entire mountain, members of Tier 1 look at a beautiful sunrise while rotten bodies lay around them. Command tells them that they've captured the mountain and as the screen fades to black, your loyal soldier says something that totally summed up the entire situation: that what you had just done was "pretty fucking ninja". Hell yeah, Ameica, hell yeah.
Worst Real Life Job a Game Made Me Do
Farming (Red Dead Redemption)
When you think of Red Dead, you think of shooting bandits in the face. Sure, farming was an excellent tutorial at the beginning of the game, teaching you how to ride and break horses. But man oh man, did we really have to do it all over again during the last act of the game ? Seriously, after shooting your old desperados, you're back on the family farm, scaring crows and bonding with Jack. Seriously Rockstar, I don't give a damn about learning more about my son and playing daddy ! Have you ever heard of a montage ? That would have sped things along and got me back to shooting guys.
Shit Just Got Real Award
Running Around Naked (Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days)
What was probably one of the weirdest things I've ever played, Dog Days invented the naked shooter. You play as Lynch and you run around naked, covered in horrible cuts, shooting dudes through a mall. This happens right after a rather gruesome torture scene and is the moment where Kane realizes that all has gone to hell. Being an M rated game, you get to watch Kane's beautifully animated butt cheeks for an entire level. This was the only memoable moment of this mediocre game. This also wins sexiest moment of 2010.
Evil Achievement Award
A Monument To All Your Sins (Halo: Reach)
150g sure is tempting. And completing Reach on Legendary alone doesn't sound to bad. Yeah, the first level is easy, but then it all goes downhill. Those damned elites and your dumb team mates make the odds seem impossible at times. Your enemie's shields constantly go back up and your ammo runs out. Soon, the game's length will go from 6 hours to 20. It is a sadistic achievement that constantly laughs at you each time you look at your achievements, it's a true 150 point achievement that rewards the best.
You've Probably Forgotten This Game Exists Award
Naughty Bear
Rememb te trailers and cool premise that was Naughty Bear ? You had to kill other fluffy bears in increasingly violent ways. It was kind of llike The Club (remember that ?) meets Manhunt. I personally enjoyed it but it was destroyed by critics and had no coverage on the site. I will eat my own teddy bear if I see a sequel to this, it's too bad, there was potential.
Like you, I like video games, especially during this time of year where so many great games come out. I mean, where can I find all the time to play all these great and slightly mediocre games ? Lords of Shadow, Reach, Dead Rising 2, Pac-Man, Force Unleashed 2, BLOPS, Fable 3, Brotherhood and... Blood Stone ?
Don't you guys get excited when you walk into the shop and you see that new game on the shelf, in its beautiful wrapper, just waiting for you to pick it up and unwrap it (my favorit part is smelling the inside of the box). But what happens when you lose contol, when you start buying more than you and your wallet can play ? Amazon is probably a part of the problem. They discount their games like crazy and the fact that they ship it to you in less than 3 days doesn't help. Hey, Blood Stone is 50% percent off. Click ! Add to Cart. Just Cause 2 70% off ? I already own it on a different console but click ! Add to Cart ! Shattered Dimensions only 20 bucks ? Jeff said it was shit but at this price... Click ! Add to Cart.
We have an expression in France, "Quand on aime, on ne compte pas". Video games apply to this expression quite nicely. Have you ever had a situation where you just went mental on buying video games ? How many games do you buy each month ? And am I slightly mad for spending over 250$ in games in less than a week ?
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So I probably should have written this earlier but I never really found the time...
About 2 weeks ago I wrote a blog about my terrible Kinect experience and how I was extremely pissed. I meant to make it a series where every week I would write something about my adventure to get a new one. Well, the situation got resolved specially quickly with special thanks to Giant Bomb users buft and The Beast. So here's the conclusion to my not so terrible Kinect experience !
I Have Rights God Dammit !
So after customer service told me to send the device back, I had to order the Fed Ex box that I was to send the Kinect back in. I was really bummed out as, like many gamers, I wanted to play it now. So I thought this whole thing over. I had bought this damn thing three days prior and my local game shop was loaded with Kinects. I deserved to get a trade in.
So I told myself that I have rights as a consumer and that I would call customer service back and get what I deserved. So I called them (again) and stumbled upon a nice lady who could actually speak french this time. After telling her that the user manual (yeah, you know the gray one that you never read because it's full of legal stuff) told me that since I bought the thing less than 30 days ago I deserved a trade in. And a trade in I got ! After getting the green light (pun) from Microsoft my local game shop just gave me a new one. Now here is for the weird part.
The inside of the box of this new Kinect was different. Entirely different. From how the components of the box were organised to the color of it it's the weirdest thing I had ever seen. Did I stumble on some weird, beta, bootleged Kinect ? Who knows ! I'm just happy I have this semi-worthless piece of new hardware.
Hey Duders, As some of you may have seen this weekend I posted a blog about a problem I was having with Kinect. After a while I came to the conclusion that the device was simply broken. This first blog post will be followed by others, following my steps as I search for a working Kinect.
PART 1: False hopes and Morocco
So last weekend I realised my Kinect wasn't working. This was a bummer and kind of made me regret the whole venture. But I told myself that I'd just go to my local video game store to get a new one. Sounds simple right ?
Living in France and all, I have my own little video game shop that sells me games in advance and I know the guys who work there and they usually give me discounts. Anyways I bring the Kinect back and after trying it out they too realise it is broken. They start talking about trading mine in for a new one but the boss wants to call Microsoft's customer service line just to be sure we aren't doing anything wrong.
Now I know one or two things about costumer service here in France. Nintendo is outsourced in Belgium and plays Mario music while you're waiting. Sony is based in Paris and plays Queen while you wait. Microsoft is the absolute worst: it's outsourced in Morroco with people who don't speak a lick of french on the other line. This is when things went south.
The woman on the other line didn't seem to know what a Kinect was and didn't seem to understand the shopkeeper's questions about return policies. She finally understood and headshoted my hopes of playing this next gen eyetoy down the drain: apparently Microsoft doesn't accept returns from shops.
So I get her on the line and after spelling out my lengthy long name, she kindly tells me that I'll have to ship the damn thing. When she asked me if I was happy with her service I almost chocked her over the phone. For weeks I've been trying t ship my broken Wii off to Belgium and now I have to take care of Kinect ? Well at least it won't take long, right ?
A week for them to ship the FedEx box to me, three weeks for them to get me a new one. I'll repost in a week. Who wants to bet there will be no box ?
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I need help. I recently bought Kinect. I have an original 360 so I plugged it into both the USB port on the back of my system and into a power outlet. The light on the the cable that connects Kinect to my 360 went green so everything seemed to be ok. So I put in Kinect Adventures and the game kept telling me that no Kinect sensor was detected. So I went to my system settings and tried to turn on Kinect from there and that didn't work. I turned my console off then back on and that didn't help either. I installed the game but that did nothing.
Then I accidently hit the guide button while loading the game and I managed to trick it into thinking I had a sensor. It brought me to an update for a Kinect that downloaded and then it took me to a screen to get started. The light on Kinect started flashing for a while before the same error message popped up and took me back to the dashboard.
I'm beginning to think this thing is broken and could really use some help.
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Once upon a time I got a ban warning. Now I'm not gonna lie I kind of deserved it: it was in my early days of wiki editing and I copied wikipedia to write about 3D Realms.
Enough about me, let's talk about the people who cheat, yes those guys. Now I'm greedy for wiki points but I was scrolling around Giant Bomb and I stumbled on a user who had a huge amount of points who I had never heard about. So I clicked on him and discovered he had a huge amount of points on one page. I also click on said page ready to see something awesome but I stumble on an empty page. How in the world does someone get 78 THOUSAND points on a single page that is empty ? Go on the Jump Jack 2 page, you'll know what I'm talking about...
Also another guy is one of the highest ranking users on numerous pages but when you click on his profile he has zero points. Is the Wiki Point system maybe a little broken ? Or are people exploiting it and cheating ?
On a final note, lets pay are respects to the true wiki gods, aka Marino, Ignor and StarFoxA. You guys rule. 38 Comments
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