It's been a few months since ADD Vol. 1. Round 2, FIGHT!
- The Nintendo DS shipped yesterday. Yippee. Pardon my lack of excitement, but the launch games of that platform didn't exactly inspire me to line up at Best Buy and snag one. Now if Advance Wars DS turns out to be awesome, I may end up having to get a DS. But for now, I wait with a bit more eagerness on Sony's PSP.
- Some small developer released a tasteless game that recreates the Kennedy assassination. I haven't played this game yet, but I have mixed feelings on the theme. On the one hand, it reeks of shameless publicity stunt, and is certainly insensitive to the surviving members of the Kennedy clan. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine anyone raising a stink if this game recreated John Wilkes Booth's shot at Abraham Lincoln in the Ford theater, or the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in 1914. What makes Kennedy's assassination different from either of these? Is it still too recent? Is Jack Kennedy still held in that high esteem that anything that sullies his memory should be shunned?
The developers of the game hide behind the excuse that this is all simply an academic exercise to prove that Oswald could have acted alone, and that there was no big conspiracy behind the shooting, Oliver Stone bedamned. So why are they promoting a $100,000 prize to the person who gets the highest score in the game? Why make a big point about releasing it on the 41st anniversary of the assassination?
- World of Warcraft launches tomorrow. I haven't actually played the beta since shortly after they introduced the Horde lands, but I fully intend to get into the retail version of the game. I've been missing out on a lot of cool stuff like the mounts and new talent system. I'm also tired of Brad and Bethany berating me for not playing the rest of the beta with them. I'm not sure if my fragile ego can handle further verbal abuse, so I'll be forced to join with them in the retail game.
- Marvel sues NCSoft over City of Heroes. If Marvel wins this transparent attempt to create market space for their own super-hero MMO, then it will likely spell doom for any kind of customizable content in games. That includes mods. Can you imagine gun manufacturers like Heckler & Koch suing Valve because the USP and MP5 are in Counter-Strike? How about the NCAA suing EA and Visual Concepts to make sure that it's impossible to type in the real names of college athletes in games like NCAA Football and College Hoops? Thanks Marvel. Instead of beating your competitors to market, you rely on weasel lawyers to make up for your sloth. I love this country!
- Some nutty activist group has issued a press release decrying violence in video games, noting this season's ten worst offenders. Aside from the fact that the list includes some rather oldy/moldy (Manhunt, Postal 2) or unreleased (Hitman: Blood Money) games, the titles seem more or less appropriate. Keep kids away from Doom 3, GTA San Andreas, Halo 2, and Mortal Combat (sic): Deception. We'll even let them slide on "Gunslinger Girls vol. 3" which is some crazy Japanese import, that I've never heard of. How did these guys hear about it, and think it was important enough to include on their list? What, did one of the panel members see an ad for this one in his secret shameful hentai collection?
The real crime in this press release is their list of "recommended non-violent games." Jak 3. Huh? I'm sorry but does this LOOK like a non violent game to you?
And then there's their "Prince of Persia" recommendation. Huh?!?! You mean, last year's Sands of Time, where you can meet your gruesome end at the hands of pole-ax wielding zombies, or impale yourself on brutal spike traps? Or did you mean this season's "Warrior Within," which includes double sword decaptations, and allows you to throw your sword and skewer g-string clad zombie chicks against the wall? Yep. Sounds like a winner for your 7 year-old niece. Good job, neurotic parents' groups! Way to go on the research! Did I tell you how much I love this country?