tagged w/ Videogames
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Sony DADC today issued a business continuity plan following the blaze, which has left hundreds of indie labels devastated. According to a statement released by PIAS, the company is "back up and running from a new control room in Enfield" - the London borough where the original warehouse was located.
"Sony DADC have identified a temporary distribution partner [yet-to-be-announced] and it is envisaged that they will be in a position to pick, pack and ship orders in the course of next week," the statement continues.
"Our key focus at the moment is to get things re-manufactured and we are working with our labels on the best way of doing that is -- identifying which lines are turning over the fastest and getting them to start re-manufacturing again," Nick Hartley, chief operating officer of PIAS Entertainment Group, told Billboard.biz.
"At the same time we looking in our Brussels warehouse and [speaking to] other labels in Europe, if they don't go through us, to see what stock there is to be able to ship back from Europe into the U.K. in order to keep supplies going," he said.Sony DADC today issued a business continuity plan following the blaze, which has left... more
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So you might have heard that Activision and Infinity Ward workers got into it over copyright ownership and payments. Here is the back story
Activision and Electronic Arts are finally headed to trial over the Infinity Ward lawsuit. The case will be heard at the Los Angeles Superior Court. A judge ruled that there are enough facts for the trial to move forward.
Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vincent Zampella are suing Activision for $125 million and the Modern Warfare copyright. Activision will pursue its countersuit against EA in the trial seeking $400. Activision alleges "tortuous interference, unfair competition, and breaches of fiduciary duty" against EA, who signed the pair after they were fired by Activision for "insubordination".
“Although West and Zampella preferred to portray themselves – both to the public and within Activision – as game developers often forced to battle with corporate “suits,” the reality was and is much different. They were small-minded executives almost obsessed by jealousy of other developers and the thought that another Activision game or studio might share their spotlight. Motivated by envy and personal greed, West and Zampella went so far as to deliberately undermine the efforts of other developers within the Activision family and then lied about their conduct. On the same day that Treyarch released a video trailer promoting a follow-on product – a “map” pack or “downloadable content” – designed for players of Treyarch’s game Call of Duty: World at War, West and Zampella released a marketing video for Modern Warfare 2 with the purpose of hurting Treyarch’s and Activision’s marketing efforts. Far from being remorseful, West attempted to justify his actions on the ground that Treyarch had insufficiently coordinated with Infinity Ward by stating: “We released on the same day as you because we had no clue you were releasing anything. We are not happy about it.” The real truth, however, was revealed by a series of text messages between West and an Infinity Ward employee contemporaneous with the video trailers’ release. The employee texted West that “treyarch released their mp dlc video.” West responded: “Super nice? We release our video? Crush and destroy with our video.” The employee answered: “We already did. And . . . we already did.” West’s following comment: “Nice.” Thus, West’s own words reveal his intentional strategy to “crush and destroy” his fellow developers at Treyarch.”So you might have heard that Activision and Infinity Ward workers got into it over... more
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Cars, games, and bad-ass cars for games: Dwayne Vance creates designs and artwork for some of the top properties in Hollywood and gaming (Transformers, Hot Wheels, and Batman, to name a few). This is an interview with him conducted during a recent Halo Reach match over Xbox Live.Cars, games, and bad-ass cars for games: Dwayne Vance creates designs and artwork for... more
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Play a lot of games on your phone? Hate playing games on your phone? Then you probably want to check out this neat little device called the Bluetooth Game Gripper which will be released if it receives funding.Play a lot of games on your phone? Hate playing games on your phone? Then you probably... more
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Sony is apparently working on a PlayStation Certified, Android Honeycomb powered tablet device that’s internally known as the S1.Sony is apparently working on a PlayStation Certified, Android Honeycomb powered... more
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The Xperia Play aka the PlayStation Phone has appeared in an extremely detailed preview today which showcases both its hardware and software capabilities.The Xperia Play aka the PlayStation Phone has appeared in an extremely detailed... more
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Sony Ericsson’s upcoming PlayStation Phone aka the Xperia Play has leaked out once again, this time in a series of videos that essentially reveal it all.Sony Ericsson’s upcoming PlayStation Phone aka the Xperia Play has leaked out... more
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Sony’s PlayStation Phone aka the Xperia Play has shown up in a nice detailed video showcasing its gaming capabilities.Sony’s PlayStation Phone aka the Xperia Play has shown up in a nice detailed... more
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It’s still not official but Sony’s PlayStation Phone has leaked once again, this time in a series of high resolution photos.It’s still not official but Sony’s PlayStation Phone has leaked once... more
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High-res images and video of what apparently is Nintendo’s upcoming 3D handheld device, the Nintendo 3DS, have leaked out.High-res images and video of what apparently is Nintendo’s upcoming 3D handheld... more
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The mysterious PlayStation Phone has surfaced once again with new information and new photos.The mysterious PlayStation Phone has surfaced once again with new information and new... more
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Whoa, talk about making a splash. Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation Phone has burst onto the scene in its first photos along with its specifications.Whoa, talk about making a splash. Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation Phone has burst... more
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I have always been a fan of the original Need For Speed games and this one follows quite well in the footsteps of its predecessors with a few game design problems.I have always been a fan of the original Need For Speed games and this one follows... more
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Blockbuster recently announced the addition of games to its online mailing service in a move which has been called a "boon", "gamechanger", and a "gamefly killer". What Blockbuster fails to mention is the multitude of issues which plaque its sad desperate attempt at survival. As a former employee, I would like to offer a list of reasons as to why the Blockbuster game service is not worth your time or money. The company is doing its best to appear confident (its stock is worth $.12 and it has the audacity to criticize Netflix whose stock is $130+) by any means necessary including deceitful( to be fair merely omitting important facts is not deceitful but rather convenient forgetfulness) advertising. Yes, Blockbuster has added games but here are the problems:
1)You have to wait at least 3 months for new game releases to be delivered via the mailing service. Want to play Crackdown 2 on Xbox 360? Going to have to wait til October. Want Sin and Punishment 2 which launched in June? Going to arrive next month in the mail(maybe). ---As a side note, Blockbuster's so-called advantage over Netflix is a 28 day head start on some movies. A 90-day delay in new games, that's something the company won't talk about
2)You can exchange a game you received in the mail for an in-store rental. Just don't do something crazy and try to get a game with your in-store exchange. If you only signed up for the Total Access mailing service to get games, no problem you can bring it in store and save $4 dollars off the rental of a new game(the game you probably wanted to play in the first place). Plus with your discount you can get awesome extended rental days(it's not a late fee, or so says Blockbuster) of one dollar per day if you go past the fifth day of your in-store game rental. So $8.99 for one game in the mail and then $4.99 to play the game you actually wanted plus $1 a day if you keep it too long. $15.99 for Gamefly and you can start the month with a new release game. Blockbuster online suddenly doesn't seem like such a great deal.
3)Because the company is so broke, it sold off a large portion of its game inventory in a desperate attempt to raise revenue. Don't believe me, check its SEC filings on its investor relations website. The company mentions how the games were sold off to a third party vendor. So if a game you want to play keeps showing up as unavailable, this is probably the reason
4) Blockbuster can't afford to ship its in-store exchanges daily. At the store I used to work at, we used to have USPS pick up the in-store exchanges daily. Now the company has UPS pick up the in-store exchanges whenever we fill up a box. Sad part is, the company won't pay for UPS boxes so we ship the games out in candy boxes, popcorn boxes, etc. If a game shows up as a long wait in your queue, it will probably be sitting on a store counter for 4+ days just like all the in-store exchanges at the store I used to work at
5) Blockbuster's shipping times for games is laughably bad. I was recently forced into a 2 week free trial of the mailing service by my former manager(he needed his sales goals so he signed my dad up using my e-mail). It has been over a week and I haven't received a single game. I'm pretty sure Blockbuster is hoping that you mix games and movies into your queue so you don't realize how limited their game inventory is and how you will waste at least a week each month waiting for a game to arrive
6) The availability status on games is inaccurate. I have 19 games in my queue and many of the statuses tend to shift from available to short wait to long wait to unavailable as the day goes on. The only games that have stayed available are the 3-4 year old ones which I am honestly not too interested in playing
Overall, Blockbuster is a very poorly managed and outdated company which deserves to go under. The company recently announced a partnership with Comcast for a mailing service called "Dvdsbymail". The CEO of Netflix stated in an interview that he would never call his company the same name because he realizes that dvds will one day be obsolete and that streaming is the future. Blockbuster's digital chief claims that streaming is not the way to go and that Blockbuster can beat bankruptcy and Netflix. If Blockbuster can get its stock over a $1 at some point and make it back to the stock exchange, maybe I'll believe them. For now, I believe it's time for the wise consumers of cinema and gaming to let this sad pathetic fossil of a company die.Blockbuster recently announced the addition of games to its online mailing service in... more
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In the next few months, Sony and Microsoft will introduce motion controls and exercise-based games to their game machines, to keep up with Nintendo’s Wii. In this guest column, child psychiatrist Paul Ballas argues for a new rating system that evaluates a videogame’s capacity to work you out.
LINK : http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/08/exercise-ratings-for-games/In the next few months, Sony and Microsoft will introduce motion controls and... more
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