Should Sony just go into Game Publishing?

Sony's 4/20 debacle is being hailed as the largest cyber breach in history with about a 100 million customer's personal information being compromised. Over the past 24 months Sony has been riding a bullet-train called "momentum" and from the looks of it the "bullet-train" has fucking derailed in a blazing inferno.

So what now for Sony? Will they just "say fuck it" and go away looking as incompetent as a single entity can look? Become a Mega publisher like Sega or Square-Enix?

The longer PSN stays down Sony may have to go for the latter.  Sony cannot afford to have the PSN outage surpass 30 days.  After the thirty days of PSN downtime a 100 million people may loose faith all at once. What do you think; is Sony better off staying in the console business or should they become a mega publisher?

Read more »

The Conspiracy Continues: News Corp Purchase's UGO

Here we go again, News Corporation is reportedly on the verge to purchase media network UGO, which is currently owned by Hearst Corporation and including the 1UP Network. News Corp plans to spin off IGN as a separate business.

I believe the main-stream gaming media is in bed with developers and console makers. Not too long ago News Corp bought IGN for $650 million in 2005, acquiring a stable of websites including IGN.com, GameSpy.com and TeamXbox.com..

"News Corp. is hoping a spin-off of IGN will accelerate the company's growth by drawing more investment into the business than it could provide on its own, a person familiar with the matter said. News Corp. wants to retain a stake in the company.

IGN has enjoyed rapid growth as gamers have flocked to online gamesite. Traffic in April was up 80% compared with the same month two years earlier, executives said. IGN is expected to make about $10 million on about $100 million in revenue, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Does tainted videogame reviews help increase revenue? Does enraging fanboy's around the world help increase revenue? Does manipulating the virtual airspace with fanboy's propaganda help drive revenue? I believe that the main-stream gaming media is onto something and it's no ponzai scheme.

Read more »

Sony PS3 PSN "4/20 Debacle" What Now?

On April 20th 2011 Sony pulled the plug on PSN a day that will and probably haunt Sony for a long time to come.

If you have not heard Sony PSN has been hacked and about 70+ million customers personal information has been compromised possibly even credit card numbers. This revelation came to light on Friday April, 22nd when Sony finally shed a sprinkle of knowledge to elevate mass speculation.

Sony finally open up due to Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, who recently sent a letter to SCEA CEO Jack Tretton. The letter is mostly aimed at Sony’s inability to immediately notify users “about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised.” Mr. Blumenthal also made a suggestion to Sony to offer PSN users complimentary “financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services, for two years,” as well as insurance. A day after this letter arrived Sony update their blog with a bombshell of information.

Now Congress has questions for Sony about recent attack. A House of Representatives subcommittee sent a letter to Sony on Friday asking for information about the attack on the Sony Playstation Network by hackers last week. The gaming network has 77 million registered users.

The letter, which was addressed to Mr. Kazuo Hirai, chairman of Sony, asked the company to answer a detailed list of questions related to the intrusion. It wants a reply by May 6.

In the letter, which was written by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, the group’s chairman, Representative Mary Bono Mack, Republican of California, asked a number of security and privacy related questions that Sony has never disclosed to the public. They included when the intrusion occurred, if Sony knew who was responsible for the attack and when the company notified law enforcement.

What's Next For Sony

This may be Sony's own take on the RROD fiasco, but with a longer lasting bitter feeling.  There are currently a number of lawsuits that are slowly surfacing that may cost Sony millions or at least a major headache.  There are many Sony PS3 consumer's that are threating to change allegiance to Microsoft Xbox 360. So what will be next for Sony?

Sony has made it public that they are working on some sort of "goodwill" gesture. According to Sony PlayStation Blog Q&A#2

Q: Will there be a goodwill gesture for the time we haven’t been able to utilize PSN/Qriocity?
A: We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online.

What should this gesture be?  This is the second weekend without the ability to play online. What about the lucky few that has purchased DC Universe Online and downloaded Free Realms. What should they get? How about PlayStation Plus members, do they deserve some sort of free extension to their service? How about LoveFilm customers? Would paying Qriocity customer's be reimbursed?  Will customer's be confident enough to purchase DLC content from PSN in record numbers as they did in the past?

Consider probably one of the largest unauthorized “external intrusion.” in history, Sony has a long way to go to regain consumer confidence. Sony's actions in the coming month's will ultimately determine their future as the the once proud arrogant gaming giant it was.

Read more »

Conspiracy Saturday one day earlier edition: Is Corporate Espionage behind PSN Shutdown?

If you are a PS3 owner you are one of many millions shut off from Sony's online playground "PSN".  Sony's PSN online service has been shutdown coincidently since 4/20/2011.  April 20th(aka:420) is a date synonymous with many evil's, bastardly deeds and of course "Pot" Weed, Mary Jane, and Ganja.  Adolf Hitler was born on 4/20/1889, Columbine High School shooting was 4/20/1999, Serbian army bombs hospital in Goradze Bosnia, 47 killed 4/20/1994, France declares war on Austria, Prussia and Sardinia 4/20/1792 and 4/20/1941 one hundred German bombers attack Athens.


Now 4/20/2011 will be a day etched in stone as the day Sony pulled the plug on it's PSN online services due to "External Intrusion".  According to Patrick Seybold Sr. Director, Corporate Communications &  Social Media: "An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority. We are doing all we can to resolve this situation quickly, and we once again thank you for your patience. We will continue to update you promptly as we have additional information to share.

This has been a very contentious, bitter and extremely costly console war between Sony and Microsoft. Sony's has just announced that they've hit the 50 million mark, trailing just slightly behind Microsoft's Xbox 360. With Microsoft's sales number's heavily tinted because of the RROD fiasco and the slow demise of the core-gaming experience; Sony's momentum needs to be slowed to a grinding halt.

Microsoft has thrown billions of dollars to attract timed exclusives and innovated technology to enhance it's core & motion gaming department.  But no matter how much money Microsoft spends and how many feature they cram unto Xbox LIVE it seems that Sony's PS3 with it's hefty price tag(obvious lack luster online service), is on pace to catch if not surpass Microsoft this year in global console sales.

When Microsoft released Window Phone 7 back in November 8th 2010 to a silent whimper.  News started to swirl a month or so later that Windows Phone 7 had been hacked, thereby enabling homebrew programs to be run on the platform and circumventing the Marketplace. 


So the guys who made it possible to run homebrew apps on the Marketplace-centric Windows Phone 7 platform got a nice piping hot cup of coffee and a fun little t-shirt to their wardrobe? But is that all?

While giving away t-shirts to people that hack your code isn’t the way  Apple or Sony would roll, it certainly seems to be the future for Microsoft who seem to be engaging with their computer savvy users in a whole new slightly disturbing way since the release of Windows Phone 7.

Now, this new yet strange and twisted relationship with the Hacking community may have benefited Microsoft in a huge and unexpected ways.  


Could these new found friends Microsoft has embraced be behind the current PSN outage?   Could this have been sanction by Microsoft to help slow the momentum Sony is currently high on? Is the outage an act by the shady for the "people" group" called "anonymous".  Or was it a single splinter from that group?  Only time and Sony of Japan engineers will shed some light on what will be Sony's 4/20 debacle.

Share your thoughts; could it be Corporate Espionage or some lone wolf with a sick twisted vendetta against Sony?

Read more »

Conspiracy Sunday's: Is the Main-Stream Gaming Media Tainted?

The current virtual guerrilla warfare being waged on the Internet has the Main-Stream Gaming media to blame.

The battle between console owners has been a fierce battle of the words with some trolling with elegant grace. In my many years in gaming I've  never seen the gaming community so fractured and segmented before. Many may ask "why has gaming become a rabid angry war of words?".  I believe the answer lies in the way the "Main-Stream Gaming Media" goes about doing it's business.

Today we will look into the a  popular gaming website and I will provide my opinion on why, I believe there is a hidden or tainted agenda when it comes to Main-Stream Gaming Media. Please be advised that my views are based on the all mighty dollar aka: "Cha Ching".

IGN.com

"New York, NY, September 8, 2005 - News Corporation announced today that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire IGN Entertainment, Inc, a leading community-based Internet media and services company for video games and other forms of digital entertainment, for approximately $650 million in cash"  Coincidentally the Xbox 360 was released on November 22nd, 2005, in the United States and Canada; December 2nd, 2005, in Europe and December 10th, 2005, in Japan. The PlayStation 3 was later launched in Japan on November 11th 2006 at 07:00 and in United States on  November 17th 2006.

Oh and let us not forget "Jan. 6, 2011— GameStop (NYSE: GME), the world's largest video game and multi-channel entertainment software retailer, and IGN Entertainment, the leading online media network for video game enthusiasts, have announced an exclusive, large-scale partnership that combines content from IGN with expert review content from Game Informer Magazine to make GameStop.com a single destination for gamers who want to maximize their game experience."

Now you may be asking how the fuck does all this ties into the main-stream gaming media being tainted.  Well, for one News Corp and Microsoft have a very special relationship.  Back in 2009 Wired.com wrote an article about NewsCorp threatening to pull the company’s news articles from Google and putting them on Microsoft search engines instead, in return for an undisclosed payment. In April 2008 Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation was in talks with Microsoft about joining in its contested bid for Yahoo, according to people involved in the discussions.

Conspiracy Theory:  NewsCorp purchases IGN in September for $650 million dollars the following month Microsoft's Xbox 360 debut's 364 days before the PS3.  During this time period and beyond IGN has had a love feast with all thing Xbox related. Back in August 2007 it was revealed by Metafuture a new game review watchdog blog that inflates or deflates a review score based upon the reviewers history of awarding that score multiple times. The analysis of both IGN and Gamespot reviews revealed a large rightward shift of the good 'ole bell curve, possibly confirming what many have believed for years (cough, cough; "get'n pay'd to review games").

IGN's average review score was a whopping 8.0, and the site heavily favors evenly rounded scores. Gamespot, while a little more balanced and even in their curve, has an average review of 7.0. So either there are a butt load of great games we're overlooking, or something fishy is going on.

Now also consider IGN's one year honeymoon with the only next generation video game console on  the market.  Ad dollars and hits enables a large site to survive.  With many developers debuting their games on Xbox 360 during it's launch, they had to let millions of gamers around the world know their game existed.   The best way to accomplish this besides television ads,will be a large main-stream gaming website with 28 million unique users(IGN).  So in theory developers paid IGN to have their games get favorable review scores to help cement the early success of the Xbox 360.

There is something strange going on this generation in gaming, there is no denying it.  The proof is out there in the open, the way the gaming community is so segmented.  And not let's forget the total imbalance of review scoring that we see across the board between PS3 and Xbox 360 games. You may call me crazy or delusional, but there are unscrupulous and shady back door dealings going on in the main-stream gaming media, money is being exchanged in indirect ways and direct ways-to ensure a "Console King" is crowned.

[Sources: Wiki, IGN,WSJ,Metefuture,Wired]

Read more »

Nuclear Fallout, Bugs, Thugs and Glithes: 24hrs with Fallout: New Vegas

24hrs later, Fallout: New Vegas"America's first choice in Nuclear Simulation" for PS3 has made some positive strives over it's predecessor Fallout 3. But, and this is a strong "but" Fallout: New Vegas is still one ugly ass glitch filled mess at times. Fallout 3 for PS3 suffered from pop-ups, terrible textures, piss poor sound and the game freezes more than hobos in Alaska. I had to reset my game at "least 10 times" and that's no bull and not to mention totally unacceptable. (Finished Fallout 3 for Sony PS3 videogame console 3 weeks ago)

So far I've only had to reset my game in Fallout: NV once, which is still unacceptable in this day and age. There is one thing I have to get off my chest. It pisses me off that making a strong multiplatform game on PS3 and Xbox 360 seems to be the holy-grail of gaming.

 Things that has changes for the Good in Fallout: New Vegas

-There is actual environmental music that raise as the tension do.  This tends to help with the overall immersion. On the other hand, in Fallout 3, if you where not listening to GNR or any other station, the only thing you heard where footsteps in the dark. 

-Most of the side quest so far has something to do with the main story and do not just feel like tack on quest to help extend game play snd give you mundane shit to do..

-Fallout new universe is larger than the previous.  With about twice as much to find and explore.  The previous Fallout had a total of 100 location to find without any DLC.  Fallout: NV has a total of 150 new places to discover.

-Fallout : NV story seems better so far, there happens to be a little more intrigue.  You start Fallout: NV as a courier who was shot in the head and left in a hollow grave to die.  But guess what? You did not die and now it's time to find the nasty son of a bitch that did you dirty.

-The voice acting is slightly better not saying that the voice acting in Fallout 3 was any good.  There seems to be more of an Shakespearean effort this time around. 

-They are ton's of side-quest to complete and it will take you far longer to level up to the max this time around.. The previous Fallout, I maxed out my XP about 85% into the game and that somewhat slighted my experience towards the end(not to mention the ending of Fallout 3 was the worst). 


Thing that makes me say WTF?!? in Fallout: New Vegas



please note: there is no sex with scorpions in Fallout: NV

-The Geck engine that Bethesda/Obsidian  is a very dated engine and that shit needs to be retired.  It's 2010 and I know many publishers want to save money and use old tech to maximize their profits. But this game suffers bad on PS3. 

So bad at times I almost want to recommend not to buy it.

-The frame rate fucking suffers from the most painstaking shutter that makes you want to scream.  Not only does the game at time literally "Hiccup;s" it's slows down to almost a dead halt. The best way to explain it; is when you're walking "everywhere" the screen feels like it's loading the next section or level in real time with a slight delay. My first time at Crismon Cravan was the worst.  The game took about 8 mins to load the level.  Once the level was loaded the frame rate dropped to about 15FPS.  This was the fist place I had to reset my game. 

-Fallout 3 for PS3, for some strange reason love's to have your foes stuck in walls, stones, bridges pillars and sometimes in mid-air. Making them easy pickings.  Now believe it or not the same shit happens in "New Vegas" . This time around it is not as bad in Fallout: New Vegas, only counted three NPC glitches so far.  I was stuck in a wall(Vault 22) and behind a door without the ability to move. Again unacceptable, this is something I expect in 1999 on PS2 or Gamecube.  Come on people we are in the "future"

-I am not sure which game has the more retarded or highly uneducated enemies Bullet Witch or Fallout: New Vegas.  Enemy AI is completely absent-I guess Bethesda/Obsidian did not want to use any unnecessary processing power.  Enemy AI only knows to attack you head on.  There are no tactics, no sense of self preservation no challenge.

24hrs later, 9 total quest in and a level 10 Observer Fallout: New Vegas has made positive strides over it's predecessor.  But in my opinion this is a tough choice to say if you should buy this game. One of the main reason are the technical failures of Fallout: NV using the Geck game engine.  It is so bad on the PS3 it's fucking sad almost comical. 

"A PATCH!!!!!!"Fuck a patch(unless you are trying to quit smoking).  There should not be a patch for a game( less than two weeks later) that has received this much hype and attention from an established developer. Xbox 360 owners have seen a patch on the behalf of PS3 owners we have not "this game still feels broken almost in worst shape".  

Last Word: What kills me my PS3 can run Uncharted 2, Killzone 3 in 3D and Infamous just to name a few.  But for some because of the "the financial bottom line" my PS3 cannot run Fallout: New Vegas in a technical sound manner.  Fallout: New Vegas chugs slower than a one legged fat lady, racing a marathon with a barrel of molasses. If you own a Xbox 360 buy it, it has to be better than the PS3 version.  If you own a PS3 please wait until all the "TechFails" are worked out.

Read more »

Bad Economy! Well you need a PS3

The current economic outlook does not look too good for many. With unemployment reaching levels not seen in decades, the DJIA falling faster than a TV child star career and every other house on your block on the verge of foreclosure. Why not invest in a Sony PS3. It may sound like the most ass backward move you can make when the world is on an economic meltdown of global proportions. But, I will try to outline the logic and reason for investing $399.99 plus tax in a Sony PS3 in such murky economic times.

If you are a gamer, casual or hardcore a PS3 should be considered as your console of choice. They are currently two cheaper alternatives besides the PS3 but as a gamer the PS3 is the one you should focus on. Sony has recently confirm MAG, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain and God of War III will be here before year end. If you are the impatience type KillZone 2 will be here in four days, StreetFighter IV has officially hit store shelves, and Infamous will be here just in time for the spring bloom.

Beside a great core of AAA exclusives here in the US and overseas in Japan, you have the ability to access your PSN all for free. Now, I understand you have to pay for broadband which can cost at least $50.00 a month. But, with such a rough economy you will not have to pay to play on your Sony PS3. You will not have to pay to access premium full game contents on the PSN. You will not pay to DL any movie of choice and store it on your HDD. You will not pay to use HOME as a meeting place to conduct business, casual social encounters or getting with friends to play a game of Warhawk.

It can cost you up to $9.75 per person to attend a movie, add popcorn candy and soft drinks you can easily spend sixty plus dollars. If you own a PS3 you can say "to hell with the movies" rent a blu-ray, DVD or if you are a little adventurous DL a movie to your PC and copy it to your PS3 HDD. You can also visit Hulu/YouTube/NewsFilter and many other site to view television shows, movies or porn online all for free. If by chance you have a Sony PSP you have a portable video player on the go. All your media content on your PS3 can be access by your PSP anywhere around the world as long as there is a Wifi connection. Did I mention this is done all for free?

Now say you hate movies and do not plan to buy, rent, or stream any movies to your shiny new PS3. And your idea of any games consist of two rocks, one egg and a donkey named Eddie. The PS3 still oozes with value. You can use your PS3 as a cheap PC alternative to browse the Internet, check the weather, read sports, or just kill time. Life with PlayStation will help feed your appetite for global news and weather and at the same time teach your young lings some geography or maybe yourself. If having unlimited access to the world news all for free does not float your boat you can help contribute to the Control of Membrane Fusion Mechanism by Lipid Composition: Predictions from Ensemble Molecular Dynamics(WTF) by using Sony Folding@home. With your new PS3, even if you are not a lover of movies and games you can still be well informed about the world events and weather while helping scientist of the world solves gods riddles.

Ok, if you do not like playing God, can't stand blu-rays(hurt your eyes), would shoot mother nature if you had a chance and thinks world events is chronicling of an impending doomsday. Do not worry there is still more shit you can do with your Sony PS3. You can display your photos all in glorious HD to your adoring friends or family members. With the addition of the new Gallery feature for the PSN, that helps you sort your pictures by smiles, age and many other random criteria. You can make your very own custom themes for your PS3.

So with 3d Blu-ray and 3D gaming on the horizon, AAA exclusives like Killzone 2, God of War III, Heavy Rain, MAG and inFamous due out this year, built in Wifi, upgradable HDD, free PSN, B/C older models, PSP connectivity, Movie storage and purchase on your HDD, Full premium games on PSN for purchase(no need to visit the local Wal-mart anymore),Life with PlayStation, the new PSN Gallery, HOME, Folding@home, free to play with friends online and the ability to talk to anyone around the world for free. Let's not forget a very will built reliable machine that will last you years. So what are you waiting for, head to your local pawn shop(best way to get old PS3 unit with B/C) or BestBuy and pick up a PS3 do your part to help stimulate the economy!

Read more »

Is Syphon Filter 5 "BBC" Secret Game?

On Feb. 4, Sony's Bend, Ore. studio posted a job, seeking a game tools programmer. Sony Bend, formerly known as Eidetec, has been the developer behind the entire Syphon Filter series. According to, PCB production credits SYPHON FILTER 5 - (Facial Mo-cap) – PLAYSTATION3- SONY BEND. PCB production is a digital creation company for interactive, animation, film, music, and television productions.

BBC journalist Darren Waters wrote back in February 24th 2007 about be witness to an ultra secret potential mega hit from Sony. Darren wrote:

"So what else was I shown? Well, I was shown a trailer for a game not due out till 2009 but was sworn to absolute secrecy. Apparently, Sony just wanted to give a glimpse of what the console will be capable of.

In fact, the game is such a secret that when I mentioned the game to Phil Harrison last week he was unsure at first whether even to admit the title existed. When I explained I had been shown it under strict Non Disclosure Agreement terms he looked relieved.

I don't mean to be a tease - all I can say is that I was left speechless. If the footage I was shown truly is "in game", as told to me by the Sony PR people, then we could be on the brink of a step change in what games consoles are capable of in terms of story-telling and immersion."

Syphon Filter series has been making its rounds on the PSP for the past few years. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror was released on PSP March 2006 and was followed up with Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow released on October 2, 2007. Later in 2007 saw the release of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops.

The last time Syphon Filter saw the light on a Sony home console was Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain, which was the fourth entry for the series and first time on PS2.

Now, lets fast forward 5 years later, with 3D gaming looming right around the corner and super computers for game consoles. It's high time for Syphon Filter to make a glorious resounding come back. Xbox has Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid has gone all out blockbuster action movie. Sony stealth solution will be a genre evolution of stealth action with Syphon Filter for the PS3.

Sony's momentum is currently picking up in Japan and has began on a sour note in the states. With mega hits such as: KillZone 2, Uncharted 2, Ratchet & Clank 2, and God of War III all hitting within the next 12 months or less. Could we be seeing footage for Syphon Filter 5 at GDC 2009 or no later than E3 2009. I will place my bet that "BBC secret Game" is Syphon Filter 5. Plus Sony has some heavy shit planned just in time for firmware update 3.0 so why not make 2009 the year of mega blockbusters announcements.

Sidenote: The magic question would be when can we expect to see Syphon Filter 5 hit stores state side?

Read more »

Sony PS3 sales suffers in January

According to new figures by research group NPD, Sony's PlayStation 3 has seen a year-on-year decline in sales of 24.5 percent in January. Specifically, last year it sold 269,000 units, whilst this year it's 203,200. The PlayStation Portable suffered a very similar fate with a 25 percent drop, with sales of 101,200 from 264,200 the previous year.

In contrast, Microsoft's console sales grew 25.5 percent (up to 309,000 from 230,000), with Nintendo making an even bigger gain of 59.5 percent (up to 676,000 from 274,000).

Read more »

Sony wants you to pay for games not Xbox LIVE

What the point of paying $29.99-$50.00 per year to play with friends on Xbox LIVE and you can spend your cake on games from Sony's PSN, that's what Sony what's you to believe. My Xbox LIVE gold membership expired December 2007. I've yet to renew it becuase I currently own a PS3. Sony thinks you should consider a PS3 and spend that $29.99-$50.00 on something more worth while than paying to pay.

"Rather than paying a $50 subscription fee that competitors charge for on-line services, PlayStation Network users could put that money towards a variety of content," Sony claims. What could you get?

-PAIN ($9.99)
-Elefunk ($4.99)
-Guitar Hero Classic Rock Track ($6.25)
-LittleBigPlanet™ Metal Gear Solid® - Level Kit ($5.99)
-Episode of Afro Samurai Season 1 ($1.99)
-The Dark Knight Movie ($14.99)
-Samurai Sword Rack, Diesel Tiamallo Blue Hooded Top, Ligne Roset Alster Chair for PlayStation Home ($4.47)

-or-

-Super Street Fighter® II Turbo HD Remix ($14.99)
-Burnout™ Paradise (Full Retail Game) ($19.99)
-The Hoff Character for PAIN ($1.99)
-LittleBigPlanet™ Ryu of Street Fighter® II ($1.99)
-Robot Trooper and Basketball Boots for PlayStation Home ($.98)
-Savage Moon ($9.99)

Read more »

Why All the Hate for HipHop Gamer?

Yesterday, PlanetXbox360.com published a reader-submitted article titled "Why HipHopGamer.com is Ruining Games Journalism." Slapstic.com then reported "A Fair Look At HipHopGamer & N4G's Controversial Community" to help pure fuel on the fire. PlanetXbox360 has since deleted the article on "Why HipHopGamer.com is Ruining Games Journalism" you can read the article in full below:

I am not attacking the show that HipHopGamer produces or his love/passion for video games, the thing that bothers me is the way they have been going about getting attention from the gaming public. Posting stories over and over again with the only point being to get people arguing is not right, nor is copying other site's stories or posting untrue news. I have always thought his video show was original, something different; this new way to get traffic is not anything but annoying. I'm also hoping this is a "wake-up" to sites trying to use this tactic, HHG was only the one that I noticed doing it a lot recently; there are plenty others.

For the past couple weeks I have had to continually see one specific "site" ruin the blossoming reputation of N4G.com. That site is the one in the title of this article and I cannot bear to mention it by name again. It is ruining games journalism and for that I felt a calling to write about it, and hopefully garner some amount of attention towards the trash they call "news" or "gaming articles". I could easily spend the entirety of this post pointing out grammatical or spelling errors in the website's editorial content but that would be too easy. I could also point to a countless number of examples which prove their console biased and blatant fanboyism, too easy.

Everything they write is junk, posted with one purpose: to get a rise out of fanboys and push as much traffic as possible towards their "website" (quotations used for sarcastic purpose). In the past week I have watched as four or five articles shot to the front page of N4G, all approved by the same four brain-dead individuals and it makes me sick to my stomach. All four of these so-called articles were about the Xbox 360 over-heating, or dying, or being turned into an actual toilet. Please, I beg you not to ever visit their site for editorial content; the video "show" that the HipHopGamer produces is actually not that bad (it's his writers that suck at life); yet it is full of rumors and gossip.

The only other topic HHG.com was able to touch on was that Killzone 2 would actually destroy Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 in terms of sales and gameplay performance. Yet they have not played the game at all, other than the 10 minute demo (which I do admit is fantastic). Everything that spews off of their site smells of feces and reads like something a 7th grade middle-school teacher would find in their "slowest" student's notebook. Games journalism has made a lot of progress over the past couple years and people like this are only going to bring it down to an all new level of trash. Everything does not need to be an argument, or a fanboy discussion; news should only be considered such if it has factual backing, not conjecture and guess-work.

The community of N4G.com need to be more careful about what articles are approved for public view; we can stop this junk from going ever live. There are only two other solutions to this problem and either one is fine by me. First people need to stop giving this ridiculous joke of a website any attention, I went back and forth multiple times on whether or not to even post this article. If people stop paying attention to their grade-school content we may get lucky enough for the second possibility to happen; HHG goes away and never returns to so-called games journalism.

In conclusion I am just looking for people to recognize that there is a problem with "bloggers" acting as if they are actual gaming journalists and posting news as if it is a fact. The layperson may log onto N4G.com and see some piece of junk article that HHG has posted and take it as truth, while the whole time it was made up and posted for the sole purpose of gaining traffic numbers. I do not have any personal ill-feelings towards the HipHopGamer himself, like I said I like his videos however the junk news has to stop, please!

This article was submitted to PlanetXbox360.com by a reader and the view is not necessarily one represented by the staff of this website.

The article was then posted on N4G a user submitted video game blog(sidenote: N4G is a fucking joke run by idiots with a screw up agenda) the article was later labeled failed and removed from N4G. after about 24 hours and 214 comments later.

HipHopGamer.com is operated by an African American with a popular video blog called the HipHopGamer show. HHG.com usually posts all of their stories on N4G with flaming tag lines such as "Killzone 2 a Halo Killer?", "Killzone 2 is not a Halo Killer", "Does Sony need a Halo Killer?", "Will the PS3 be able to compete with the XBOX 360 in 2009", "2009, the year of the PS3", and "Will FUD be the Industry Standard in 2009?".

Some may see this as flame bait or fanboyish but the young man gets hits to his website and has acquired a loyal following. My biggest problem with the HATE HipHopGamer.com has received is because HHG.com is ran by a African American that has merged videogames with the HipHop culture. Writing and talking about videogames has always been a non-minority field where you rarely see and hear from any African Americans. "It's time for a Change"

Everyone has the right to provide there opinion on the world wide web and at the same time try to make a living and name fro themselves. If HipHop Gamer provides informative news about the videogame industry with a HipHop twist that the gaming public is not used to, does this deserve all the Hate? I will end my tirade with two quotes: "Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.” Coretta Scott King and "It is better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for someone you are not.”

Read more »

Fanboy, Fan or Pitchman what's the difference?

Well, if you've been a avid reader of NanoGeekTech one thing may come to mind, damn this "MoFo" is a fanboy? But what really is a Fanboy? Are we all fanboies/girls at heart?

According to Wikipedia, a Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession.

A Pitchman is a man who makes a sales pitch: as a: one who sells merchandise on the streets or from a concession b: one who does radio or TV commercials, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

A Fan, aficionado, or supporter is someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking and enthusiasm for a sporting club, person (usually a celebrity), group of persons, company, product, work of art, idea, or trend. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fan base or fandom. They often show their enthusiasm by starting a fan club, holding fan conventions, creating fanzines, writing fan mail, or promoting the object of their interest and attention, sites Wikipedia.

If I prefer my Sony PS3 over a Nintendo Wii am I being a fanboy? "Maybe" But I also prefer Coke over Pepsi, NY Giants over the Redskins, Blue versus Yellow, a soft pillow versus a hard pillow, Summer versus Winter, money versus no money, Wordpress versus Blogspot, you get the point.

Fanboy is a term that is constantly spouted and dropped online for gamers who prefers a specific console or how passionately they defend their choice. One of the founding principle of any free society is the freedom of choice. We as gamers and people have a choice for the most part. What makes my choice better than yours? Nothing at all, it's all about perception.

So the bottom line I prefer my Sony PS3 over my Xbox 360 and a Craptendo Wii. Am I a fanboy, fan or pitchman?

Read more »

Am I cheap or am I being a Fanboy?

Resident Evil dropped on Xbox LIVE Tuesday of last week and will be on PSN February 5th. I currently own a launch day Xbox360(no RROD yet..as I knock on wood) and have been paying $49.99 every year since. Now this is my dilemma, I would love to get a chance to play Resident Evil 5 demo now, but my LIVE gold membership expired December 2007 .

If I want to play Resident Evil 5 now this moment, I will have to pay $29.99 to play a demo? Now, I understand that $29.99 gives me access to play games online with my friends and first dibs on all new demos. But why should I pay $29.99 per year to play with my friends? My Sony PS3 is free and I am very used to free. All Microsoft Window Live players play their counter-parts online for free. So why is Microsoft still charging to maximize your gaming experience online?

Microsoft Xbox 360 should be in the black in terms of turning a profit per console. So why still charge millions of gamers $29.99 to play online every year? Now I am very fortunate to own a PS3 which helps me tremendously to justify not renewing my Gold LIVE membership. I also understand that many may not have the chance to own a Sony PS3 and Microsoft 360.

I understand everyone needs to make money and that's why we all play this game of life. Microsoft will need to make Xbox LIVE free for all, Nintendo does it, Sony does it, and Microsoft does it with all of the PC gamers. If there is anything that will hurt the almighty Xbox 360 in the future it will be the charging for Xbox LIVE.

Now besides being charge for Xbox LIVE there is a heavy amount of micro transitions on LIVE market place. If you want to upgrade your theme or avatar your are charged, if you want to change your GamerTag you are charged, if you want to download the latest demo you need to pay $29.99 to become a Gold Member. If I am paying a premium price to game I should be able to get more price breaks on LIVE market place. Give me discounts on LIVE arcade games or maybe one free game per month. Give me discounts on all Video content. Give me a discount on all Netflix video. Give me more free choice for my avatar. You get the point, "WTF" do you get for $29.99 every year beside playing with a friend?

Sony PS3 PSN is free to play online with friends, to access HOME, photo gallery, change your Gamertag, use Life with Playstation access the Video store, get online, go to different regional stores all for free. Now I'll have to agree that Sony is very heavy on micro transitions but at least their main services are free. And you have the option to pay for it or continue to enjoy the reminding free services.

Seriously if you own a Sony PS3 and Xbox 360 why would you pay $29.99 per year to play videogames online?

Read more »