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Creditors, Trustee object to THQ sale conditions
Back when THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, the plan was for the developer/publisher would be sold to Clearlake Capital Group in one big chunk within 30 days, preventing the need for layoffs and avoiding the need to split THQ's various franchises up and sell them a la carte. While this plan sounds like a best-case scenario for THQ given the circumstances, other parties involved in the process have doubts, and have subsequently filed official objections.There's a lot of complicated legal stuff going on, but the situation essentially breaks down like this: US Trustee Roberta DeAngelis has filed an objection over the sale's time table, saying that the 30-day window is far too small to give parties other than Clearlake Capital Group a chance to bid and participate in the sale. She also took issue with a stipulation in THQ's plan that awards $2.25 million to Clearlake in the event that a different company wins the bid; that amount is disproportionately large with respect to the cash value of the purchase price, she claims.A consortium of THQ's creditors have also filed an objection, claiming that THQ's proposed bidding procedures "appear to have been designed specifically to thwart any potential bidders from stepping forward to compete with Clearlake's bid," taking issue with the sale's time table and "requirement that prospective purchasers bid on the Debtors 'as a whole' rather than on a 'piecemeal' or 'title-by-title' basis."In essence, the creditors feel as though the process has been designed to keep THQ operational, rather than to pay back its debts: "Rather than being designed to maximize the value of the Debtors' estates, the Bidding Procedures, by design or otherwise, render the 'auction process' meaningless and virtually guarantee that Clearlake will be the ultimate buyer, thereby ensuring that the Debtors' management retain their positions within, and operating control over, the Debtors' organization."A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, during which we're confident at least two lawyers will make more money than we'll ever see in our entire lives. They'll probably also talk about this stuff.
Expedia adds to Google's EU antitrust woes, decision expected after Easter
Google's position as the dominant search engine doesn't come without a price. Smaller search sites have already tapped on the EU Commission's door to register their complaints about how they are ranked, and Microsoft has also let its feelings on the matter be known. Now, we can add the Redmond spin-off, Expedia, to that list of sore losers disgruntled firms. The travel search site claims it has specific details outlining how the search giant has violated European anti-competitive laws. A Google spokesperson issued a statement saying "We haven't seen the complaint yet, but we've been working to explain how our business works, cooperating with the European Commission since this investigation began." The EU Competition Commissioner says a decision will be made after Easter, at which point Mountain View will either be charged, or the investigation will be dropped. If only that were the end of its EU troubles.
Verizon and MetroPCS objections to FCC net neutrality rules dismissed in case of premature litigation
The FCC wants to put new rules in place ensuring access to the web is, like justice, blind to where a person is coming from and indifferent to where on the web he is going to. Verizon's first reaction to these new directives was to publicly decry them as overreaching, and its second was to file a lawsuit, one that was swiftly echoed by MetroPCS. Only problem with their plans? The rules haven't yet been published in the Federal Register, which renders the legal challenges from the two eager mobile carriers "incurably" premature. Such was the determination of the US Court of Appeals, which refused to make a substantive ruling and just threw the cases out due to the technicality. Verizon isn't discouraged, however, and promises to bide its time until all the dominoes have fallen into place before launching another legal attack. Hey, whatever keeps those lawyers in their fancy suits.
Microsoft lodges antitrust complaint against Google with European Commission, ignores irony
So Microsoft doesn't like anticompetitive behavior, huh? Since when? Brad Smith, General Counsel for the Redmond rabblerousers, has posted a lengthy blog post outlining Microsoft's concerns with "a pattern of actions that Google has taken to entrench its dominance" in online search and ads, which he claims is detrimental to European consumers. Funnily enough, half the post is about Google's legal issues in the US, but we'll set that aside for now. What this boils down to is that Microsoft is finally taking the gloves off -- Google accused it of pushing other companies to do its dirty work -- and is now adding its name to the list of objectors to Mountain View's stranglehold on search in Europe. The European Commission is already taking a regulatory looksee at Google's tactics, so this isn't sparking off a new investigation, but it does add the glamor of two big names locking legal horns yet again. Hit the source link for Brad's exposition of Google's villainous wrongdoings.
Microsoft keeps gunning after Apple's 'generic' App Store trademark, brings in a linguistics expert
We'd say this was getting silly but that would imply that it wasn't already. Microsoft and Apple are still at each other's throat over the latter's trademark application for the term "App Store," with Microsoft now bringing in a Dr. Ronald Butters, Professor Emeritus at Duke University and a man with a taste for hardcore semantics. He says the compound noun "app store" is perfectly generic in that it "does not merely describe the thing named, it is the thing named." In a wildly geeky turn, he references the potential for someone discovering a use for masers and trying to trademark the term "maser store" in response, which would seem immediately and logically absurd. An app store, says the good doctor, is no more capable of being trademarked than a grocery store or a stationery store or a computer store. Of course, as with most trademark disputes, what's truly at stake here isn't linguistics, but a big fat wad of consumer goodwill. Having previously been quite uncomfortable with the idea of buying additional software for his mobile phone, Joe Consumer has nowadays grown quite accustomed to dropping little chunks of change on smartphone apps, and the terminology that sets his mind at ease most readily is indeed "app store." Preventing others from using that well established moniker would clearly be a significant competitive advantage for Apple and it's pretty hard to argue with its contention that it's responsible for generating the goodwill that sits behind it. Then again, we reckon Android's Market, webOS' admittedly small App Catalog, and other moves by the likes of RIM, Nokia and Microsoft itself with WP7, haven't done the app store cause any harm either, so in purely ethical terms it still seems a little rich for Apple to be claiming the app store crown all to itself. As to the legal battle itself, it's descending into quite amusing minutiae, but its outcome will be of great interest to most of the aforementioned mobile ecosystem purveyors.
WoTLK to bring new emotes
I know I've complained a bit about Warcraft's lack of character customization, but I must say that it seems like they've been slowly but surely taking steps to make things better on that front. There's the dance studio and the barber shop incoming, of course, but here's another leak that's popped up from the Alpha: New emotes! I know it sounds silly, but having pre-made emotes can really add to the fun factor of playing your character. Add them in macros (but don't spam them, that's just annoying) or use them to register your enjoyment, surprise, shock, or disgust at the situation. There's some really good ones in here that I've been wanting for a while -- although, word to wise, Blizzard: Facepalming is generally done with one palm, not two. I know you've seen the facepalm ASCII on the General Forums, too. Also, I would like to thank you for allowing me to finally act as my hero, Phoenix Wright, through the magic of emotes. I know it's just a minor thing, but still, I'm looking forward to having a bit more variety in playing with my character in the social part of the game. Now if we could only get outfits and player housing too... [Via Deathknight.info]
Intel responds to EU charges, deems actions 'beneficial' to consumers
Shortly after the European Commission issued a Statement of Objections against Intel asseverating that it used unfair and unlawful tactics against AMD, Intel has fired back a statement of its own in response. Put simply, Intel declared that it is "confident that the microprocessor market segment is functioning normally and that Intel's conduct has been lawful, pro-competitive, and beneficial to consumers." Furthermore, the company noted that while it would "certainly have preferred to avoid the cost and inconvenience of establishing that its competitive conduct in Europe has been lawful, the Commission's decision to issue a Statement of Objections means that at last Intel will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the allegations made by our primary competitor." Notably, the chip giant even mentions that the case is actually "based on complaints from a direct competitor rather than customers or consumers," and concludes by suggesting that when "competitors perform and execute, the market rewards them." Settle in folks, this one has just begun.[Via TheRegister]
DS Daily: Objection!
Who objects to pie?! He better be countering with pie.So. Cake? Pie? Or ... do you object? Post to change the topic.
Gyakuten Saiban 4 is huge
Capcom announced today that Gyakuten Saiban 4 passed the half-million mark in shipped copies today, a new record for the series. It's no surprise that being on the DS boosted sales; it's likely to boost sales of anything. But let's not diminish the accomplishment. Gyakuten Saiban 4 is a hit! This milestone has contributed strongly to another milestone: as of today, the Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright) series has shipped 2 million copies in Japan alone. That's pretty great for any series, much less a text adventure series! If there were any objections within Capcom about spending the money to localize GS4, they've probably been shot down by now.
Japan gets a Gyakuten Saiban 4 calendar and we don't? OBJECTION!
Capcom put this gorgeous "school calendar" (it starts at April) up for sale in their Japanese store today, and we're dying over here. Look at that cover! That is better than most posters, there. There's Ema Skye, and Phoenix Wright, and the whole group is surrounded by new guy Odoroki Housuke's bracelet thing.And there's six pages of official art inside. This is too much. We don't really have anything clever to say about it. Look at it. It's a thing we want, a lot, and probably won't be able to purchase.Oh, man, we feel so inadequate. How can we be Phoenix Wright fans if we can't look at some Gyakuten Saiban characters when we want to see what day it is? We're going to have to look into placing an order for this thing. 1,260 yen turns out to be ... $10.45.Oh, and while you're at the e-Capcom store, check out these other just-out-of-reach Gyakuten goods!Sample calendar page after the break. You could resize it and make a very blurry, artifacty wallpaper out of it!
Ema Skye returning for Gyakuten Saiban 4
Ema Skye, the science-obsessed, Luminol-toting teen sidekick from Case 5 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten) is making a return appearance in the new DS sequel, pink goggles and all. Her new character art portrays her as a little more grown-up, so maybe she'll be less annoying. Even if not, we really started to feel sympathetic to Phoenix's junior-detective friend in that case (Don't know what we're talking about? PLAY THE GAME!).Speaking of return appearances, you know who else will be returning when this comes out? Us. Our frothing demand for this game increases. You might as well call us "Phoenix Wright Fanboy." Click past the post break to scientifically investigate a few screenshots.
Phoenix Wright's fifteen minutes of Flash fame
Remember a few years ago when the "All Your Base" phenomenon briefly transformed retro gaming into an ironic obsession that all the hipsters wanted a piece of? Well now a newer game seems to be getting the Internet flash overexposure treatment, and the hipsters are on standby.The "Phoenix Wrong" phenomenon actually started in July, when Newgrounds member AshfordPride posted the first in a hilarious four-part series of Flash videos featuring Phoenix Wright characters performing widely known pop culture quotes (trust us, it's funnier than it sounds). The phenomenon has only really taken off in the past few months, with copycats making dozens of "Phoenix Wrong" tribute animations of varying quality. The lot of them have been collected on an "official" web site complete with comics, fanart and even a tutorial (PDF) on how to make your own.Whether or not this fad continues to grow or goes the way of other passing memes is largely up to you, the internet. We trust you will choose wisely.
Like a Phoenix, from the ashes
A little-known fact about DS Fanboy is that no matter how verbose, articulate, witty or insightful you may be, you are completely ineligible for employment here until you've played, beaten, and critically praised Phoenix Wright: Attorney at Law. So imagine, if you will, our glee at the news of yet another installment of Gyakutan Saiban (Our lovable little Phoenix's Japanese moniker) slated for release on the DS in Japan. The first three Gyakutan Saiban games had a continuous, complex plotline weaving in and out of almost every case in the trilogy. It was brought to a satisfying close at the end of the third installment, and so this fourth iteration actually stars one Housuke Odoroki, as opposed to Phoenix himself. This will be the first of the series specifically designed from the ground up for the DS (the three previous installments were all originally GBA titles), so some intriguing new gameplay facets are sure to make themselves known. Other than that, there isn't much information available, but we have no doubt as to the quality this game will surely bring to the table. The original Phoenix Wright is in the midst of a partial "rebirth" at the moment, with a third shipment of the game being shipped to stores quite randomly throughout the country. The upcoming Phoenix Wright: Justice for All game (actually Gyakutan Saiban 2) is scheduled for release early next year.[via Joystiq]
