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EA going for a repeat of the Worst Company in America title
When EA won the Consumerist's "Worst Company in America" title last year, many gamers were not surprised. But considering the sheer number of horrible companies that there are in the US of A, non-gamers were at a loss for perspective. With more than 250,000 votes cast by the Consumerist readers, the final tally showed that video games are indeed serious business. EA is up for nomination in this year's showdown as well. Since there has never been a repeat winner for the Golden Poo trophy, EA could break that streak considering the company's recent blunders and resignation of its CEO. Yes, even with such harsh competition as DirecTV, Walmart, and BP, EA stands to win (or lose?) it all. If you'd like to participate, you can cast your vote in each round starting today. Take note that voting is only open for three hours each day.
Namco Bandai: Guncon 3 NOT sold separately
How much do you like Time Crisis 4? Is it the kind of game you'd spend $180 on? Well, that's what Namco Bandai is asking from players that want to play the game with two players. The Guncon 3 peripheral does not come separately, and will not come separately from the game, effectively forcing fans to purchase two copies of the game. The Consumerist contacted Namco Bandai's live support and got this response: "I'm sorry, but the Guncon 3 is not sold separately. It is only sold bundled with Time Crisis 4 ... If you wish to play two players using two Guncon 3s then you will need another copy of Time Crisis 4."Strangely, Namco Bandai won't sell extra controllers directly either. "We do not sell replacement Guncon 3s. If the Guncon 4 [sic] is defective, then we can provide an RMA exchange where we'll inspect and repair or replace your Guncon 3."Much of the appeal of games like Time Crisis 4 comes from the ability to play with friends. Why is Namco Bandai making it so difficult (and expensive) for PS3 fans to make Time Crisis 4 a better game? "At least it's cheaper than the arcade version," must be thought going through their heads.[Thanks, Alkaiser!]
Sony's flog the best of 2006
The Consumerist is running a poll, chronicling the worst of the worst fake blogs (flogs) to hit the web this year. Among the contestants are Walmart, McDonald's, and of course... Sony's PSP. The "All I Want for Xmas" fiasco caused even more bad publicity for Sony, painting them as desperate for PSP sales. Hopefully, 2007 will see a change in marketing tactics: one that doesn't involve the use of a middle-aged man pretending to speak like the kids.As of writing, the PSP flog is leading the pack with 74% of the vote.
Flog archived for your pleasure
Just in time for Christmas, the "All I Want for Xmas" flog (contraction of the words fake blog; blog, of course, is a shortening of weblog; weblog, of course is a compound word created from web and log; and logs are better than bad ... they're good), has been reuploaded by the Consumerist (complete with awful YouTube vids) after its sudden disappearance. Apparently, they wanted to preserve "this importance [sic] piece of internet poo."[Via Joystiq]
