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The Daily Grind: What advice would you give to SimCity fans?
Everyone in the games industry and community has been watching in fascination as EA has bungled SimCity's release almost every way possible over this past week. From servers losing city information to always-on DRM practices requiring internet connections to massive user review backlash to lengthy server log-in times to Amazon even pulling the title from its digital sales department, EA is facing what we've often seen in the online world: a disastrous launch. While SimCity isn't an MMO, the multiplayer component, online servers, and horrible queue times certainly have a lot in common with our industry. Frustration amongst SimCity fans was high-pitched this week, especially at the slow and incomplete response on behalf of the mega-game publisher. As players who have undoubtedly seen a bad MMO launch or two over the years, what advice would you give to SimCity fans? Should these fans attempt a refund, wait patiently, voice their concerns, or consider a different course of action? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
SOE president John Smedley announces that all players will be able to play on any server
It's no secret that Sony Online Entertainment has been in more than a little hot water in the wake of the recently announced region locks that were to be put in place following the studio's deal with ProSiebenSat.1, but there may still be a silver lining on the horizon. SOE president John Smedley tweeted earlier today that the studio has "come up with a plan to allow ALL players to play on any servers they want." While details are still to come, this should be incredibly welcome news for players of SOE titles who weren't looking forward to playing without their international friends. Smedley promises us that there are "more details to follow," so stay tuned and hopefully we'll have some idea of what's in the works before too long.
Former GameSpot reviewer sheds light on more PR hijinx
In an interview with former GameSpot reviewer, Alex Navarro, MTV Multiplayer Blog was able to extract a telling tale from the newly appointed community team member at Harmonix regarding the oil-to-water relationship public relations practitioners have with the press.When tasked to review an unnamed Wii launch title, Navarro was sent a note along with his copy of the game--which he provided as evidence to Steven Totilo.The note read: If the review is 9.0 or higher you can post immediately. Lower than 9.0, could you please hold until launch day, November 19th? Thanks."And that's not the first time I got something like that," Navarro told MTV. Navarro, who left GameSpot after the public and controversial firing of then-reviews editor Jeff Gerstmann, said GameSpot ran their review for this game based on a copy bought in a store and they panned it for what it was.
CompUSA offering PS3s with Sony HDTV purchases
We know it's been a rough couple of nights for you folks who didn't get your pre-order on (or got the shaft, even so) trying to hunt down a Playstation 3 without becoming the hunted, but there's an off chance that CompUSA may still be able to save your sanity. If 48 (or more) hours of sleeplessness has you ready to drop an inconceivable amount of cash to secure your machine through eBay, hold tight. Certain CompUSA locations will be bundling Playstation 3 units with any Sony HDTV purchase of 40-inches or larger, which could be fabulous news if you were planning on picking up a svelte new set (or dropping $2,000 in some entrepreneur's pocket) anyway. Currently, the lowest priced display compatible with the offer is Sony's $1,999 KDL-40S2010, which means that you'd be ponying up nearly $2,500 for the 20GB PS3 kit, or $2,600 for the 60GB package. Representatives have stated that some stores are "devoting their entire PS3 allocation" to the offer, which isn't exactly surprising considering last year's Xbox 360 bundle fiascoes. Regardless, for gamers looking to go all out, this may not be such an awful idea (especially if they end up including Wiis), but we're not sure if this offer will last past the (admittedly scant) first wave of shipments -- but hey, it sure beats getting shot up or beat down while squandering vacation days, right?[Via GameSpot]
Rapper puts DS in his video and album cover
Lupe Fiasco, a man we are told is neck-deep in the rap game, released his debut album Food & Liquor (two things we often enjoy both separately and together) on September 19th of this year to much acclaim. With many a who's-who of rap featured on the album, it's no wonder it became such a hit.Why does this matter to you? Well, the man's album cover (displayed above the post, natch) features a DS Phat, as well as his new video for the song I Gotcha, which features a black DS Lite. We've included the video, embedded into the post after the break, so that you may see the man's love of the handheld in all his rap-tastic glory.[Thanks DkNy2kX!]
