I don't know what to say. Life just keeps catching up to me, you know? Hopefully, starting now, there can be a return to form and I'll post more. I've got my E3 reactions feature and a few reviews to write up, so it's not like I've just run out of things to write about or anything; it's just about finding the time to write them.
Mario Party 8 Pulled In UK For Being "Spastic"
This is the second game in the UK to be pulled to remove the word "spastic," since that word is apparently more offensive across the pond than here in the States.
Tell me this, though: When did it stop being OK to offend someone? When did the change happen in the world where everything has to be politically correct? It used to be where, if something offended you, you'd just shrug it off and ignore it. But now, if something offends you, you work to get it removed from your life outright, no matter how much money it costs or how many people will be affected.
Now, I get that Mario Party is supposed to be a "family" game and appropriate for everyone, but I think it's still pretty ridiculous to completely recall the game from store shelves just to remove one word that isn't even that bad- apparently the equivalent here is "retarded," which still doesn't strike me as justification to pull the game.
Whatever. I guess asking people to just shrug something off and go about their day is simply too much to ask...
Microsoft Sued Over XBOX 360 Disc-Scratching
Man, Microsoft just can't catch a break, can they? First, they get hounded about the red ring of death scandal until they're finally forced to confront the issue and pay up a billion dollars, and right when they think they're in the clear, BAM! Another lawsuit is slammed on their desks, this time over disc-scratching.
Of course, this one isn't quite as bad for them, and if they lose, it won't cost them quite as much; I can't remember where I read it, but I think it's only a couple million, which is like a drop in the bucket at this point.
It's still curious though, why the XBOX 360 has so many technical problems. I just don't understand why they released it if they knew it had those problems; and if they didn't know about them prior to launch, then they should have done better product testing, period.
By all rights, this is still their fault, but I almost feel bad for them at this point.
Microsoft's Jeff Bell Calls Out Message Board Poster
So this is actually a pretty funny story, but at the same time, it's pretty sad. Apparently a guy on the NeoGAF message boards, "a Master Ninja," was very critical of Jeff Bell's performance at Microsoft's E3 press conference. If you haven't seen it, just know that it was hilarious because the guy has no charisma whatsoever.
In response to this, Jeff Bell himself sent a private message to "a Master Ninja," asking him, "and your contribution to society is... what?" It really was from Jeff Bell, which makes the whole situation that much better, especially when you consider that Jeff Bell's contribution to society is: Not a lot.
This fiasco really illustrates why executives should always be on a leash from their PR people. Plain and simple, Jeff should've ignored "a Master Ninja," but seeing as how humorous the situation is from a bystander's point of view, I'm glad he didn't.
WEEKLY SAMPLER: Peter Moore Leaves Microsoft / Silicon Knights vs. Epic Games / Take Two Execs Plead Guilty / Bully Revamped For Wii/360 / I Will Kryll You
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