Video Game News and Miscellany

...did I see Paul McGann go by in that sequence?
That makes me happy.
(Personally, I stopped watching after Colin Baker, mainly due to lack of opportunity)

--Patrick
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Apparently the Fallout 4 launch party was attended mostly by attractive people who had (and presumably still have) no idea what Fallout is.



 

GasBandit

Staff member
Given the choice between neckbeards or fake tits, I'd use my company party fund the same way and just live with the fallout if my boss disapproves
Well, if Max Landis is to be believed, the devs were kept sequestered away from the party people, as if their "VIP [area] was a cage."
 
This really just highlights one of the issues the industry is having these days: the devs want to be rockstars, but the kind of crowd that entails doesn't actually want anything to do with a bunch of neckbeard intellectuals so they still get "hidden" like this. So we get PR people pulling stunts like this for the high level executives that can't be sequestered while everyone else gets shoved in a secondary room.

Guys... you're nerds and there is nothing wrong with that. High school's been over a long time. Stop trying to impress the fake people and just be happy you get to live the dream of making games.
 
- here's the trailer from E3, four months ago. From what I've read here and there, exploring planets and establishing outposts will be a main method of gaining resources. It seems like an evolution of the "War Room" missions from Dragon Age: Inquisition as well as offering a variety of maps for multiplayer - in essence, your multiplayer missions will be the teams deployed here and there for various objectives. Sort of like after Shep & Co would go somewhere in ME3 and Hackett would say "I'm deploying teams" after you got back, your multiplayer teams were the teams in question.
 
Bloodborne's getting a pre-expansion patch that throws in some new NPCs, a covenant (or whatever they're called in Bloodborne, I forget), some other stuff to make non-expansion players compatible with expansion players. Then the actual expansion comes November 24th ... you know, while everyone including PS4 owners are immersed in Fallout 4.
 
As for the rest of the Nintendo Direct:

- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD: A big meh from me. They kept all the brown and bloom. This was never a favorite of mine and it's ridiculous they're doing this while we still have no idea when Zelda U is coming, or even the title. At this rate it'll be Zelda NX and Wii U will be the first Nintendo console without a non-remake Zelda title. Way to celebrate the 30th anniversary.
- Xenoblade Chronicles X: Looks fantastic. I appreciate they'll have loading assistance patches available before the release. I don't intend to pick this up because I already have so much to play at home, but maybe I'll get it next year if there's a lull.
- Star Fox Zero: New release date is in April 2016.
- Fire Emblem: Fates: $40 for one version, $60 for both versions, $80 for both versions plus a DLC one. I don't see this as unreasonable considering it's three different sets of stories and missions, except that word on the games isn't exactly super great. Only one version is supposed to take after Awakening, while Conquest more matches older FE games. I can't see myself plunking $80 down blind at this point.
- Splatoon: New update tonight, and more stuff tomorrow. Maps, gear, etc. One thing I noted is the wording that they'll continue to support the game with free content at least into January, and then listing all the stuff that's been offered for free. Methinks going forward the DLC is going to be paid.
- Pokken Tournament: This actually looks pretty cool. A fast-paced Pokemon fighting game is an idea I can get behind.
- Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow: They're being released on the eshop for everyone who's forgotten how broken those games actually were. I loved first gen, played it over and over, but things have come a long way since then. But I guess this is the last thing Nintendo has for the 3DS VC.
- Mega Man Legacy Collection 3DS: Looking good. I know what I'll be playing in February if I end up skipping Fire Emblem.
- Dragon Quest VII and VIII: Coming to 3DS. I'm not the target audience, but I'm happy for the people who are finally getting these games as should've happened a long while ago.
- Final Fantasy Explorers: At first this looked like a shitty Monster Hunter rip-off, but now it seems more like it's going to be a decent Phantasy Star Online rip-off. Doesn't look bad.

There was other stuff, like games that have come out or already been gone over in detail on other Directs, plus plenty of Amiibo garbage. Next month we're getting a Smash Bros-specific Direct, and hopefully we'll learn more ballot and DLC info from that. And hopefully it doesn't get leaked in advance.
 

Zappit

Staff member
Damn Best Buy won't take my pre-order, says something about how it can't take credits cards expiring within fifteen days of shipping. I've got months after February, jerks!
 
Blizzard is in a legal battle over cheating software.

To put it simply...

- Blizzard offered the creator of bot software a deal in which the creator was required to surrender the source code of Stormbuddy in exchange for some unknown compensation. The creator complied.
- The creator didn't actually own the source code he surrendered, it was the property of the company selling the Stormbuddy software as he made it under contract for them.
- The actual owners of the source code are now suing Blizzard in Germany for stealing their source code, breaking their product, and the sales loss that resulted from this. They want money AND the details of the agreement they made with the first guy.

Say what you will, while using cheating software violates the EULA, there is nothing illegal about owning the software or selling it. I kind of think Blizzard is hosed here.
 
Wouldn't it make more sense to sue the employee who illegally sold them the source code?

Oh wait, Blizzard has way more money.
 
Wouldn't it make more sense to sue the employee who illegally sold them the source code?

Oh wait, Blizzard has way more money.
No, because Blizzard has directly and intentionally caused harm to the company by stealing the source code. They had no right to ask for it from that employee and he had no right to give it, nor did Blizzard have the right to use said code (even as a method to defeat the bots plaguing HOTS). However, the company can't effectively sue the guy who gave the source code until they know exactly what he got for doing it. So yes... Blizzard will probably face financial penalties for what they did, but they need the details of the deal they gave the other guy before they can actually make a move on him.
 
If Blizzard has an indemnity clause (ie "seller agrees that he has the right to sell source and indemnifies blizzard...blah blah legalese"), it may fall on the employee's back anyway. It would have been stupid of them not to have such a clause in any contract. With such a clause, they no longer have unclean hands, but instead can say "hey, we thought it was legit..the guy swore it was"
 
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