Just under two weeks ago, word broke on Nintendo's Wii Speak stating the Wii Speak Channel is only for Wii Speak purchasers and not to buy it used.
The reason for this was that the peripheral's manual stated the code needed to download the Wii Speak Channel "cannot be replaced by Nintendo or your retailer if it is lost or stolen." This would have meant that those who bought it used would not have been able to download the Wii Speak Channel.
Since then, Nintendo seems to have had a change of heart and has stated: "Nintendo can confirm that when consumers purchase the Wii Speak accessory, they are provided with a Wii Download Ticket with a unique number. The ticket, which can be redeemed via the Wii Shop Channel, will enable the user to download the Wii Speak Channel free of charge to a single Wii console," the representative stated.
A Nintendo rep has said that the only way gamers will be able to download the Wii Speak Channel is with a "Wii Download Ticket Number" that is printed in a pamphlet that comes with the Wii Speak microphone.
This apparently means that if you buy the peripheral it used, you won't be able to use it as you can't download the Wii Speak Channel.
To quote: But there’s a catch, a fine print surprise. There is a pamphlet packaged with the peripheral that includes a 16-character code, a “Wii Download Ticket Number,” to be used for downloading the Wii Speak Channel.
According to the pamphlet, this code “cannot be replaced by Nintendo or your retailer if it is lost or stolen.”
A few months ago, the gaming community had its mind set that this generation is the end of 3rd party exclusives, and there will be a big push towards multiplatform.
Over the past year, there were a lot of multiplatform games released from the older Oblivion to the more contemporary Call of Duty, and to the more recent Bioshock.
There seems to be an agreement amongst gamers that the Xbox 360 always had the better version of the game because it’s easier to program for, and of course sometimes that is true, but I also picked the above 3 examples to illustrate the point that sometimes the sheep mentality can be quite deceiving.
The PlayStation 3 version is not “always” the worst one, and sometimes it may even be the preferred version due to the free cost of PSN or the addition of Trophy system (if you prefer it over the Achievement system on your Xbox 360).
Or even better graphics (Oblivion), or extra contents (Bioshock/Eternal ... More »
Tokyo Game Show is all about Sony... or at least it was. The annual event is in full swing now and that table has turned. Microsoft is usually as quiet as a mouse wearing slippers while the Japanese based Sony enjoys the love-in, but to date it has been Microsoft dropping bombs. Let us elaborate...
Back in the good ol’ days (or not so good ol’ days, depending on which side of the line you’re on) at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony would come in first, Nintendo second, and Microsoft would be a distant afterthought.
Indeed prior to this year’s TGS, the Japanese convention was dominated by Sony, plain and simple. Their booth was the size of a football field, they gave interview access to everyone who was anyone and, best yet, they delivered top notch treatment to game journalists.
Such was Sony’s dominance of TGS that they would fly upwards of 10 Aussie journos to Japan and put them up in the most pimping of pimped out hotel suites to ensure cove... More »
GameStop have suspended their cash-for-trade transactions in Shelby County and DeSoto County, Mississippi until February 2009 after eight members of of its own staff were caught buying stolen games in an undercover sting.
“GameStop takes this situation quite seriously,” said Rory Rhoads, GameStop’s Regional Vice President of Stores.
“We are pleased to partner with the ALERT Unit and have taken very deliberate steps to improve our operations. ”
To quote: Authorities said today that eight current and former employees of the world's largest video game retailer have pleaded guilty to theft of property charges for buying video games purported to be stolen.
Each of the eight defendants charged pleaded guilty to theft of property under $500 and was ordered to serve one year on diversion, a form of probation that can end with their record being cleared.
It seems God of War may have looked to more than just Greek Mythology for inspiration. Sony and game designer David Jaffe have been sued for copyright infringement.
The suit claims that story elements of God of War were stolen from a pre-existing works of fiction submitted to Sony in 2002. Now here's how it goes:
* The works of fiction were submitted to Sony in 2002
* The first game was released in 2005
* Jaffe once said that the game took three years to develop
Coinkidink? Well, the plaintiffs don't seem to think so. The plaintiffs, Jonathan Bissoon-Dath and Jennifer Barrette-Herzog, cited several examples to how the game stole from their work. Examples of these are:
* Plaintiff's works tell the original story of how a champion saves Athens from destruction by the invading Spartan army that has been sent by Ares... [GoW]... is the story of h... More »
The fiance of Dustin Waller bought him a second hand PS3 from a store in Cleveland, but little did she know it was infact a stolen system. However, the police were able to track the system whenever Waller turned on the system as the original owner of the PS3's PSN ID was still stored on the system. The police confiscated the system and Waller was compensated by the store with an unwanted Xbox 360.
To quote: Police appeared on Waller's door after the purchase, and they inquired as to how he had come across the system. According to the Salisbury Post, the police were able to track the system whenever Waller turned on his system.
The original owner of the PS3's PSN ID was still stored on the system, and it was set to auto-login when the system turned on. By tracking Waller's IP address, they were able to find him.
Waller is of course innocent in the whole debacle, but police confiscated his system nonetheless. While the police look for the p... More »
Stephen Attard, 18, was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery after police say he and a group of teenagers went on a crime spree in Nassau County.
Teenagers who police say went on a video-game-inspired late-night crime spree were arraigned Thursday after police say they mugged a man outside a New Hyde Park supermarket and menaced motorists in Garden City with a baseball bat, a crowbar and a broomstick.
The teens told detectives they were imitating the Grand Theft Auto video game series where players steal cars, beat up other characters and score points for committing crimes.
Police have identified at least three victims: a man they said was severely beaten and had his teeth knocked out during a robbery; a would-be carjacking victim who called 911; and a driver whose van was smashed with a bat.
Nassau Det. Lt. Raymond Coté said there are likely more victims who were attacked. At one point during the spree, the group e... More »
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