Month: June 2011

Spinks, the 8th-best blogger on the internet, was kind enough to link to Destructoid’s list of games announced for E3 2011. As I type this (there may be updates), there are 14 games that are not sequels, remakes, or tie-ins to previously exploited intellectual properties. That is from a list of 80 games. This is followed by a list of rumored but unconfirmed games, weighing in at 9 new properties of 32 games.

I would list the new games after the break, but it feels rude to re-print part of their list. Instead, I will link to a non-sequel tie-in, Gotham City Impostors, a Batman-themed FPS with the unusual premise of playing folks dressed up as Batman or the Joker. I hereby rate this as sufficiently amusing. As far as I know, the Walking Dead game on the “rumored” list is the first video game exploitation of that property, although I am not sure how much is left to be said in zombie survival gameplay.

The fact that I commented on two tie-ins rather than talking about the new games probably demonstrates why there are so many tie-ins and sequels rather than new properties.

: Zubon

The governor of Tennessee is such a brilliant man. According to the Associated Press “Republican Gov. Bill Haslam told reporters earlier this week that he wasn’t familiar with the details of the legislation, but given the large recording industry presence in Nashville, he favors “anything we can do to cut back” on music piracy.” One step closer to Idiocracy.

This Tennessee law makes it illegal to share account information with others so that they can piggyback on your account. It’s actually an expansion of a law covering such things as stealing cable and leaving a restaurant without paying, and now it covers “entertainment subscription services.” As the case may be, it would likely cover subscription MMOs (and possibly any MMO depending on the wile of the shysters).

The most interesting part about this law is it makes criminal (illegal) what was already covered by all the license agreements and contracts users have to agree to as customers. In other words, the recording industry is basically asking the government, with this law, to do their contract policing (and lawyering) for them. This will, of course, protect Nashville.

I hope that Tennessee prosecutors have better things to do, like you know, prosecute actual criminals instead of economy-destroying, job-killing password hussies… like the ones going to college right now. I would bet dollars to donuts that each month prosecutors are going to get a list from their friendly recording industry lawyers of potential password sharers anyway. Using taxpayer money to defend private contract terms is a nice way to save Nashville some attorney fees. God save the recording industry.

–Ravious