When Tiger Woods first hit the scene, the game not the golfer, people were instantly hooked. Since then, it has become a staple of the EA Sports family and every year we are treated with a new release. Like many of EA’s sports games, not much has changed from year to year and gamers are not as quick to grab the latest version. This video comparison is of last year’s and the current versions. The 09′ looks much better, but will their be any new features instead of a view new courses and original characters?
Are you playing Army of Two? I think most people have moved on to bigger and better things, but some of you still might be co-oping your way to greatness. According to Unscripted 360, EA Montreal will be bringing a pair of campaign maps our way for the cool price of nothing.
Free maps is always a plus and I think will be received well. It might even pull gamers back from GTA4 or Call of Duty for some more gold coated guns. You know you want that bling.
The biggest merger that has not happened yet still has much life left as EA extended their deadline which expired last week to another 30 days. No one is surprised. EA is still pursuing the reluctant studio who is still waiting to sell as GTA IV makes history. The announcement quotes Senior VP Owen Mahoney:
Extending our offer will allow the FTC review process to continue. EA’s offer price remains unchanged at $25.74 per share and our offer is still subject to conditions that include regulatory approval. As stated earlier, we retain the right to terminate the offer if the conditions are not satisfied.
EA is no longer the only interested buyer out there. Take Two still feels the offer is inadequate and is talking to other people. Now, this could be a move to drive the price up or maybe they really are looking elsewhere. Take Two had this to say:
This is the same highly conditional proposal that EA offered Take-Two stockholders on March 13, 2008, which our Board of Directors thoroughly reviewed and unanimously determined to be inadequate and contrary to the best interests of Take-Two’s stockholders. As such, the recommendation of our Board of Directors that stockholders not tender their shares to EA remains unchanged. The Board is committed to maximizing stockholder value and is exploring all strategic alternatives to do so. We said we were willing to begin formal discussions with interested parties on April 30, following the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, and we have in fact begun that process. We are confident in the significant growth potential of Take-Two and in the unique value of our business given our strong position in this growing and dynamic industry.”
Needless to say, you might want to buy some Take Two stock. Someone is going to pay out the ass for it.
Looks like things are moving along with the hostile takeover attempt by EA. They’ve gone ahead and secured a $1 billion loan from Morgan Stanley and others to help in the cost of buying out Take-Two.
I guess it’s inevitable at this point. What EA wants, EA gets. No more 2K Sports, more yearly sequels to games that don’t need them. I don’t see any way this is going to be good to gamers. Sure, it lines the pockets of the executives on both sides, but if it serves to hurt gamers in the long run, I don’t approve.
What do you think? Is Take-Two as we know it over?
Iron Mike is back. The now D List celebrity has his likeness finally back into video games as EA announced he will be a character in Fight Night Round 4. I would pit 1987 Mike Tyson against anyone. Now a circus act, the once great champion will be a featured character in the awesome boxing series. I hope they do 80’s Mike with the high and tight haircut and black shorts as opposed to the tattooed and over the hill Tyson. Think I’m full of shit. Click more for the press release.
Looks like EA is trying to re-invent their sports arcade franchises and dropping their previous brand of EA BIG and making EA SPORTS Freestyle instead. NBA Street, SSX Tricky and NFL Street were staples in the EA BIG stables, but it looks as though EA wants to change up their image and go with a different name. Three titles are scheduled to launch under the new umbrella of Freestyle with Facebreaker being the first of the three, pretty interesting how that is the very first new console IP since 2002! Time to freshen things up I guess and might as well start with the brand name, not sure I like Freestyle as much as BIG though.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – May 6, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) today launched EA SPORTS Freestyle™, a new sub-brand aimed at a growing, more casual sports gaming audience. EA SPORTS Freestyle games, while based in sports, will be playful, inclusive, casual, and easy to pick up and play for kids and parents, women and men, and casual and hardcore sports fans of all ages. Read More »
During a recent interview at the EA Games Studio Showcase in London, BioWare boss Ray Muzyka said the following about the Mass Effect content in the new PC version:
“It’s the same content, just in higher resolution,” he said of the alien sex scene in the PC version of Mass Effect. “So it looks really good, right? We’re happy and we’re proud of the content that’s in the game. We think it’s appropriate for the rating the game has – it’s a ‘mature’ rated game. It’s tasteful and it’s not gratuitous. It’s actually adult-themed content of relationships, mature relationships that are very realistically depicted and actually very appropriate as well, and very emotionally impactful.”
Good for Bioware! I am glad that they stand behind their product and are not afraid to push the enevlope and did not back down and cut it from their PC version of the game. To exclude the sex scene would have been horrible and a giant step backwards for video games in general. Mass Effect is one of the rare games that not only included nudity, but reallly incorporated it into their storyline. To hear this from Ray Muzyka just confirms my thoughts on the subject, the rating system is there for a reason and a game like Mass Effect that decides to include some mature content makes sense since it is rated M. I can only hope that Bioware continues to push the genre and the ratings board, there needs to be more developers with guts enough to stand up to the media and their narrow minded thoughts.
Midnight tonight was the deadline for Take 2 to accept the EA takeover bid. EA wants the company before GTA IV releases because it will mean a much lower price. They would also reap the benefits of the vast income that GTA IV will bring in. Take 2, obviously not run by fucking morons, did not balk at the offer.
The tender offer was previously set to expire at 11:59 p.m., EDT, on April 18. The revised offer will expire on May 16, a full two-and-a half weeks after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.
EA continues to believe that the offer price is full and fair, and that a transaction between Take-Two and EA is the most compelling combination financially, strategically and operationally for all parties,” the company said in a statement.
This is one of those topics that I get tired of writing about and you are probably tired of reading about because these multi-billion dollar pissing contests keeps going on and on. The most predictable things have and will happen. EA will buy Take 2. They won’t do so until GTA IV makes a fuck ton of money. Almost all the video games will be controlled by a company who sucks tremendous balls at DLC. If EA acquires Bungie and/or Epic, I fucking quit.
Screw going platinum. The Sims has gone Ultra Uranium. The series has sold over 100 million copies over it’s lifespan.
“The Sims” has been translated into more than 20 languages and has sold in scores of countries. With sales dwarfing those of just about every other video game, “The Sims” has become the most popular computer game of all time and the second-most popular video game of all time (the “Madden NFL” series has sold more games on both computers and consoles, such as the PlayStation).
It’s hard to really say PC gaming is dead when you see stats like this. Between The Sims, World of Warcraft, and games on Steam, PC gaming looks to still be going strong. Congrats to EA on all the money they’re raking in.
EA’s Battlefield: Bad Company has finally gotten a release date. June 23rd when will get a shot at playing the full version of the oft maligned multiplayer shooter. Early reports on the closed beta put it a class under COD4 and right along the lines with Frontline.
We're like Spaceballs... we're making Loot Ninja everything. Coming soon we'll have hats, shirts, hoodies, possibly banana hammocks if one Editor has his way...
Check out the shirt prototypes here and the hats here
