They Said Whaaaat?: “I Shot My Horse, But He’s Awesome!” or “For Shame Activision, For Shame!”

You know, I promised myself to stay out of this whole Activision/Infinity Ward business, primarily because the topic is being covered by every news gaming site out there, and I had nothing new to add. However, this was just too good to pass up.

Upon hearing that Activision is raising its Q1 fiscal outlook based on the more-than-stellar sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, EA’s Jeff Brown had this to say:

“This is kind of like announcing: ‘The race horse I shot last month has won the Triple Crown!‘”

Oh Jeff! You always crack me up!

“APB Developers Expect M Rating” or “Captain Obvious in the Hizzouse!”

APB is one of the three MMO’s I am quite excited about. The other two are The Secret World and everyone’s poster child for ‘the MMO that will beat World of Warcraft‘, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

APB recently also relaunched its website as it gathers momentum for the big launch, expected later this year. Developer Realtime Worlds fully expects an ‘M rating‘ for the title, a cause for joy for anyone who abhors the sensitization of the video game medium for fear of inciting violence amongst youth. Rest assured that the developer sails in the same boat as us, and not only expects, but wants an M rating for the cops-vs-robbers simulator.

And thank god for that. Imagine how lame that title could have turned out to be if all the gratuitous violence had been toned down to please this guy (pictured right).

In his defense, I do love me a PrayStation!

“Moonlight Online” or “God I hate Twilight”

I won’t lie to you. I am not into Vampire movies or fiction, but I think that True Blood on HBO and An Interview With a Vampire were enjoyable examples of the moving pictures variety. I do hate Twilight however, and I loathe every individual that professes their unconditional love and adoration for all things Stephanie Mayer,  including my sister, that witch!

So when IGG announced Moonlight Online, I was a little skeptical about what I would find. More details have emerged in a recent press release however, that shed some light on what we can expect from the title.

Three Playable Factions

• First, there are the enigmatic and dexterous Vampires, descended from the purest of bloodlines, withholding incredible power and astonishing agility beneath their ashen faces.
• Then we have the Werewolf faction, the ancient nemesis of the Vampire empire, equipped with regenerative abilities, and unrivaled strength and sheer physical brute force on the field of battle.
• Finally, there are the ever-resilient Humans, endowed with great cunning and courage, united under the legendary banner o King Cruz, killer of the Dark Dragon, under who’s guidance the three factions have entered an era of relative peace and acceptance.

The Fourth Faction Ascends

But as is the case with nearly every video game story, peace is only a fleeting vestige of the inevitable and destructive chaos that consumes the world, when a fourth, demonic race ascends from the bowels of the earth and wages war on the surface-dwelling factions.

Up until now this sounds quite fantastic actually, and I found myself inexorably drawn to the concept and the idea of playing one of three unique and distinct sides, fighting a seemingly hopeless battle against a fourth clan.

*sigh*

And then I saw the accompanying image, resulting in Vietnam-esque I had flashbacks of Twilight trailers, posters and fan rants.  Excuse me, I just have to go and clean the vomit from my mouth. You make up your own mind about the travesty!