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Welcome to the Game Butler Gaming Gossip!
Here we will dish out some of the hottest gaming
gossip on the planet and keep you the most informed
gamer on your block. Tell all of your friends to
come and be sure to check this space frequently
for give-aways and insider info on the wild world
of video games.
The Game Butler has been serving up gaming gossip
for over 20 years as the insider gossip columnist
that worked alongside Quartermann and Sushi X. Now
I have moved on up and have my own place in the gaming
world. I have quite the pedigree and not only did
I start the Official PlayStation Magazine, I also
helped launch Electronic Gaming Monthly 2, CyberSports and Canada’s first ever video game magazine
Gamesmania, which became Total
Gamer.
If you’re looking on the straight goods on
the hottest video games, stay right here. We will
give you the inside scoop on the games you need to
add to your gaming collections and the games you
need to turn your nose up at and leave in the bargain
bins. |
E3
Secrets Revealed
My 16th consecutive E3 show was a lot of fun. I
ran into a lot of old friends and made some new
ones.
The Electronic Entertainment
Expo (E3) is in many ways like a family reunion.
I attended all
of the press conferences, accept the Microsoft
one. A glitch at the front gates left me standing
in the overflow line.
I had attended the Xbox
360 Cirque de Soleil Gala the night before
and managed to get some
pretty good pictures, wear a funny dress like
thing and meet up with a number of old pals.
The event was fun-filled and cultural, the event
made me proud that the Canadian troop was representing
the homeland LA style. Being a Canadian in a
US dominated industry is a little rough at times.
Get teased a lot, but when I have had enough
I remind them that we are the only country to
have ever burned down the White House in 1812.
Their rebuttal to that was it was the British
not Canada, but it’s the same difference.
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In
any event there were a couple of wars brewing
behind
the scenes at E3. One of them has to do with
Activision not being on the show floor. They pulled
out of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board
a couple of years ago and they used their booth
money
to throw a nice party at the Staples Center. It
was a blast. Rumor, and I mean rumor, has it
that Activision
is really pissed (with a capital PISSED) at Electronic
Arts for stealing away the Call of Duty creators.
But many don’t remember that those guys were
with Electronic Arts before and they worked on
the Medal of Honor franchise. In a similar temper
tantrum
they left and went to work for Activision. So the
war of words and the war in the court room will
play out. The video game business is cut-throat
and its
dog eats dog. |
After a few pops it’s always good to keep your ears open at some
of the bars and parties. That’s when the developers really start
to open up. One of the things being bantered about, and again this is
only rumor and not fact, is that Activision is hoping to get into the
NFL game. They want to give EA and Madden a run for their money, so one
scenario has 2K Sports teaming up with Activision to create a sports
line-up that will include an NFL game. EA Sports has the exclusive license
to use the NFL players and teams, but a decision is pending in the United
States Supreme Court that suggests that by giving exclusive licenses
to individual companies is somehow illegal and is a monopoly. If that
decision goes against the NFL then the league might have to give more
than one apparel and more than one video game license out. This won’t
impact EA Sports bottom line because they pay a large premium to have
the license exclusively.
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Activision
in the NFL game would be interesting and there
is no love lost between 2K Sports (Visual Concepts)
and Electronic Arts (EA). Back in 1995 when the
original PlayStation was released EA rejected
Madden for the PlayStation which was developed
by Visual Concepts (2K Sports) sparking a behind
the scenes war the likes of which the video game
industry has seldom seen.
Some of the best games of the show had to be
Medal of Honor, the new Call of Duty Black Ops,
Halo Reach, Gears of War 3, Legend of Zelda Skyward
Sword, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Madden
NFL 11, Little Big Planet 2, Mortal Kombat and
Rock Band 3. Best new hardware at the show was
the Nintendo 3DS.
We will have more E3 musings in the coming weeks
as well as hands on previews with all of the
titles I just mentioned. In the meantime if you
have any questions or concerns email us here
at info@TheGameButler.com.
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