Sorry, we have given out all available codes!

I am no one special.  I am not high on anyone’s pecking order.  I don’t have any inside connections that can pull any strings for me one way or another.  But, what I am is a gamer with money to spend on the hobby of my choice.  I’ve been following and enjoying Activision’s take on an action-rpg based in the marvel universe back when it was just called X-men Legends.  The follow up, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, added more bang for the buck by expanding past an X-men world into the vast universe that Marvel has crafted for decades.  The mix of various Marvel characters keep the game fresh well after the release, plus the addition of more characters that became fan favorites struck the right chord with gamers.

Now, the much anticipated release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is out, and it still has the same fundamentals and hooks of the first game making the sequel equally a blast to play.  However here is the rub, GameStop ran a pre-order promotion to get hands on the exclusive Juggernaut character.   Now for this to happen you had to head over to the GameStop Website and enter in some information from your receipt and you would receive a magical email with the code for the Juggernaut charater.

All of these steps I followed to the letter, yet when I went to the site to get what I was rightfully entitled to according to the promotion; I was greeted with the message :

Sorry, we have given out all available codes!

Imagine the confusion on my face when greeted with said message.   So I did what anyone else would normally do, call GameStop customer service to figure out how I can get the code that’s owed to me by way of their promotion.  Every inquiry as to how can I get my code was met with the same response “We are out of codes”, ”We will take down your email and maybe Activision will give us more codes to mail out”, ”There’s a rumor that the Juggernaut character will be offered later as DLC that you can pay for”, “I don’t think you’re going to get this code”.   When I contacted Activision with the same inquiry I was only met with “That was a GameStop promotion, you need to contact them. We have nothing to do with given out codes.”  They even sent me a follow-up email regarding my issue:

Response (Nathan Tyree) – 09/23/2009 09:57 AM
 Hi,

 Thank you for contacting Activision Technical Support!

Activision Customer Support does not provide this code. This code is sent by Gamestop. If you have not received this code then you will need to contact Gamestop

If you received the wrong code from Gamestop then you will need to contact them to get the correct code.

If the code is not working on the PSN store then please make sure that the key is being input correctly. While inputing the code make sure that you are not confusing O’s with 0’s, I’s with 1’s, etc… If it is still not working then please submit an incident by clicking the “Ask a Question” tab at the top of the page.

You will need to contact Gamestop’s Corporate support line for assistance with this issue.
The Gamestop Support hotline is 1-800-883-8895.

Thanks!

Customer (Entered by Nathan Tyree) – 09/23/2009 09:57 AM
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360), pre-ordered the game but has not received the Juggarnaut code.

My Response To That:

This do not in anyway resolve my issue, and I want to be perfectly clear about that. No matter how many people tell me over the phone that the offer was for a limited time only, it was not now or ever represented in ads that ran for the promotion. I realize that you are directing me to contact GameStop for this problem, however it’s not GameStop that publishes this game. It falls solely on you activision, so if GameStop has ran out of codes then it’s up to you to provide them with more codes to be able to satisfy the amount of pre-orders who are with out the juggernaut code. I plan to keep pressing this issue until I get the code that I deserve in accordance to the promotion.

Now most of the response has changed to “This was only for a limited time, this is only while supplies last”, but another site that talked about the same promotion never once mentioned that this was a limited time only deal:

• Pre-Order Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, get the Juggernaught – joystiq

So here I am a week later, no code, no idea as to how this could of happen, and no one trying to step up and do the right thing here.  And I can almost guarantee that the Juggernaut will be bundled with other characters for purchase at 10 bucks a bundle, am I really expected to accept this when I should have just had him for the price of free?  Where is my damn Juggernaut?  I await an answer.

UPDATE: On Sept 23, with the 3rd call placed to GameStop, I was able to finally get my hands on the elusive Juggernaut code.  Was it worth all the trouble that I went through to acquire him…yes he’s really badass!  Would I do it again if this problem happens in the future?  Of course I would, because at the end of  the day it’s the principle of the matter.  I wasn’t looking to gain a ton of swag; I just wanted what I was promised.  I am a happy gamer once again.

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Listen up Gamer Fans, now I know many of you have played or heard of Eternal Sonata.  For those of you who have not; Eternal Sonata is a RPG that tells the story of Frédéric François Chopin, a pianist who died in 1849 in Paris.  For those of you who are reading this right now and are saying to yourself who in the world would want to play a game about a pianist?  Well that is an excellent question.  Here are the top 5 reasons why game stores should pay their customers to play Eternal Sonata:

5.  The game puts you to sleep.

4.  The game has nothing solid about it that would keep the gamer interested in seeing what would happen next within the game.

3.   The game play for Eternal Sonata is interesting but not spectacular.  The characters have good attacks but are limited to using certain attacks if they are in the light or the dark.

2.  ZZZZzzzzzzzzZZzzz….. Oh sorry, even writing about Eternal Sonata would put you to sleep.

1.  The number one reason why game stores should pay their customers to play Eternal Sonata is the story line.  I am sorry, but the story line for all games is the key to determining if the game is worth playing.  For one Eternal Sonata you have three different story lines being thrown at you.  The First is what suppose to be a story involving the real world, the second is what suppose to be a story about a the dream world and the last is a detailed scripture on Frédéric François Chopin.  Who in the world would want to follow all these story lines?

Now there is an upside to Eternal Sonata, and only one upside.  The graphics is amazing, and that is all I can say.  No matter how well you can make a game look if there is nothing exciting about the game and it dose not have any type allure to it then it will not do as well as it should.  Games like Enchanted Arms, Star Ocean, Blue Dragon, and Final Fantasy have been made to capture the gamer in a world that would want a gamer to be in it.  These games are far superior to that of Eternal Sonata and I am sad to say that. Sorry on scale of five stars Eternal Sonata receives a one and only for graphics.

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I already know from the way that I titled this article that this will fan the flames of massive armies of fanboys; ready to step onto the frontlines and defend their console of choice to the death.  However, what it should invoke is a discussion of what the Wii, or the once titled Revolution, could have been.

When the entire buzz was around the Nintendo Revolution the speculation of what Nintendo were bringing to the table in the form of a next generation console was all over the place.  Once the Revolution became the Wii, the motion-control game console became the talk of the town.  The promises of new and engaging game play from every developer that witnessed the unveiling excited gamers everywhere, including yours truly.  But once I started to compare the Wii Specs with that of the PS3’s and the 360, I soon discovered that it wasn’t the revolution that I hoped it to be.   Sure the Wii’s motion-control aspect makes for some interesting game play design, but the lack of processing power that is easily found in the 360 and PS3 holds back the potential of merging a new way to control games with truly immersive environments.  I know that people often chant game play over graphics, but even game play takes a hit from developers not being able to build AI heavy logic or in-depth physic based movements due to the limitations of the Wii.  It’s often been mention in many a podcast that Nintendo has successfully been able to sell last gen tech in a pretty new package (that’s just putting it nicely).

Now the PS3 and 360 is set to become what the Wii should of been once each console see’s the release of their respective answers to making casual gamers at ease with playing a console that is not backed by Nintendo.  That’s pretty much the running gag of the industry at this point.  Both Sony and Microsoft wants the casual gamer that sees the Wii’s simplicity as a non-intimidating way to play and Nintendo is still trying to put at ease their core base of gamers that the Wii is much more then a party machine; that it can deliver on engaging and immersive experiences that’s so far been offered by their competitor.  Tackling the casual audience can be done but it’s could come with some tough decisions.  The Wii is wildly successful because it sold motion-control as the core mechanic to getting the whole family involved.  Microsoft and Sony may have to be willing to do the same as well as:

• Change the packaging of each console to include the motion-control devices.

• Keep the cost of these devices outside of a bundle under 100 dollars.

• Convince hardcore gamers that this can be a viable way to make AAA games better without making them feel stupid while playing games.

If Sony and Microsoft can produce these as well as another price cut on their higher end models to be a little closer to the Wii, then Nintendo may have to rethink their strategy greatly.  Especially if third party motion control games chart well in the NPD data that is released ever month to show how video games and consoles sold the previous month.  Also with all of that raw power under the hoods of the PS3 and the 360, developers can really start to craft triple A experiences while merging motion and motion-less control with the already tried and true method of the standard controller.  

These things will all come to light in the months ahead.  This may well become Sony and Microsoft chance to offer gamers both casual and hardcore what the Wii was not suited to do.  However, what we all must remember and acknowledge is that none of this would exist if Nintendo had not been bold enough to choose the road less traveled.  Instead of making the Wii an all encompassing entertainment device they went with the idea of making a device that kids, women, parents, and grandparents could play.  It’s paying off in huge dividends for Nintendo.  However, more and more people are starting to see the Wii as a device that collects dust now that the party is over.  The PS3 and the 360 could indeed become what the Wii should have been; that’s a game console with the means to entertain everyone with the ability to maintain that sense of enjoyment for years to come.

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Listen up gamers; how many of you out there in the vast infinite of cyberspace have or have played Saint’s Row and Saint’s Row II. Well for those of you who are reading this right now just open your eyes and think about purchasing you a copy of Saint’s Row. Now I know what you might be thinking right now; you’re saying to yourself why Saint’s Row? What makes Saint’s Row so good? Well I’ll tell you in the top 5 reasons why one should get these games.

#5

The game gives the player the opportunity to dish out pure un-relentless Mayhem to unsuspecting people.

#4

It is just Way better then Grand Theft Auto

#3

The game play for Saint’s Row is refreshing and a real pleasure to just have when you’re faced with having to play Grand Theft Auto

#2

Did I mention how Saint’s Row is WAYYYYYYY BETTER then Grand Theft Auto

#1

The number one reason why one should get both Saint’s Row titles is the Story line. The Story line is simple and easy to follow; and sometimes simple is just better.

Now I know that some of you Grand Theft Auto fans are reading this and is wondering why so harsh with the game? Well after Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto London 1969, Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto Vice city and so on, and so on, and so on. One would have to figure that the game is just not going anywhere and not trying to advance itself since Grand theft Auto 2. Yes it is different place with the games but that’s all it is, nothing more and nothing less. I truly don’t have anything against the game, but there is so much hype about this game title and there is nothing that I can see that has lifted this game from its second release

Remember gamers Saint’s Row is a game that many should purchase if you want to play a game that is actually the total opposite of Grand Theft Auto. Yes one can steal cars, beat up people and do various tasks in both gaming titles but with Saint’s Row it just looks, and plays so much better.

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The summer of arcade now official over with the latest release of Shadow Complex.  I managed to get a quick fix to see why this game was hogging all the spotlight from Trials HD.   After taking out the first boss, I knew that this game was something special yet familiar.  Everyone seems to draw the comparison to Metroid and Castlevania; with no other games being mentioned beyond those two.  However, it should draw a comparison to every old school action platformer that encouraged exploration as a way to become powerful and to move on to the next stage of the game and to reach places you couldn’t reach before.  Games like Mega Man, and Blaster Master could fit into these molds as inspiration to Shadow Complex as well.

Though this article is not about what makes Shadow Complex a great arcade game, it’s about a growing trend or a changing of the guard.  The first mark of this trend was Warhawk released on the PSN.  Warhawk don’t share any similar game mechanics as Shadow Complex but, they both fall into a new way to approach bite size gaming.  Most games that have fallen on to both the PSN and Xbox Live have been either smaller casual experiences such as Flower, Flow, Pixel Junk Series, or nostalgia laced experiences ranging from TMNT to Street Fighter.  Now the time has come for Battlefield 1943, Warhawk, Trails HD, and Shadow Complex to be viewed as a level above what an arcade game  is perceived to be.

To be quite honest I would like to see more of these enriched bigger game concepts scaled down for both of these services.  We already seen that these types of games can indeed become profitableand be a huge hit among gamers.  Now we need developers to really start opening up the flood gates with more genres.   Let’s start to get RPG’s designed by Square or Namco for PSN and XBLA, fighting games being built by Capcom, or Tecmo.  It’s time to stop with the nostalgia of the past and present to the audience a new form of classic games that one day in the future could be looked back on with fond memories.  Lets all hope that this is not a short live trend and look forward to a bright gaming future.

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It seems like every week I write something that totally bashes Nintendo and by the way thank you for all the emails wishing I was never born.  This week I want to “kinda” give Nintendo it’s just desserts.  I mean they did create the very popular avatar, Mii’s, and I have a love hate relationship with my Mii.  For instance, I love my Mii when it’s being civil on the dashboard looking normal.  Yet when I put in Wii Fit my avatar seems to balloon into an unhealthy, obese 2D version of myself.  Maybe that’s why I’ve been so down on Nintendo. – Kidding.

Now the bully of this generations console, the Xbox 360, will have avatars with its fall updates and when I say fall updates I mean the much publicized “New Xbox Experience.”  The Microsoft Game studios seemed to like the Mii’s so much they are creating Mii like avatars called… well… 360 avatars.  It seems as though Rare Ltd 2D avatars were years in the making according to Xbox insiders.  If Microsoft is  willing to pretend it was their idea all the time then they must be doing something different with avatars, right?  You be the judge.

It seems as though Microsoft’s avatar will look very similar to Nintendo Mii’s with the exception of being more customizable.  Microsoft announced that the use of achievement points will give gamers the ability to change outfits and for the sublime who are willing to pay; Xbox will probably be selling digital clothes for its avatars.  A headshot of your 360 avatar will be used on your Xbox gamercard which is pretty cool.  Avatars are also rumored to mimic sounds like burping, taunting or anything else obnoxious. Unlike Nintendo, the 360 avatar will not be offered to gamers  that have a E10+ rating or lower.

So why isn’t Nintendo trying to improve their Mii’s?  I can’t begin to speculate why, I mean I can but it wouldn’t get me anywhere.  Microsoft seems to update its LIVE product consistantly and Sony paces themselves with firmware updates and dashboard updates.  I want to see Nintendo take gaming seriously at least update the Mii’s.  Why let the folks at Microsoft have all he fun?

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“MTV Games has confirmed that the upcoming Nintendo Wii version of “Rock Band 2” will offer the same online functionality — i.e. song downloads and Internet multiplayer modes — as the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 versions.” The Wii was not designed with a built-in capacity hard drive and with what little storage the Nintendo Wii has, how can it handle the multitude of DLC that may be coming to the Wii.

Well Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says the company is working on a solution that’s even better than a hard drive. This is great news not only for Wii owners who want Rock Band 2, but also for developers who want to create games for Nintendo’s Wii Ware.

Wii Ware could never be fully utilized because DLC would eventually fill what little storage the Wii had to capacity.  While memory cards have become a gamers luxury instead of a need storage method, Nintendo has become the only current generation console to utilize the memory card for serious storage.  This lack of storage made Nintendo’s virtual console a weak feature while Wii Ware developers seemed to be wasting time on software that would never get pushed.

A storage facility marks a serious turnaround for Nintendo. Wii owners like myself who find more wrong with Nintendo than right finally have something to rejoice about.  Many times I feel like I’m in the minority when I don’t get “wood” for  superficial games like: Wario, Samba and Mushroom Men SW or any thrid party games I would rather play on my Xbox 360.  Yet DLC has peaked my interest.

A USB external hard drive or something similar would allow me to explore more games on the Wii.  DLC is huge in the gaming industry and Nintendo has been out of the loop for years.  Not only will Nintendo make money from DLC, it will give Nintendo games much needed replay value.  Not only will games like “Rock Band 2″ benefit but it also adds the possibility of adding new levels to game favorites like Metroid or Zelda.

Now all Nintendo needs to do is work on its games.  The majority of Nintendo owners are very disappointed with the Wii games.  There are a MANY Kool-Aid drinkers who will buy every first party game made by Nintendo and others who are easily pleased with mediocrity.  I pride myself on recommending games that are AAA and I will continue to use my voice to push Nintendo to do better.

UPDATE

Nintendo “better” hard drive solution turns out to be an SD card.  This WTF moment rivals the disgust I had when Sony removed it’s backwards compatibility in the PS3.  Since when is a freakin SD card, a better solution than an external hard drive.  I thought we were beyond buying memory cards for storage.  Last generation the average PS2 or GC owner had 3 memory cards. Three!  That’s right Nintendo, make the average Joe Gamer pay for storage several times over instead of in one sufficient purchase.  The average SD card will probably be starting at $59.99.  Instead of stepping into the twenty-first century Nintendo moves us toward Retro-gaming.  Everytime I decide to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt, I end up with egg on my face.

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They all specialize in certain areas of gaming.  Microsoft has revolutionize the gaming industry with XBX Live, Sony owns blu ray and Nintendo grabbed the market with it casual games and a motion controller.

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Well fellow gamers, after a much needed haitus, I’m back and ready for business. With all the interesting news and updates out there is there any surprise I have a bit of a rant to share? I’ll try to keep this short but sweet.

Lately I’ve been running into a lot of stories regarding the fee for Xbox Live and reasons why Microsoft shouldn’t charge for online gameplay. Now, like many other gamers, I like things for free. However, I see Xbox Live as pretty much any service that’s been created that should indeed be free, but people pay for it anyway.

Sony and PC’s Don’t Charge To Play Online

Well that’s a true statement that to play on the computer and to play games across the PSN is free(mmo’s being the exception to every case). Here are  two other true statements. You don’t have to pay to watch television, but people still subscribe to Cable, Direct TV and now Verizon Fios. You don’t have to pay to listen to the radio, but now people subscribe to satellite radio. My point here is, the PSN and pc’s online service is pretty much like free broadcast networks, and free radio. These are solid services but are currently not giving you that little something extra that money can buy.

Take it for granted all you want, but to be able to talk across everything, sending out game invites across any game, being able to instant message friends on PC, and have all of this exist as one unified service is huge. And, with some of the new bells and whistles from the upcoming dashboard update; you get the idea that being able to game online and create an online gaming community via console is going to be a major selling point one day.

Sure Xbox Live could learn a little from the free services offered such as a better compromise on it’s closed environment, and using dedicated servers for it’s bandwidth extensive games.  While these two things are something that most people hope for for the future of Xbox Live; Live is still the most feature rich online gaming service.  While their conterpart PSN is making great strides to close the gap, between Xbox Live, no one in their right mind could argue that the gap would be closed faster if the service were supported by the customers who want it to surpass all of Xbox Live’s features.

So for all the people who think Xbox Live should be free, I simply have to ask: Would it continue to be one of the best services out there if it was?

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Events that are held in the gaming industry to showcase a developer, or a console maker’s latest and greatest is quite commonplace. However, there is there are events that happen every year that stands out from the rest in terms of juicy gaming news.  These are E3, Leipzig, and The Tokyo Game Show.  This is where gamers get a glimpse of what’s to come for their console of choice, whether it’s the here and now, or future.  This insight into the usually tightly sealed console and game world is what has lead me to write the following article.

Sony and Microsoft are the dominant rivals at these gaming events both deploying, two very different strategies. Sony normally goes about these events by showcasing some of the games to come in the short term, and a lot of “what’s to come games”. While Microsoft on the other hand, chooses to display a year by year focused reveal of games. Now, depending on which camp you align yourself with, you would think that one of these strategies provides the best results. I on the other hand see the strengths and weakness for both of these approaches. Want to hear it? Here it goes.

My Crystal Ball Can See To Infinity And Beyond. Beyond!

Yeah I used the Beyond chant in homage to Ign’s Podcast Beyond for it’s one of the few shows I enjoy. It’s also seems to be Sony’s favorite chant when it comes to the PS3 games.  Sony has never been one to shy away from showing off incredible cgi trailers of things to come. While I understand that everybody uses teaser trailers; Sony on the other hand is possibly teasing a game that’s still has 3 to 4yrs of development time before its release date.

Pros:
This is by far one of the best way to build hype for a console. I have not yet seen any company do it better then Sony. It’s keeps gamers salivating for what’s to come, and it’ll be the talk of talks in media circles. All of which helps to keep the console afloat with positive buzz, and adoration. I feel that at this point Sony has become so smooth at this particular strategy that it could sell Meteor Insurance right now and have people believe that destruction is just around the corner when it’s actually light years away.

Cons:
Don’t sell me on the idea of an exquisite steak dinner when I’m hungry right now! Damn It! seriously, that’s the real problem. Gamers are all about the hear and now.  And with MGS4 holding down the fort for now; some are still starving for more experiences.  Better yet most of these gamers are just starving for a reason as to why they brought the PS3 in the first place. Bottom line is that I don’t want to play one good game for the next 4 years.  Stop showing me the distant future show me the now for once.

I’m Right Here, Right Now. I’m Still Standing, I’m Still Strong!
Microsoft is on the other  hand is a complete flip of the coin in their technique.  Their strategy was stumbled onto due to a disastrous early showing of Too Human, and a future glimpse into what many are calling vaporware; Alan Wake.  Learning from their error, Microsoft won’t showcase a game that may still be into it’s early development cycle.  Their mantra now is showing a game that’s close to having a launch window, leaving many to wonder what’s to come in the future.

Pros:
A quick turnaround makes for a happy gamer.  When it comes to the games, we want them good and we want them in a hurry.  Now Microsoft has a truly good understanding of this.  Instead of torturing us with a taste of whats to come and having it linger in development limbo forever.  They wait until the time is right and pounce!  The Gears of War 2 teaser trailer was first shown in February, a gameplay trailer came out in May, and the game drops in November.  Microsoft wants the gamers to have their games as soon as possible without the need of stretching out the wait for years and years.  This is good for gamers and good for Microsoft’s bottom line.

Cons:
OK, OK, I got the game that I want but now what’s next? What do I anticipate? You don’t have to take me so far into the future that I’m watching my kid’s grand kids play in the park. But, you could just give me a small glimpse of what the future holds.  I mean do I have to really wait until the next year comes for you to talk about the games for that year?  Most gamers don’t need a lot just a little showmanship. You don’t have to sell fire to hell, you just have to give us enough of a taste to keep investing in your product. Boy scouts are cool and all, but everybody likes a little flash. Get it to crack-in!

I feel that these two companies can learn a little from each other, and come to a better middle ground without the need of going to the far left, or far right.  If Microsoft had a little bit of the Sony charm, and if Sony had a little bit of Microsoft business savvy then we as gamers win in the end.  And to think that these multi billion dollar companies haven’t learn that lesson by now, it is almost too crazy to wrap your head around.  Am I right, or am I right?

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