Little Beta Planet

Didn't get a key for the beta of Little Big Planet? If it makes you feel any better, neither did I. But then, I don't have a PS3 anyway, but maybe I could have auctioned if off on eBay or something. Still, in the interests of seeing what it's like, I found a video showing the intro, tutorial, and first level of the game.

Having Stephen Fry voice your game is obviously a boon. I approached him to provide vocals for SMOCG, but sadly that avenue turned out to be a dead end. He does a simple enough job here, and the game does seem easy enough to use and do stuff with. They also have a very nice method of doing the credits and the tutorials, which I likey very much, and which this, frankly awesome, picture does credit to.

Shake your ass and wreck your screen

In quite an pleasant and unexpected piece of marketing, check out this video of Wario Land: Shake It. I'm not going to spoil the fun, but you have to watch it to the end.

How French people make games

Alexis, one of my friends, is putting in a game for the Microsoft Dream-Build-Play challenge. Entitled The Ballet of Light and Shadows, it's quite cool. Which it should be, seeing as we both work in the gameplay section of Ubisoft. Needless to say, making the video was quite fun.

Fertilize your computer screen

Kodak have developed an Organic LED frame so you can look at your pictures better. I don't know a lot about Organic LED's, other than it's organic material that glows in response to an electrical current. Still the pictures look nice, and it gives a whole new meaning to the term "dead pixel". Maybe you can plant another one, or encourage other pixels to mate and birth a new one. The idea of my screen fornicating while I'm working is slightly disturbing, but also highly amusing.

EA tells Spore complainers to stop being nobs

Another lol-worthy story in the EA/Spore/DRM saga. After users complained that threads discussing SecuROM and DRM (digital rights management) were being locked and deleted, a moderator got on board with the following helpful answer:

"SecuROM as [sic] been discussed and discussed so much and it causes arguments in threads. If you want to talk about DRM SecuROM then please use another fansite forum. If there is any change you will be able to read it on the official Spore site.

Please do not continue to post theses [sic] thread [sic] or you [sic] account may be at risk of banning which in some cases would mean you would need to buy a new copy to play Spore."

Aside from a lesson in how not to spell words (making moderators take a course in basic punctuation wouldn't go amiss either), what makes this quite amusing is that the limitations that EA have placed on the online part of Spore means that if you get banned and you still want to play the game, you may have to buy another copy. That's right, buy another copy of a game you already own (more like rent) so you can play it.

Are these people specially trained in retard school or something? It's almost as if they're trying to screw their customer base even more. Maybe they should try stabbing anybody that gives out, that might be more effective.

I'll bet that in a few years time, there'll be an interview with Will Wright or someone from EA, and the question about Spore DRM will come up, and the answer will be something like "Yeah, we really dropped the ball on that one". Stop trying to defend this EA, this will never come out good for you. If you want to include DRM in your games, make it work for the user - the person who's ultimately putting money in your pocket - and don't try and treat him like a scumbag. People who pirate your game aren't affected by DRM, only those who you actually should be trying to please. Someday, you will screw your customers a little too far.

Anyway, rant over...