Quick Jump Daily Digest

Thank you for your interest in the Quick Jump Daily Digest. Get notified of all new content on QJ in our free Daily Digest. To subscribe, enter your email address below and click the subscribe button.

Cancel and Return to page

Error 2011 Search Results

Your search for Error 2011 located the below Error 2011 Search Results. The Error 2011 Search Results are returned from stories QJ publishes stories covering Error 2011 news, Playstation news, Xbox news, PC news, Wii News, Nintendo DS News, Gaming News, Reviews, Downloads, Custom Apps, Homebrew and much more.

Letter from Alleged THQ Staffer Calls Out Management, CEO

Posted Jan 25, 2012 at 3:30PM EST by Listed in: PS3 Tags: saints row the third, THQ

THQ hasn’t been doing great over the last few months, and this nasty letter from a former employee doesn’t make things look any better.

THQ, the company behind Saints Row: The Third, had a tough 2011. The company was in such dire straits that rumors floated around about it canceling its entire 2014 lineup, rumors the company vehemently denied. This morning we received word that THQ was shifting its strategies yet again, this time focusing more on its core franchises over third party licensing.

It’s hard to get a bead on exactly what’s happening with THQ. Rumors and sales indicate the company is in serious trouble despite the success of Saints Row, but the company refuses to admit that they have any sort of problem. Only one person seems to be willing to comment on the state of the company – an alleged former employee with an obvious bone to pick.

In a letter written to THQ’s Board of Directors, CEO Brian Farrell as well as the general public and a collection of gaming news sites, this “Formerly Mismanaged” employee rattles off a laundry lists of complaints about the company.

The letter essentially claims that THQ’s problems stem from mismanagement and a Board of Directors that has no clue how to strategically run a gaming company. It gives examples like acquiring game studios with no plan on how to utilize their talents (then later shutting them down), investing money into shrinking niche markets, the company’s refusal to dump a CEO that has tanked its stock price and high-paid executives making enormous mistakes that call their competency into question. The disastrous uDraw tablet also makes an appearance.

These allegations of management incompetency surface just a few days before THQ announces its current financial standing on February 2, and things certainly don’t look good. One analyst has gone on the record by stating that THQ, without some sort of financial windfall, with run out of cash near the middle of this year.

You can read the letter in its (extremely long) entirety below:

[JoyStiq]

"To:

THQ Board of Directors

Lawrence Burstein

James Whims, Gigex, Inc.

Henry DeNero, Arcturus Capital

Brian Dougherty, AirSet, Inc.

Jeffrey Griffiths , Lumber Liquidators

From:

Current and Ex-Employees, Shareholders, and The Public

Dear THQ Board,

I am an ex-employee at THQ. I saw the tweet-started headlines over the past week from an "industry expert." This expert is one who I and my friends and co-workers in the industry have never heard of after a long time in the field. I had been reading the various following articles and accounts and it generated sympathy for friends both recently laid off and currently still there. I thought it would be a good idea to send a note with their input. This note has honest facts and thoughts about THQ and the current problems there. Most of these facts are public knowledge and they have been confirmed by public records or can be confirmed by current and former THQ staff there both before and after my and their time.

I have long felt the need to explain to outsiders how this beaten-down company has wound up in this position. It is to the point where having it on your resume is not a point in your favor. And that shouldn't be the case. I'm/We're sending this note anonymously because some of us are still awaiting final checks and others know how little corporations like employees who air their dirty laundry. We feel the need to say something to combat the partial misinformation being written.

THQ had been known through the years for having a formula. They find a hot license, make a cheap game, barely advertise it, and make money. This formula worked during the Playstation and Xbox and Gameboy days and made the company a lot of cash. Unfortunately, THQ's old guard executives seem to be stuck trying to manage the company the same way they did back then and haven't realized the industry has changed.

The beginning of the end came years ago as Brian Farrell lead an executive team to acquire a large number of studios. A large amount of cash was used in the acquisition or setup of game developers with different degrees of talent. The problem was they were bought without strategic reasoning or specific plan on to use them. So after awhile another large amount of money was spent as those studios failed and were sold off and shut down. The executive team at the time were an entirely different group of people with one key exception in the CEO. The CEO/the then executive team wasted the cash that the company had built up with these massive investments and selloffs.

The studio purchase errors were not helped by the mistakes in the licensing deals that were signed by the same CEO. Millions and millions of dollars were wasted on acquiring licenses at the same time the kids, family, casual business was declining at a rapid rate. Instead of slowing those acquisitions he overpaid for more of them until again cash was wasted in paying for brands that didn't sell well anymore.

The mistakes in decisions and cash losses triggered wave after wave of layoffs. In the most recent wave, about 40 people lost their jobs this past December through no fault of their own. The reason why is the chronic and constant mismanagement of their company. The fact is that the CEO and executive committee were so focused on trying to hit an unrealistic financial goal that they bet everything on an extremely risky proposition in the uDraw tablet. When they lost, they further displayed their lack of management skills by not having a contingency plan. Three weeks after the game launched, an entire business unit was wiped out when it didn't meet its goal due to relying on that one product to hit an unrealistic target.

After the layoffs many ex-employees walked around shell-shocked and trying to figure out who was responsible. They came to the understanding that most of us do after leaving the company. The issue with THQ has never been one of lack of staff creativity, intellect or business intelligence. It all rests of the failure of its management team and you the Board of Directors.

This Board has allowed the Brian Farrell, the CEO, the ongoing ability to take a cash-rich profitable company and drive it from a $30 share price down to around $.70 without acting despite numerous mistakes that even for those lacking business training, could see were errors. Even without glaring mistakes how can the same CEO stay in charge after a 99% share price loss? Aside from the board, who is responsible for the current situation and who is accountable for the current and future job losses at the company? When you ask the recently departed who are a good source of information, you get the same answers. This uDraw failure is the largest and most recent one in a string of them that were hushed over and hidden. The answer aside from the Board is the current executive team that allowed this uDraw implosion to happen.

Brian Farrell, CEO with a 2011 salary of $1,289,558, for a lack of business intelligence or fiscal accountability. A vocal inside group pointed out the mistake of trying to launch a year-old product that received almost no software support in the last 12 months. Instead of listening and having a back-up plan, he went ahead and invested a ridiculous amount of money in the manufacturing and advertising of the product and failed miserably. It is passed time for him to go. We are wondering what is taking so long for you to act. We have been wondering this same question for a long time.

Martin Good, EVP and head of Kids, Family, Casual with a 2011 salary of $1,198,023, for bringing no strategic thought or business sense to the role. He was brought out from Australia sales to replace an outgoing head of the business unit and rapidly displayed a complete lack of leadership skills, vision, and any sort of analytical sense. Looking at his compensation package, he is an excellent negotiator as his salary is higher than anyone's except for the CEO. On the plus side he lost his job with the rest of those laid off. On the minus side, he will be floating down on a golden parachute while the rest of the former employees scramble to look for jobs in this challenging environment. Most of those jobs will be at studios in other parts of the country, so they will be forced to relocate their families in the middle of their childrens school years. It is incredible that he made this level of income while doing such a poor job, but it serves as a reflection of the lack of Brian Farrell's ability to staff well and manage.

Paul Pucino, CFO with a 2011 salary of $674,855, for not planning for this possibility and having a safety net or a plan to cover THQ just in case of failure. We have a line of credit that we likely used to buy the plastic that is not selling to customers. It is like taking a cash advance to buy THQ stock and just as worthless of an investment. Paul is known as an absentee executive who is missing when business situations gets complicated. While he was in the loop at the point of the risk, with the following failure he has been clearly unavailable. It is another example of Brian Farrell's inability to staff.

Ian Curran, EVP and head of global publishing with a 2011 salary of $1,037,047, for not flagging an unrealistic sales goal to the CEO or the Board when a big part of the corporation felt the numbers were unrealistic. He blindly held up an unachievable target and didn't act when multiple people told him he was aiming to high and out of step with the marketplace. If a sales executive's job is to anticipate the market, he has done a poor job of it. Another example of Brian Farrell not being able to find the right people for the right job.

Ed Kauffman, EVP of Legal and Business Affairs who clearly was signing bad deals on licensed products, not factoring in the changes in the business and being more critical with financial terms with partners. uDraw by itself cannot possibly explain the companies poor financial health. It is a combination of that product and a string of bad licensed deals that the company took on against better judgement. While Brain Farrell would logically be the final decisionmaker for deals, Kauffman is either unpersuasive in his arguments to not do them or supported them. Either situation equates to another example of poor staffing choices by the CEO.

uDraw was failure and the only people to blame are the people listed above. THQ and its current financial situation is also their responsibility. And they were paid around $4.5 million dollars for their poor decisions. If there is any doubt we would recommend talking to current and former staff to get the straight story. Don't read this note as bitterness on their part, but more as long overdue truth.

So, Board, it is time. Passed time for you to act and passed time for you to do something about the mismanagement that has gone on for too many years. We've watched the stock from the outside and read the comments and the reason why the company is valued so low despite its sales is because of this underqualified management team.

Board it is time for you to act before your names are added to the list above of things that must change.

Sincerely,

The Formerly Mismanaged"

THQ hasn’t been doing great over the last few months, and this nasty letter from a former employee doesn’t make things look any better.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

ITV finally repsonds to fake IRA footage

Posted Jan 25, 2012 at 6:45AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: arma ii, ira, iTV, ofcom, terrorist documentary

Last year ARMA II footage was used as "official" terrorist footage of the IRA on a terrorism documentary. It's producers and the British TV Watchdog finally respond.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Codemasters speak about "Unlawful" working conditions

Posted Jan 15, 2012 at 5:15PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3 Tags: bodycount, Codemasters, guildford, semi essessi

You remember the memorable and fantastic Bodycount from last year? Well apparently the developers weren't treated so well...


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Sound Off: Hardest Game Ever Made?

Posted Jan 4, 2012 at 4:00PM EST by Listed in: PS3 Tags: dark souls, ninja gaiden 2, super meat boy, vvvvvv

Sure Dark Souls was one of 2011’s toughest. But what about the games that came before it?

Last night, a friend and I played VVVVVV for the better part of two hours, pausing now and then to curse at each other via Steam. Neither one of us managed to make it very far – the game is just brutal, and I’m still trying to get the hang of the control scheme. But my repeated failures got me thinking about difficult games, and the satisfaction that comes from besting them.

We’ve seen a lot of talk about games like VVVVVV, Super Meat Boy and Dark Souls this year, but they’re only the latest in a long stream of incredibly difficult games. So I wanted to talk to you, the QJ community, and see what you believed to be the hardest games ever made.

Personally, I think Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the hardest games I’ve played in my long history of gaming. It was a beast from start to finish, and even with infinite continues, many gamers simply set it aside in frustration. Battletoads was another in a similar vein. I’m talking old-school, hardcore games that depended on trial, error, luck and skill.

It seems like every console generation has had at least one soul-crushing game – remember Altered Beast?

So sound off, QJ – what earns your vote as the hardest game ever made?

Sure Dark Souls was one of 2011’s toughest. But what about the games that came before it?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [48]	READ FULL STORY!

PS Vita Firmware Update

Posted Dec 28, 2011 at 8:45AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS Vita Tags: ps vita firmware, ps vita freezing, sony firmware, vita 1.5, vita firmware update

Latest update to fix "uncommon" freezing and instability issues


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [6]	READ FULL STORY!

Sony on Vita: Freezing and other problems uncommon

Posted Dec 22, 2011 at 6:49PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS Vita Tags: console glitches, ps vita freeze, ps vita glitches

Freeze errors are no problem for the guys at Sony, they say the problem is not as widespread as people are making it out to be.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [52]	READ FULL STORY!

Shigeru Miyamoto May or May Not be Switching Roles

Posted Dec 8, 2011 at 1:14PM EST by Listed in: Nintendo 3DS Tags: mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, Zelda

The legendary game creator announces his desire to change roles at Nintendo, but Nintendo vehemently denies that he’ll be swapping posts.

Last night, the internet exploded with news that Shigeru Miyamoto was retiring from his current position at Nintendo. While not leaving the company or the games industry, Miyamoto stated that he wanted to leave the huge franchises like Zelda and Mario to teams of younger developers so that he could go on to work on smaller projects with shorter development times. He even mentioned his love for the guy that created the Rubik’s cube.

The news was interesting, to be sure – Miyamoto clearly wants to work closer to the cutting edge of development, rather than as the guy who steers multi-billion dollar franchises. But I’m guessing Nintendo’s shareholders weren’t too happy with the information, because the company has issued a stern denial:

"This is absolutely not true. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation.

"He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned."

Nintendo is clearly trying to calm investor fears that the man responsible for most of the company’s success would be stepping into a position with less responsibility, despite the fact that the original interview seemed pretty clear about Miyamoto’s intent.

There’s obviously a small chance this whole thing is a translation error, but the odds of that are miniscule. More likely, Miyamoto has been planning this type of move for years and perhaps announced it before Nintendo had time to do the proper legwork with investors.

We’ll just have to see how the story plays out. In the meantime, what would you think of a Zelda or Mario project without Miyamoto’s oversight?

[Giant Bomb]

The legendary game creator announces his desire to change roles at Nintendo, but Nintendo vehemently denies that he’ll be swapping posts.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [6]	READ FULL STORY!

Iran bans Battlefield 3

Posted Dec 1, 2011 at 5:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PS3, PC Gaming, Xbox 360 Tags: battlefield 3, battlefield 3 ban, bf3, iran bans bf3

Iran bans Battlefield 3

If they made a game about killing Australian's, I'm sure my country would probably do the same.

The game Battlefield 3 deals with an unnamed war (but we can guess which one) in a series of Middle Eastern settings (as well as European) and has a series of missions, in which terrorists from middle eastern countries are considered the enemy...so the game being banned in Iran is probably not too obvious...but the real reason actually is.

It's not necessarily about context or international relations but media effects that push forward the recent banning in Iran...oh and that whole section (Spoilers) wher US forces blow up the capital city of Tehran. "All computer stores are prohibited from selling this illegal game," a deputy with the security and intelligence division of the Iranian police.

I don't know much about video games being sold in the Middle East, but I can guess that EA has serious distributors in the countries to combat some forms of piracy. It seems that even though they have distributors, the game was pirated and sold in many shops before the release date, but official stores saw the ban coming and have steered clear of stocking the game legally. Unfortunately, some unlucky retailers have reportedly been raided, shop keepers even arrested for selling the game even before the ban was announced last month.

According to Fars, Iran's own news agency, a group of Iranian youths launched a protest against the game and it's sale via internet petition, which has over 5000 signatures. The petition reads about the protesters undertanding the game is a work of fiction but they "believe the game is purposely released at a time when the U.S. is pushing the international community into fearing Iran," it says, which I could not agree more.

Whilst other forms of media have not really divulged in the war on terror and the masculine fantasies of war, video games have never seemed to buck the trend. Since the war on terror began all the way back in 2003, at least ten titles each year about American or British forces taking on Middle Eastern countries have been released, going all the way back to the Banned- in-Australia, America's Most Wanted, which depicted a player hunting down Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden...these times are not a-changin'

Via [GamePolitics] http://gamepolitics.com/2011/11/28/iran-bans-battlefield-3

If they made a game about killing Australian's, I'm sure my country would probably do the same.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [25]	READ FULL STORY!

Keith Vaz: Ban Call of Duty

Posted Nov 24, 2011 at 9:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming, PS3 Tags: ban call of duty, ban video games, call of duty, censorship, Keith Vaz, modern warfare 3, video game censorship

And who's Keith Vaz exactly...?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [15]	READ FULL STORY!

Take On Helicopters takes on Piracy

Posted Nov 7, 2011 at 2:38AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: anti-piracy, arma ii, Bohemia Interactive, DRM, take on, take on helicopters

Blurry Vision? Nah, that's just Bohemia Interactive messing with you.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Blizzard Catching Flak Over Homophobic Blizzcon Video

Posted Oct 27, 2011 at 5:46PM EST by Listed in: MMORPG Tags: BlizzCon, blizzcon 2011, cannibal corpse, corpsegrinder

The company that’s usually pretty careful about its public image is in hot water over an interview played during the Blizzcon closing concert, one that contains homophobic slurs and profanity galore.

If you made it out to Blizzcon and were lucky enough to catch the closing concert, you may remember a brief video clip played during the performance of Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftan. The video featured Corpsegrinder, the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, and generally revolved around his passion for World of Warcraft and insane hatred of the Alliance faction.

You can check the video out here, but be warned that it contains graphic language:

The video, which is packed to the gills with curse words and homophobic slurs like “faggot” and “queer,” was somehow vetted by Blizzard officials and shown to the Blizzcon audience. Naturally, the gay gamer community is fairly upset over the remarks, but more so over Blizzard’s insensitivity to the subject matter. It’s worth noting that the content was censored in the video that played for the audience, meaning most of the words had to be inferred.

All gamers deal with profanity now and again, and homophobic remarks often seem to come with the territory, but there’s a big difference between someone calling you a “fag” in general chat and the game company broadcasting those terms out to the world. Knowing Blizzards in-game chat policy for WoW, it’s surprising they would make public any video that violates their own rules, but perhaps it was just an error in judgment.

The forums are blowing up regarding the video, with numerous threads of complaints and a few weak “it was a joke” apologies from Blizzard staff. The most recent update involved locking all previous posts and providing this snippet to forum members:

“Thank you everyone for your feedback regarding the closing night performance at BlizzCon. While we had some other messaging worked up we were going to post, the members of band wanted to instead address it themselves:

Hey guys, we read and heard all the feedback from BlizzCon this year. The Corpsegrinder bit was never intended to be taken seriously. We are sorry that we offended anyone; everything at our shows is just meant in fun. Thank you all for speaking up. We’ll definitely keep this in mind for future shows.

Our humblest apologies,

Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain”

The drama is still ongoing, so we’ll see what ends up happening. There’s not much Blizz can do besides apologize, but some players are definitely upset.

What do you think is the appropriate response?

Via Gay Gamer


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

Nintendo posts recurring loss of a hundred billion

Posted Oct 27, 2011 at 10:30AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Wii U, Wii Tags: gfc, japanese nikkei, nintendo earnings

The Big N might be in the red.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [6]	READ FULL STORY!

Richie Knucklez Breaks Space Invader World Record

Posted Oct 20, 2011 at 8:30AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: Nintendo DS, iPhone Tags: arcade, Donkey Kong, Nintendo, richie knuckles, Space Invaders, Taito, twin galaxies

He's no King of Kong, but he is the Ruler of Space.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Origin gets 5 million players a day

Posted Oct 20, 2011 at 7:00AM EST by Harrison E Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: Electronic Arts, Microsoft, origin, origin service, Peter Moore, Steam, valve, zynga

So it looks like the "who has the bigger content delivery system" claims begin...


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Arkham City Reviews Rolling In

Posted Oct 14, 2011 at 2:00PM EST by Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: arkham asylum, arkham city, Batman, reviews

Batman’s newest adventure is earning high marks from pretty much everyone that touches it. We’ve got a quick breakdown of what people are saying.

We’re less than a week away from entering Arkham one more time and dealing with the many terrors it contains. The last Batman game we saw earned waves of critical praise and was hailed by some as the best superhero game every made. The only question now is, can the game’s sequel meet the standard set by its predecessor while living up to the insane hype?

So far, it looks like the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes.” Here’s a quick run of what some of the major reviewers are saying about the title:

GameSpot – 9.0

They praise the game’s open environment, level design, slick controls and clean presentation. I believe I heard the word “exhilarating” in their video review, so take that for what you will. Puzzles are noted as tricky but rewarding, but the final confrontation is named anti-climactic.

GameTrailers – 9.4

Side missions are noted as a highlight of the game, though they do note that the game sometimes sends you in circles. The environment is also acclaimed here, as are the context controls that make the Arkham series so interesting. There is a brief lament over Batman’s inability to grapple through barbed wire, but overall the exploration aspects of the game earn high marks.

Joystiq – 4.5 Stars

Cleaner controls, a more interesting environment and a variety of interesting things to do are the primary focuses here, with the site glumly noting that the central narrative never quite lives up to everything else. They do note the game as an improvement, albeit slight, over the original Arkham game. They too, make mention of a lame final encounter.

GamePro – 5 Stars

GamePro’s reviewer calls Arkham City the best superhero game he’s ever played. Unlike other reviews, GamePro was impressed with the storyline and only took issue with the limited complexity of boss encounters. They also note that the optional Catwoman adventure option, available only to players that purchase the game new, could be a problem for those that like to pick up used titles.

So there you have it. When you look at the reviews in aggregate, it looks like Arkham City is an excellent use of your hard-earned money. And, like I’ve mentioned previously, if you pre-order the title through Wal-Mart, they’ll throw in a $10 gift card and a copy of the original Arkham Asylum to boot.

Are you ready to put on the cape one more time?

Batman’s newest adventure is earning high marks from pretty much everyone that touches it. We’ve got a quick breakdown of what people are saying.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

The Repopulation and the state of MMORPGs

Posted Oct 13, 2011 at 8:00PM EST by Harrison E Listed in: MMORPG Tags: beta, jc smith, the repopulation, World of Warcraft

The Repopulation is an upcoming MMO and the creator JC Smith took some time out to talk about the game and where MMORPG's are at in 2011.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Joystiq Takes a Shot at Rage Texture Issues

Posted Oct 10, 2011 at 5:34PM EST by Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: id Software, Joystiq, pc gaming, rage

The gaming website updates Rage players on a new patch and the game’s terrible launch, but has a little fun in the process.

Rage had been out for what seemed like minutes when users started reporting serious problems with the PC version of the game. Blurry textures, screen tearing and texture pop were among the most common complaints, with the studio rushing to publish an updated driver for gamers bummed about such a terrible release.

Today, Joystiq covered an interview with id co-founder John Carmack regarding what he calls the “cluster!@#$” of a launch, but they also couldn’t help having some fun at the developer’s expense. Here’s the screenshot from the site:

It’s a friendly joke to be sure, but the content of the post is still pretty important from the perspective of a gamer. Carmack has plenty to say on the launch, especially when it comes to the difficulty of dealing with a variety of PC setups and console limitations:

"You can choose to design a game around the specs of a high-end PC and make console versions that fail to hit the design point, or design around the specs of the consoles and have a high-end PC provide incremental quality improvements. We chose the latter."

“When launch day came around and the wrong driver got released, half of our PC customers got a product that basically didn't work.”

Most of the issues with Rage have apparently been cleaned up by a patch, and those users still experiencing display errors should check out this Steam thread on getting them resolved.

Do you think Joystiq’s joke is a fair hit against a troubled release, or is it too soon for gamers that experience very real issues?

The gaming website updates Rage players on a new patch and the game’s terrible launch, but has a little fun in the process.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Bioware’s Forums Crash After SWTOR Beta Email Mix-up

Posted Sep 30, 2011 at 3:00PM EST by Listed in: MMORPG Tags: BioWare, mmo news, swtor beta, the old republic

Bioware’s Forums Crash After SWTOR Beta Email Mix-up

While rumors float around the web about the biggest MMO launch in video game history, Bioware’s email servers commit a small gaffe that turns into major problems for “Star Wars: The Old Republic.”

It’s the biggest MMO in recent memory, if not in the history of gaming. “Star Wars: The Old Republic” is reportedly the most expensive game ever made, and plenty of MMO fans and Star Wars lovers alike are itching to get in on the relatively limited beta. Yesterday, it looks like a fair few “SWTOR” fans were asked to rate their experience with the game in a survey sent from Bioware, with one small flub – many of the players that received the email were never actually invited to the beta in the first place.

As you may imagine, this sent quite a few of these players to the Bioware forums to seek out information on what was going on – thinking, perhaps they had received an invite to the beta but had lost it to a spam filter, or that the beta was opening wider and they were fortunate to be on the new list. The massive influx of curious, angry and occasionally heartbroken players did what all interweb influxes tend to do – smashed Bioware’s “Old Republic” forum servers directly into the ground.

Bioware has since issued a statement regarding the mix-up, which unfortunately doesn’t include the words, “We messed up, so here’s a beta invite because we’re so bummed about our mistake.”

You can read the full post on the “Old Republic” forums, but here’s the main statement:

“Earlier today, two e-mails were sent to members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic community. These e-mails were sent to a larger group than intended, and have caused some confusion in the community. We can confirm that these e-mails were from EA and BioWare and apologize for any confusion they have caused. Please note that receiving these e-mails does not affect your chances to be invited to test the game. Thank you all for your understanding!”

So, readers – what do you think about this error on the part of Bioware. Is it a minor error that an apology can cover, or do all of the let-down players that received emails deserve an official beta invite?

Personally, I’m of the opinion that if you made it this far without getting into the beta, you can make it a few more weeks.

Via Ripten


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Chrono Trigger heads to PSN next week

Posted Sep 29, 2011 at 10:19PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PS3 Tags: Chrono Trigger, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Square Enix

This week's PlayStation Network is dropping a bevy of gaming goodness on all PlayStation fronts.

PSN fans will be most delighted to know that not one, but two, Square Enix winning titles are going to be up for grabs beginning September 19th, Tuesday. That's Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI for you on your network.

On top of that, Resident Evil 4, Persona, and Saints Row 2 will also be available finally as a PS3 digital download.

Without further ado, here's the full list of The Drop for this week from the PlayStation Network:

PS3:

Supremacy MMA

PSP:

Persona 2: Innocent Sin (also on PSN)

PSN:

Saints Row 2

Resident Evil 4

Burnout Crash (demo available)

Cubixx HD (demo available)

Altered Beast

Bolt

minis:

Edge

PSOne Classic:

Chrono Trigger

Final Fantasy VI

Do enjoy this week's drop, and make sure to have room for more next week!

Via [PlayStation Blog US]

Yes folks, this time, it's for real.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [5]	READ FULL STORY!

Microsoft to reactive recent banned Xbox Live accounts

Posted Sep 23, 2011 at 10:29PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Microsoft, news, xbox live

Blames a software error that accidentally cut off unspecified number of users from its online gaming service.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [8]	READ FULL STORY!

DS homebrew - NightFox’s Lib v20110906

Posted Sep 7, 2011 at 5:22AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Nintendo DS Tags: ds homebrew, NightFox, nightfoxs lib

Here's the latest version of NightFox’s Lib, a feature-packed library that aims to help aspiring DS developers to create homebrewed games and applications.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Konami unveils TGS 2011 lineup

Posted Aug 27, 2011 at 4:25AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita Tags: ar combat digi q, asphalt injection, Konami, mahjong fight club, new little kings story, tgs 2011, vita

Confirms New Little King's Story for the PlayStation Vita.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [18]	READ FULL STORY!

The Witcher 2 hotfix patch 1.35 now live

Posted Aug 11, 2011 at 6:48AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: cd projekt red, patch, the witcher 2

CD Projekt RED has released a new patch for The Witcher 2, bumping the action/RPG sequel to version 1.35.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Level reveal for The House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Cut

Posted Aug 2, 2011 at 2:41AM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: PS3 Tags: house of the dead: overkill: extended cut, Sega

A couple of weeks back, Sega gave us a detailed account of what to expect in House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Cut, but that's not all there is to it, apparently.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Dolphin emulator SVN r7688 released

Posted Jul 30, 2011 at 4:56AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Wii Tags: dolphin emulator, dolphin team, wii homebrew

A new build of the Dolphin, the ever-improving Nintendo Wii and Gamecube emulator for PC has been released.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Brink title update now live

Posted Jul 30, 2011 at 1:30AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming, PS3 Tags: Bethesda, brink, PlayStation Network, Splash Damage, Steam, xbox live

Bethesda has also pinned down the release date of the upcoming DLC of the game.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrew - DaedalusX64 SVN r721

Posted Jul 25, 2011 at 9:16PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: DaedalusX64, daedalusx64 team, emulator, psp homebrew

Here's the latest build of DaedalusX64, the ever improving Nintendo 64 emulator for the PlayStation Portable.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [10]	READ FULL STORY!

Dolphin emulator SVN r7679 released

Posted Jul 17, 2011 at 3:58AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Wii Tags: dolphin emulator, dolphin team, wii homebrew

A new build of the the Dolphin emulator, the ever-improving Wii and Gamecube emulator for Windows PC, is now available for download.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

Dolphin emulator SVN r7677 released

Posted Jul 15, 2011 at 4:44AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Wii Tags: dolphin emulator, dolphin team, wii homebrew

Here's the latest build of the the Dolphin emulator, the ever-improving Wii and Gamecube emulator for Windows PC.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

ScummVM v1.3.1 for PSP, Wii and iPhone released

Posted Jul 14, 2011 at 3:28AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Wii, iPhone, PSP Tags: emulator, homebrew, ScummVM

The hard working folks from the ScummVM team has released a new version of their cross-platform point-and-click games emulator, ScummVM.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Sega admits to making bad Sonic games

Posted Jun 23, 2011 at 1:40PM EST by Carl B Listed in: Xbox 360 Tags: Mike Hayes, Sega, Sonic

Sega has finally realized the error of their ways, but will it stop them from making more bad Sonic games?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [6]	READ FULL STORY!

IO explains why Agent 47 can see through walls in Hitman: Absolution

Posted Jun 20, 2011 at 2:47PM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Xbox 360, PC Gaming, PS3 Tags: hitman: absolution, IO Interactive

No need to go down the trail and error route anymore -- on lower difficulty settings, at least.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [11]	READ FULL STORY!

DC Universe Online PS3 still freezing up

Posted Jun 16, 2011 at 1:26AM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: PS3 Tags: dc universe online, SOE

Despite the hotfix that SOE sent out for the freeze problem bugging the PS3 players of DC Universe Online, reports continue to come in that the problem still exists.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

Resident Evil: Revelations is purely single-player

Posted Jun 13, 2011 at 8:30AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: Nintendo 3DS Tags: 3D, Capcom, resident evil: revelations

Producer wants to make it an actual survival horror game.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

E3 2011: Insomniac unveils Overstrike

Posted Jun 6, 2011 at 11:32PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: Xbox 360, PS3 Tags: e3 2011, EA, Insomniac Games, overstrike

The previously PS3-exclusive developer unveils its first multiplatform title, Overstrike.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [3]	READ FULL STORY!

QJ Downloads Roundup -- 6/4/11

Posted Jun 4, 2011 at 5:30PM EST by Carl B Listed in: Nintendo DS Tags: downloads, homebrew, Nintendo

Need to fuel your downloads craving? QJ has you covered in one comprehensive post.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [0]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrew - Toy Wars v2

Posted Jun 4, 2011 at 6:41AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: davidgf, psp homebrew, toy wars

Here's the latest version of Toy Wars, homebrew dev davidgf's homebrewed game based on the classic SEGA Dreamcast title Toy Commander.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrews: p0rtal 2d: maker v1.0 and MindCraft rev 9

Posted Jun 2, 2011 at 3:40AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: mindcraft, p0rtal 2d, perli55, psp homebrew, sinkews

2D homebrewed clones of some of the popular titles for Sony's PSP.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [5]	READ FULL STORY!

PlayStation Store is back online!

Posted Jun 2, 2011 at 12:24AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: PlayStation Network, PlayStation Store, Sony

It's been a long time waiting, but finally... the PlayStation Store is now back online. Check out this week's huge PSN update, after the jump!


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [32]	READ FULL STORY!

PSN went down again, now back up

Posted May 29, 2011 at 9:51AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: PlayStation Network, SCEE, Sony

Thankfully it didn't stay down for long.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [24]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrew - BattINF v1.4

Posted May 27, 2011 at 1:16AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: battinf, frostegater, psp homebrew

Homebrew coder Frostegater has released a new version of BattINF, another handy homebrew app that displays all the necessary information about your PSPs battery.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [4]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrew - SHELL v0.73

Posted May 27, 2011 at 12:16AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: arnold, psp homebrew, shell

A new version of SHELL, Arnold's next generation PSP XMB replacement, is now out folks, bringing a whole new set of features and bug fixes.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

DS Homembrew: EarthShaker 22/05/2011 Update

Posted May 24, 2011 at 1:39AM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: Nintendo DS Tags: homebrew

Just a few days after DS homebrew developer ant512 came out with an update for his game EarthSakerDS, he's now back with yet another one, sporting even more new tweaks and bugfixes.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

First 'Wrangler' details for Conquer Online emerge

Posted May 14, 2011 at 1:00PM EST by Carl B Listed in: MMORPG Tags: conquer online, tq digital, wrangler

Conquer Online will be receiving a massive update soon, and we have all the details on what will be added to the game.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Hector: Badge of Carnage Ep 1 dated for iPad

Posted May 11, 2011 at 8:16AM EST by Karl B. Listed in: iPad Tags: apple, hector: badge of carnage, Telltale Games

It's coming very soon.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PSP homebrew - HomebrewStore v2.50

Posted May 10, 2011 at 1:30AM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP Tags: homebrewstore, psp homebrew

Courtesy of the folks from the HomebrewStore development team comes a fresh new version of their HomebrewStore, a PlayStation Store clone specially built for homebrew users.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [5]	READ FULL STORY!

Sony responds to US Congress over PSN breach

Posted May 4, 2011 at 8:57PM EST by Ryan F. Listed in: PSP, PS3 Tags: Kazuo Hirai, PlayStation Network, ps3 hack, Sony

The U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing in Washington, DC earlier today regarding the recent PlayStation Network security breach, in which, Kazuo Hirai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sony Computer Entertainment America, submitted written answers to address the questions posted by the subcommittee about the "large-scale, criminal cyber-attack" they have experienced.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [23]	READ FULL STORY!

MLB11: The Show Patch #2 detailed

Posted Apr 25, 2011 at 10:17PM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: PS3 Tags:

There's no stopping MLB11: The Show from pitching out their patch for PS3 gamers, not even the outrageous outage that's been going on for far too long.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [2]	READ FULL STORY!

Hector: Badge of Carnage Episode 1 dated

Posted Apr 25, 2011 at 5:25AM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: iPad, PC Gaming Tags: hector: badge of carnage, Telltale Games

Telltale Games has got more episodic thrills for us, this time in the form of Hector: Badge of Carnage. It's a revamp of the good ol' iPhone classic (eh, it's not really that old after all), and this time, it's headed for the PC, Mac and iPad.

The full title of this curious game is actually Hector: Badge of Honor, We Negotiate with Terrorists. Before you cast judgment on that subtitle, hear out what it's all about first.

Badge of Honor is actually a point-and-click adventure, which puts in the shoes of Detective Inspector Hector. In the little town of Clappers Wreake, a violent hostage crisis has ensued, and as there's no one else to turn to, the task falls upon your shoulders.

Granted, you, as Inspector Hector, isn't exactly the most sober person out there, you've still got your badge, and in this dire times of need, that should matter more than the fact that you're burping whiskey.

It comes out on the PC, Mac and iPad as soon as April 27th, so don't hesitate and get your copy now. If you do, you'll even get to have a complimentary copy of Puzzle Agent, as well as get to donate some 10% of the pre-order proceeds to Japan's relief operations.

This "new" version of the game also features improved hint and save-game systems. The two other episodes - Senseless Acts of Justice and Beyond Reasonable Doubt - should follow sometime later this year.

Via [Eurogamer]

Telltale Games has got more episodic thrills for us, this time in the form of Hector: Badge of Carnage.


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [1]	READ FULL STORY!

PoV: Has Sony been waylaid in the PSN's security?

Posted Apr 24, 2011 at 9:33AM EST by Mabie A. Listed in: PS3, PoV Tags: anonymous, Microsoft, Sony

This is not the first time that the PSN's been out due to some unfortunate mishap, so why does Sony seem terribly unprepared?


EMAIL STORY! \| COMMENTS [34]	READ FULL STORY!

HOT GAMING NEWS | LATEST GAMING SEARCHES | FORUMS

QUICK JUMP DAILY DIGEST

Welcome to QJ.Net!

If you want your comments to go live without waiting for moderation, you need to be logged in. Being logged in has its benefits:

Logged in members do not wait for their comments to be approved.
Logged in members can create Profiles to be seen by other users.

So why wait? Create an account or login now! It's easy, quick, and free.

To get started, use the LOGIN boxes, or the REGISTER link below!

Want to learn more about the team who brings you the QJ news?

Read about them now!

HOT FLASH GAMES

QJ.NET Categories
• Apple • E3 • Featured Articles • Gadgets • Games for Windows • iPad • iPhone • MMORPG • Mobile • News • Nintendo 3DS • Nintendo DS • Opinions & Analysis	• Photography • PlayStation 3 • PoV • PS Vita • PSP • Rumors • Science • Site News • Tabula Rasa • Wii • Wii U • World of Warcraft • Xbox 360

Sitemap

Newest Downloads

05/29/2012 - 06/03/2012

PS3Tools aldotools PARAM.SFO Editor 2.3 -	06/02/2012
Harmony's Nightmare v1	06/02/2012
SPU Emulation BETA 2	06/02/2012
Zombiies	06/01/2012
Newo Runner v1.1	06/01/2012
Kurushi Wii v1.0	06/01/2012
Hero City 2 v1.1	06/01/2012
WiiFlow Mod 3.0 r431	05/31/2012
XeBuild GUI 2.061	05/30/2012
edicpopDS v0.3.01	05/29/2012
RGLoader 0v290 Beta	05/27/2012
WiiMod 3.2	05/27/2012
WiiMC v1.2.7	05/25/2012
True Blue Firmeware v2.7	05/24/2012
3DS Video Converter v2.3	05/24/2012

Most Comments this Month
Finally: Star Wars for Gro..	(8)
3D On Your Vita, iPhone an..	(6)
Diablo III Refunds: Nope!	(4)
Feel Like Squashing Some S..	(3)
Metal Gear Rising Goes Wro..	(3)
Japan Says No To Pirates	(3)
Wanna Return to Agent 47's..	(2)
Get a Load of the Doom 3:..	(2)
Co-Op Is Dead...Space 3	(2)
Another Expensive, Full-of..	(2)
Watch This: The Elder Scro..	(2)
Watch This: Tomb Raider is..	(2)
Party like Rockstar—But..	(1)
What's New From Team Xecut..	(1)
No One Cares News: What Ro..	(1)
Rumor: Modern Warfare 4 to..	(1)
Metal Gear Rising Getting..	(1)
Defeat Space Zombies with..	(1)
Gettin' All Stabby to a Ja..	(1)
The Return of the Killer T..	(1)
PSP homebrew - JPCSP v0.6..	(1)
Zone Of The Opener...HD	(1)
PSP homebrew - LameCraft	(1)
People Can Fly To Gears Of..	(1)
DS Homebrew: Another World	(1)

Top Jumps this Month
Pokemon Liquid Cryst..	(28)
Naruto Shippuden: Ul..	(24)
PSP Is Back, Whiter,..	(10)
Bust Out Your PSP Fo..	(10)
PSP homebrew - LameC..	(8)
Finally: Star Wars f..	(8)
Homebrew - PSP/PS3 P..	(7)
Metal Gear Rising Ge..	(6)
Watch This: Tomb Rai..	(6)
Wii homebrew - SD/US..	(5)
dTunes v2.6 - downlo..	(5)
Metal Gear Rising Go..	(5)
Brian Lara Internati..	(5)
Civilization V patch..	(5)
Hellcat Working On R..	(5)
Another Expensive, F..	(4)
Sacrifice Exclusivit..	(4)
QJ Download and Home..	(4)
Get Back to the Mult..	(4)
neur0n Gives You Mor..	(4)
Wii homebrew - WAD M..	(4)
Download full Sid Me..	(4)
PSP Homebrew - PSPDi..	(3)
GTA IV patch 1.0.6.0..	(3)
iPhone homebrew - iH..	(3)

HOT GAMING NEWS TOPICS