Rumors Hint at Nexon's Big Plans for EA

Korean free-to-play game developers Nexon are rumored to have been very interested in purchasing Electronic Arts. 

What does this mean for one of the biggest gaming publishers out there? Quite a bit actually.

EA, publisher of the Mass Effect, Battlefield, Dragon Age and many other series, seems to have benefited from these rumors. While there is no clear cut answer as to what will happen, it is very interesting to note that EA's stock has actually improved. 

Most gamers know Nexon for their incredibly popular MMORPG Maple Story. Why would a company thriving off of free-to-play games want to go after a much maligned big hitter like EA? No one knows and it honestly surprises me. 

Reaction on EA's end has been positive. A few days ago, EA stock shares grew quite a bit just on the rumor. This is another interesting thing to gather from the situation. If only a rumor of a contract offer caused this much of an increase of their stocks, what would happen if Nexon actually did agree to a deal with EA? 

As stated earlier, EA publishes some of the biggest names in gaming right now including Mass Effect and Battlefield. If Nexon, who is known for allowing people to purchase better items for characters via real money, were to get EA then the gaming industry would look drastically different. Hypothetically, DLC for these games would be specifically more common. less features would be available to those with less money and the playing fields on games like Battlefield would be one-sided.

All-in-all this scares me a bit. I might not be the biggest fan of EA, but if Nexon buys them I am afraid as to just how the gaming industry will turn out. If this happens it will be interesting to see what comes of it nonetheless.

Is the Reaction to Mass Effect 3 Justified

Mass Effect 3, released last March, was met with critical acclaim. However, the fans would not react so kindly to the game. What exactly went wrong?


People who played the game everywhere cried foul. How could the story they had become so emotionally invested in, end in the way it did? Why did Bioware incorporate multiplayer into something that was exclusively single player. What was the deal with the day once downloadable content? Various groups arose in order to protest the game after its release even gaining attention from the Better Business Bureau. All of this coverage on what is actually a fantastic game resulted in Bioware giving into demands and releasing free DLC that adds more to the ending in order to appease the fans.


However, is all of this necessary or called for? Let's begin with the ending, considering that is what drew the most negative reactions. Without spoiling too much on what happened, the game was supposed to end with all of the players actions throughout all three games in the series affecting the outcome. Unfortunately, gamers were treated to an abrupt mess filled with plot holes and misunderstandings falling short of the promises made by Bioware. 


This led to all sorts of petitions to boycott EA/Bioware and attempts to convince the team to make a new ending. As I stated earlier, this might be resolved with the new DLC Bioware is releasing later this summer. This includes added scenes and dialogue to make the ending seem more full. I'm a bit skeptical personally, but not because of that. I actually enjoyed the ending up to a point. The dialogue was great and the actual scenes were beautiful and well done. The problem lies in that one all important choice. It seems that no matter what you do, the ending is generally the same with a slight variation in coloring. This honestly comes off as lazy to me and did to many more people. I won't say it was bad, because it wasn't. I just wanted a bit more closure and choice. 


So, as it stands the ending could have been handled better, but maybe the new DLC will flesh it out and prove just how good the concept really was.


As for the day one downloadable content, I believe many people over reacted. Day one DLC is not something new and many games incorporate it. What enraged people was the fact they were going to have to pay a whole $10 for it. People who pre-ordered the special edition received the content for free whereas everyone else was stuck paying the price. I don't see any justification is raging over this. It is very similar to buying a new car and not expecting to pay for gas to use it. 


The "From Ashes" DLC was not even necessary to complete the game. It added one mission and one character. Both were simply added content. Claims that the DLC was actually already on the disc further enraged the fans. This was eventually claimed to be a false statement by EA. This DLC should not be any reason to get mad.

A multiplayer mode was added to the game by Bioware at the urging of EA. Many people were skeptical about the idea of multiplayer in a previously single-player only experience. Once again, there is no justification in the anger. The multiplayer component is merely an added feature and does not affect the main story in any way. I could also understand if the multiplayer was bad, but it is surprisingly good. Also achievements in the game count for both multiplayer and single-player so anyone wishing to avoid the multiplayer can pretend that it doesn't exist. 
In the end, Mass Effect 3 probably got much more hate than it deserved. This entire incident actually reminds me of a similar occurrence once the series Neon Genesis Evangelion ended. Due to budget restraints Studio Gainax had to rush the ending enraging many fans in the process. Creators were receiving death threats. This was not resolved until the release of a movie retelling the end. The comparisons are eerily similar.


Either way, it is nice to see the whole mess finally dying down.  I honestly don't believe there should have been this controversy to begin with. Bioware is known for some lackluster endings and crazy plot twists that fans should be used to. The entire game is fantastically made and should not be passed up by anyone.

Musical Evolution Necessarily a Bad Thing for Sonata Arctica?

Anyone who knows me or at least has been around me for a small amount of time knows how much of a fan of Sonata Arctica I am.


The band from the small town of Kemi,  Finland has been a source of my entertainment for quite awhile since I first heard their 2001 album Silence.


However, there is much debate as to the current path that the band has taken over the past three albums or so, and with a new album set for release this May, the arguments are coming in full force.

When Sonata Arctica released their first album back in 1999, Ecliptica, the group was praised for an amazing album. It had everything a great power metal album should have and to top it off, Tony Kakko's vocal range was phenomenal. Fans ate up the music and the band eventually released 3 more speedy Power Metal albums, Silence, Winterheart's Guild, and Reckoning Night. These albums all pleased fans while sticking too the same formula. 


The debate arose in 2007 with the release of the band's 5th album, Unia. This album was generally well received by critics and was praised for the fantastic songwriting, but the fans were confused. The sound had changed to a more progressive sound
that was slower than their older songs. This is where the argument comes in. 


I am honestly of the opinion that musical evolution is normally a good thing. Most bands go through it eventually and usually for the better. So why is there all this hate flying around? One of the arguments I hear all the time is the new guitarist Elias Viljanen. Viljanen took over guitar duties in 2007 after Jani Liimatainen parted ways with the band. Jani was a talented guitarist and many fans cried foul upon his departure. Elias quickly became the blame for the new musical direction by the fans. I will point out that after seeing Sonata Arctica live both with Jani and Elias and I have to say that the latter is a better guitarist. He might not have as much of a stage presence, but he brings a level of professionalism to the band that most guitarists don't. He didn't get much of a chance to demonstrate his talents on the 2009 album The Days of Grays due to lack of guitar solos, another point of debate between fans. Another thing that seems to be central in the arguments is lack of variety. I will shoot that down immediately as the past two albums have shown more variety than any of the others combined.


Without going into too much detail on this, I feel that the progression Sonata Arctica is showing is good for the band. They may not be as fast as they used to be, but the music is just as heavy as it's always been and the lyrics are just as good as ever, if not better. It may take a few listens, but their music is still just as good and I feel a bit more emotion in the music. They can convey their messages in new ways that separate them from other bands in the genre. 


I'll leave you to decide which one is better for you as they have just released the new music video off of their new album Stones Grow Her Name due in May. Regardless of the various debates it is obvious that the band likes the new progression and they are sticking with it.

                                    

The Recent Premiere of the "Gainax" Film

This past Friday, April 6, 2012 I had the honor of premiering the film Gainaxxx to a crowd of about 50 at the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention. 


The film has been in production since August of 2011 by AMV Tributes and has been one heck of a ride. There was plenty of work that went into this by a good seven people. All the work that went to the film culminated in an early afternoon premiere. 


Set for a 1:30 PM premiere, the film had quite an early showing for the convention so there was a bit of a rush. I was not entirely sure we were going to get the film to the tech people in time.


I had met up with one of the main editors of the film who goes by the name Evilest Death. He had been the first person who brought up the idea for this tribute to Gainax. Upon hearing the idea, I was dead set on helping.


As the line started to form outside of the room the film was premiering at, I cannot stress how much anticipation I was feeling. This was something that we had been working on for almost a full year and here was a line of people standing outside actually wanting to see it. As the lights went out for the film there was actually cheering and once the intro began I could tell that people were going to enjoy it.


While the film was playing there were tons of reactions from people. There were laughs throughout, with some gasps at moments, and even people walking out. The latter group of people were mainly families with younger children so it was negligible. 


Once the credits started and we were greeted to a round of applause I knew that we had created something truly great. The film was still rough around the edges, but the positive reaction gave me one of the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. 


In the end, the premiere of this film was exciting, while a bit nerve wrecking. We were a bit rushed towards the end, but overall it was a very satisfying experience and I look forward to making more of these films in the future. 


For a bit more entertainment you can watch some of the smaller videos I have made here.

My Death was Posted Many Years too Early

Stephen Grady Lane

Stephen Grady Lane, 60, was found dead today July 26, 2051 in his residence on Colony X2. A robot piloted by an unnamed individual fell in Lane’s complex and onto his house.

Officials state an escaped convict from a local military prison made off with one of their robots. The ensuing chase ended with the fall which took out quite a few buildings. The escapee was reportedly reaching for a french-fry when his elbow hit a button sending the robot out of control. The incident is currently being investigated.

Lane grew up in Nashville, Tenn. for most of his life. He attended Middle Tennessee StateUniversity where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in English and Writing. After school, he was accepted into the International Space Exploration Program and was prominent in writing countless theories and papers on Space Expansion founding the sub group Space Expansion project which founded 5 space colonies that currently orbit the Earth. He retired at the age of 57 and settled into his home on Colony X2 where he lived the remainder of his life.

Services will be held 4 p.m. at the International Colony Memorial July 28, 2051. Lane is survived by his children Alexander and Selene, and his brother Thomas Lane. Donations are accepted and will be put into a fund for a memorial built in Lane’s honor.