Thursday, May 12, 2011

Star Wars - The Old Republic

TOR -The Old Republic, the much anticipated MMO from Bioware and LucasArts. Rumor has it that this game will either make or break the subscription based MMO. TOR is its most expensive game to date and it will have a subscription fee. In an industry that seems to be moving towards free to play. Will TOR be able to pull in the amount of subscribers it needs to compete with World of Warcraft for the same pool of customers?

BioWare claims they only need 500,000 subscribers for TOR to be profitable. If TOR fails to meet expectations, there will likely be an even faster rise of the free-to-play business model. I honestly believe with the amount of money that EA and Bioware are putting into this project, if they can not get at least a couple million subscribers it will be the end of the subscription based MMO.

However, I do believe that if the game turns out as good as everyone hopes than there will be more than enough subscribers out there to join The Old Republic.


Monday, May 9, 2011

1,000 Weddings a day


Nexon's 'MapleStory' online game has 95 million registered global users.

Nexon, whose name may not be well known but whose online games such as "MapleStory" and "Kart Rider" are played by hundreds of millions of people, has hired investment bankers Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in a prelude to a likely IPO

Nexon said it "has made no definitive decisions with regard to any specific capital raising activities." Nexon cards are available at Game Time Zone. These cards give players credits to spend in its games. Its revenue was close to $1 billion last year.

The global virtual-goods market is expected to jump 36% to $12.58 billion this year from $9.28 billion last year, according to estimates by brokerage ThinkEquity.

Founded in Korea in 1994, Nexon about a decade ago began offering free online games that made money through the sale of items, such as uniforms, that let players customize their game avatars or powerful weapons. The biggest markets for Nexon's games are currently in Korea and China. "KartRider," a cartoony game in which players race against each other in miniature cars, has more than 200 million registered users world-wide, including a third of Korea's population, Nexon has said.

Its biggest game in the U.S. is a title called "MapleStory," which has seven million of its 95 million registered users in North America.
More than 1,000 weddings a day take place between avatars in "MapleStory," costing players $25 each. Players pay between $2.50 and $5 each for about 1,500 plastic surgeries on their characters a day in the game.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Download the New Call of Duty: Black Ops while at work

Call of Duty: Black Ops ‘Escalation’ now available

Call of Duty®: Black Ops


Price: 1200 Microsoft Points

Escalation contains 5 all-new maps

4 Multiplayer maps and an epic, star-studded Zombies experience with new playable characters.

1. "Hotel" on the roof of a luxury hotel & casino in old Havana

2. "Convoy" delivers close-quarters combat near an ambushed US military convoy

3. "Zoo" takes you on a wild ride in an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo

4. "Stockpile" is set in a Russian farm town housing secret WMDs.

5. Zombies fans, “Call of the Dead” features a cast of iconic horror film stars battling zombies on a Siberian island.


Did you know that you can purchase Microsoft Points at Game Time Zone than visit Xbox.com to add your points and download the map pack to have it ready when you get home? " Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content the next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox LIVE."


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Why purchase codes from Game Time Zone when I can give CC to PSN?

If you have ever asked, "Why should I purchase codes from Game Time Zone when I can save a step and give my credit card directly to the company?" The following in the reason why.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:
We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

  1. Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;
  2. Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and
  3. Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheftor reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 1-800-345-7669should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Rixty Prepaid Cards


Another prepaid card, Really? Yes, really but Rixty is not just one card it is more like a multi card. Rixty lets you spend at over 1,000 of the most popular online games, MMOs, social networks and digital content sites:

Social games like CityVille and FarmVille
MMOs like AdventureQuest and Dragon Fable
Virtual worlds like NFLRush Zone
Music downloads, mobile games, and ringtones

The Rixty card is the perfect give for a teen. They go through games like Kleenex and this card can be applied to so many of them. I also have a strong feeling that more and more games will be added. Rixty says "You can spend with confidence, knowing that Rixty is the only prepaid payment product that's third-party certified as safe for all ages. TRUSTe-certified compliant with Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Great for ages 6 and up."

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Xbox LIVE Gold members can save 50% on Xbox LIVE Capcom Content:


April 12-18 get the following Capcom games at 50% off their usual price.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 600

Mega Man 10 400

Final Fight: Double Impact 400

Bionic Commando: Rearmed 400

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix 600


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Zune on Xbox Live vs Apple TV


I admit I am a tv download addict. There is nothing I love more than discovering a new television series and watching an entire season one episode after another. I do not go out a purchase like most people. I prefer to download. If I am using my computer I use Amazon on Demand which is now free with Amazon Prime membership. If I have access to my Xbox I use Zune with Microsoft Points. If I am upstairs and in my bedroom I use my apple tv.

Let me start by saying that both my apple tv and my xbox run wirelessly. Theoretically, both systems should have the same download speed. However, with Zune on Xbox Live my showes are available immediately for viewing and have very little problem with streaming. My apple tv does not stream it downloads the entire episode first and then lets you view it. While I admit, it is still absolutely amazing that this technology is available, The difference between the two systems is very discouraging. Last night for a 1 hour episode I had to wait 40 min to watch the video I requested. This compared to the instant streaming on Zune. If you have a choice, go with Zune. If not, apple TV is better than nothing that is for sure.

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