Unbeknownst to those inside of the store were the employees and former studios of yesteryear, looking in with their cold, long faces pressed tightly up against the frost covered glass window.
"Can I have one of those for Christmas daddy?" asked little Timmy, as he shifted uncomfortably on his crutches; his tin braces creaking with the effort.
"No son" said the father, biting down on his lower lip, his eyes fresh with tears, "there will be no Christmas this year..."
Passing by his newly acquired store, John Riccitello was visibly moved. His cold black heart melted, turning into a lump most would now describe as a more distant grey.
He took action. "Yes...yes...little crippled boy," his pale, thin hands reaching out for the shoulders of the father and his son. "You...you may have one of these," his voice wrought with emotions as he handed over a brand new copy of EA Sports Active®.
"...Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to all...!" he shouted joyfully down the streets.
Somewhere, the manic laughter of Bobby Kotick could be heard reverberating off the grimy columns of his castle as he swallowed yet another unborn fetus whole.
@Sonira - Katamari on the Wings!: They grabbed the Hickory Farms space so now they are stuck with selling at a little booth in the center of the mall somewhere.
@Blore07: It's about developing brand awareness. If you, as a Mom/Dad type, see this store against a pithy section of GameStop you'll think that the EA Sports Active brand has quality written all over it.
I guess it's not an entirely bad idea. I mean, until now, I had never heard of EA Sports Active. Does it have something to do with scooters or is that their parking area?
@RedEye: I just want to kind of chime in and help call attention to how screwed up this is. They can't afford to pay their own employees, but they can afford to pay a month's lease in prime real estate, develop and furbish two storefronts with freshly prototyped and custom-made branding, supply what looks to be some pretty ridiculous props, and pay staff for the whole thing?
I guarantee the money they dropped on this would pay the salaries of those lost developers for the next year, and they'd have more to show for it. Argh. It really shows that top execs have never had to manage money in times of crisis. We need more poor people running companies!
@nantukoprime: You know how when you buy a picture frame, there's those pictures of people and places already in them? Yeah... those people above came with the frame.
Meh, I could care less about next-gen Grand Slam Tennis. I love my 360, but I feel like the Wii has made the concept of tennis with a standard controller obsolete. If I were to get Grand Slam Tennis, it would be the Wii version.
@tok1879: Awww, muffin. Are you starting to feel left out because developers and publishers are starting to make games targeting where the money is? Poor baby. You might as well stop gaming right now.
@Ferkner: Combined, 360 and PS3 have about the same size install base as the Wii so its about the same number of gamers missing out on a new game, albeit one that isn't hotly anticipated.
And Wii fanboys can chime in how us with real video game consoles are getting what we deserve, but let's keep in mind EA isn't doing it for your sake either, but for a) money, and b) the casual gaming audience. So don't be fooled into thinking this is some good thing for you guys either. Unless you dislike hardcore titles on the Wii or any future format.
@NoHoldsBarred: I agree with your post specially "Unless you dislike hardcore titles on the Wii or any future format" part, till i read and i quote "And Wii fanboys can chime in how us with real video game consoles are getting what we deserve".
If you call a ps3 real game console, then you are avoiding the fact that even sony did merchandise the PS3 as PC competitor and a blue ray player, last and least as a game console, that issue and the fact that the ps3 do not support pirate games, put the ps3 in the last place of race, a place it will keep till the end of this gen.
At least nintendo knowns exactly what they are aiming at, the blue ocean filosofy.
And if nintendo is not a video game console, then the best sold driving game of this gen is not mario kart, the best sold sport game is not wii sport, the best sold platformer is not mario galaxy, it is true the wii is not a video game machine is a people choice machine unlike the PS3 PC-Blue ray player and video game at the last minute wanna be machine.
@Manu_otaku: Yeah PS3 I could see the argument for. Although as I said earlier, Wii Sports is not so much "sold" as you are "forced to buy it", especially in North America where all Wiis ship with it.
Mario Galaxy I'd have to give you, but what's the competition for it? Ratchet and Clank? Who even makes platformers anymore? lol.
It is still kinda more a toy than video game console. Barely in the same league of what is capable on the current gen consoles.
Ah the update makes me think they're waiting for the motion controllers to come out before releasing the game. This coincides with the delay of the previously unannounced EA Sports active for the PS3 and 360.
11/18/09
If it were Madden, I might understand this. MIGHT, but Active? WTF.
11/18/09
"Can I have one of those for Christmas daddy?" asked little Timmy, as he shifted uncomfortably on his crutches; his tin braces creaking with the effort.
"No son" said the father, biting down on his lower lip, his eyes fresh with tears, "there will be no Christmas this year..."
Passing by his newly acquired store, John Riccitello was visibly moved. His cold black heart melted, turning into a lump most would now describe as a more distant grey.
He took action. "Yes...yes...little crippled boy," his pale, thin hands reaching out for the shoulders of the father and his son. "You...you may have one of these," his voice wrought with emotions as he handed over a brand new copy of EA Sports Active®.
"...Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to all...!" he shouted joyfully down the streets.
Somewhere, the manic laughter of Bobby Kotick could be heard reverberating off the grimy columns of his castle as he swallowed yet another unborn fetus whole.
11/18/09
i guess i'll have to check it out. i really can't see this working, but maybe curiosity will pull people in.
11/18/09
11/18/09
#speakup
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
#speakup
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
#speakup
11/18/09
Ahh well, theyre the ones with the fancy degrees in marketing and whatnot, end of the day, interesting idea at least.
Someone remind me again where they got the money for this from but are at the same time "forced" to fire hundreds of people?
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
And the reviews havent been bad either eh?
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
11/18/09
I guarantee the money they dropped on this would pay the salaries of those lost developers for the next year, and they'd have more to show for it. Argh. It really shows that top execs have never had to manage money in times of crisis. We need more poor people running companies!
11/18/09
#tips
11/18/09
11/18/09
08/05/09
08/04/09
08/04/09
08/04/09
And Wii fanboys can chime in how us with real video game consoles are getting what we deserve, but let's keep in mind EA isn't doing it for your sake either, but for a) money, and b) the casual gaming audience. So don't be fooled into thinking this is some good thing for you guys either. Unless you dislike hardcore titles on the Wii or any future format.
08/05/09
it's called the Wii.
it will have Muramasa on it.
you have FPS#43.
enjoy.
08/05/09
If you call a ps3 real game console, then you are avoiding the fact that even sony did merchandise the PS3 as PC competitor and a blue ray player, last and least as a game console, that issue and the fact that the ps3 do not support pirate games, put the ps3 in the last place of race, a place it will keep till the end of this gen.
At least nintendo knowns exactly what they are aiming at, the blue ocean filosofy.
And if nintendo is not a video game console, then the best sold driving game of this gen is not mario kart, the best sold sport game is not wii sport, the best sold platformer is not mario galaxy, it is true the wii is not a video game machine is a people choice machine unlike the PS3 PC-Blue ray player and video game at the last minute wanna be machine.
08/06/09
Mario Galaxy I'd have to give you, but what's the competition for it? Ratchet and Clank? Who even makes platformers anymore? lol.
It is still kinda more a toy than video game console. Barely in the same league of what is capable on the current gen consoles.
08/04/09