While Namco Bandai Games chief operating officer Makoto Iwai put blame on the Splatterhouse developer, BottleRocket defends its development on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title as sticking to contractually defined milestones, according to a report from Gamasutra. It offers an alternate explanation, that "Namco's management of the title was inept."

BottlRocket's initial response to having the game yanked from them late in development was relatively cordial, if stifled bitterness was apparent in-between the lines.

Its reaction to Iwai's implication that BottleRocket wasn't delivering? Notsomuch. It prefaces its explanation with "We too have to be careful of what we say since publishers have to worry about their 'image' and will sue small, independent studios who bark back at them too loudly."

So, which is worse? Having accusations levied against your performance and not responding? Or filling official comment with obvious venom? Obviously, we prefer the latter.

Ex-Splatterhouse Dev BottleRocket Contests Namco's Performance Claims [Gamasutra]

"I give the probability of this working at zero," DeMatteo told Edge Online, noting that the immediacy of credit and cash trade-in value that only brick and mortar stores can offer is what makes the practice appealing to consumers. That and the thrill of peeling away dozens of yellow paper stickers.

DeMatteo says that attempts at GameStop and Electronics Boutique similar to Amazon's model were unsuccessful. He doesn't see Amazon faring much better. And they're also stupidheads.

Given Amazon's turnaround on crediting consumers for used games and the method in which they do it, he may be right. I'm very tempted to try out the Amazon service, but almost equally as lazy.

GameStop: "Zero Chance" for Amazon Trade-In Success [Edge Online]

Now, says Microsoft, it has pulled ahead in the region, giving the Xbox 360 a lead over its PlayStation 3 competition to the tune of 1 million. Chris Lewis, VP for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business in the Europe-Middle East-Africa region, cited GfK Chart-Track when whipping out the figure to GamesIndustry.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss David Reeves recently boasted of Sony's continued dominance in the territory, saying that the PS3 was still ahead of its hi-def competition by a few hundred thousand consoles. That was in response to Microsoft mouthing off via press release about its pre-holidays successes.

Lewis, it must be noted, does not factor in down under territories and not PAL as a whole, which we'll assume will be leading to more petty squabbling about who's in front and which numbers really count and yadda yadda yadda.

Besides, they're both losing to the Wii anyway.

Xbox 360 definitely leads PS3 in Europe, says Microsoft [GamesIndustry.biz]

According to a report from Variety, Activision Blizzard has informed Electronic Arts of its claim to Double Fine's Brütal Legend, saying that it was still negotiating with the developer about its publishing plans. While everyone else seems to think differently—Activision Blizzard sure seemed to have shrugged the heavy metal-themed game off, like so many other Vivendi Games titles it absorbed—Activision thinks it's owed.

Owed what? Certainly not the opportunity to ship such a risky title, as Activision Blizzard doesn't seem interested in publishing anything but the safest of safe properties. Variety theorizes, quite logically, that Activision simply wants to get money from EA.

Or maybe Activision simply thinks that since Double Fine founder Tim Schafer believes that Brütal Legend's existence was partially due to the success of Guitar Hero, there's some royalty owed. We're not lawyers!

According to what we'd heard, Double Fine was under the impression that it was free to find another publisher, after the title contractually slipped through Activision's fingers. That publisher eventually turned out to be Electronic Arts.

EA told Variety that it doesn't expect to be hit with a lawsuit, as that would be as ridiculous as "a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better looking guy." Oh yes. They said that. Variety has the full statement.

Activision: Brutal Legend is ours. EA: Activision is a jealous ex-husband. [The Cut Scene]

With the PlayStation Network being free and all, Sony figure that the $50 you're spending on Microsoft's online service is $50 wasted. Why not put it to better use on the items on the following list, meticulously hand-picked by Sony's most frugal, thoughtful PR types?

Rather than paying a $50 subscription fee that competitors charge for on-line services, PlayStation Network users could put that money towards a variety of content.

* PAIN ($9.99)
* Elefunk ($4.99)
* Guitar Hero Classic Rock Track ($6.25)
* LittleBigPlanet™ Metal Gear Solid® - Level Kit ($5.99)
* Episode of Afro Samurai | Season 1 ($1.99)
* The Dark Knight Movie ($14.99)
* Samurai Sword Rack, Diesel Tiamallo Blue Hooded Top, Ligne Roset Alster Chair for PlayStation Home ($4.47)

-or-

* Super Street Fighter® II Turbo HD Remix ($14.99)
* Burnout™ Paradise (Full Retail Game) ($19.99)
* The Hoff Character for PAIN ($1.99)
* LittleBigPlanet™ Ryu of Street Fighter® II ($1.99)
* Robot Trooper and Basketball Boots for PlayStation Home ($.98)
* Savage Moon ($9.99)

Sony, we appreciate the fact we don't have to pay for the use of the PlayStation Network. And appreciate that, since we're not paying for it, you have to get your money back via other means. But telling people to forgo Xbox Live's mostly excellent multiplayer service in exchange for a Ligne Roset Alster Chair and some basketball boots probably isn't the best way to get your point across.

Sony wants you to buy games, not Xbox Live [Ars Technica]

In a media "highlight," one which gave us horrible flashbacks to this episode, Sony attempted to chip away at the Netflix service's strengths by touting free access to its PlayStation Video Store, faster download speeds, and newly released, terrible movies captured in stellar Blu-ray clarity like Max Payne and Swing Vote.

Sure, there are some good points here: There's plenty of choice on both platforms. Yes, the reliability of the Netflix stream over Live can be shaky, but I couldn't speak to the PlayStation Video Store. I've yet to download or rent from it. And we'd agree — new bad movies on Blu-ray outclass the old bad movies available via Netflix and Xbox Live.

But perhaps the approved list of how the "PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Network offer a comprehensive digital entertainment experience" will convince you. It's full of value-propositions!

• Free Access/No Double Fees: Users pay a separate monthly Netflix subscription on top of an annual service fee for Xbox LIVE to access Netflix content, PlayStation Network users have free access to the content they want.
• Video Content on the Go: One of the main value propositions of the PlayStation Network's video delivery service is the ability to transfer standard-definition content from the PS3 system to the PSP system. For one price, consumers can transfer and view certain types of content on multiple devices.
• Faster Download Speeds: In a recent experiment by MTV Multiplayer, PlayStation Network was found to be the fastest service for downloading games amongst current consoles, whether through wired or wireless connections.
• Quality HD Experiences: PlayStation Network provides HD content reliably without waiting for streaming connections that might not ever be made.
• Blu-Ray and Streaming: PlayStation 3's browser and Flash 9 support allows users to easily stream content and watch videos through internet sites on their TV's. Users can also download HD blockbuster movies from the PlayStation Store or enjoy Blu-ray movies.
• New Movie Releases: The Rocker, Swing Vote, Traitor, Max Payne (Unrated), Step Brothers, Eagle Eye, Mirrors (Unrated), Pride and Glory, Dead Space, RocknRolla, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Resident Evil: Degeneration