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EA's Earth and Beyond MMOG To Shut Down
Zonk writes "The announcement came down yesterday that Electronic Arts' space-based massively multiplayer online game Earth and Beyond is to close this September. There is a detailed official FAQ page regarding the transition to 'Sunset', including dates, content additions, and information about billing. Commentary can be found via Terra Nova and over on Waterthread. Sigh... another one bites the dust."
I know this is off topic, so I'll start by saying that this isn't necessarily a bad thing that E&B is gone. As with any competitive environments, MMO companies are still trying to develop the killer app that will keep people glued to their PCs. Only, PCs are losing popularity compared to consoles, which is why I think they won't succeed until a very good console MMO comes out. So the MMOs will weed themselves out for a while, expect others to follow, and don't be surprised if someone hacks together a server or they release the code. Wouldn't that be an improvement?
That said, off topic I think EB Games is a pretty good haunt. Sure the games are overpriced but part of gaming is the joy of immediate satisfaction, which is the only reason I shop there. If you're looking for a deal go to amazon or ebay.
In any case, going to any game shop, you invariably run across the unfortunate side-effect of such establishments; the people who work there. They must be paid slave wages with commission because I inevitably get cornered (and keep in mind, these are small mall shops with barely an edge of breathing room) as they try and sell me on the things like the new Matrix. Yes. This happened, a guy tried to sell me the Matrix, and you could see the desperation in his eyes as visions of old ET landfills danced in his head. I remember asking a technical question on whether or not the Gamecube's broadband adapter works with NAT (I guess that is a tough one) and I just remember the complete blank look on the guy's face, like he wanted to sell me the broadband adapter but he knew nothing at all about it and was just caught with his pants down. I thought he might cry.
The sales types, however, will quickly run away if you give them a good stare. They pale in comparison to their partner, the 'comic book guy' who memorized every code and dual-plays EQ and DAOC 60hrs/week when he's not at work, treats every kid like shit and likes to inform you in a demeaning way that the new Defender is not nearly as good as the original Atari version even as you're buying it. Then he'll offer you five dollars of "in-store credit" for that new version of Mario Kart you had to resell to feed your starving children while he at the same time chides you for throwing away such a national treasure.
All I really want from a video game store is some space to look around and not be accosted. Why not make a video game store like a goddamn Barnes and Noble where you can play the games and drink coffee and sit down? I'm sure it's a business model issue, but I don't care that they've got a great new deal where you can trade in your playstation and 10 games and your mother and you can get a gameboy SP for $10 off. I just want to look around, I can read the fucking 'bargains' they've got pasted all over the place.
Ok, done ranting.