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Electronic Arts Offers $2B For Take Two

Posted by kdawson on from the something-in-the-air dept.

quanticle writes "The New York Times is reporting that EA has offered $2B for Take Two Entertainment. The effort appears to be a move to consolidate the two companies before Take Two releases the next iteration of its blockbuster franchise, Grand Theft Auto 4. Take Two has politely declined the offer."

131 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Oh God no.... by Daimanta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Please don't let EA screw up another good game studio.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
    1. Re:Oh God no.... by Thane2600 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Word!!! Westwood studios being the prime example of a game studio run into the ground. And Battlefield 2 is like a supermodel dressed in a paper bag. I just love the ten minutes it takes to get into a BF2 server.

    2. Re:Oh God no.... by icsx · · Score: 1

      Oh yes, and don't we all want more sequels after a sequel to a sequel which used to be an original game 10 years ago. Also someday people get bored to those NHL, FIFA, NFL and other sequel series.

      What it comes to situation with EA now, it needs something new since it can only create sequels. If it where to get Take Two, it would get the release of GTA 4, Mafia 2 and other upcoming and important releases. EA has no hitgames on it's garages atm but Take Two has plenty and the firm itself is in good condition. These 2 games alone will sell good, there is no question about that.

    3. Re:Oh God no.... by rustalot42684 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or Maxis. The SimCity 4 Rush Hour expansion had a stupid thing where you could unlock buildings by doing "U-Drive it" missions or whatever, and now they've made some shitty "sim city societies" game that's not about building up and cities any more, and EA's to blame. Fucking assholes.

    4. Re:Oh God no.... by numbski · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Everyone's focused on GTA. How is everyone overlooking the fact that TT owns Visual Concepts - ie, the 2K Sports franchises? They would eliminate the only real competition they have in that arena, and Madden will continue to be the "best" football game out there.

      (ie, the only football game out there)

      --

      Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).

    5. Re:Oh God no.... by PocketPick · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Given the fact that in the last few months Take Two has been investigated by the SEC, ousted most of it's executives, laid off some of it's staff and has a stock value that is still 1/2 what it was in 2005, I don't think they need EA to screw themselves up.

    6. Re:Oh God no.... by esrobinson · · Score: 1, Informative

      Madden has been the only football game out there since they purchased the exclusive license from the NFL.

    7. Re:Oh God no.... by khellendros1984 · · Score: 1

      Bioware got eaten by the ogre, as well as Maxis, Origin, Westwood...studios that put out some real classics and would still be doing so if they hadn't been swallowed up....I've still got some faint hope for Bioware, at least. They seem to be relatively independent...

      --
      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    8. Re:Oh God no.... by The+Analog+Kid · · Score: 1

      Madden has been the only football game out there since they purchased the exclusive license from the NFL.

      All-Pro Football 2k8 was released last year. I myself don't consider on par with Madden, since it lacks a franchise mode (even if they are all made up teams, I don't care), but give enough time I think it would be pretty good.

    9. Re:Oh God no.... by Simian+Road · · Score: 1

      I dunno. Financial maneuverings tend to have give no indication of quality of product to me.

    10. Re:Oh God no.... by Simian+Road · · Score: 1

      Woohoo for typos and slow reactions on the stop button!

    11. Re:Oh God no.... by Rudolf · · Score: 1

      Woohoo for typos and slow reactions on the stop button!

      Try the Preview button next time - works better than the stop button.

    12. Re:Oh God no.... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You go back far enough, and you realize they also ate themselves. Remember when Electronic Arts meant Pinball Construction Set? Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Sim? M.U.L.E.? Archon? The creativity in Electronic Arts was once nothing short of amazing.

    13. Re:Oh God no.... by Mr_eX9 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Maxis may have gotten decapitated, but EA is still giving Will Wright their full support. We'll see the fruits of their labor when Spore finally comes out later this year.

      And the real test to whether or not EA is going to stop screwing up their acquisitions will be the fate of Pandemic/BioWare. The jury's still out on that one.

    14. Re:Oh God no.... by r_jensen11 · · Score: 2, Funny

      (ie, the only football game out there) Konami makes Pro Evolution/Winning Eleven, which is touted as the most realistic football game out there and has a very dedicated fanbase.

      Oh, you ment American football. Gotcha.... As far as I'm concerned, all video games for that sport went downhill after Tecmo Superbowl
    15. Re:Oh God no.... by TurinPT · · Score: 1

      I beg to differ! ProEvo is the best football game out there.

    16. Re:Oh God no.... by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

      You're right. The irony is that EA is nowadays in many ways the antithesis of what it started out as. Rather than a seller of endless sequels created by anonymous slave-driven peons, it used to be a well-regarded publisher of generally high-quality games, with the authors even being given named credit on the front of the packaging.

      I'm sure I read somewhere that the turning point was sometime around the start of the 90s when they shifted their focus onto games for the 16-bit consoles. Wasn't that also the time that Trip Hawkins left (or at least shifted focus) to concentrate on the flop 3DO console?

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
    17. Re:Oh God no.... by lostsatellite82 · · Score: 1

      I'm going to get called for trolling here but I'm not; I'm legitimately confused.

      I thought ie meant "for example". So in the previous comment, numbski states that Madden would be the "best" football game, for example, the only football game.
      Is this a proper use of the ie? Or would something like aka be more appropriate?

      Oh, and EA sucks btw.

    18. Re:Oh God no.... by atrus · · Score: 1

      Rush Hour U-Drive-It sucked.

      Rush hour had new road types and the intensely useful commute graphs. So it wasn't all bad.

      Societies is horrible though.

    19. Re:Oh God no.... by Sinryc · · Score: 2, Interesting

      See, this is where people are wrong. No one will ever get tired of sports games any faster than people get tired of watching sporting events. Its really that simple. People have been saying that they would get tired of the sport games for the past 5 years or so, but it hasn't happened yet.

      --
      Yay, I have a sig.
    20. Re:Oh God no.... by suckmysav · · Score: 1

      Actually, 'ie' stands for the latin term 'id est' or 'in other words'

      --
      "You can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
    21. Re:Oh God no.... by asdfghjklqwertyuiop · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not to mention that SimCity 4 was basically unplayable without the expansion. You just didn't have the road types needed to handle traffic in high-density cities. It just reeked of your typical EA garbage where they get the game only partially done, sell it, then sell the finished product as an expansion. I won't be buying societies.

    22. Re:Oh God no.... by Cokeisbomb · · Score: 1

      no question about it - Tecmo Super Bowl was the peak of football gaming. To this day, i dont know anyone that actually thinks Madden 08 is a better game. In addition to Madden 08 - you get RBI Baseball - and in a distant 3rd place Baseball Stars. The quality of these games (especially these two) has been unmatched for 20 years.

    23. Re:Oh God no.... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      The NFL can't stop someone from making a football game anymore than they can go down to your local athletics field and kick everyone out for playing the game.

      They can only prevent you from using real people and real teams.

      Model your game as if you were using the real teams, randomize the player and team names, and create original artwork.

      Problem solved. If anything it might be BETTER that way, as you don't have players obsessing over their real-life favorite team, distorting their decisions in-game.

      Note: I don't watch, OR play, sports.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    24. Re:Oh God no.... by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Enjoy.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    25. Re:Oh God no.... by KrazyA1pha · · Score: 1

      You're probably thinking of 'e.g.' E.g. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia which translates to "for the sake of the example", or "for example."

    26. Re:Oh God no.... by x_MeRLiN_x · · Score: 1

      Are you sure EA's games are like that because of their developer's ineptness? EA designs games that they think will appeal to the highest possible number of people. I think games getting easier (too easy for "hardcore" gamers) is unfortunately part of achieving that goal.

    27. Re:Oh God no.... by Plutonite · · Score: 1

      and now they've made some shitty "sim city societies" game that's not about building up and cities any more, and EA's to blame. Fucking assholes. That was quite the laugh, thank you :D
    28. Re:Oh God no.... by feepness · · Score: 1

      And Battlefield 2 is like a supermodel dressed in a paper bag. While I know exactly what you are trying to say about BF2 and exactly why you are trying to say it, I completely fail to see anything remotely undesirable about a supermodel dressed in a paper bag. ;)

      I'd say it's more like Britney Spears using a five year old photo on match.com.
    29. Re:Oh God no.... by Folmer · · Score: 1

      Agreed. They have a really bad record...

    30. Re:Oh God no.... by neumayr · · Score: 1

      Problem solved. If anything it might be BETTER that way, as you don't have players obsessing over their real-life favorite team, distorting their decisions in-game. Why would that be better? I'm generally ignorant of sport games, an spectator sports as such, but I guess an EA sports game would be well balanced, so it wouldn't really matter which team you choose. In which case being able to just choose your real-life favorite team would be an advantage.

      As far a I know, those EA sport games are sold in such huge numbers because they cater to the largest possible audience. It's supposed to be a pickup-and-play thing, not something where you have to study each team's stats for hours when choosing the best team for your playing style.
      There may be a market for that kind of sport game, but I'm pretty sure it's significantly smaller.
      --
      Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion. -Francis Bacon
    31. Re:Oh God no.... by Fallen+Andy · · Score: 1

      ... But it isn't just one good game studio - Take Two own Firaxis, so start screaming right now...

    32. Re:Oh God no.... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Meh, "football". The football videogame market is contested with EA's FIFA fighting against Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    33. Re:Oh God no.... by vranash · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually someone had mentioned it months ago in another article, but EA has been a publisher since the very beginning, most of the games people thought were amazing and innovative were only so because of the small time game companies that either convinces EA to publish them, or were courted by EA because they saw potential.

      Maybe that's what needs to happen more nowadays, publishers stick to what they're good at: publishing, and leave the game development to independent studios who then market it to publishers with whatever contract they can mutually agree upon (and this right here is why publishers wouldn't want that...)

    34. Re:Oh God no.... by FusionDragon2099 · · Score: 1

      ...no. Westwood got shut down in 2002/2003. Some of their employees stayed in Nevada and formed Petroglyph, and the ones that remained with EA got transferred to EALA, which handles the RTS games.

    35. Re:Oh God no.... by Zann · · Score: 1

      I seriously hope Konami won't get eaten up by EA. Without Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution, the FIFA series won't get where it is today.

      --
      Feeling a bit scared? Afraid? That's just death lurking around.
    36. Re:Oh God no.... by WeeLad · · Score: 1
      Agreed. And EA hasn't been able to lockup all of the naming/likeness rights for it's FIFA series, thank goodness. Although, it doesn't bother me too much playing Winning Eleven as an alternately named team.


      Approximately two weeks till ProEvo 2008 shows up.

      I downloaded the demo for the xbox360 and played a match against the national Portuguese team. Ronaldo got a yellow for diving inside the penalty area. Most amazing character modeling I've seen.

      --
      Seriously, Don't take anything I say seriously.
    37. Re:Oh God no.... by superstick58 · · Score: 1

      I guess the NFL games are important, but one thing 2k sports does have is the NCAA games. These seemed to be a big game for friends although I never really got into them or any other football game.

    38. Re:Oh God no.... by Neil+Hodges · · Score: 1

      I was looking forward to the next iteration of the true SimCity series, too. When I first heard about Societies, it was a horrible disappointment.

      Community add-ons will still be developed for SC4, but I've already reached the point where it will crash if I add anymore add-ons. I lost some great cities finding that out, too: it crashes when loading them after it crashed while running them.

    39. Re:Oh God no.... by ginbot462 · · Score: 1

      There are others like me? Ahh.. when jive meant "going in a diagonal fashion to fool the incredibly inept AI". But, it did make me feel good. BTW, I loved Baseball Simulator though its far from realistic. And, mmm ... Blades of Steel. Them were the days....

      --
      Atlas Shrugged : Thematic Story :: Battlefield Earth : Organized Religion
    40. Re:Oh God no.... by CFTM · · Score: 1

      It wasn't on par with Madden in some respects but there were a handful of areas where it was a superior game. For instance, the game captures intangibles far better than the Madden series ever did; it has proper collision detection and a robust AI to go along with it to ensure that players actually make sideline catches as opposed to walking out of bounds like peewee football. Moreover, you don't get any situations where you get stuck on your offensive line with a running back; the back comes up and often will place his hand on the back of his lineman until the last second where he will jettison himself from the lineman and streak to an open hole...which is what actually happens in the NFL not a giant clusterfrick of guys continually running in to each other (wait a minute, isn't that what pro football is?) :)

      I've been waiting for EA to implement proper collision detection along sidelines for about a decade now...maybe next year in Madden 2009 for next gen systems they'll continue to add one lame feature per year!

    41. Re:Oh God no.... by Stevecrox · · Score: 1

      As a person who actually enjoyed the sheer challenge of Simcity 4 I did buy Societies. It was possible to build a huge sprawling metropolis which would function well in Simcity 4 and SimCity 4 was a stable game (I don't have the expansion) however, Societies is a completly different kettle of fish. Some of the issues I've had include:

      The CD's copy protection occasionally will refuse to see the disc as a legal copy
      The game is impossible to uninstall, after installing it on Vista Business, XP SP2, Xp MCE 2005 and vista Home Premium x64 I've yet been able to uninstall it on any of those machines (the uninstaller often breaks)
      The games installation is often leads to a incomplete installation requiring you to install it again.
      The games installer crashed on half the machines I installed it on.
      The CD lacks a game icon
      The CD's autoplay doesn't actually work
      It is the only new game Vista doesn't recognise as a game, Vista will pick up a simcity 3000 installation and put it in the games folder, but not with Societies

      Once you can actually get the game working things only get worse. While the game itself is stable, graphically its somewhere between Simcity 2000 and Simcity 3000 the gameplay is so simple that a five year old child would find it boring. I literally had to spend twenty minutes to create a situation which would cause the city to collapse and even then the game was trying to make the city sucessfull. The game isn't challenging The sims is harder to play than SimCity Societes.

      The worst part of it all is you can occasionally come accross things which are really good ideas and if societies had been more like simcity 4 and had actually had some quality control it would have been a really great game.

  2. I guess EA will get frustrated... by syousef · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...and in the spirit of GTA will start randomly shooting people, stealing cars and running people down, and picking fights with random street walkers.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
    1. Re:I guess EA will get frustrated... by CSMatt · · Score: 5, Funny

      At which point Jack Thompson will cry out "I told you so!"

    2. Re:I guess EA will get frustrated... by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

      Could we somehow rig it so Jack takes on EA on a battle to death?

      Whoever loses, we win.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. [Whispers] Buy Everything! by MrSteveSD · · Score: 1

    I think we are just going to end up with one massive games company.

    1. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's what I thought, way back when all these buyouts and mergers started happening in the 90's. Guess what? The big commercial entities (EA, Sierra, Ubisoft, etc) keep making "sequels" and innovators keep appearing with new stuff that sells well (before getting bought out before version 3, etc).

            I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    2. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by hobbit · · Score: 1

      I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them. Just like everyone stopped buying operating systems ;)

      --
      "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" - Plato
    3. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by PietjeJantje · · Score: 1

      Ok, but how does this take into the account the every increasing cost to make big games, isn't that creating an ever increasing barrier of entrance? Sure, creating a concept like Tetris doesn't cost much, but on the whole if I draw a graph of the average cost associated with making games over the last 10 years, it has been increasing because of hardware possibilities and such. The most innovative time was when games could be made by a single freak in the attic, but just like in the 90ties when you could not get away with a Chuckie Egg anymore, it will be even harder now for small studios to compete with the big ones.

    4. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by not+flu · · Score: 1

      It's pretty trivial to stop gaming. It's frickin' hard to stop using an operating system.

    5. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by BryanL · · Score: 1

      You mean like with popular music? Big labels bought indie labels in the 70s/80s/90s and now most popular music has a sameness to it. Now the labels complain that people don't buy their music anymore. When there is a sameness to games because there are only a few big game companies, people will probably stop buying games as well.

    6. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by SuluSulu · · Score: 1

      I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.
      Just like people have stopped watching these awful reality TV shows?
    7. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by davolfman · · Score: 1

      I'm really not sure if that's sarcasm or not. After all people seem to universally despise Vista to the point where they only get it because it comes with the system.

    8. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by BarneyL · · Score: 1

      I somehow don't see EA buying Microsoft or Sony so we're likely to have at least three for a while.
      (not that having only one cross platform games company would doo much good for the industry)

    9. Re:[Whispers] Buy Everything! by WeeLad · · Score: 1

      Writing it all from scratch would be a daunting task, but there are a couple free engines out there, from what I've heard. That would seem, to my unexperienced mind, to be the hard part. I think a small group of those dedicated freaks in the attic could pull off some really cool games. I'm sure there are indie artists out there who would love to have a forum for their work.

      --
      Seriously, Don't take anything I say seriously.
  4. and of course, by notgm · · Score: 5, Funny

    in response to the offer, take two has blown up several cars outside EA's offices and triggered a turf war.

    1. Re:and of course, by calebt3 · · Score: 1

      Don't worry: Jack Thomson has a solution!

    2. Re:and of course, by 0x000000 · · Score: 1

      I wish I had mod points.

      I have enjoyed the GTA series, and really hope that EA does not take over Take Two. I can't remember a single game that ever came out EA that I would want to play again. The last game I remember playing was Need for Speed, number 2. EA would destroy that what makes Take Two such an awesome game publishing company!

      --
      cat /dev/null > .signature
  5. In Related News by garett_spencley · · Score: 5, Funny

    Many Take Two shareholders are suing the company for acting outside of the best interest of it's share holders. Other shareholders have resorted to robbing Take Two employees' cars and using them to pick up hookers before taking their money and "disposing" of them.

    1. Re:In Related News by nacturation · · Score: 1

      Many Take Two shareholders are suing the company for acting outside of the best interest of it's share holders. Nice. I like how in your parody of the Yahoo story you reproduce Slashdot's trademark grammatical error.
      --
      Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
    2. Re:In Related News by garett_spencley · · Score: 1

      Ouch and to think I'm a grammar Nazi myself. I can't believe I let that one slip :(

      Wait, did I just invoke Godwin's law ? I double suck today.

    3. Re:In Related News by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      All part of EA's new "Take over every game studio in the world, then give gamers the hot coffee treatment with a sandpaper condom" strategic plan.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. Take Two ~~ Yahoo? by Rinisari · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if Take Two's shareholders will sue the board now similarly to Yahoo's shareholders.

    --
    Colin Dean Go a year without DRM
    1. Re:Take Two ~~ Yahoo? by fractalVisionz · · Score: 1

      In other news, Microsoft offers Take Two 3 billion, and EA offers to buy Yahoo for 40 billion.

  7. One hit wonder? by Izabael_DaJinn · · Score: 1

    "Take-Two is known as a mercurial one-hit wonder." You mean Rockstar's Table Tennis wasn't a smash hit? Go figure ;-)

    --
    Careful What You Wish For....
  8. Aw... by Orleron · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...and I was almost so psyched about getting to play a MMORPG where you can grind skills like "Steal Cars", "Shotgun", and "Pimp Ho's".

  9. Better headline by Pennidren · · Score: 5, Funny

    Take Two declines to Take Two Billion

    1. Re:Better headline by The_reformant · · Score: 1

      In my RSS reader it totally looked like $28. I was totally ready to get in on the bidding myself!

      --
      I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this post is too small to contain.
  10. Politics and financial consequences. by palegray.net · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Given Hillary Clinton's ongoing fight to convince America that she's better at parenting our kids than we are, these sorts of buyouts may wind up being poor judgment calls should she somehow get elected...

    --
    512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
    1. Re:Politics and financial consequences. by palegray.net · · Score: 1

      I'll concede the point.

      --
      512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
    2. Re:Politics and financial consequences. by tgibbs · · Score: 1

      It seems clear to me that it is on-topic. If we end up with a President taking a strong pro-censorship stance, this is likely to impact the profits of games like GTA and affect the value of these properties.

  11. All Points Bulletin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    GTA and Crackdown creator runs down his contemporary-themed PC, 360 MMOG

    removing "the grind" [is] a top priority

    1. Re:All Points Bulletin by The+Analog+Kid · · Score: 1

      removing "the grind" [is] a top priority

      Then it's doomed to fail, "the grind" is what slows players down from completing the content too fast while your making new content. Sure the top 1% or less get through it anyway, but the average player makes him or her take longer. Bad business model if you ask me. (and I hated the WoW grinding too)

    2. Re:All Points Bulletin by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 1

      There are ways of slowing down (ingame) player progression without enforcing a grind, such as implemented in EVE Online for example. Ofcourse this will upset a very large number of players who, despite claiming to hate the grind, will still do it for days on end to obtain more e-peen...

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    3. Re:All Points Bulletin by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Depends on what there is to do in a game. StarCraft has no grind and nowhere near the content for 100+ hours but it's still played because it's not played for the content but the competition, the content is just a mean to that end. Content and grind aren't the only things a player can be busy with. Even MMOs use other means, social interaction, for example. Of course that won't work for the me-centered gamer who just wants to get to the max level and never even tries allying with other players but you don't need to sell those people an MMO anyway.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  12. Considering what AE does to their franchies by forgoil · · Score: 1

    I really hope Take Two resists this, or GTA 4 will be their last good game for sure. I really don't want that, and I think many agree with me, because that game is just so freaking good!

  13. get ready for ... by cab15625 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    GTA 5: Drivers Ed!

    GTA 6: Parental Approval!

    GTA 7: Sunday Driver!

    GTA 8: Horse and Buggy!

    1. Re:get ready for ... by crossmr · · Score: 2

      oh please.. it takes them years to do a sequel, it just means GTA will have expansion packs and stuff packs. You'll be able to buy expansion packs that add new areas and missions to drive around in, and stuff packs will add new outfits, cars, and the guns will have new coloured triggers.

    2. Re:get ready for ... by ufoolme · · Score: 1

      GTA 8: Horse and Buggy! DAM, gimma some of that western hot coffee crime

    3. Re:get ready for ... by Epistax · · Score: 1

      Quakertown or Bust: Unelectric Boogaloo

    4. Re:get ready for ... by Scoldog · · Score: 1

      Problem is, driving a horse and buggy can be pretty violent!
       
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWFG4oEn87E

      --
      This space for rent
    5. Re:get ready for ... by Enonu · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Horse and Buggy, hmm, what about a grand theft auto (I know auto doesn't make sense here anymore), set in old western times? Riding with a gang of thieves to take down a stage coach full of gold on fast horses actually sounds pretty fun. The entire skill of quick shooting could be pretty interesting when paired with today's twichy mousers. The wild west in a video game?

      All of the old movies could be brought in. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The unforgiven. Sounds awesome.

    6. Re:get ready for ... by ZombieRoboNinja · · Score: 1

      Your point about EA making too many sequels would be a lot more biting if you didn't have to start at 5 because the current owners have ALREADY MADE FOUR OF THEM.

    7. Re:get ready for ... by jagdish · · Score: 1

      Dont forget the expansion packs

      GTA House Party
      GTA Nightlife
      GTA Holiday Edition
      GTA Pets

      Not that it would deter old Jackie.

    8. Re:get ready for ... by quanticle · · Score: 1

      Isn't that sort of the premise for GUN?

      --
      We all know what to do, but we don't know how to get re-elected once we have done it
    9. Re:get ready for ... by Floritard · · Score: 1

      They did this, it was called GUN and it wasn't very good. The problem with a sandbox wild west game is that without automobiles you'd have to spend 90% of your time riding around on a horse, at horse-like speeds, getting from town to small, sleepy town. Aside from gunfights, there isn't a whole hell of a lot of videogamey things to do in a western game. Life was just too slow.

    10. Re:get ready for ... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      No way. You've seen what they've done with all their other series?

      GTA Underground
      GTA Street
      GTA 'Hood Edition
      etc.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    11. Re:get ready for ... by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      It wasn't bad for what it was. I went in expecting a mediocre game and was pleasantly surprised.

  14. Re:Dear EA the reason why your offer was declined. by rustalot42684 · · Score: 1

    Nope. The "long scale" you're thinking of goes roughly as follows: million = 10^6 milliard = 10^9 billion = 10^12 billiard = 10^15 etc etc

  15. Phew by mark72005 · · Score: 2, Informative

    I read another article where an EA bigwig was dismayed by EA's consistently low ratings at metacritic and other sites. Seems like a transparent attempt to eliminate competition with their crappy sports games.

  16. Re:Dear EA the reason why your offer was declined. by cephah · · Score: 1

    It varies from country to country in Europe. In Denmark we use million as 10^6 and billion as 10^12.

  17. Sweet by SamuelA1337O · · Score: 1

    Now we can get set our clocks to a new GTA release every year with minor modifications as fanbois praise it.

  18. Re:Dear EA the reason why your offer was declined. by MindStalker · · Score: 1

    How odd, in my country we use mega 2^20 and giga 2^30

  19. The lifecycle of the EA by Xelios · · Score: 1

    It infects healthy cells, multiplies like crazy, introduces all kinds of horrible mutations then eventually moves on, leaving dead tissue in its wake. I think in biology it's called that Cancer.

    --
    Murphey's fighting Occam, and we're in the stands.
    1. Re:The lifecycle of the EA by mog007 · · Score: 1

      No, you just described a virus. Cancer is caused by a mutation in a healthy cell from damaged DNA which causes the cell to replicated unchecked.

      --
      Learn something new.
  20. REJECTED by Zaffo · · Score: 4, Informative
    The latest word is that Take-Two Interactive's Board of Directors has rejected EA's offer: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080224/20080224005068.html

    Take-Two's Board of Directors has thoroughly reviewed EA's unsolicited proposal with the assistance of its independent financial and legal advisors and concluded that the proposal is inadequate in multiple respects and not in the best interests of Take-Two's stockholders.
  21. Politely? by Southpaw018 · · Score: 1

    ..."politely?" Okay, they may have used polite and diplomatic language, but Take Two told EA to f*ck right the f*ck off, and cram a few sharp pointy sticks in various orifices and organs in the process. Their response goes so far as to call the EA offer irresponsible and (by inference) insulting.

    --
    ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
    1. Re:Politely? by SamuelA1337O · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately for Take Two's board, their shareholders told THEM to shove a few sharp objects in various places.

  22. You say that, but... by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    don't we all want more sequels after a sequel to a sequel which used to be an original game 10 years ago The simple fact of the matter is, that's what consumers seem to actually want. Look at the most anticipated games of 2008 (according to some writer at Yahoo, that is):

    http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/10-most-anticipated-games-of-2008/1177969

    Grand Theft Auto 4
    Smash Bros. Brawl
    Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
    Metal Gear Solid 4
    Halo Wars
    Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
    Fallout 3
    Spore
    World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
    Final Fantasy XIII

    Of that list, I see only one title based on a 100% new intellectual property: Spore. One guess who is publishing that title...

    Irony?

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    1. Re:You say that, but... by crhylove · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, those are actually good games. For every crappy rehash game I've gotten or tried out via torrent, I've played at least ONE somewhat abysmal original, or a game you've never heard of. It's not that 90% of sequels suck, it's that 90% of all games suck.

      Here is my obligatory list of games that still get played, and most of them are NOT new at all, sequel or otherwise:

      Mario Kart 64 (still the best)
      Mortal Kombat 4 (Great in Emulation), easy controls
      Civilization II (still much funner than civ 4)
      Urban Terror (this has replaced all other FPS games except:)
      Golden Eye 64 (people are ecstatic the second they see it on the big screen in high res).
      Super Mario World & All-Stars (SNES)
      Super Mario 64
      Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
      Flatout 2 (we like to hurl bodies through fire)
      Ocarina of Time (I got nieces and nephews that LOVE it, it's new to them!)
      Tetris (SNES version)
      Dr Mario (N64 version)
      Bust a Move (SNES version)
      Quake 2 Evolved (Sometimes I just put it on because it's pretty)
      Smash Brothers (I only have the n64 version, they seem to like it)
      Super Metroid
      Lego Star Wars (for the littlest guys)

      I honestly can't think of another game that gets played around here. I had Stepmania set up at one point, but nobody was that into it long term.

      I mean, when you zoom out a couple of decades plenty of GOOD games get completely left out of the mix. Of course, I will be first in line for the new Grand Theft Auto, though....

      --
      I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
    2. Re:You say that, but... by neumayr · · Score: 1

      How do you play Golden Eye 64 in high res?

      --
      Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion. -Francis Bacon
    3. Re:You say that, but... by crhylove · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I recommend the now hard to find Mupen++ with the Rice Video plugin 6.1.0.0 and the high res textures off of emutalk.net. There is also a high res plugin that works even better called glide ++ or something like that. If you need further assistance, you can email me: rhy (that little a with the circle) leperkhanz (dot) com

      --
      I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
    4. Re:You say that, but... by somersault · · Score: 1

      GTA may be derivative of other genres, but it's unique and original simply because of the way it combines them all into one fluid world. I used to love just running/driving/flying around even for a couple of months after I completed the main storyline. If they introduced proper gear changing and clutch control then GTA IV could very well be my favourite game until the next GTA. It's kind of a jack of all trades and master of none type game, but it is definitely becoming more refined with each iteration. I can't wait until they implement skateboarding (no idea if that's going to be in GTA IV, but it's always seemed like a logical addition to me since they put the BMX in .. unfortunately you can't do grinding tricks on the BMX as of yet though).

      --
      which is totally what she said
    5. Re:You say that, but... by jurgenaut · · Score: 1

      You raise the question as to how we are supposed to anticipate something we've never played before. We only have previous games to relate to. As for Spore, the anticipation is sort of nervous. It looks like it may be awesome, but I fear that I'll get bored after 6 hours and never play it again.

      However, also note the lack of other run-of-the-mill EA games on that list. NHL-2009 isn't hugely anticipated? Who would have guessed?

    6. Re:You say that, but... by mweather · · Score: 1

      The same way you watch YouTube videos in high res: poorly.

    7. Re:You say that, but... by tattood · · Score: 1

      Haha. That was funny. Wish I had mod points.

      --
      WTB [sig], PST!!!
  23. Am i the only one.. by eZtaR · · Score: 1

    Who read the headline as $28? This concept of B confuses and infuriates me!

  24. Re:What the hell? by SamuelA1337O · · Score: 1

    Nothing makes me think more about eternal life and salvation than running over a hooker and driving drunk.

  25. Re:Or could it be because of timing? by SamuelA1337O · · Score: 1

    You really think monopolies are a serious problem in video games? There are very few barriers to entry.

  26. Re:What the hell? by The+End+Of+Days · · Score: 1

    Perhaps it's referring to the fact that closing the deal, merging the operations, and getting everything running smoothly isn't an instantaneous process, and if they're going to do it, they'd like to get it done before it interferes with this years Christmas season.

    I'm guessing, though.

  27. Re:Or could it be because of timing? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    How many A material games did you see lately that didn't come out of big studios? Making a game today (and I don't mean some Flash-app or ringtone game) is a quite pricy matter. The days when a small team of enthusiasts could slap together a game in their spare time that makes it into the bestseller lists are over.

    Sure, making a game has become easier than ever. You don't even have to know a lot about the math behind 3D graphics to create something that looks decent. But making it great (and thus sellable for 60 bucks) is a completely different matter. Or would you buy a game that looks like it's been done a decade ago?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  28. The big gaming crash of the 80/90s? by Wilson_6500 · · Score: 1

    I doubt very much we'll only every have the One Big Gaming company - games would suck so much people would eventually stop buying them.

    I was too busy playing games back then, and less busy thinking about them--besides that I was just a kid--but didn't something very much like that actually already happen once sometime in the 80s or 90s?

    The difference, now, is that video games are breaking into the "real world" and are becoming akin to movies and television. They'll suck, sure, but people won't stop buying them, and the medium will become permanently bankrupt, speaking to creativity, with only the rare gem from an independent studio shining out once in a long while. And you'll still probably somehow have to put up with advertisements to see those gems.

  29. Re:Dear EA the reason why your offer was declined. by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

    No; in the UK, the US definition of billion (10^9) has taken over and is now the overwhelmingly accepted standard for all uses. I can't recall the last time I heard the old (10^12) definition used here- except in a discussion like this- and I'm sure I read that it's officially considered obsolete somewhere.

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  30. Anticipation for original titles... by sonap · · Score: 1

    One has fond memories of IP, so it's not surprising that you'd get lots of anticipation for sequels over originals.

    Spore brings up an interesting point: We should be celebrating good game creators, the way we celebrate the directors of movies. Thus the hype comes for talented teams, rather than the just the intellectual properties they create.

    1. Re:Anticipation for original titles... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      If Blizzard were to announce a completely new game, don't you think people would still buy it in droves because it's Blizzard?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    2. Re:Anticipation for original titles... by twistedsymphony · · Score: 2, Interesting
      You mean like... There are certainly others, but those are the names of game designers that, in the past, I've purchased, or at least taken a closer look at new games because their name was attached to it. I've seen interviews with these guys packaged in bonus CDs with the games and on game news sites, I see videos of them giving talks and presenting their new games at conventions, etc.

      There are a lot of creative names in game design. IMO if you aren't noticing the developers behind the games, it's only because you aren't paying attention.
      --
      Collector's Edition
    3. Re:Anticipation for original titles... by sonap · · Score: 1

      There are a lot of creative names in game design. IMO if you aren't noticing the developers behind the games, it's only because you aren't paying attention. With the exception of Will Wright (who has an original game on the "most anticipated" list), only hardcore gaming enthusiasts really know these names. Most people, many of whom have played their games, do not know the developers behind them.

      You can count dozens of very well-known directors, but only a couple game designer/developers, and I think that's contributing to the lack of anticipation for original IP in the medium. My thought is that it's a reflection of a young industry, and over time we'll have our developer "stars", rather than faceless shadows behind our GTAs and our Halos.
    4. Re:Anticipation for original titles... by twistedsymphony · · Score: 1

      I don't know if I completely agree with that, there are a very small number of movie writers/directors who have achieved household name status.

      Usually when I tell people that "David Fincher is my favorite director" or "I'm not a very big fan of Michael Bay's work" I get blank stares in return. Even bringing up Peter Jackson, gets looks of confusion.

      I think what people look for in movies is much more about the actors, because they are the FACE of the movie. In most cases the only time I find people who know about the writers/directors is if I'm either talking to a movie buff or I'm online.

      On a whole though the only reason names like Lucas, Spielberg, or Scorsese are well known is because not only have they been around forever hand have their names attached to dozens of successful projects but also because movies appeal to a much broader spectrum of people and is on a whole a much more popular medium.

      I think if you want people to start recognizing game developers more often you're going to have to invent a red carpet event for them to attend, televise it on an NBC/ABC/CBS, and put their name on the box... even then only gamers will care about these names.

      --
      Collector's Edition
  31. Civilization V: Grand Theft War by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 4, Funny

    Finally George W. Bush is unlocked as an American leader, and the Fox News World Wonder is available, after it is built you can declare war on any nation with a Weapons of Mass Destruction claim even if they don't have any. It also allows you to remain in power even if your people find out the nation had no WMDs and it is draining your economy as well.

    Special units, Dick Cheney unit to form Haliburton corporation to get no-bid oil contracts on any nation you invade. Colin Powell unit to help ease opposition to the war with faked evidence for it. Condeliza Rice unit to get other civilizations to side with you on the war. Bill O'Reilly unit to keep your population happy even if they oppose the war.

    --
    Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
    1. Re:Civilization V: Grand Theft War by onion_joe · · Score: 1

      I wish I hadn't spent all my mod points. That was pretty funny/sad.

      --
      sig sig sig siggy sig
    2. Re:Civilization V: Grand Theft War by Orion+Blastar · · Score: 1

      If 2K/EA makes the game, they owe me royalties! :)

      --
      Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
  32. On i.e... by Terraism · · Score: 1

    Continuing the off-topic discussion, "for example" is actually represented with "e.g.", which is Latin for "exempli gratia".

  33. Borg by LingNoi · · Score: 1

    All hail the EA death march!

    One of us! One of us! One of us!

  34. What happens to the Stock tomorrow? by v86641 · · Score: 1

    What happens to the Stock tomorrow?

  35. $2B by achurch · · Score: 1

    So the question is, what did they offer forty-three of?

    Husks of overworked employees? Content-free games?

    . . . Wizened 6502 assembly hackers?

  36. Hostile Takeover by jagdish · · Score: 2, Informative

    EA will move in for hostile takeover. This is unrelated to GTA4. EA wants to eliminate 2K Sports.

  37. I no longer care by kamatsu · · Score: 1

    The last game I bought from a store was Bioshock, and it ran unnecessarily slowly on my new machine, and couldn't find DirectX 10. After a fair bit of patching, I got it to work, and played it to completion - and was somewhat disappointed, because it began to degenerate into the usual repetitive style of shooter.

    And then I realised that the problem was certainly not Bioshock, but the game industry itself. Games these days seem to be rushed out in a state barely past beta, because of extremely strict deadlines. It seems to be a matter of course now to go hunting around for patches and vista fixes and so forth for every game you buy - for an awful lot of money, I might add.

    They also seem to be generally repetitions of themes and styles years old. Not only is it more Metal Gear, FIFA, GTA and Final Fantasy games, but the actual gameplay of these hasn't changed for years - particularly in the FPS genre - and I'm looking for NEW games, not more of a game I've already played.

    Well, I've had enough of it. After Bioshock, I stopped buying commercial mainstream games, and instead put my money into great independent games like: Mount&Blade, Darwinia, Flatspace (1 & 2), Uplink, Teudogar and the Alliance of Rome, and Defcon. These games have provided me with much better value for money, and usually are better, more enjoyable and more *original* games.

    1. Re:I no longer care by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Seems your issue was with Vista, because I was able to run it on XP without any issues. Installed, played, enjoyed.

    2. Re:I no longer care by kamatsu · · Score: 1

      A game advertised to not only run, but run *better* on Vista should do just that. It didn't, and is therefore not living up to my expectations.

  38. Re:Or could it be because of timing? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Well, if you can't monopolize, just cartelize. For reference, see music industry.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  39. Certainly could happen by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Depends if the shareholders can be convinced that this is ultimately the best decision or not. If the board can present a convincing case that ultimately it'll be better to reject this, then everything will be fine. I mean just because a buyout is for a certain amount over market value of the shares, doesn't mean that it is worth it. Maybe GTA 4 does such good business that it really pushes up share prices.

    However, clearly EA is hoping that the shareholders will push the issue. The article notes that EA approached them in private first and were rebuffed. The reason they are now going public is to let the shareholders know that there is an offer. The shareholders now can bring pressure on the company. Doesn't necessarily have to be a lawsuit either, shareholders are literally owners of the company. So at a shareholder meeting, they can vote the execs out and vote new ones in.

    Regardless of what goes on, I'm guessing EA's buyout will be successful. They are offering a substantial premium over the current stock value, the shareholders are probably going to force the issue.