An Underwhelming E3

Despite the best intentions of my plump, juicy (and likely very tasty) brain, my pathetic body slumbered blissfully through Nintendo's E3 presentation yesterday, in which Reggie Fils-aime apparently announced a lot of cool stuff, like the same Zelda game Nintendo promised us at last year's E3 and a Kid Icarus title that's been in the works for quite awhile. Also, there was something about affixing random letters to the end of the already stupid Wii name and calling it a different console - the Wii U, which sounds like a frighteningly surreal college where small children go to become more proficient at Wii Sports. However, I'm a biased, bitter old man with a cane fashioned from the microchips of thousands of copies of Super Mario/Duckhunt, so I promise to withhold my ire until further information on Nintendo's next gen box is available.

What really excited me was the announcement of Super Mario 3D for the 3DS, which appears to have ripped a page from Mario 3's book by bringing back the beloved Tanooki suit. I'm sure it won't recapture the magic of Mario's NES days, but I'm still going to keep an eye on it. After all, a pale but well-intentioned imitation of a beloved classic is better than another insipid Pokemon title.

IT HAS A TAIL

I also missed Sony's pitch, but I assume it was just an hour and a half of high-level businessmen apologizing over the recent PSN outage and committing sepukuu, then a man dressed as Cole MacGrath from inFAMOUS nervously explaining how Sony's new security features will add hours of fun to your PlayStation Home trolling experience.

Thankfully-ish, my brain was able to jolt my body awake in time for the Xbox 360 presentation, which consisted of approximately 4000 first person shooters - all sequels - another Tomb Raider game that didn't look too bad, and the fact that now you can be much more lazy when purchasing content on the Xbox Marketplace by just screaming out what you want to buy instead of using the wireless controller to navigate menus. If my neighbors don't think that I'm crazy at this point, my early morning shouts of "Xbox! Show me Transformers cartoons NOW!" should confirm their worst fears.

Halo 4 or whatever; yawn.

Microsoft's showing show presented me with a conundrum: How could I have been mind shatteringly disinterested in a show completely devoted to my favorite pass time?

The most important thing this year's E3 taught me is that no matter how disillusioned I become with Nintendo, I'd still rather hang with them than wade through the uninspired shooter wasteland that is the Xbox 360.

PlayStation Store Welcomes Back the Easily Pleased

YOU CAN'T CATCH WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE

Sony says it’s sorry that a bunch of hackin’ hooligans stole my personal information (and 101.9999 million other people’s too) about two months ago, so they’re letting me play Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for free! That’s right; 1991’s badest dude with a ‘tude is back and radder than ever in the much anticipated sequel to the SMASH HIT Sega Genesis game!

I am So EXCITED that the true power of the PlayStation 3 will finally be properly unleashed to play this 16-bit gem and I can assure you that I will be comparing the PSN title’s performance to that of the original Genesis cart, the Saturn Sonic Jam disc, the Sonic Mega Collection for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, The Genesis Collection for PS2 and Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PS3. This is very much worth having my credit card possibly compromised and ultimately canceled due to my own paranoia. I’m sure that my ninth copy of Sonic 2, not including the emulated ones I have on my PC, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, will be just as fun as the first. I just won’t be able to access the sound test or enter any cheats this time, because the game is set to automatically bypass that stuff this time around. Yaay!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 times eight.

I really do enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but I somehow feel that this and the other shrugworthy games available as part of Sony’s much advertised “Welcome Back!” program are simply not enough to effectively cajole customers into once again suckling complacently from Sony’s blackened teat. As it turns out, the non-PlayStation Plus titles available under the program are all dated. For example, free Little Big Planet is nice, but I could also get the disc-based original with a case and manual for a small but passionate ass-based dance at my local GameStop. I already own and have defeated Infamous, and I’ve never even heard of Dead Nation, but I chose it as my second free game because the others were just as unappealing as the PlayStation Plus content. Oh, and apparently, the PS Plus content will only be available to users for 30 days (or until your subscription to the service ends), so you’d better get playing.

If all this wasn’t disappointing enough, I’m having problems accessing the PlayStation Store. More than once tonight, I’ve received a message that the title I’m trying to download is unavailable because the store is “undergoing maintenance.” Maybe the disturbance is due to so many people logging on at once. Oh well; at least I didn’t lose my second free game, as reported by Mark Hachman of PC Magazine.

In the interest of fairness, it’s full disclosure time: Though I at one point said that I was going to leave the PS3 alone, I - like my comrade Evan Ritchie - cannot find it in myself to stay away from the company that gave me gaming gold like the Tekken series, Metal Gear Solid and a controller that doesn’t suck for fighting games. I’m really not the guy Sony has to impress. But the gaming fate of millions of others hangs in the balance, and I’m not sure this ho-hum peace offering is enough to keep them around.

Sony, you have been warned.

Oh, and for the record: While the “attract mode” demo was playing on my new PSN copy of Sonic 2, for just a second, I felt the same twinge of excitement I used to get in fourth grade when I loaded up the game. Perhaps this Welcome Back program really has given me something worth my trouble after all.

Yeah, not really.

"Dear Sony, You got hacked YET AGAIN; I'm leaving you."

UPDATE: Sony claims that despite reports, there's been some confusion as to the scale and scope of the hack. So according to them, no real attack has taken place. Check out this website for more information.

*   *   *

It's not me Sony, it's you.

According to a report by the International Business Times, Sony's extensive new PlayStation Network security features, implemented only days ago, have been turned against them: The ailing company has been hacked yet again.

ARRRRGH!

Reportedly, the same group of hackers responsible for the original security breach that copped the personal information and possibly credit card numbers of more than 100 million user profiles is at it again, this time taking control of PSN accounts linked to users who have yet to reset their passwords.

PSN: Please Sony, NO!

"The hackers reportedly infiltrated the new mandatory PSN password reset system, manipulating the confirmation link sent to individuals trying to change their PSN password, modifying it into [a] tool that has allowed them to once again take control of many users accounts," said Alastair Stevenson, reporter for the International Business Times.

Sony says that users who changed their passwords already will not be affected by the latest attack on the company. However, users who have not yet signed back into PSN after its nearly month-long downtime will be unable to access the PlayStation 3's online features until Sony sorts out their newest woes.

PlayStation Network remains online for the time being.

Yesterday, tech guru and Best Buy Geek Squad agent Mike Quinn described Sony's pre-hack security to me as the equivalent of leaving one's car doors open, with the car running and the sunroof down. It seems that Sony's post-hack situation isn't much different.

This latest debacle just might be the last straw for me and Sony's big Blu box. As much as I despise the controller, I might just have to make Xbox 360 my system of choice for a while. Or better yet, I could just play through SNES Earthbound again while this whole thing blows over.

You can keep the car, house and the kids Sony. But I'm taking the Nintendo and you can't stop me.

And Silent Hill; I'm gonna take that too.

Sony Hacked Yet Again; Here's a Cool Wesite to Make Up For It

Last Saturday, May 7th, marked the third hack attack on Sony when cyber terrorists stole the names and partial addresses of approximately 2500 Sony customers and placed the information online for all to see - and steal.

The good news is that the hackers stuck a website Sony had used for a contest in 2001; therefore, aside from much of the data being outdated, no credit card information was revealed. Also, Sony detected the breach and had the information removed within a matter of hours after it was posted.

Compared to scope of the previous attacks on Sony - wherein information from more than 100 million gamer profiles was stolen - this latest caper seems rather uninspired. According to reports from CNET, the hackers responsible for the latest attack are upset with the way Sony dealt with previous attacks, so they targeted the company again. The hacker's logic is impeccable: Obviously the best way to advocate for customers is to F*CK THEM OVER AGAIN.

Sony's PlayStation Network is still offline as of May 9, 2011, leaving thousands of cool people without access to the online features of Super Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat and millions of other annoying eighth graders without access to a bunch of crappy first person shooters.

I think I'd be really upset if it weren't for the fact that a.) I cancelled my PSN-linked credit card in response to the attacks and b.) I prefer and continue to own/play old-ass games. No PSN? That's cool; I'm playing Final Fantasy II.

...No, not the one with Cecil, the crappy one with Firion(iel).

Seriously, I'm sick of this. (The attacks I mean; not FFII, though it's starting to wear thin my fourth time through.) Though I tend to lean towards Sony products for my current generation gaming needs, I own all three of today's big consoles and I like to think of myself is rather impartial. That being said, it seems to me that someone is targeting the ailing company for reasons unknown; perhaps personal vendettas or even inter-company sabotage, but most likely just for their own profit. Whatever it is, I wish they'd stop. I've written this open letter to the hackers to hopefully make the understand my point of view.

Dear Hackers,

Look, a lot of people need a way to relieve the stress of working all day and they do that with video games. Please stop hacking Sony. I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Matt

Anyway, I'd like to leave you, my loyal reader(s) with something positive. I found this website, called The Cutting Room Floor, detailing things left out of the video games you love and cherish. It's a wonderfully interesting read and highly recommended, especially for fans of old, sprite-based games.

Hopefully this can keep me from lamenting over Sony and its poorly handled woes.

Twice-Hacked Sony Responds to US House of Reps

Not even Crash Bandicoot can save us now.

"Oh crap! ...Can't we call in Mario?"

Things just keep getting worse for the company that helped bring CD-based console gaming out of the dark ages and Blu-Ray discs into the mainstream: According to Sony, the personal information of 24.6 million Sony Online Entertainment users, possibly including 20,000 credit card numbers and expiration dates, has been compromised by hackers.

The news comes in the wake of a recent cyber attack against PlayStation 3 users that culled the personal information – and possibly credit card numbers – of all 77 million PlayStation Network profiles. Both attacks likely took place around the same time.

Sony Online Entertainment, a division of the electronics giant that handles the online components of computer games like the recently released DC Universe Online, shut down their services on Monday night after learning of the intrusion. As of 3 p.m. on May 4, 2011, both Sony’s PC gaming servers and PlayStation Network remain unavailable.

Today, in a letter responding to several questions posed to the company by the U.S. House of Representatives, Sony claimed that forensic teams studying the attack discovered a file marked “anonymous” on the hacked PSN servers that contained the words “We are Legion.” Anonymous is a hacker group that took responsibility for a recent “denial of service” attack on Sony and its customers, and – through they denied any involvement from the beginning – may have aided in or orchestrated the newest security breaches that shut down PSN and SOE services.

This is Anonymous. Apparently, they are Legion.
And Legion told them to stop people from playing Call of Duty.

“Whether those who participated in the denial of service attacks were conspirators or whether they were simply duped into providing cover for a very clever thief, we may never know,” said Sony in their response to the House of Representatives.

Apparently, the Anonymous group attacked Sony in response to the company’s decision to take legal action against PS3 exploit artist George Hotz.

Sony’s response to the House of Representatives can be found in its size 2 font entirety here.

Playstation Network compromised by Hackers

There's no joke here, loyal reader(s): If you own a PlayStation 3, there a good chance that your personal information - including your name, address, birth date and possibly credit card numbers - could have been compromised by hackers more than a week ago.

If you haven't had your head stuck up your arsenal of old school RPGs for the last month like some people, you probably noticed that PSN has been down since Wednesday, April 20, 2011 - just one day after the release of the next-gen Mortal Kombat reboot. At first it was just an inconvenience; after all, pounding some dude online with Johnny Cage and then laughing at their ineptitude is great fun, but it's not required to play Mortal Kombat or the plethora of online PS3 available to consumers since launch. But last night, Sony admitted that the downtime hasn't been due to normal technical difficulties or updates to the system.

The following statement was issued on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 on the Official PlayStation Blog:


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/idtheft or 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 1-800-345-7669 should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment


It's highly recommended that you monitor your bank statements very closely for the next few months.

- Dispute bogus charges with your bank.
- If you ever receive a credit card you have not applied for, bring it up with the sender.
- If you suddenly stop receiving mail, it might be because a criminal has stolen your identity and changed your address to cover his nefarious tracks.

Use your common sense and you should be safe.

On a personal note, stuff like this makes me sick. We're just trying to play games here, people. We're just trying to blow off a little steam, and then this has to happen. There's a special place in hell for people who steal other people's livelihoods.