Marketing and public relations is an area that takes a lot of skill. After all, your job consists primarily of interacting with with customers and news outlets. These are the two groups of people that you want to make a good impression on, as they will no doubt have an influence on the sales of whatever wares you’re peddling. Of these groups, I will always believe that the customers should be treated best of all, because they’re the ones spending their hard-earned money on your product.

If you’re looking for an example of how not to treat a paying customer, you might have a look at this correspondence published over at Penny Arcade. Here’s an excerpt from the email exchange between a customer who pre-ordered the PS3 Avenger, and someone from Ocean Marketing, who represents N-Control:

You just got told bitch … welcome to the real internet check kotaku in 2 weeks when they are reviewing free PS3 Avengers we send them as well as G4 and all the other majors hell yeah , don’t forget to check Amazon, gamestop.com, play n trade , Myers , Frys and a ton of other local stores coming your way you think you speak for billions son your just a kid you speak for yourself no one cares what you think that’s why were growing and moving 20-50 thousand controllers a month. We do value our customers but sometimes we get children like you we just have to put you in the corner with your im stupid hat on. See you at CES , E3 , Pax East ….? Oh wait you have to ask mom and pa dukes your not an industry professional and you have no money on snap you just got told.

I don’t care who you are, what you do, or who you know. This is not how you talk to someone, especially when that person has given you money for goods (that you’ve not yet delivered). Now, it could be that this was simply a fabrication to smear Ocean Marketing, but Mike Krahulik (better known as Gabe from Penny Arcade) sent a follow-up email to the same person, and after a few emails, received this charming tidbit, which confirms that this guy is just as cheerful as the previous messages made him out to be:

Your sites amateur at best my son could put together a better site than yours and you run PAX ?? Wow , Ill put my marketing team on a smear campaign of you and your site and your emails , I have about 125 dedicated people to run PR , Blogs , Articles , Videos you have no clue who I am . Thanks again

Reading through these only makes me wonder how this person got into the line of work that they did. This is not how you treat customers, and making threats toward someone who is a rather large figure in the gaming community (also known as your target audience) is just a bad idea.

After emailing my contact at N-Control, I got a phone call from Paul, who turned out to be the person sending these emails. We spoke for around fifteen minutes or so, and he assured me that despite the negative press, he’s been contacted by several companies, who have asked him to represent them. Paul also expressed confidence that this would simply blow over in a week or two.

He also told me that he’s received a lot of emails from customers, who were similarly upset about not receiving their product before Christmas. Apparently the only thing special about Dave was that he caught him at a bad time, and got under his skin. Of course, that still doesn’t excuse the way he treated a paying customer. Even if customer service isn’t your primary job (which is apparently the case, according to Paul), you still should treat the people trying to give you money with respect.

When I brought up the posts on Reddit that discussed the emails, and the backlash that was visible there, he more or less shrugged it off. He seemed annoyed by the amount of friend requests he’d received on Facebook, since someone managed to find him. He credited that to the fact that his information was posted at the bottom of the Penny Arcade piece, and said that he’d be talking to his lawyers about that later today. What’s more, he said that his job isn’t really to deal with individual customers like Dave, but rather to strike deals with companies like GameStop and BestBuy. Those companies are buying his wares, so he “doesn’t care about anyone else.” Why? Because as long as his products are on store shelves, people will buy them.

In the end, he conceded that it would be a good idea to send Dave an apology, and even hook him up with a couple of free Avengers as a gesture of good faith. After all, the guy just wanted his Avenger, and got some nasty emails for his trouble. While that’s good news for Dave, something tells me that he still won’t be getting a booth at PAX, or winning back the hearts of everyone who read the original emails.

Update: We have gotten a copy of the apology email sent to Dave, from Paul at Ocean Marketing. As you can see, it has a very different tone from the originals, and better grammar and spelling (for the most part):

Hey Dave,

I just wanted to apologize for the way our emails progressed from beginning to end , You caught me on an extremely bad day and I had been dealing with 100’s and hundreds of emails trying to explain the situation to everyone on where the product was and you just pushed me a little too much and I should have just apologized and tried to explain things better. Also I had a really bad day losing a friend to an overdose and the stress of my newborn baby and the Holiday ,missing my family and just stressing on getting product out to everyone and why it was held up in customs wore me out.

I am deeply sorry for any disrespect , aggravation or lack of information on the delivery date. We knew when product was leaving china and we were trying to adhere to a strict deadline but due to port issues and air freight issues. The units are domestic now and awaiting pick up at customs . So we missed the 17th deadline and I apologize for that but it was out of my control and besides me no one else was helping me handle the situation so imagine the weight on my shoulders.

I’m not asking for any sympathy just for some understanding and forgiveness , I’m human just like everyone else and made a mistake. I underestimated you and its cost me a lot of trouble thousands of spam emails , a lot of personal bashing , and internet spam and trouble and just overall stress with my wife and newborn. I ask that you please accept my apology as a peace offering I will refund your money and give you your 2 units/Avengers free of charge please help me to get some of this negativity removed or at least my personal name although its already all over the internet and the calls and emails will not stop but any help will be appreciated especially with penny arcade as Mike and edit his own website I owe him an apology too which I will write next.

Update 2: Gabe over at Penny Arcade has posted what is likely to be the last of the emails between Paul from Ocean Marketing and himself. There is an apology in there, but as Gabe points out, “there is a big difference between being sorry and being sorry you got caught.”

Update 3: Check out the official word from N-Control here (Spoiler! $10 off on pre-orders)

Over a million players log on to play Modern Warfare 3 every day. I play it, I’ve reviewed the game, and I love getting on the game and playing Team Deathmatch with my friends. But if you go through any of the game’s many forums lying around the internet, such as this one, you’ll see a rising issue among the multiplayer community out there: spawn killing/spawn camping.

For those of you who don’t know, spawn killing occurs when the enemy team finds your team’s spawn point on a map and camp, killing players with ease as they spawn. This has been an issue with other Call of Duty titles, but with the introduction of Modern Warfare 3 these types of issues have been showing up more and more often. Even the most experienced player can fall victim to spawn killing, and it’s easily one of the most frequent reasons for rage quitting that anything else.

One of the main issues and reasons for why spawn killing occurs in the game in the first place is how spawning itself works. In previous games, they allowed the player to spawn in different places all over the map. In Modern Warfare 3 this is taken away. Players will only spawn in certain areas, leaving the door wide open for enemy players to move in and camp the spawn area. Well-timed grenade tosses, full clips, and timed shots can result in multiple kill streaks, and numerous kills at a time. You can see this in action below, as the player in the video picks up a 76 killstreak in just one minute using this tactic.

This is a huge problem, and it’s even causing some players to stop playing the game all together. I’ve fallen victim to this myself, and it’s made me want to stop numerous times. In fact, I’ve not picked up the game in weeks. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I really feel like Activision needs to fix this problem before it runs out of control. There’s talk on the forums that some servers have moderators that kick players if they’re caught using this tactic, but I’ve not run into it personally. That being said, have any of you ran into this problem? Are you a player who uses this tactic? Is spawn killing ruining the game? Tell us what you think.

Game quality and the kind of hardware needed to run it is increasing exponentially each year.  When a game console is released, it is expected to be up to par for newly released games for over 5 years in most cases.  This can be a tough thing for console developers like Sony and Microsoft because they have to anticipate what kind of games and technology will be coming out 5 years after they create consoles like the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.  It seems, though, that the lifetime of the Xbox 360 and PS3 may be cut short by a little bit.

Several leading game companies including Ubisoft and 343 Studios are claiming that we have officially hit our peak on the current systems.  Naughty Dog also stated that the PS3 cannot possibly display the graphics that the Uncharted 3 engine could produce.  This is all disheartening news for owners of these systems, but it’s also lovely that we are advancing so fast with technology.

Newer technology like the PS Move and the Xbox Kinect are making the console switch for Sony and Microsoft very financially unfeasible.  Putting so much money and time into a technology just to switch right away is always a bad thing, so it’s hard to imagine game developers can encourage console developers to move very much faster on their scheduled releases.  Would the technology gap between the Xbox 360 and the Xbox 720 or the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 really be that significant if they were to be released soon?  The answers are unknown, but it seems like there is a slight imbalance in the gaming industry and we’ll just have to observe how the next months pan out.  Only time will tell.

Ever wondered what it would look like to see a real person saying some of the most cheesy lines of video games? I know I found myself thinking, “would that actually work in real life?”, Due to how bizarre some things are said. Well, one man took your questions and gave you answers.

Dean Lauderdale, a face actor, took the time to pick out 50 top worst video game lines, and then perform them using body language and face structure alone to make them more real. In short, he succeeded blissfully… But then I’d be understating his performance.

This man single-handedly took the most boring or out-there lines, and made them enjoyable to watch. Through facial expression alone, you can see the sincerity in all the “characters” he takes on. Not only that, in some lines he has to change between two characters, and you can tell just by the two very different postures and body language he puts himself through.

All in all, this video is beyond fun to watch. It just goes to prove that it’s not the words that makes the scene, but the emotions behind them.

I’ve been playing the Gears of War 3 beta since it opened up for pre-orders and I guess it’s time to sit and talk about it, right? So far the beta has been going rather smoothly, albeit a hiccup in the beginning. Tons of people have had their qualms with the beta while others are all in joy. This happens to be one of those instances where you hit up Twitter, search for #Gears3beta, and you can find out all you need to know about it. That even includes all of the gamers out there flaming the whole entirety of it.

In the beginning the beta had server issues, and it still does somewhat now.When I first downloaded and signed into the beta, I was unable to find a match. I made sure all my settings were correct, but it still took up to 15-20 minutes to search matches. Every match it returned was thrown out. Even now this issue still persists. There is an instance sometimes where I queue up for a Team Deathmatch run, and I will get thrown into King of the Hill. It doesn’t happen to often, but it is annoying.

A lot of gamers were complaining that the weapons in the beta are overpowered (OP). Where I can see this somewhat, there is only one weapon I will totally agree with that on and that’s the sawed-off. That weapon will tear you to shreds within mere seconds. A twitch of the wrist will leave you legless on the ground. So many times have I found myself raging over coming around a corner and getting completely blown away with a split-second reaction. You don’t even have to really aim with the sawed-off. This has made me rage quit numerous times.

Even with those issues, I have found the beta to be pretty fun. It’s actually gotten me to get back on my 360 (I’ve been playing A LOT of WoW), which is good. I am fairly fond of the maps, and the game types are faves of mine. Capture the Leader is a great idea for a game type, and I am anxious to try it out. The beta is seriously making me look forward to the next Gears game, and I’m not a fanboy of the series.

We’ve only got about two weeks to go in the beta, so now is crunch time for the playing gamers out there. Epic implemented an unlockable gear set attained by playing the beta that includes multiplayer weapon skins, playable characters, and more. It’s a great idea to get more people playing the beta, and it’s surely working. If you’re looking to try it out, I suggest you pre-order a copy of Gears of War 3 and try to get a code. It’s something you shouldn’t miss out on.

So Guinness decided to ask gamers to vote for the top 50 video game characters of all time, and they did. The list is pretty extensive, and contains characters from all kinds of games.

Over 13,000 gamers voted at the Guinness Book of World Records Gamer’s website, thus creating this list you see below. As can be expected, Link, Mario, and Master Chief top the rankings, with some not-so-famous characters being strewn in among the top performers.

After reading through this list, there are some characters on the list that I feel shouldn’t be there – like Naruto. I mean he’s cool and all, but top video game character of all time material? No. Check out the list below.

1. Mario (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
2. Link (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
3. Master Chief (Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft, 2001)
4. Solid Snake (Metal Gear, Konami, 1987)
5. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
6. PAC-Man (PAC-Man, Namco, 1980)
7. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, Eidos 1996)
8. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life, Valve, 1998)
9. Kratos (God of War, Sony, 2005)
10. Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega, 1990)
11. Crash (Crash Bandicoot, Sony, 1996)
12. “Soap” MacTavish (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
13. Nico Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar, 2008)
14. Samus Aran (Metroid, Nintendo 1986)
15. Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank, Sony, 2002)
16. Nathan Drake (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Sony, 2007)
17. Captain Price (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
18. Kirby (Kirby’s Dream Land, Nintendo, 1992)
19. Marcus Fenix (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
20. Pikachu (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo 1996)
21. Yoshi (Super Mario World, Nintendo, 1990)
22. “CJ” Johnson (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar, 2004)
23. Mega Man (Mega Man, Capcom, 1987)
24. Sam Fisher (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ubisoft, 2002)
25. Shadow (Sonic Adventure 2, Sega, 2001)
26. Jak (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Sony, 2001)
27. Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem, Apogee, 1991)
28. Dante (Devil May Cry, Bandai, 2003)
29. Naruto (Naruto: Konoha Ninpoch, Bandai, 2003)
30. Altair (Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, 2007)
31. Zelda (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
32. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
33. Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
34. The Prince (Prince of Persia, Broderbund, 1989)
35. Ezio (Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft, 2009)
36. Leon S (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
37. Ash Ketchum (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo, 1996)
38. Guybrush Threepwood (The Secret of Monkey Island, LucasArts, 1990)
39. Spyro (Spyro the Dragon, Universal, 1998)
40. “Ghost” Riley (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Activision, 2009)
41. Goku (Dragon Daihikyoe, Epoch, 1987)
42. Max Payne (Max Payne, Rockstar, 2001)
43. Jill Valentine (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
44. Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
45. Larry Laffer (Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Sierra, 1987)
46. Augustus Cole (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
47. Bowser (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
48. Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend, EA, 2009)
49. Ryu (Street Fighter, Capcom, 1987)
50. Sackboy (LIttleBigPlanet, Sony, 2008)

Source

In hopes of starting a new little featured weekly article, I am introducing the first in GamerFront’s “This Week In Cheap Gaming” series of articles for those who like to play great games, and spend little money. This week’s choice: Dead Space from Visceral Games on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

I’ve long since been a fan of the survival horror and sci-fi genres of gaming. When I found out about Dead Space needless to say I was consumed. The idea of a survival horror game in space was like stumbling on a gaming epiphany for me. I loved the storyline of the game, and the more screenshots and gameplay I saw, the more I knew I had to get my hands on the game. As soon as I was able, I grabbed the game and sat down to play. Little did I know I shouldn’t have tried playing it in the dark.

Dead Space follows the story of an engineer named Isaac Clarke who is part of a repair team that responds to a distress signal sent out by a space vessel known as the USG Ishimura. The team’s mission is to set foot on the Ishimura, determine the reason for the distress call, and repair the ship if needed. Isaac, however, has a bit more of a personal stake in the mission, as his girlfriend Nicole was assigned to the Ishimura as an operating medical officer.

Once aboard the ship, the team runs across a swarm of alien-infested beings known as Necromorphs that have completely consumed the entire crew. The Necromorphs seek out the flesh of the living, thus making them a very dangerous foe. Isaac then takes on the responsibility of getting the Ishimura up and running, all while looking for Nicole and battling the Necromorphs. The storyline is a well-written one that explains itself through dialogue, text entries that Isaac stumbles across, and audio logs that he finds while on the ship.

The gameplay follows your normal survival horror shooter. Isaac finds weapons on the Ishimura that he must learn to use in order to survive, including a plasma cutter, buzz saw launcher, and an assault rifle. Players can pick up credits scattered among the remains of the ship and its crew, and use them in stores located throughout the ship to purchase suit upgrades, med packs, ammo, and much more.

With a unique upgrade system that uses “power nodes” to unlock features of Isaac’s suit and weaponry, Dead Space provides players with a unique way to play the game, making for a different run every time. Players can upgrade Isaac’s abilities (such as time-slowing stasis, or the ability to breathe longer in zero-gravity areas), as well as the abilities of weaponry (such as bigger clips, and higher damage rates).

Dead Space has a great way of keeping players on their toes with the scare factor. Enemies will break out of seemingly nowhere, and chase Isaac mercilessly. The game is not for the faint-hearted, I will admit. For about the first month I was playing the game I couldn’t play in complete darkness like I usually am able to. Dead Space did a great job of keeping me on my toes.

With a price tag of about $18, Dead Space is a great game under $20 to own. With the release of Dead Space 2 on the way later this month, it’s a great time to try out the series to see if it fits your gaming style. I recommend this game to any of you out there who like interesting, unique games, survival horror, and/or sci-fi games. It’s a great buy that I strongly believe you won’t regret.

Until next week my fellow money-saving gamers!

The 2010 year has been described by some as “the worst year in gaming releases.” I can see where that statement comes from, based off sales numbers, but I also have my own beliefs about that statement. While this year has been what some call a “bust”, there have been a few titles that have arrived on the scene that completely blew me away. Here is a look at my top five favorite video game releases of 2010.

Red Dead Redemption

From the minute I picked up Red Dead, I was hooked. I had played the Grand Theft Auto games before, but I never had much likeness for them. When I picked this game up I was thinking, “Oh, this is gonna be another free roam game where it gets boring quick.” I was so wrong. I immediately fell in love with the graphics, characters, and storyline of Red Dead. I followed John through each mission, felt the struggle he faced, and found it hard to put the controller down. Once I saw the ending of the game, though, things completely changed. I was furious, and almost didn’t want to play anymore. The game was so good that, once it got me into it, I didn’t want to get out.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

I used to play World of Warcraft avidly about a year and a half ago. With the announcement of Cataclysm, the latest expansion to the MMO, my interest was sparked and I decided to take a peek back into what once consumed my being. The game was completely changed, classes were re-mapped, and overall Blizzard made the game more easily accessible to returning/first time players. Leveling is faster, quests are more concise, and with the new races the game has really taken off. I created myself a worgen and I couldn’t get away from my PC. I have a major fascination with werewolf lore, and Blizzard has done an amazing job with weaving the storyline of the worgen into their popular game. With the new changes and easier accessibility, World of Warcraft has changed for the better.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

When we got Black Ops in for review, needless to say I was excited. Ever since the game’s first announcements I had been anxious to try out the new shooter. I didn’t know too much about Treyarch, but they did a good job with marketing the new CoD, and taking something we all knew and turning it on its end. The campaign drew me in like no other I had experienced. I found myself talking about the characters and looking into their stories online. The storyline of the game was magnificent as well. The writers took what we think we know about a crucial time in American history, and they sneakily stitched in some fiction of their own to create a story which causes us to question what we think we know about our country. The multiplayer was completely overhauled, and it was all in good measure. The new multiplayer modes drew me in and actually made me want to play, instead of forcing me to ask myself, “Wow, do I really wanna take all kinds of crap from a video game tonight?” I still play Black Ops right now, and I will for a while.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

I saw Scott Pilgrim in theaters not knowing anything about the history it has. I knew not of the comic, the storyline, or the amazing world it contained. Once I did see the movie I was consumed. I enjoyed the idea behind the whole story that love is such a powerful feeling that it compels people into doing literally anything for one another. The vintage video game references, the awesome characters, and the music that followed made the movie and the game such a great must-have for any gamer out there. When I downloaded the game to review, I had no idea that I would still play it months later. I’ve always been a fan of side-scrolling beat-em-ups, since way back in the River City Ransom days. With characters I already knew, a storyline that was familiar, and gameplay that kept me interested, Scott Pilgrim vs The World turned out to be one of the best purchases I have made. The game received an update and DLC that made it even better for all players. It’s a great game for my friends and I to sit down with and enjoy. The soundtrack makes the game extremely energetic and even more interesting to play. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is just an all around great game, and one of my definite favorites.

Heavy Rain

Heavy Rain. I had heard things, great things about this game, but I had never given it a chance. One night I just decided to check it out and take it home, and I am so glad I did. I will just go ahead and say it: Heavy Rain is quite possibly the best game I have ever played, and I think it is the best game out for the PS3 right now. I have never seen or played another game like it. The characters are so believable, so real that you can’t help but feel like you’re right next to them when you play the game. Heavy Rain’s storyline follows a man named Ethan Mars who loses one of his sons early on in the game. As the game progresses, you set out to discover the identity of a murderer known as the “Origami Killer.” The game is extremely interactive, and before you know it you’re no longer a part of the real world – you’re acting in the world of Heavy Rain. I remember at one point, as I was playing, my character – Ethan at the time – was looking for his son. You could press the “X” button to make him call out his son’s name. He was in a mall, surrounded by shoppers, and his son was nowhere to be found. I kept hitting the “X” button to call out, and little did I know that I was yelling his son’s name at the tv at the same time. That’s how involved Heavy Rain gets its players. The graphics in the game are beautifully rendered, and it’s such a joy to watch. I am so glad I got to play this game, and I really hope more like it are on the way.

All in all this year has had some disappointments, but some stand tall among the wreckage. These are my top favorites, how about yours?

Now I don’t normally review game demos, but after playing the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 demo more, I just had to give my opinion on it.

I played through the demo and was blown away, literally. Starkiller looked at me, and Force Pushed me off the couch and through the kitchen wall. The new game incorporates new techniques, powers, and abilities that made my head spin.

A whole new gaming element is shown in the first level of the game. We see Starkiller burst through a window, and a falling sequence ensues. I was in control of Starkiller, and the goal was to use the Force Push ability to destroy obstacles in his way in order for him to land safely at the bottom. The controls were smooth, and created very much a “ooh, ah” feeling.

One of the most interesting and cool abilities was the “Mind Control” ability. During a part of the level, Starkiller comes upon a Stormtrooper guarding a hallway. Using the Mind Control power, Starkiller convinces and forces the Stormtrooper to literally throw himself out of a window to his death.

The gameplay makes Starkiller a more believable character as well. All while he is struggling to fend off troops, he is yelling to them, “I am warning you! I don’t want to do this! Just leave me alone!” The dialogue really shows the pain that Starkiller is going through.

I really urge you, go download the demo. Play the life out of it, and don’t put it down until The Force Unleashed 2 hits on October 26th.

So I just checked out the new Sonic 4 game on XBLA, and I decided to write up an opinion piece to offer my thoughts on the game. I have always been a fan of the Sonic games. The music is enticing, and the storyline is pretty good. I didn’t play a lot of the miscellaneous Sonic titles like Sonic Heroes, or the other ones for the Gamecube or whatever. I stuck mainly to the mainstream Sega titles, and even play them still to this day. When I started the Sonic 4 trial, I was very happy to see what I had hoped for.

The graphics are pretty awesome. It took me all the way back to the original Sonic, but the game incorporates the nuances from the later titles. The graphics and music are retro Sonic, but the “down A” spin is there. A lot of the game mechanics such as spinners, bumpers, and enemy design date back to the original Sonic, but the game is still very updated.

I absolutely loved what I was able to play. I would recommend this game to any Sonic fan, and to anyone who is looking for a genuinely fun game to play. I had a lot of fun with it, and I believe you all will too.