Spore has only been out since September 1st, but it's already becoming the most pirated game ever.  Gamers are enraged by the DRM issues created by EA - even if you purchased the game legally, you can only install it up to three times.  While the move was supposed to deter piracy and encourage retail sales of the game, it has done the opposite.  Pirates are justified by their own ethics, and gamers who would normally purchase the game are falling to the dark side.  Comments and message boards around the internet are trying to rally a movement - some are even downloading the game several times just to inflate statistics.

But in the words of Geordi La Forge on Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it.  Lots of people around the net have something to say, citing mediocre reception, karmic justice for EA, and of course the promise of unlimited installs that piracy has in their reasons for making Spore the most pirated game ever. 

"It’s the most disappointing title I’ve played since Black & White, it’s a collection of poor minigames to start with, a space game that’s neither hard core enough for most gamers or simple enough for the average The Sims player and some nice creator tools and er, that’s it." -comment from videogaming247

"I pirated this game because 1 - I'm a broke-ass teen and 2 - out of spite." -comment from Digg

"Spore is one of the first games that deserves to be pirated by even those who can afford it, and would have bought it legitimately, like me. EA just created a whole new breed of pirates. Nice going!" -comment from Digg

"The only people who change DRM are those who BUY the product?????

Yeah freaking' right! My ass they do. By complying with their wishes, people send the signal that they don't care if the DRM is bullshit But if you want to believe what you say, go right ahead. EA will just laugh as they take your money while sticking a rod up your ass. They don't give a crap about anything any of their customers say, unless they realize it will HURT SALES.

When they find out DRM is driving people TOWARDS piracy or just plain out not buying the game, THEN they'll listen to your complaints. NOT the other way around. It takes money to make them move - forward, backward, sideways, you name it." -comment from thepiratebay

"You know all this talk from pirates about DRM is well founded.  We can sit here all day long and say that everyone needs to just buy the game, but the problem is that game companies are making owning PC games more and more of a burden by weighing down the product with unnecessary bullshit. Period.
  There is NO need to have this game be authenticated and given an install counter for f%&*s sakes, that's ridiculous. DRM *is* bullshit. Companies cannot have it both ways.

If they want my money, they better be prepared to give me the goddamn game not a rental version with the power to be revoked instantaneously on their whim.  I felt the same way about iTunes and not being able to move audio files at will.

Things will be pirated anyway just because we are cheap and paying $60 for a game is ridiculous in the first place. I remember when new games were like $40 tops. And they were good games! When I "pirate" games, I do so because I have a hunch that the game is not up to par and would be a waste of money anyways like most new games are.

When companies start making worthwhile games, piracy will drop considerably I think.  Until then, screw em. " -comment from thepiratebay

The Backlash

- Spore is averaging 1.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com due to over 2,000 votes at one star.  Is EA listening yet?
- People are making Spore creatures to creatively and artistically show their feelings.  At least the penis monsters have slowed down.

I remember the gold old days when games like Golden Axe, Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, etc could entertain a group of my friends and me for hours.  Now, thanks to The Behemoth, Castle Crashers was released.  The graphics are nice and simple (all hand drawn).  At 1200 points to download, it's roughly $15 for this game.  That's pretty cheap compared to those $50-$60 games out there now.

The game play is amazingly addictive.  It's a pretty simple hack n' slash game where you basically keep pushing a button or two.  I downloaded it the day it was released hoping I didn't waste my money, and I'll have you know it was well worth the money.  I sat in front of my Xbox 360 playing Castle Crashers for hours and hours on single player.  I kept waiting for more of my friends to buy the game so we could play multiplayer mode.  Two days later I had beaten the game with three characters, gotten all the animal orbs (pets), and managed to get the red knight to lvl 99.  You'd think after that I'd be tired of the game, but no...I just wait for a friend to call, tell me to get on and I'm online playing.

So go download your copy of Castle Crashers and send me your gamertag and let's crash some castles. 

It's fairly old news that you can download, burn, and play Xbox360 Backups by modifying your firmware.  Most Xboxers avoid piracy anyways since Microsoft has had no qualms about banning your console from LIVE when they detect a modified system.  Others stick to playing just single player games which don't connect to LIVE. It was always a mystery how exactly Microsoft determined that you had an illicit copy but one sure fire way to let them know is by playing a leaked copy days before the release date.  Rock Band 2's release date on the 360 is September 14, however you can grab a leaked copy on the internet today.  The question is, should you play it before the release date?  One gamer gets to find out if Harmonix is a jokester or a snitch...

This Pac-Man made-for-YouTube-movie shows you what it's like for the ghosts.  I must say I sympathize a lot more with Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde after seeing this.  Now this is how live-action crossovers should be!

Our fellow gamers over at Warcry Networks  are giving away free 10-day keys to the Warhammer Online Beta.  I'm not much of an MMORPGer but I hear it's better than WoW.  It's free so you have nothing to lose except maybe some extra spam in your inbox  (so I would reccomend using a secondary email address).  Grab it HERE .

You know that TV show The Biggest Loser, where contestants compete in a weight loss competition?  Well cheaters at the game Wii Fit probably won't be losing much except their dignity.  Regardless, wired.com gave the blogosphere some insight on how to go Game Shark on Nintendo's Wii Fit.

Run: Jogging in place with a Wiimote in your back pocket isn't really going to buff you up anyway, so why not lie on the couch while you "work out"? When prompted to run, bounce the pointer end of the Wiimote against your leg at a steady clip.

The Jackknife Crunch: This move involves lifting your shoulders and legs off the ground — great for the abs. For a workout you can stomach more easily, sit on the couch with the Wii balance board beneath your soles. Lift up your feet when prompted. Bask in the AI's praise.

 Great advice for anyone who wants to impress people with inflated Wii Fit scores...and fat gamers living in denial!

I dreaded the day this would come.  It's bad enough that Dragon Ball exists at all, and it's even worse that the series is bastardized, watered-down, and dubbed on Cartoon Network.  As if Dragon Ball wasn't annoying enough, some nimrods decided it would be a good idea to make a live-action flick out of it.  Originally a manga-turned-anime known for long, drawn out grunting scenes, minimal character development and uber-thin plot sequences that only advance about every 10 episodes, the Dragon Ball series somehow brainwashed a legion of idiotic followers - pundits believe it's the "perfect mainstream manga."

It's no secret that hordes of DB fanboys love wasting their money on mediocre Dragon Ball video games.  Any game with "Dragon Ball" or "Budokai" in it is a guaranteed 10 million seller at the very least.  It's sickening.

But while the series has made a successful crossover spanning different media types (mangas, animes, video games), the caveat here is that live-action movies can potentially get ugly when things aren't originally in live-action form.  Need I remind anyone of the Super Mario Bros. movie?  Whoops, just did. 

Let's delve a little deeper, shall we?  One of DB's most popular characters, Piccolo, looks like a total freak.  He reminds me of Roark Junior, aka That Yellow Bastard from Sin City.  Um, is this a joke?  I don't hear any kamehameha's.  I foresee him molesting a pre-pubescent Gohan.  No doubt, live-action Piccolo looks like vomit.

This film looks like it's setting itself up for an epic failure.  It certainly does not look promising, but then again, anything bearing the words "Dragon Ball" rarely does.  I can't wait to trash this movie after it comes out...and I'm a diehard Chow Yun Fat fan (cast as Master Roshi).

Usually when you see a blog post about video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki, it's about something lewd - like a sexual harassment scandal with a female employee, or the titilating excess of Dead or Alive 3.  But this time around, Itagaki will have the last laugh.  His former boss at Tecmo resigned after multiple lawsuits tarnished his image and reputation, in a midst of corporate scandal.  

Itagaki left Tecmo claiming they owed him bonuses for his work in Dead or Alive IV, citing they had an agreement which the company ultimately did not honor.  Dozens of similarly disgruntled employees left after him.

What does this mean for gamers?  Well hopefully we can look forward to a return to form for Itagaki's work - perhaps he'll go back to Tecmo or start his own group with some ex-Tecmo employees.  The world clearly needs this man, if not just for his being an Ekin Cheng doppleganger.