Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium

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Summer 2009 (Part 7) - A Long, Long Time Ago In A Timeline Far, Far Away
Star Wars: Hyperspace Clash

Star Wars: Hyperspace Clash is a space shooter game with many similarities to OTL's Rogue Squadron and Rogue Leader. Taking place between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Hyperspace Clash features Luke Skywalker as a member of Rogue Squadron, battling it out against the deadly TIE Fighters and capital ships of the Empire on various missions throughout the galaxy. The game also introduces several new characters to the series as NPCs, both on the Rebellion side and on the Empire side. The basic gameplay is similar to typical shooter titles, with the player piloting an X-Wing into battle. The player can customize their X-Wing with a variety of weapons and defensive tools using money earned in combat, and can also enhance R2-D2's abilities as well, allowing him to activate shields or repair the ship more quickly. Luke can also use various Force powers to enhance his combat abilities in dogfights. The player is also able to have a variety of wingmen, from series stalwarts like Wedge Antilles and Han Solo to new characters like capable young Force-sensitive Flagg Condon or the technically inclined Mira Lazmarat. Each of the wingmen has their own stories, and the player can choose from several branching paths in order to learn more about those characters and help fight their battles. While Darth Vader makes numerous appearances, the game's primary antagonist is the ruthless Gaxoth Strilliax, a mercenary turned diehard Empire supporter who once had a good heart but ultimately lost his way after a series of personal tragedies. Gaxoth is sort of presented as an alternate version of how Han Solo could have gone, with contrasts drawn on numerous occasions between the two characters. Of the game's sixteen main story missions and 14 optional side missions, each mission has at least two objectives which must be completed, with some having as many as seven. The player is scored based on their mission performance, with a medal being earned for each successful objective completed, in a system not unlike the scoring system for OTL's Bayonetta. In addition to the basic performance medal, players can also earn unique medals depending on certain hidden objectives, with over 200 in all to collect across the game's 30 total missions. These collectable medals enhance the game's replay value and encourage player experimentation. Hyperspace Clash features some of the Sapphire's best graphics to date, with gorgeous animation and vivid scenery very reminiscent of the films themselves, giving the game a definite "playing the movie" feel. The game's voice acting features Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke Skywalker and James Earl Jones as Vader, though Harrison Ford doesn't play Han Solo. Other voice actors include Peter Giles as the voice of Gaxoth, Seth Green as the voice of Flagg, and Cat Taber as the voice of Mira. The game's soundtrack, though not composed by John Williams, is still epic and symphonic and tries to capture the feel of the films themselves. The plot of Hyperspace Clash sees Luke and his Rogue Squadron flying missions over various planets to liberate them from the Empire or defend rebel bases from Imperial invasion. There are also numerous space battles, in which the small but skilled squadron flies missions to sabotage capital ships by blitzing past their escorts and dealing major damage to the main ships. Gaxoth appears a few missions in, sent to take down Rogue Squadron after they inflict a key defeat on the Empire by blowing up a Super Star Destroyer over an occupied planet. Gaxoth proves every bit Luke's equal, and only Luke's use of the Force is able to prevent him from being completely outclassed. Tragedy strikes after Gaxoth kills one of Luke's wingmen (not one of the eight possible escort wingmen that the player can pick, but an NPC wingman who appeared in numerous cutscenes and who Luke and other members of the squad had bonded with). Luke wants revenge, but Obi-Wan's force ghost appears and tells Luke that a Jedi doesn't seek revenge, and that Luke must not let his hatred turn him to the Dark Side of the Force, which he's been tempted to tap into to defeat Gaxoth. Eventually, the final battle takes place on a cold planet rotating around a dying sun, in which Rogue Squadron must cover the evacuation of a Rebel base. The Empire scores a major victory after destroying part of the base, but after a huge Rebel army arrives, the Empire is forced to back off, allowing the Rebellion to cover part of the evacuation. However, Gaxoth appears, and opens fire on the escaping rebels. Gaxoth then flies off alone toward a capital ship in which Princess Leia and the rebel leaders are observing the battle. Luke and a single wingman go to cut Gaxoth off, and after a heated dogfight, it's just Luke and Gaxoth. Gaxoth decides to kamikaze the ship, only for Luke to reach out to him using the Force and try to reason with him. Luke can see the pain Gaxoth has endured, and tries to get him to turn from the Empire. Gaxoth decides that instead of trying to destroy the capital ship, he'll attack Luke instead, and a final one on one clash of ships ensues. Luke asks Gaxoth if there's no other way, and when Gaxoth refuses to back down, Luke is forced to destroy him, saving the Rebellion and defeating the Empire's best pilot. The Rebellion has gained momentum, and a few ending cutscenes set up the events of Empire Strikes Back.

Hyperspace Clash is released exclusively for the Nintendo Sapphire on August 25, 2009. Considered one of the best Star Wars space shooters ever made, the game is almost unanimously praised by critics, with its biggest criticism being the lack of a multiplayer mode. The campaign is considered excellent and endlessly replayable, and the graphics, music, and voice acting all get high marks. Following the success of KOTOR II, Clone Wars, and Hyperspace Clash, Star Wars video games are on a major hot streak, and the next few games on both PC and console are highly anticipated. Star Wars is still an incredibly popular commodity, and fans eagerly await news about the next entry in the series. Of course, even before the release of Hyperspace Clash, Star Wars fans have had a major glut of good news to enjoy...

-

"While no announcement was made at E3, LucasArts has announced that yes, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will indeed be getting a sequel. 2008's excellent and highly popular video game, which introduced the character of Ahsoka Tano and allowed players to hack and slash their way through a crucial era of series history, sold millions of copies, and according to LucasArts, a sequel is already in development and the game is targeting a release sometime next year. The game will continue Ahsoka's story as she and her master, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, continue to battle for the Republic and seek out the elusive Sith.

LucasArts also hinted at a game that's been the holy grail of Star Wars fans for the last decade: an MMORPG. In a recent interview with a Star Wars fansite, LucasArts game development staffer Robert Yeklund claimed that numerous ideas for a potential Star Wars MMORPG have been tossed around, but that it hasn't been agreed upon whether the game should focus on ship-to-ship combat or individual heroes. Star Trek Online focused mainly on ship combat, while popular sci-fi MMORPG Phantasy Star Online has individual heroes teaming up to battle cosmic threats. Yeklund said that he has a personal preference, but didn't reveal it in the interview. He then went on to state that his team is 'focusing in' on a possible blueprint for the game, but that while he's looking forward to working on a Star Wars MMO, it didn't look like it would be ready to play for 'at least three more years'. Hearing that LucasArts wants to make such a game is definitely encouraging, but we don't expect to hear much else about a Star Wars MMORPG for quite a long time. In the meantime, fans still have a lot to look forward to, with Hyperspace Clash hitting next month and Clone Wars II on the horizon, along with Star Wars: Legions Of The Forgotten coming later this year to PC."

-from an article in the August 2009 issue of GameInformer magazine

-

Star Wars Ultimate Fan Panel: Join a variety of beloved Star Wars actors, authors, and crew members to discuss all things Star Wars, including exciting new plans for the franchise in the next decade. If you love the films, the books, the comics, the games, or the collectibles, this is the panel for you. Will include a Q+A session. Space is limited to 500 truly dedicated Star Wars fans, so reserve your seat early!
-from the SDCC 2009 description of the main Star Wars panel, which was advertised as a general panel for Star Wars fans in which future series material would be discussed

-

Moderator: Now that everyone is here, and everyone is seated, and we're all hyped up to talk about everything Star Wars, we do have a very special guest who will be joining the panel. Would everyone please welcome the legendary film director and creator of Star Wars *the crowd gasps and starts cheering*, Mr. George Lucas!

*The crowd goes wild as George Lucas enters the room from a secret door and makes his way up to the panel, joining Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and the other assembled guests. Lucas pauses for a moment to soak in the crowd reaction before taking his seat. After he talks for a bit about the series and how excited he is for all the new material coming out, and hypes up Hyperspace Clash a bit, he says he has another announcement to make.*

George Lucas: So, um, there's this other thing I've been working on, called, uh, Star Wars: Episode VII...

*The logo appears on screen and the crowd goes absolutely ballistic, cheering wildly, standing up and applauding and screaming for more than a minute.*

Lucas: *after the applause finally dies down* We're in the early stages of production for a tentative release month of December 2011... there will be three films, with Episode VII coming in 2014 and Episode IX coming in 2017... 20th Century Fox will be making them, and for Episode VII, a very good friend of mine is going to be directing... he didn't want to do it at first but I kind of talked him into it, and uh... he didn't want to be here today for this panel, but I kind of talked him into it...

*Steven Spielberg enters the room from the same entrance as Lucas, drawing an even bigger reaction from the crowd, with somebody yelling "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" at the top of his lungs, which makes Spielberg chuckle. Lucas and Spielberg hug, and the crowd cheers even more.*

Spielberg: I wish people cheered Jurassic Park like this.

Lucas: *laughs*

-from the "Star Wars Ultimate Fan Panel" at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, on July 25, 2009
 
Star Wars: Hyperspace Clash

Star Wars: Hyperspace Clash is a space shooter game with many similarities to OTL's Rogue Squadron and Rogue Leader. Taking place between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, Hyperspace Clash features Luke Skywalker as a member of Rogue Squadron, battling it out against the deadly TIE Fighters and capital ships of the Empire on various missions throughout the galaxy. The game also introduces several new characters to the series as NPCs, both on the Rebellion side and on the Empire side. The basic gameplay is similar to typical shooter titles, with the player piloting an X-Wing into battle. The player can customize their X-Wing with a variety of weapons and defensive tools using money earned in combat, and can also enhance R2-D2's abilities as well, allowing him to activate shields or repair the ship more quickly. Luke can also use various Force powers to enhance his combat abilities in dogfights. The player is also able to have a variety of wingmen, from series stalwarts like Wedge Antilles and Han Solo to new characters like capable young Force-sensitive Flagg Condon or the technically inclined Mira Lazmarat. Each of the wingmen has their own stories, and the player can choose from several branching paths in order to learn more about those characters and help fight their battles. While Darth Vader makes numerous appearances, the game's primary antagonist is the ruthless Gaxoth Strilliax, a mercenary turned diehard Empire supporter who once had a good heart but ultimately lost his way after a series of personal tragedies. Gaxoth is sort of presented as an alternate version of how Han Solo could have gone, with contrasts drawn on numerous occasions between the two characters. Of the game's sixteen main story missions and 14 optional side missions, each mission has at least two objectives which must be completed, with some having as many as seven. The player is scored based on their mission performance, with a medal being earned for each successful objective completed, in a system not unlike the scoring system for OTL's Bayonetta. In addition to the basic performance medal, players can also earn unique medals depending on certain hidden objectives, with over 200 in all to collect across the game's 30 total missions. These collectable medals enhance the game's replay value and encourage player experimentation. Hyperspace Clash features some of the Sapphire's best graphics to date, with gorgeous animation and vivid scenery very reminiscent of the films themselves, giving the game a definite "playing the movie" feel. The game's voice acting features Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke Skywalker and James Earl Jones as Vader, though Harrison Ford doesn't play Han Solo. Other voice actors include Peter Giles as the voice of Gaxoth, Seth Green as the voice of Flagg, and Cat Taber as the voice of Mira. The game's soundtrack, though not composed by John Williams, is still epic and symphonic and tries to capture the feel of the films themselves. The plot of Hyperspace Clash sees Luke and his Rogue Squadron flying missions over various planets to liberate them from the Empire or defend rebel bases from Imperial invasion. There are also numerous space battles, in which the small but skilled squadron flies missions to sabotage capital ships by blitzing past their escorts and dealing major damage to the main ships. Gaxoth appears a few missions in, sent to take down Rogue Squadron after they inflict a key defeat on the Empire by blowing up a Super Star Destroyer over an occupied planet. Gaxoth proves every bit Luke's equal, and only Luke's use of the Force is able to prevent him from being completely outclassed. Tragedy strikes after Gaxoth kills one of Luke's wingmen (not one of the eight possible escort wingmen that the player can pick, but an NPC wingman who appeared in numerous cutscenes and who Luke and other members of the squad had bonded with). Luke wants revenge, but Obi-Wan's force ghost appears and tells Luke that a Jedi doesn't seek revenge, and that Luke must not let his hatred turn him to the Dark Side of the Force, which he's been tempted to tap into to defeat Gaxoth. Eventually, the final battle takes place on a cold planet rotating around a dying sun, in which Rogue Squadron must cover the evacuation of a Rebel base. The Empire scores a major victory after destroying part of the base, but after a huge Rebel army arrives, the Empire is forced to back off, allowing the Rebellion to cover part of the evacuation. However, Gaxoth appears, and opens fire on the escaping rebels. Gaxoth then flies off alone toward a capital ship in which Princess Leia and the rebel leaders are observing the battle. Luke and a single wingman go to cut Gaxoth off, and after a heated dogfight, it's just Luke and Gaxoth. Gaxoth decides to kamikaze the ship, only for Luke to reach out to him using the Force and try to reason with him. Luke can see the pain Gaxoth has endured, and tries to get him to turn from the Empire. Gaxoth decides that instead of trying to destroy the capital ship, he'll attack Luke instead, and a final one on one clash of ships ensues. Luke asks Gaxoth if there's no other way, and when Gaxoth refuses to back down, Luke is forced to destroy him, saving the Rebellion and defeating the Empire's best pilot. The Rebellion has gained momentum, and a few ending cutscenes set up the events of Empire Strikes Back.

Hyperspace Clash is released exclusively for the Nintendo Sapphire on August 25, 2009. Considered one of the best Star Wars space shooters ever made, the game is almost unanimously praised by critics, with its biggest criticism being the lack of a multiplayer mode. The campaign is considered excellent and endlessly replayable, and the graphics, music, and voice acting all get high marks. Following the success of KOTOR II, Clone Wars, and Hyperspace Clash, Star Wars video games are on a major hot streak, and the next few games on both PC and console are highly anticipated. Star Wars is still an incredibly popular commodity, and fans eagerly await news about the next entry in the series. Of course, even before the release of Hyperspace Clash, Star Wars fans have had a major glut of good news to enjoy...

-

"While no announcement was made at E3, LucasArts has announced that yes, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will indeed be getting a sequel. 2008's excellent and highly popular video game, which introduced the character of Ahsoka Tano and allowed players to hack and slash their way through a crucial era of series history, sold millions of copies, and according to LucasArts, a sequel is already in development and the game is targeting a release sometime next year. The game will continue Ahsoka's story as she and her master, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, continue to battle for the Republic and seek out the elusive Sith.

LucasArts also hinted at a game that's been the holy grail of Star Wars fans for the last decade: an MMORPG. In a recent interview with a Star Wars fansite, LucasArts game development staffer Robert Yeklund claimed that numerous ideas for a potential Star Wars MMORPG have been tossed around, but that it hasn't been agreed upon whether the game should focus on ship-to-ship combat or individual heroes. Star Trek Online focused mainly on ship combat, while popular sci-fi MMORPG Phantasy Star Online has individual heroes teaming up to battle cosmic threats. Yeklund said that he has a personal preference, but didn't reveal it in the interview. He then went on to state that his team is 'focusing in' on a possible blueprint for the game, but that while he's looking forward to working on a Star Wars MMO, it didn't look like it would be ready to play for 'at least three more years'. Hearing that LucasArts wants to make such a game is definitely encouraging, but we don't expect to hear much else about a Star Wars MMORPG for quite a long time. In the meantime, fans still have a lot to look forward to, with Hyperspace Clash hitting next month and Clone Wars II on the horizon, along with Star Wars: Legions Of The Forgotten coming later this year to PC."

-from an article in the August 2009 issue of GameInformer magazine

-

Star Wars Ultimate Fan Panel: Join a variety of beloved Star Wars actors, authors, and crew members to discuss all things Star Wars, including exciting new plans for the franchise in the next decade. If you love the films, the books, the comics, the games, or the collectibles, this is the panel for you. Will include a Q+A session. Space is limited to 500 truly dedicated Star Wars fans, so reserve your seat early!
-from the SDCC 2009 description of the main Star Wars panel, which was advertised as a general panel for Star Wars fans in which future series material would be discussed

-

Moderator: Now that everyone is here, and everyone is seated, and we're all hyped up to talk about everything Star Wars, we do have a very special guest who will be joining the panel. Would everyone please welcome the legendary film director and creator of Star Wars *the crowd gasps and starts cheering*, Mr. George Lucas!

*The crowd goes wild as George Lucas enters the room from a secret door and makes his way up to the panel, joining Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and the other assembled guests. Lucas pauses for a moment to soak in the crowd reaction before taking his seat. After he talks for a bit about the series and how excited he is for all the new material coming out, and hypes up Hyperspace Clash a bit, he says he has another announcement to make.*

George Lucas: So, um, there's this other thing I've been working on, called, uh, Star Wars: Episode VII...

*The logo appears on screen and the crowd goes absolutely ballistic, cheering wildly, standing up and applauding and screaming for more than a minute.*

Lucas: *after the applause finally dies down* We're in the early stages of production for a tentative release month of December 2011... there will be three films, with Episode VII coming in 2014 and Episode IX coming in 2017... 20th Century Fox will be making them, and for Episode VII, a very good friend of mine is going to be directing... he didn't want to do it at first but I kind of talked him into it, and uh... he didn't want to be here today for this panel, but I kind of talked him into it...

*Steven Spielberg enters the room from the same entrance as Lucas, drawing an even bigger reaction from the crowd, with somebody yelling "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" at the top of his lungs, which makes Spielberg chuckle. Lucas and Spielberg hug, and the crowd cheers even more.*

Spielberg: I wish people cheered Jurassic Park like this.

Lucas: *laughs*

-from the "Star Wars Ultimate Fan Panel" at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, on July 25, 2009

I #@$!%&# CALLED IT!
 
Moderator: Now that everyone is here, and everyone is seated, and we're all hyped up to talk about everything Star Wars, we do have a very special guest who will be joining the panel. Would everyone please welcome the legendary film director and creator of Star Wars *the crowd gasps and starts cheering*, Mr. George Lucas!

*The crowd goes wild as George Lucas enters the room from a secret door and makes his way up to the panel, joining Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and the other assembled guests. Lucas pauses for a moment to soak in the crowd reaction before taking his seat. After he talks for a bit about the series and how excited he is for all the new material coming out, and hypes up Hyperspace Clash a bit, he says he has another announcement to make.*

George Lucas: So, um, there's this other thing I've been working on, called, uh, Star Wars: Episode VII...

*The logo appears on screen and the crowd goes absolutely ballistic, cheering wildly, standing up and applauding and screaming for more than a minute.*

Lucas: *after the applause finally dies down* We're in the early stages of production for a tentative release month of December 2011... there will be three films, with Episode VII coming in 2014 and Episode IX coming in 2017... 20th Century Fox will be making them, and for Episode VII, a very good friend of mine is going to be directing... he didn't want to do it at first but I kind of talked him into it, and uh... he didn't want to be here today for this panel, but I kind of talked him into it...

*Steven Spielberg enters the room from the same entrance as Lucas, drawing an even bigger reaction from the crowd, with somebody yelling ***************** at the top of his lungs, which makes Spielberg chuckle. Lucas and Spielberg hug, and the crowd cheers even more.*

Spielberg: I wish people cheered Jurassic Park like this.

Lucas: *laughs*

-from the "Star Wars Ultimate Fan Panel" at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, on July 25, 2009

Can't be worse than Johnson's Episode VIII (why won't they just remake it and delay IX for two more years)
 
Can't be worse than Johnson's Episode VIII (why won't they just remake it and delay IX for two more years)
I sincerely apologize to everyone who hates Episode VIII on legitimate grounds, for their continued association with a pack of lunatics, who hate Episode VIII merely as a vessel for legitimizing their grievances against various people whom they disagree with.
 
Summer 2009 (Part 8) - The Long, Hot Summer
The Changing Face Of Retail

As the ongoing recession continues to cut into Americans' discretionary income and unemployment continues to rise, retail continues to be the sector on the front lines of the continuing economic turmoil. Giant discount chains like Walmart, Kmart, and Target are feeling the pinch, and the first major retail domino has fallen as American icon Sears has entered into liquidation. The massive retail chain, which began experiencing a decline in the 1980s which only accelerated in the 90s and beyond, wasn't able to adapt to the changing retail landscape. The Sears catalog, which used to be a window to the retail world for millions of American shoppers, ended its publication run in the mid-90s, and even though iconic company brands such as Craftsman and Kenmore kept shoppers visiting stores, it wasn't enough to keep the company going. With prices that just couldn't compete with rivals, and most of its locations in shopping malls (which themselves have seen better days), Sears was overtaken by its competitors, and the advent of online retail over the past decade was the last nail in the coffin. The early 2000s saw Sears attempting to acquire Target in an effort to save its dying brand, but investors couldn't raise enough capital, and Target, which is now the #2 brick-and-mortar retailer in America, had grown too large to acquire. Sears itself was nearly acquired by online retailer Luminari, a company started in 1997 by businessman Eddie Lampert, but Sears staved off the hostile takeover bid, and Luminari itself filed for bankruptcy last year after once being the #2 online retailer behind Amazon. All Sears locations will be shuttered by the end of the year after liquidating their remaining inventory and fixtures. Meanwhile, the Big Three remain, at least for the moment, somewhat stable despite declines in share prices and overall revenue for all three of them. Kmart had begun to recover from a rocky period in the early 2000s when the recession hit, and now the company is at somewhat of a crossroads, making a small profit but still less than its primary competitors. Kmart went through a restructuring at the beginning of the decade, in which lower performing businesses were closed, remaining stores were remodeled, and most importantly, the company's inventory system underwent a massive overhaul to enable it to better compete with stores like Walmart. The company also acquired a significant online presence, and began promoting online Blue Light Specials in which items would be marked down significantly, similarly to the in-store specials that helped make the company so massive in the 1980s. The company has also been offering significant discounts on hot-ticket items such as brand-name shoes and new release video games, which companies like Walmart don't typically offer. This has allowed Kmart to acquire new customers to replace the ones lost to their competitors, but the company still has a long way to go. Meanwhile, specialty companies such as Borders and Blockbuster have also expanded their online presence in an effort to survive the tough economic times. Blockbuster is now offering movie streaming and subscription packages, while Borders has begun promoting exclusive book series written by in-house authors in an effort to provide products that Amazon can't.

However, many of these special deals and discounts are coming at a cost, and some employees say that those extra special deals are being paid for with money taken out of their paychecks. While retail employees had seen a steady increase in pay due to the minimum wage increases signed into law by the Gore administration, some employees now blame President Huntsman for a freeze in wage increases and new benefits, claiming that the new government has emboldened employers to offer them less in return for their labor. A group of Walmart employees in Corpus Christi, Texas are accusing the company of wage theft, and popular singer Selena has even gotten involved, turning down an invitation to perform at the company's annual shareholder meeting and publicly citing the company's treatment of its employees as her reason while quoting Cesar Chavez in a post on her official website. A few retail companies have admitted that they have been limiting benefits as of late, but blame the ongoing economic difficulties as the primary factor. However, companies such as Costco, which continues to see strong growth during this period and have added 55 new locations over the past three years, are raising their employees' wages this year, and directly cite the current recession as their reason for doing so, with the company's CEO making the following statement: "We at Costco know that our employees and customers are feeling their wallets pinched during this difficult time. However, that does not diminish our commitment to the hard working employees who make our customers happy every day of the year. That's why we're going to be increasing wages for all employees to help them during this difficult time, and as a thank you for the continued work they do to help our customers." Both Costco and its competitor Sam's Club (a subsidiary of Walmart), are seeing increased profits over the past year as more and more consumers look to save money by buying in bulk, and companies such as McDonald's and Burger King are also seeing increased profits, even as fast casual chains such as Olive Garden and TGI Friday's struggle. In fact, seafood chain Red Lobster has also filed for bankruptcy, with most of their locations expected to close by the end of 2010.

As the economy continues to struggle and consumers continue to scrimp, retail companies will face challenges as America enters its next decade. The companies that survive will be the ones that can adapt to consumers' changing habits and decreased discretionary spending, and the ones that can best take advantage of the economy once it recovers.

-from an article on The Business Beagle, posted on August 1, 2009

-

Jon Huntsman entered the second half of 2009 with a series of successes, both foreign and domestic, but also facing a number of challenges as he continued to try and get his agenda through a friendly but conflicted Congress. He'd helped make peace in Latin America, a peace that would benefit his country economically, and had also guided his country through a major infrastructural disaster, the biggest blackout in world history up to that point. Now, he faced an ongoing fight over health care, and his massive bill was primarily being blocked by one intransigent senator. Nevada's libertarian senator Penn Jillette minced absolutely no words when criticizing the bill, which would require all Americans to get health insurance or face a fine. "Let's face it," said Jillette in an interview on the July 19, 2009 episode of 60 Minutes. "This bill is bullshit." Jillette's use of profanity was bleeped, but the message was crystal clear, and as the Senate got ready to vote on the bill, Jillette let his colleagues know in no uncertain terms that he'd be filibustering Romneycare. And on August 24th, that's what Jillette did. In a marathon 17 hour filibuster, Jillette laid out his reasons why the bill was unconstitutional and why he wouldn't allow it to come to a vote. He used surprisingly little profanity, and when he did, it seemed that it might have just been a slip of the tongue. He was, for the most part, quiet and articulate, but occasionally raised his voice when he was making a point that he was particularly passionate about. However, even as he spoke, he knew that his fight was a lost cause. Republicans in the Senate had the votes. Even with numerous Republicans siding with Jillette and most of the Democrats against the bill, enough Democrats came across the aisle to pass the bill into law, thanks to the large Medicaid expansion which would help people get into high risk pools for those with pre-existing conditions. While the bill's supporters had enough votes for cloture, they agreed to let Jillette say everything he wanted to say, then, by a 64-36 vote, passed the bill. The House had already passed it by a 278-157 margin, and now all it needed was Jon Huntsman's signature, which it got on August 28, 2009. The official name for the bill was the Health Care Access Expansion Act, but many of its detractors and a few of its supporters continued to refer to it as "Romneycare", which Mitt Romney actually admitted to being proud of in an interview soon after the bill's passage. The biggest reform in the bill was the fact that it allowed people to purchase insurance across state lines, and open enrollment for those cross-state exchanges would begin in 2010. The Medicaid expansion would add a massive new financial burden on the government, one that Huntsman would seek to relieve by cutting programs elsewhere.

Huntsman began stressing the need for entitlement reform, something that most Republicans in Congress were on board with, but something that deeply distressed many Democrats. Huntsman claimed that he wouldn't be cutting welfare, merely "streamlining" it, while ensuring that people who benefited from federal programs had a job or were in training to acquire one. His opponents claimed that imposing new work requirements during a time of rapidly rising unemployment was bordering on heartless, but Huntsman responded that these reforms would jump-start the economy by allowing him to pass major tax cuts to allow companies to invest more in new workers, training, and technology. Huntsman clearly had the votes to push his proposals through, but the American people would be far tougher to convince, and if Huntsman wanted to avoid an electoral bloodbath in 2010, he'd have to tread lightly. His proposal to cut military spending, on the other hand, was more popular amongst the American people but less popular in Congress. However, he did find an ally in Penn Jillette, who saw eye to eye with Huntsman on the issue and began leaning on other more libertarian-minded Republican senators to rally up support for the spending cuts. Huntsman stressed that servicemembers' pay and benefits would remain unaffected, and that veterans programs could potentially see an increase in funding if other military spending were cut. Huntsman claimed that the world had become a more peaceful place over the past few years, with Al-Queda nearly destroyed and the threat from groups like the TTP also fading. He cited the warming of relations with Venezuela as a sign that countries that had been traditionally hostile to America were starting to come around to Western ideals, and he even began extending diplomatic feelers toward countries like Iran, which he claimed would be "key to the ongoing efforts at achieving a lasting peace in the Middle East". Iran's current president, the recently elected reformer Mehdi Karroubi, had made improved relations with the West as a major plank of his campaign. A few years ago, after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won election in 2005, it had seemed impossible that someone like Karroubi could achieve power in Iran, but a relative lack of anti-American sentiment during the last several years of the Gore administration had opened the door for a reformer to gain power, and Karroubi and his millions of supporters had seized on the moment. It wasn't quite the "revolution" some Western news organizations had claimed it to be: women's rights were still severely curtailed, and patrols of enforcers still beat and arrested those who defied the country's strict religious laws. However, it was the start of reform in a country that for the last thirty years had been gripped by oppression, and perhaps the beginning of the process of re-instating diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.

Despite promising signs that the Huntsman administration had improved things for many Americans, the economy was still suffering: the Dow Jones Industrial Average had yet to make it back above 10,000, unemployment had reached 11 percent, and inflation, though slowed by the lowering oil prices, still remained somewhat high, putting a damper on consumer purchasing power. It looked to be another season of holiday misery for many of the worst-off Americans, who saw the Huntsman administration not as a promising sign that things were getting better, but as a sign that the rich were continuing to empower themselves at the expense of the poor and working class. While optimism continued to reign throughout Huntsman's first year in office, there was a growing discontent among many, and if things didn't change, that discontent would continue to worsen.

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Katie Couric: On tonight's broadcast, a nightmare in one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, as Caesars Palace in Las Vegas experiences a horrific fire that tore through much of the building's shops and restaurants. Dozens are dead, including world famous Michelin starred chef Gordon Ramsay, and hundreds are injured in the worst disaster the city has experienced since the 1980 MGM Grand fire. Also tonight, a massive terrorist attack averted in Indonesia, with police finding four large explosive devices and foiling an attack that could have rivaled 2006's Islamabad bombing. And also in international news, sentiment for an independent Kurdistan is growing, leading to tensions between Turkey and Iraq, as Iraqi dictator Qusay Hussein launches a fresh round of threats against his country's Kurdish minority and their Turkish supporters. Nightly News begins now.

*Images are shown of people fleeing Caesars Palace as a fire is seen engulfing a large section of the ground floor.*

Couric: It was one of the worst fire disasters in decades, and it happened in seemingly the most unlikely of places: a hotel known for fun and luxury, now the site of a terrible tragedy. Caesars Palace is perhaps the most famous hotel and casino in the world, and for years, it's played hosts to huge concerts, major sporting events, and millions of tourists from around the world. But the fun was tragically interrupted today as a fire broke out in one of the building's restaurants, and spread quickly throughout the complex, catching thousands of people off guard. Dozens are dead, the count currently stands at 58, but hundreds more could have been killed if not for the quick thinking of the building's employees and the numerous off-duty emergency workers who helped people escape the inferno. And now we have late breaking news that Gordon Ramsay, world famous chef known for his bombastic demeanor in the kitchen and for shows such as Hell's Kitchen and The F Word, has died, apparently having been killed in a flashover after helping some of his employees escape the rapidly growing blaze. With more on the disaster and the ongoing efforts to find survivors, here's Susan Lopez, reporting live from Las Vegas, Nevada.

-the opening minute of the August 14, 2009 broadcast of The NBC Nightly News

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Wolf Blitzer: We're going to interrupt our coverage of Senator Jillette's filibuster for a moment, because we have late breaking news out of Indonesia about an assassination attempt on President Megawati Sukarnopatri, recently re-elected after a narrow victory over former president Susilo Yudhoyono. We have word that Sukarnopatri was actually shot and wounded as she exited a hotel she had visited to attend a conference of business executives, she was shot but her wound was not severe and that she's actually just been discharged from the hospital. We're going now to our correspondent in Indonesia, Shawn Atlinger, who actually witnessed the attempt on the president's life as she exited that conference, is that correct?

Atlinger: Wolf, that's correct, I was actually getting ready to ask her a question as she exited the building, and all of a sudden, a man yelling very loudly rushed at the president with a small handgun and fired at her twice before being tackled by her guards.

Blitzer: He yelled before firing?

Atlinger: He yelled and then fired immediately afterward, I saw her get hit in the side and fall to one knee but the bullet didn't actually go through her or even into her, according to authorities the bullet actually hit her and then bounced and hit the building itself, and the other bullet they're saying also went into the building.

Blitzer: Was anyone else hurt? Were you in any danger?

Atlinger: I was actually pretty close to where the shooter came in from, but he fired in a direction completely opposite from me, no one else was hurt by either of the bullets and she actually got up after the bullet hit her, she went down and her guards rushed to her, then she went up and they kind of helped her back down, they didn't want her to stand up because they were worried... we were all worried there might be a second or even a third attacker.

Blitzer: So it sounds to me like she wasn't badly hurt even at the scene, that the bullet might have just grazed her.

Atlinger: I couldn't really see what she was saying after being shot, because her guards swarmed around her, nobody could see her after that and they pushed most of us completely away, so I couldn't see if she was talking at all. No one's telling us anything about what she said immediately after being shot, I asked but no one was willing to tell me.

Blitzer: We're actually showing some footage right now of her coming out of the hospital, and she seems to be in good spirits.

Atlinger: You know, that's what I'm hearing too, that she was treated very quickly and didn't seem to be in any sort of distress while she was being taken to the hospital, but I'm still trying to figure out what exactly she said after being shot.

Blitzer: This of course comes after several weeks of turmoil in Indonesia following her election, we've seen sixteen people killed in recent protests, we've seen attempted terrorist attacks, and this is quite troubling news considering reports that Pakistan's violence has also been flaring up as of late.

Atlinger: You know, President Sukarnopatri is fairly popular here, but there is a very small but very devoted group of people opposed to her, and there's been increased security concerns primarily because of that small group of people. Not necessarily even supporters of her opponent Susilo Yudhoyono, but just radical people who were sort of content with Yudhoyono but believe that Sukarnopatri will bring reforms to the country that they don't want to see put into place.

Blitzer: This latest attack is certainly extremely troubling, and a sign that Indonesia is experiencing a lot of turmoil right now even as a lot of people are celebrating the results of this recent election.

-from an August 24, 2009 broadcast of CNN at 10:17 PM
 
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On one hand, you saved Borders Books.

On the other hand, you killed Red Lobster. Why?! What did those cheddar bay biscuits ever do to you? And do you know how hard it is to get good seafood in the Midwest outside Red Lobster.

Also, something about Star Wars.
 

AeroTheZealousOne

Monthly Donor
All Sears locations will be shuttered by the end of the year after liquidating their remaining inventory and fixtures.

Earlier than IOTL, too, but I'm not sure if there are any around in our timeline anymore, at least in Ohio.

Kmart had begun to recover from a rocky period in the early 2000s when the recession hit, and now the company is at somewhat of a crossroads, making a small profit but still less than its primary competitors. Kmart went through a restructuring at the beginning of the decade, in which lower performing businesses were closed, remaining stores were remodeled, and most importantly, the company's inventory system underwent a massive overhaul to enable it to better compete with stores like Walmart. The company also acquired a significant online presence, and began promoting online Blue Light Specials in which items would be marked down significantly, similarly to the in-store specials that helped make the company so massive in the 1980s. The company has also been offering significant discounts on hot-ticket items such as brand-name shoes and new release video games, which companies like Walmart don't typically offer. This has allowed Kmart to acquire new customers to replace the ones lost to their competitors, but the company still has a long way to go.

It looks like Kmart might make it through the Great Recession intact, but we will have to see.

Borders and Blockbuster

Ooh, they're still around, too! The butterflies do giveth indeed...

fast casual chains such as Olive Garden and TGI Friday's struggle. In fact, seafood chain Red Lobster has also filed for bankruptcy, with most of their

...and they taketh away. 2009 is on track to be the worst year for the culinary world in ages, with this and the death of Gordon Ramsay.

Nevada's libertarian senator Penn Jillette minced absolutely no words when criticizing the bill, which would require all Americans to get health insurance or face a fine. "Let's face it," said Jillette in an interview on the July 19, 2009 episode of 60 Minutes. "This bill is bullshit." Jillette's use of profanity was bleeped, but the message was crystal clear, and as the Senate got ready to vote on the bill, Jillette let his colleagues know in no uncertain terms that he'd be filibustering Romneycare.

Good 'ol Penn Jillette, you really capture him well here, Ry.

2005's Islamabad bombing.

I thought it was 2006...? Typo on your part or gaffe on Katie Couric's?

On the other hand, you killed Red Lobster. Why?! What did those cheddar bay biscuits ever do to you? And do you know how hard it is to get good seafood in the Midwest outside Red Lobster.

Other than at hibachi meals, of course. And to deprive the 2010s and beyond of the taste of cheddar bay biscuits (the only reason anyone ever goes to Red Lobster, let's be frank) is arguably crueler than [insert famous figure or celebrity's death here].
 
Other than at hibachi meals, of course. And to deprive the 2010s and beyond of the taste of cheddar bay biscuits (the only reason anyone ever goes to Red Lobster, let's be frank) is arguably crueler than [insert famous figure or celebrity's death here].

Not the only reason - they have some amazing deserts, and the drinks are good. Plus, the farther away from the coasts you get, Red Lobster is damned near the only place to get seafood at a restaurant and not also get food poisoning.
 
Star Wars? Excellent.

At least Sears' death wasn't so drawn out like OTL, and glad to see ITTL Lampert's online venture went down (and presumably took him with it?) Kmart surviving is a good thing-- considering their remodels does that mean they went for the green prototype they tried in OTL 2002 but didn't go with? It's pretty unique and it could've been a winner.

And while the Caesars' fire is horrible (I'll admit I'm not into cooking shows but from what I've heard Gordon Ramsey is a pretty awesome guy), at least an attempted terrorist attack AND assassination of Indonesia's leader was averted-- gotta balance the good and bad stuff.

As for the whole healthcare thing, not really sure where I'd stand on that.
 
Summer 2009 (Part 9) - Konami Spins Its Wheels (And Deals?)
Castlevania: Peasant Ascension

Castlevania: Peasant Ascension is a 3-D hack and slash/RPG in the Castlevania series, with similar gameplay to the Lament titles of OTL and TTL. It's released for the Apple iTwin and Nintendo Sapphire, and its protagonist is a young peasant man named Ledus Arcana, who rises up against the vampire count oppressing his village. Arcana is motivated to act after the abduction of his beloved fiance as a sacrifice to Count Corvus, the deadly vampire who rules the land and frequently terrorizes the peasants for his own personal pleasure and wealth. Ledus takes up a whip that once belonged to a legendary vampire slayer (implied to be a Belmont) and storms the castle with the help of his fellow peasants in order to battle through the horrors that lay within. The game has some elements of a platformer title, with sections of climbing and jumping in which Ledus must use his whip to traverse gaps and ascend to higher platforms. The game holds true to the Metroidvania gameplay style, with enhancements to Ledus' abilities that gradually allow him to progress further in the castle. As Ledus progresses, battling stronger enemies and members of Corvus' decadent court, he'll rescue prisoners that can grant him equipment and powers and occasionally fight at his side. Ledus' ultimate goal is to rescue his fiance, though he fears she's already been sacrificed. As for Corvus himself, while he's not Dracula, he has many similarities with the ancient vampire count, and toward the end of the game it's revealed that Corvus is communing with him. Ledus will gain levels and stats as he progresses through the castle, in similar fashion to other 2-D and 3-D Castlevania titles. Ledus utilizes different weaponry than the traditional axes and crosses, and it's implied that some of the weaponry, including a broken piece of wood and an incendiary bomb, are improvised by Ledus himself. From time to time, Ledus must return to the village via secret exit portals, in order to help the peasants defend themselves against attack. These segments have the feel of a combination hack and slash/tower defense mode, and while innovative for the series, are considered some of the weaker portions of the game. Overall, Peasant Ascension is considered its best when it falls back on classic series tropes to deliver a solid adventure experience. The game has decent graphics and a strong musical score, but the voice acting is considered a bit hammy, led mostly by unknowns. The plot itself is fairly simplistic and hearkens back to games like The Occulted Circle, in which a progressively stronger series of more powerful and evil villains are defeated. Corvus' motivations aren't explored too strongly, it's implied that he's simply a decadent vampire king who does what he does for the fun of it and not for any sort of noble goal or tragic backstory. As for Ledus and his fiance, Ledus' fiance has indeed been sacrificed, but is able to communicate with Ledus in spirit form, her soul bound to the physical plane by Corvus so that she may be continually tormented. In the end, Ledus defeats Corvus, and then must defeat him again after he summons Dracula and is possessed by him. Defeating Corvus frees Ledus' fiance's soul to ascend to heaven, while the peasants' oppression is ended, and Ledus, heartbroken from the loss of his fiance but satisfied with the freedom of his people, returns to a simple life as a farmer.

Peasant Ascension is released on July 21, 2009. It's considered a middling entry in the Castlevania series, with review scores in the high 7s/low 8s. The game is a solid and fun title for sure, but is seen as an unoriginal entry in the series, with the more original gameplay segments seen as being some of the least fun parts of the game. Sales for the game are mediocre, far below that of Thrillseekers 2, the other major game releasing on that day (Thrillseekers 2 even crushes Peasant Ascension in Japan). While the game is considered a good first seventh-generation title, most critics agree that Konami should innovate the series if it's to remain relevant outside the handheld arena, and that a new style of Castlevania game is needed to shake the series up and bring it to the forefront of the gaming world. While the series' developers have an idea for just such a title, it remains to be seen whether or not Konami allows them to make their vision a reality.

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Goemon And Friends

Goemon And Friends is an action platforming game for the Nintendo Sapphire. Released as a launch title in Japan, the game was one of the top selling launch games in that country, convincing Konami to eventually bring the title to the West in August 2009. It features the playful and brave ninja Goemon as he adventures through a mystical land with the help of several of his friends both old and new. Each of Goemon's friends has their own distinct abilities, and can actually be used like items to help him progress through stages. They can be thrown at enemies, placed on switches, and even given orders to move around an area in a specific pattern. They can be damaged and disabled, but this only lasts for about 15 seconds, after which they can be brought back at full health to be used by Goemon again. The game is fairly silly and slapsticky, quite typical for platform games in this genre, and takes place across eight areas, each of which has a specific objective that must be fulfilled before Goemon can move on to the next one. While one of the areas is a standard collectathon, another is a giant maze where the object is just to escape, another is a combat marathon, and yet another is an adventure mission in which Goemon must find a way to plug a giant volcano. These different varying objectives give the game a sort of variety that other 3-D platformers lack, helping to set the game apart from others in its genre. There's plenty of dialogue, both between Goemon and his friends and the various NPCs encountered throughout the game, with dialogue being fully voiced and dubbed, and Goemon voiced by Barbara Goodson in the English version. Goemon's friends include a friendly pink-haired princess, a living rubber ducky, an anthropomorphic racoon, a stern-faced rival ninja, a mystical ghost, and Goemon's familiar friend Ebisumaru, among others (there are a total of 20 friends in all for Goemon to acquire). Each has their own abilities, and each can be deployed in a variety of situations, with some player creativity allowed (some objectives can be solved by more than one friend). There's also plenty of hack and slash ninja action, though the combat is fairly simplistic compared to other hack and slash games, and isn't the main focus of the title. The plot is fairly simple, with Goemon and friends roaming the eight lands in search of a way to defeat the powerful Dragon God that threatens the peace. As it turns out, the Dragon God is being manipulated by an evil warlock named Gonaka, who must be defeated to restore the Dragon God to normal and bring peace back to the land.

Goemon And Friends was a major critical and commercial hit in Japan, but wasn't anticipated by too many people in the West, other than longtime fans of the series who had waited quite some time for another localization. It was hyped up reasonably by gaming websites and magazines, some of whom expected it to be a rival to September's The Conkering Hero. However, its release in the West was fairly nondescript. It achieved great reviews, averaging in the mid 8s with some even scoring it near-perfect, but sales were lower than expected (yet still higher than those of any other Western Goemon release). Analysts cited the game's mediocre graphics and the upcoming Conker title as reasons for the disappointing commercial performance of the game, and though Goemon failed to break through in the West, the success of the game in Japan ensured that Konami would continue to make future titles and spinoffs in the series, at least for the time being.

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Konami continues to hold some of the most lucrative and well-known licenses in the gaming industry, including Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania. The company is beloved by many, but tensions have arisen between some within the company who want it to continue its focus on games, and others who wish to expand the company's rapidly growing amusement machine division. Though gambling is illegal in Japan, Konami has made a fortune manufacturing slot machines and other gambling devices for casinos elsewhere in the world, most notably in the United States, where casinos are a major growth industry in the wake of increased gambling legalization. This has caused a dilemma for Konami: should it continue to produce games, or focus on its growing gambling division?

Just six years removed from Konami's flirtation with purchasing Sega's video game properties and producing its own console, a similar solution to what Sega did has presented itself: should Konami divest its gaming division into a different company, or perhaps sell it off entirely and use the profits to focus on producing gambling machines? While no one from Konami has publicly stated any desire to split the company in such a way, rumors have begun circulating, generated by former Konami employees who claim that at least one high-level executive has proposed such a plan, and that the company is considering starting a "bidding war" between Nintendo and Apple for the rights to properties such as Metal Gear Solid. These rumors are, at this point, just that: rumors, but they do highlight the tensions that the company is currently experiencing as it experiences somewhat of an internal transition and a potential shift in its business model.

The idea that Nintendo might be interested in buying Konami has some merit: Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is said to be close friends with Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai, and the two companies have frequently collaborated, with Metal Gear Solid being an exclusive Nintendo franchise until the recent announcement that Metal Gear Solid: Outer Heaven would be getting an iTwin port. As for Apple, that company has been buying up several smaller game development companies, but hasn't made any truly major acquisitions in the last several years. Acquiring Konami would be a major coup for Apple and would keep games like Metal Gear Solid off Nintendo platforms for the foreseeable future. However, Apple has been investing much more of its money into projects outside the gaming industry, and acquiring Konami wouldn't be cheap. It would be a riskier move for Apple than it would be for Nintendo, and there are still some questions about Apple's strength in the Japanese market, despite strong sales of the iTwin and iPhone there. Buying Konami could have the potential to backfire for Apple, and might be a case of the acquisition providing too little benefit for too much risk. However, not making a move to acquire Konami might carry some risk as well, the risk of potential hit games becoming Nintendo exclusives during a time when Apple is looking to show that it has the better exclusive games.

Of course, all of this depends on whether or not Konami decides to sell off its gaming division, and such a move still seems to be a long way away, if ever. The company is still enthusiastic about making video games, with numerous upcoming titles planned for the remainder of this year as well as 2010 and 2011. Konami remains one of the most well known gaming companies, a giant in the industry, and would be putting all of its chips into one pile if it focused strictly on its gambling machines. Konami is expected to remain a force in the gaming industry during the next decade, and we're likely to see their games on both Nintendo and Apple's consoles for many years to come.

-from an August 21, 2009 article on Kotaku
 
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