| EA to Release Free "Battlefield Heroes" Multiplayer FPS
Micro-transactions and advertising will fund titles in EA's "Play 4 Free" family Most gamers are used to the idea of downloadable content, as shown by the massively popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. However, full-version downloadable games usually come with a "caveat emptor" byline -- be it monthly subscription fees for MMORPGs, in-game items that can only be purchased with real money, or the widely-disliked ad-supported flavor. EA is now trying out the latter business model with their variant dubbed "Play 4 Free" and is hoping that the Battlefield franchise will help them gain a foothold in the form of Battlefield Heroes. Battlefield Heroes is a cartoon-styled game from DICE, best known for being the team behind Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2.
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The red planet Mars is becoming prominent in the night sky. It is already brighter than most of the stars, and is of course very red, which is why it was named in honour of the God of War. It is a small world, only just over 4000 miles in diameter, and further away from the Sun, so that it is a cold pIace – but it is less unlike the Earth than any other planet, and it has always been regarded as a possibIe abode of life. And at the moment a new space craft, Phoenix, is winging its way there.By now many probes have been to Mars. Some have passed by, others have entered orbit round the planet, and several have landed there, NASA's rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been crawling happily around, sending back amazing pictures as well as data. We know much more about Mars now than we did a few years ago, but one thing we do not know is there any life on Mars – and if not, have living things ever existed there? Perhaps Phoenix will tell us. We are quite sure that there is no intelligent life, and indeed intelligence does not exist anywhere in the Solar System except (possibly) on the Earth, Percival Lowell's brilliant, canal-building Martian engineers belong to fiction, not to fact.
Gordon Brown's Black Wednesday
There can be no more doubt. Northern Rock is Gordon Brown's Black Wednesday. The Prime Minister, like John Major before him, remains in office, but he is no longer in power. The mini-Budget in October, with its misconceived plagiarism of Tory tax policies, marked the beginning of the end, when Mr Brown handed over his hard-won economic credibility to David Cameron and George Osborne. But yesterday's statement on Northern Rock represented an even more astonishing - and shocking - derogation of power: Mr Brown handed over the keys to the Treasury to Sir Richard Branson and Goldman Sachs, destroying in the process the entire economic and political framework that he created as Chancellor in 1997. With Britain's foreign policy still firmly in the hands of the White House and European policy managed from Brussels, it is hard to see why Mr Brown bothers to turn up to work.
Sony unit to delay Japan rollout of Internet phone service for ...
Sony's game unit in Japan will delay rolling out Internet phone service in Japan for its latest handheld game machine because microphones developed for it didn't meet specifications, the company said Wednesday. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan had planned to begin offering Skype features on its newest PlayStation Portable model in Japan Thursday and then rolling out the service worldwide. Skype is a popular, free, U.S.-based online voice-over-Internet service. The service claims 246 million users around the globe. Sony said the company is working on solving the microphone standards problem. PSP-2000 users will need a memory stick, a wireless Internet connection and Skype-compatible headset to use the service, parent company Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Who's Blogging
Media giant Tribune Co., which last month passed from public to private, employee ownership under the direction of real estate mogul Sam Zell, gave its nearly 20,000 employees a handbook yesterday outlining appropriate workplace policies and behavior and the new company's values. .
LIONS FINAL GRADES: Defense, special teams and coaching grades for '08 ...
Coach Rod Marinelli said the defensive line needed to drive the franchise, and the Lions got off to a strong start. When the Lions were 6-2, they had 24 sacks, tied for fourth in the NFL. But during their six-game losing streak, they had only eight sacks.
Tackle Shaun Rogers stood out during the first half of the season. The highlight of the year was his 66-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Broncos.But then he disappeared when the Lions needed him most. He was overweight and wore down over the course of the season, and there was no excuse. Marinelli went easy on him so he would be ready for Sundays.
Tackle Cory Redding provided leadership and effort, but not production. After racking up eight sacks in 11 games last season and landing a big contract, he had only one sack this season.
Dale Ryman
Pats take out Packers in SB XLII. Reasons are listed below in my previous blog. Now on to Roger Clemens. This guy is digging himself even deeper. First off, did you get a chance to listen to the recorded conversation between he and his ex-trainer, Brian McNamee? Apparently in Texas and New York you can record a conversation is one person consents, and Clemens consented. What a load a manure! Clemens tried to coax the guy into saying something like he lied, but he never did. Therefore, why even play the recording at the press conference?! I think he made himself look worse b/c he recorded the call, didn't get anything out of it, and still played it. Clemens asked him, why did you say I used steroids? You can take that 1 of 2 ways. "Why did you rat me out" or "why did you make up lies?" McNamee offered to go to the press conference, and Clemens never took him up on his offer.
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