Another of Valve’s usual Team Fortress 2 auto updates has become active. While most of the little bug fixes are not really news worthy this version sorts out one issue and it’s a big one. It fixes a big that prevented accurate Arena mode user statistics from being uploaded.

If this means that user scores were not uploaded for future record and achievement unlockables then that is a serious issue worthy of note. Considering how many hours it takes or the fluke occurrences that happen to make an achievement and a weapon unlockable it could take months to regain what should already be yours.

It’s a good thing Valve run their own patching service via Steam as by normal means in almost any other game but MMO’s it could take months for enough glitch fixes to come around to make a standalone patch a worthwhile thing to publicise and update with on the companies end. For Team Fortress 2 users the next time you go onto Steam the download will begin automatically and take just a jiffy.

Electronic Arts have been criticized heavily by almost everyone for being the Microsoft of the gaming industry.The fact is though that EA have been the torch carriers for a number of key gaming issues that have been left in the dust by the new, upcoming developers and publishers.

One example of this is the long running idea of full motion video (aka cutscenes) in games. If you take a look at any of the big games from the last few years published by companies other than EA chances are you won’t find any FMV sequences as it’s all gone the way of CGI’d efforts. While CGI can display more and depending on the way it’s produced is cheaper there is a lot to be said in favor of the old style Command & Conquer efforts made famous by the game series. If you take the last few years of Need for Speed, all but Pro Street included FMV and while not to be taken seriously the games probably made sales just based in the inclusion of real actors over CGI efforts and voice-overs.

Electronic Arts is not the bad guy or the corporate monster it’s made out to be, it’s just a company that has been catering the most users without taking risks for decades. Some would consider that a bad thing but on occasion it’s nice to know that when you pick up a racing game it’s not going to have any hidden surprises. FMV should continue being used long into the future and if EA decide not to use it in C&C or NFS in the future a long running example of quality will no longer exist. Image from Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

While the news that more video footage of Sony’s videogame Afrika might be a happy thing for some it’s a snub at the Europeans. Why is because Sony has decided that Europe is not worth publishing this title in and we are unsure why to be honest.

In response European gamers have been posting on gaming news sites like VG247 that they just don’t care about the game since no real details apart from “it looks pretty” have come out. To their credit though Sony do have an incredible number of really good PS3 only exclusives coming out so one less odd game isn’t really going to effect the average user.

For those who are interested in seeing 8 minutes of footage from Afrika on PS3 Gamersyde has it:
http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_8450_fr.html

In a sign that shows EA are considering their Boogie franchise as important as their soccer titles they have announced that Natasha Bedingfield a UK singer will be the face of Boogie SuperStar on the Wii. Bedingfield, who recently came to the attention of the US with her song Love Like This said that “Boogie SuperStar brings to life all the fun and excitement of performing”. So she’s got down the spokesperson part of the job and added that “Being on stage is such a thrill and it’s great to be a part of an EA video game that lets girls experience how much fun it is to express themselves and explore their own creativity by performing.”

Full previews and reviews of the title should be around on the net soon and we think this could be a good partnership for all involved. There is only the concern on the part of games players that if smaller publishers decide to spend money on a high profile spokesperson like the mammoth that is EA, then they would have less to spend on the actual game’s quality and bug testing.

Image source: Gary King

The US Playstation blog has posted that the cards will be stocked in Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and Riteaid stores next month. This means for all those who have wanted to buy games or tv episodes on the PS3 can simply go into a local store and buy a pre-paid card. While not news to most adults to kids who want to buy things without a credit card on the PS3 now just have to go into a store and buy them. Thus removing the credit card security on a console issue.

We can be sure that the Playstation Network is going to see a huge number of purchases as soon as the cards existence begins to circulate more. There is one recommendable PSN game from Sony which is recommendable. It’s their Asteroids arcade shooter.

Feel free to go nuts about this in the comments section. Disclaimer: We do not condone any person “going nuts” where gaming, money, credit cards or children are concerned. It’s a legal thing.