I wish this was a joke

Over the course of the pandemic, Zoom has been both a blessing and a curse as it's allowed us to continue on with business as usual. It does have its vulnerabilities like any other software, however, and that has never been more apparent than during a meeting of the Italian Senate about data transparency in politics yesterday. About a half-hour into the three-hour official government meeting, as one of last year's Nobel Prize winners in physics Giorgio Parisi was being introduced, the senate feed was suddenly interrupted by unofficial Final Fantasy porn featuring Tifa Lockhart.

The porn continued on for an agonizing thirty seconds, while the audio lasted even longer as host and Five Star Movement Senator Maria Laura Mantovani frantically tried to turn it off with the help of her assistant. Parisi continues on with his prepared points after the porn is shut down, and I'm honestly impressed at his level of professionalism. The Zoom call was populated by both live and remote participants, and while some blamed hackers for the incident, we don't really have any way of? knowing w??hat happened for sure.

To top it all off, the meet??ing was being live-streamed to both Facebook and the Italian ?equivalent of C-SPAN. While the clip has been removed from the official VOD, it's still making the rounds online (view at your own risk, obviously).

//twitter.??com/FrancescoDonald/status/14834478688370442??24

Thankfully the meeting was able to continue on as usual after the feed was shut dow??n, but I imagine it was a bit more difficult to focus afterward.

Look, I'm no??t trying to kink shame anyone, but there'?s a time and place for these things, and a government Zoom call just ain't it. This is certainly one of the weirder things I've witnessed in 2022, but hey, the year just started, right?

The post So??, some Final Fantasy porn just played during an Italian Senate meeting appeared first on Destructoid.

'If we can collaborate together, we can drive up the price to a more reasonable value that is more representative of this title's rarity'

There's this impossible-to-ignore threshold when something �usually a really good or really bad tweet �rolls into our general staff Slack channel and gets so many of us riled up, I feel compelled to post it on the site. Today, it's this tweet, in which we'r?e all reminded of precisely how miserable the retro game market can become during a pandemic.

This story shared by Matt Paprocki reads like fiction, but I'm entirel??y willing to believe it.

//twitter.c??om/Matt_Paprocki/status/1433522840142237699

A transcription of the screen-capped message, if you need it:

"Hi, I would like to take a moment to see if you would consider raising the price. Now before you write me off, hear me out. You see, there are very few copies of this game in circulation, and we as owners of the game each individually hold a high percentage share of the market value, given that <5,000 copies of the game were actually released to the public. You could even make a comparison to OPEC, in this case. We have full control of the supply and demand of this game. Currently, your game is priced a bit lower than the next lowest-price on the market for a [complete-in-box] copy, which hovers around $270. It is my belief that this is in the best interest of yourself as well as the few select owners of this title. If we can collaborate together, we can drive up the price to a more reasonable value? that is more representative of this title's rarity. I hope this message finds you well and thank you for your time. In due time, we can achieve a profitable outcome."

Yep, this anonymous person is the honorary villain of the day, at least in some folks' circles. And all th??at longwinded effort?? for... a $270-or-so used video game?

Even without sketchy behind-the-scenes antics, retro games �and seemingly collectibles from all walks of life �are in a head-spinning??ly pricey place right now.

This is not a new phenomenon, I know. But it just keeps going. And going.

_{A typical scene when scouring for sought-after Super Nintendo games on eBay.}

As prices rise, I'm more committed than ever to hanging onto the ga?mes I do own physically and really cherishing them, which at this point pretty much caps out at the 360/PS3 generation, since I've transitioned to mostly digital titles from that point on.

While I work to fill in the gaps of games I once owned and would like to own again, and games I just never got around to, I'm having to focus my efforts on the consoles that matter most �in my case, SNES, GameCube, and a bit of Genesis, even if I'd love to get back into the Game Boy Advance library with a shiny new GBA SP. I sold mine a?ges ago.

I'm waiting for a lot of bubbles to burst, and in truth, retro games are far from the top of the priority list. But as someone who is still? out here buying up their childhood favorites, weekend rental fodder, and the games th??at always played amazingly at a friend's house or looked awesome in magazines, I feel the collective pain across the board, from dedicated collectors to people who just want to play old physical games while they still can.

Assorted thoughts about rising retro game prices from the Dtoid staff:

• "Should've bought Path of Radiance when it was $40 and not $400." â€?strong>Eric
• "I have loads of regrets about selling off my Dreamcast, Genesis, and SNES games back in the day for what was 'new' at the time (PS3/PSP games)." â€?strong>Dan
• "I'm glad I never sold anything. I can't imagine paying $250 for the chance to play Chibi-Robo again." â€?strong>Zoey
• "I hate the fact that 'investors' is now a relevant phrase to 'buying old games.' I feel so bad for people that just want to collect or play with whatever for those TCG." â€?strong>Mike S
  
• "Yeah, I've seen that sort of thing in the TCG world. There's a new one called MetaZoo and there already is a fair bit of 'this should be priced at X' messages flying around eBay. Sadly, the 'investor' culture has been invading retro games for a while now and I just don't think prices on retro games will ever be stable again. I just don't see the average person having an interest or notion to even buy a retro game in the future. Basically, what modern art is today. Stupidly expensive collector nonsense or museum pieces." â€?strong>Dan
• "Video games have truly become art." â€?strong>Mike S
  

I'm sure you'?ve all seen som??e shit in the hunt for second-hand games. Let's hear it.

_{[Image credit: Big Dan Gaming]}

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It's time to toss out the bad beans

There's always more work to be done to shut down cheaters, and as we inch toward Season 2 of Fall Guys in October, Mediatonic increasingly hopes to stop pesky players from ruinin?g everyone's fun.

In a tweet, the studio apologized for the "cheating problem" in Fall Guys and promis?ed that steps would be taken this week to "expand" the existing detection system before a "BIG" u??pdate goes even further.

That larger update – coming in "the next couple of weeks" – will implement the same "anti-cheat used by games such as Fortnite," according to Mediatonic. Easy Anti-Cheat can do the heavy lifting.

I like to think I'm on a hiatus, and when I come back for those sweet Season 2 rewards, hopefully the state of the game is in a better place on multiple fronts – motivating-killing cheaters included.

I feel for you, PC pl??ayers. I had to switch over to PS4.

@FallGuysGame [Twitter via Engadget]

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'They are not affiliated with Naughty Dog or SIE'

If you're lucky, you've managed to avoid spoiler-filled leaks for The Last of Us Part II and you'll be able to keep your blissful ignorance going until June 19 when the high-profile sequel launches on PlayStation following a logistics-driven delay from Sony. But s????ome of us have not been so fortunate.

Honestly, I'd tread carefully – as much as you can – anywhere you see the game discussed, whether it's Twitter, YouTube, forums, or even comment sections here. Nitty-gritty plot details are running wild everywhere. On Monday, Naughty Dog expressed its disappointment in "a message from the studio."

The situation is still unfolding to this day, and I have to believe it'll only snowball from here on out, but Sony has shared a public-facing update. In a statement today, a company representative said that Sony Interactive Entertainment "has identified the primary individuals responsible for the unauthorized release of [The Last of Us Part II] ass??ets. They are not affiliated with Naughty Dog or ??SIE."

That's all we've got to go on for now, as the "information is subject to an on-going investigation." The launch plan remains the same, though. The Last of Us Part II is still releasing on June 19.

Sony says it knows ?who leaked The Last of Us Part 2 [Polygon]

The post Sony figured out who leake??d The Last ??of Us Part II spoilers appeared first on Destructoid.

For Switch, PS4, Xbox One, or PC

Go on the run with today's contest and win a copy of American Fugitive for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, or PC!

I reckon most of us obey as many laws as we can, at basically all times. Probably very few of us want to pay fines or go to jail or ever dea??l with the police in any way. That's why crime games are so appealing -- you get the catharsis of being a lawbreaking shit without any of the real-world penalties!

I'm sure Tipper Gore would disagree with that last part, but oh well. I'm giving away a crime simulator, and I don't care what the government says. Come win a copy of American Fugitive before I ruin ?any more?? impressionable children's lives!

Set in the American South in the '80s, you'll play as Will, a prisoner lo?cked up for killing his father. Only thing is, he didn't do it. So he does what everyone in the south in the '80s does and breaks outta the slammer. The hunt for the real culprit is on as you must infiltrate the local criminal underbelly to fi??nd out who did the crime, while you did the time.

Here are some game features!

• A modern take on classic sandbox action - Rediscover the joy of top-down carnage with stunning 3D graphics and destructible environments, dramatic storytelling and epic car-chase mayhem.
• A mature action game based on an original story - Unravel a plot of mystery, deception and corruption, full of twists and turns, inhabited by a motley cast of law-breakers and law-enforcers.
• A stunning open-world environment - Explore Redrock County on foot on by car - a beautiful and vibrant slice of 80s rural USA.
• Choose the life of a felon - Rob houses, steal cars, arm yourself to the teeth. Just don't get caught!
• Put the pedal to the metal - Test yourself against time trial challenges and stunt jumps dotted throughout the world, using any of the numerous vehicles.
• A wealth of activities - Whether you're undertaking jobs for the criminal underworld, uncovering hidden stashes, looting houses, sticking up stores, or fencing fine art, remain vigilant. The crooked cops will stop at nothing to see you back behind bars!

I wish people would stop goin' around kill??in' m??y paw.

I once had a police helicopter point its spotlight at me as I drove down a road. Enter to win by guessing what of??fense I had committed to earn such treatment! Don't for??get to specify your platform of choice in your comment. You won't be entered if you don't tell me what system you want.

We have 3 Xbox One, 3 PC, 3 Switch NA, and 2 PS4 NA keys to give away. Winners will be drawn on Tuesday, June 4. Make sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current email address on file. New users can sign up here to guess what crimes I've done!

American Fugitive is available now for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The post Contest: Breakin’ the law with American Fugitive appeared first on Destructoid.

The best 'The Third' since Shrek

Take it to the streets in today's contest for a Switch copy of Saints Row the Third: The Full Package.

I do a lot of giveaways for indie games, because I really like helping to spread the word for smaller games in the face of well-known games. I typically take those a little more seriously, because they really do need all the good PR they can get.?? Stuff lik?e this, though, I can kind of cut loose because honestly, who doesn't know what Saints Row is?

I've got a bunch of copies of Saints Row the Third: The Full Package to give away, and trust me when I say I won't be taking this task very seriou??sly.

So, in case you don't know what Saints Row is, it was pretty much made in response to the ever-growing problem of GTA becoming too serious. In GTA you had to take on crime syndicates using mostly violence in well-written, cinematic epics. In Saints Row you could commit insurance fraud by getting hit by cars and depreciate property values by spr?aying homes?? in shit.

?The game doesn't take itself very seriously, so I'm not going to, either.

So, now the game has come to the family-friendly Nintendo Switch platform because remember when Nintendo said they'd never, ever allow Night Trap on their console? My how the times have changed??. This new release of the game include?s:

• City of Sin - Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and sex trades. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
• Weapons of Crass Destruction - It's one thing to defeat your enemies. It's another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and sex-toy warfare are all part of the fun.
• Joy-Con Crazy Customisation - Create the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed-up celebrities to naked ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become?
• Portable Over The Top Co-op - Fly solo, or play online with a homie and for the first time – two players can play side to side via online or local multiplayer. Give naked skydiving a try, landing in your partner's flaming pickup as you make a suicide run toward a heavily armed Syndicate brothel. Steelport is more fun with a friend.
• The Full Package - Includes all three mission packs and more than 30 DLC items. All previously released content is included on the game card.*

* Two DLC packs – the Bloodsucker Pack and the Unlockable Pack, have been omitted for game balance and improvement based on feedback.

Ok, so do me a favor and watc?h this music video now.

Now, make a comment about it. That's how you enter to win a key. Just tell me anything at all about this song or video. I just saw it, and now you all have to, as ??well.

We have ten NA Switch keys to give away. Winners will be drawn on Thursday, May 16. Make sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current email address on file. New users can sign up here to talk about weird music videos!

Saints Row the Third: The Full Package is available now for Nintendo Switch. Our sister site Nintendo Enthusiast also has some keys, so head over there for more chances to wi??n!

The post Contest: Grab your gat for a Switch copy o?f Saints Row the? Third: The Full Package appeared first on Destructoid.

Breaking the law, breaking the law...

The massively popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has been recently banned in Nepal. According to multiple news sites from within the country, the Metropolitan Crime Division filed a Public Interest Litigation calling for a ban that was quickly granted by the Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday. According to the statement, PUBG was "having a negative e??ffect on th??e behavior and study of children and youths."

In addition to that, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority has blocked all access to the game with local police saying they'll arrest anyone found playing the game. PUBG Mobile seems to be taking most of the blame, with Nepali Sansar claiming there are incidents of children throwing? their ph?ones at parents after being told to stop playing.

In a statement to Reuters, Sandip Adhikari (Deputy Director for the Nepal Telecommunications Authority) said, "We have ordered the ban on PUBG because it is addictive to children and teenagers." This stance was also taken by Dhiraj Pratap Singh (Chief of the Metropolitan Crime Division) while speaking to the Kathmandu Post. Singh said to them:

"We received a number of complaints from ?parents, schools and sch?ool associations regarding the effect of the game on children. We also held discussions with psychiatrists before requesting the Kathmandu District Court for permission to ban the game.

Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children's studies and making them more aggressive. When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the ??game can make people aggressive in real life."

While claims of video games causing aggressive behavior are dubious at best, there's only so much you can do when the government rules something as law. For the time being, PUBG is now illegal in Nepal and local authorities will be cracking down ??on it.

It's now a crime to play PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in Nepal [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

The post Nepal bans P??UBG ?and will arrest anyone found playing it appeared first on Destructoid.

Moonstruck

Between the threat of impending doom, creepy-faced characters, and an all-around unsettling tone, Majora's Mask did a real number on many of us?? as kids. I had to work up my courage across multiple Blockbuster rentals, making a little more progress each time. Even then, I never d?id stop the Moon.

I'm a grown adult now and the ghastly thing?? still makes my skin cra?wl.

Nintendo released a few new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate screenshots today featuring the Moon. It's no longer just a background element. We'll be able to unleash the nightm??are as an assist trophy that "comes crashing f?rom the sky and delivers a terrible fate to players in the center of the stage."

I would sooner turn off all assist trophies ??t?han risk seeing this monstrosity on the battlefield.

The post 18 years later, the Moon from Majora’s Mask still freaks me out appeared first on Destructoid.

Can't cease and desist this much FREEDOM

Fireworks are a ripoff. The best-looking ones cost at least $50, and they're over second??s after they begin. Sure, in those precious few seconds, the sky is ablaze with a wall of brightly colored fireballs. Afterward, the only thing burning is your desire to have done anything else with that $50.

But fireworks rip off, too -- as in a verb. They blatantly steal copyrighted images and slap them on the side of their boxes. Honestly, it's pretty great. I'm in love with the idea of franchise allegiance being so strong that someone buys the Gears of War fireworks because it might be more Gears of War than all the o?ther fireworks. That's insanity.

Here are a bunch of examples that I found at ONE fireworks stand ??in North Dakota this past weekend. Most are video games, bu?t some are from games-adjacent things like comics.

Enjoy the Fourth if you're here in the You Ess Ayy.?? And remember: Good friends buy lots of fireworks; smart friends let their dumb friends do the buying. Everyone gets to enjoy it all?? the same.

The post Oh, I’m extremely here for the fireworks that blatantly violate video game copyrights appeared first on Destructoid.

He had no idea his gym bag might be a life saver

How do respond when local shirtless hooligans breath fire directly over the local wildlife? Many of us pr??obably just walk away, hoping that local law enforcement will handle the problem appropriately, but not this brave young man. Without an ounce of selfishness in his heart, he approached the situation with respect, first asking the criminal to stop. When that didn't work, he had no choice but? to escalate into violence. 

Still, as the old saying "no good dead goes unpunished" and this story is no exception. If you want to see how our local vigilante hero was "rewarded" for his selfless act watch the?? video below, and be sure?? to share this story with your friends. You just may save a life.

via GIPHY

The post Man saves tortoise from certain death, you’ll never believe what happens next appeared first on Destructoid.

He was also suspected of breaking into a local junior high

When you were a kid, did you ever dream of living in an arcade? I imagine your fantasy was a little bit more glamorous than this story. Perhaps you thought more about all-night Street Fighter s????essions and less about wedging yourself between cabinets to avoid the staff.

Kobe Shimbun reports that 30-ye?ar-old Kazuki Maehara was arrested for trespassing after he was allegedly discovered living in between arcade cabinets at a game center in Kobe. 

He was also accused of robbery. He had allegedly been breaking into a local junior high school and surrounding buildings to steal money and P.E. unifor?ms. The total ?amount stolen was 1.23 million yen which is about $11,280 USD.

There are long-running jokes that Japanese people could sleep anywhere, evidenced by Japanese business men often falling asleep standing up on trains, but it's hard to believe anyo??ne could sleep soundly in a noisy arcade.

Criminal ??dis??covered living in between arcade games in a Japanese amusement arcade [Rocket News]

The post Japanese man arrested for living in an arcade appeared first on Destructoid.

Down for some good old spirit worship?

Dang it all, there's a new Cooke Clicker update and I couldn't resist reading up on it.

If "reading up on it" sounds like code for ??"running the game in a tab and letti??ng it sabotage my productivity every eight seconds," you know the score. Consider moonlighting as a detective.

Cookie Clicker update is now live, featuring sugar lumps, spirit worship and spellcasting! //t.co/eCI2g0Ungk pic.twitter.com/QXQBCplDxN

— Orteil (@Orteil42) July 15, 2017

Sugar lumps, spirit worship, and spellcasting, you say? I'm intrigued and also? afraid of the time commitment t?hat's surely required to dig into this stuff proper. I'm still amassing banks!

"This is the first of a series of updates that should eventually add new features or minig??ames to?? every building," wrote designer Julien Thiennot. "Stay tuned for more fun stuff, eventually!"

Another recent post from the developer mentions scouts. They'll "return in the factory dungeons minigame, to be released at some point later (but not before some other simpler, lower-scope minigames) (farms come to mind)," according to Thiennot. "I know I've been hinting at dungeons since t?he game first released 4 years ago and by golly I'm going ??to do them and I'm going to do them right."

I need to get the heck outta here before history repeats itself.

The post Cookie Clicker is still being updated and it’s as weird as ever appeared first on Destructoid.

No 'light theft' for me this time, folks!

A. Verdin (name redacted for priva??cy) isn't the only person who allegedly scammed review keys from ?video game PR representatives and developers, but he's one of the few who got caught.

Verdin – AKA "BattlefieldAxe," "Airo95," "RaphaAaron," and "James Rodriguez" – has a reputation among publishers and PR reps for running game key scams; a con where the scammer falsifies some manner of credential in order to score free download keys for video games, often indie titles. In Verdin's case, he's almost certainly impersonated a member of Twitter's verification team and the PlayStation UK team, as well as allegedly impersonated representatives from EA, Square Enix, Bethesda, and Friday the 13th developer Gun Media. Although it's unclear how falsifying Twitter credentials figured into his alleged scam, Verdin reportedly obtained "about 50 keys" for the Friday the 13th: The Game beta as well as multiple Battlefield beta keys.

Since then, he's allegedly posted a since-deleted apology on Twitter, where he offered to reimburse the companies he's scammed via PayPal. This was approximately seven months ago, back in October 2016 – based on this screenshot. Although most of the screenshots we've obtained have been from second-hand sources, we've been able to conclusively verify that Verdin's current Twitter account once went by the handles a?ccused of key scamming. The only thing we've been unable to confirm is whether Verdin ever apologized.

Two months after the apology, Verdin allegedly went back to his old ways by implying he was a member of the Friday the 13th: The Game development team on ??Twitter. Verdin initially responded to request for comment, but went silent after asking me what my plans were for the article.

The allegations surrounding Verdin won't be surprising to anyone who works in game development or PR. It's the age-old tale of p??eople willing to pull some?? shady business in order to get free stuff. But since this is the video game industry, the whole ordeal has to be infinitely more complex than just stealing a loaf of bread from a grocery store.

Becky Taylor, a game developer/businessperson/PR rep known for working with Reboot Magazine and Innervate, was the person who clued me into Verdin's reputation ("he called me a cunt and blocked me for calling him out"), although Square Enix Senior CM Cat Karskens and Bithell Games' Mike Futter aren't big fans either. Taylor's experience is notable, in part because she could point to a man with a name and say "he did it." Most of the time, you don't even get that unless you have deep pocke??ts an?d a lot of free time. 

We initially confirmed that Verdin previously owned the @BattlefieldAxe, @Airo95, @RaphaAaron, and @JrodriguezVT accounts by Googling the respective Twitter URLs. Thanks to Google's cache, we found that some Tweets associated with the old handle were connected to the new one, confirming our suspicions. The Tweets either took the form of redirected posts or replies from other accounts. We also manually combed through nearly 3,000 Tweets "liked" from Verdin's current account, where he had interacted with people manually replying to his old handles. Be warned, that link is very NSFW – the guy likes porn a??nd isn't afraid to show it. I've scrolled through so many bare asses while? reporting this story, I think I'm 100% desensitized to nudity.

Although Verdin allegedly did most of his work on Twitter, most scammers prefer more traditional forms of communication. "I can't tell you how many fake emails I used to get a day when I worked at a development studio. Hell, I still get them &ndash; and I get them asking for keys for free-to-play games on Steam because they will literally copy paste the same email," Taylor said. "Most of the time, it's them claiming to be a Russian YouTuber, or that the?y ha??ve a huge Steam group I should support."

The PR representatives I spoke with for this story corroborated Taylor's statements, including Zoink Games PR and Marketing Manager Mikael Forslind, who extensively documented his experience with a Russian YouTube channel. "The most elabo??rate scam [we encountered] was the YouTube channel that rebrands the whole chan?nel every now and then, " Forslind said.

"So, the scammer creates a YouTube channel and calls it someth?ing like 'Mike's Gaming Ch?annel.' They add correct artwork, register an email something like mikes_gamingchannel@gmail.com. Then [they add] a few videos, normally just recorded videos with gameplay and no editing work or voice-over work. Then they r?egister their channel on sites that deal with key requests and my guess is that they just request all games they come across," Forslind said. "I fell for that, which makes me furious."

Forslind attached a Google Sheets document that lists some of the scammers he's encountered, along with screenshots from a YouTube channel that has rebranded multiple times over the course of its short existence. In fact, it changed from "FancyFish" to "UnendingGaming" while this article was being written.

Although you can see many hallmarks of the channel rebranding con – new icons, new staffers, clear form letter, etc. –  the scammer failed to obfuscate the identical channel URL. It's hard to glean much from Unending Gaming's miasma of Russian Let's Plays and low-quality gameplay footage, but there are a few early videos boasting "The Rock Gaming" branding – proving the channel once went by a completely different name. One TRG-branded video in particular is just opera singing ov??er a Windows desktop.

There's also the story of J. Carmona, AKA "TheKamikazeYT," who became infamous on Reddit for allegedly reselling game keys he had obtained from developers. "[Carmona] went rogue and simply started selling all the keys he got from developers on G2A. He was already on lots of mailing lists and perhaps is still getting free keys from developers, who are unaware that he is using them for profit," said Yulia Vakhrusheva, the Director of PR at TinyBuild. "Belie?ve it or not, but he still reaches out to us, trying to get keys even though he was outed many times!"

"I confronted him, and I said 'Sorry, you are associated with scamming? tons of video game developers and selling the provided game keys on G2A. You will nee??d to buy all the games from now on,'" Vakhrusheva said.

Although Carmona's alleged new YouTube account ZurLoko shares a business contact email with TheKamikazeYT, it's somewhat less suspicious – in part because he gets a decent amount of comments and likes/dislikes. Most of the content on his new channel seems legitimate, and although I don't speak Spanish, it does sound like the same guy. The only thing on ZurLoko worth noting is a referral link to G2A – a grey market for download keys we've covered extensively on this website, and a plac??e where?? Carmona could have sold game keys with little to no oversight.

"This specific encounter didn't come up in our communication with G2A, but this is something that we see all the time. W?e brought several people to G2A's attention, but even when they are banned, they can just create a new account and continue their shady business," Vakhrusheva said. "It's a perpetual loop."

G2A came up multiple times in my conversations with PR and developers, in part because the contentious relationship between G2A and the rest of the games industry only gets more volatile with each passing day. Although a GameStop equivalent for digital downloads wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (can you imagine being able to offload all those extra Humble Bundle keys with ease?), G2A has been at the center of many controversies, including a story on Kotaku where a key scammer endorsed G2A as a good place to fence stolen goods and a feature on this very outlet where yours truly accident??????????????????????????ally purchased sto??len property off the marketplace.

Vakhrusheva believes that G2A's open market is partially to b?lame for the plague of key scammers, since it's so easy to just turn around and sell keys. "We think that every company distributing our product needs to be authorized by us. If we had that level of control, it would drastically hurt gray marketplace and key scammers," Vakhrusheva said.

Raw Fury's David Martinez put it a little more succinctly. "If someone really wants to play our games for cheap then we'd understand if they 'borrow' our titles from a 'fr?iend.' We'd rather they do? that instead of giving money to G2A's 'business,'" Martinez said.

When reached for comment, G2A did not tell us of any specific plans to combat fraud on the platform. "Actual instances of fraud on G2A are extremely low," said G2A h??ead of PR Maciej Kuc in an email interview, claiming the site's percentage of fraudulent transactions was "far below" one percent. "The illegitimate or stolen key narrative is just a fa?rce.?? What developers dislike is that we empower consumers – that's what has found us so many enemies."

Becky Taylor disagrees. "The fight is usually 'Why?? shouldn't customers be able to sell their unused keys – or resell games like GameStop does?' Well, ?that's the big question right there. Could G2A redeem itself if they were able to block stolen keys easily?" Taylor said. "Though, there might have be?en a tussle [regarding stolen product at GameStop] at some point,&n?bsp;I truly don't believe GameStop has even 1% the same amount of stolen games as G2A."

Although we cannot verify the level of fraud conducted at GameStop or G2A, GameStop is somewhat protected by state-level secondhand dealer laws in the United States. When trading games in my home state of New York, I had to provide an address and some form of government ID. Florida requires a physical description and a "right thumbprint." Three years ago, Philadelphia GameStops came under fire for taking the fingerprints of trade-in ??customers. eBay is maybe a better 1:1 co?mparison than GameStop, but I can't imagine anyone looking to offload stolen goods would bother with shipping items across th??e country when they could sell them locally for cash.

According to Kuc, G2A's current seller verification process requires users to provide a phone number, a social media account "with history," and a PayPal account. It took me about a minute to figure out how to set up a dummy PayPal account – I already knew about Google Voice and the myriad of ways you can make a social media account look real. I brought this to Kuc's attention, but he insisted the site would still be able t??o ferret out scammers.

"While someone could put in the time to set up a seller’s account that is not tied to their personal informatio??n, they will always have to provide us with that personal information if they want to withdraw their money from G2A," Kuc said. He also told Destructoid that G2A is developing "an even more detailed verification process," but declined to share any details, as the p?rocess is still "in the end stages of development."

In response to game key fraud, developers and PR firms have created whole sites to combat the issue, like Vlambeer's Do Distribute or Evolve PR's Terminals. There's also the relatively new Woovit and KeyMailer, which specialize in connecting YouTubers/streamers to game publishers. These websites restrict key access to verified individuals – this doesn't completely eliminate key scammers, but it certainly helps weed them out. "The other day I got a request on Do Distribute from a g??uy who wrote for 'a website' and just linked awebsite.com," said Mikael Forslind. "That's hilarious."

Tom Ohle, the director of Evolve PR, spoke with us a?bout their key management site Terminals, which is currently exclusive to Evolve clients – although the company plans to open the site to?? other developers "sometime in June."

"We absolutely deal with key scammers all the time, and we built Terminals – in part, at least – as a solution to the issue. In fact, we get so many requests from key scammers – I'd say a good half-dozen a week, and that's just the products I work on directly – that dealing with them has become so routine, and it's actually hard to pinpoint any particularly interesting ones," Ohle said. "We have the verification process in place on Terminals to help with this, and while it does mean we have to dedicate people's time to v?erify our contacts, I think it's worth it in the long run."

Most of the PR reps I spoke with for this story cautioned independent developers without PR representation to not just hand out codes willy-nilly. Even if you think you're speaking with someone you recognize, be sure to double-check if you see anything even remotely suspicious. Even traditional media outlets can be impersonated – we were forwarded email correspondence where a particularly savvy con artist impersonated PC Gamer's Wes Fenlon and came pretty cl?ose to getting away with a bunch of keys.

Eventually, key scammers will likely come up with a new way to f?ool developers, but for now, better to be safe than spending your free time hunting down fraudulent keys on G2A.

(Verdin, Carmona, and UnendingGaming did not?? respond to requests for comment, but we will update this story a??s necessary.)

The post Ins??ide the incredibly shady world o?f game key scammers appeared first on Destructoid.

Can you be 'at large' at 5' 6"?

Over the weekend a man wearing a Minecraft Creeper hoodie allegedly robbed a Turkey Hill convenience store in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, WCVB reports.

The Creeper pulled a gun and split with cash from the drawer ??and some cartons of cigarettes. He is gues?sed to be 5' 6". Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect's identity should stay away, lest he get too close and explode.

Armed robber wore 'Minecraft' costume, police say [WCVB]

The post Armed robber wearing Minecra?ft outfit still at large appeared first on Destructoid.

Yep, that includes the one from the recent leaked video

Just a few days ago, a NeoGAF user by the handle of Hiphoptherobot manag??ed to acquire a retail Nintendo Switch unit two weeks ahead of its official March 3 launch. At the time, his ??statements on the matter were somewhat vague, although he did say that an unnamed retailer had sent out the console earlier than he'd anticipated for whatever reason.

This early access to a currently unreleased console gave him a decent opportunity to release ??a video of himself flipping through the Switch's menus in order to provide a demonstration of the Switch's operating system in-action. This was alongside what appears to be an attempt to resell the console over Reddit, although contents of the post in question were subsequently deleted.

Well, it appears as if this situation was a lot more complex than initially suspected. Nintendo has recently revealed to IGN that the console featured in the video was allegedly stolen. In a statement made by the company, a small number of units were purportedly stolen by employees of a U.S. d?istributor of the console, with one of the devices later being resold. This unit in question, as implied by?? Nintendo, is the same device that was sold to, and demonstrated by, Hiphoptherobot.

Nintendo then went on to state that the individuals who allegedly made off with the devices were fired from their p?laces of employment, and? are currently under investigation by local law enforcement agencies.

"Earlier? this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer. Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold. The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges."

To his credit, Hiphoptherobot did eventually send?? the console back to ?its manufacturer after coming to the realization that the unit that was sold to him was not acquired through legitimate means, stating that he no longer felt comfortable possessing the machine. Hiphoptherobot has also stated that he's not in any trouble with Nintendo now that the Switch hardware has been return??ed.

It should also be mentioned that p??ossession of stolen property isn??'t exactly legal in many territories, so even if the NeoGAF user wanted to hold on to the console after finding out that the individual who sold it to him may not have acquired it legitimately, he more than likely wouldn't be able to.

I suppose that if you want to look on the bright side of the s??ituation, this does seem to confirm that the video of the Ninte?ndo Switch in-action wasn't, in fact, an incredibly elaborate forgery. Yay for that?

NINTENDO SWITCH OPERATIN??G SYSTEM, MENU DETAILS LEAK [IGN via Kotaku]

The post Nintendo?? alleges that some Switch consoles were stolen from a U?.S. distributor appeared first on Destructoid.

Just A Walk in the Park

Every so often I'll come across an evil new RollerCoaster Tycoon creation that pulls me back in. The?? lasting power of this game and the imagination and dedication of its players ??never ceases to amaze.

This park comes to us from RogueLeader23, who has been playing the still relatively new (and surprisingly good!) mobile adaptation, RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic. It's just a maze. One ??single, gargantuan maze. Now, that might not sound too impressive or original, but t?hen you see this zoomed-out shot and happen to catch the date on the bottom right. "September, Year 20."

In real-world time, this thing took approximately?? 14 hours to put together.

"Already known for its extremely hazardous work conditions with over two-hundred employees dying from dehydration, heart failure, lightning strikes and random drownings, and seventy-three employees ending up in mental institutions, The Park was ?deemed to be a success," writes RogueLeader.

Now that it's been painstakingly constructed, the experiments can begin. There's a fun annotated image gallery of the park (which is fittingly named "Just A Walk in the Park"), complete with an ongoing story about the th??e first guest, Beverley P., who is years into navigating what will surely be her grave.

I think this maze should let out into another attraction. Specifically, Mr. Bones' Wild Ride.

Thanks to Roller Coaster Tycoon's port to mobile, I?? finally got to check off one of my? gaming bucket list items. A single hedge maze spanning the entire park... [reddit]

The post This monstrous RollerCoaster Tycoon park is all ?one giant maze appeared first on Destructoid.

Good old CES week

Acer is bringing out a beast of a portable gaming machine, the Predator 21X, next month.

It's a 21-inch laptop with a curved IPS display (2560 x 1080 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate), built-in Tobii eye-tracking tech, a full-sized mechanical keyboard, a pair of Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080s running in SLI, an Intel Core i7-7820HK processor, 64GB of RAM, an?d up to four 512GB SSDs.

How much is too much? Such questions were??n't asked. The naysayer of the group was asked to leave the room. The Predator 21X starts at $8,999 and wil??l ship in North America starting in February.

Given the name and steep cost, I feel like this thing should maybe come with a cloaking device. And considering its presumed weight, it could probably stand to include a g??ym membership as well.

Acer's Highly-Anticipated Predator 21 X Gaming Laptop, Featuring the Wo?rld's First Curved Screen Notebook, Shipping This Quarter [Acer via Engadget]

The post Acer’s beastly 21-inch curved-screen laptop starts at $8,999 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's another excuse to reference 'Bart vs. Australia,' for starters

Two years ago, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched a legal challenge against Valve over its treatment of Australian users of its Steam service between the dates of January 1, 2011 and August 28, 2014 (when the case first went to court). The rationale was that due to the company’s explicit policy of refusing to give refunds to buyers of goods that may be defective, Valve was in violation of Australia’s consumer?? laws.

Back in March, the Australian Federal Court agreed with the ACCC. Valve had explicitly breached the country’s laws. Then, just before Christmas, a final ruling was handed down. The Seattle-based business must pay the Commonwealth of Australia a sum of $3 million AUD (or approximately $2.2 million USD). Not only is this figure significantly higher than Valve's proposed fine of $250,000 AUD, but the online retailer will also have to inform Australian Steam users of their consum??er rights and guarantees.

So, what, exactly, does this mean for Australian consumers, or potentially ev?en buyers of digital games as a whole? What are the ramifications of this legal battle, and what sort of a precedent has been established?

Before I dive into this article, I will admit that -- as the only Australian contributor on a website that primarily targets a U.S. audience -- the idea of providing a more detailed write-up of a legal battle that’s centred on the laws of this nation may come across as a little unorthodox. While this type of content might not seem to be in the interests of much of Destructoid’s readership -- as it’s not about a subject that’s as close to home as some may like -- I believe there are intriguing potential ramifications from this court case. It can also serve as?? a decent stepping stone to a much broader discussion about consumer affairs and the digital distribution of video games.

In Australia, there are consumer laws that dictate that a product sold to consumers must be of acceptable quality, must not be misleadingly advertised or sold under false pretences, and must be fit for purpose. If the product does n??ot match these criteria, then it’s up to either the manufacturer or supplier to remedy the situation. This can be done by either refunding, repairing, or replacing the product, depending on the situation.

While I won’t be explaining the Australian Consumer Law to its fullest -- this is a video games blog, after all -- before I go any further, I feel like I should dispel the notion that the term “acceptable quality” is referring to the subjective quality of the product. This is not the case. When the Australian Consumer Law declares that a product must be of “acceptable quality,” this just means that it needs to function as one would expect it to. For instance, a game that’s subjectively fun to play, but has a multitude of technical issues such as Fallout: New Vegas could arguably be seen to be of unacceptable quality. In contrast, games such as Ride to Hell: Retribution or Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune may be subjectively terrible, but they would arguably be of “acceptable quality” s?imply because they function as intended.

Even when accounting for this broad definition of “acceptable quality,” goods are rarely removed from store shelves unless they pose a significant risk to a person or their property due to a major failure in the product. A??s it were, some people are more capable of tolerating faults that could be perceived to be minor than others are. Even if a pr??oduct isn’t inherently flawless, it may still be of “acceptable quality” to such individuals.

At this point??, it should become understandable where the limitations in Australia’s consumer laws lie. They’re simply in place to protect buyers from predatory companies that misleadingly advertise products or release something that simply does not work as intended. These laws are not intended to protect users who have made a financial decision that they’ve come to regret for personal reasons. If someone buys a game that’s technically solid, but is not at all fun to play, that’s entirely on them.

As the ACCC explains, the term “accept??able quality” simply means that “...the goods must be safe, lasting, have no faults, look acceptable and do all the things someone would normally expect them to do...” In the case of video games, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the title must be fun to play. It just has to work.

The cost of a product is also considered when determining what is and isn’t of acceptable quality, as well as the type of the goods in question. Computer programs (such as video games) are almost always never bug-free, so minor glitches or hiccups in a game would more than likely not be enough to constitute a major failure of the product in question. That just comes with the territory, so to speak. However, it could be argued that notoriously terrible PC ports such as that of Batman: Arkham Knight and games that are similarly broken are most definitely not of acceptable quality for many individuals. Although at least Warner Bros. did offer refunds to buyers of that port.

To Valve’s credit, this does mean it could be argued that -- as of June 2015 -- the company has gone above and beyond its consumer obligations in one respect. If a Steam user has played less tha??n two hours of a game, they can receive a refund for it completely unconditionally, provided that they’ve purchased it within fourteen days. This means that a user could get their money back for a game they simply found boring, whereas Australia’s consumer laws aren’t intended to protect people from such a situation.

Of course, it could be argued that two hours isn’t a fair amount of time to assess a? title for its technical mishaps, as there is always the potential for game-breaking bugs to occur much later.

As of November, Valve has even started to weed out some forms of misleading marketing on its Steam service. A notice has gone out to developers who use the platform saying that Valve will no longer allow for ‘bullshots??&rsq??uo; on Steam store pages. While this is more than likely in response to the backlash over the marketing for No Man’s Sky, this is still a commendable effort.

With that out of the way, here’s where Valve screwed up; it’s entirely unlawful to mislead consumers about their rights in Australia. You cannot tell people they have no rights whatsoever to a refund for a product that could be deemed unfit for purpose. In fact, it could even be argued that the simple act of displaying a “no refund” sign is?? against the law.

While you can inform people that there are no refunds for a simple change of mind, a flat-out policy of refusal is completely unlawful. These laws cannot be overridden by any private enterprise, or with a license agreement or contract. Any business that operates within Australia, or that explicit??ly delivers ??a product or service to citizens in this nation, is subject to the country’s consumer laws.

In a statement made by the ACCC back in March, the consumer watchdog went on to explain that:

The Court found? that Valve made the following false or misleading representations to consumers, in the terms and conditions contained in three versions of its Steam Subscriber Agreement and two versions of its Steam Refund Policy:

• consumers were not entitled to a refund for digitally downloaded games purchased from Valve via the Steam website or Steam Client (in any circumstances);
• Valve had excluded statutory guarantees and/or warranties that goods would be of acceptable quality; and
• Valve had restricted or modified statutory guarantees and/or warranties of acceptable quality.

Because of Valve’s outright disregard for Australia’s consumer laws, the company was fined a total of $3 million Dollarydoos (or AUD). Valve will also have to post a l??ink to a brief run??down of the Consumer Law on the Steam home page to anyone accessing the service from Australia, as well as train its employees about the country’s consumer rights and guarantees.

While the figure may not sound like much -- as Valve can easily make such an amount of money back within 0.2 femtoseconds thanks to the wonders of buyable Counter Strike: Global Offensive glove skins -- I would not be surprised if Gabe Newell’s Seattle-based business is subject to greater scrutiny in the future with regards to its consumer obligations. It also potentially opens Valve up to greater action, should the company r?efuse to abide by these laws.

Considering how much less strict the quality controls employed by Valve over its Steam platform have become, this added scrutiny is almost definitely going to be appreciated by Australian gamers. Considering that Valve will be made to explicitly inform its (approximately) 2.2 million Australian Steam users what their rights ?and guarantees are, I can’t help but see this as a win for consumers in this country, even if the monetary fine imposed on the business may be c?omparatively scant.

So why is this ruling important? It’s simple; a clear-cut precedent has been established that states that the foreign status of a corporation and organisation does not invalidate its requirements to abide by Australia’s consumer laws, even if the goods it provides are in digital form. Essentially, digital products have the same guarantees as physical goods, and no company that explicitly opts to sell such goods to Australians is exempt from the obligatio?ns that go with consumer transactions in this country. Because Valve has deliberately made representations to Australian consumers, it is directly engaging in conduct within the country.

This precedent ?also states that distributors of digital goods to Australian citizens cannot mislead or outright lie to consumers about their rights, either.

Then there’s the possibility that some of the potential changes made to digital platforms due to both these laws and similar legislations?? in other nations may drip over into other territories. Keep in mind that legal action from both Australia and Europe was more than likely a contributing fa??ctor to Valve’s decision to implement refunds into its Steam service in the first place.

The ACCC also notes that this case is the first time the extended definition of 'goods' that now includes 'computer software' has been used in a legal battle. Now that this definition has been used in an established legal precedent, there should be a higher level of certainty for consumers of digital software in the future with regards to their rights?? and guarantees.

Likewise, just because a company has made some effort to clean up its act after a lawsuit against it starts to proceed, that doesn’t excu??se the period where it did actively violate the country’s laws. In a sense, it’s like the person who bullied you throughout your high school offering you candy as an apology for their misdeeds only after you’ve started visiting a therapist about their actions. While it is greatly appreciated, it doesn’t entirely make up for their pre??vious wrongdoings.

Keep in mind that Valve does have until Febru?ary 20 to appeal this decisi??on, so it is entirely possible for the ruling to change.

When going forward, it’s entirely possible that this pr??ecedent could be used by the ACCC against other digital dist??ributors of software and games, such as Sony’s PlayStation Store, Microsoft’s Xbox Store, the Nintendo eShop, the iOS App Store or Google Play. Even if it isn’t, I’d still highly recommend citing this precedent when dealing with customer service representatives from these services if you happen to reside in Australia.

This ruling also shows that it is most definitely worth lodging official consumer complaints should you feel as if you’ve been wronged by other digital distributors. While it? may take some time, the system does, in fact, seem to work. It just may take a while for the ACCC to recei??ve enough complaints, and to gather sufficient evidence to present its case.

If I’m to be blunt, I’ve been a little hesitant about the prospect of digital distribution becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on. We’ve already seen time and time again that consumers of digital goods may potentially have to forfeit their rights at the discretion of distributors or publishers. Cases like this one might hopefully be a turning point in this regard, with countrie??s and lawmakers finally stepping in and acting to ensure that consumers of digital goods are given the same guarantees that they woul??d have attained if they’d purchased the physical equivalents of such products.

If it means that digital goods may eventually be just as well-regulated ??as p?hysical products -- with the same enforceable guarantees that come with the purchase of such items -- then I can only welcome further action against online distributors of software, should they attempt to invalidate the legal rights of their users.

Here’s the crux of the issue; the problems with digital distribution from a consumerist standpoint are significantly more far-reaching than just Valve and the PC gaming space. With home consoles, there&rsquo;s still often a huge battle in?volved with contacting customer support, should a digitally-acquired title be considered defective. Considering that Valve is now starting to emb?race refunds; it may be arguably worse now for console owners who prefer to buy digital games than it is on PC.

Even more frighteningly, it’s still entirely possible for a publisher to completely invalidate a person’s digitally-acquired game license on some platforms. For an example of this happening, look no further than what happened with Konami and its treatment of P.T. Although, to be fair, at least that game was a free d?emo, and no PlayStation 4 owner dropped money it. It still sets a terrifying precedent nonetheless.

It’s true that Australia’s laws do mention that unless explicitly stated prior to purchase, goods must “...come with undist??urbed possession, so no one has a right to take the goods away or prevent you from using them.” But even then, it may still take a long time for the law to catch up on anyone who tak?es such actions against the consumer. Keep in mind how long it took for the ACCC to compile evidence against Valve, and then the time it took f??or the court battle against the company to finish up.

Even though I will rarely try and get a refund for a game, and despite the fact that situations where publishers will actively nullify licenses are rare occurrences, I just find it hard to truly feel secure with digital distribution methods. Such a feeling of insecur?ity will only end when I know for sure that the online storefronts I access will respect my rights as a consumer. Cases like this, in my mind, set a precedent that may make me a hell of a lot more open to the idea of a digital-only future. Even then, I still don’t think we’re quite there yet.

Perhaps I’m just being a little idealistic.

The post ??So, what are the ?main takeaways from the legal battle between Australia and Valve? appeared first on Destructoid.

'Three million Dollarydoos!?'

Back in March, in a case brought to the Australian Federal Court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Valve was found guilty of various violations of the country’s consumer laws. Essentially, Valve had ??made misleading statements relating to Australian consumers’ various rights, guarantees and entitlements as defined by the nation’s consumer laws.

Last month, the ACCC arg???ued that Valve’s fine for its breaches of the Australian Consumer Law should total at around $3 million AUD, or approximately $2.15 million USD. It looks as if the judge presiding over the case in the Australian Federal Court -- Justice Edelman -- agrees with the ACCC&rsqu?o;s stance on t??he matter.

In a ruling handed down yesterday, Justice Edelman has ordered Valve to pay the sum? of $3 million AUD to the Australian Commonwealth over its breaches of the country’s consumer laws between the periods of January 1, 2011 and August 28, 2014 (when the case first went to court).

In Australia, there are consumer laws that guarantee that a consumer is entit?led to a refund, repair or replacement of a product if it is deemed defective, not of acceptable quality, or are unfit for purpose. These laws cannot be overridden by a business or storefront for any reason. It is also illegal to mislead consumers about their rights regarding these guarantees, which is something that the Australian Federal Court has found that Valve did to many Steam users. As the ACCC explained in March:

"Under the Australian Consumer Law,?? all consumer goods or services come with automatic consumer guarantees that they are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose for which they were sold. If they are not, consumers have a right to a remedy, which may include refund, repair or replacement in certain circumstances. These consumer rights cannot be excluded, ??restricted or modified.”

Alongside this fine, Valve has also been ordered to post a link on the Steam home page in a typeface of at least 14 point Times New Roman that reads “IMPORTANT NOTICE A?BOUT CONSUMER RIGHTS IN AUSTRALIA.&rdq??uo; This link will direct users to a notice about the consumer rights and guarantees of Australian users, and will be visible to anyone who accesses the page from within the country.

Valve employees will also be made to undertake an “Australian Law Compliance ?Program” in order to educate the company’s staff members about consumer rights and guarantees within the country.

One thing that may frustrate many people in Australia is that Valve has not, in fact, been sentenced to a booting. Considering that the booting is one of Australia's proudest traditions, this omission could be seen a?s a bit of a letdown.

In my mind, the most important thing about this case in general is that it firmly esta??blishes a legal precedent in Australia that ensures that digital purchases are -- or should be -- subject to the same consumer guarantees as physical goods. Likewise, online retailers that actively sell products to Australian citizens still have to comply with the country’s consumer laws, even if the company itself resides in another ??nation. In fact, it’s entirely possible that this precedent could be used to go after other digital distribution services, such as the Xbox Store, the iOS App Store and the PlayStation Store.

Not only that, but just because Valve did eventually give in and implement a refund policy in August last year, th?at doesn’t excuse the long period of time when Valve actively disregarded Australia’s laws.

It is entirely possible for Valve to try and appeal this ruling, but the company only has unt?il February 20 to do so.

The Australian Federal Court H??as ??Fined Valve $3 Million [Kotaku Australia]

The post Valve has been ordered to pay $3 million for violating Australia’s consumer laws appeared first on Destructoid.

'Let the booting begin!'

Ba?ck in March, the Australian Federal Court found Valve guilty for several breaches of?? the Australian Consumer Law in a case that was initially brought forth in 2014 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The rationale behind the suit was that the ACCC was convinced that Valve had made misleading representations relating to the company’s refund policy or lack thereof.

In Australia, customers are legally entitled to a refund, ?replacement or repair of any product that can reasonably be considered defective or not fit for purpose. This is a legal right, and no license agreement created by a private enterprise can override the entitlements guaranteed by the Australian Consumer Law. As the ACCC puts it:

"Under the Australian Consumer Law, all consumer goods or services come with autom??atic consumer guarantees that they are of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose for which they were? sold. If they are not, consumers have a right to a remedy, which may include refund, repair or replacement in certain circumstances. These consumer rights cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.”

To put it simply, due to Valve’s refusal to provide a refund for defective goods prior to the June of last year, even going as far as to expressly state in its Steam Subscriber Agreement that it had a "standalone policy not to give refunds," the company was found guilty of violating the Australian Consumer Law. As a side note, even the act of displaying a 'no refund' sign can be regarded as a??n ille?gal offence in Australia.

Valve's original argument was that because it is based in Seattle, it should not be beholden to the sa?me standards that Australian businesses are held to. It claimed that it should only have to abide by the laws of Washington State. This was found to be irrelevant, however, as it was still engaging in conduct in Australia by providing its service to consumers from that country.

In a hearing that was held last Tuesday, the ACCC argued that Valve -- whose guil??t has already been determined -- should be ordered to pay $3 million AUD, which is a ?radically different figure to the $250,000 proposed by Valve’s attorneys.

According to Kotaku Australia, the ACCC's argument for a fine this large was that it could theoretically serve as a deterrent ?against future breaches of the Consumer Law. The ACCC also argued that the "serious nature" of Valve's conduct also warranted a fine this substantial.

When asked by the Justice overseeing the case about the prospect of Valve simply avoiding the ruling due to its status as an overseas business, the company's attorneys responded by saying that it had "no plans at this point in time to resist the enforcement overseas of any?? of your Honour’s orders."

I should mention that just because the ACCC is asking for Valve's fine to be a total sum of $3 million AUD doesn?'t mean that this figure is anywhere near finalised. Depending on the decisions of the Australian Federal Court, th??e amount of money that Valve will be ordered to pay may be substantially different when the finalised ruling is handed down in mid-December or January.

Just remember that disparaging the boot ??is a bootable offence, Valve. It's one of Australia's proudest tradi??tions.

ACCC Asks Court To Fine Valve $3 Million [Kotaku Australia]

The post Valve may have to pay up to $3 million for violat?ing the Australian Consumer Law appeared first on Destructoid.

Myanmar? I hardly knew her!

[Update: On the day of this post (10/30/16), I had reached out to EA via their customer service e-mail to get an answer on the situation. The re?sponse I got was very? helpful and should put anyone at ease.

"The short answer here is that this occurred due to the US government trade embargo on Myanmar," says Kashif A., a customer experience representative for EA. "EA is internally reviewing the situation and looking into whether and when service can be restored to Myanmar residents. It's unclear to me whether we can do anything for residents of other countries that are?? still similarly embargoed, but I'll bring the topic up for discussion internally."]

I've never been fond of EA's Origin service, updates or not. I don't like the company, most of its games, or its software; it has always rubbed me as the? kind of company that would delete my existence if possible. Turns out, gamers in Myanmar have had that exact thing hap?pen.

According to Reddit user trivial_sublime, he can no longer access his Origin account. He had acquired around 20 games over the ??years, but those have vanishe?d into the ether. As he went to access his account, he was constantly receiving messages of access being denied.

When he posed the question on EA's official site, the first response was, "I'm sorry but Origin is no longer available in Myanmar." Now, that didn't come from an EA official, but trivial_sublime had also Googled why his account was denied and fou??nd?? the same answer.

Apparently, new US laws have banned Origin in some cou??ntries (despite those sanctions being lifted). I can't find a lot of corroborating evidence for this, nor can I loca?te a list of which countries were affected.

Kotaku has gotten a hold of EA and it seems the issue is simply an error. According to its recent post an EA spok??esperson re??sponded with, "We are working to restore access to Origin for our players in Myanmar. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we’ll share updates on timing as soon as possible."

That may be a bit of pre-bak??ed PR nonsense, but thankfully the situation isn't permanent. I suppose this is a reality we will be facing moving forward. If all games are limited to digital marketpl??aces, changing licenses and shifts in attitudes can lead to a lot of titles being lost to time. To make matters worse, some countries might be blocked for little to no reason.

EA Games and O??rigin quietly bans an entire country - or, why you shouldn't take digital distribu?tion for granted. [Reddit]

The post (Update) EA seems to have banned an ent??ire country from Origin appeared first on Destructoid.

Darkness covered their tracks

_{[Header courtesy of coocoon on DeviantArt]}

People should be (sadly) familiar with what an asset-flip game is by now. It's where ??a ??(typically) crappy developer rips graphics, artwork, game mechanics, or music from another source and fails to acknowledge the original creator.

Solbrain Knight of Darkness seems to be the newest culprit in this regard. After launching this past week, the game was uncovered by TechRaptor to have music stolen from Ori and the Blind Forest al?ong with a PlayStation Store image taken from Devian?tArt.

A thread on NeoGAF has unveiled more of what developer Lightning Game Studios has taken from other games. I can't say I'm too surprised, what with its Twitter account being set to private.

It's always sad to see instances like this. I'm a huge proponent of indie games, typically because smaller developers put a lot of effort into their titles. To ??see someone abuse their less acknowledged position just gives everyone a bad name.

Don't let something like this slip under the radar. Scummy developers like Lightning Game Studios need to be outed for their craptastic work. Hopefully it will put a stop to s??uch cheap endeavors in? the future.

Solbrain Knight of Darkness launches on PSN with Stolen Assets [TechRaptor]

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WHATISTHISIDON'TEVEN

Pokémon Go may never officially be launching in China, but that hasn't stopped some clever plagiarizing developer from cashing in on the craze. Enter Rejected Games: FPS?? Adventure & Sport Simulation ?Adventure with Pokeball Coach for Pokemon Go.

The idea behind Pokeball Coach is that it's a trainer for mastering the throwing techniques in Pokémon Go. That makes sense since Go developer Niantic hasn't yet added a practice mode in the official game (yet it removed features).

I'm not sure anything else I can write will be sufficient in describing the horror that is Pokeball Coach for Pokemon Go. I mean...just look at?? this Snorlax. He clearly has seen the abyss and would welcome death.

If you are? so inclined to try the game, you won't actually be able to find it on the Google Play store. APKPure.com has archived the original, however. As th?e saying goes, once on the internet, forever on the internet.

Full Disclosure: Destructoid will not be held responsible for any ruined childhoods that may be the result of playing this "game."

This knockoff Poké?mon Go app is t??he stuff of Satan's nightmares [TheNextWeb]

The post Chinese Pokemon Go is just… appeared first on Destructoid.

Waited near PokeStops with a gun

Pokemon Go is a security risk in more ways than one. In O’Fallon, Missouri, some enterprising stick up men have used the game's real world location-based ??hook to lie in wait and commit a series of armed robberies.

"About eight or nine people have been robbed by four men over the past couple of days," the O’Fallon Police Department told Gizmodo. The last in the series took place at 2AM Sunday before police made some arrests. ??The crew supposedly used the app to anticipate where they might find unsuspecting victims making pilgrimage to a PokeStop, which are tied to real-world locations, like churches and local monum?ents.

According to Gizmodo, "The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has announced that it's charging three people with Robbery in the 1^st Degree and Armed Criminal Action; a Class A Felony and an Unclassified Felony." Apparently the teens (17, 18, an??d 18) are being "referred to as adults" and stuck behind a $100,000 cash bond.

Robberies, dead bodies, car accidents. Going to be a lot of Pokemon Go stories like this. On the other hand, I was out and about all day yesterday and it's kind of goofy to see group of 4-5 walking around the park catching Pokemon, but I think the app is mostly a net good. Getting people outside and exploring their communities is good. Just be careful where you're? wandering at n?ight.

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Ubisoft cracks down

Ubisoft's past attempts to get tough on cheaters in The Division have apparently not gone far enough to dissuade cheating. The company is adopting the same policy that Rainbow Six: Siege just ena??cted: cheaters can now be banned on the first offense.

"Following this campaign of suspensions and bans, it also became clear that while huge progress has been made in terms of cheat detection, our 14 days suspension on first offense policy has not been dissuasive enough," The Division's official blog writes.

"Judging from your feedback, and based on what we witnessed when cheaters came back to the game, we have now decided to push our policy one step further: we will now start applying permanent bans on first offense when players are caught using cheat engines and we will communicate clearly when new ban waves are taking plac?e."

The post The Division will ban cheaters on strike one appeared first on Destructoid.

That's the new maximum penalty

Ooh, an excuse to pull out the old "Halt, criminal scum!" tag. We've be??en through a lot together.

Ubisoft has begun taking a harder stance on cheaters and hackers in its tactical competitive multiplayer shooter Rainbow Six Siege. As it now stands under the new code of conduct, players caught "running a modified or otherwise unauthorized version of the game client or a third-party software which provides a??ny s?ort of unfair advantage (wallhacks, aimhacks...) or causing detriment to other players' experience" will face a "maximum penalty" of a permanent ban on the first offense. Cheating: not even once.

The first thing that comes to my mind in these situations is the potential for folks to inappropriately flag ??their opponents as horrible scoundrels when in reality they're just annoyingly skilled players, or for the game's anti-cheat solution to return false positives.

"[W]e are ?working hard to differentiate reports of players who are coordinating with their team for information (how the game is meant to be played), and from someone who is maliciously altering the experience with third party software," says Ubisoft. The company is also "assessing and testing several client-side anti-cheat options in addition to FairFight."

With the newish "Starter Edition" lowering the cost of entry for Siege, the timing makes sense.

Code of Con?duct Update: Per?manent Ban for First Offense Cheaters [Rainbow Six Siege]

The post Rainbow Six Siege?? cheaters can now be banned on the first offense appeared first on Destructoid.

So wrong, yet so right

On weekdays, I typically wake up to a couple hundred fresh emails sitting in my inbox. When events are h??appening, like this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (which I'm not even attending!), things can get considerably more wild. Everyone has something to pitch.

Against all odds, the first email that caught my attention today was, no joke, "A Bloodborne werewolf jerking off." I couldn't not click it immediately. Can you blame me?

Upon further inspection, the email was from Darren. It contained a gif.

This might just be the crown jewel of funny physics-based mishaps in From Software games.

Even better: the automated name for the gfycat link is "DefensivePoisedAmericanwarmblood."

[Via reddit]

The post That sure is a Bloodborne werewolf jerking off appeared first on Destructoid.

The one from Criterion Games

The latest game in Origin's On the House program is 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted. For a limited time, you can add it to your account for free and it'll stay t??here until the end of days, probably.

I'm not particularly well-versed in the wider series, so I missed this one at release, but I liked Criterion Games' earlier installment, Hot Pursuit. It was a sort of RoboCop fantasy where you got to shut down street races by chasing after drivers and totaling their cars, one by one. In other words, Criterion x Need for Speed is a thing I'm on board with, so I'll nab Most Wanted.

The post Need for Speed: Most Wanted is free on Origin appeared first on Destructoid.

Lawyers have already been contacted

When I start looking into a story that I know will go much longer than my average Destructoid news post, I? like to get as hands-on as possible. I don't just want to read a bunch of other articles about the subject in question; I want to talk to people involved with the story, and (if ?possible) get my hands a little dirty.

In this particular case, there's a lot of dirt on my hands. I may have accidentally committed some...light theft.

Earlier this month, Destructoid received a tip from a source [who we will refer to as 'Tim'] claiming they had unknowingly purchased a stolen PlayStation Network account via G2A.com. For those unaware, G2A is a Hong Kong-based site that primarily sells third-party keys and even accounts. (Some of you may remember G2A from this story about stolen Far Cry 4 keys.) Although G2A is itself ??a third-party seller, it also acts as a platform for individual sellers and buyers to conduct transactions. One such transaction resulted in the sa??le of an account belonging to a man [who we will refer to as 'Eric'].

When an account sale is on the up-and-up, the account will be nigh-barren, apart from the advertised game. There's some mojo you can perform that will allow you to play this game on your console via your main account (which I won't recount here, because it kinda makes sense and I don't want any of you thinking this is a good id??ea). Of course, there are examples of people just selling their stacked account in the hopes of making some extra cash; buy a bunch of popular games on sale, flip the account for more than the games are worth. Or, hey, you've just sold your PS4 in a fit of rage, why not ??sell that account full of platinum Trophies too while you're at it? There are too many hypotheticals in play. When you buy an account, there's a 50% chance you've just committed a crime.

Unless you sign in and find a bunch of credit cards and a still-active PlayStation Plus membership. This was Tim's red flag, and he immediately contacted the seller (who refunded the transaction without a word) and Eric, who took back c??ontrol of his account.

"I got this account, expecting some garbled random email address and password, but the email address was just some dude's name. I kind of raise??d an eyebrow at that, but thinking the email address might belong to the person who bought the code to sell, I tried it out, and... it was genuinely just some guy's account," Tim said in an email to Destructoid.

This is exactly what happened to me. I wanted to get a feel for the account-buying process, so I went looking for popular big-budget video games (reasoning that more people would be selling those as opposed to an account made specifically for Race the Sun or whatever) before eventually settling on a listing for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. I received an account that was as generic as they come. No name, no credit cards, no friends, no Trophies...and a copy of Ground Zeroes.

Initially, I thought I had found a legit seller that had just made a mistake. That was ostensibly the end of my little experiment, so I went to the seller looking to get a refund. The seller was very insistent that I take a new key instead...which eschewed the generic email and password for a significantly ?less generic one. Again, much like Tim, I raised an eyebro??w at this. But I logged in anyway, reasoning that I would either return the account and save a person from identity theft -- or, if this was an honest transaction, end up with an account that I could just gift to a friend.

This account was very much someone else's, which is where th??e "light theft" part comes in.

Nate Martin (his real name!) is the CEO of Puzzle Break, an Esc??ape the Room venue located in Seattle. I know his address and the last four digit?s of two of his credit cards, thanks to the purchase I made through G2A. Again, luckily for Nate, I had zero intent of holding onto another person's account, so that information remains safe with me. But there's no telling what could've happened if Nate's account ended up in the wrong hands. And he has zero idea how his password ended up in my hands.

"I couldn't begin to guess how it happened. I'm guessing it was that mass hack a while back I vaguely remember hearing about. No other accounts of mine (that I'm aware of) seem to be compromised," Nate told us. "I have not much in the way of free time. I'm not super interested in throwing myself against a byzantine [interactive voice response; th?e telephone robots that ask you if you meant 'billing' when you said 'operator'] that I'm sure Sony has in exchange for a gift card."

Eric, the man whose account sparked this whole investigation, said it took "over an hour" to prove his identity to Sony. "I would say Friday I ?went to my PS4 and was unable to do anything with the system. About two minutes after that, I received three emails from Sony stating that my PayPal had been removed and my passwords had changed, along with my first and last name being changed as well." Sony did not respond to request for comment.

It appears the modus operandi changes between scammers. According to Nate, the hacker didn't change his password. I was going to make sure the account belonged to him before I gave him wh??at I assumed was a new password set by the seller, but it turns out Nate knew it off the top of his h??ead.

So how does the law work in this particular case? For the purposes of this article, we'll be working with California penal codes -- code 496 in particular. Obviously, a person who knowingly receives stolen property (with the intent of withholding it from the owner), will be charged with either a felony or misdemeanor. ?In the case of both Tim and myself, returning the account means we're off the hook, and the person who stole the account in the ??hopes of selling it is definitely 100% a criminal.

I was curious if PSN accounts having no basis in the physical world meant something regarding the legalit?y of this transaction. For this story, I talked to New York City-based lawyer Harvey Lippman about selling accounts that don't bel??ong to you, on the off chance there was some crazy loophole that made all of this legal. According to Harvey, that is absolutely not the case.

"From what I've read, a lot of this stuff is evolving. There are some newer laws being written," Harvey said in a phone interview. From a lawyer's perspective, he likened it to the theft of a movie ticket. "You don't own the film, but that ticket gives you the right to watch it." That license constitute??s "property," and is thus subject to stolen property laws.

The next question we have to ask is the placement of G2A in this whole situation. Unless G2A knew for sure that something wa??s up, Harvey says the site is not liable. "Absent some kind of negligence of knowledge, the site is not liable -- unless there is a statute saying they have a duty."&?nbsp;

Well, the site's Terms of Service states that "G2A.COM is ??neither a party to the agreement between the User and the Seller, nor between the Selling User and the User, nor b??etween Sellers -- it merely provides specific assistance and administration services to the Sellers and the Users." The site claims it is the thirdest of parties, but let's dig into that claim a little bit.

Going back to penal code 496, in the case of "every swap meet vendor and every person whose principal business is dealing in, or collecting, merchandise or personal property, and every?? agent, employee, or representative of that person," third-party sellers have a duty to make sure the product is not stolen. So, in this particular case, based on G2A's Terms of Service, the site defines the seller as a second third-party; G2A is more like the person who owns the parking lot where the illegal swap meet happened.

As if that wasn't enough, the site that sold me the stolen account also claims to be a third-party, having purchased the code from a seller on Taobao -- a Chinese e-commerce site owned by Alibaba. Yes, that Alibaba. Last we saw, the compa?ny was working on a credit system ??with the Chinese government. Somebody buy me a corkboard, some red yarn, and some thumbtacks.

According to a source inside G2A, the company is currently investigating both my case and Tim's. "Sellers of PSN accounts (or any other digital product present on our marketplace) are und??er supervision of our Customer Experience specialists. Our specialists? react every time when there is even a shadow of doubt as to any credibility and trustworthiness. In such cases of an invalid product, sellers are banned and the customers refunded promptly," our source said in an email to Destructoid.

Researching this story was like trying to escape from Alcatraz with only a nail file. The deeper I got, the more I hoped to find some measure of closure -- a feeling that never came. I only had to stop reporting on this because at some point, you just have to publish what you've got. We're still waiting on emails from G2A, the organization that sold me the stolen account,?? and (hopefully) Sony. Taobao was? a dead end, because I don't speak a lick of Chinese, and even then I doubt the seller in question would confess to a reporter. At best, I would get another deflection.

I can't promise you an ending, at least one that pro??vides a sense of finality. I don't know who stole either account, and nobody's owning up to the deed. All I can tell you is that I've left this experience less trusting of my fellow man. Keep your information safe, gang.

The post Inside the incredibly shady world of selling stolen ??PSN accounts appeared first on Destructoid.

Twelve involved

Twelve people have been arrested in Korea in relation to a match-fixing and illegal betting on StarCraft II, according to Team Liquid. A Korean eSports Association (KeSPA) statement names Park Wae-Sik, head coach of the professional StarCraft II team Prime and two of his players, Choi "YoDa" Byun??g Hyun and Choi "BBoongBBoong" Jong-Hyuk

At least five professional matches between January and June of this year were fixed. Brokers and go-betweens were also arrested, incl??uding a former pro and current eSports journalist. Park allegedly funneled roughly $4,450 to Choi Jong-Hyuk for him to take a dive, while Choi Byung Hyun received around $26,000 for losing two matches and then was blackmailed into losing two more.

The Korean eSports Association has already banned Park and YoDa for life and anyone else found guilty will re?ceive the same treatment as, "the association's sta??nce toward illegal betting will continue to be one of zero-compromise." Additionally the association may sue for damages.

Gerrard, YoDa, B??BoongBBoong and nine others indicted in match-fixing scandal [Team Liquid]

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