There Price Increases Pushed Back

Half-Life 2 Is Hella Good
Run! Don't walk; get your copy now. This is the best game evah and really is fun. It is not a long game and you can crank it out in a week or less if you are addicted. :) The levels are stylish, entertaining, puzzling and fun. This game just does many things well. Already the company has leaked that they are working on Half-life3 and Alyx will be the star.
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/567/567971p1.html

You can buy and download HL2 right from Stream if you have a fast connection.
http://www.steampowered.com/

Here is an interesting article on Doom3 vs Half-life2. I echo the reviewers comments. While Doom3 was visually stunning and the sounds were amazing, it lacks the fun of HL2. Doom3 makes a major error when choosing to have the whole game be played in the dark with a flashlight...this sucks the fun out of a game that could be been more fun.
http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=626

Vote For Your Favorite Game!
I voted for Half-life and City Of Heroes! You can vote now too for the Spike TV video game awards hosted by Snoop Dog. This website is a fine example of why I hate flash. Hahaha
http://www.spiketv.com/events/vga2004/

There Price Increase Rumored To Be Pushed Back
Many Thereians were plopping their pants this week when There Inc revealed its plans to increase most prices for submissions and auctions. I don't have all the details and I am too lazy to check facts and figures but I've heard they wanted to raise all wholesale prices, often by 100%, and raise submission prices by up to 500%. I've also heard that designers would not get one item free on a new submission.

As an outsider looking in, I can only see two possible reasons for There Inc to do this. Please note that I am pulling these reasons out of my ass and they are not fact, just conjecture, which often makes for the best gossip and rumors. Tee hee ;) My guess is that There Inc wants to reduce staff internally to once again cut costs on a sinking ship. The submissions and auctions have to be labor intensive...if you can cut two staff members interanally, you can save the company probably $100,000 a year. How can you reduce the workload of submissions and auctions? Raise prices through the roof. This is my best guess as to what is occuring and why. My second best guess is that Baloo is attempting some sort of economic trickery that few people believe will work. I can only see this move drastically reducing new products and listings. Some of the most fun you can have in There is desinging and people will simply stop as the costs get too high.

It's was suggested that the DAB somehow wanted these increases...I have yet to meet one DAB member that is not violently opposed to these price increases...why the hell would anyone want their cost of goods to go up? An economist might try to argue that it would reduce competition...pfffff I don't buy that line of reasoning...the top designers already have massive market share.

I've heard through the ninja rumor mill that the price increase will now be pushed back until Feb05.

World Of Warcraft Launches!
Cytra reminded me to add this today! WoW is now open for business and is very popular! This game rates very high and I know many people wanting to play it. It is currently holding the #1 spot at amazon, which shocks me since I thought for sure it would be HL2.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/471288/002-7830392-0252044

Billboard Mag Names City of Heroes Game of the Year and Best Multiplayer Game
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/press_release.php?aid=5382