Friday, 28 February 2014

Dodd encourages readers to invest $82.44 in their delusions

38.3 million Google results can't be wrong...


Pete Dodd today encouraged gamers across the Internet to spend more than 80 of their hard-earned dollars on video games, presenting them with an odd paradox: Spend the money on games for the PlayStation Vita.

Of course, any gamer with even passing literacy of the industry is aware the Vita has no games (see image above), so we're trying to process whether Dodd was having a laugh or testing his audience. Needless to say, we question whether it's morally responsible to encourage the delusions of your readership.

Let's take a look at the games Dodd recommends in his blog post and his bizarre reasons why you should buy them:
  • Castlestorm ($4.83 PS+/6.99 –  usually $9.99): Don't just buy it, line the developer's wallet by paying $6.99 for the game and DLC!
  • Dungeon Hunter Alliance ($6.49): Better than Diablo
  • Killzone Mercenary  ($17.49 PS+/$24.99 – usually $35.99): "Underwhelming." Dodd also raises the possibility that Guerrilla Cambridge may be involved in the dark arts. How could he recommend this?
  • Orgarhythm ($4.89 PS+/$6.99 – usually $9.99): Dodd says the concept is so non-viable there is likely to never be another game like it.
  • Stick it to the Man ($6.29 PS+/8.99 – usually $12.99): "I don’t like the character designs"
  • Machinarium ($1.75 PS+/$3.49 – usually $6.99): "I derive no enjoyment out of the game"
  • Flow ($2.79 PS+/$3.99 – usually $5.99): "The Vita version the worst platform for it ... it’s worth a look"
  • Lumines Electronic Symphony  ($6.49): They're almost charging what it's worth now.
  • Velocity Ultra ($2.09 PS+/$3.49 – usually $7.49): Sony is charging $2.09 for a game that should have come pre-installed on Vita systems.
  • Flower ($3.49 PS+/$4.99 – usually $5.99): See "Flow"
  • Hotline Miami ($2.50 PS+/$4.99 – usually $9.99): Trustworthy Internet personality Rich Grisham does not like this game. Also, the story is confusing.
  • Ragnarok Odyssey  ($14.69 PS+/$20.90 – usually $29.99): "One of a million Monster Hunter clones."
  • Rayman Origins ($6.49): Buy it on Vita even though if you're interested you already own it on another platform.
Because Dodd's entire premise is that there are games on the Vita and they're worth buying, we've contacted Sony for comment on this story:

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Dodd in the news: Gamepur & The Motley Fool




Insider "Pete Dodd" scored another victory for quality journalism over the past week with a mention in an article from premier gaming website Gamepur.

Gamepur quoted the "well know industry insider" in an article entitled: "Another Developer Describes Xbox One ESRAM As 'Bottleneck, Cumbersom And Pain In the Ass.' " The story followed comments from Dodd from NeoGAF, in which Dodd stated: "I don’t get this obsession with MS fanboys wanting the more powerful machine. Its not happening. Who cares. There are xbox fans who think esram is this mystical thing when all it is is cumbersome, bottlenecking memory."

The article then went on to quote another apparent insider, named Pete Todd, and former IGN editor Jeremy Conrad Conrad Conard. While the story discusses concerns with the ESRAM situation, it also notes that Microsoft itself sides with its critics: "Microsoft has defended these claims by giving an example of Forza 5 and Kinect Sports Rival as games running at 1080p/60 FPS resolution on Xbox One."

A great scoop for the fine folks at Gamepur. We feel a bit cowed by the fact we were caught napping on this story and would like to apologize to our readers.

Continuing our roundup of Dodd news, investor news outlet The Motley Fool this week joined the parade of outlets reporting on Insider Pete Dodd's confirmation of the future Amazon.com XBox One Powered By Doritos.



Alas, reporter Keith Noonan took a surprisingly cautious and uninteresting approach to the bombshell that rocked the industry: "According to insider Pete Dodd, talk of Amazon buying the Xbox brand has been quietly swirling. Dodd has been ahead of the curve on big stories before, but it's important to remember that there is very little information to substantiate these rumblings. Other rumors suggest that Amazon will be launching its own Android-based console and media box sometime in 2014."

Maybe Next time, Noonan.
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Thursday, 27 February 2014

INFOGRAPHIC: Pete Dodd's hatred for Microsoft, quantified


Kratos's No. 1 fan may be paid by Microsoft (confirmed here), but that doesn't mean he can't hate the company. So how much does he hate the Redmond, Wash. company? Five hundred American dollars worth

Dodd made the admission in a recent tweet:
So the admission is clear, but what does it mean? Check out our infographic below:






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Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Dodd Updates: Major Nelson, Dodd mourns his own demise

Xbox Live's Major Nelson feels the heat

It's been an exciting first week here at the Word of Dodd, as gamers have responded en masse to the unvarnished truth bombs unleashed by video game authority Pete Dodd. While we're busy working on more stories, we're able to share a few updates from items we've run in the past week.

Major Nelson feeling the pressure

Xbox frontman Major Nelson refused to comment when contacted by the Word of Dodd in the wake of a poll that revealed Pete Dodd was being paid by Microsoft. While he didn't respond to our direct request, a later tweet made his feelings clear for all to see.
Highlighting his commitment to his job, Major Nelson revealed he will not go down without a fight, redoubling his focus on his important work and being the best damn Larry Hryb he can be.

Dodd suffers emotional breakdown

Just days after the Word of Dodd made public the game industry's contract on Pete Dodd's life, Dodd confided to the Internet that seeing what he already knew confirmed in print was emotionally traumatic:
While Dodd has done little to protect his own life -- in fact, he has raised his public profile with the launch of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign -- we hope crying made him feel a little bit better about his impending doom.
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EXCLUSIVE: Dodd paid by Microsoft



Followers of the Word of Dodd have confirmed that Pete Dodd (also known as Famous Mortimer),  widely believed to be a Sony-sponsored Twitter troublemaker, is in fact paid by Microsoft as well as his Japanese masters at Sony.

In an Internet poll, 24 users of this site revealed they work at Microsoft and have insider knowledge that proves Dodd's employment by the Redmond-based technology superpower. The fact that so many staffers at the computing giant came forward to share the truth about Dodd is startling.

For his part, Dodd has produced a series of unthinkable tweets, such as these messages hailing Titanfall as "Better on Xbox":


What could this mean for the video game rivals? And why isn't Nintendo also paying Dodd?

We've contacted Major Nelson to request his opinion on the news.
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Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Dodd launches obscure crowdfunding campaign


Pete Dodd, an amateur gamer best known for moving to Utah to convert to Mormonism, has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to start a new video game website. The website, according to Dodd, will be the greatest video game media outlet ever to exist on the Internet. He also hints that he may aim even higher, at also taking the crown as the Internet's best-ever NFL news website:
"I want to do everything that a gaming website shouldn't." 
While Dodd's goal of becoming the best gaming website ever may be feasible, a quick analysis raises troubling questions about the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign's backer rewards. At $15, Dodd proposes to offer his supporters the following:
  1. A weekly (or more often) email newsletter (that you can easily unsub from)  
  2.  Four podcasts run and owned by you
  3.  A private forum.  
 Dodd extends those same rewards to backers at every funding level (except $1,000) above $15. While Kickstarter crowdfunding offers a unique approach to the creation of new ventures, a frequent criticism has been that many creators back themselves into corners by offering extravagant rewards they can't possibly fulfill. This may be one of those cases.

Back at your own risk: Dodd may be hard-pressed to release a weekly newsletter without significantly surpassing his fundraising goal.We also respectfully submit that Dodd will be hard-pressed to surpass this website in terms of uncovering industry news. Still, if you're into that sort of thing, the campaign can be found at kickstarter.com/doddscientifics http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dodd-scientifics?show_todos=true
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Is @atPeteDodd a parody account? (UPDATE: YES)

 

The video game industry was sent reeling this afternoon as the Twitter user who is allegedly Pete Dodd revealed a pre-existing Dodd Scientifics Twitter account.

It's unclear why a parody account would draw attention to the real deal, but we're trying to dig deeper into this question. Here's "@PeteDodd's tweet:

The news casts into question whether @atPeteDodd, an account run by a person claiming to be the real Dodd, is indeed the #PS4noDRM champion or simply some basement-dwelling jester.

We're still attempting to gather the facts on this bit of news, but as a precautionary measure, we encourage any readers who have had contact with Dodd via Twitter, email or other means to clear their caches, close their blinds and ensure their vaccinations are up to date.

UPDATE: It appears DoddScientifics is indeed the real Pete Dodd, as proven through the following tweet:


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Dodd: Sony, Microsoft, Oral-B working on new platforms


Famous Mortimer, of the Internet's Twitter social network, said this week that Microsoft and Sony -- not satisfied with only battling for your living room -- will take their rivalry to the bathroom. The two console manufacturers will be producing toothbrushes.

Microsoft's brush is code-named Xbrush but details of Sony's dental platform are sketchy. The video game industry's foray into oral hygiene brings with it some interesting wrinkles:

Nintendo, rather than producing a traditional toothbrush is looking to disrupt the market by offering a  wrist-mounted mirror which users will wear while washing their teeth with toothpaste squirted onto an index finger.
The Atari Jaguar is reborn, at left, as a dental machine.
Of course, the move may also mean a return to legitimacy for Atari, which has a marked lead as a provider for the dental industry.

UPDATE: We reached out to Oral B for comment on their new competition:

However, the toothbrush giant failed to respond. Against the public relations machines at Sony and Microsoft -- as well as the expected previews at various gaming websites, this could spell trouble for parent company Procter & Gamble, one of Fortune's "Most Admired Companies," just two spots in front of Microsoft.

UPDATE 2: News out of the Mobile World Congress today offers some clarification on Oral-B's silence and a tantalizing hint that the company is indeed planning its own next-generation home console. With a series of smart toothbrushes in the works, a home console could be the linchpin that will help the company achieve that elusive holy grail: the gamification of dentistry.
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Monday, 24 February 2014

Dodd: Xbox One to have ambassador program






Xbox One owner and regularly scheduled video game insider Pete Dodd today said Microsoft will be following Nintendo's lead and offering an ambassador program to early adopters of the Xbox One console. The move, meant to placate early adopters who may feel burned by the quick release of the One console's Titanfall bundle, mirrors Nintendo's bid to distract its fans from the terrible first year of the 3DS.


Dodd went so far as to reveal the game Xbox One ambassadors will receive: Halo: Spartan Assault. Here's the tweet in which Dodd let slip the news:


Our snap analysis is that this is fantastic news for Microsoft and its fans. Game Informer magazine gave the PC version of Spartan Assault a lofty 8.25 out of 10,  a full point better than Valve's beloved Half-Life 2.

It also would suggest that better times lie ahead for Microsoft's console. Dare we say Dodd was hypothesizing the new Xbox will "win" the generation, as Nintendo has controlled the handheld space? The parallels keep growing.
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Breaking: Dodd rumour rival slain


Mere hours after the Word of Dodd's post about the bounty on Pete Dodd's head, it was revealed that fellow rumormeister CBoaT is no more.

Dodd, acutely aware of the danger he is currently facing as a high-stakes target of the gaming establishment, posted that he feared for his rival's safety:

Moments later, a Twitter user using an obvious alias, "" tweeted an image of what is clearly a grave marker for CBoaT. May he rest in peace.

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Dodd reveals he's target of industry-backed assassination plot



Video game freedom fighter Pete Dodd revealed to his Twitter followers on Sunday what many may have long suspected -- companies unhappy with his leaks to the video game proletariat have put a price on his head.

Putting on a brave face, Dodd mused in a tweet about how he might meet his demise:

 Needless to say, the tweet is revealing on a number of levels:
  1. Dodd, a man of the people, wants to die a death "of the people."
  2. While he's aware of the bounty, he doesn't know how much it is (is it attack helicopter money, or is it hired goons money?)
  3. While this revelation sheds some light on Dodd's move west, it also calls into question his common sense -- a contract killing, especially one involving an attack chopper, is likely easier to pull off in the less populous state of Utah.
 One of Dodd's followers, a user who goes by the hacker alias "" suggested Dodd revisit his philosophy: "Getting killed by a tank or a well placed air strike is pretty rad. Getting shot from behind ... not so much"

Were it not for the recent Miami Dolphins scandal, we might suggest Dodd try his hand at becoming "IncognitoMortimer." But as it stands, the die appears cast.
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Friday, 21 February 2014

Boy Genius Report takes aim at Dodd, writes story that accurately reflects source's comments



Clearly stung by Pete Dodd's recent attack on the gaming media, Boy Genius Report today took a sophomoric stab at the friend to all gamers, referring to him has an "industry leaker," (i.e.: one who urinates... on the industry...?)

The popular tech website then went on to produce a story based on the premise that "At some point during the development of the multiplatform title from the team behind the most popular Call of Duty games of all time, Microsoft swooped in and stole the game away from the PlayStation consoles," using Dodd's comments to back the statement up.

BGR linked to the following NeoGAF comment from Dodd: "Respawn wanted to focus on a single console as they were a small team."

Umm. Thievery.
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Thursday, 20 February 2014

Dodd lauds "The Word of Dodd" as top news outlet


Pete Dodd today lauded the journalistic excellence of the Word of Dodd in a tweet, shortly after taking aim at the broader videogame journalism industry.

Dodd lashed out at journalists while simultaneously defending them from rumors that they were on the take from EA, paid to hype upcoming first-person shooter Titanfall:

In a later message Dodd singled out this news outlet, while tactfully refusing to name names, as one of the great journalistic institutions on the Internet.
While we're not one to toot our own horns, we're compelled to share the pride we feel at Dodd's recognition of our efforts to dig deep beneath the surface and uncover the real news of the industry -- all from his Twitter feed. Our promise to you, dear reader, is that we will never regurgitate press releases.
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Dodd confirms new mode in The Order: 1886


 

Sony insider Pete Dodd today revealed a previously unannounced mode in PlayStation 4 exclusive title The Order: 1886. While much has been made of the title's cinematic chops, Dodd shared a quote from an interview with game director Ru Weerasuriya that confirmed the game is more than simply an alternate-history action game.

For the uninitiated, Notch is Minecraft creator Markus Persson, which can of course, mean only one thing: Beneath the story set in a fantasy-themed historic London, is buried a second game mode: an open world crafting simulator.


Developer Ready at Dawn has yet to comment on this newly uncovered fact, but will clearly have to address it before the game's third-quarter release. Clearly, the additional direction could have some ripple effects across the Sony ecosystem, which recently welcomed Minecraft for the PS3, with a PS4 version in the pipeline.
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Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Dodd: "Hope I'm 'lucky'"


Pete Dodd threw open the doors to his personal life on Wednesday, revealing for the first time on Twitter that he lives a life of celibacy. Dodd mentioned that he hoped he would be "lucky," using a popular euphemism for sexual relations (or, "getting lucky"). He then followed the post with the salacious hashtag "#winkyemoticon," in his open sexual invitation, believed to be aimed at his wife.



While it's not clear what prompted the attempted lifestyle change, what is clear is that Dodd needs to improve his repertoire if he hopes to improve his "luck" in the bedroom. As a budding video game journalist, this reporter can say that a great first step would be to not refer to the target of his affections as "that."

We're not sure how Famous Mortimer's alternative lifestyle may influence his coverage of the industry, but if it played a role in the success of the anti-DRM campaigns aimed at Sony and Microsoft last year, we can only hope his sexless existence continues.

Editor's Note: This is a corrected version of this story. An earlier version referred to Dodd's "lifestyle change," but there is no evidence as yet that his lifestyle has indeed changed.
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Dodd: "Sony pays me"


Video game maven Pete Dodd today finally confirmed one of the Internet's worst-kept secrets on Wednesday, admitting to the world that he is, in fact, paid by Sony for his activity on Twitter.


Dodd revealed that his Sony-sponsored position is a "new career" for him, after publicly discussing his decision to leave the mental health field following what may have been a Sony-sponsored move to the western United States.

While it would be irresponsible to blindly speculate what Sony is paying the Twitter personality, we conducted a series of tabulations to determine that Dodd is likely earning $6 per tweet, with bonuses for inclusion of certain keywords and performance on so-called Internet "metrics."

Despite the revelation, it's clear Dodd is still waiting for his first cheque from the Japanese video game manufacturer ("we are making [no money]"), which he addresses in a subsequent tweet.

 Does Dodd's revelation influence your opinion of his rumor-mongering? Let us know in the comments!

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Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Dodd: When videogames ... don't transcend space and time they are disappointing


Video gaming's loudest quiet voice expressed disappointment today in the state of the game industry, noting a troubling lack of transcendent experiences coming from developers of interactive entertainment.

Could Dodd, a veritable font of insider knowledge, have tipped his hand slightly with the Twitter rant, perhaps betraying a secret knowledge of future software that will bring gamers to a new plane of existence?

It could be possible that Dodd is alluding to the fact that the art form of video gaming will succeed in doing what so many spaceship cults of the past century have failed to do: elevate humanity. We look forward to this new future and hope that whatever hallucinogenic peripherals are required will operate at a solid 1080p.

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Dodd: The Order looks... like a videogame



A bold statement from the Internet's Pete Dodd today, rising to the defence of The Order 1886, which has come under fire for its sub 1080p resolution and use of QTE gameplay.

However, the Sony insider tempers his commentary, noting the game does not look "mind blowing change the industry neat." Is there trouble in paradise?
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Dodd: 5+3=8

Famous Mortimer, best known as Pete Dodd, from the Internet, posted a cryptic message to Twitter in the early morning hours, confirming ages old math knowledge while speculating about the future of the video game industry.

5.3 million: This is the worldwide sales of Sony's PlayStation 4. Everyone knows this.

5+3=8: YES!

Eight is enough: A reference to the beloved late-70's comedy drama? We think not. Instead, we believe Dodd has leveraged his insider information to postulate that this, the eighth generation of video game consoles (per Wikipedia) will be the final console generation. Needless to say this is a bombshell of epic proportions.

Enuff Z'Nuff. 80s metal. Def Leopard[sic]. Drummer with one arm. Vita has an arm processor. OlliOlli: Dodd's connections at Sony made him dig for this one, but clearly Dodd has information that Sony's Vita hardware (perhaps the Vita TV?) will have a new implementation as the processing muscle behind a new form of prosthetics tailored to skateboarders. Exciting.
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