I guess everyone on allegro who uses wikipedia, including myself will not have the ability to reference their site on wednesday. Its really sad because every troll loves wikipedias ease of entry into the world wide web shites.
Tell your congresscritters to back off with sopa or encyclopedia dramatica will get much bigger instead.
SOPA was shelved off. PIPA is still up for voting tho, that's the problem.
I'm gonna blackout myself. 
I read a quote from somewhere I can't remember, "so where am I going to get my inaccurate information tomorrow from?"
Neil: you have only yourself to blame if you don't check the references.
Yeah. You can guarantee you don't fall for any inaccurate information if you check the references.[1]
References
I assume every URL tracker shortener link is Goatse. 
Wikipedia is a bunch of plagiarized content. It should permanently be shut down. Hopefully that's what SOPA is eventually able to do. Once Wikipedia is taken out, the economy will recover mostly due to door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen getting their old jobs back.
I loved the Encyclopedia Britannica when I was a wee laddie, but it didn't have hyperlinks! You actually had to grab the relevant volume off the shelf and muck about with alphabetical order to find the article! 
“It is ironic that a website dedicated to providing information is spreading misinformation about the Stop Online Piracy Act," Smith said in a statement on Tuesday. "The bill will not harm Wikipedia, domestic blogs or social networking sites. This publicity stunt does a disservice to its users by promoting fear instead of facts. Perhaps during the blackout, Internet users can look elsewhere for an accurate definition of online piracy."
...
It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.
A so-called “blackout” is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this “blackout” to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.”
Protect teh american jobz!
Wikidpedia? Tey tuk our jarbz!
Protect teh american megacorpzzz!
FTFY
Mr. Smith's summary is correct. SOPA shuts down foreign sites that are breaking domestic laws.
If you don't want your site to get shut down by SOPA, then:
Don't break American laws
Don't hide your identity or ignore legal threats
I disagree with DNS hijacking because it's both dangerous and ineffective. Unfortunately, the only other solution is a national firewall. When SOPA fails, I think that will be the next step. All major ISPs will be required to filter out traffic to certain IPs. That will be more effective than DNS fiddling.
It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.
Oh, the irony...
Yeah, yeah, another "explanation" of how some law is going to make things all better, but it's so loose that it can be twisted into whatever the powers that be want. Like the RICO law, meant to stop organized crime, but it winds up enabling police departments to confiscate a million dollar yacht because some local acting as a crewman has a joint in his pocket, and the profits from selling the yacht go toward remodeling the police chiefs office.
If you want to invoke the slippery slope, then that's fine. It's probably relevant.
However, that doesn't mean people should keep spreading FUD and misinformation about what SOPA is.
Tey tuk our yacht!
Politicians depend on slippery slopes to further their goals.
Yeah, yeah, another "explanation" of how some law is going to make things all better, but it's so loose that it can be twisted into whatever the powers that be want.
That's pretty much the reason behind the blackout. Heck, I've seen DMCA takedowns on Youtube on game trailers that aren't even from developer/publisher of the game. 
Want to hack the blackout? Disable your JavaScript.
Wikipedia is lame.
I turned on noscript on wikipedia. The shit finaly does something useful. They should upload pron to make it all worth it to go there instead.
"Thanks everyone! The fundraiser was a success!
Lets shut 'er down!"
You can still access Wikipedia by refreshing the desired page & stopping page load.
Oh hey. I was wondering why it wasn't blacking out as promised.
I have no trouble accessing Wikipedia whether noscript is enabled or not. What time zone is it in? Reddit has a countdown timer on the main page for when they're going down, 3 hr 18 min as I write this.
I have no trouble accessing Wikipedia whether noscript is enabled or not.
Read my above post.
So if I stop the page load before it loads, I can't access it? Whodathunkit? OTOH, it's kind of hard to do that when you've got broadband.
The page loads, then it blacks out. You can stop it the moment it loaded but didn't blackout yet. You need quite an accurate timing, but nothing difficult. It's a good idea to refresh it & then stop. (done it multiple times today, I could post you content of a page or two, if you'd like it, as a proof + in order to help you if relevant)
The page loads, then it blacks out.
I just read this page on Wikipedia until I was bored, so what price blackout?
Craigslist is down, with a pageful of pointers as to why SOPA/PIPA is bad, one of them points to a Techdirt article saying Monster Cable has claimed Craigslist is a "rogue site" for allowing buyers to purchase secondhand cables!
The text from that page:
Need for Speed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Need for speed)
This article is about the game series. For the first Need for Speed video game, see The Need for Speed. For other uses, see Need for Speed (disambiguation).
Need for Speed
Current logo.
Genres Racing
Developers EA Canada (1994–2001)
Black Box Games (2001–2002)
EA Black Box (2002–present)
EA Montreal (2009)
EA Singapore (2010)
Slightly Mad Studios (2009-2011)
Criterion Games (2010)
Publishers Electronic Arts
First release The Need for Speed
August 31, 1994
Latest release Need for Speed: The Run
November 15, 2011
Official website www.needforspeed.com
Need for Speed (NFS) is a series of racing video games published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by several studios including Canadian-based company EA Black Box and British-based Criterion Games. It was originally developed by the Canadian-based company Distinctive Software, which became known as EA Canada.
The series released its first title, The Need for Speed in 1994. Initially, Need for Speed was exclusive to the fifth generation video game consoles, eventually featuring in all seventh generation consoles by 2008. The titles consist of racing with different cars on various tracks, with some titles including police pursuits in races. Since Need for Speed: Underground, the series has integrated car body customization into gameplay.
Need for Speed is the most successful racing video game series in the world, and one of the most successful video game franchises of all time.[1] As of October 2009, over 100 million copies of games in the Need for Speed series have been sold.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Gameplay
2 Development and spin-off series
3 Series overview
4 Installments
4.1 First Generation
4.1.1 The Need for Speed (1994)
4.1.2 Need for Speed II (1997)
4.1.3 Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
4.1.4 Need for Speed: High Stakes/Road Challenge (1999)
4.1.5 Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed/Porsche 2000 (2000)
4.1.6 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
4.2 Second Generation
4.2.1 Need for Speed: Underground (2003)
4.2.2 Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)
4.2.3 Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
4.2.4 Need for Speed: Carbon (2006)
4.2.5 Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)
4.2.6 Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)
4.3 Third Generation
4.3.1 Need for Speed: Shift (2009)
4.3.2 Need for Speed: Nitro (2009)
4.3.3 Need for Speed: World (2010)
4.3.4 Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
4.3.5 Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)
4.3.6 Need for Speed: The Run (2011)
5 Future
6 Decline
7 References
8 External links
[edit]Gameplay
The Need for Speed (NFS) series are racing games, all of which employ the same fundamental rules and have similar mechanics. In each game, the player controls a race car in a variety of races, the goal being to win the race. In the tournament/career mode, the player must win a series of races in order to unlock vehicles, tracks, etc. Before playing each race, the player chooses a vehicle to race in and has the option of choosing the transmission of the vehicle, which includes automatic and manual transmission. All games in the series have some form of multiplayer mode allowing players to race one another via split screen, LAN or the internet.
Although the games share the same name, the tone and focus of the games has varied significantly, in one form or another. For example, in some games the cars can suffer mechanical and visual damage, while in other games the cars cannot be damaged at all, some games have physics—that is, the way the software simulates a real car behavior—that are reminiscent of a real car, while other games have forgiving physics (i.e. going through some curves at top speed).
With the release of Need for Speed: Underground, the series shifted focus from the racing of exotic sports cars on scenic point-to-point tracks, evocative of open road racing to import/tuner subculture, and street racing in an urban setting. To-date, this theme has remained prevalent in most of the following games.
Need for Speed: Shift and it's sequel took a simulator approach to racing (moreso in the sequel). These games primarily feature closed-circuit racing on real and fictional tracks like the Nurburgring or Laguna Seca. In addition, the drag and drift modes from the street-racing games are kept and presented as professional sports (such as Formula Drift). There is a strong focus on the FIA GT1 World Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship. The car lists include a combination of exotics, sports cars, and tuners in addition to special race cars. With Shift 2: Unleashed, EA has decided to split this off into a separate racing series, though it is not known whether further sequels will be produced.
Most of the games in the franchise include police pursuits in some form or other. In the first game, the player races against the X-Man, the objective is to beat him without getting arrested. In some of the games featuring police pursuit, the player can play as either the felon or the cop; as a felon, the player must elude the police, or if playing as the cop, must pursue and capture the felon.[3] Introduced in Need for Speed: Underground were the concepts of drifting and dragging, which are used in drift and drag racing, respectively. These new mechanics are included in the tournament/career mode aside from the regular street races. In drift races, the player must defeat other racers by setting higher points than the other racers; these points are earned by the length and timing of the drift made by the player's vehicle.[4] In drag races, the player uses a car set in manual transmission. The objective in this type of race is to follow an opposing car and mimic its performance to gain a boost in the player's speed. Like an ordinary street race, the player must finish first to win the race, though if the player crashes into an obstacle, the race ends.[4]
The concept of car tuning evolved with each new game. In the earlier games in the series, it focused mainly on the mechanics of the car rather than the looks of it. Every game has some form of car tuning that can be set by toggling options on and off (i.e. ABS, or traction control), adjusting options (i.e. front downforce, rear downforce, brake bias, gear ratios) or upgrading parts (i.e. engine, gearbox). From Underground to the current game, customization of vehicles is similar to the vehicles depicted in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious. The two categories in which the player can choose to modify his cars are visual and performance. Visual tuning of the player's car becomes an important aspect in tournament/career mode after the release of Need for Speed: Underground 2. The player's car appearance is rated using a scale from zero to ten points; the more visual points it has, the more likely it is to be featured in fictional automobile magazines. When a car attains a high enough visual rating, the player is told that their vehicle is eligible to be on the cover of a magazine; thereafter, the player must drive to a specific location to take the photo of the vehicle.[5]
Like all racing games, the Need for Speed series features an extensive list of cars that are available for the player to use. The vehicles included in the game are modeled and named after actual cars in real life. Cars in the franchise are divided into four categories, the exotic cars, the muscle cars, the tuners, and special vehicles.[6] The exotic cars feature cars like the Lamborghini Murciélago and the SLR McLaren, the muscle cars refer to cars like the Mustang GT and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, the tuners are cars like the Nissan Skyline and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The special vehicle category refers to the police cars that are available for use in the game.[6]
Originally the series took place in international settings, such as race tracks in Australia, Europe, and Africa among other settings.[7] Beginning with Underground, the series has taken place in fictional metropolitan cities.[8] The first game featured traffic on "head to head" game mode and on later games traffic can be toggled on and off at the options screen. Starting with Underground, traffic is a fixed obstacle added during a race.[8]
[edit]Development and spin-off series
The Need for Speed series was originally developed by Distinctive Software, a video game studio based in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to Electronic Arts' purchase of the company in 1991, it had already created popular racing games such as Stunts and Test Drive II: The Duel. After the purchase was made, the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Canada. The company capitalized on its experience in the domain when it began developing the Need for Speed series in late 1992.[9] EA Canada continued to develop and expand the Need for Speed franchise up to 2002, when another Vancouver-based gaming company, named Black Box Games, was contracted to continue the series with the title Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Black Box Games was acquired by Electronic Arts shortly before the game's publication and the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Black Box and became a subsidiary of EA Canada.[10] Since its renaming, EA Black Box has been the series primary developer and was on a yearly cycle from 2002-2008. EA contacted UK-based gaming company Slightly Mad Studios after the franchise began to decline in both sales and quality, and to create a bi-annual cycles with alternate between several studios. In 2009, Slightly Mad Studios released Need for Speed: Shift, and EA's own UK-based gaming company Criterion Games came with Hot Pursuit in 2010. In 2011, Slightly Mad Studios released a sequel to Shift, Shift 2: Unleashed and EA Black Box released Need for Speed: The Run after their universally poor received 2008 entery Need for Speed: Undercover.
When V-Rally was released in 1997, it was developed by the European based company, Eden Studios, and had nothing in common with the preceding Need for Speed games. EA however, bought the rights to title of the game and produced it in North America as Need for Speed: V-Rally.[11] Eden Studios would develop V-Rally 2 in Europe, while EA would publish it in North America as Need for Speed V-Rally 2. V-Rally 2 however, followed the same formula as the other Need for Speed titles.[12] In 1999, EA announced plans to make a spin-off of the Need for Speed series with the release of Need For Speed Motor City. The game however, was later confirmed that it would be included into the Need for Speed franchise and the spin-off series was never produced, and the game was renamed as Motor City Online.[13]
[edit]Series overview
Main article: List of Need for Speed titles
There have been sixteen games released in the Need for Speed series. Six games were developed by EA Canada, and two were developed by European-based video game developer Eden Games. One was also developed by Criterion Games.
Title Year PC PS3 360 Wii PS2 Xbox NGC PS1 iOS PSP NDS GBA Others Developer Comments
All games of the Need for Speed-series by system
The Need for Speed 1994 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 3DO, Saturn
Need for Speed II 1997 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Prototypes and showcars available.
NFS III: Hot Pursuit 1998 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Canada/EA Seattle
NFS: High Stakes 1999 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Canada Road Challenge (Europe, Brazil)
NFS: Porsche Unleashed 2000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Canada/Eden Games Porsche 2000 (Europe), Porsche (Germany, Latin America)
Motor City Online 2001 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Seattle MMO racing game; originally Need for Speed: Motor City
NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 2002 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box
NFS: Underground 2003 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box
NFS: Underground 2 2004 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box
NFS: Most Wanted 2005 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Canada
NFS: Carbon 2006 N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box
NFS: ProStreet 2007 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box
NFS: Undercover 2008 N/A N/A N/A N/A Windows Mobile & Phone EA Black Box
NFS: Shift 2009 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Windows Mobile Slightly Mad Studios
NFS: Nitro 2009 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Montreal Casual game, Nintendo exclusive
NFS: World 2010 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A EA Black Box Free-to-play MMO racing game
NFS: Hot Pursuit 2010 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Criterion Games/DICE Wii version by Exient Entertainment
Shift 2: Unleashed 2011 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Slightly Mad Studios Also known as Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed
NFS: The Run 2011 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 3DS EA Black Box Wii/3DS versions by Firebrand Games
[edit]Installments
[edit]First Generation
[edit]The Need for Speed (1994)
Main article: The Need for Speed
The original Need for Speed was released for 3DO in 1994 with versions released for the PC (DOS) (1995), PlayStation and Saturn (1996) following shortly afterwards. The Need for Speed and its Special Edition was the only games in the series to support DOS. Subsequent releases for the PC run only within Windows.
The first installment of the NFS was one of only two serious attempts by the series to provide a realistic simulation of car handling and physics without arcade elements (the other being Porsche Unleashed). Electronic Arts teamed up with automotive magazine Road & Track to match vehicle behaviour, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles' gear control levers. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several "magazine style" images of each car interior and exterior and even short video-clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.
Most cars and tracks are available at the beginning of the game, and the objective is to unlock the remaining locked content by winning tournaments. The first version featured chases by police cars, which remained a popular theme throughout the series - the so-called Hot Pursuit editions (Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: High Stakes, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Need for Speed: Carbon and Need for Speed: Undercover) and have sold better in the marketplace than intervening versions. The initial version also featured an obnoxious opponent who taunted the player if the computer won the race or the player is arrested (if the player is ticketed several times).
Another version of the game, called The Need for Speed: Special Edition, is based on the 1995 PC release of the game, and was released only for PC CD-ROM in 1996. It featured support for DirectX 2 and TCP/IP networking, two new tracks, time of day variations for most tracks (morning, midday and evening), and various enhancements in the game engine.
[edit]Need for Speed II (1997)
Main article: Need for Speed II
Need for Speed II featured some of the rarest and most exotic vehicles ever available, including the Ford Indigo concept vehicle, and features country-themed tracks from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The PlayStation port of NFS II was the first PlayStation game to take advantage of not only the NeGcon controller, but both the Dual Analog and the DualShock controllers as well.
A new racing mode was also introduced in NFS II dubbed Knockout, where the last racers to finish laps will be eliminated until the only leading racer remains, and wins. Foregoing the realism of the first Need for Speed, NFS II provided a more arcade-like gameplay style, while maintaining the intricately designed levels.[verification needed] In addition, track design was more open-ended; players could now "drive" off the asphalt, and even cut across fields to take advantage of shortcuts.
The special edition of NFS II, Need for Speed II: Special Edition includes one extra track, extra cars, and support for Glide, the then-burgeoning 3D graphics standard used in 3dfx's Voodoo and Voodoo 2 graphics cards.
[edit]Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
Main article: Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit added Hot Pursuit mode, in which the player either attempted to outrun the police or be the cop, arresting speeders.
NFS III took advantage of the multimedia capabilities of the CD-ROM by featuring audio commentary, picture slideshows and music videos. This game also is the first in the series to allow the downloading of additional cars from the official website. As a result, modding communities have sprung up to create more vehicles which would otherwise be unavailable to the game. The PC version is also the first game in Need for Speed series to support Direct 3D hardware 3D acceleration.
[edit]Need for Speed: High Stakes/Road Challenge (1999)
Main article: Need for Speed: High Stakes
High Stakes (North American and Australian title), also known as Road Challenge (European and Brazilian title), Conduite en état de liberté (French title) and Brennender Asphalt (German title), was released in the summer of 1999.
High Stakes introduced several new types of gameplay: High Stakes, Getaway, Time Trap, and Career. High Stakes is a racing mode (within Career) in which the reward was the losing player's car. Getaway requires the player to outrun many pursuing police vehicles for a given time period. Time Trap is where the racer has to finish a certain amount of laps within the time limit, with police cars trying to slow them down. Career mode incorporates a monetary reward system that allows a player to purchase vehicles and performance upgrades while earning cash by racing in a chronological set of tournaments. Another innovation is the introduction of damage models. Vehicles which have been involved in accidents featured visibly crushed car bodies and suffered from performance penalties. After a race in Career mode, the player is given the option to purchase repairs. The mode also allows players, for the first time, to upgrade cars, although the feature simply consists of switching between three upgrade levels for each car.
The PlayStation version of the game, released some months before the PC version, features improved gameplay. Only all-new tracks were implemented without the additional rehashes from NFS III in the PC version. Additionally, the AI in the game was more advanced; the five AIs known as Nemesis, Bullit, Frost, Ranger, and Chump featured different driving characteristics (i.e. Nemesis would hound the player until a slipup occurs, whilst Bullit exhibits a more aggressive style, occasionally ramming into the player's vehicle). Also, The Aston Martin DB7 was in the game at release, while the PC version required that players would need to download it online to put it in the game. In the PlayStation version, the Mclaren F1 GTR was based on the 1997 Long Tail, while the PC version was based on the original 95/96 version.
[edit]Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed/Porsche 2000 (2000)
Main article: Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Porsche Unleashed (North America and Latin America title), Porsche 2000 (European title) or simply Porsche (in Germany) is different from the previous versions, because it featured only Porsches and featured a wealth of information regarding them.
The vehicle handling is considered the most realistic in any NFS game, and there is an in-depth catalogue of different Porsche parts that span throughout the years. The player had to win races in the Evolution career mode to unlock cars in chronological order from 1950 to 2000. Porsche Unleashed also featured a Factory Driver mode, where the player had to test Porsches with various stunts and move on with their career. The game is also the first in the series since the first NFS game to not feature a split screen mode.
In terms of game construction, it is most often hailed as Need For Speed's best collaborated effort to bring forth one singular car brand and amplify and deepen the depth of knowledge both on history and motor functions. It features historical videos as well as several modern and older photos of Porsche vehicles. The Evolution concept was a hit for many people, creating many new Porsche fans due to the game's high level of academia and depth of Porsche cars. The Factory Driver was also a different kind of unlocking, except to do with performing and excelling in certain slaloms, speed races, deliveries, etc.
[edit]Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
Main article: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 was the debut Need for Speed title from the newly formed EA Black Box (created after the purchase of Black Box Games in Vancouver), and the first Need for Speed for the sixth generation of consoles. Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, while the PS2 version was developed by Black Box Games in Vancouver.
Hot Pursuit 2 draws primarily from the gameplay and style of NFS III; its emphasis was on evading the police and over-the-top tracks featuring lengthy shortcuts. Although the game allowed players to play as the police, the pursuit mode was drastically less realistic than preceding versions of NFS; players merely needed to "tap" a speeder a certain number of times to arrest them, as opposed to using actual police tactics such as the PIT maneuver to immobilize a speeding vehicle.
This was the first Need for Speed version since the start of the series that did not feature a true "in the driving seat" camera view, complete with steering wheel, dashboard etc. In some ways this can be considered to be the landmark in EA's move from realistic racing to arcade street racing. It is also the last game in the Need for Speed series for PC to feature the split-screen two player mode introduced in Need for Speed II. For the multiplayer mode of the PC version, GameSpy's internet matchmaking system was used in place of Local Area Network (LAN) play. Hot Pursuit 2 is also the first Need for Speed to forego an original instrumental rock/techno soundtrack in favor of songs sung by licensed song artists under the EA Trax label.
[edit]Second Generation
[edit]Need for Speed: Underground (2003)
Main article: Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground was developed by EA Black Box and released on November 17, 2003. This was the first Need for Speed to require Hardware Transform and Lighting in Graphics Cards. Most of the new elements in Underground have become defining marks of later installments in the Need for Speed series.
Underground proposed a shift from semi-professional racing and isolated circuits to the street racing style of other arcade racing series: all circuits are now part of a single map, Olympic City, except for drifts. Underground game introduced three new play modes (Drag, Drift and Sprint) and tuning with more options than in the previous attempt, High Stakes. Underground was also the first game in the series to feature a story, told via pre-rendered videos, completely rebooting the franchise.
Underground features tuner cars and focuses on the import tuner culture shown in movies like the Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious and this video game has some competition with the Midnight Club Series. The game has a wide variety of tuning options such as widebody kits, bumpers, spoilers, rims, hoods, roof scoops, window tints, neon lighting, decals, vinyls, paint and performance upgrades such as engine and nitrous. City street racing is the primary focus of the game.
Due to law enforcement reasons, there were no cops in Underground and Underground 2, which drew criticism as cops were an important part of previous titles' gameplay. The game received good reviews, which generally criticised cops not being in the game.[citation needed]
[edit]Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)
Main article: Need for Speed: Underground 2
Need for Speed: Underground 2, the sequel to the commercial hit Need for Speed: Underground, was released on November 15, 2004. A demo of the game was placed as a "late" easter egg in finished copies of the EA Games and Criterion Games collaboration Burnout 3: Takedown, and completed versions of NFSU2 also have a demo of Burnout 3 in the game.
In Underground 2, the story bob continues, but there are new racing modes such as the Underground Racing League and Street X, new and more tuning options, as well as a new method of selecting races—just driving around the city (similar to Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club II) and selecting race "beacons". Also included is an "outrun" mode where a player can challenge random opponents on the road and the race leader will attempt to distance themselves away from the opponent to defeat the opponent (similar to Tokyo Xtreme Racer). Underground 2 also introduces several SUVs, which could be customized as extensively as other Underground 2 vehicles and used to race against other SUV racers.
The customization features in the game was significantly expanded to modifications that have no actual effect on vehicle performance. The sound systems could be put in the trunk of cars, but served no purpose other than sheer flash. The game also features more extensive product placement for companies with no connection to auto racing, such as integrating the logo for Cingular Wireless, an American wireless communications company, into the game's messaging system and displaying it on-screen for much of the gameplay. This game has extensive amount of customization.
The performance and handling of the car is not only affected from "performance shops", but cosmetic modifications, like spoilers and hoods, which affect the downforce of the car.
Need for Speed: Underground Rivals was the first Need for Speed game released on the PlayStation Portable. It is the PSP equivalent of Need for Speed: Underground 2, and was released on February 24, 2005 in Japan, March 14, 2005 in North America, and September 1, 2005 in Europe. The title went Platinum in Europe on June 30, 2006. It had no free roam and the cars were very limited.
[edit]Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
Main article: Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted was devolped by EA Black Box, released on November 16, 2005, and was one of the first games released for the Xbox 360. It was released on the Gamecube, Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, GBA, PC and DS. The PSP port of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is Need for Speed: Most Wanted 5-1-0.
Police chases make a comeback and represent a significant body of the gameplay, and includes the Grand Theft Auto-like free-roaming of Underground 2, but with less extensive vehicle customization features than in the Underground series. The customization options are improved slightly in the latter need for speed titles. The story mode is presented in a significantly different style from Underground, with CGI effects mixed with live action, which was used in later games, such as Need For Speed Carbon. The mode also features the Blacklist, a crew consisting of 15 racers that the player must beat one-by-one to unlock parts, cars, tracks, and to complete career mode. The player has to meet certain requirements before he can take on the next Blacklist rival, such as races completed, bounty earned, etc.
A special Black Edition of Most Wanted was also released, which features additional races and challenges, and a few bonus cars, including a specially-tuned BMW E46 (M3) GTR, a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, a red Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, a Porsche, and a few others, and also includes a Black Edition-only behind-the-scenes DVD. Both versions of Most Wanted are available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo DS, and Windows-based PCs. Only the standard edition of Most Wanted is available for GameCube and Xbox 360 ("Black Edition" was not produced for these platforms). Black Edition was made for the tenth anniversary of the Need for Speed series.
[edit]Need for Speed: Carbon (2006)
Main article: Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon was developed by EA Black Box and was released on October 31, 2006, for Windows-based personal computers, Playstation 2 and Xbox 360, and this is the first Need for Speed game for Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii and the last NFS game for Nintendo Gamecube and Xbox, followed by video game consoles and handheld game consoles. Carbon's handheld port is known as Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City. The Wii port lacked online play, but made full use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
NFS: Carbon continues the story of the player from Most Wanted, however, the game has far less emphasis on the police than NFS: Most Wanted. Carbon saw the return of nightime-only racing, and a selection of cars similar to that of Most Wanted, including compact cars and sports cars associated with import culture, American muscle cars, and supercars. Carbon introduces a new feature wherein the player is allowed to form a "crew," to which members with different abilities may be chosen that aid the player in races. Drift events returned to the series in Carbon.
Drag racing was removed from the series, but a new type of race called "Canyon Duel" was added, where the player and a game boss take turns racing down a canyon, trying to stay as close to the leader as possible. The closer the player is to the leader, the more points they accrue. If the player is unable to overtake the leader and remain in front (10 seconds), it will go down to the next round where the player must stay as far ahead as possible to gain more points and win against the boss.
Another new feature is "Autosculpt", which allows players to custom-fabricate their own ground effects, rims, hoods, and other parts. The cars featured on the front cover of game are the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and Dodge Challenger. The car featured on the front cover of the Collector's Edition is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.
The Collector's Edition of NFS: Carbon features 4 exclusive cars, 10 pre-tuned cars, 6 new races, 3 unique challenge events, 10 unique vinyls and a Bonus DVD showing the making of Carbon and showcasing all the cars used in the game. The Collector's Edition also features alternate box art and metallic finish packaging. Although the MAC edition doesn't display the Collector's Edition title, but it contains all the Collector's Edition features.
[edit]Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)
Main article: Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet is the 2007 released title in the Need for Speed series, developed by EA Black Box and released on November 14, 2007 in North America and on November 23, 2007 in Europe.
Key features of the game include realistic damage, a return to realistic racing (instead of the arcade-like racing of previous titles), modeling, burnouts and more.[14][15] The game also lacks the free roam mode found in earlier releases, which previously allowed players to roam the streets. Instead, all of the races are on closed race tracks that take place on organized race days. The game consisted of Drag races, Speed challenges, Grip races (circuit racing), and drift races.
Sales for the game were poor and critics bashed the game, because of its awkward, unrealistic physics engine, boring single player career mode, and unresponsive controls. The Collector's Edition for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 adds another five new cars. It is available via download from such as PSN and Xbox Live.
[edit]Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)
Main article: Need for Speed: Undercover
Need for Speed: Undercover was developed by EA Black Box and was released on November 18, 2008. The game had a significantly longer development cycle than previous games, taking 16 months to develop.[16] EA Games president Frank Gibeau stated that due to the fact that the sales of ProStreet didn't live up to EA's hopes for the game, the franchise will go back to its "roots" with a number of features, including open-world racing and a new highway battle mode. The game was met with average responses, mostly in the 65% to 70% range, but the responses were higher than ProStreet (one response was higher than 70%, three of them were below a 65%).[17]
The game focuses on, like Need for Speed: Most Wanted, tuning and cop chases. The game features over 50 cars. The game takes place in a fictional city, in a Tri-city Bay area. The player's role is an undercover cop, trying to stop the racers. The game contains live-action cutscenes which feature the actress Maggie Q. The game also features a damage system and now parts can break off after a crash. However, the player doesn't need to pay for the damage and the car is repaired automatically after each race, unlike 2007's Need for Speed: Pro Street.
The Collector's Edition for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 adds another 5 new cars, and twelve new circuit, sprint and checkpoint track configurations. Also included are specially tuned versions of ten existing cars, which are available in quick race and online modes, plus 35 exclusive vinyls for adding a unique visual style to any of your cars.
EA also ported Undercover to various mobile devices. It is available for purchase and download in the iTunes App Store for the iPod Touch and iPhone, and in the Palm App Catalog for the Palm Pre, and Windows Mobile. It is also the last Need for Speed game for PlayStation 2.
[edit]Third Generation
[edit]Need for Speed: Shift (2009)
Main article: Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift was developed by Slightly Mad Studios, released on September 15, 2009, primarily centers around legal races in real-life racing circuits around the world, and maintain its mix of exotic, import and muscle cars.
It features over 60 cars, divided into 4 tiers. It features 19 tracks, some of which are actual licensed tracks and others which are fictional. In addition to improved driving simulation and an adaptive difficulty, the game reintroduces cockpit view, the first in the series since Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. NFS: Shift focuses on racing simulation rather than arcade racing of previous titles. The car featured on the cover page is a BMW E92 M3 GT2.
NFS: Shift received better reviews than the last 3 games in the series, Carbon, ProStreet and Undercover. It gained a 9.0 rating from IGN and the Official Xbox Magazine, while it gained a 7.0 from Eurogamer and Gamespot, who were considerably less impressed. The reviewers generally praised the in-car view of the game and its sense of speed, while most of the criticism revolved around the drift aspect of NFS: Shift.
The Special Edition of NFS: Shift contains a special tuned BMW M3 GT2, and an Elite Series track. Two downloadable contents were released for the game:
Ferrari DLC Pack, features 10 Ferrari cars and 46 specific Ferrari challenges in career mode. It is exclusively available on the Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points.
Exotic Racing Pack, features cars like the McLaren MP4-12C, the BMW M1, the Gumpert Apollo and the Honda NSX. It also features new races, a new championship and 5 more trophies for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
[edit]Need for Speed: Nitro (2009)
Main article: Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro is the first Need for Speed game made exclusively for Nintendo DS and Wii, featuring arcade-style gameplay and targeting a casual audience. Nitro was released on November 3, 2009 in North America while it was released in Europe on November 6, 2009. Need for Speed: Nitro is also available as a social multiplayer game in Facebook.[18]
Need for Speed Nitro-X
A newer installment and the sequel to the original Nitro. Announced shortly after E3 2010, EA released details on bringing the Need For Speed series onto Nintendo's digital distribution DSiWare service for use with the DSi/XL and the 3DS system. Titled Need For Speed: Nitro-X, the game is essentially the original release with a couple of updates, such as 18 licensed vehicles, never-before-driven police units, custom tags for in-game usage with the DSi camera, 16 updated tracks from all 6 original Nitro locations, a revised career mode, local multiplayer matches for up to 4 players, as well as new rewards and unlockables. The game was released as a digital download only and as such, be priced at a premium (800+ Nintendo points). It was originally going to be released on September 20, 2010, but EA delayed the game slightly to work on improving the in-game physics engine. It became re-scheduled for a release on October 8, 2010 in North America but was delayed once again and released on November 15, 2010 in North America and November 26, 2010 in Europe.
[edit]Need for Speed: World (2010)
Main article: Need for Speed: World
Need for Speed: World is a free-to-play MMO racing game in development exclusively for Windows-based PCs. It takes on the gameplay style of Most Wanted and Carbon, focusing on illegal racing, tuning and police chases, and adds classic MMO elements to the mix. World even incorporates almost exact replicas of the cities of Rockport and Palmont, the cities of Most Wanted and Carbon respectively, into its map design. World was originally scheduled for an Asian release in the summer of 2009, however the game was not released at that time and it was released worldwide on July 27, 2010.[19][20] In October 2009, the game was in public beta-testing limited to residents of Taiwan.
The beta was launched on June 2, 2010. The game was released to players who had the starter pack on July 20, 2010 and to others on July 27, 2010. Now the Starter Pack's level 50 cap has been removed giving all players of NFS World availability of levels over 10.
[edit]Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Main article: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010 video game)
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was developed by British games developer Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts on November 16, 2010.[21] It focuses on racing and cop chases rather than car customization. Hot Pursuit, as the name implies, tends to return the series to the roots, and is inspired by the original 3DO Need For Speed game. The game won many awards at the E3 2010, including "Best Racing Game" and other "Best of E3"-awards. It is the first game in the Need For Speed series since the original Hot Pursuit to win an E3 award.
There are over 60 cars, most of them are available to both racers and cops, but a few are exclusive to each side.[22] Most of them are exotics and feature cars such as the Lamborghini Reventon, McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Zonda Cinque. Unlike previous (recent) NFS titles, there is no customization. The game takes place in a fictional county called Seacrest County, where there are no skyscrapers. The scenery ranges from dense forests to snowy mountains to deserts. The "free roam" feature in the game lets you explore Seacrest County. NFS: Hot Pursuit lets you play as either a cop or racer, and has a separate career mode for each side. The game's primary focus is to provide players with high speed cop vs racer chases.
The game also features many weapons. Some are exclusive to the cops or racers. Power-ups include spike strips, which are used by both cops and racers and activate a spike strip from the back of the car and lay it on the road, and EMPs (ElectroMagnetic Pulses) which are used by both cops and racers and can be used for taking down cops or racers, or for performing takedowns (which is an important feature of the Burnout series). Other weapons include helicopters and roadblocks for cops and turbo and jammers for racers.
The biggest feature about NFS: Hot Pursuit is NFS Autolog, which track player progressions and statistics compared to other player and recommends players events to play. In addition to its statistical system, Autolog also features Facebook-like speedwalls where players can post their comments and photos while in the game. This Autolog feature carried on in its next generation in Shift 2: Unleashed. NFS: Hot Pursuit has received some of the best reviews of the series, which generally praise the Autolog feature of the game and the cop vs racer chases.
The Limited Edition gives players exclusive access to the racer version of Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and Ford Shelby GT500. Also included are four unlocked vehicles from the start (cop version of Porsche Cayman S and Dodge Challenger SRT8 and racer version of Audi TT RS Coupe and Chevrolet Camaro SS). Various downloadable content were released for the game:
The Super Sports Pack, features 13 new events, additional trophies/achievements and 3 new cars, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Gumpert Apollo S and Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
The Armed & Dangerous Pack, features 2 new online game mode, Most Wanted and "Arms Race", along with 3 achievements/trophies.
The Lamborghini Untamed Pack, features 3 Lamborghini cars, Lamborghini Diablo, Countach, and Sesto Elemento, with 10 new events and 4 achievements/trophies.
The Porsche Unleashed, features 3 Porsche cars, Porsche 911 Turbo (1982 Edition), 959 and 911 Speedster, with 10 new events and 4 achievements/trophies.
[edit]Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)
Main article: Shift 2: Unleashed
Shift 2: Unleashed was developed by Slightly Mad Studios, released on March 29, 2011 and is the sequel to 2009's Need for Speed: Shift. Shift 2 expands on the gameplay and features introduced with the original.
Shift 2 includes the Autolog feature introduced with Hot Pursuit, which allows players to keep track of their friends progress of achievements as well as best lap times.[23] It also includes features such as night racing, an in-helmet camera, a more in depth career mode with different areas to complete. The driver aggression/precision aspect of scoring has been taken away to free up the game, and to focus more on the driving experience rather than getting points divided into two sections. There were many minor improvements (including a full damage model now, and improved car flip physics) that were added to Shift 2 and polished the game in its entirety.
Shift 2 features more than 140 licensed vehicles available for racing and tuning, a smaller number compared with racing sims such as Forza Motorsport 3 and Gran Turismo 5. However, executive producer Marcus Nilsson said the studio wanted to concentrate on having only the must-have speedsters. There are also 40 real-world locations including Bathurst, Spa-Francorchamps and Suzuka as well as fictional circuits like downtown London and Shanghai.
The Limited Edition features 3 unlocked cars from the start (the Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero, Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV and Lamborghini Murciélago LP640) and additional 37 career race events, which include Old vs. New matchups, Manufacturer Battles and Single Manufacturer races.[24] Two downloadable contents were released for Shift 2:
The Legends Pack, featured 13 classic cars ranging between 1960s and 1970s, such as 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint, 1971 Ford Escort Mk1 RS1 600, 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0, and 5 classic race tracks ranging between 1950s and 1980s, for example, 1950 Monza, 1975 Silverstone, and 1982 Hockenheim.
The Speedhunters Pack, featured 2 new game modes, Drag and Standing Mile, as well as 14 new cars (12 Speedhunter-modified models, 2 models upon beating Drag and/or Standing Mile rivals.)
[edit]Need for Speed: The Run (2011)
Main article: Need for Speed: The Run
Need for Speed: The Run was developed by the series primary developer EA Black Box, released on November 15, 2011. The Run was in development since Black Box's 2008 entery in the series, Undercover, which received universally poor ratings. The game continues the action focused street-racing gameplay of Black Box's previous titles. The story is based on a race across the United States from San Francisco to New York.
The game features quick time events, with the player for the first time in Need for Speed history, exiting their car and traveling on foot. The Run is powered by DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, making the game the first non-shooter and one of the first console titles to use the engine. Additionally, NFS Autolog, the Need for Speed franchise's social competition functionality, which was introduced in Hot Pursuit and was previously used in Shift 2: Unleashed, is also back as it continue to track career progression and compare game stats.
The Run employs a large range of real-world vehicles, seemingly taking in the usual mix of muscle cars, street racers and refined exotics. The cars can be altered with performance upgrades and visual upgrades, such as paint colors and body kits. There are cosmetic body kits known as Style Pack kits and Aero Pack kits, which affect aerodynamics as well as performance. An XP (Experience points) system is used for unlocking cars and events.
The Limited Edition features three exclusive cars (the Lamborghini Aventador, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 Carrera S) and five exclusive challenges with bonus rewards and achievements.
[edit]Future
EA's strategy is to provide the mass-market audience with an action adventure type NFS game annually for the holiday season. They alternate between several studios to ensure sufficient development time is given to provide a high quality entertainment experience in each product. With Criterion's Hot Pursuit released in November 2010, the next game was in development by Black Box and released in November 2011. In addition, more authentic NFS games, i.e. under the Shift sub-series, will be released when the market permits and the developers feel ready.[25]
In an interview EA Black Box's Jason DeLong, who is also senior producer on The Run, was asked how important breaking out of the yearly cycle was to the development team. He replied by calling the move a "huge step" that allowed Black Box to take the necessary steps to ensure The Run is the highest quality product it can be. DeLong went on to praise EA for recognising that the extra time is a necessity by adopting "a split studio development, similar to what Activision did with Call of Duty and Treyarch and Infinity Ward".[26]
In November 2011, it was revealed that Criterion Games is developing another Need For Speed game, according to a job advertisement. According to the job listing, the studio is "looking for talented Cinematic Artists to work on the world’s number one, multi award winning, arcade racing franchise." According to the listing, players should expect "entertaining, compelling in-game cinematic action sequences" from the racer, as well as "intense car action sequences, terrifying jumps, insane crashes and epic car chases." Earlier in the year another job ad revealed that Criterion was developing a game with "believable, open world AI Racing Drivers."[27][28] On January 11, 2012, retailer GAME revealed that EA plans to release new entries in the Medal of Honor and Need for Speed series later that year, which was shown by EA during confidential presentation. However, the developer and what direction the racing series takes in 2012 was not revealed.[29][30]
[edit]Decline
In the past few years particularly after the release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the series has seen a sharp decline in sales as well as a heavy downgrade in critical reception. Many fans and critics have heavily criticized the developers for distancing the series from its original roots which included street racing atmosphere, scenic drives, exotic cars, split screen, quick-race modes, and no car customization.[31][32] In September 2010, EA admitted that the decline in both sales and quality of the Need for Speed franchise was its own fault - for overworking one of its studios, Black Box. EA's CEO John Riccitiello stated "In the '04 to '07 period, we had a single studio, Black Box, up in Vancouver, building our [NFS games]. And we literally had them on a 'death march' building for five years in a row. [They were] annual iterations, they had to put it out; no rest for the weary... It was definitely our fault. Those days are gone. We're back in two studios and we've got them on bi-annual cycles."[33] In 2010, Criterion Games revived the series with the release of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, as it won several awards, became the highest rated game in Need For Speed's history, and sold more than 8.5 million copies.[34] However, in 2011, EA Black Box extended the downfall with the release of Need for Speed: The Run, as it got mixed reviews and was overall considered a huge disappointment in comparison to Hot Pursuit.[35][36][37] The Run failed to penetrate the top ten on the British weekly video game sales charts in its first week of release, debuting at 11th place in its first week - an unusual failure for a popular racing game IP. For reference, Hot Pursuit landed in third place in its first week, with sales around double that of The Run.[31][32]
I'm not sure how to format it.. The file is also attached.
Couldn't they save 100's of Dollars shutting down all their servers? <caveman voice>Good for environment too!</caveman voice>
Perhaps they would if they wouldn't only turn off English wikipedia. Other languages work, as other countries have nothing to do with the U.S. congress.
Good point.
Perhaps relevant:
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/money
Surprising to see Microsoft on the opposing side. Doesn't say much; it just surprises me.
Perhaps they would if they wouldn't only turn off English wikipedia. Other languages work, as other countries have nothing to do with the U.S. congress.
Not entirely. The US has this habit of forcing its ideology on other countries, even when they themselves can't get similar rules passed. Its stupid.
{"name":"congressmen.jpg","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/c\/dc50e6036289b8ed3d79a0245b043876.jpg","w":1134,"h":921,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/d\/c\/dc50e6036289b8ed3d79a0245b043876"}
We's in yer interwebs, destroying alls yer filez!
There's so many opponents they have to index and hyperlink them
btw, what's the purpose of 'sponsoring' the bill. Do you add up the amounts and the side with the total largest amount gets the law passed and the winners use the loser's money to have a party?
Do you add up the amounts and the side with the total largest amount gets the law passed and the winners use the loser's money to have a party?
Well, that's how the EU works...
Everything copyright related increasingly makes me want to puke.
Especially when people talk about "piracy" (violently attacking ships at high sea to steal their cargo and / or kidnap crew and passengers) and "theft" (taking physical objects without their rightful owners' consent) when really they mean "copyright infringement" (copying something without the copyright holder's permission, and beyond fair use). I can understand that the record and movie industries purposefully abuse these terms, but politicians using it in official documents deserve to be bitch-slapped.
The main thing I don't like is how the Government is pushing to pass laws that only serve to protect a few large corporations failing business models. Extend the copyright length repeatedly, make DRM bypassing illegal even for fair use (yeah, thats part of the canadian law they are trying to push forward), do crazy ass things to the internet... It makes no sense. Instead of spending all this money trying to push for flawed laws, they should just give people what they want: convenient, reasonably priced content. the majority of people with money will pay for things they want. Make it easier to get and find than it is on bittorrent or other p2p networks, and I guarantee you, plenty of people will buy it (so long as they aren't charging $5 a song, or $50 a movie, thats DRMed, and limited to a day or two).
Personally, if there was an iTunes like one stop shop for movies, tv, and music, I'd buy most of my stuff there, given its not DRMed (ie: I can play it in linux, in my app of choice, and copy it to my phone to listen on the go) and not outrageously priced (imo), then yes. I'd buy a lot more media than I do now (I do buy some, but only when I see a really good deal).
Gov't needs to stop hand holding multinational corporations who are late to the game. Either they change with the times, or they die. Simple as that. The free-market has spoken.
Game DRM has pretty much the same problem. Guru3D couldn't complete a benchmark of a latest ubisoft game because it had an activation limit because of HARDWARE changes. And I mean changing only a GPU. It's ridiculous. I'm no hacker, but shouldn't DRM that introduces obscure games that can't be seen with playing through the whole thing(like the scorpion in serious sam 3) would probably be more effective?
Heck, they could even distribute the "cracked" version the first day. They claim the "day 0" piracy is what affects them the most, and that would probably slow crackers down. Yet they lose more customers using that ridiculous DRM.
Also, lawl at the Wikipedia blackout. Why would you allow it on noscript anyway?
Meh, the wikipedia blackout is lame. I can only see it if I go to the main page at en.wikipedia.org. I don't see it anywhere else. I thought it was actually going to be a blackout.
Several other sites have done it right though. Google's homepage will get the word out a hell of a lot better than wikipedia's fail (their begs for donations were more of a blackout than this....). Not to mention minecraft.net, reddit, etc.
What does Google's homepage look like? 
What does Google's homepage look like?
Uh, google it?
I use to eat pipas and sopa... I like sopa... and when I go to the cinema I use to buy some pipas... So I like it too...
What does Google's homepage look like?
{"name":"605430","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/a\/d\/adfc72a1cb09742ddebe272469c77a51.png","w":1132,"h":571,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/a\/d\/adfc72a1cb09742ddebe272469c77a51"}
I made google.co.nz my homepage for less advertising junk, but google.com looks like this:
{"name":"605431","src":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/8\/5\/8519ea37cbd5f18eb9e9d61354c99b19.png","w":1024,"h":768,"tn":"\/\/djungxnpq2nug.cloudfront.net\/image\/cache\/8\/5\/8519ea37cbd5f18eb9e9d61354c99b19"}
And why google.es doesn't have anything??
Craigslist is down, with a pageful of pointers as to why SOPA/PIPA is bad, one of them points to a Techdirt article saying Monster Cable has claimed Craigslist is a "rogue site" for allowing buyers to purchase secondhand cables!
Craigslist is just trying to protect its clients. A friend of a friend put his car up on Craigslist and got a reply. The "buyer" sent a check for more than the price of the car and got a refund. A couple of days later, the "buyer's" check bounced and he/she was never heard from again. I listed a room on Craigslist a few times and got similar responses. As for the slippery slope argument, look at what happened to Howard Stern. Although the Fascist Communications Controller was on his case for language, it was not until he spoke out against George Bush that something was done about it, to excess. This site is censored, I can't get an attachments button.
They should have actually blacked out the entire sites. No landing page, no nothing. That would get people talking. Millions upon millions of people would try to access the site today and start talking amongst each other about popular sites being down. Before long word would spread about why and the purpose would hit home. As is, I don't think anybody outside of the information technology industry is really going to take much notice to these half-assed "blackouts"..
Append: That said, I just added a blackout.html and symlinked every page to it: https://www.castopulence.org/ 
Dario ff: As HarvesteR of KSP puts it: "DRM is like running a store and doing cavity searches on your customers while the thieves are coming and going through the back door".
Also, lawl at the Wikipedia blackout. Why would you allow it on noscript anyway?
Because you really want to see Jimmy Wales's face on every page? 
"DRM is like running a store and doing cavity searches on your customers while the thieves are coming and going through the back door"
I'm your back door man!
They should have actually blacked out the entire sites.
Agreed. I'm with gnolam in wondering why the site was still coming up; this is just lame. Go NoScript.
OTOH, the people who don't know what SOPA is aren't likely to know about NoScript either.
Go NoScript.
I just found out that Youtube sometimes plays ads on videos. Although perhaps that was just Adblock. But still, the internet doesn't feel the same...
EDIT: This twitter is gold. Retweets people asking what's going on.
Retweets people asking what's going on.
You'd think that people going to an encyclopedia would be willing to read the page they land on, but no.
I wonder how many confused individuals are calling their representatives, thinking that it is a line to Wikipedia's tech support.
Read wikipedia? Ctrl-A + Ctrl-C + Ctrl-V. I'm not joking, they seriously do that. Seeing the little [1] references on paper cracks me up.
That twitter is awesome. "what does Wikipedia have against soap?"; lmao 
wikipedia is FUCKING me right now
It sure is.
fuck you wikipedia
EDIT:
@Encarta95 Microsoft Encarta
It's my time! Finally, my shot at the spotlight! It's only taken me seventeen years! Wikipedia? Who needs it! Encarta '95 is here to stay.
I have no trouble at all loading wikipedia pages => http://twitpic.com/88uq2r just have to tell it to stop loading the page before it has a chance to load the blackout page. Idiots messed up the blackout, they load the content page then redirect to the blackout page so you are able to stop it and view the site information and everything.
Idiots messed up the blackout
That's under the assumption their intention is to punish their users, rather than getting a message across (for those that have javascript enabled).
If Facebook did this for 12 hours there would probably be an internet explosion. Heck, they even managed to mistake Facebook for a blog that appeared first on the search results...
EDIT: This twitter is gold
Well from there I found this
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
So I signed the online petition to my congressman in 90210 (it's the only zip I know) 
That's under the assumption their intention is to punish their users, rather than getting a message across (for those that have javascript enabled).
Well it would defeat the point of the blackout to protest SOPA/PIPA, but it would just prove my point of them being idiots. Can't get a message across if the users can get around it.
A lot of sites would lose functionality though if you have javascript disabled as a lot of sites still use javascript.
The reason Wikipedia uses JS for things like this is they didn't want to mess up their precious Google page rank or pollute their global cache network. But I don't think a site like Wikipedia should be taking sides anyway. It's fine to raise awareness in a neutral fashion, but the blatant spread of FUD should be beneath an open encyclopedia project.
I'm tired of seeing sites that say things like, "If SOPA passes then this site will be censored! OMG!L!!!" Then you do a WHOIS and it's registered to an American, hosted by an American company on an American network, and thus SOPA doesn't even apply.
Yeah I said in IRC the quote Google has in their logo link then made a joke remark.
What I said basically:
Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.
Oh no! Americans are mad because congress is going to block their piracy and pornography!
I lost respect for Wikipedia when they started scrounging for money with their incredibly obtrusive personal adds. I would much rather have subtle advertising (e.g. google-style) that some big ugly bearded face staring at me on every second article.
spread of FUD should be beneath an open encyclopedia project
Absolutely.
Wikipedia had ads? 
Wikipedia had ads?
Yeah, a lot of times you would get things allegedly from Wiki's owner wanting donations and money. Lately you get more from other people that are allegedly connected to the site.
Only wikis I got to are Minecraft and Allegro.
We can't link gifs here, can we? Nevermind.
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I'm tired of seeing sites that say things like, "If SOPA passes then this site will be censored! OMG!L!!!" Then you do a WHOIS and it's registered to an American, hosted by an American company on an American network, and thus SOPA doesn't even apply.
Except the only reason the last version of SOPA didn't apply, is because people had already started speaking up, or it WOULD have applied. True story.
Some things were ambiguous and/or different in prior versions, but that doesn't give a person the right to make up things about the latest version.
And with regard to Wikipedia, they shouldn't take a side on the issue, let alone spread FUD. Individuals who work for them should be free to express their personal opinions, but the site itself should be neutral. If they want to bring up things like SOPA from time to time, fine... but both sides should be fairly represented.
And if there is a call to action, it should be for both positions. They should link to petitions for and against it, etc.
If Wikipedia et al. get to invoke the slippery slope regarding SOPA, then I ought to be able to invoke the slippery slope regarding them getting involved with politics. Next thing you know it, they will be blacking out the site when there is a constitutional amendment allowing first cousins to get married.
I do think that other site's have a better way to deal with the situation. Clearly wikipedia's method is just stupid. Most of the online comics I've read today so far are preceded by a short SOPA/PIPA rant, then the good stuff follows. Should probably have done the same at wikipedia. And yes, some of them are a little heavy on the hyperbole, but meh.
And with regard to Wikipedia, they shouldn't take a side on the issue, let alone spread FUD. Individuals who work for them should be free to express their personal opinions, but the site itself should be neutral. If they want to bring up things like SOPA from time to time, fine... but both sides should be fairly represented.
And if there is a call to action, it should be for both positions. They should link to petitions for and against it, etc.
If Wikipedia et al. get to invoke the slippery slope regarding SOPA, then I ought to be able to invoke the slippery slope regarding them getting involved with politics. Next thing you know it, they will be blacking out the site when there is a constitutional amendment allowing first cousins to get married.
In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning neutrality?
We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral information source. We are staging this blackout because (as Wikimedia Foundation Trustee Kat Walsh said recently), although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia is a tremendously useful resource, and its existence depends upon a free, open and uncensored Internet. SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States) will hurt you, because they will make it impossible for sites you enjoy, and benefit from, to continue to exist. That's why we're doing this.
I've read their excuse.
My point still stands.
My point still stands.
How so? There is no legal or moral obligation for Wikipedia (the real-world organization) to remain neutral on issues that they feel threaten their existence.
Wikipedia (the online encyclopedia) does have a few obligations in this regard, most notably their promise to keep articles as neutral as possible (and I think the fact that the Wikipedia community is really anal about things like "citation needed" and such reflects their commitment in this regard).
However, on the whole SOPA/PIPA issue, it's the organization speaking, not the encyclopedia, which should be perfectly clear from the writing style alone. The same can be said about those annoying fundraiser nag banners - they are certainly neither neutral nor relevant to the articles they are added to, but they were never supposed to be.
Looking at the SOPA article (the actual Wikipedia article, that is), I'd say it's a bit lop-sided in that long sections are devoted to criticism against the proposed bill, but the article does seem to make quite an effort in remaining neutral, and the lop-sidedness could simply be a result of opponent views being more diverse and verbose than the supporters' side, hence requiring more words to accurately paraphrase.
Jibba jabba.
There is no legal or moral obligation for Wikipedia (the real-world organization) to remain neutral on issues that they feel threaten their existence.
Using the user created encyclopedia as a platform to promote their agendas is wrong, no matter how important they think it is.
Imagine if you took your Encyclopedia Britannica W book off the shelf today to read about women, and opened it up, and (to your amazement) every page was blacked out with a blurb about how the Internet was going to destroy their business, and you should write your representative to complain about how many jobs would be lost.
Of course that is just a silly analogy, so you will be wasting your time poking holes in it, but at some level it is similar.
Wikipedia primarily exists because real people volunteer their time and donate money. I'm sure some of those people are pro-SOPA. By Wikipedia abusing their position, they alienate those people from contributing in the future. The site will become more and more skewed toward people who align themselves with Wikipedia's public nature. And for a site that must maintain a balance to remain neutral, that is dangerous.
I wouldn't mind as much if they used an organizational Wikipedia Foundation website to talk about SOPA and their official positions. But blacking out all the user generated content with their own spin is crossing the line.
REVISION:
I would never use Allegro.cc to promote my personal agendas. Of course, I'll post my opinions on threads like this, but I would never black out the website because I don't like my mailman.
Yes, it's my website. Yes, I pay for it. Yes, I run it.
But the content is overwhelmingly user generated, and as such, using it as my personal soapbox would be an abuse of the implied relationship between me and the people who contribute to the site.
i.e., If I'm going to complain about the weather, I'll do it within the same context that any other user can.
I wouldn't mind as much if they used an organizational Wikipedia Foundation website to talk about SOPA and their official positions. But blacking out all the user generated content with their own spin is crossing the line.
Point taken. This one ("Wikipedia should not abuse their position to rally against SOPA") is quite different from your original argument though ("Wikipedia should not take a position regarding SOPA"). The original argument would be analogous to you not stating any personal opinions on your website at all, whether that be in forum posts, a.cc announcements, support pages, etc.
The original argument would be analogous to you not stating any personal opinions on your website at all, whether that be in forum posts, a.cc announcements, support pages, etc.
Except that:
the purpose of Allegro.cc isn't to provide unbiased information to the general public (SDL STINKS!), and
it would be more like me saying that "Allegro.cc is anti-kittens" in such a way that it looks official. i.e., Speaking on behalf of a larger community.
So none of my arguments really apply to this site (or most other sites). Yet, I still would not unfairly use the site as a soapbox.
But even with my "original" argument, I was equating Wikipedia with the site itself. i.e., If employees (or contributors) want to voice their personal opinions on the talk pages where appropriate, then that's fine as long as they are using the site as anybody else can.
The Wikimedia Foundation is free to take sides on issues they feel are relevant, but it shouldn't make its way onto Wikipedia just like you wouldn't be allowed to write an article about yourself, let alone overwrite every page with it.
An appropriate thing would be to list The Wikimedia Foundation as anti-SOPA on some page that lists for/against, along with a source to their own blog.
The scary thing (from a slippery slope point of view) is that the Wikimedia Foundation could black out the Wikipedia site for any reason and they'd get the same reaction from people: "Why is this site down? RAGE!" They could get thousands and thousands of people to take action for or against any cause. So the "success" of a blackout isn't justification of its legitimacy.
it shouldn't make its way onto Wikipedia just like you wouldn't be allowed to write an article about yourself, let alone overwrite every page with it.
Can you imagine buying a set of the Britannica only to have those little subscription leaflets falling out everywhere?
I went to the Brittanica website and entered 'design pattern' and it came back with an offer of reading a book by Darwin or something.
I think the blackout did nothing. What would have been better is if every company on the against list (including Google, Microsoft, etc) got together and turned off their main sites for the day providing no means of any kind of search and sending a direct message to those in authority.
It actually did do something. There was a massive flood of people calling their leaders. And a bunch of politicians have now distanced themselves from the bills, so that SOPA looks like it won't have the votes needed to pass anymore.
Yeah, SOPA and PIPA definitely lost support in the Senate. So ... short-term mission accomplished.
Megaupload.com was forced offline today. Mission accomplished.
SOPA/PIPA will just keep getting revised til they get it passed then they will add things to it so they can still achieve their goal. It wouldn't matter if the whole US boycotted the net to fight it, congress will eventually get it passed. If not this year they will get it passed in the future. Just be ready to bend over and enjoy the ride.
Megaupload.com was forced offline today. Mission accomplished.
So were the U.S. Department of Justice, the MPAA, the RIAA, Universal Music, the U.S. Copyright office, and BMI. Just sayin'.
I just checked that. Is it DDOS? Is it DDOS caused by the exploit in the Call of Duty 4 servers?
So were the U.S. Department of Justice, the MPAA, the RIAA, Universal Music, the U.S. Copyright office, and BMI. Just sayin'.
So now a dozen people or so will be arrested and jailed for 20 years for a few minutes of fun. Mission accomplished.
I assume every URL tracker shortener link is Goatse.
The purpose of the URL tracker shortener link was to prevent allegro.cc from rewriting the post link URL, so that the page would reload and the yellow post highlight would move as intended
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That might make more sense if Michael was actually still alive.
Well duh, it's not a valid argument, you can't kill someone twice.
...
That might make more sense if Michael was actually still alive.
Huh?! Apparently we have to speak the language of WTF?! in order to understand that.
Also, as I've stated time and time again the years spend for murder is case by case basis. If they could have proved he intentionally gave him the medicine he would have got 15-20 years or more. Got to love the law, Georgia just executed a guy that suddenly proof came out that he hadn't done the crime he was given the death penalty for but the Governor nor the lawyers wanted to open the case again to pursue the new evidence. Casey Anthony got away with murdering her own daughter. Seriously F*CKED UP!
Felix's argument might be more that there's no point in defending the artist's income if the artist is dead.
Let's bump off some Hollywood directors \o/
His point is still invalid. All of his income goes to his children so every CD bought goes to them. His abusive father was pissed because he left everything to his family minus his father (which I find funny, a final F*ck You from the grave).
Anyone received this in their e-mail?
Thank you for taking action!
Hi Dario
Last week you stood with millions of Americans to protect online freedom and innovation. Congress heard you, and delayed consideration of the PIPA and SOPA bills, which -- if enacted -- would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American businesses.
We hope that today you will join us in thanking your representatives for protecting the Internet.
And we want to thank you, again, for your actions last week. We are humbled that so many of you rallied around what we believe is the most transformative invention in history.
Until next time,
The Google team
Glad to help as a proud citizen of the state of New Mexico.[1]
References
- (I think I used that zip code)
The Google team
Is that why I can't read links to Google++ because I haven't signed up for their "do no evil" crap?