UPDATE: Xbox Live Error 800704DC

Just a quick update regarding the issue outlined in this post. Microsoft support finally came up with a solution, which was (of course) one that I had suggested to them during the initial phone call. 

*sigh*

Said solution being them giving me a one month free Xbox Live gold code which they finally did this past Saturday. Of course, when I went to redeem it I received yet another error ( this transaction cannot be processed at this time, please try again blah blah). It took me a few minutes to figure out the problem; it was a free gold weekend and so it was disallowing the redemption of free gold since it registered me as already having it. Once the weekend promotion was over I was able to redeem the code and download my profile.

Finally!

So for anyone who encounters this issue, just make sure to tell the support staff that you know what the issue is and unplugging your console and plugging it back in is NOT going to address it. 

Oh, btw, those who know me won't be surprised to learn that rather than play Kingdoms of Amalur, as I had been planning on doing, the first thing I played was Ninja Gaiden 3: RE.....I think I'm starting to become a parody of myself at this point. 

PC Gamer Doesn't Like Forced Baptism in Bioshock Infinite, Asks Valve For Refund on Steam

 Link:
 http://kotaku.com/some-dont-like-bioshocks-forced-baptism-enough-to-as-473178476

There are a few obvious aspects to this story (as pointed out in the comments section of that article) that we can talk about, but those discussions have been pretty well-tread and feel slightly redundant to talk about right now. Anyways, that stuff isn't what I want to point out. The point I want to emphasize is the polite and cool-headed way that he wrote to Valve. I frankly don't give a crap what this guy thinks of the game, or if he's offended enough to ask for a refund, that's his decision. I can't possibly fathom how someone can be so offended that they refuse to even finish the game, but again, it's his free time and money, he can do whatever the hell he wants.  However, it's just nice to see someone express this in calm and rational manner.

Gamers can insult this guy all they want, but his behavior and methods for expressing his discomfort and dislike towards a part of the game is a refreshing change of pace from the usual idiotic behavior that permeates the online gaming community.

When this guy has a problem with an aspect of a game, he coherently asserts in an email to Valve why he should get a refund, and then moves on with life. He doesn't spend his time trolling message boards and comment sections every day raging about what he hates about the game. He doesn't whip other gamers into a frenzy to pursue an unbelievably misguided excuse for an activist crusade He doesn't spew hate-filled garbage or hostile insults or even death threats to the developers or threaten to bring frivolous legal action against them or the publisher.

When many others within the online gaming community have a problem with a certain aspect of a game, well...

Xbox Live Error 800704DC: Just Plain Mean

I'm trying to remember where my character is in my current Kingdoms of Amalur playthrough and I have no idea. The Outskirts of Gilderhorn? Greatwood Forest? Winterdawn Cavern? Bandit's Peak? 

I'm drawing a blank. Hell, I don't even know if those are real locations in the game or if I just made them up (I think it's the latter); it has been almost 3 weeks since I last played the game (the post I wrote here detailing my impressions after roughly eight hours of gameplay was posted on April 16th). I don't remember where I am or what I was doing. I do however, remember my character's name. His name is Muscles. 

Yes, I said Muscles. 

Muscles

I know, I know...I am a 31 year old child. This I do not deny, but I digress. 

I did not stop playing Kingdoms of Amalur because I grew tired of the game or began to dislike it. Quite the contrary, actually. I was really getting sucked into it the more I played and my infatuation with it was reaching classic intensity levels (I say classic because the degree/frequency to/at which I used to get infatuated with games has, much to my dismay, decreased as the years have passed by; what used to be common and all encompassing is now rare and fleeting). No, I stopped playing the game because of a little gift from Microsoft known as error code 800704DC. This lovely error occurs everytime I try to recover my xbox live profile. Why am I trying to recover it, you ask? Well, because it was deleted the first time I tried to recover it after being told to do so by Microsoft support. 

Oh, joy!

1st Adsense Cheque, Baby!

Read it and weep, bitches:

magx01 got his first ever Google Adsense cheque. I am now both a professional writer and an official Google Inc. contractor earning $50 a year for running and writing most of the content for The Thoughtful Gamers blog. Feels good man. Feels good.

Hey, wtf am I still doing here? I no longer associate with the likes of you. I'm rich, bitch!

*sips champagne*

P.S. To my contributors, if you start actually, you know, writing, I will cut you in on the riches. This time around you all get zilch.

Actually, in all seriousness, earnings should be going up because until yesterday I did not realize that the sitemap for this blog had not been submitted to the google indexing. That has not been remedied, and we should therefore start reaping the rewards of that within a week or so (I'm projecting at least 50% more views over the next several months). What's that? Yes, that means we might be making a whopping $150 over the next 2 years! Well, when I say we, I mean me, unless you get your asses in gear. We earn our -1000000 minimum wage around here.

Comedy Blog Update

I just finished writing a post for my new comedy blog (currently under construction) that I discussed previously on this here er, blog. I now have thirty eight posts written and waiting in draft form until the arrival of that glorious day when they are uploaded for all to see. 

Mysterious voice: Whoa. Thirty eight posts written in addition to the writing you have done for this blog? Looks like someone's been a busy little bee!

Who, me? Well, I suppose I have been but it's hardly anything worth fawning over.

*secretly relishes the attention*

Hello? Mysterious voice? Where'd you go?

*silence*

Oh :(

*is sad*

Article: Woman Burnt To Death By Would Be Muggers For Having No Money On Her

A violent gang of thieves in Brazil burned a woman to death after stealing her credit card and finding she had less than £10 on it. The teenage thugs burst into the office of dentist Cinthya Magaly Moutinho de Souza, in Sao Paulo, shortly after midday on Thursday while she was treating a patient. They demanded the 46-year-old hand over all her money. But when a petrified Ms de Souza said she had none she gave them her credit card and PIN. One of the criminals held her and her client hostage while the others went to a cash point to empty her account – only to find she had less than £10 in it. The furious men returned, doused her with alcohol and set her on fire. They put a hood over the head of the patient, who heard Ms de Souza screaming at her attackers: “Don’t do it.”

LINK

This is absolutely horrendous. Imagine being at work when suddenly a few gang members burst in and minutes later you're screaming in agony as you burn to death. And to think that one of the offenders was a mere 17 years of age. Unreal. 

FPS Gamers Inadvertently Shooting Themselves In The Proverbial Foot? Cost of FPS Games to Double?

My brother sees an ad for a Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 map pack and shouts at the TV "Ah ya, dude, the new map pack is out!" He looks like a little kid on Christmas I think to myself.

"Oh ya?" I pause, debating whether or not to feign interest. Before I can decide I find my stupid mouth getting ahead of itself as it has so many times in my life and out tumbles a response: "Nice."

Nice? Ugh. Great job there, mouth.

"B-"

Hey! Don't you dare talk back to me! You just shut your goddamn whore mouth, mouth.

Whoa, jeez I'm supposed to be blogging. Sorry about that, folks. It won't happen again, I promise. Now where was I? Oh ya, the Call of Duty map pack thing.