Top 10 Angry Internet Man Angerers of 2008
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Category: News ArchiveHits: 882
8. Orc vs Orc
We've already talked today about the absurd, insane fanboy fallout from our own comparisons between Warhammer Online and World of Warcraft, but in truth it was a torrent of poison that briefly gripped MMO sites the world over. Notably, MUDfather Richard Bartle endured character assassination by a raft of WAR fansites after an interview in which he apparently stated the two games were very similar. Forums, meanwhile, were full of WAR vs Lich King debate, underpinned by this persistent, spiteful sentiment that WAR was somehow a real man's game where WoW was some cartoon noobfeed. I know I've said it before, but people who play an MMO actively do define themselves by it - and as a result, they're making PC gaming more tribal than ever. All Orcs are equal, but some orcs are more equal than others.
7. Bethesda Are Worse Than Hitler
There's been a slow trickle of poison throughout the year about Bethesda handling the second sequel to the old turn-based Fallout RPGs. Surprisingly, the fury was at its worst before release rather than after, with die-hard Fallout fans harshly and bitterly pre-judging the game based on what they saw as Oblivion's critical failings and resentment that a 2008 game wasn't 2D, turn-based and PC-only. Extreme exaggeration was everywhere, Bethesda suffered any amount of name-calling and every screenshot was pored over for inconsistencies with the first two Fallouts. Celebration that a third Fallout was happening at all was in incredibly short supply. The white noise of hatred actually seemed to dim upon the game's release. While it's got more than its fair share of problems - especially the crashtastic PC port - a goodly number of the angries seemed pleasantly surprised by it. Well, at least until they got to the abysmal ending.
