Months ago, I wrote a positive article about Gamefly. I am now reconsidering. Today I went to their site with my son to choose new games. First, I was disgusted by the advertisements on their website. Second, my child wanted to watch a game trailer and it began playing a hidious preview for a Mature rated game called “Shutter”. It is impossible to watch the game trailers without being subjected to these gross previews. Update: I have posted their very nice and positive response to this problem below.
I sent Gamefly the following complaint:
I am a long time member and am considering canceling my account for this reason. As a mother of two children, I am disappointed with the graphic advertisements on your website. I can’t even watch the game trailers with my kids because the previews before them are sometimes horrifying (shutter for example). My children like to go on Gamefly and pick out their games, but this is not possible because the advertisement pictures have BLOOD and GRAPHIC IMAGES. After this month I will be canceling if this is not corrected.
UPDATE I’m satisfied with Gamefly’s response on this matter. Here it is:
Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding our recent advertising campaign. While we screen the advertisements before they appear on the site, we do understand your desire to shield your children from inappropriate content. We will evaluate future advertisements with your concerns in mind.
If you would like your account to present GameFly Advertisements only, you can use GameFly’s Parental Controls. To activate this feature, please visit the “My Account” link, http://www.gamefly.com/member/account.asp, and select “Parental Controls”. By adjusting the game and UMD movie ratings, the only ads displayed will be ones promoting the GameFly service.
We would like to thank you again for bringing this to our attention in a thoughtful manner. Feel free to contact me if you have any further issues or concerns.
Sincerely,
Terri - Vice President
GameFly Customer Service
Email: support@gamefly.com
On May 9, 2008, the movie Speed Racer will be released. It is nice to finally have a car racing movie that kids can see. I didn’t take them to see the Fast and the Furious. They were thrilled today when they saw preview for Speed Racer. It looks like it will be all about cars, evil plots, secret weapons and racing. It is from the makers of The Matrix. In the previews, it did look pretty good. We’ll let you know in a couple of months. Long wait. Official Speed Racer Movie Website
Summary of the high-octane family adventure “Speed Racer.” Hurtling down the track, careening around, over and through the competition, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a natural behind the wheel. Born to race cars, Speed is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer—whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill.
Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line.
The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
Based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, the live-action “Speed Racer” will showcase the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films. “Speed Racer” is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures Production.
The game Burnout Paradise came today from Gamefly. The kids love it. They tell me it is excellent. I have to wait until they go to bed to play it for myself. Wait a minute, I’m going to go put them to bed right now. It looks awesome! Luckily with Gamefly, you can keep the game until you get tired of it. It looks like we will be keeping this one for a while. We have the game for the XBox 360. There is one problem. With Gamefly the games don’t come with instructions. We are having a little trouble figuring out how to get to multi-player and/or head-to-head mode.
Game Soundtrack:
ARTIST/SONG
Adam And The Ants - Stand And Deliver
Agent Blue - Snowhill
Airbourne - Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Alice In Chains - Would?
Army Of Me - Going Through Changes
Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend (oh please! why this song? yuck!)
B’z - FRICTION
Brain Failure feat. Dicky Barrett - Coming Down To Beijing
Brand New - The Archers Bows Have Broken
Bromheads Jacket - Fight Music For The Fight
Depeche Mode - Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)
Faith No More - Epic
Guns N’ Roses - Paradise City
Innerpartysystem - Heart Of Fire
Jane’s Addiction - Stop!
Jimmy Eat World - Electable (Give It Up)
Junkie XL feat. Lauren Rocket - Cities In Dust
Jupiter One - Fire Away
Kerli - Creepshow
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
LCD Soundsystem - Us V. Them Make Good Your Escape - Beautiful Ruin
Maxeen - Block Out The World
Mexicolas - Come Clean
N.E.R.D. - Rockstar (Jason Nevins Mix)
Never Heard Of It2 - Finger On The Trigger
Operator - Nothing To Lose
Permanent ME - Until You Leave
Saosin - Collapse
Seether - Fake It
Senses Fail - Calling All Cars
Showing Off To Thieves2 - Everyone Has Their Secrets
Skybombers - It Goes Off
Soundgarden - Rusty Cage
Sugarcult - Dead Living
Swervedriver - Duel
The Photo Atlas - Red Orange Yellow
The Pigeon Detectives - I’m Not Sorry
The Styles - Glitter Hits (J.J. Puig Mix)
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
The game Burnout Paradise came today from Gamefly. The kids love it. They tell me it is excellent. I have to wait until they go to bed to play it for myself. Wait a minute, I’m going to go put them to bed right now. It looks awesome! Luckily with Gamefly, you can keep the game until you get tired of it. It looks like we will be keeping this one for a while. We have the game for the XBox 360. There is one problem. With Gamefly the games don’t come with instructions. We are having a little trouble figuring out how to get to multi-player and/or head-to-head mode.
Game Soundtrack:
ARTIST/SONG
Adam And The Ants - Stand And Deliver
Agent Blue - Snowhill
Airbourne - Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Alice In Chains - Would?
Army Of Me - Going Through Changes
Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend (oh please! why this song? yuck!)
B’z - FRICTION
Brain Failure feat. Dicky Barrett - Coming Down To Beijing
Brand New - The Archers Bows Have Broken
Bromheads Jacket - Fight Music For The Fight
Depeche Mode - Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)
Faith No More - Epic
Guns N’ Roses - Paradise City
Innerpartysystem - Heart Of Fire
Jane’s Addiction - Stop!
Jimmy Eat World - Electable (Give It Up)
Junkie XL feat. Lauren Rocket - Cities In Dust
Jupiter One - Fire Away
Kerli - Creepshow
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
LCD Soundsystem - Us V. Them Make Good Your Escape - Beautiful Ruin
Maxeen - Block Out The World
Mexicolas - Come Clean
N.E.R.D. - Rockstar (Jason Nevins Mix)
Never Heard Of It2 - Finger On The Trigger
Operator - Nothing To Lose
Permanent ME - Until You Leave
Saosin - Collapse
Seether - Fake It
Senses Fail - Calling All Cars
Showing Off To Thieves2 - Everyone Has Their Secrets
Skybombers - It Goes Off
Soundgarden - Rusty Cage
Sugarcult - Dead Living
Swervedriver - Duel
The Photo Atlas - Red Orange Yellow
The Pigeon Detectives - I’m Not Sorry
The Styles - Glitter Hits (J.J. Puig Mix)
Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock
There are a lot of websites where people post their Wii friend codes in order to find Wii friends. After two people exchange friend codes, it enables them to play through a wireless Internet connection against each other, and send messages and photos to each other. Did you know that the Wii has a messaging system? Most people who play on the Wii know, but I wonder if many parents know. After exchanging friend codes found on the internet, anyone can exchange personal information, addresses, phone numbers, and photo’s with TOTAL STRANGERS using the Wii. I think the parents out there should be aware of this danger. Note: Don’t be concerned if your Wii is not connected to the Internet. If your home has wireless Internet it is fairly easy to connect the Wii.
This is one of many websites created to exchange friends codes. It’s a great idea for adults who enjoy playing multi-player games through their wireless Internet, but I’m not so sure it is a great idea for kids. To see another example of people posting friend codes, go to youtube and type Wii Friend Code in the search box. There are hundreds of people posting their codes.
Parents, check your Wii console messages occasionally. See if your children have added any Friends. Ask them if they actually know the individual and make sure they weren’t ’strangers’ added from the Internet. You might find that they have added friends from school, family or neighbors. Just to let you know, there is a setting where the Wii slot glows blue when you get a message.
The good news for worried parents:
The following is from the Wii website, click here to access directly.The Wii Parental Control settings offer you a means to manage what Wii content is accessible to the console users. If you apply Parental Controls, you will be prompted to set a 4-digit PIN which will allow you to adjust the Parental Controls settings in the future and also allow you to access content that may be restricted by the Parental Controls settings. The Parental Controls default setting is “OFF” which means that the console will allow all content unless you change the settings. There is one Parental Controls setting per console, so it is recommended that you put the settings on the most secure that you need for your family; you can then share the PIN with users who may be allowed access to blocked content.
Click on the blue arrow to reach the Wii System Settings 2 menu options.
Choose “Parental Controls” and select “Yes.”
Enter the 4-digit PIN and select OK. If you have forgotten the PIN, select ” I forgot” to answer the secret question. (Answers to the secret question are case sensitive.) You will now be in the Parental Controls menu, and can change the following items:Game Settings and PIN
You can adjust the “Highest Game Rating Allowed” to be played on the Wii console. This setting is based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (”ESRB”) game rating categories. Please notethat Parental Controls settings do not affect Nintendo GameCube Game Discs.
If your Wii console is also connected to the internet, you have the ability to place limits on the following online features, found in the “Other Settings”:
Internet Channel
If you have downloaded the Opera browser (subject to availability) via the Wii Shop Channel, it is possible to allow or restrict use of the browser.
News Channel
Control access to the News Channel.
Online Communication and User Created Content
Controls sending and receiving of messages from the Wii console and in online games where open communication is available, as well as controls the exchange of user created content in compatible games and channels (Wii Message Board, Check Mii Out Channel, etc.). Note that system updates will be delivered regardless of this setting.
Use of Points
This setting controls the use of Wii Points, which are used to acquire downloads from the Wii Shop Channel. If this setting is on, users will be required to enter the 4-digit PIN in order to use Wii Points to download items from the Wii Shop Channel.
Confirm the setting is as desired by clicking the “confirm” button on the bottom right corner.
If Parental Controls are applied and a user attempts to play or download content that exceeds the Parental Controls setting, the user will be prompted to enter the Parental Controls PIN to temporarily disable the Parental Controls. The PIN will be necessary each time a user tries to access restricted content. If your settings only apply to certain members of your household, share the Parental Controls PIN with users who may have unrestricted use of the system.You will be prompted to select and answer a secret question that will allow you to retrieve a forgotten Parental Controls PIN. If you forget your PIN, please follow the prompts on screen to answer your secret question. If you are unable to retrieve your PIN by answering your secret question, please call Nintendo Consumer Service: 1-800-255-3700.
There are a lot of websites where people post their Wii friend codes in order to find Wii friends. After two people exchange friend codes, it enables them to play through a wireless Internet connection against each other, and send messages and photos to each other. Did you know that the Wii has a messaging system? Most people who play on the Wii know, but I wonder if many parents know. After exchanging friend codes found on the internet, anyone can exchange personal information, addresses, phone numbers, and photo’s with TOTAL STRANGERS using the Wii. I think the parents out there should be aware of this danger. Note: Don’t be concerned if your Wii is not connected to the Internet. If your home has wireless Internet it is fairly easy to connect the Wii.
This is one of many websites created to exchange friends codes. It’s a great idea for adults who enjoy playing multi-player games through their wireless Internet, but I’m not so sure it is a great idea for kids. To see another example of people posting friend codes, go to youtube and type Wii Friend Code in the search box. There are hundreds of people posting their codes.
Parents, check your Wii console messages occasionally. See if your children have added any Friends. Ask them if they actually know the individual and make sure they weren’t ’strangers’ added from the Internet. You might find that they have added friends from school, family or neighbors. Just to let you know, there is a setting where the Wii slot glows blue when you get a message.
The good news for worried parents:
The following is from the Wii website, click here to access directly.The Wii Parental Control settings offer you a means to manage what Wii content is accessible to the console users. If you apply Parental Controls, you will be prompted to set a 4-digit PIN which will allow you to adjust the Parental Controls settings in the future and also allow you to access content that may be restricted by the Parental Controls settings. The Parental Controls default setting is “OFF” which means that the console will allow all content unless you change the settings. There is one Parental Controls setting per console, so it is recommended that you put the settings on the most secure that you need for your family; you can then share the PIN with users who may be allowed access to blocked content.
Click on the blue arrow to reach the Wii System Settings 2 menu options.
Choose “Parental Controls” and select “Yes.”
Enter the 4-digit PIN and select OK. If you have forgotten the PIN, select ” I forgot” to answer the secret question. (Answers to the secret question are case sensitive.) You will now be in the Parental Controls menu, and can change the following items:Game Settings and PIN
You can adjust the “Highest Game Rating Allowed” to be played on the Wii console. This setting is based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (”ESRB”) game rating categories. Please notethat Parental Controls settings do not affect Nintendo GameCube Game Discs.
If your Wii console is also connected to the internet, you have the ability to place limits on the following online features, found in the “Other Settings”:
Internet Channel
If you have downloaded the Opera browser (subject to availability) via the Wii Shop Channel, it is possible to allow or restrict use of the browser.
News Channel
Control access to the News Channel.
Online Communication and User Created Content
Controls sending and receiving of messages from the Wii console and in online games where open communication is available, as well as controls the exchange of user created content in compatible games and channels (Wii Message Board, Check Mii Out Channel, etc.). Note that system updates will be delivered regardless of this setting.
Use of Points
This setting controls the use of Wii Points, which are used to acquire downloads from the Wii Shop Channel. If this setting is on, users will be required to enter the 4-digit PIN in order to use Wii Points to download items from the Wii Shop Channel.
Confirm the setting is as desired by clicking the “confirm” button on the bottom right corner.
If Parental Controls are applied and a user attempts to play or download content that exceeds the Parental Controls setting, the user will be prompted to enter the Parental Controls PIN to temporarily disable the Parental Controls. The PIN will be necessary each time a user tries to access restricted content. If your settings only apply to certain members of your household, share the Parental Controls PIN with users who may have unrestricted use of the system.You will be prompted to select and answer a secret question that will allow you to retrieve a forgotten Parental Controls PIN. If you forget your PIN, please follow the prompts on screen to answer your secret question. If you are unable to retrieve your PIN by answering your secret question, please call Nintendo Consumer Service: 1-800-255-3700.
There are a lot of websites where people post their Wii friend codes in order to find Wii friends. After two people exchange friend codes, it enables them to play through a wireless Internet connection against each other, and send messages and photos to each other. Did you know that the Wii has a messaging system? Most people who play on the Wii know, but I wonder if many parents know. After exchanging friend codes found on the internet, anyone can exchange personal information, addresses, phone numbers, and photo’s with TOTAL STRANGERS using the Wii. I think the parents out there should be aware of this danger. Note: Don’t be concerned if your Wii is not connected to the Internet. If your home has wireless Internet it is fairly easy to connect the Wii.
This is one of many websites created to exchange friends codes. It’s a great idea for adults who enjoy playing multi-player games through their wireless Internet, but I’m not so sure it is a great idea for kids. To see another example of people posting friend codes, go to youtube and type Wii Friend Code in the search box. There are hundreds of people posting their codes.
Parents, check your Wii console messages occasionally. See if your children have added any Friends. Ask them if they actually know the individual and make sure they weren’t ’strangers’ added from the Internet. You might find that they have added friends from school, family or neighbors. Just to let you know, there is a setting where the Wii slot glows blue when you get a message.
The good news for worried parents:
The following is from the Wii website, click here to access directly.The Wii Parental Control settings offer you a means to manage what Wii content is accessible to the console users. If you apply Parental Controls, you will be prompted to set a 4-digit PIN which will allow you to adjust the Parental Controls settings in the future and also allow you to access content that may be restricted by the Parental Controls settings. The Parental Controls default setting is “OFF” which means that the console will allow all content unless you change the settings. There is one Parental Controls setting per console, so it is recommended that you put the settings on the most secure that you need for your family; you can then share the PIN with users who may be allowed access to blocked content.
Click on the blue arrow to reach the Wii System Settings 2 menu options.
Choose “Parental Controls” and select “Yes.”
Enter the 4-digit PIN and select OK. If you have forgotten the PIN, select ” I forgot” to answer the secret question. (Answers to the secret question are case sensitive.) You will now be in the Parental Controls menu, and can change the following items:Game Settings and PIN
You can adjust the “Highest Game Rating Allowed” to be played on the Wii console. This setting is based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board (”ESRB”) game rating categories. Please notethat Parental Controls settings do not affect Nintendo GameCube Game Discs.
If your Wii console is also connected to the internet, you have the ability to place limits on the following online features, found in the “Other Settings”:
Internet Channel
If you have downloaded the Opera browser (subject to availability) via the Wii Shop Channel, it is possible to allow or restrict use of the browser.
News Channel
Control access to the News Channel.
Online Communication and User Created Content
Controls sending and receiving of messages from the Wii console and in online games where open communication is available, as well as controls the exchange of user created content in compatible games and channels (Wii Message Board, Check Mii Out Channel, etc.). Note that system updates will be delivered regardless of this setting.
Use of Points
This setting controls the use of Wii Points, which are used to acquire downloads from the Wii Shop Channel. If this setting is on, users will be required to enter the 4-digit PIN in order to use Wii Points to download items from the Wii Shop Channel.
Confirm the setting is as desired by clicking the “confirm” button on the bottom right corner.
If Parental Controls are applied and a user attempts to play or download content that exceeds the Parental Controls setting, the user will be prompted to enter the Parental Controls PIN to temporarily disable the Parental Controls. The PIN will be necessary each time a user tries to access restricted content. If your settings only apply to certain members of your household, share the Parental Controls PIN with users who may have unrestricted use of the system.You will be prompted to select and answer a secret question that will allow you to retrieve a forgotten Parental Controls PIN. If you forget your PIN, please follow the prompts on screen to answer your secret question. If you are unable to retrieve your PIN by answering your secret question, please call Nintendo Consumer Service: 1-800-255-3700.
The long awaited Super Smash Bros Brawl was FINALLY released yesterday. The game was originally set for a December 3, 2007 release. Apparently, the game needed more ’fine tuneing’. Much to our dismay, the release date was pushed back to February 10, 2008. And then, oh no, on January 15, it was announced the release would be delayed again. It was pushed back to March 9, 2008.
I predict this game will set record video game sales. What gamer doesn’t love smash bros? We ventured out early yesterday to pick up our copy, which is pretty impressive, seeing how just the day before our city had blizzard warnings. The game ran on our Wii all day long.
The graphics are excellent, it is so cool the way you can use the Wii remotes or your gamecube controllers. We chose to play with the gamecube controllers yesterday. Our final report: It is awesome! Go buy one!
We just got NFS Prostreet for the Xbox 360. I haven’t played it yet, but my nine-year-old has. He was very excited about the game arriving from gamefly. He played it for two days then brought it to me and said it was too easy. This boy knows his car games. He plays them all. He and I beat Most Wanted together as a team (that was so fun) on Xbox and then again on Xbox 360. Yes, we bought both versions (it was our favorite game). Prostreet official website
On Prostreet, the racing all takes place on closed streets. No weaving in and out of traffic. There is one memorable song on the soundtrack: Airbourne - Blackjack. It reminds me of AC/DC a little. You can listen to it below.
Here are his comments on the game: Prostreet is cool because you could customize everything. Prostreet did have free roam, but no police chases. The graphics were awesome.
I am a long time member and am considering canceling my account for this reason. As a mother of two children, I am disappointed with the graphic advertisements on your website. I can’t even watch the game trailers with my kids because the previews before them are sometimes horrifying (shutter for example). My children like to go on Gamefly and pick out their games, but this is not possible because the advertisement pictures have BLOOD and GRAPHIC IMAGES. After this month I will be canceling if this is not corrected.
There are a lot of websites where people post their 
The good news for worried parents: