This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Editor's note: Did last week's PS3 debacle leave you staring blankly at your TV screen, slack-jawed and unsure what to do with your life? Check out Alex's list of similar game company screw-ups for some solace. -Brett
Sony did its best to ruin St. David's Day (Monday, March 1) for Welsh gamers with the "ApocalyPS3" — clearly an anti-Celt effort to overshadow Wales's national day. While the problem — due to faulty internal clocks on older PS3s — fixed itself in the end, it got me thinking: How have other game companies dropped the ball in the past?
The World of Warcraft "Corrupted Blood" Plague (Blizzard)
This one was actually fun to watch. A glitch caused a disease intended to be confined to only one area to spread to the entire world of the World of Warcraft. It gradually reduced players' health — not a big problem for higher-level players, but it killed others in seconds flat. Good Samaritans spent their time setting up virtual clinics and directing people away from infected areas, while pranksters (or assholes, depending on your point of view) deliberately spread the disease until Blizzard reset the servers.
Games That Hate Other Games (Namco, Capcom)
Soulcalibur 3 and a demo for Viewtiful Joe 2, both for the PS2, actually had the nerve to fuck with saves from other games. Viewtiful Joe deleted all data on any memory cards that happened to be plugged in. Soulcalibur 3 did the same sort of thing — there's even a massive FAQ solely dedicated to avoiding it.
Imagine losing your GTA: San Andreas save after 20 hours because of a silly demo. Not being able to access Home for 24 hours doesn't sound so bad now, does it?
Digital Rights Management That Breaks DVD Drives (Ubisoft and others)
Starforce, a program that covertly installs itself along with several PC games, can actually harm hardware. It's supposed to prevent pirates from copying their games, but it punishes everyone in the process. In short, Starforce installs itself without your knowledge, slows down your DVD drive (sometimes causing permanent damage), and opens your PC up to viruses.
The company that produces Starforce threatened to sue a
The Red Ring of Death (Microsoft)
You couldn't play your PS3 for 24 hours? Boo hoo! Every year, I have to send my shoddily produced 360 to Germany in a little cardboard coffin I keep around for the occasion. I then have to make do with Bejeweled Blitz for a couple of weeks — or worse, go outside. Anywhere between 24 and 54 percent of 360 owners have had their consoles turned into expensive bricks due to hardware failure.
Consoles that Kill (Microsoft)
Nothing says "go outside and get some fresh air" like burning someone's house down. Apparently, Microsoft has the health of a handful of gamers at heart, because the power supplies of select Xboxes have a tendency to overheat and combust. Unfortunately, one of these fires may have led to the death of a baby.
So yes, Sony messed up, temporarily inconveniencing millions of PS3 owners. But let's put things in perspective: It wasn't really the end of the world.