Daniel had just picked up Prince of Persia: Warrior Within from the used video game store. "Great" he thought, "now I can continue my sword swinging, time bending adventuring through worlds more fantastical than my own." The game was the sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which he had enjoyed very much, even if he felt there were a few flaws in the combat stages of the game. Maybe the sequel would correct these problems he hoped. Daniel got home, plopped down in front of the TV and set the disc in the Xbox. While waiting for the game to load, he looked at the back of the game case. Along with the usual in-game screen shots, the developers of the game, Ubisoft, promised to deliver on these bullet points:
- Unique free-form fighting system with over 60 melee weapons
- Countless hours of action though non-linear environments
- Soul-shattering boss battles
Soul-shattering! Oh Daniel did love a good bit of hyperbole now and then! He got started on the game and pressed on through several thumb-numbing hours. Finally he reached the end of one level and was confronted with an immortal she-pirate wielding double swords. Her life bar appeared at the bottom on the screen. Daniel dug in for what looked to be an epic battle. He mashed buttons; his heart rate rose; he started to sweat; he stared intensely at the screen. Suddenly he dropped the controller. His eyes glazed over.
Daniel's parents found him in a catatonic state 4 hours later. He was slowly rocking back and forth in a puddle of his own drool and wouldn't respond to any stimulus. That was 2 months ago and he has shown no progress towards recovery. He had to be placed in a continuous care facility. The diagnosis: acute soul fragmentation. Since Daniel's incident, it has come to light that thousands of others have suffered the same fate. A ****action lawsuit against Ubisoft is now pending. It is hoped that with a win in court, the news of a multi-million dollar settlement will snap Daniel out of his stupor.
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