Life imitating art—or art imitating life? Or is it something a little more sinister. Clearly these guys haven’t mastered that fine line between fantasy and reality… At least two men staged a rather dramatic robbery of a Maryland video-game store during the weekend. The haul? More than 100 copies of a highly valued video game that hasn’t yet hit the market, according to local police.
The men entered the GameStop video store in the Festival at Bel Air shopping center just as it was closing (note to self—don’t go renting games and videos at the end of the day). The dudes in black were armed with semiautomatic weapons. They stole four cases of “Black Ops,” the newest game in the “Call of Duty” series, along with cash and other games.
According to the Harford County Sherriff’s office, this is the second armed robbery of a Harford County GameStop within three weeks, and it’s possible the same bad guys are responsible for the initial robbery on October 21 at GameStop’s Aberdeen location.
In addition to the staff, two would-be customers also experienced the first-hand adrenalin rush of being held at gunpoint— as they had the misfortune to come into the store as it was being robbed. They were escorted into a storage area. No one was hurt.
The game, which is due for release today (yes, TODAY!), October 9, is rated “mature” for intense violence, strong language and “blood and gore.” I wonder how far these guys were prepared to go with their own black-ops?
Well, he didn’t walk the line, but maybe he crossed it a bit… but I think he gets straight A’s for having his sense of humor and creativity. A teen from Nebraska was arrested for DWI on Halloween—while dressed as a Breathalyzer—that’s him over there at the right. That in itself indicates some skill with duct tape…which I also think is worthy of mention.
Demonstrating his creative flare, Matthew Nieveen’s costume consisted of a box-like plastic sack that read “6.0 Blood Alcohol Level.” And, if anyone wanted to test their own limits, he had included a nozzle strategically placed in a ‘sensitive area’ which read “Blow Here.”
I bet Matthew could sell a few of those costumes…
Time to bug outta here? As for this dear old boy—he didn’t actually get himself arrested, but I think he likely came pretty close. A team of emergency responders was called out to a senior citizens’ high-rise residence in response to reports of intense fumes coming from a second-floor room. Just to be clear, we’re talking about firefighters and hazardous materials specialists—you know—guys in white paper suits and plastic helmet hats that are way out of proportion to the rest of the outfit…anyway…
The emergency crews arrived and were so bowled over by the intensity of the fumes that they evacuated the entire second floor—late in the evening. Always fun, those late night fire alarms. Once the fuss had died down and people were outside shivering in their PJs, the firefighters located the source of the problem—which was—insect foggers. A resident had decided to take pest control into his own hands and set off several of the devices in his apartment. This in turn caused the smoke alarms to go off. Oh—I’m betting that this little caper cost him his bridge partners at a minimum. And what’s the betting the bugs survived. Maybe the video game store should have some of these devices on hand…
My game wont let me play it stays on black screen can u please tell me a solution if you have one
Hi Kyle, I am truly sorry to hear of your game woes–but, unfortunately, I am no Call of Duty Black Ops connoisseur. So best I can suggest is to go to the game site or xbox forum or similar to find help with your Black Ops problem…good luck
Just goes to show you how hyped this game is. On an international scale, it's one of the most highly anticipated games that came out this year. CoD games have always been fun in my eyes, but due to the immense media craze over this series, especially on multiplayer gaming, this act of criminal activity doesn't surprise me. Highly sucessful titles such as this are bound to have follow up crimes.
Hi Alan, Yeah, you're probably right. A game that's as anticipated as Call of Duty Black Ops probably will have some fools who want to try to live it–no different I suppose than all those Trekkie types who show up at Star Trek conventions "in character". Well, maybe it's not quite the same, but you get my point. Thanks for your comment!
Deez dudes are legit call of duty fans, dey stole all dem games so dey can make der weed money and play as dey get high.
Hi Tyrone, Wow! What a study in alliteration! I think you’re right though–that “deez” guys are indeed serious fans who saw an opportunity to sell some copies of Call of Duty Black Ops hot off the press, so to speak. Can’t say whether it’s to fund their weed habit, but hey, I suppose it could be. Thanks for your comment!
I am really disappointed. Thought the game would be at least as good as MW-2 if not better but it seems like you are playing it on PS2. Character animations, sounds, weapons look, graphic details are all at best less then mediocre. Through the 3 rd mission, I lost interest and gave up. The game makers did a huge mistake not giving the contract to the developers who made MW and MW2. I am returning the game tomorrow. My grade C-