NBrid

"Mario 128 to be an Xbox exclusive. Rockstar unveils World Blood, a Disney-GTA hybrid. Nintendo fires Miyamoto." Today's the day every site posts lame 'fake' stories like these. NBrid is above that. Instead, relive a joke that really did fool everyone.

Sometimes there are a few headlines that work or are actually funny. Last year I recall GameFaqs changing its look to a very pro-Xbox mentality, to say the least. Plus the internet isn't alone on this, game magazines do this too. Still can't unlock nudalities in Mortal Kombat? But with so many game related sites out there these days, the vast majority of "fools" are just an insult to the intelligence of any gamer.

If I'm not mistaken, the point of April Fools is to trick people, and none of these blatant subjects would fool my grandmother. I'd call them more of an annoyance then anything. It's almost as if April 1st gives sites the license to lie and act stupid. They have become expected fair rather then anything interesting, and I for one wish they would go away. Maybe then they could reappear and actually fool someone again. Until then, I personally avoid game sites on April 1st.

Two years ago though, NBrid was the victim of a cruel 'joke'. I'd go so far as to say it has become an 'urban legend' of sorts. Except for the obvious difference that this was all too real. People everywhere still recall the time NBrid was almost sued by NStorm.

Back then NBrid had a sub-group called "NStorm". Originally an alliance between NBrid and Firestorm (a Sega IRC 'clan'), it soon became just a name for NBrid's online gaming instead of the old NOG. However it was learned, just a few days before April 1st in fact, that a NStorm already existed. (You may recognize them for their Elf Bowling.) So when the morning mail was opened, this greeted visitors to the site instead of the usual flash movie.

If you haven't heard by now, we are currently being asked by Vectrix to change the name of our clan (NStorm) or fear possible litigation. On March 30, 2001, we received the following email:

Dear Nick:

The name "NStorm" is currently held under copyright by Vectrix Ltd. The name and all logos associated with said name can not be used without permission of Vectrix Ltd. While the NStorm process itself (distributing ads in the form of a small game) is still "patent pending", the name itself has been copyrighted. Therefore, we ask you cease and desist all usage of this name and logo found on your web site at www.nbrid.net. We hope you oblige so we will not be forced to take any further action.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please visit our web site at: http://www.nstorm.com/

Thank You.

R. S. Falipolo, JD
(sig)

We are currently in negotiations with Vectrix over this matter. There will be a major announcement once a new name has been decided upon (if necessary). We thank you for your patience.

Hybrid (NBrid President)

muHAHAHA! The ultimate April Fools. But the joke was on us since this was no hoax. Thank goodness NBrid took its head out of its ass long enough to realize clans suck (except PAC)! So the "NStorm" name was "voluntarily" dropped by us. Yeah, "voluntarily"...