For all his righteous anger, Brian Ekberg will probably stop off at BK tonight and get some of those chicken fries. Those things are great. Talk him out of it at [email protected].

　　If you're going to make a collector's edition of your game, you should at least put some value into it to make it worthwhile. Of course, it would also help if consumers, including me, would take a stand and say no to these things. It hasn't happened yet, but I suspect that that moment is coming soon. There's already a growing cynicism about the way industry pricing is evolving. For example, we're already being asked to pay extra for next-generation console games that feature in-game advertising everywhere you go. If that's going to be the case, why should we pay even more for a collector's edition?

　　The King is in Fight Night Round 3, but I refuse to give him another moment of free advertising. Instead, here's a photo of Tyson the Skateboarding Dog.

　　The worst--or at least the most recent--example of egregious in-game advertising is Fight Night Round 3. In addition to pervasive Dodge and Under Armour logo placement throughout the game, it also features the King (the gargantuan-headed mascot of Burger King) as a selectable trainer in the game.

　　To be fair, we're all used to seeing advertising in sports games. You can't play a NASCAR game without being hammered by the wonders of capitalism lap after lap, for instance. However, I couldn't help feeling tremendously let down as I watched the King lead me into the ring and hold the ropes.

　　Have game development costs become so bloated over the past few years that this is what sports games are reduced to? It's bad enough that Fight Night Round 3 has only eight Xbox Live achievements and that most of those are "sponsored," but having to watch this walking corporate logo actually traipse into the ring? That crosses the line of good taste.

　　If it sounds like I'm picking on Fight Night Round 3, well...I guess I am. The game has so many exemplary qualities, including the graphics, the controls, and the solid online play.

　　But seeing such a shameless plug worm its way into the game detracts from its overall excellence. And, by the way, the King isn't the only ugly example of in-game advertising here, either. One Dodge-sponsored fight features a long and lingering camera shot of an SUV that's sitting conveniently at ringside.

　　When word got out about the King's appearance in the game, I was surprised to find that it received mixed reactions. I expected people to be as upset about it as I was.

　　A few folks around the GameSpot offices thought it was funny and, judging by the reactions on the game's official forums and elsewhere, the reactions have ranged from outrage to open-armed welcome.

　　Am I missing the joke here? Is this a harmless molehill that I'm making into a mountain?

　　Seriously, I'm not showing any Fight Night images. Here's a ninja squirrel.

　　Part of me thinks I should lighten up and roll with it, but the other part (the more vocal part, incidentally) thinks we shouldn't stand for this kind of thing. Is the game completely ruined by the appearance of the King? No. Honestly, you can play the game without ever seeing him if you want. Will I buy the game now that I know he's in it? Probably not.

　　I used to think in-game advertising was a pretty cool idea and would make sports games more realistic--after all, sponsorship and advertising are an integral part of real-world sports. Those were younger days, however, and now, watching the King enter the ring, I'm not quite certain what I was thinking. Sometimes authenticity sucks.

　　Next Up: Freeplay by Bethany Massimilla