Today was a shit day from the start; I woke up late for work, got stuck waiting for a train to cross on the way to work, the opposite sex lit my fuse, and I couldn't stop sleeping at work (in addition to various other complications). But there was one other thing, though, something more disappointing; I read that Squeenix is in the process of swallowing Taito. What the fuck? I thought it was a joke. Taito, a developer with integrity, taken by the likes of Squeenix? The details may still be tentative, but either way the thought is horrible. I can't believe this shit. Even if it turns out that Squeenix doesn't own them completely, it will still suck. Why the fuck would they be in the least interested in a developer like Taito? I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to buy Atlus or another RPG developer, but come on...Taito? Why?

Taito is known for Space Invaders (the grandfather of the modern shooter), as well as shooters like RayStorm, RayCrisis, G. Darius, SuperNova, and Darius Gaiden (among many others). Then there's Bust-A-Move, a popular puzzle series that has no doubt brought much-needed profit to Taito over the years. The 16-bit Ninja Warriors (SNES) remake still looks great to this day, and I was bonkers over Taito games like Renegade and Wrath of the Black Manta back in the days of Nintendo. Ever since then Taito has been a favorite, and it is sad to see what is about to take place. A company like Taito, with so much history behind them, owned in part by a bunch of sneaky motherfuckers like Square? What the hell would Squeenix gain from holding such a large share of Taito? Shooter development? Yeah, right; Squeenix doesn't give a rat's ass about shooters. The rights to Bust-A-Move? Maybe. Nostalgic value that they could never possess (because they are a bunch of back-stabbing pricks)? Possibly. Unfortunately, Taito and their shareholders had some say in the decision, which is disappointing hear, but in the end it all comes down to the influential buying power of Squeenix. It's really too bad that it has come to this. I don't know what would be worse; Taito completely dying with dignity, or Taito being kept alive by life-support provided by Squeenix? Who knows when Squeenix will pull the plug (like they did with Nintendo)? Maybe when it comes time to save a dime...

I know I'm not the only one who disapproves; lots of Taito fans stand with me on this. This "merger," or whatever the fuck you want to call it, is ridiculous. If Capcom, SNK, Konami, or a company like Namco was doing the buying, it would be understandable, but Squeenix? What do they plan to use Taito for? Something just doesn't feel right; one has to truly wonder what will become of this. Will Taito still manage to make good games, will Squeenix influence their games (as part of a hostile takeover), or will they even make games at all? Square has already fucked Nintendo and Sega beyond repair; aren't they finished, yet? When will they stop ruining things? Only time will tell, but I'm skeptical about this.