There is a big bastard of an elephant in the room this week, and there is probably no flip way I can put this. Let's just get it out of the way. Everyone is furious at the LittleBigPlanet situation. The good news is the game's only delayed a week. But as of writing we have more than a thousand comments spread across three stories, so this absolutely hit a nerve. You want my two cents? You're damn right it's double standard. But they exist all over the world, and there is just no percentage in it for Sony to argue the ways in which it's entitled to use another culture's symbols or scripture.

I'll put it in standup comedy terms; if you walk the crowd, it doesn't matter what you said, doesn't matter if it was cool in another city, you fucked up. You didn't read the audience. Sony risked walking the Muslim crowd, and a global company with lines of business far more diverse than video games just can't do that. Commenter HamThePharoah pointed out Sony has huge sales in Middle Eastern nations. "Sony is one of a few VERY highly respected brands here, and most Arabs are Sony fanboys." Sorry, but in addition to freedom of expression, another Western value is "the customer is always right."

That said, it's a shame LBP is taking it in the shorts like this, and it'll have a chilling effect on games' efforts to engage or include Middle East culture going forward. Anything said in Arabic won't be bothered to be translated for vetting or approval. It'll just be removed, with LBP and Media Molecule cited as the reason.

Now, with that outta the way, we did have some original reporting this week. Major carryover from TGS, so you should hit that roundup, as well as Blizzcon's, for news out of those shows. We also had some sales result, a look at campaign giving in the game industry, and a tour of NetDevil's studio. The list is on the jump.

Super Let's TGS Round-Up
Blizzcon 2008 Round-Up

NSider's Letter To Sony And Media Molecule Re: Qur'an References
Is Microsoft Making It Harder For Small Developers?
Europe Gets An Eighth Xbox 360 Bundle (This Time, With Pro Evo)
The Force Is Strong With U.S. Game Sales In September
Nintendo Kicks Sales Ass In September, Xbox Rebounds
A Visit To NetDevil: Hands On With Jumpgate Evolution
Guitar Hero To Bloat Further With "Modern Hits"?
Frankenreview: Dead Space
This Is What Atlus USA Looks Like
I Wish I Hadn't Played Castlevania Judgement
Rumor: Ric Flair, Bear Suit Spotted At EA LA
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo Talk Edutainment
The Politics of Gaming: The Politics of Mmm, Giving Good