Bungie's Halo Game Announcement Held Back For A "Dedicated Event"

Oh, the drama. To recap: Bungie were going to announce a game at E3. Then they didn't. Turns out at least one of Bungie's projectsis a Halo game. That new, Bungie Halo game, to be obviously published by MS, was supposed to be unveiled during Microsoft's keynote, but according to Don Mattrick, they pulled it at the last minute. Why? Because Microsoft - perhaps catching wind of the sub-par standard of their competitor's addresses - felt they already "had an embarrassment of riches", and that they "felt we could do this game more justice with a more dedicated event". Maybe, though you've also totally taken the wind out of that announcement's sails with all this meddling.

Microsoft explains Halo's no-show at E3 game conference [LA Times]

Academics vs. 'Gaming' Academics: Let the Snark Begin

Industry Insiders Discuss ESA, E3's Future

What's the fate of E3, and of the Entertainment Software Association? It's worth examining in light of recent events. This morning we broke the news that two major publishers, Activision and Vivendi, have decided to take a pass on the event and exit the trade association, while other companies have withdrawn their E3 attendance as well. At the same time, the ESA appears to be facing stirrings of industry discontent with the ESA's leadership, namely its current president, Mike Gallagher.

E3 is not the boon to publishers that it once was, says Penny Arcade's director of business development Robert Khoo, who as the organizer of the PAX fan expo clearly has an interest, to say the least, in how things turn out.

"The reason that E3 imploded in recent years was because the publishers felt that it turned into this sort of pissing contest between them... where they were trying to figure out who could one-up each other," Khoo said. "They all thought to themselves that it just wasn't worth it."

Activision Sitting Out E3 "For Business Reasons" This Year

To recap: First Doom creator John Romero (above, flowing locks) blogged that former colleague Mike Wilson (above, skirt) from Gamecock was up to his usual "jackass stunts" and said Wilson was responsible for those "Bitch" ads. Then Wilson wrote an open letter to Kotaku, telling Romero that his "unparalleled work ethic and strong character has... left only a bloody trail of ex-wives, fatherless kids, and ill advised breast implants strewn across this fair nation." Ouch. Over the weekend, Romero replied to Wilson's barbs, writing:

Mr. Wilson needed to email Kotaku a nice long letter to recount his version of events at Ion Storm and slam my personal life - way to go Mike! Media manipulation at its saddest. It's analogous to a crotch shot of Britney in Hollywood's media circus.

Anyway, I think we're both mature enough to end this flame war. I just wanna see the cool games that gamecock is gonna release.

Gamecock Head Tears Into John Romero, It's Getting Ugly

It would seem that the ghost of Ion Storm hasn't quite faded into the night, as two of its more prominent employees, John "Suck It Down" Romero, also formerly of id, and Mike Wilson, now at Gamecock, are engaged in a nasty war of words. Romero posted on his personal blog this week that Wilson was up to his usual "jackass stunts" and recalled his former co-worker's time at Gathering of Developers/GodGames "where he pretty much just partied all the time and after the whole thing got reined in by Take 2 he went underground for a while, waiting for his next victim/investor so he could go hogwild all over again."

In the same post, Romero also placed part of the blame on Wilson for the laughable "John Romero's About To Make You His Bitch" print ads that ran prior to the release of the ill-fated shooter Daikatana.

Wilson responds in an open letter to Romero, sent to Kotaku, that he will "not allow you to rewrite the history of it all, more to your liking and to my public detriment, and I will in no way take the rap for what you did (or didn't do) with your dream company", going on to defend his character and refute certain claims.

It gets particularly nasty near the end of the letter, when Wilson says to Romero "your unparalleled work ethic and strong character has [...] left only a bloody trail of ex-wives, fatherless kids, and ill advised breast implants strewn across this fair nation." Insert stunned silence here, then continue for the full "Dear John" letter.

BBFC Makes Take-Two Sad

"We are disappointed that the BBFC has decided to appeal its own Video Appeals Committee's judgment in favor of an 18-plus certificate for Manhunt 2," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

GameRankings Drops GameSpot Review Scores

On the State of Game Reviewing

"GTA For Girls" A Game Of Sex, Drugs & Shoplifting

Jeff Minter and Llamasoft's Space Giraffe is currently bugging out the brains of some ten thousand-plus Xbox Live Arcade gamers, beggaring comparisons that range from Joyce's Ulysses to Minter's own Tempest 2000. But in a LiveJournal appropriate lamentation on the need to get away from it all, Minter says his experience dealing with the XBLA re-approval process—Space Giraffe's got some bugs, you see—is akin to a "massive, spirit-crushing inertia."

Poor Jeff. Lay off him already, Giraffe haters! If you love Space Giraffe, though, show Minter some love. Maybe a nice fruit basket or hand knit yak hair sweater would cheer him up.

stage one [Jeff Minter's LiveJournal via 1UP]