LA Weekly's Nikkie FInke reports on her blog that a settlement prohibits Rockstar from making a movie based on Grand Theft Auto, which is the same name as a 1977 film whose rights are owned by Fox. The settlement also prohibits Fox from making any video game based on that movie. I've never seen it, but considering all the crappy adaptations done out there, obviously this settlement was more about protecting Fox's copyrights than Rockstar's.

Interestingly, the Grand Theft Auto film in question got an updated box right around the time the original GTA craze hit (above), and you can see the similarities in the typefaces. Not sure if this was part [or provocation] of the settlement or not.

All About the Grand Theft Auto Movie [Nikkie FInke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, via Shacknews]

The remainder of Fox's report becomes muddled. In the intro, we cannot tell if they are blaming the shootings on the ads or just claiming that the ads are in poor taste. (They never, in fact, mention when the ads actually went up.) We'd say Fox buried the lead, but we're not so certain there was any lead to bury.

The piece continues grasping for a story, this time through the political hypocrisy of IL governor Rod Blagojevich, who had once spoken against Grand Theft Auto San Andreas advertisements publicly. And then, to demonstrate how we should/could feel about this story (other than confusion?), the viewer is treated to a series of man on the street interviews. Finally, we find that CTA has made no comment on the situation but will be pulling the ads (we can assume only because Fox was doing the story).

After viewing the clip, we realized that the headline above the video is simply "Violent Video Game Ads on The CTA." But that headline, while appearing innocuous at first glance, is as intentionally misleading as Fox's video. Is Fox calling the "video game" itself violent or the "video game ads" violent? You can't tell...which seems to be precisely the point.

We'd say to check out the video for yourself, but we'd hate to see Fox News Chicago make the ad revenue. Crecente had an interesting feature a while back on a similar GTA ad controversy if you feel the need to click something.

Violent Video Game Ads on The CTA [Fox via GamePolitics]

The main thing I learned at Nintendo was that being "anal" is the most important asset a game creator needs to have. Mr. Miyamoto has the uncanny ability to spot the most minute detail in any game; just the odd pixel out of place and he will strike upon it like an eagle. So, although we are nowhere near that level yet, I am trying to guide everyone at Q to get good at "the details".

The other thing I learned from Nintendo, is learning to look at your game from a distance towards the end of development and decide what really needs to be done to make the game into a sell-able product. This is almost totally separate from the creative "game-making" process and most companies let their marketing departments do it which, in my opinion, is totally wrong.

Check out some of the other headlines I have found for this story across the web:

Parents of 5-month-old face first-degree murder charges - Illinois Daily Herald
Parents Charged with Murder - Central Illinois Proud
Parents face first-degree murder in death of baby bound last week - WTHI News

Not one other news outlet I can find focused on the gaming like Fox News did. Are they holding a grudge over the Mass Effect debacle or what? As more and more people start playing video games, will every headline start to read like this? "Man Who Played Video Games Robs Bank." "Video Gamer Dies In Car Crash." This is getting pretty damn ridiculous. Is there a video game angle? Sure. Is it the only angle? Of course not. How about "Irresponsible Young Parents Leave Baby To Die"? Bah. I'm going to go punch something and blame it on gaming.

Parents of Baby Left Alone in Car Seat for 8 Days Face Murder Charges [Foxnews.com - Thanks Orrin]

An analogy comparing small budget games to small budget films was taken out of context—the true story is really quite lame. Luckily, it means that the video game industry hasn't figured out how to spoil the few good movies that come out of Hollywood...yet.

Juno getting game treatment? [Gamespot via DigitalBattle]

In order to sit at the grown-ups table, culturally speaking, developers are going to have to act like adults. And that means not letting other people do their fighting for them.

Max Effect [loadingreadyrun via Maxconsole]

Believe it or not Jack Thompson and I email sorta regularly. Granted he usually emails me bizarre, over-the-top press releases (which I often don't post) and I respond with disjointed quotes from movies, which I hope will one day remove that last wobbly hinge of his. (No luck yet).

Last week Jack emailed me a press release entitled "Grand Theft Auto IV to Be Released April 29; Culture War Begins Now" and after my typical poking, I got on to the topic of the Mass Effect controversy and was shocked, literally out of my socks, to find him defending the game... sort of. Apparently, even anti-gaming crusader Jack Thompson found self-help author Cooper Lawrence (who he refers to as a man), uninformed and the entire controversy contrived. Hellooooo kettle.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Immediate News Release - January 24, 2008
Grand Theft Auto IV to Be Released April 29; Culture War Begins Now

To: Jack
From: Brian
I like your new glasses.

To: Brian
From: Jack
Wow, as usual you're grasping the real news here.

To: Jack
From: Brian
I'm surprised you haven't been looking into Mass Effect.
http://kotaku.com/348692/ea-fighting-mad-about-fox-news-but-still-no-correction?cpage=2#viewcomments

To: Brian
From: Jack
Why would you be surprised. I don't see any problem with it. The guy who shot his mouth off about it had no idea what the Hell he was talking about.

To: Jack
From: Brian
You mean you're OK with mass effect?

To: Brian
From: Jack
Of course. This contrived controversy is absolutely ridiculous. Report that, why don't you?

Consider it reported. Now where did my socks go?

...Ms. Lawrence said that since the controversy over her remarks erupted she had watched someone play the game for about two and a half hours. "I recognize that I misspoke," she said. "I really regret saying that, and now that I've seen the game and seen the sex scenes it's kind of a joke.

"Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it's like pornography," she added. "But it's not like pornography. I've seen episodes of 'Lost' that are more sexually explicit."

While I don't think situations like this will ever change the way Fox News handles its sensationalist stories, perhaps it will send a message to the so called "experts" they bring on the show to do their research before going on air. As vehemently protective as gamers are of their genre, it will only end up coming back to bite these allegedly knowledgeable people in the ass. Hell hath no fury like a gamer scorned.

Author Faults a Game, and Gamers Flame Back [New York Times]

Electronic Arts, likewise, got upset and called out the news network on its "insulting" inaccuracies. The Fox producer of the segment in question blew off Electronic Arts' request for a correction. There still hasn't been a correction or an apology from Fox News. The game publisher added that it won't back down and will continue to "step up when someone maligns our creative teams." According to MTV Multiplayer, Fox News issued this statement:

Fox News Channel has extended several invitations to EA through a company representative to appear on Live Desk With Martha MacCallum to discuss Mass Effect and the segment which aired on Monday. We have received no response.

In a single line text message sent from her Blackberry, Teri VanHorn, producer of Fox News' Live Desk with Martha MacCallum, blew off Electronic Arts' detailed call for correction over the error strewn report the show did on Mass Effect earlier in the week.

Jeff Brown, Electronic Arts' vice president of communication, told Kotaku that the producer told him to contact Fox News' public relations department, which apparently now deals with factual errors in their stories.

Brown told me he wasn't surprised, but that EA will continue to "step up when someone maligns our creative teams.
"They need to understand there are 100 people in Edmonton, Alberta who dedicated years to making that game. They've got names, faces and reputations - and they've been slandered. We're angry about that."

He added that yesterday's reaction was not a one off, "it's a policy directive from Riccitiello. Anyone who tells lies about our creative teams is going to get a fight."

EA Calls Fox Out on Insulting Mass Effect Inaccuracies [Kotaku]

Electronic Arts, likely sick of having their recently-acquired role-playing franchise Mass Effect dragged through the mud on national television, has requested that Fox News Channel correct their error-plagued segment on the game.

In the letter, which cites Kotaku, Jeff Brown, EA's vice president of communications, asks Teri VanHorn, producer of the Live Desk with Martha MacCallum, to clarify "serious errors" the channel made in their Mass Effect story.

"As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect." The letter starts and then proceeds to outline their very strong case.

Your headline above the televised story read: "New videogame shows full digital nudity and sex." Fact: Mass Effect does not include explicit or frontal nudity. Love scenes in non-interactive sequences include side and profile shots - a vantage frequently used in many prime-time television shows. It's also worth noting that the game requires players to develop complex relationships before characters can become intimate and players can chose to avoid the love scenes altogether.

FNC voice-over reporter says: "You'll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex."
Fact: Sex scenes in Mass Effect are not graphic. These scenes are very similar to sex sequences frequently seen on network television in prime time.

FNC reporter says: "Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers."
Fact: That is flat out false. Mass Effect and all related marketing has been reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and rated Mature - appropriate for players 17-years and older. ESRB routinely counsels retailers on requesting proof of age in selling M-rated titles and the system has been lauded by members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. In practical terms, the ratings work as well or better than those used for warning viewers about television content.

The letter goes on to point out that the people who wrapped up the segment with a round table were equally clueless about the game: "They have had zero experience with Mass Effect and are largely ignorant about videogames, the people who play them, and the ESRB system that governs their ratings and sales."

The story wraps up by pointing out how insulting the resulting story was to EA and Bioware and asks, not demands, a correction:

The resulting coverage was insulting to the men and women who spent years creating a game which is acclaimed by critics for its high creative standards. As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

This isn't a legal threat; it's an appeal to your sense of fairness. We're asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect.

Sincerely,

Jeff Brown
Vice President of Communications
Electronic Arts, Inc.

Attachment: http://kotaku.com/347350/keighley-sets-mass-effect-record-straight-or-tries-to

Good for you EA, it's important, I think that publishers should step up to the plate to defend themselves, especially in light of such outrageous and patently false claims.

Keighley totally took charge of the interview. How much, you ask? He goaded their expert, who seconds earlier was talking about sexism, to call him "darling." Nice, maybe ask him to bend over and pick up a pencil next darling.

Let me end by saying it's obvious that every one of the people who they had discussing it after the fact have not only never played Mass Effect, they probably heard about it five minutes before they were supposed to offer an opinion. Very shoddy. Though, at least they got his name right.

The University of Michigan researchers findings indicate that men who are exposed to violent television in video games were more likely to assault their spouses. Women were comparably more likely to have thrown things at their spouses or assaulted another adult.

The study's fact sheet makes note of the fact that as the popularity of video games has increased since the 1990s, violent crime has decreased. Furthermore, it points out that European gamers, who also enjoy the same content, have a much lower propensity for crime.

A very interesting study, one that I'll have to read more closely after I've finished prepping the mailman for the woodchipper.

Researchers Link Video Games to Adulthood Violence [Fox Business]

Please be advised that the feature film "HITMAN" has been given an "R" rating for, "Strong bloody violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity.

Well, that's a relief. I still don't have much hope for the film, but at least it won't be the eunuch version.

The whole thing kicks off tomorrow night at 8 PM, with a "surprise unveiling" at 9:15 (again, no Keeley). The usual snacks, drinks, giveaways and general fun will be dished out by the folks from EA and Fox, so make sure you show up on time. To pass the time between now and tomorrow night's early access to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, we certainly don't suggest at-work Google Image Searches for the above Briton. It's not worth throwing your career away for.

If you're looking for intelligent debate about the extreme levels of violence in the Mature rated Manhunt 2 and how its release should be handled at retail or cogent discussion on the ESRB's ratings policies, look somewhere other than this Fox News clip from a segment known as "Cashin' In." The news channel for simpletons brings us a moronic shouting match between some lawyer we've never heard of with a gift for hyperbole and crazy conspiracy theories and some libertarian yokel named Jonathan Hoenig.

To further enhance your enjoyment of the low brow antics of Fox News' reporting style, don't miss this earlier report on Manhunt 2, in which Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film and Television Commission invokes Columbine and Seung-Hui Cho just before declaring that the video game ratings system "never works."

Assist Trophies - Andross [Smash Bros. Dojo via GameDaily]

Fox Licensing will enter the strategic partnership with Microsoft — which has generated more than $700 million in sales from the "Halo" franchise, with more than 14.5 million video games sold — to expand the brand's licensing and merchandise program, retail distribution and worldwide presence with its target demographic of males ages 17-34.

Last we heard about a joint venture between the two companies, Fox was eating the cost of the (un)making of the Halo movie. Now they are more than happy to expand the Halo property into "new products, retail markets and territories". Does this mean that there's still a chance in icy hell for the movie to be produced or does it just mean we'll be seeing Halo-themed coffee mugs and gummy candies in the future? Kim Phu

Fox aura surrounds Microsoft's top-selling 'Halo' [The Hollywood Reporter via My Arcade Planet]

Star Fox 64 (1000 Wii points): Join Fox and friends as they blast through 15 missions of shooty goodness as they make their way to planet Venom for a confrontation with the evil Andross while still somehow finding time to produce a daily morning talk show.. SF64 (or Lylat Wars to you Europeans) was the second best selling game of 1997, surpassed only by Mario Kart 64. Sexy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES - 600 Wii Points): With turtle mania in full swing once again following the relatively strong box office of the new movie, the VC gets the very first TMNT video game, Ultra's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A weird combination of platforming and overhead missions, this was the second title I got for my original NES, and it taught me how to curse at video games. Ah, memories.

Dragon's Curse (TG16 - 800 Wii Points): Not familiar with this one, but it's a platformer that involves a man changing into animals, so the theme stands!

Nice week for the VC, especially for you closet furries out there. Definitely makes up for last week's barrel scraping. Hit the jump for the official descriptions! Michael Fahey

Star Fox 64 (N64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points):

Players take the controls of their Arwing and complete 15 missions to reach the final objective: a showdown on Venom, the home planet of the interplanetary tyrant, Andross. Throughout the adventure, players have to accomplish challenging objectives in order to reach and conquer every mission. Skim over the surface of an alien sea, weave through the concrete canyons of a futuristic metropolis or dodge planetoids the size of mountains. Between missions, players will be treated to real-time 3-D movies that progress the story of the Star Fox team of space mercenaries in their struggle against the evil ape emperor, Andross.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES, 1 player, 600 Wii Points):

Cowabunga! Players take control of the turtles in a half shell and rescue reporter April O'Neil from the clutches of the evil Shredder. Battle against the Foot Ninja Clan as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael with their trademark weapons and ninja abilities. Search through five stages and dozens of areas throughout the New York City sewers, rooftops and ultimately Shredder's Technodrome to save April. Players must scarf down some pizza to keep up their energy, as they'll need it to defeat Shredder. Turtle Power!

Dragon's Curse (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points):

After defeating the Mecha Dragon in the depths of the Dragon Castle, the wounded beast casts a spell on the hero, turning him into an ugly creature. To return to human form, he must find the Salamander Cross, which can break any curse. This side-scrolling action role-playing game is nonlinear, allowing players to venture freely. Collect gold and items while upgrading equipment and powering up stats. The hero starts as Lizard-Man but, upon defeating the dragon bosses, is changed into other creatures such as Mouse-Man, Piranha-Man, Tiger-Man and Hawk-Man. Each creature possesses distinct abilities such as the ability to fly, swim, walk on ceilings or cling to walls. Players use each creature's special skills to widen your search for the Salamander Cross and bring the hero back to his human form!

The goods:

I won the contest and was able to attend the flight a few weeks ago, and the awesome folks over at MTV got the whole thing on tape and finally put it on their website. I'm not going to lie, playing a touch screen based game in zero gravity is extremely difficult (I had to set Elite Beat Agents down to easy in order to get anywhere) and my friend had an equally hard time with Star Fox Command. If anything, the trip should have been a testimony as to how many beatings the DS lite can take, as it was stepped on and knocked out of my hands countless times and still works perfectly. One interesting note was how our flight instructor, Steve Steiner, actually brings his DS with him on these trips to kill some time.

Pretty damn awesome, Jaime. We need more heroic readers like yourself. Hats off! Michael McWhertor

Joss Whedon's sci-fi project Firefly was cancelled after just 11 episodes. The Firefly $39 million cinematic spin-off Serenity pulled in just $38.8 million worldwide. So, what's next for the cowboys in space superflop? Massively multiplayer online gaming, of course.

Wired is reporting that MMO platform developer Multiverse has struck a deal with Fox to throw the Firefly property into the crowded MMO ring, but has yet to put together a development team. They're hoping they'll find someone to "not just [do] a re-skin of World of Warcraft or Star Wars Galaxies" but give the itty-bitty Firefly fanbase something "unique and fun and interesting."

While I agree that the show has a unique aesthetic and sense of humor, is it enough to stand out? Will fans of the show have the fortitude to wait until sometime in 2008 to get their hands on a Firefly based game? Will it be any good? Any Firefly/Kotaku crossover out there?

As a (can't believe I'm going to publically admit this) huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, I was never drawn in to the Firefly universe, but maybe I ought to crack open my DVD set and try to make it past episode 3.

Firefly Reborn as Online Universe [Wired - thanks nesdude!]

You can almost taste the insanity. At the Rockville, Maryland Best Buy, a line of over 150 people has formed, with tents, lawn chairs, fast food and body odor wrapped around the block.

First in line? A family of three, including the twelve year old recipient of a PlayStation 3 whose parents are line-sitting with him.

With the store already in possession of "more than a hundred" Sony consoles, let's hope that everyone spending the night in the rainy cold will get one.

Me? I've officially given up. Michael McWhertor

Gamers Camping Out for Playstation 3 [Fox]

At today's portion of Nintendo World 06 taking place in Nagoya, Japan, the company showed off a new trailer, "comprised almost entirely of gameplay", for the upcoming Wii fighter Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Included in that new trailer was an appearance by new Super Smash Bros. Brawl addition Fox McCloud as a playable character.

Fox joins Pit, Meta Knight, Samus (Sexy Time Zero Suit T&A Version), Metal Gear Solid's Snake, and personal favorite Wario for the Wii brawler blowout.

Unfortunately, the game is not yet playable for the attendees of Nintendo World, but we hope to have trailer-watching impressions up soon. Michael McWhertor

The Halo movie is not any closer to being made now that Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox have made a last minute pull-out from the project.

Apparently, Universal and Fox tried to strong arm Microsoft and the film makers to accept a pay cut, apparently in response to an upward spiral of estimated production costs stretching Babel-like into the sky from the base of the original $135 million guesstimate. Rumors brought that number up to $200 million.

Apparently, Peter Jackson's still soldiering forward on the project, doing pre-production work at his studios in New Zealand. Talks continue with other potential partners. Jon Polito has been cast as the Master Chief. Florian Eckhardt

'Halo' pic loses its studios [Variety]

I just finished watching the premiere of Viva Pinata with my 5-year-od son. He loved it, I thought it was typical empty children's programming.

Obviously, the show is made for children, but I find that children's cartoons come in two flavors: the kind that only children can enjoy and the kind loaded with jokes that only adults get. This one is definitely of the first sort.

While I found Viva Pinata relatively boring, Tristan really seemed to be into it. He thought it was funny that the show was peopled entirely by Pinatas and asked when the show would be on again.

Despite what I thought, the game didn't really seem loaded with game references. Sure, there were a couple: Every time a pinata broke in some way candy would spill out and a bunch of other pinatas would rush over and eat it. I think it was meant to be cute, but I found it more disturbing than anything else.

I did learn one thing from the second episode in the half hour broadcast. A plot point lets you know that if a Horsetachio (that's a horse pinata) eats blackberries and daisies they turn into a Zomba, which looked to be a striped horse pinata.

Meh. Brian Crecente

From the 'Don't Say I Never Said Anything Good About Blu-Ray' Department, this news from Fox: over 8 50GB Blu-Ray Releases will be available at the Sony's PS3 launch.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Worldwide Mike Dunn announced today the Studio's first wave of highly-anticipated motion pictures to debut on Blu-ray Disc (BD), which is the only high-definition packaged media platform broadly supported by the film, music, gaming, computing and consumer electronics industries. Representing more than $2 billion in box office and 90 million DVD units sold worldwide, the studio's first eight BD releases are right on target with the BD early adopter and Playstation 3 purchaser. Taking full advantage of the next generation format's high definition technology and advanced Java-based functionality, titles will be presented with the highest quality audiovisual elements including AVC (MPEG4 Compression) and HD "Lossless" Audio (select tracks) and many have unique interactive special features.

Fox's stellar, action-packed line-up of initial BD releases includes: BEHIND ENEMY LINES, FANTASTIC FOUR, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut), KISS OF THE DRAGON, THE OMEN (666), THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, SPEED and THE TRANSPORTER. This first wave of BD titles will arrive at retail outlets worldwide in November. Japan launches November 10 and product hits North American (SRP US$39.98/CAN$49.98), Australian and European stores on November 14

Gee, only 40 bucks each for such timeless classics as Transporter and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? Sign me up! Thought I have to admit Kiss of the Dragon is a guilty favorite of mine. Florian Eckhardt

Fox announces first Blu-ray releases: 8 titles, BD-J, MPEG-4 AVC, 50GB [HD News]

It's true that the multiplayer mode could use more maps and that the single player mode is a touch too short. And yes it would be nice if some of the strategy elements of the single player mode were available on the multiplayer mode. But even with those issues, Star Fox can be a lot of fun to play.

Since no one had the game at PAX (or at least very few people did), I would go into the game and select recruit from the menu. This let me host up to five other players on my single card.

Often the games ended up with three or four other players, but occasionally we would max out and it was a lot of fun.

While lag was almost non-existent, the initial loading time was absolutely horrific. The other issue was that if anyone left the match it would close down the entire game, which totally sucked. Also, they really should have made the on-going games joinable between matches.

So yeah, besides all of that stuff Starfox is a blast.

It might not be quite a Mario Kart DS, but it's far more pick-up-and-playable than Metroid Prime Hunters

How many of you plan on getting Starfox Command? Any of you play a game with me at the PAX Lounge? Brian Crecente

I've had Star Fox Command now for about five days. For some reason I had totally forgotten about it until it showed up in my mailbox along with Star Fox branded mini-bags of peanuts and a barf bag.

I've been slowly playing through the single player mission and had a chance to have my ass handed to me by a mystery player who I suspect was a developer.

It's a pretty damn fun game, though I'm still undecided on whether the multiplayer dog fighting is going to be addictive like Mario Kart or more a flash in the pan.

The basic story line centers around a group of toxic-gas breathing aliens plotting to take over Fox McCloud's little corner of the universe. Team Star Fox, who have broken up, must band back together to help the Cornerian military save the Lylat system. Yeah, I don't really care about the plot either.

The one thing you do want to know is that the story line branches, allowing you to make decisions at key moments in the plot. Oddly, it looks like you have to play through the game to unlock the alternative options in the game. But, I suppose that makes the single-player mode worthy of at least one replay.

Single player game play is an interesting hybrid of real-time tactics, turn-based strategy and dog-fights.

The game is broken up into a series of planets. When you arrive on a planet you are presented with a map that shows your mothership, the Arwings of whatever pilots you happen to have and the enemy partially shrouded in a fog of war.

This particular fog of war is pretty neat. At the beginning of each level your give the power to swipe your stylus around in the fog to dissipate some of it. This is important because you have to track down enemy ships, protect your mothership and take down enemy bases in a set time limit.

After clearing some of the fog, you get to move trace routes for your available Arwings. Then the game takes over at automatically moves your units and enemy units.

If you run into any bad guys you go into dog fight mode.

During a dogfight you control your Arwing sort of like how you aim and look in Metroid Prime Hunters. You use your stylus on the bottom screen, which is also a giant radar, to control the Arwings speed and movement.

To fire you press any of the DS' buttons. Holding in the fire button can give you a lock which you use to fire a more powerful shot. You also can pick up fuel, bombs and better weapons during a fight.

Sliding the stylus around your screen, it feels like you have some pretty precise control. I still haven't quite mastered it yet though. Especially performing the handful of special moves.

By double tapping at the top of your screen you can boost for a limited time and by tapping at the bottom of the screen you can brake for a short period.

Drawing a circle causes your Arwing to go into fast barrel rolls, which also defect shots. There are also buttons on the sides of the screen that allow you to perform a u-turn, a 360 or drop a bomb anywhere on the screen, if you have them.

Overall I found the controls fairly intuitive, though I think there's a level of sophistication built in that requires some effort for mastery.

Once you defeat your enemies in a dog fight you jump back into the turn-based game until you run out of turns or destroy the enemy base.

The whole single player game appears to be built around this. I've only made it through two worlds, but I've already seen quite a bit of difference in enemy types and the bosses I've fought are interesting.

The multiplayer mode is fairly robust and likely will become the biggest draw for the game. Local wireless play supports up to six players. While WiFi play supports up to four players.

In WiFi battles you can choose to enter a Battle Royale where you're going up against three others and the results effect your ranking, or do a free fight where you choose the number of opponents and it doesn't effect your rank.

The play online seemed hitch free and the few times I managed to find someone there was no lag. Unfortunately, Nintendo continues to use their faulty Friend Code system, which I continue to loathe.

Star Fox Command is certain to be a hit, though I haven't played it nearly enough yet to figure out if I'm going to get sick of it or if it will become a mainstay in my DS Lite. Brian Crecente

Murdoch-owned broadcasting giant Sky has revealed details of a monumental move into PC gaming by openly looking for a new 'head of PC gaming'.

The media behemoth is currently advertising for a candidate who will be charged with the task of managing the firm's forthcoming 'broadband games destination', and is also looking for a marketing manager to join whoever spearheads the new operation.

The pundits think he's got his sights on AOL, which owns game blog Joystiq. This is believed to be part of his plan into ease into the broadband and game space. And make a truck load of cash in the process. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Games Blog]

A Fox News segment on Brain Age I don't really think much of Brain Age, but one thing's for sure... with all the negative publicity being garnered by anchorman idiots concerning Hot Coffee and the like lately, it sure is nice that at least one game out there seems to charm the pants off of everyone who meets it. Florian Eckhardt

The Rare-developed Xbox 360 game ships this fall, alongside the marketing blitz which will feature not only the show, but surely tons of plush and plastic trinkets in the shape of your favorite anthropomorphic pinatas. Parents, I feel your pain.

Keep your big googly Rare-style eyes peeled for more. Michael McWhertor

Viva Pinata TV Series (thanks, Packratshow!)

Penny Arcade's latest comic is about Fox news and their ability to squeeze controversy out of even the most innocuous of events. This time around Fox targeted the Playstation Portable and its ability to capture the wild porn that, apparently, is floating around us everyday in the air. Even better, the Penny Arcade comic was inspired by our very own Eliza's take on the whole issue. We await a big fat royalty check Tycho. Brian Crecente

The same as it ever was [Penny Arcade]

A Kotakuite pinged me about Eliza's post yesterday on the gutter from which Fox News game coverage crawled. Our reader had a conversation with a Fox mole, who is well-connected to Fox's gaming site. Here's a chat excerpt between the two from yesterday:

Kotakuite: by the way, fox's lame gaming page was made fun of throughout internet world

Evil Fox Employee: fox really doesnt care

Kotakuite: i know they don't care, it's obvious

Evil Fox Employee: there are a million reasons behind that page and user happiness is probably reason number 1,000,001

Heard that internet? Go ahead and poke fun all you want, but Fox doesn't give a rat's ass. Looking forward to that continued eff-all game coverage. Brian Ashcraft

Little Jeffy Harris just thought the bright pictures of naked ladies his new friend brought him were funny. He would spent long recesses giggling quietly and conversing in hushed tones to his pal, as they both laughed innocently at the people with no clothes.

But Jeffy's new friend was not another boy. No, not at all. This friend was special. He was only about the size of a brick, with speakers instead of a mouth and a glossy screen where his eyes should be: Jeffy's best friend was the Playstation Pornable.

What mom thought was just a game is actually a very sophisticated piece of electronics that a clever kid can use to capture pornographic images out of thin air. In the school's library, Jeff was eager to show his friends his new Sony Play Station Portable, or PSP. On a dare, Jeff showed his pals how the PSP could magically display images of naked women.

I despise you utterly, Fox News. More after the jump.

Who wants to bet that "Jeff Harris" is a made-up name? But it occurs to me to wonder whether this continuing ignorance on the part of mainstream media (and mainstream parents) is beneficial to the games community as a whole, or detrimental. It's irritating that these people want to make things hard for us (see Jack Thompson, etc.), but gratifying that they don't know how.

Usually we follow a one-quote-per-post format, but this was just gold, and I had to include it:

David Walsh/National Institute on Media and the Family: "I talk to parents everyday who are discovering that some of their teenagers are not just curious about messing around with porn, but are deeply into pornography."

Adolescent humans deeply interested in portrayals of sexual acts?! Inconceivable! Eliza Gauger

Portable Porn [FOX News]

Fox News has launched a Video Gaming section to its web site. Hey, just what gamers have long been waiting for: the same sort of fair and balanced reporting at which Fox News excels applied to video games!

The news is all pretty old by the standards of gaming 'journalism'. You know, like two weeks. But given the dusty curmudgeons who have driven mainstream news into the ground, it actually is a respectable attempt at congregating all Fox News' content that touches upon gaming. We wonder if more news network will follow suit. FLORIAN ECKHARDT

Fox News Video Gaming [Fox News]