Even Game-Hating Daily Mail Likes GTA IV

Yes, Europe Is Multi-Lingual, Thanks Sony!

But even if you talk to Guerilla, Namco, Square Enix, they all do it in English to begin with and then think about localisation later. You're absolutely right, we should do it at the beginning. But they look at it like, 'How much can I get for a Dutch version of the game?' With PlayStation Store we could probably go in the UK almost day and date. But then what are the Germans and the French going to say to me? That I'm Anglo-centric.

The Byron Report Cost Britain £275,000

The oft-criticized, sensationalized and ostracized Byron Report—that ultimately recommended a sensible video game ratings adjustment to better match the film industry—has been reported to have cost the British government £275,000. Is that a lot of money? Well if 11.33 million games were sold in Britain last year, the means powers that be invested roughly £.02 per unit. Is £.02 worth ensuring that one child is playing one game that their parents permit?

Byron Review cost Government £275,000 [MCVUK]

Gaming Leads to Less Tree Climbing, Which Leads to Weak Children

In 2006/07 - the latest year for which data is available - 1,067 children under 15 needed medical assistance for tree falls. In 1999/00 the figure was 1,823.

Kane & Lynch Ads Banned In UK

The Advertising Standards Authority is not amused by the recent UK advertisements for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. The watchdog group has recieved 26 separate complaints against the violent ads, which include a TV spot, posters, and print ads. The main offender was the poster, which featured a gagged, crying woman with her head held back by one of the game's heroes. Another poster contained a quote from OXM calling the game "Grittier and nastier in tone than anything you've seen before, the violence here is visceral, brutal and very, very real." The television ads included the crunching noise of a rifle butt being brought down on a man's face and another man getting his throat cut. The ASA has ordered that Eidos not broadcast or reprint the ads again, deeming them too graphic and shocking to be seen in any medium. Hope no one gets fired over a game as average as Kane & Lynch.

'Shocking' Eidos ad banned [MCV]

What's Next For Dr. Tanya? We'd Like To Know!

Microsoft Didn't Back The Wrong Format Horse, Yo

The horse that we're fundamentally backing is the one that says the future of entertainment content is online digital distribution. I would argue that we backed the right horse... If we're sitting here in 12 or 18 months time, we'll be saying 'why were people even thinking about a disc format when it's really about digital distribution?' Our strategy's been developed for the last six or seven years, and ever since we launched the platform it [online content] has been our big, big, big bet.

"I Hate Video Games"

No point in pussy footing around. Let's dive in. Writes Times guest contributor and book author Giles Whittell:

I hate video games, on or offline. I hate the way they suck real people into fake worlds and hold on to them for decades at a time. I hate being made to feel hateful for saying so, and I hate being told to immerse myself in them before passing judgment, because it feels like being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them.

Xbox 360 Edging On 2 Million UK Sales

For those keeping score at home, a representative from Chart-Track has said that Microsoft is quite close to reach the 2 million unit milestone of sold Xbox 360s in the UK (Chart-Track expects it to happen next week). GamesIndustry points out that the company moved their first million units in 60 weeks. Now it looks like their second million will sell over a similar timeframe.

Wow, I'll tell ya. If I had a dollar for every Xbox 360 sold in the UK, I'd have...uhh...let's just call it a lot of money.

Xbox 360 to hit 2m in UK "next week" [GamesIndustry]

Beards for Boobs

Raise Your Own Bimbo

It is one thing if a child recognises it as a silly and stupid game. But the danger is that a nine-year-old fails to appreciate the irony and sees the bimbo as a cool role model. Then the game becomes a hazard and a menace. Children's innocence should be protected as far as possible. It depends on the background and mindset of the child but the danger is that after playing the game some will then aspire to have breast operations and take diet pills.

Throw Water At Paul McCartney!

UK 360 Sales Spike 40%

What a surprise! Turns out that Microsoft's tactic of dropping the price of the Xbox 360 a significant amount resulted in more sales! Who'd have thought? According to Chart-Track, sales of the Xbox 360 were up 35-40% over the weekend, starting on Friday when the price drop kicked in. With such a short lead time between the official announcement and the price drop, UK retailer HMV spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo is convinced that the sales surge will continue.

"That's obviously fairly significant, given we didn't have too much time to communicate it to our consumers. So with a lot more of the marketing kicking in now we expect it to grow even more in the coming days and weeks."

UK Xbox 360 sales up 40% [GamesIndustry.biz]

Government Denies Gaming/Violent Behavior Link

The classification of Manhunt 2 is a matter for the BBFC and the Video Appeals Committee... It is important to note that there is no conclusive evidence of any link between playing computer games and violent behaviour in real life. Our concern is to make sure that inappropriate material is kept away from children.

We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."

People Do More Gaming Than Sex Having in Bed

We already knew Brits like buying video games more than music. Now it seems like like playing video games more than doing each other. A survey from "bedroom specialist Sharps" polled 2,000 people in the UK about the most common activities in bed. What did the bedroom retailer find? Number one was sleeping, number two was talking. Three? That was watching TV. To see where gaming fell, hit the jump. It's surprising!