NRevolution covered the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS. Regardless if you think online game sites have rendered print irrelevant or not, it's shame this came right before the holidays.

NRevolution goes to the big newsagents in the sky [WiiWii via VG247]

The 30 page report details the advantages of the PEGI rating system and the recent 'traffic light' labels compared to allowing games to be rated by the British Board Of Film Classification.

“The correct solution is for the Government to accept the PEGI system is the best way for games to be rated and classified – and empower it with legal status in the UK," said ELSPA's Michael Rawlinson, "establishing a means in which some games, if necessary, can be banned."

PEGI ratings could be legal standard by 2010 [MCV]

“That’s right. We’re trying to manage the review scores at the request of Eidos.”

When asked why, the spokesperson said: “Just that we’re trying to get the Metacritic rating to be high, and the brand manager in the US that’s handling all of Tomb Raider has asked that we just manage the scores before the game is out, really, just to ensure that we don’t put people off buying the game, basically.”

Well that certainly makes sense. We wouldn't want low review scores putting people off.

What the holy hell? A request like this is not only insulting, it's downright unethical. Basically they are asking review sites to withhold information from the public in order to fool them into buying a game with an artificially inflated Metacritic score...and they are doing it without batting an eyelid, as if this were just everyday business.

As Videogaming247 writes, British site Eurogamer has already gone live with their 7 out of 10 review, which the representative said had caused "problems", and the Official Xbox Magazine in the UK has also posted a 7.0. Checking Metacritic now, I can see IGN and 1UP with scores of 75, with GamePro adding to the 70 set, for a combined average of 78, which is still considered generally favorable.

In this day and age, where everything eventually winds up on the internet, it really makes you wonder how they figured they could get away with something like this without being ratted out by the more ethical gaming press. Extremely bad form, Eidos.

We've contacted an Eidos to see if the same reviewing rules apply in the US.

UK Tomb Raider: Underworld reviews under 8/10 silenced until Monday [Videogaming247]

UPDATE: Videogaming247 has posted a follow up to the original story, having received the following statement from Simon Byron, one of the directors of the PR firm Barrington Harvey:

Barrington Harvey is not in the position of telling reviewers what they can and cannot say. We love Tomb Raider and believe it merits a score of at least 8/10, but if someone disagrees that’s entirely their prerogative. No problem at all. Seriously: no problem.

Our original NDA stated that in order to receive an advance copy of the game, reviewers agreed not to post reviews ahead of 5:00pm, Wednesday 19th November 2008. Nothing else. No further obligations whatsoever.

As you can clearly see from the scores posted so far, Barrington Harvey has no issue with scores of below eight out of 10 being posted online. The Eurogamer review in questions caused “problems” in so much as it originally contained a couple of minor factual inaccuracies which, to its credit, the site has quickly rectified and addressed (without, quite rightly, changing the context of the review).

Any site, be it Gamespot or whoever, is entirely within their rights to post whatever score they want and no-one is under any sort of obligation to delay any review.

As an ex-journalist myself, I firmly believe in editorial integrity and the right to express an individual opinion. As an agency, we never - ever - make demands of the press in terms of awarding scores; at the end of the day, they are free to score as they wish.

Barrington Harvey has been working hard to ensure the launch scores of Tomb Raider Underworld are in line with our internal review predictions over the launch weekend - but to suggest that we can in some way “silence” reviews of the game is slightly overstating our influence.

If there is one thing PR firms know, it's damage control.

Eidos UK PR firm: We are “not in the position of telling reviewers what they can and cannot say” [VG247]

Newman also cited the vast variety of game formats as a major challenge to archiving and to displaying games in an attractive way. "There have been attempts to curate exhibitions of video games in the past, and they have been hit and miss affairs," he notes.

"Where you're dealing with coin-op games, you're usually fairly safe because they are designed to be approachable 'pick up and play' experiences," he continues, "but many pride themselves on the tens — even hundreds — of hours of gameplay they offer and on the complexity of their branching narratives and structures."

"How do you take a 150-plus-hour game that may take all sorts of different storylines depending on choices you make or your proficiency as a player, and show it to somebody who's never seen it before and may not have much experience of games?"

The Archive hasn't quite reached the point of answering that question. "This is not a brick-and-mortar building — not yet, anyway," Newman points out. Right now, the group is focusing on research and collection of games and gaming hardware, across several decades and myriad platforms.

Well, even if they can't answer the question yet, at least they're trying. Other archivists are struggling with many of the same questions, like 'How do we preserve MMOs?', but it's really cool to see how a variety of institutions are attempting to deal with this. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how all these archives continue to develop and grow.

UK National Video Game Archive's Newman On Preserving The Past [GameSetWatch]

‘World of Warcraft’ Fans Lining Up At NYC Launch [pictures] [Multiplayer]
Lich King launch event was UK's biggest [Eurogamer]

Prof Stone said: "If our research proves that it works come 2009 we will start trying it out on real soldiers.

"It could be rolled out across all the services. It would be Brit soldiers who would benefit."

He explained: "In very basic layman's terms it is a computer game with smell.

"The smell system we are currently conducting research into is very new.

"We are looking into whether it is worth doing, to introduce smell into our games training. We need to make sure it is going to help troops and is not just a gimmick.

The scientists are also looking into defence mental health, with Prof Stone adding: "Smell is so closely linked to emotion and memory, it's something that we need to take seriously.

"We have got a number of virtual environments already in place and are now adding smells to it to see what effect it has on training."

Prof Stone also thinks the device could be up for sale for the general public in a number of years.

As Kieron Gillen of Rock, Paper, Shotgun noted, we can hope this technology makes its way to a wider audience, "if only as it’ll allow us to claim that a game stinks in a more literal sense."

British soldiers could be trained on a computer game with smell [The Telegraph via Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Of course that little estimate is found at the bottom of a story that is headlined “Games to outsell music, video”. The story leads off by saying UK sales of games will outstrip music and video combined this year. Later on in the story someone points out that the video gaming sales figures include hardware while the video and music figures don’t.

The music and video market is not just suffering from a slowing of growth but a massive transfer of spend to online," says Malcolm Pinkerton of Verdict Research.

It is online sales of CDs and DVDs that have grown rapidly, rather than digital downloads, which still only account for around 4% of music and video sales.

In contrast, video games spending has enjoyed explosive growth, with the launch of major new titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV and FIFA 08, and the Nintendo Wii continuing to broaden the appeal of games.

The story wraps up by pointing out that major British retailers like HMV and Zavvi are changing their store layouts, cutting back on the space they give music and using it for MP3 players, books, clothing and, yes, even video games.

Games to Outsell Music, Video [BBC]

After a series of UK price cuts - the most recent of which has left the Arcade model a shade cheaper than the Wii at £129.99 (approx $208 at current rates) - Microsoft UK's head of gaming and entertainment, Stephen McGill, says that the price will be fixed for some time to come.

"We're a great price now," said McGill, "I'm not dropping the price for many many years in the future I would suspect."

MS: No UK 360 price drop for many years in the future

It’s simply not true, Nintendo has never lost its passion for core gamers. Nintendo would like to bring smiles to as many different faces as possible and produce games which appeal to mainstream and gaming audiences worldwide.

We have never neglected core gamers. We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years.

These games aren’t ready to launch — but are being worked on by all development teams.

So everyone take a chill pill!

Nintendo: ‘We’ve never neglected core gamers’ [MCVUK] [Pic]

“The world of gaming is fast moving and it is vital that we have a clear ratings system that is up to date with consumers’ needs. It has already been proven that everyone understands traffic light labelling, making it the perfect scheme for the industry to adopt.”

I suppose if the bright colors fail they can always force publishers to shape the game boxes based on the ratings, forcing parents to push them through the correct hole in order to buy them. Hit the jump for a larger version of this new, possibly but not actually parent-proof system.

Video Games Industry Planning to Release 'Traffic Light' Ratings System

Tuesday 28th October/... In a move mirroring efforts by food manufacturers and retailers to give consumers a clear and easy way to understand food content, the games industry is close to launching a traffic light system for the ratings on video games. As the government gears up to close its consultation into video games ratings on November 20, the industry has responded to observations made by Dr Tanya Byron in her report that there is a lack of consumer awareness of the PEGI rating symbols. The industry feels the by employing a traffic light system that is simple to understand it will be effective in combating any confusion previously felt by consumers. The new system has been designed to give parents ‘at a glance’ indicators of the age appropriateness of any game’s content.

An industry source said, “Video gaming is one of the UK’s best performing sectors and a rare economic success in today’s gloomy environment, with retailers announcing record profits and government ministers describing gaming as ‘the most important part of what we call the Creative Industries’.

“The world of gaming is fast moving and it is vital that we have a clear ratings system that is up to date with consumers’ needs. It has already been proven that everyone understands traffic light labelling, making it the perfect scheme for the industry to adopt.”

It seems to me the UK government would rather see our great industry go into decline than help it maintain its prominent position in the world, and that is madness...

We're still seen as the red-headed stepchild of the creative industries, one notch up from pornography in the eyes of most of the establishment. They forget that half of the world and half of the UK's population play games. Games help define who we are as human beings — they are as important, culturally and socially, as music and films.

If half the UK's population play games, wonder what percentage look at pornography...

Games industry: Arrested development [Guardian via GamePolitics]

Filling out the list we have Super Mario (none of this normal Mario bullshit) with 21%, Lara Croft with 16%, with Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Link, Max Payne (what?), Pikachu, Niko Belic, and Blanka taking up the rear. Hit the jump for the percentage breakdowns.

SONIC TOP DOG HEDGEHOG

A bright blue, spiky-haired, lightening-fast hedgehog has beaten not-so-Super Mario, cyber-babe Lara Croft and giant ape Donkey Kong to the title of the nation’s favourite video-game character.

Over 500 UK gamers voted in the poll to mark the launch of London Games Festival, which is expected to attract over 100,000 computer games fans to the capital this week.

Ahead of his appearance at the Festival, Sonic the Hedgehog, the official mascot of computer giant SEGA, was crowned the most popular video-game character of all time collecting nearly a quarter of all votes (24 per cent). Super Mario and Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft came second and third gaining 21 per cent and 16 per cent of the vote respectively.

The UK’s top ten most popular video games characters are as follows:
1. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2. Super Mario (21 per cent)
3. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4. Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5. Pac Man (10 per cent)
6. Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7. Max Payne (4 per cent)
8. Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9. Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10. Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)

Other (3 per cent)

"Our launch into pre-played games and the acquisition of gamerbase.com underlines HMV's long term commitment to games as it becomes an ever-increasing part of our overall product mix," said HMV managing director Simon Fox.

An interesting development, but I've always felt that trade-in programs work better in video game-specific retail stores. Many electronics and entertainment chains in the states have tried this and failed miserably. Remember MediaPlay? Yeah, we were such dorks back then.

HMV enters pre-owned market with Re/Play launch [GamesIndustry.biz]

Shiny Interview: Tech Digest meets Alison Carroll aka Lara Croft 2008/9 [Tech Digest]

They've only got a limited number of these puppies to sell, so if you're the type to spend large amounts of money of frivolous gaming extras you might want to do it quickly.

Gears of War 2 - Gold Lancer Assault Rifle (World Exclusive) [Gamestation]

Taking place on October 25th at the Rocket on Holloway Road, the tournament will consist of Wii Tennis, Tekken, Unreal Tournament, Kuri Kuri Mix and Mario Kart competitions. Five individual winners will be named, with one overall winner being crowned Champion.

The event is free and supporters and spectators of either sex are welcome.

grl gmr tournament[ThinkMakePlay]

Full press release after the jump

13 October 2008: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Grl Gmr Tournament

Calling all female gamers! This is an opportunity to take part in the first Grl Gmr Tournament in London as part of London Games Festival Fringe.

On Saturday 25 October London Metropolitan University will be holding a tournament open to all female gamers. This action-packed celebration of prowess in the virtual arena will kick-start the annual London Games Fringe (http://www.londongamesfringe.com/) , a week-long festival where you can enjoy all that is great about games and interactive entertainment.

The 'Grl Gmr Tournament' (Girl Gamers Tournament), which will take place over half-term, was conceived and organised by staff from the BSc Computer Games and BA Game Studies, in conjunction with Gamelab London
(http://www.gamelablondon.com) .

The contestants taking part in the Tournament will battle it out by playing five different and challenging games: Wii Tennis; Tekken; Unreal Tournament; Kuri Kuri Mix and Mario Kart.

Five winners will be named, but only one Champion will be crowned – prizes and goodies awarded around 6pm. If you think you stand a chance then register online at: http://www.thinkmakeplay.co.uk/grlgmr There is limited capacity, so please book your place now.

Fiona French from the Faculty of Computing said: ‘We would like to see more girls and women applying for our courses; this is an opportunity to promote London Metropolitan University as a vibrant and welcoming environment for young women.’

Spectators and supporters, friends and family of any age and gender are welcome to come along to the event. The day will be jammed-packed with activities. Upstairs at the University’s Students Union complex, the Rocket, on Holloway Road, DS:London will be attempting to break the world record for simultaneous DSLite playing from 4pm onwards; in the evening there will also be a Playfire Games Pub Quiz.

Next door in the Graduate Centre, there will be an Information Event where you can find out more about all the courses available at London Met, including several which focus on games and the game industry, such as the BSc Computer Games and BA (Joint) Game Studies.

-Ends-

Manhunt 2 was of course originally denied classification by the BBFC, after which Rockstar appealed, won the appeal, after which the BBFC appealed, then lost, and basically just wasted everyone's time until no one cared anymore, which only took about a week. Congratulations, Rockstar!

Manhunt 2 finally gets UK release date [GamesIndustry.biz]

We have recently contacted you regarding a marketwide problem with the Fable II Collectors Edition. We have since been informed by Microsoft that there has been a further complication.

They have advised us that the developer diary and soundtrack are no longer going to be available on the bonus DVD.

Let's just hope that they don't decide to cut the actual game from the CE before the title ships next month.

UPDATE: Looks like Game is delivering a bit of false info. Microsoft contacted us to let us know that the items Game claims were cut were never part of the Collector's Edition at all. Hit the jump for the full email from Game, and Microsoft's response.

Dear Customer,

We have recently contacted you regarding a marketwide problem with the Fable
II Collectors Edition. We have since been informed by Microsoft that there
has been a further complication.

They have advised us that the developer diary and soundtrack are no longer
going to be available on the bonus DVD.

We are very disappointed and would like to reassure you that your Collectors
Edition will still include:

Bonus DVD with new 'Making-of' Feature.
Bonus in-game content (requires Xbox LIVER) including:
. The Hall of the Dead Dungeon
. The Wreckager Legendary Cutlass Weapon
. Spartan armor and energy sword

Also because you have ordered from GAME.co.uk you will have already received
your code to download the Fable II Xbox Live Pub Games. If you have not
received this yet have no fear as they are being emailed out every Friday
afternoon, fear not! They are being emailed out every Friday afternoon.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Kind regards,
Customer Services
GAME.co.uk

As previously stated, we have adjusted the contents and pricing of the Fable II Limited Collector’s Edition. Unfortunately certain retailers have contacted customers with incorrect information leading to speculation we have further adjusted the contents since this announcement. To be clear, the only elements of the Collector’s Edition that have been removed were those already stated: the box, five printed fate cards, and Hobbe figurine.

The Fable II Limited Collector’s Edition will still include the following content at this discounted price:

- Fable II game disc

- Bonus DVD with new ‘Making-of’ Feature

- Bonus in-game content (requires Xbox LIVE®)

· ‘The Hall of the Dead’ Dungeon

· ‘The Wreckager’ Legendary Cutlass Weapon

· Spartan armor and energy sword

The bonus DVD has never included existing video documentaries, nor was it to include the Fable I or II soundtrack. The behind the scenes video footage and interviews on the bonus DVD are completely separate. As previously stated, we have created a special Fable album for free download for a limited time. This includes a wonderful selection of Fable 1 music and 3 brand new tracks from the upcoming Fable II soundtrack. This was never intended to be on the bonus DVD. Fans can go to http://www.sumthingdigital.com, and enter “FableCollection” promotion code. This will be available beginning October 6, 2008 @ 9am PST.

Dr James Newman, from Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Contemporary Play, said: “The National Videogame Archive is an important resource for preserving elements of our national cultural heritage. We don’t just want to create a virtual museum full of code or screenshots that you could see online. The archive will really get to grips with what is a very creative, social and productive culture.”

The National Videogame Archive will be housed at the National Media Museum in Bradford, and will be launched at this year's GameCity 3 festival in Nottingham.

UK's First Official National Videogame Archive Launched

The UK’s first official National Videogame Archive is being launched in a bid to preserve the history of a global industry now worth an estimated £22bn. Formed by academics at Nottingham Trent University and working in partnership with the National Media Museum in Bradford, the archive will recognise the significant contributions made by videogames to the diversity of popular culture across the globe - from the humble beginnings of 1972’s ‘Pong’, to the blockbusters of the 21st Century.

The new archive will be housed at the National Media Museum and will be managed, steered and researched in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Contemporary Play. The Centre draws on academic strengths across a range of disciplines, including psychology, cultural studies, art and design and computer science. In return, the Museum will provide the best levels of care and stewardship for the archive.

In addition to a treasure trove of consoles and cartridges, the archive will collect and gather a broad range of items from across the industry. It will encompass the wider cultural phenomenon of videogames by documenting advertising campaigns, magazine reviews, artwork and the communities that sustain them - the overall aim being to collect, celebrate and preserve this vital cultural form for future generations.

Dr James Newman, from Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Contemporary Play, said: “The National Videogame Archive is an important resource for preserving elements of our national cultural heritage. We don’t just want to create a virtual museum full of code or screenshots that you could see online. The archive will really get to grips with what is a very creative, social and productive culture.”

He added: “It will not only be a vital academic resource to support growing disciplines in videogame studies but will also be something that the general public can fully engage with.”

With popular new videogame releases already resembling Hollywood blockbusters, videogame buffs are keen to avoid the mistakes of their counterparts in the film industry where countless pieces of historically significant material have been lost forever. Procedures and practices are now being carefully developed to deal with the collection of materials and artefacts for this new archive.

Paul Goodman, Head of Collections & Knowledge at the National Media Museum, said: “The archiving of these important artefacts presents us with some real challenges, not least in the area of preservation. We must balance the necessary conservation requirements of these materials, with the need to allow the public to understand and interact with them both now and in the future, which is really the cornerstone of what we are trying to do.”

The National Videogame Archive will be launched at this year’s GameCity 3 festival in Nottingham, for which Nottingham Trent University is the lead partner. The three day event is set to attract videogame enthusiasts, developers and publishers to a range of activities taking place across the city and at the main festival venue, Gatecrasher nightclub.

Iain Simons, Director of GameCity at Nottingham Trent University, said: “This year’s festival is going to be huge. We’ll be opening up the world of videogames for everybody to experience and the launch of the new National Videogame Archive will be an important feature for this year’s event. We’ll have special guests from the industry with us, along with world-record breaking attempts, keynote speeches and lots, lots more.”

To find out more about GameCity 3, go to www.gamecity.org

In terms of Nintendo's business, we feel that Wii and Nintendo DS already represent great value for money. This combined with out focus on market expansion and bringing people of all ages to our products through making them smile and helping to enrich their lives means that we currently see no need to drop the price on either of our formats this year... As retailers continue to try and maintain footfall and secure share in the current difficult economic climate, this Christmas should see some interesting and very competitive retailer-led promotions.

No price drops from Nintendo, but retail enticements. Happy Holidays everyone!

Nintendo confirms no price drops for Xmas [Videogamer]

We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, including eBay transactions where a number of the games have been potentially identified as being advertised for sale. Arrests have already been made in respect of this.

The take's value? £600,000. “Fans needn’t worry as more stock is being parachuted in," stated Ubisoft. They, though, should worry about finding the loot.

Grand Theft Auto [The Sun via MCVUK]

To this end, they are descending on the UK Conservative Party Conference this weekend to host a ‘Celebrating the Gaming Industry’ event and raise awareness of some of the issues affecting euro-developers.

The leader of the Conservative Party, David 'Dave' Cameron did once tell The Guardian that "There is an element to politics that is a bit like Tomb Raider," so Tiga are almost certainly in the right place.

Quoth Richard Wilson, Tiga's CEO: "The more that politicians understand the successes and challenges facing the video games industry, the more likely it is that we will be able to influence policy to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business."

Tiga talks to the Tories[Tiga]

“A linear ratings system like the one the BBFC uses is designed for films with a beginning, middle and end where the outcome is always the same. It just can’t cope with the infinite variety and complexity of modern video games, and the interaction between players.

Jackson goes on to site instances where games rated 18 by PEGI are downgraded by the BBFC to BBFC 15 or 12 ratings. Come on Britain, just go ahead and adopt PEGI completely already. Open up to it. No country is an island.

Industry Expert Calls On The Government To Adopt PEGI To Future-Proof Computer Games Ratings
ELSPA director general addresses the Labour Party Conference

Monday 22nd September/... Paul Jackson, director general of ELSPA, the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association, has told the government that the BBFC is ‘not fit for purpose’ as a ratings system for computer games. Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference today, Mr Jackson called on the audience to support the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system, which he said is the only ratings classification that has the power to prevent game publishers distributing unsuitable content to children. Mr Jackson explained to the audience that there is currently a two-tier system in the UK for rating computer games which everyone finds confusing. Under this system, games are rated under PEGI, which has been adopted across Europe. It is based on standards developed by child safety and games experts who understand games, their impact, their playability and their individuality.

However, there is also, uniquely in the UK, a second rating system run by BBFC, the film classification board who have limited jurisdiction over games ratings via the Video Recordings Act.

According to Mr Jackson: “A linear ratings system like the one the BBFC uses is designed for films with a beginning, middle and end where the outcome is always the same. It just can’t cope with the infinite variety and complexity of modern video games, and the interaction between players.

“There is a simple proof of this already available. The film ratings board continually downgrades games classified 18 by PEGI. They go to BBFC 15 or even BBFC 12. History shows us that BBFC ratings – and the UK – would regularly be out of step with our European neighbours.”

Mr Jackson also explained that the PEGI ratings system would be the most suitable to handle the increase in online gaming. With more and more children playing computer games online against peers all over the world, it is more important than ever to ensure that they are safe while they do so.

Mr Jackson argues that PEGI is the only system with online credibility: “As well as being quick and simple to follow as a ratings system, it is very easily scalable to cope with the rapid growth in online games and add-ons.”

PEGI is supported by the majority of the computer games industry, which argues that it is the right tool for the job, as opposed to the BBFC system, which was developed to rate film, rather than game, content.

The industry believes that PEGI is the ideal system for protecting children from unsuitable content both today and in the future.

Microsoft UK's Regional Director Neil Thompson told MCV that the recent price cuts are just the start of their holiday season campaign and that Microsoft are ready to spend big to ensure the Xbox 360 comes out on top,

“On marketing we’ll spend tens of millions[of pounds] – we’re going to engage in a very bold promotional push from now until Christmas.”

Thompson promised that (in the UK at least) there would be no console shortages this year saying that he had been "very bullish on supply."

Xbox spending ‘tens of millions’ on Xmas [MCV]

“This programme signals our enormous commitment to Guitar Hero World Tour,” Activision’s marketing director for the UK and Ireland David Tyler told MCV. "Consumers who pre-order the Guitar Hero World Tour ‘super bundle’ from any retailer – either online, or in-store – will bag a bonus bass guitar. This is a significant investment to reward our loyal fans, ensuring the full band experience is available from the off. With demand likely to far outstrip supply, pre-ordering is the only way to assure a copy at launch.”

Of course this is only in the UK, which would disappoint me if my living room didn't already look like a life-sized Fisher Price My First Guitar Center playset.

Activision gives away free guitars [MCV]

We noted in particular that both ads showed a man punching another on the floor and blood splattering on the screen as a man was beaten with a club and considered viewers were likely to find those scenes offensive and distressing and to see them as condoning real violence and cruelty.

It only takes nine complaints for ads to get banned?

‘Brutal’ Sega ads banned [MCVUK]

It is all very well for EA to say that FIFA is making great strides, but general opinion suggests that they still have a long way to go before they can match the intuitive and absorbing gameplay of Pro Evolution Soccer... That is not to say that we are resting on our laurels, though. PES 2009 has a vast number of new additions that elevate it far beyond anything anyone else is doing.

Yep, Konami just told EA "nice try, keep going, kid". For the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer title, Konami secured the Champions League license for four years, plus signed deals with Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United. It's also the official video game of the England national team.

Full PES 2009 details revealed [MCVUK]

There may be some connection with the defendant admitting spending a lot of time playing that game.

A copy of GTA (not specified) was found at Chinnery's residence by police. Before you jump to conclusions about this story, jump to conclusions about this "exclusive" being from The Sun.

Sex beast copied Grand Theft Auto [The Sun via VG247]

Music is in our DNA and we are totally committed to it. But the fact is, the market is moving away from music — so we are giving more space in our stores to games... In games, we grew by just over 50 per cent, ahead of the market. And looking forward to Christmas... Within the next 12 to 18 months, it’s possible games will be bigger than music for us.

What happens when digital game distribution fully takes off? What then?

Game over [The Sun]

Huntley has been asking for a Wii for months... When he moved to Frankland in February he was given a Nintendo Game Cube - but after only a few weeks he began complaining it was out of date... Management are desperate to stop him going though with threats he's made to kill himself and by giving him a Wii they believe they can take his mind away from harming himself in any way.

Huntley's private cell also boasts a television and a CD player. Keep in mind: This info comes from an unnamed source so it could very well be false.

WARDERS ORDERED: PLAY ON Wii WITH HUNTLEY [The People via WiiNintendo]

“The restructuring is going very well. We have been very upfront about what we are as a business and where we are going. We have put in place a studio-led and product-centric operation and everybody is now happily on board... Having a focused team based around our cornerstone franchises means one team based in the same office, country and time zone so that they can explore every opportunity directly alongside the game’s development.

Well, that's good.

The State of Play at Eidos [Edge via MCVUK]

For the £69.99 price tag the feature set doesn't seem too shabby, but I don't think North Americans need to be shedding any tears over missing out on the peripheral. Hit the link for CVG's full review of PlayTV.

PlayTV Review [CVG]

As if the British economy wasn't looking dark enough - now we face another Christmas of not-that-cheap Xboxes.

"Pricing is handled on a region-by-region basis," said a killjoy Microsoft spokesperson, "We do not have a price drop in this region to announce."

An Xbox Arcade will set you back £159.99 ($281.35) in the UK, while an Elite can be obtained on the open market in exchange for a kidney or other major organ.

Microsoft says no Xbox 360 "price drop" in the UK [Pocket Lint]

Perhaps British folks keep losing their copies of Brain Age and keep buying replacements? Perhaps they're just crazy for brain games? Perhaps.

Sales Figures [Chart Track via Eurogamer]

Play TV Release Information [ThreeSpeech]

'This game sounds very unsavoury. I hope the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will view this with concern and decide it should not be granted a classification. Without that it cannot be marketed in Britain. What the rest of world does is up to them. We need to ensure that modern and civilized values take priority rather than killing and maiming people.

Beyer goes on to worry that the game will spoil the family-friendly image of Nintendo's console in the same way that Manhunt 2 completely managed not to. By far the most interesting thing about the Mail Online Article is the title, "Parents horrified as most violent video game ever to launch on 'family friendly' Wii", especially when the article doesn't seem to mention other horrified parents whatsoever. Oh well, it's a start.

Parents horrified as most violent video game ever to launch on 'family friendly' Wii [Mail Online]

"No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver and we know consumers need increasingly more and more space to store the amazing digital entertainment content we provide" said regional director Neil Thompson "Now the Xbox 360 has triple the space to house all your entertainment needs at no extra cost."

Folks who purchased one of the 20GB systems recently are welcome to start kicking themselves just a little bit harder now.

Xbox 360 60GB hits the shops [CVG]

Hit the jump for a good old fashioned butt-off.

Why is that woman wearing no pants at the dock? That doesn't make sense. Like, if we went to the dock, we'd sure as shit wear pants. Shoes, too.

Know this: FRONT claims to be "Britain's Funniest Magazine." That in itself is pretty funny.

The games included aren't bad for the price. You get Shinobi, Eco the Dolphin, Sonic and Knuckles, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and several others, all for £29.99 - the price of a DS game. While I would have preferred they sneak a cartridge port on their for good measure, the game selection isn't bad and the price is right. Hit the jump for the full game list and additional details.

24th July 2008
News Release FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Blaze International Goes Retro with The 16-Bit Blaze Handheld Console with 20 Built in SEGA Megadrive Games!

Handheld Console containing Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Ecco the Dolphin, Columns and 15 more superb retro titles for only £29.99 is set to take the market by storm!

At last! BLAZE are proud to announce they will be releasing their 16bit Megadrive handheld console in July 2008. The Blaze portable game player will be heading to a store near you from next month, so mums and dads, if you missed playing Sega Megadrive classics such as Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Ecco the Dolphin, you now have a chance to do so again... in all their portable glory... and all for the price of a single Nintendo DS game!

Other games to be hooked on again include Alex Kidd - Enchanted Castle, Alien Storm Altered Beast, Arrow Flash, Crackdown, Decap Attack, Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Ecco Junior, Flicky, Gain Ground, Jewel Master, Kid Chameleon, Sonic Spinball and Shadow Dancer.
...All very 90’s retro chic and far less damaging to your reputation than singing along to Color ME Bad.....Though not everything from the 90’s should make a comeback...are you listening Spice Girls?

Watch a demonstration video and see gameplay footage at http://www.segaretro.net

Now the serious stuff:

Features
Plug & play portable video game system
20 built-in 16-bit SEGA licensed games
Built-in speakers
Build in colour LCD screen
TV out connection
TV format: PAL
Requires:
3 x AAA batteries.
(Batteries not included)

Description
The Blaze Portable game console is a video game player, which is pre-loaded with 20 classic games from SEGA. There is therefore no need to buy game cartridges. The blaze Portable game player has an A/V connector and with the included cable the player can be connected to any TV set. Enjoy playing classic SEGA games anytime, anywhere with the new Blaze Portable video game player. Presented in stylish blister packaging.
Watch out for more BLAZE product announcements from BLAZE and ATGames soon....

Available now from all leading games stores and online at www.segaretro.net for just £29.99 (+ P&P)

Got a cheat video...Why not upload it to the nets largest cheat, tips and tricks community video channel www.youcheats.net – It’s like Youtube for game cheats!

PEGI represents the “gold standard” today, and will undoubtedly be the best system for tomorrow. PEGI is clearly the only ratings system which has the power to prevent game publishers distributing unsuitable content to children, online and offline. Only PEGI fully assesses all games content. It is designed specifically for interactive software. It understands games and their potential for infinite variations. That’s why it is backed by the vast majority of the computer games industry.

And it's not only the ELSP that supports PEGI, but also Nintendo UK, Ubisoft UK, SEGA of Europe and EA UK, Ireland and Nordics. Hit the jump for comments from each of those companies:

David Yarnton, UK General Manager of Nintendo, said: “The PEGI age ratings system is favoured by Nintendo. It has the ability to assess and rate all game content and does not rely on a sample of game play to form its decisions. The fact that there is also an EC proposal for member states to adopt PEGI only adds further weight to the solid arguments and facts for its UK adoption as the sole system of choice for games ratings.”

Rob Cooper, Managing Director of Ubisoft UK, said:“The PEGI system is future proof. It’s as simple as that. It is a self-regulation system that is operated by experts that are best qualified and experienced to do the job. As an international business selling games across the World, we urge Government to understand the depth of importance of this decision as we enter a period in which games will grow exponentially.”

Mike Hayes, President and CEO of Sega Europe, said:“If you look at the PEGI system against the film ratings board in the UK, you will see that PEGI is the only system that has the power to prevent games publishers distributing unsuitable content to children. It can ban a publisher’s entire output, rather than just a single title. This power is backed by the entire industry.”

Keith Ramsdale, Vice President and General Manager of EA UK, Ireland and Nordics, said:“The Government’s proposed changes will create extra administration and cause delays in getting hit games into the hands of British consumers. Only PEGI is built to address the fast changing nature of the games industry and is best placed to deliver the needed protection for minors.”

Those are some big companies in PEGI's corner.

GAMES INDUSTRY CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO EMBRACE PEGI AS SINGLE GAMES AGE RATINGS SYSTEM [MCVUK]