Advanced Spy Tutorial [OMFGNinja]

Recently minted Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide head Shuhei Yoshida sat down with us this week to talk about the future of the Playstation 3, where the PSP is headed and why he wasn't surprised when Ready at Dawn decided to stop making Playstation Portable games.

Read more Left 4 Dead coverage right here.

After Microsoft's presser, Adam and I hit the floor to talk to Matt Barlow, general marketing manager for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment biz, about the announcements — we talked the new Xbox 360 user interface and the avatars, asked how Lips will work, and whether he thinks Final Fantasy XIII will help the company's console penetration in Japan.

“I had a great time doing the voice for my own animation,” said Gordon Ramsay. “Being in a video game is a new experience for me and I’m very pleased with the results.”

And if he wasn't pleased, no doubt Ubisoft would know it. The game features a Career mode in which players earn stars and unlock authentic Ramsay recipes, some of which are exclusive to the game, along with an arcade mode with an ever-increasing difficulty level.

I must have this game. I have to admit I have become addicted to the show, and the prospect of having Chef Gordon tell me to fuck off and leave the kitchen is much more exciting that it should be. It's RAW!

Ubisoft Serves Up Hell’s Kitchen™: The Video Game
Video Game Based on FOX’s Hit TV Show Features Virtual Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Today Ubisoft announced that it will publish Hell’s Kitchen™: The Video Game, for Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PC and Mac®. Developed by Ludia, Hell’s Kitchen: The Video Game is based on the U.S. hit FOX television program from Granada America featuring world-renowned Chef Gordon Ramsay. The game will allow players to experience the show’s high-pressure kitchen and dining room challenges as a faithfully rendered 3D Chef Ramsay watches their every move.

“I had a great time doing the voice for my own animation,” said Gordon Ramsay. “Being in a video game is a new experience for me and I’m very pleased with the results.”

After executing the three phases of an order – preparation, cooking and service – Chef Gordon Ramsay will score each meal. As they progress through the game, players will be rewarded with access to recipes from Chef Ramsay’s own repertoire.

“Hell’s Kitchen has everything a great video game needs: pressure, excitement and intense competition,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft North America. “We are very excited to be bringing the intensity of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and the Hell’s Kitchen experience to the virtual world this fall.”

Hell’s Kitchen: The Video Game will be released worldwide September 2008.

Key Features:

Chef Ramsay watches players’ every move and judges them as they progress by yelling at them, praising them or shutting down the kitchen if their skills don’t meet his expectations.

As players progress, they’ll gain access to authentic Gordon Ramsay recipes, including many that are offered exclusively to game owners.

In Career Mode, players can earn stars to build their way up from a Single-Star restaurant to a prestigious Five-Star establishment. As the player advances through the ranks, their star rating advances and the recipes become more varied and intricate.

In Arcade Mode, the pressure builds as customers become increasingly demanding. Players will be challenged to keep up with the pressure before time is up, or Chef Ramsay loses patience and closes the kitchen.

“Madden NFL revolutionized the industry by making music of multiple genres – from both established acts and brand-new artists – an essential emotional component of the videogame experience and the NFL season itself... Not only have we changed the gaming culture forever, we continue to move the needle musically for millions of people around the world. Madden NFL will always be recognized as the game that made the music matter in videogames.”

So what's on this most important of soundtracks? Disturbed, Franz Ferdinand, The All-American Rejects, The Offspring, Busta Rhymes with Linkin Park..the usual suspects really. Expect EA to make a huge deal out of them though, with viral videos, a special issue of Billboard magazine, and beginning the week of August 4th they'll be a different Madden artist performing each night on a "popular late night show". Hit the jump for more details, along with the full 26-song track listing.

EA Celebrates 20 Years of Madden Music With Announcement of the Madden NFL 09 Soundtrack
One of the Most Influential Soundtracks in Videogame History Returns With Major Events, Tracks from Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park, Disturbed and The Offspring

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today unveiled the music track listing for Madden NFL 09, set to release August 12, 2008. The new soundtrack features 26 songs from a multi-genre roster of superstar acts and soon-to-breakthrough artists, including Franz Ferdinand, Good Charlotte, Airbourne, From First To Last, The All-American Rejects, Rev Theory, K’Naan, and Kidz In The Hall. Madden NFL, the biggest-selling sports franchise in videogame history, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a full slate of live music events, tributes and television appearances leading up the game’s street date.

“Madden NFL is the foundation of what we do and sets the standard for every soundtrack we create,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA. “Madden NFL revolutionized the industry by making music of multiple genres – from both established acts and brand-new artists – an essential emotional component of the videogame experience and the NFL season itself. This 20th Anniversary Edition soundtrack celebrates that legacy like never before, complete with marketing events that take the excitement to a whole new level. Not only have we changed the gaming culture forever, we continue to move the needle musically for millions of people around the world. Madden NFL will always be recognized as the game that made the music matter in videogames.”

The highlights of the Madden NFL 09 soundtrack include genre-bending collaborations by Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park and Young Dre, The Truth featuring Good Charlotte, as well as returning Madden NFL hit makers Franz Ferdinand, Gym Class Heroes (both with pre-album prerelease tracks), All American Rejects, Shinedown, Senses Fail, Disturbed, The Offspring and Airbourne. The soundtrack’s trend of introducing emerging artists continues with 12 new acts that include The Fashion, Kardinal Offishall featuring Lindo P, In Flames, Innerpartysystem, Hollywood Undead, Mindless Self Indulgence, Izza Kizza, Trivium, Kovas and Tyga.

Cross-promotional events leading up to the game’s release include a series of :60 viral videos for tracks featured in the game, a special Madden Music Anniversary tribute issue of Billboard on newsstands July 13th, as well as other marketing partnerships to be announced in the near future. Beginning the week of August 4th, a different Madden NFL 09 soundtrack artist will perform live each night on a popular late night show.

Over the past decade, the Madden NFL soundtrack has launched premier artists that include Good Charlotte, OK GO, Fallout Boy, Franz Ferdinand, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Yellowcard, Dashboard Confessional, Jet, Ozomatli and 30 Seconds To Mars, and featured such superstars as Green Day, Outkast, Foo Fighters, blink-182, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, The Hives, Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake and Sum 41.

The complete in-game soundtrack for Madden NFL 09 features the following 26 songs:

ARTIST SONG
Airbourne Stand Up For Rock ‘N Roll
Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park We Made It
Disturbed Inside The Fire
Franz Ferdinand Lucid Dreams
From First To Last Worlds Away
Gym Class Heroes I’m Home
Hollywood Undead Undead
In Flames The Mirror’s Truth
Innerpartysystem Don’t Stop
Izza Kizza Millionaire
K’NAAN ABC’s
Kardinal Offishall feat. Lindo P Burnt
Kidz In The Hall Blackout
KOVAS Wax On, Wax Off
Mindless Self Indulgence Never Wanted To Dance
Rev Theory Hey Yeah
Senses Fail Wolves At The Door
Shinedown Devour
The All-American Rejects The Real World (Demo)
The Fashion Like Knives
The Offspring Hammerhead
Trivium Into The Mouth Of…We March
Tyga Diamond Life
Underoath Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Wale feat. Southeast Slim Breakdown
Young Dre The Truth feat. Good Charlotte Workin’

So what's on the tracklist? Eleven games are represented, from the whimsical Tetris Piano Opus, to the moving Medal of Honor suite. Myst, Warcraft, God of War, Kingdom Hearts...hell, they've even got Advent Rising on there, which goes to show that your game doesn't have to be successful to make it on the Video Games Live CD...it just has to have music composed by Tommy Tallarico. The track that really makes the disc for me? Wendy Carlos' Tron Montage. Makes me feel like I am 10 years old wearing a cardboard Tron helmet all over again. Hit the jump for the full track listing and sketchy details about availability!

EMI CLASSICS RELEASES - VIDEO GAMES LIVE: VOLUME ONE

First Video Game Music Compilation Album to be Released Worldwide on a Major Label

Recorded and Mixed at the World Famous Abbey Road Studios in London

LONDON, UK - JULY 7, 2008 - In an exciting collaboration with Video Games Live, EMI Classics will release a CD celebrating some of the best known, most popular video game music of all time. The first worldwide campaign of its kind by EMI is linked to the Video Games Live events planned in North and South America, Europe and Asia over the coming months and aims to appeal to a broad audience of gamers, non-gamers and music lovers of all kinds. Video Games Live: Volume One showcases some of the more popular segments that currently appear in Video Games Live. The album contains several unique arrangements that were created along with the original composers exclusively for the show, and have never previously been released.

Video games are arguably today’s most popular entertainment of choice for the 21st century, and the music is central to their attraction. The EMI Classics CD, compiled by Video Games Live co-creators Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, who also conducts the recording, features the Slovak National Orchestra, The Crouch End Festival Chorus and The Video Game Pianist, Martin Leung in medleys from hit game franchises such as Halo, Warcraft, Kingdom Hearts, Tetris, Castlevania, Myst and Tron.

Video Games Live: Volume One will be released in two stages: The digital release will be downloadable in the UK from July 7th, 2008, with the option to pre-order from a week before that on iTunes and other DSP’s (Digital Service Providers) with that capability; the release of the CD and iTunes exclusive, including digital bonus tracks, will be staggered to coincide with Video Games Live events, beginning in San Diego, California on July 24th (North America) and Leipzig, Germany on August 20th (Europe and worldwide).

Music in the interactive entertainment industry has come far in the past 35 years, from beeps and electrical impulses to early digital synthesis and sampling to pre-recorded soundtracks. As the games themselves have become more sophisticated, so has the music that drives them and a generation of composers are devoting their energies to writing for the video game medium.

Video Games Live is the largest and most successful video game concert in the world having already performed around the globe to over 250,000 people. The debut performance took place on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic. Over 11,000 people attended making it the biggest video game concert in the world. Most of the game music played (Halo, Sonic, Metal Gear Solid, Warcraft, Tomb Raider, Myst, Kingdom Hearts, Tron, Medal of Honor, Advent Rising, etc.) had never been performed live. Video Games Live followed with groundbreaking first ever game concert performances in countries such as Brazil, England, New Zealand, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Scotland, Taiwan and Portugal. Video Games Live was also the very first American video game concert to perform in Asia (Korea). In 2007 they were recipients of a major industry award in Brazil for "Special Breakthrough Achievement" following their sold out performances in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Video Games Live concerts have since taken place around the world, selling out multi-thousand-seat venues within hours or days of being announced.

The live concert experience features music from the biggest games of all time. Top orchestras and choirs around the world perform along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussion, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Special events surround the show, including pre- and post-show festivals.

In the coming months, Video Games Live will perform more concerts throughout the world. Forthcoming dates include: Houston and Austin, TX; Louisville, KY; San Diego and San Jose, CA; Indianapolis, IN; Brookville, NY; Birmingham, AL; Kansas City, MO; Chicago, IL; Newark, NJ; Burlington, VT; Seattle, WA; Kalamazoo, MI; Sarasota, FL and Richmond, VA; Vancouver, BC; Kitchener, ON; Calgary; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Leipzig, Germany; Glasgow, Scotland; Paris, France; Lisbon, Portugal; London, UK; Taipei, Taiwan; Beijing, China. Visit www.videogameslive.com for regular updates of the performance dates.

“If Beethoven were alive today, he would probably be a video-game composer... he was always ahead of the curve. One of his goals in creating music was to control the emotions of the person listening to it. This is exactly what we as game composers are constantly trying to accomplish.” (Video Games Live co-creator Tommy Tallarico)

“A touring multimedia show that has already been seen by more than 250,000 people is playing at the world's finest concert halls — with the world's finest orchestras powering through some of the world's most popular video-game music. And it's attracting a decidedly different audience. There were more than children and teenage gamers … [there were] a lot of grandmas out there.” (NPR – National Public Radio, U.S.)

TRACKLISTING

1. Kingdom Hearts®
KINGDOM HEARTS © Disney • Developed by Square-Enix Co., Ltd. • “Kingdom” written by Utada Hikaru • Orchestrator: Kaoru Wada

The KINGDOM HEARTS® franchise is the result of a collaboration between Disney and Square-Enix. The ground-breaking fantasy action role-playing game received numerous awards and was a dominating presence upon its release in 2002. The single, Hikari (to which the instrumental version “Kingdom” was based) has sold over 1 million copies in Japan. Female songwriter Utada Hikaru’s first official album became the best-selling album of all time in Japan with over 10 million copies sold. Currently, three of her albums rank in the Top 10 all-time best-selling albums list in Japan.

2. Warcraft® Suite
Composer: Jason Hayes • Orchestrator: Benoît Grey

Created by the development team at Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc. Warcraft® is an award-winning fantasy series that is one of the fastest selling PC games ever. Blizzard's release of World of Warcraft®, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based on the Warcraft series, has shattered all sales records for an online game, and is currently the biggest subscription-based online game in the world.

3. Myst® Medley
Myst® Theme composed by Robyn Miller; Gallery Theme composed by Tim Larkin (BMI) • Myst® III Main Theme and Myst® IV Main Theme composed by Jack Wall (ASCAP) • Orchestrated by Steve Zuckerman

The Myst® phenomenon catapulted the world of computer games to the forefront of consumer entertainment and broke many boundaries as the best-selling CD-ROM game. It appealed to many demographics and featured beautifully rendered environments and intricate puzzle-solving quests.

4. Medal of Honor™ (LIVE)
“Operation Market Garden” from Medal of Honor: Frontline™ published by Electronic Arts, Inc. Composed and orchestrated by Michael Giacchino • Recorded Live in Brazil, South America

Created and inspired by Steven Spielberg, the award-winning Medal of Honor series is one of the most convincing and well established wartime simulation game franchises, blending cinematic visuals with intense sound and music. Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino started in the video game industry and has since added films and television to his impressive list of credits which include TV shows Lost and Alias, motion pictures such as The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible III, Ratatouille, Speed Racer and even Space Mountain in Disneyland.

5. Civilization IV Medley
Composer: Christopher Tin (BMI) • Orchestrator: Christopher Tin • Alto solo: Nathania Reid • Tenor solo: Ron Ragin • Soprano solo: Nicole Bonsol • Choir: Stanford Talisman

Over the course of 15 years, Sid Meier’s Civilization series has come to define turn-based strategy games. Few games have managed to combine the sheer addictive depth that the Civilization series commands, and fewer have had such universal appeal. With unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier’s Civilization game is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all time.

6. Tetris® Piano Opus No. 1
Tetris® is a trademark of The Tetris Company and Blue Planet Software. Tetris® theme (Music A) originally adapted and arranged from the Russian folk song “Korobeiniki” • Piano Arrangement: Martin Leung • Performed by: Martin Leung

Tetris is arguably the most beloved and biggest selling video game in the world. It was originally conceived and designed in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov while working for the Soviet government in Moscow, Russia. “Music A” in the Nintendo Game Boy® edition of Tetris is one of the most recognizable and popular songs from a video game. It is an instrumental arrangement of a vocal Russian folk tune called “Korobeiniki” which was based on a poem with the same name written in 1861. The first line of the translated lyrics read… “"Oy, the box is full, so full".

7. God of War™ Montage (LIVE)
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. • Composed by Gerard Marino • Recorded Live in Brazil, South America

God of War is a high-energy action-adventure game based on Greek mythology. It was extremely well received by critics and fans alike and was the recipient of many “Game of the Year” awards. It has been called the greatest PlayStation® 2 game of all time by many top gaming magazines and websites. The award-winning score by Gerard Marino was his first credit as a game composer.

8. Advent Rising Suite
Composers: Tommy Tallarico, Michael Plowman, Emmanuel Fratianni, Laurie Robinson • Orchestrated by Emmanuel Fratianni, Laurie Robinson and Christopher Nickel

Advent Rising is a third-person, intergalactic action/adventure wrapped in a visually imaginative universe that plays like a fast action movie. Famed science fiction novelist, Orson Scott Card, co-wrote the gripping storyline behind the game. The multi award-winning Advent Rising soundtrack has been noted as "one of the greatest musical scores of all time" by websites such as Yahoo, Gamespot and others.

9. Tron Montage
Composed by Wendy Carlos; Orchestrated and adapted for Video Games Live by David Kates • Synthesizers programmed and performed by Matt Robertson

Disney’s 1982 action sci-fi cult classic masterpiece embraced video game aesthetics and has since inspired numerous blockbuster films and video games alike. Harnessing the latest technology available at the time, Tron was the first motion picture to ever use computer graphics and animation.

10. Halo® Suite
Composers: Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori • Orchestrated by Emmanuel Fratianni, Laurie Robinson, Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori • Guitars: Tommy Tallarico, Steve Vai, Chris Kline and Marcus Henderson • Voiceover: Cindy Shapiro

Halo is the blockbuster XBOX game developed by Bungie Studios that reinvented the first person shooter experience with action packed gameplay, an epic science fiction storyline and a multi award-winning soundtrack. The first Halo soundtrack received countless accolades including The Rolling Stone award for best original video game soundtrack, and its sequel Halo 2 became the #1 selling original video game soundtrack album in North America.

11 Castlevania® Rock (LIVE)
Castlevania® series owned and published by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. • Composers: Kinuyo Yamashita (Castlevania®), Club Kukeiha (Castlevania® III) and Michiru Yamane (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night®) • Arranged by Tommy Tallarico • Guitars: Tommy Tallarico and Dweezil Zappa • Keyboards: Martin Leung • Drums: Joe Travers • Bass: Peter Griffin • Recorded at Plaza Calafia Bullring - Mexicali, Mexico

The Castlevania series is one of Konami's most famous franchises and is a recognized landmark in the design of action-platforming games. The earliest games borrowed from motifs in iconic horror cinema, though the series later developed a more artistic and dramatic direction drawn from Gothic fiction and dark romanticism. This classic adventure series features some of the most addictive gameplay, beautiful graphical effects and contagious musical scores ever witnessed in a platform game. The musical styles for the Castlevania series range from Gothic and operatic rock to classical symphonia.

The album was engineered at EMI’s famous Abbey Road recording studios in London.

* * *

I spent some time last night chatting with the guys, who have a lovely recliner and a friendly dog. I warn you...don't expect them to be good at this. These aren't speed runs. Just a group of friends showing you a good time for a good cause.

Hit up the link below to visit the main page for the marathon, check out the FAQ, chat with the crew, and make a donation to Child's Play in the name of three men who may not survive the weekend.

The Super Mario Marathon [Official Page]

Playstation 3 download service may also include PSP, doesn't have other studios yet [Variety]

From the bill's description, it:

Creates an advisory council on interactive media and youth violence and requires video game consoles to be equipped with a device or control to permit owners to prevent the display of violent or indecent video games; defines "video game"; addresses sale and rental of video games.

Now that the bill, spearheaded by Staten Island Republican Senator Andrew Lanza (R), has been passed 61-1 by the State Senate, the proposed 16-member advisory council still needs to meet with the approval of New York Governor David Paterson (D). If he signs off, the bill could become law in 2010 - which could open the door for the New York State Senate to use its judgment to control video game content.

GamePolitics, who yesterday broke the news of the bill's passage in the Senate, also obtained an mp3 of Senator Lanza's argument to the Senate in favor of the bill:

If you look closely at this bill, [concerns expressed by Sen. Duane] are not valid. Let's start with speech. There's all kinds of speech. If we take an old-fashioned pinball machine and plunked it down here in the middle of the chamber, no one would call it speech. But when we put that up on a video screen, it does become speech and I acknowledge that. And it deserves protection under the Constitution... There is some confusion with respect to what this bill actually accomplishes... The word prohibition was talked about. I want to be clear. This bill does not prohibit the sale of any video to anyone...

This simply says that every video game sold in the state of New York simply should have a rating consistent with what the ESRB does presently in a voluntary way... it does work. But the problem with "voluntary" is that tomorrow someone can change their mind. Someone could decide tomorrow to no longer place ratings on these games. So this is not about prohibiting the sale, this is simply about providing information to parents...

Last year's version... that included a provision that would have made it an E-felony to sell these games, we all thought it was wrong. And we took that out. We worked with the [video game] industry. We worked with the Assembly and we do have an agreement here on a piece of legislation that I think will go a long way in allowing parents to make good decisions in regard to what is and what isn't appropriate for their chidlren...

As with similar laws struck down in the past, we can likely expect a lawsuit - in the meantime, though, there is something you can do. If we can defend our favorite games in flamewars in comments on message boards, it's not too much to ask for us to write a letter.

The ESA had established a page within its Video Game Voters network that offers an easy letter form for New Yorkers to write their representatives in opposition to this measure, and even though the bill has already been passed, it might be a wise move to petition the Governor's office now as Paterson considers signing the bill into law.

You can even recruit your non-gaming, tax-paying friends to petition this cause, because history's shown us that efforts to regulate games through law - especially through legislation that precedent has established as unconstitutional in California, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois and Minnesota - end up a futile expense of taxpayer dollars, when the same end can be accomplished through industry self-regulation.

We've contacted the ESA for comment and will update with any response we receive.

Video Game Florida Anti-Tobacco Ad [YouTube via GamePolitics]

The video runs best in Firefox or Safari, or if you'd like to see it in all its HD glory, you can hit up Times Square, where the video is set to debut today at the corner of Broadway and 47th above the W Hotel on a 40 foot by 30 foot screen.

Any fond memories of Aerosmith from my childhood are directly attributable to Run DMC's cover of "Walk This Way". To this day I am disappointed nearly to tears if I hear that opening riff without DMC's vocals immediately following them. Purists be damned, this is one of those rare songs that rap actually made better.

I've got a very cruel test for you Star Wars fans. What we have here is a video dialog from the LucasArts folks that goes over some pretty major, pretty spoilerish, plot points for The Force Unleashed. It also shows off a lot of the game. Yes, painful. So you decide, hit the game fresh and untarnished or stoke your fan engines now. Either way, know it looks pretty bad ass.

Block, a psychiatrist in Portland, Ore., recently wrote an editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry arguing that Internet Addiction should become a new diagnostic term.

It's interesting to read his thoughts and them to compare it to the things being said by the psychiatrists I interviewed back in 1999 when I wrote a story about how researchers think that Internet and Sex addiction are very similar. Back then a David Greenfield, director for the Center of Internet Studies, told me that the Internet was addictive and that that particular form of addiction was nearing a national epidemic... yet somehow we survived.

Unlike the Globe's story, my 1999 story has at least one well-known psychology researcher arguing that obsessive use of the internet isn't really about addiction, but curiosity of a new technology.

Block, who has some genuinely interesting ideas, also talks about the tie between school shooters and compulsive computer use, making sure not to say that computers cause violence.

BLOCK: With these shooters, their last act was to turn against their own computers. As a psychiatrist, I think that's relevant.

'Craft Addicts: Do online games trigger a new psychiatric disorder? [Boston Globe]

The website promises music from "over 20 blockbuster video games," plus visuals, which I gather are somewhere in the same vein as Video Games Live. Included in the list are the Final Fantasy series, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario Bros.

Makes me wonder - what video game music would you drop cash on to go hear done by an orchestra? In my little opinion, Yasunori Mitsuda's Chrono Cross soundtrack is both a favorite and an ideal, but what do you think?

And yes, the very musical Haruhi just because.

That, and the over-the-top characters might be a bit too far over that top there. "I can't feel my face!" *giggle* No.

Shortly after coming aboard here one of the first things I did was set up a filter to capture and set aside Jack Thompson's bullshit from all the tips cc'd to me. After the preamble to his professional obituary two weeks ago, I went back looking through the "Crazy Fucker" queue to see if I could find some kicking-and-screaming ravings that, even if they didn't deserve to run under the Kotaku nameplate, would at least be fun to read. Instead, I found something unexpected.

It was a news release from mid-May, and in it, Jack was up to his usual schtick of making hay off others’ misery — in this case claiming a murder defendant in North Carolina was motivated by Grand Theft Auto of course. But the story Thompson was citing was published in Fayetteville, by a paper I interned for 15 years ago. And it was written by my housemate that year, a friend and a guy who introduced me to some excellent video games himself.

So I emailed the writer, Paul Woolverton of The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, to dig deeper into this story.

Here’s the backstory: James Christopher Stitt, 22, shot to death a soldier and his girlfriend in 2005. There was apparently little trouble proving his culpability. The defense put its efforts into sparing Stitt from the death penalty, focusing on Stitt’s emotionally disturbed past, such as the fact his father kicked him out at age 16, putting him in the kind of drifter’s life that led him to move in with this unfortunate couple.

During the sentencing phase, the psychiatrist the defense team hired testified Stitt claimed he was in a state where he was not in control of his actions at the time. Stitt claimed to have played Grand Theft Auto for four hours prior to the murder. Before his arrest, Stitt told a different version to his girlfriend that did not mention video games at all. Stitt said the murders stemmed from an argument he’d had that turned violent, and was watching television right before the killings. I’m sure we’ll find out later it was an infomercial for a Manhunt 2-themed timeshare.

This was enough for Thompson, of course, who littered our inbox with a release claiming a video-game defense won the day. It almost reads like an exoneration. “Part of Stitt’s defense was his obsessive play of the Grand Theft Auto video games, and it worked,” Thompson crowed. “It was put before the jury in a very clever fashion, and it worked.”

Is that really what did it?

“[The psychiatrist] never said there was a connection between the game playing and the shootings. No one asked her if there was a connection, and no one suggested or implied it," Paul wrote me. "In the course of the trial, her statement of the midnight to 4 a.m. hours was the only evidence of Stitt ever playing any video game in his entire life. Had he played video games before? Probably. But if video games were being offered as a defense or mitigator, I think we would have heard a lot more.”

That means whatever Stitt told his professional examiner — again, hired by his own defense — about video games, she did not find enough basis that they were a credibile mitigator for his actions. In their closing arguments to the jury, Stitt’s lawyers never mentioned video games. The psychiatrist herself never said she believed the games put Stitt into a state where he was not in control of his actions. She testified that she even questioned whether Stitt was telling the truth in that version of the killings.

As for the jurors, many left the court in tears. The lawyers spoke to them, but not the journalists. The lawyers didn't ask what the reasons were for sparing Stitt the death penalty.

So here’s the scorecard:

Stitt: Convicted double murderer. Invoked video games and a feeling he was not in control of his actions to save his ass from the death penalty. Honestly, I think he said Grand Theft Auto because it was the first thing that popped into his mind, in a setting where he knew he was trying for a psychiatric defense. Had he actually played, he would have specified the version. I'm serious. Anyway, he’s going to do life and die behind the walls of Raleigh’s Central Prison.

Thompson: Moral opportunist who portrays the fact a jury put a murderer away for life but did not sentence him to death as equivalent to an exoneration and miscarriage of justice. That’s classy. Death or nothing for the anti-(virtual) violence crusader. Completely ignores what has and has not been established by evidence and testimony — in other words, basic law. No wonder he can’t file a motion without adult supervision.

One blames video games to save his ass; the other to further a nutball agenda. They deserve each other.

As for Paul, he no longer games as much since his girlfriend moved in. He and I played X-Wing and Red Baron on his PC when I lived in his house in 1993. After that summer he played Thief 1, Thief 2, Tanarus and Duke Nukem 3D. He's never owned a game console and doesn't care to; he's waiting to get a decent Windows PC to get back into gaming seriously.

Paul also noted, dryly, that a recent survey rated Fayetteville the third-worst place in the U.S. to raise a child. So you could blame that, or you could blame Grand Theft Auto. Or you could blame the fact that we are a fucked-up ultraviolent society with easy access to deadly weapons, and while violent video games are a part of that stew, we’ve had senseless killings well before their arrival.

Stitt's Lawyers Shoot Down Video Game Defense [Fayetteville N.C. Observer]

"If you don't stop playing that game right now, I'm filing for divorce!" I holler. He can't hear me. You know, the headphones.

But this was all BRB, Before Rock Band.

The article's a touching, well-written story about how she stopped worrying and learned to love the Xbox. Rock Band helped this couple find middle ground, and the wife came to understand that using a video game to escape into a fantasy of who you hoped you'd turn out to be can make it a little more fun to be who you are.

How Rock Band saved my marriage [Salon]

“MvG has been created with the goal of bringing fun and easily accessible music games to an audience that has largely remained unnoticed to this point,” said Vincent Bitetti, CEO of MvG. “The music video game market and the online casual games market both continue to grow exponentially. MvG will provide games that will appeal to both demographics.”

Five years ago this would have been perfect. Now I'm not so sure we need more music games, casual or otherwise. Still, maybe MvG will find their niche. They've certainly got a dynamic name going for them, and a kick-ass logo. Go get 'em, plucky little upstart!

Veteran Video Game Talents Announce Launch of New Company, Music Video Games (MvG)
Seasoned Executives From the Music and Entertainment Space Join Forces to Launch Video Game Portal Focused on Casual Gamers and Music Fans

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Today the formation of Music Video Games™ (MvG) was announced, a music-based game company focused on delivering interactive entertainment experiences for both casual gamers and music fans. MvG was founded by David Warhol, president of video game studio Realtime Associates, Inc., and Vincent Bitetti, a video game publishing executive and former CEO of TDK Mediactive, which was sold to Take Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) in 2004.

“MvG has been created with the goal of bringing fun and easily accessible music games to an audience that has largely remained unnoticed to this point,” said Vincent Bitetti, CEO of MvG. “The music video game market and the online casual games market both continue to grow exponentially. MvG will provide games that will appeal to both demographics.”

Mr. Bitetti will act as the company’s CEO while Mr. Warhol will be the Chief Creative Officer. Acting as strategic advisors to the new company are music industry veteran Mark Goldstein, former Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Warner Bros Records Inc. (NYSE:WMG), and interactive entertainment guru Tim Walsh, formerly the Senior Vice President of International Publishing, President of THQ Wireless, and a Corporate Officer at THQ (NASDAQ:THQI).

According to Pacific Crest Securities the U.S. online casual games business will grow to $725 million in 2008 from $375 million in 2006, with casual games becoming a primary industry growth driver for 2008 and beyond.

To find out more about MvG, please visit www.musicvideogames.net.

Back in 2005 when I was hating my job and casting about for meaning in life, I wrote Crecente and asked him what the process was for writing up and selling a game concept. Was it at all comparable to, say, pitching a book proposal or a screenplay? Not really, because there is plenty enough work generated by in-house creative teams, and outside licensing deals.

That said, even though I have zero coding skills and no game development acumen, I thought I had a few good ideas. So, in the first of what I hope will become a semi-regular feature (which means, I'll do more, but maybe not each week) here is the Kotaku Video Game Pitch for a concept I call "Noise." Yes, it was inspired somewhat by true-to-life events, from a time when I really thought I was going insane.

Working title: Noise
Genre: Third-person shooter, action-stealth
Setting: A sizeable if nondescript North American city, its suburbs and an office park; neighborhoods and buildings of varying density. Quasi sandbox with confined environments and some freeplay/side mission capabilities.
Tone: Action/Comedy
Probable ESRB Rating: Let's go ahead and say M, for violence, language, adult themes and chihuahua punting.

The story: You are Eugene Twerpley, a scrawny, geeky, whiny computer programmer who has just taken a new job in a big city after years of working out in the middle of nowhere. You were raised by cartoonishly loud parents in a home that doubled as the family business — a combination 300-dog kennel and trap-shooting range out in hillbilly country. Thus you have a painful sensitivity, both psychological and physical, to loud noises, which make you jumpy, tense, and prone to extremely — extremely — irrational behavior. And you have just moved in next to the worst neighbors, in the worst neighborhood in a total dump of a city.

Game progression: Noise is a mission-based game. You'll respond to provocations and attempt to work out solutions. Essentially, you will be taking revenge on people and things that piss you off — always passive aggressively. Missions will be triggered in "Noise" not by a traditional in-game notification, but by, literally, a noise. As you move about your environment, you'll hear certain things — nearly all of them annoying to your character (if not to the gamer, literally). Moving closer to the source makes them louder and more obnoxious. You'll have to find a way to shut them up, with the game providing expository help on how to do it. But asking someone to keep it down never works, just triggers a humorous/insulting cutscene.

Among many possible missions ideas, you'll sabotage construction equipment, cut power to loud neighbors, sic the cops on other people for completely bogus offenses. Best of all, you will blow up a car whose alarm won't shut off. With a rocket launcher. That's gotta be a cathartic experience for everyone. As your exploits get more grandiose and destructive you are evicted, forced to move (changing the game environment) before finally you have to move back in with your parents ...

Unique gameplay: The noise-meter affects your character's attributes (and, ultimately, his descent into madness). The longer a noise goes on, the more frustrated your character becomes, which reduces (or zeroes out) options for completing a mission via stealth. But it also boosts his physical characteristics (a somewhat limited rage mode) that allows him to get the job done by brute force.

Selling points: Humor, music, realistic sound, unique level design, story.
Platforms: Consoles/PC. Not a good idea on handhelds, I think.

So, feel free to comment on the viability of this concept. You can also vote in any of the three polls below. Maybe it's a little rough, maybe we can make it better. Maybe someone will buy it and make us — oh shit, I think Gawker owns this work product. This might be a short lived feature.

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Next concept: "Rad"

The eight GTA-exclusive tracks DJ Green Lantern wrote for Liberty City's "The Beat" radio show, which he hosts, will be on the album, along with eight new songs inspired by the game. He's joined by some major hip-hop, reggae and R&B artists, including Busta Rhymes, Wyclef, Fat Joe, Styles P and Fabolous, and several other new artists and talent from DJ Green Lantern's label will feature on the album as well.

The Rockstar team has somewhat of a reputation for its particularity when it comes to musical selections for the game, and executive producer Sam Houser said he's excited about this album and its "true New York flavor." "Liberty City Invasion: Music from and Inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV" will be available digitally on May 20th, to be followed by a physical disc launch at an unspecified date.

Full release follows the jump.

Today, Rockstar Games and Future Green Entertainment are proud to announce the release of an original production album from The Evil Genius DJ Green Lantern featuring music from and inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV.

Containing eight brand new tracks crafted exclusively for DJ Green Lantern's "Liberty City Invasion" radio show on the in-game radio station "The Beat," as well as eight new songs directly inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV, The Evil Genius DJ Green Lantern has created an epic urban soundtrack. This special album release features an incredible lineup of hip-hop, reggae and R&B superstars including heavyweights Busta Rhymes, Wyclef, Fat Joe, Styles P and Fabolous as well as up-and-coming artists Mavado, Uncle Murder and Future Green Entertainment's own Johnny Polygon, Qadir and more.

Singles include "Where's My Money" from Busta Rhymes and "Nickname" from the brand new artist Qadir. The perfect summer anthem "I'm So Fly," featuring Fat Joe and Fabolous is inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV and while included on the album is not in the game.

"The Grand Theft Auto games have always featured stunning soundtracks and the amount of eclectic music in Grand Theft Auto IV goes above and beyond anything we have been able to do before" said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, "DJ Green Lantern's contributions give the soundtrack a true New York flavor and we're excited to be releasing his full album to fans."

"From making mixtapes, to being on the radio, to touring with the biggest artists on the planet, and then for the biggest video game title to solicit me to create exclusive music is something most people could only dream about, it's like a graduation," said Green. "Rockstar Games understood what I bring to the table as far as not just presenting music, but creating music."

Green Lantern originally came to prominence in the mixtape scene by consistently featuring exclusive self-produced music with hip-hop superstars like Eminem, Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys, Mike Shinoda's Fort Minor, D-Block, Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep and many more. This led to an acclaimed career as a proper music producer in his own right which has yielded such Billboard hits as "Number One Spot" by Ludacris and "In The Ghetto" by Busta Rhymes featuring Rick James as well as the street hits Akon "Ghetto" feat. Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac, Uncle Murda's "Bullet, Bullet," and many more. Green Lantern can be heard every week nationally on his Sirius Satellite Radio show.

The Evil Genius Green Lantern makes his official production album debut with the release of Liberty City Invasion: Music from and Inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV. It will be available at all major digital retailers on May 20th with a physical release coming soon.

Grand Theft Auto IV is currently available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION® 3 computer entertainment system.

Maybe not everything, but definitely a lot and certainly something to tickle your nostalgia fancy. Looks like they update it, too, last one was April 29.

I'm listening to the Metroid Theme now, Brinstar to be exact. IMHO, best score for an 8-bit game ever. I want to make it into a ringtone, I just need to pick the right refrain.

Just saw this on Reddit so, the buffering might be a little slow on some of the larger tracks as people go to it.

Reliver Your Favorite Games Through Music [Game Music Jukebox]

"GreatFox" normally disdains the tagger's vandal's stain on our city streets, but couldn't resist snapping a pic when he saw this. Thug life, Mario, reppin' the Mushroom Kingdom. (Thanks, dude!)

"It is a challenge that we're looking at right now. There is a need to simplify it for consumers, there's no question," Taylor explained. "We think that the people who understand and know GeForce today, they're okay with it - they understand it. But if we're going to widen our appeal, there's no doubt that we have to solve that problem."

NVIDIA to "simplify" product range [GamesIndustry.biz]

1. Listen to the rockin' radio
2. Swim out of a car accident
3. Drive like you mean it
4. One up Google's NYC street view
5. Meet the neighborhood strangers

Top 5 Non-Violent Things You Can Do in Grand Theft Auto IV [Popular Mechanics]

Unfortunately I'm lying.

No, the manager at the Blockbuster Video...someone I had known for years...wouldn't let me return the game. All I could do was trade-in the game for store credit - $35 - which I then put towards the Xbox 360 version of Iron Man. All in all, I wound up spending about $90 for a copy of Sega's Iron Man, but with the game I received a bit of knowledge that I will carry with me from here on out. Don't buy games from Blockbuster.

I understand that it isn't their fault my PS3 decided to crap out on me, and I understand they have store policies to adhere to, but unfortunately for many Blockbuster employees that is the limit of their understanding. Without a basic knowledge of how the game systems work, they simply don't understand this sort of situation. Hell, when I first brought the game back the elderly day shift manager looked absolutely terrified, running to the back room to get the store manager to handle the return.

I know for certain that had I done this at my local GameStop store, the employees there would have swapped out the version without blinking an eye, especially considering I was back within the hour. Of course I have built a rapport with them over the years, but as I said, I have known the Blockbuster Manager for years (she knows my mother) and she still couldn't do anything to help.

Incidentally, Iron Man? Not worth $90.

You'll need to find yourself a helicopter, which can be readily found in the pre-game meeting lounge or the airport in town. Fly out to the statue and hover about the base, jumping out so that you land on the square rooftop with the four doors. One of the doors bears a placard reading "No Hidden Content Through Here." The placard lies. Go through the door (literally), climb the ladder within, and you'll find yourself face-to-face with the bloody beating heart of Liberty City. Then just kick back, pop open a cold one, and enjoy the moment. Ahhhh. Now this is living.

And play GTA IV.

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.

Honestly I feel this can only be good for the game buying public. For one, the nearest Blockbuster Store to me is much closer than the nearest GameStop, and anyone who has traded in a game at a Blockbuster knows their trade-in values are tons better than the competition.

If any company has the established infrastructure to compete with GameStop in the retail video game space it's Blockbuster Video. Blockbuster currently has around 5,192 stores in the U.S., with GameStop maintaining apporximately 5,264. Depending on how serious BB is about this initiative, it would put them a stone's throw away from being the biggest video game retailer in the country. Sure they rent and sell movies as well, but GameStop has been known to peddle the odd previously viewed DVD themselves.

Say what you will about evil corporations, but face it, there isn't a mom & pop store out there with the resources to take on the big guys. The lesser of two evils perhaps, but any deal that puts a game store five minutes from my house can't be all that bad. Interesting times for video game retail await!

Stores Also to Carry More Rental Game Platforms, Titles and Copies

DALLAS, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Blockbuster Inc. , a leading global provider of in-home movies and game entertainment, today announced it has rolled out retail video games and game hardware to all U.S. corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER(R) stores as part of a broader plan to significantly expand its game business.

Now, for the first time, customers can go into any U.S. corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER store and purchase video game titles, hardware and accessories for the Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS game systems. In addition to expanding its retail games offering, Blockbuster is adding more game titles for rental with more copies than before across all platforms.

Blockbuster is featuring its expanded game offerings — including hardware and accessories, along with rental and retail titles such as "Mario Kart" and the soon-to-be-released "Grand Theft Auto IV" — on the new release wall in a specially designated game section.

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.

To further support expansion of its game business, Blockbuster will also be implementing a variety of special consumer game offers, such as an exclusive Sony PS3 movie and game bundle. The bundle, available at corporate-owned stores while supplies last for $499.99, excluding tax, includes: a 40GB Sony PS3 game console that also plays Blu-ray DVDs, PS3/Blu-ray DVD remote, HDMI cable, "Spiderman 3" Blu-ray disc, "Transformers" PS3 game and a BLOCKBUSTER 12-week PS3/Blu-ray rental card that entitles users to one free PS3 or Blu-ray rental per week for 12 consecutive weeks.

infinite fetch quests
chocolate, roses, and rings
won't make her love you

So true.

Haiku for the Last of the True Romantics [Resigned Gamer]

I think a 32-item poll is a little long, so I've winnowed it down to these nine, who made solid, defensible picks for great value at their draft positions. And now I put it to you, Kotakopolis: Who had the best draft?