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  Company Renames Rape Game Category

  As the fallout from the Rapelay controversy continues, one Japanese erotic game distributor has, for better or worse, figured out a work around. PC download site BGameBox has posted a notification that the categories “ryoujoku” (rape) and “choukyou” (sexual training) have been removed from the site as of July 31. A separate email newsletter informs…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009
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  Handmade SFIV Sticks Don’t Skimp On The Heavy Stuff

  Mekishiko916 likes Street Fighter, and is handy with circuits and a soldering iron. Combining those two, he’s come up with these amazing hand-made arcade sticks that aren’t just heavy-duty, they’re wireless as well. Being a patriot, he eschews Japanese components in favour of American HAPP parts (though you can ask for Seimetsu/Sanwa parts if you’re…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  Tornado Outbreak Trailer Twists My Expectations

  I’ve been fascinated with tornadoes since I saw this video when I was a kid. But rather than go out and almost get killed myself trying to recreate those guys’ experience, I’d rather play a game about tornadoes. Sadly, I’m not sure Tornado Outbreak can sate my sick interest. Because rather than playing as the…

  By AJ Glasser Published August 4, 2009
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  Poor Old Leipzig Ain’t What It Used To Be

  Last year, Leipzig was host to Europe’s premier games industry expo, which attracted over 200,000 people. This year? Leipzig’s Games Convention Online could only attract 43,000 punters. Why the decline? Well, it’s all in the name. Last year’s Leipzig Games Convention was a showcase for all things gaming, from consoles to handhelds to the PC.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  Persona 4, Explained In Pictures

  Persona has one of the most unique core mechanics in all of gaming. But the series’ finer points may be lost on newcomers, or those ignorant of its enduring appeal. For those people, then, there is this comic. Artist and Persona fan Hiimdaisy has penned this amazing, loooooong comic that does a great job of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  This Is Vegas Publishers: This Is Not Cancelled

  When you don’t hear about a game for months, you start to presume the worst. Like, that it’s been cancelled. We haven’t heard about This is Vegas for months, so has it been cancelled? Surprisingly, no, it has not. Despite being caught up in the implosion of Midway (the game’s former developer/publisher) and its own…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  Pirate Bay Co-Founder Jumps Ship

  Another man overboard. Joining former Grokster exec Wayne Rosso, Pirate Bay’s Peter Sunde is abandoning the BitTorrent site he co-founded. “I have decided to not be the spokes person for The Pirate Bay anymore,” Sunde blogged this Monday. “The reasons are many but most importantly it takes too much of my time. I want to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009
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  Two More Added To PS3 Greatest Hits Line

  Times are tough, and money is tight. Who has $50-60 to spend on new games? Not as many people as there used to be, that’s for sure. Now $30, that’s more like it. Which brings us to the two latest titles in Sony’s Greatest Hits range for the PS3, Saints Row 2 and WWE Smackdown…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  Resident Evil 5’s Sheva Has Cheeky Pin-Up Calender

  Voice and motion capture actress Karen Dyer doesn’t lend her voice to her online Sheva cosplay calendar. She lends other assets. Guns, for instance. The character of Sheva, however, was based on Australian model/TV actor Michelle Van Der Water. Sheva Calender [Official Site via Gaming Bits via Capcom]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009
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  Team Fortress 2 Gets New Closed Beta For Better Testing

  I’m a casual TF2 player. So the recent “random drop” system of awarding rare items was great for me! For high-end players, though, it wasn’t so great, and they got upset. If only Valve had seen that coming! In the future, hopefully they will, with the creation of a new “closed beta” for the game.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009
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  80GB PLAYSTATION 3 To Be Discontinued In Japan

  The 20GB, 40GB and 60GB versions of the PS3 have been discontinued. According to this, it looks like the 80GB PLAYSTATION 3 is next. This notice is apparently from retailer 7-Eleven (7-Eleven sells video games in Japan) and states that pre-orders for the Black, White and Silver 80GB PS3 will cease on Sunday, August 9…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009
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  Final Fantasy XIV Video Interview

  This video is from E3, but is included in the latest issue of DVD-bundled magazine Famitsu Wave. It’s eight minutes long and subtitled. So you can learn about online title Final Fantasy XIV. Yes!

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2009
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  Japanese Voice Actress Getting Her First Trading Cards

  When we were kids, we collected baseball cards. Jose Canseco, Mark Grace and Ken Griffey, Jr. In Japan, kids these days (hey, more like adults!) can collect voice actress cards. Vocal thespian Rie Tanaka (Phantasy Star Portable, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3) is releasing her first set of “trading cards” this September. One pack will…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2009
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  Don’t Go Looking For A Wii Price Cut Just Yet

  The DS received a price drop — ages ago. But it happened. The Wii, however, is still selling for the price it had when it launched in late 2006. Wii sales are slowing down, and at the recent Nintendo investor’s meeting, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was asked this during the Q&A: “Tell me if you…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2009
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  Sending Your DSi Pics to Facebook (No Pre-Teens Allowed)

  As of this evening DSi owners in North America can now directly upload the pictures they took using the portable to their Facebook account, with one caveat. While the uploading is fairly seamless, Facebook’s own terms of use prevent anyone under the age of 13 from using it because you’re not allowed to set up…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 3, 2009
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  Yeah, Braid Is Coming To The PS3

  Those Germans know a thing or two about upcoming game releases, because no sooner do the USK display a listing for a PSN version of Braid than we get official confirmation of the game’s PS3 debut. The confirmation comes courtesy of a representative from publisher Hothead Games, who told IGN that the game is indeed…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2009
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  Sports Illustrated Eschews Sneaker Phone for Madden

  Sports Illustrated marketers are throwing out the sneaker phone and throwing in the kitchen sink, going after the dorm-rat gamer for growth and offering free Madden with a paid sign-up. The proposition is, admittedly, shrewd – if you’re willing to pay $60 for Madden, you can pay $50 for Sports Illustrated and get both. Of…

  By Owen Good Published August 3, 2009
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  Down and Out

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Don’t Interview Pretty Actresses When You Have A Runny Nose Wow, this has been a fun day. Something horrific happened to our servers (I imagine it involved wolverines or piranha or piranha wolverines) and we’ve essentially been knocked out all day. You actually could load the site, but it took…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 3, 2009
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  Call Of Duty 4 Gets Hacked Up, Infinity Ward Preps Patch

  Seems the PlayStation 3 version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been rendered nearly unplayable, thanks to exploits that grant cheaters game-wrecking bonuses like infinite ammo, plus the ability to fly and walk through walls. The good news? Infinity Ward appears to already be on top of quelling that nonsense, as the team’s…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 3, 2009
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  NCAA 10 Generates, Then Sees Filtered, ‘Gay’ Roster Name

  The ongoing controversy over language filtering on Xbox Live has another curious manifestation – rosters that EA Sports’ TeamBuilder auto-names get filtered when they’re imported into the Xbox Live version of NCAA 10. As an example, the above player was auto-named “Jason Gay” at the online TeamBuilder site. But imported into the Xbox 360 version,…

  By Owen Good Published August 3, 2009