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Suicide mission begins (restarts) next month.
PlayStation 3 owners will finally be able to play Mass Effect 2 next month.
The science-fiction role-playing shooter is due out on 21st January in Europe and 18th January in the US, IGN reports.
The PS3 version features a raft of bonus content, including an interactive comic designed to help bridge the storylines of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Choices made while interacting with the comic carry over into your Mass Effect 2 adventure.
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Series crosses the 60 million mark.
Sony has shipped 5.5 million copies of simulation racer Gran Turismo 5 worldwide since launch.
Remember, shipped means delivered to retailers. It does not mean sold.
Still, it’s an impressive figure. The game had sold 486,389 copies in Japan as of 5th December (according to Andriasang), meaning the majority of sales occurred outside of Japan.
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Censorship ministers in Canberra fail to agree unanimously on adult rating for video games in Australia; new guidelines being sought to determine impact of possible R18+ rating.
Canberra–After nearly three years of political stalling, public consultation and industry-wide debate, the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games in Australia has been delayed once more due to the failure of federal, state and territory Attorneys-General to reach a unanimous decision at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting in Canberra today.
Federal Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor told media that Attorneys-General failed to reach the decision to introduce R18+ for games despite being presented with the final results of the Federal Government’s public consultation, which showed 98.4 percent of respondents supported the introduction of the adult classification for games. The Attorneys-General were also presented with the government’s recent R18+ classification review, which showed no conclusive link between violent games and aggressive behaviour, as well as the results of a nationwide Galaxy survey, which showed 80 percent of the 2,226 people contacted supported the introduction of R18+ for games.
In interviews conducted with all state and territory Attorneys-General by GameSpot AU on Monday, only Tasmania and the ACT publicly stated a pro-R18+ stance; other states and territories chose to wait until the SCAG meeting today to make up their mind. O’Connor told media today that not all Attorneys-General were behind the introduction of an R18+ rating, but did not disclose which AGs voted for what.
O’Connor, however, has said that there was general consensus from the meeting that Australia’s classification system as it relates to games needed to be overhauled. As such, SCAG is now seeking new guidelines on how the possible introduction of an R18+ rating would affect the current MA15+ and Refused Classification brackets. These guidelines will be presented at the next SCAG meeting scheduled for March 2011.
Following the release of the R18+ public consultation preliminary report in May, classification ministers requested further research to ascertain the views of the silent majority. The R18+ classification review and Galaxy survey were made public by O’Connor just last week, shortly before he announced both his and the Gillard Government’s full support for the R18+ classification.
O’Connor and the Labor Government were not alone in their pro-R18+ stance: in the few weeks leading up to the December 2010 SCAG meeting, Labor ACT Senator Kate Lundy voiced her support, while the Federal Coalition has also tentatively stated its desire to see an overhaul of the current system.
Previous attempts to introduce the R18+ classification were thwarted by former South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, who publicly opposed the adult rating for fear “…it will greatly increase the risk of children and vulnerable adults being exposed to damaging images and messages.”
Atkison quit as South Australian Attorney-General in March this year, replaced by John Rau, who chose to remain ambiguous on his views towards R18+ until today.
The federal government’s R18+ public consultation was first announced in 2008, but suffered a number of delays before finally being passed in April 2009. The preliminary report found that of the 59,678 public submissions received in total, 98.2 percent were in favour of introducing an R18+ for games. The majority of responses in the consultation came from retailer EB Games’ in-store petition, which scored 34,938 submissions, and pro-R18+ group Grow Up Australia, which organised 16,056 submissions. Other groups who made formal submissions included the Australian Christian Lobby, several Western Australian politicians (including the Minister for Water and Health Graham Jacobs), the Australian Council on Children and the Media, the Commissioner for Children Tasmania, and the Sporting Shooters Association. Groups who strongly supported the R18+ included the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Telstra, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, Save our Souls Gaming Clan, and more.
GameSpot will continue to update this story as more news comes in.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Aussie R18+ decision delayed” was posted by Laura Parker on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:38:15 -0800 -
Michael S. Washington files civil claim against Rockstar and Take-Two, saying the publishers used his past, likeness as basis for main character’s story.
It has been a while since anyone has sued Rockstar Games over Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and on the Xbox and PC in 2005, the game became the whipping child of game-regulation activists, after the so-called “Hot Coffee” scandal in which a sex minigame was uncovered within the game’s code by way of a hack. Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive went on to settle a number of class-action lawsuits that arose from the situation.
Rockstar and Take-Two are now headed back to the legal arena on account of San Andreas, but the issues before the court this time aren’t likely to trigger the same kind of class-action response. Far from it, as this week saw Michael S. Washington file suit against the New York-based publishers, claiming that Rockstar North based GTA: San Andreas on his life, going so far as to use his likeness for the primary character, Carl “CJ” Johnson.
According to Washington’s complaint (obtained by enthusiast Web site Game Pron), Rockstar contacted him in January 2003, seeking information on “street life.” Washington, who was then employed as a male model and backup singer for rap group Cypress Hill, noted in his complaint that he discussed his “troubled” youth with a group of developers for approximately two hours, offering such details as how “teenagers in his gang rode around on bicycles.”
After the interview, Washington claims Rockstar said that he would be contacted should they decide to make use of the information he provided. He then states that he subsequently received no further contact from the studio and had forgotten the experience until July 2010, when his nephew brought the game to his attention.
Washington claims that he contacted Rockstar in July through his attorney and was allegedly told by the company’s representation that his image and story were not used in the game. Rather, the main character’s image was based off that of Christopher Bellard, known under his stage name as Young Maylay, who also voiced the character. Of note, Washington’s name does appear in GTA: San Andreas’ credits under the “Talent” section (timestamp 05:01 of the linked video).
Washington is seeking damages in excess of $250 million, claiming that he is entitled to 25 percent of the game’s profits, a figure he pegged at more than $1 billion.
Take-Two had not responded to a request for comment on the suit as of press time.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“GTA: San Andreas targeted with new lawsuit” was posted by Tom Magrino on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:49:37 -0800 -
It’s time for some personal revelations here for anyone who still doesn’t know: I have a crush on PlanetSide that rivals Charlie Barratt’s love affair with Gabriel Knight. I mention it any chance I get. It’s my favorite game of all time. I played it on a regular basis for seven years. And so, with the confirmation today that yes, the next installment in the PlanetSide franchise is indeed coming in 2011, I’m excited for a game in a way I haven’t been in years. If you’re wondering why you should be excited, let me enlighten you… …
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News
RUMOR: Blizzard’s five-year plan leaked, Diablo III expected in Q4 2011 with a brand new MMO slated for 2013 (Diablo III)
Above: A source from Blizzard China may have leaked a document detailing the company’s plans for the next five years
Following the leak of a lengthy clip from the last cut scene for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm comes a leaked five-year plan production schedule for Blizzard Entertainment. The report comes from MMOGameSite.com. According to the site’s source, Blizzard China manager Ye Weilun has been held responsible for the leaked document and has recently resigned. The document includes projected release dates for Diablo III, the World of Warcraft movie, future upcoming expansions for all of the company’s major properties, and Blizzard’s brand new MMO codenamed ‘Titan.’ … -
Widespread stress reduction swept across the world’s game consumers today after the release of the November 2010 NPD numbers, which have reassured enthusiasts that the state of the games industry can still be represented by a variety of figures, including percentages and dollar amounts… …
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Struggling for a gift idea for a fellow gamer or just trying to fathom how you can completely maximise your gaming knowledge for 2011? Then look no further than our sister gaming titles where the seasonal joy has descended on our subscriptions department and they are offering up to half-price deals on Official Nintendo, Official Xbox 360 and PlayStation Official amongst others! …
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We’ve all done it – hummed the Super Mario Bros theme song, sung along to the Final Fantasy fight music, and looked up our favorite gaming tunes on YouTube. But here’s a group of college students taking it to a new level… …
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News
Final Fantasy XIV’s free trial period extended indefinitely, PS3 version delayed until further notice (Final Fantasy XIV)
Final Fantasy XIV Online has problems. The MMO has received overwhelmingly negative reviews, earning an average rating of 52-out-of-100 on MetaCritic, a 4-out-of-10 on GamesRadar, and a 30% from PC Gamer. Many fans have also expressed disappointment with the title. But if there’s a silver lining in the dark cloud hanging over Final Fantasy XIV Online, it’s that Square Enix is listening.
President and CEO of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada, recently issued a direct apology to all Final Fantasy XIV for the state of the game and announced that the free trial period will be extended until the quality of the game has been improved… …
