Update

Revolution controller and tidbits...

SPOnG is reporting that Nintendo will finally be unveiling the controller for their next generation console, the Revolution, at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The show, set to take place next month, will also be host to the announcement of Xbox 360 pricing for the Japanese market.


Tidbits:
-It is being reported that GAME, a retailer in the UK, has discontinued preorders for the Xbox 360 because due to a “phenomenal demand”. It seems they are unsure as to how many they will actually receive on launch.

-Nintendo has officially pushed back the release of Metroid Prime: Hunters DS to sometime in 2006. No date has been released as of yet.

-Capcom has submitted screens of the upcoming Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for the DS(get it? Deadly Silence? DS?) to Famitsu Weekly. No release date yet.

-According to a recent Japanese study, PSP usage is on the decline. I can only attribute this to the lack of enjoyable games.

-Origen360.com, apparently the home of Microsoft’s new Alternate-Reality Game, continues to get more interesting as the rabbit has moved to the other side of the tree, a hole has formed at the base of the tree, and an apple bearing what appears to be the MSN Messenger icon has appeared in the tree. More updates to come.

Check out Gnomeok.com!

Insanely overpriced bundles, anyone?

So we all know that game stores love to bundle new consoles with as many accessories as possible, but now they're just making a mockery of the Xbox 360 Core System. Gamestop has just announced the prices of their bundles. The only one including the Core system is priced at...you may want to sit down if you aren't currently doing so...$699.91! What do you get with this? Well, you get the core pack, Perfect Dark Zero: CE, Project Gotham Racing 3, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Dead or Alive 4, Call of Duty 2, an extra wired controller, a memory unit, and a 1-year replacement plan. Now, as you can see there is NO HARD DRIVE IN THIS BUNDLE. This, the CORE PACKAGE, was created with those people in mind who want to buy this bare-bones system as a gift. NO ONE WILL BE SPENDING $700 ON THE CORE SYSTEM! END OF STORY!

In other news, they also have an Ultimate Bundle which features the Premium Pack, the games listed above as well as GUN, Quake 4, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Condemned, Madden NFL 2006, Kameo, with extra accessories being an extra wireless controller, play & charge kit, a rechargeable battery, 12 months of LIVE, and the 1 year replacement warranty for a whopping $1199.83. This is just insane...I don't have much more to say...discuss it amongst yourselves.

Further Clarification via Audioblogger

Idiocy Abound!

So you may have heard about this ignorant old bag named Florence Cohen who is suing Rockstar games because she purchased Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for her fourteen-year-old grandson without knowing it contained sexually-explicit material. Now, many of you are thinking the same thing as I am: Did she not read the label? At the time when the game was rated as Mature by the ESRB, the label clearly stated that it contained voilence, drug usage, and strong sexual content. This was obviously not an appropriate game for her grandson, yet she purchased it and presented it to him. This woman KNOWINGLY bought this game with a CLEAR DESCRIPTOR stating it contained strong sexual content! Yet now she claims she didn't know it contained sexually-explicit material. Blonde-moment...wait...Grey-moment...I think so!

Ah...but there's more to this story. This woman will likely win the case for the simple reason that it was originally marketed as an M-rated title, but was changed to an Adults-only game. The point they make is that no grandmother or parent would knowingly buy a child an AO title. But why would they buy a sexually-explicit M-rated game? What is the difference between these two classifications? What separates Mature sex and Adults-Only sex?

And...that's where my thought is crapping out...as I'm currently listening to an 80-minute interview with Jack Thompson in which I'm being pummeled by even more ludicrous things.

Check it out for yourself here.

The Other Wacko Jacko

Gamers such as myself usually take offense to anyone trying to ruin our fun, but no man has initiated such outrage from the gaming commnity as the failed politicianmalpractice attorney, Jack Thompson(pictured on the right). Recently, Jack has been in the news for his crusade against Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which he managed to have re-reviewed by the ESRB who changed the game's rating to Adult's Only (AO). His reasoning for the charge was over unused code left in the game which allowed the playing of a sex-minigame. Access to this required the use of a third-party game "enhancer", such as Action Replay. Since Rockstar failed to inform the ESRB of the unused code, the rating change was made, and Rockstar has been fined and the game has been pulled from many retail shelves until an edited Mature (M) rated version is released.

Jacko didn't stop there. He has since moved on to Electonic Arts' The Sims 2, stating it "contains, according to video game news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair." However, without being modded by a third party, none of this content exists AT ALL...even under the blurred areas. He then insisted that software companies and game developers be held responsible for all modding of their products. This is where I'd like to insert that this man is INSANE. The PC game modding community is one that allows gamers to express their own creativity and can lead to possible future jobs within the game developing community. I, for one, do not see this standing up in court.

In the past, Thompson has tried to insinuate that the Washington Sniper incidents were directly linked to "training" they'd received by playing Halo. This is, of course, due to the realistic shooting and zoomable scope in the game. He has also recently attacked Rockstar again for their upcoming game Bully; a game in which a student attacks school bullies. He went as far as to email Bill Gates a threat of legal action if he did not stop the release of the game. Gates has not ordered a cancellation, nor has he replied to Thompson. In addition to all of this (he's a busy man these days), Jack has called Doug Lowenstein (president of the Entertainment Software Association) "Hitler" AND "Saddam Hussein". And finally, he has asked for the destruction of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, which would force government involvement in how games are rated.

Jack Thompson is not mentally stable. In addition to all that was listed above, he has attacked Janet Reno, whom he lost a political race to, calling her a "closet lesbian" (among other things). He has been ordered by the courts to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He filed a complaint agains Howard Stern, which cost Clear Channel Communications nearly half a million dollars. He has made absurd generalizations about gamers (i.e. drug addicts). But worst of all, he has gained the support of politicians such as Hillary Clinton, and many of the older generation Americans. This man's campaign full of half-truths and his overly cocky demeanor must be stopped.

In closing, I offer my opinion on the situation with which he's trying to deal. Video games are rated for a reason. Many parents still fail to understand the system, though it's quite clearly explained on every case. If the parent of a 12-year-old buys their child an M-rated game, which is clearly stated to be suitable only for those over the age of 17, they have NO RIGHT to complain at a later time about the content of the game. They should know full well that the game is not for their child. The changing of a game's rating from M to AO is only a big deal for retail sales. The only difference other than what stores can sell them is a ONE YEAR age requirement change. ONE YEAR! This is clearly a campaign by Thompson to attempt to dismantle the industry one developer at a time. How? By hurting their sales. AO titles CAN NOT be sold at Walmart, Best Buy, Target, K Mart, Amazon, EB, Gamestop...the list goes on. I say Thompson should be stopped, but he can only be stopped by giving the real facts to the politicians whom we elect. NOTHING IN THIS WORLD will change his opinion, which he considers hard fact, so there is no reason to try to do it. This man is in it for fame, and he's just basking in the limelight as long as he can. He is the type of guy that, if he was active on the internet, would have a LiveJournal filled with emo crap so that he could get all the attention from the girls who fall for such garbage. This man is insane. This man is emo. This man is an attention whore. This man can not be reasoned with. This man poses a threat to the freedom's of many. This man is my sworn enemy.

For more information, be sure to check out the article and all the links located on Wikipedia. I most especially recommend the correspondence links so that you may see what a simple and retarded man he is. How he got into law is beyond me.

360 for $399? Seems so...

In a strange turn of events, I found this article posted within the last few hours. Rather disheartening I'd say, but not really that suprising. Looks like I'll be saving a bit more to buy this damned thing.

Article

Xbox 360 Price, SKUs Revealed

By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"

Aug. 17th, 2005 4:18 am

Ahead of the official announcement, The LA Times has revealed today in both its print and online edition that the Xbox 360 will cost $299 and $399 when the next-generation console launches this holiday season.

According to Alex Pham of the LA Times, the $299 version will come with a wired controller, but will not have the 20-gigabyte hard-disc drive, wireless controller, headset, Ethernet cable and wireless television remote control included in the $399 version.

We expect an official announcement later today. Stay tuned.

Quick update...

In my next blog, I will be discussing the video game crusades of Jack Thompson. I've been doing some research on this one for a while, and you can expect quite a commentary. In the mean time, feel free to comment on any of the previous blogs as comments are now open to anyone.

Zelda Delayed, Will Nintendo Pay?

With the current generation coming to a close, there are few titles left to look forward to playing. One of those games, however, is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The newest installment of the popular series was to be released this November, most likely to coincide with the rumored November 4th release of the Xbox 360. Yesterday morning (Tuesday), all of that changed as software giant, Nintendo, announced that the game's developers had requested more time to add more features, levels, and heighten the overall quality of the game. The game will now see a release no sooner than next fiscal year, which begins on April 1st, 2006.

Many fanboys have already gone on the offensive claiming this will spell the end of the big N, but most hardcore fans of the series are confident that Nintendo knows what they are doing, and the delay will lead to a better overall game. Not to mention that Nintendo's next-generation console, the Revolution, is said to be backward compatible with Gamecube titles as well as many other past games. This later release could boost sales during the next fiscal year, and could sell many Revolutions as well as Gamecubes.

How do I feel about this? Well, I have always been a fan of the series and have played all of the (Nintendo-console-based) titles. I may not be the biggest Nintendo fan, but the Zelda series always held a place in my heart (insert AWWW here), and as a fan I have faith that Nintendo wouldn't stoop so low as to ruin their only remaining untainted series. I don't believe they will give Link a Hoover or a water cannon and make him clean Hyrule Castle. I DO however believe that they will make a quality game. Though it may not be up to par with the next-generation games being released at the time, it will look and, more importantly, PLAY well. I would rather see the release of a finished title than a rushed one (see Halo 2). This may not convince me to pick up a Revolution, but I might just buy another Gamecube to play it. Who knows for sure though, as the release is over half a year away.

Return to My Roots

Back in November, the release of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 was overshadowed by "another game". All of my LIVE friends at the time were too stuck on Halo 2 to remember the old days of strategy and one-shot kills. In the last few months, however, most of them have finally gotten over Halo and have ventured out, looking for the next big game. A few actually enjoy Black Hawk Letdown, though I don't understand why, and even more have been playing a lot of the Battlefield 2 Demo with me. But that's a demo we're talking about, we needed a full game. Just then, on my birthday, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike arrived to save the day. Suddenly, most of my friends were all playing the same game. The sequel to the game that the clan began playing together nearly three years ago...but were we going to enjoy it?

So first, let's talk basic game info. This stand-alone expansion pack features over 25 maps, a whopping 24 multiplayer game modes, and 15 new weapons. More of a solo-campaign person? Well, there's a completely new 11 mission campaign packed in to this game. As if this still isn't enough, the game is only $29.99! The graphics are a bit more polished than in Ghost Recon 2, and blood has been added. The audio is still amazing in Dolby Digital 5.1, a pleasant surprise after a week of playing BH(L)D. The game also still offers first-person and over-the-shoulder views, though online games can be limited to first-person only for those who are series veterans.

"How are the new game modes?", I hear you ask. While I have yet to play Heli Hunt, I have spent quite a lot of time on Armor Strike. When I last checked, I was ranked 13th overall in the mode. Armor Strike is a squad-based game type in which each team tries to destroy the other teams tanks, via laser designation, while protecting their own. This will require that every player be ready to go from offense to defense at any time. It's a pleasant change from LMS and SS, and will lead to hours of fun.

In closing, if you're a fan of military shooters, the Ghost Recon series, or even just a fan of Xbox LIVE shooters in general, give this game a try. It's only 30 bucks and can easily be rented if all that's listed above isn't enough to warrant your purchase. See you online.