There was a time when E3 was a really, really big deal. Now, it’s simply a really big deal. One of the biggest factors of its whole big dealness comes from the console manufacturers’ press conferences. They typically range from the epic (introduction of the Wii) to the horribly, horribly wrong (introduction of the PS3 and real-time weapon changing). So how did this year go for Nintendo?
Violence in video games seems to always be the easy answer for rallying politicians. From Jack Thompson to Joe Leiberman, it seems like everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and now gamers have the opportunity to make a buck from reporting crimes influenced by gaming.
A national newspaper in the U.K. has posted an online ad requesting stories from gamers on how the games they played turned them to a life of crime. The ad states, “Write a few lines about how computer games turned you to crime and if it’s something we like, we’ll call you straight back.” The paper is apparently willing to pay hundreds of pounds for anyone willing to sell their story.
As the release of Grand Theft Auto 4 draws ever nearer, the waters are already starting to boil. This, without Rockstar’s title even around to help it bubble over. The latest blowup is in Boston where the mayor wants to ban violent video game sales to minors.
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is apparently hopeful that banning sales of violent games to minors will cause a drop in street violence in the city. Larry Mayes, Menino’s chief of human services, said of the issue, “Children aged 17 and under should not be sold this stuff, so they are not getting into the hands of 9- and 10-year-olds. Is it going to be an uphill battle? Sure. But it’s absolutely a battle that the mayor feels he should take on.” (more…)
Good news for all you British gamers wanting to play Grand Theft Auto 4! A bill to increase censorship of violent films and games in England has failed. However, it wasn’t so much defeated as time simply expired in the debate over the issue. That sounds somehow appropriate on such an issue.
The bill would have allowed more appeals against rulings on products by the British Board of Film Classification. However, it simply never won the support it needed. The bill was brought by Julian Brazier in response to games such as Manhunt 2 and films such as Eastern Promises. So, there will be no additional censorship for now in England. (more…)
While it was recently announced that EA had approached Take Two Interactive with $2 billion dollars to buy their company, it seems Take Two is getting around.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Take Two reported that since EA’s offer the company has received additional offers described as “informal indications of interest in a business combination.” However, no specific companies have been named.
With top titles like Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto under its umbrella, it seems Take Two feels, like Epic VP Mark Rein, that their company is worth far more than what EA would like to offer. In a press release on their website Executive Chairman of the Board Strauss Zelnick stated that EA’s offer was rejected due to providing “insufficient value to our shareholders and comes at absolutely the wrong time given the crucial initiatives underway at the Company.” (more…)
When it was rumored the other day that Epic might be acquired by Microsoft, Epic’s Vice-President Mark Rein joked that they should start the bidding at $2 billion. Apparently Electronic Arts thought that price sounded about right for another big time company, Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two is the parent company of 2K Games and Rockstar. So, essentially, Electronic Arts might soon be the parent company of Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto.
While Electronic Arts continues to be the monster that ate everything in video game land, this move actually makes some sense for Take-Two. While occasional hits keep the company afloat, there have been many bombs and Rockstar has shown its only truly viable franchise to be Grand Theft Auto, with the possibility of Bully. Meanwhile, EA Sports has basically pushed 2K Sports to the point of starvation by acquiring exclusive rights to many popular sports leagues. 2K Sports does retain the exclusive third-party rights to Major League Baseball. (more…)
This Is Vegas looks like one of those quick cash-in poker gamers that flooded the market in recent years mixed with a nice helping of Grand Theft Auto. That’s actually not a bad idea for a game, but Midway as the developer does add some concern to the concept. The problem with the above video, oddly, comes from the driving scenes. While driving around Vegas might be of some interest, is that really why anyone goes to Vegas? This isn’t San Francisco or some other city known for its roads. Still, if they can mange to capture the seedy side of Vegas well, they just might have a franchise on their hands.
In reality, no one should ever complain about more game choices. With that in mind, Grand Theft Auto I & II as well as Street Fighter Alpha are rumored to be coming to the PS3’s PSN sometime soon. This is all according to England’s Official PlayStation Magazine. Of course, that is England’s version of the magazine, and not the official PlayStation magazine of England.
No one should ever complain about more game choices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anyone will care. In fairness to GTA I & II, they are both excellent games that laid the groundwork for the future blockbuster franchise. They are hardly the games most people know and love, though. Prepare for massive disappointment if you go into these games with little background knowledge. (more…)
Plenty of films get adapted into video games, but yet there are some that manage to slip through the cracks. They might not all be blockbusters at the box office, but they’d all make for interesting games. For once, let’s take films and make unique new gaming experiences out of them.
Sudden Death
Much can be said of the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and much of that negative. However, it’s hard to deny that during the 90s he made some very enjoyable action films, including this one. The marketing pitch had to be “Die Hard in a hockey arena” and it shows. Van Damme spends much of the film in brutal one on one fight scenes and crawling around hiding from terrorists. Somehow though, if one can turn their brain off for a bit, it works at being entertaining.
Electronic Arts should snap this one up now while also snapping up exclusive rights to the NHL. Then, brand this game with the official NHL license and watch the money pour in. Sure, the NHL might not like being linked with a terrorist filled action game, but they’d love the scene where Van Damme suits up and heads on the ice. It’s a perfect match for EA Sports’ hockey game engine. One caveat, this game could not be made without voiceover work from Powers Boothe reprising his character. In fact, every game could be improved with voice work from Powers Boothe. (more…)
There’s no denying that Grand Theft Auto 4 looks like a beauty of a game. Its graphics are made even more impressive when one considers the scale of the open city environment as opposed to a level structure. Still, perhaps the best judge of graphics comes from comparing the pseudo-realistic locations with their real world New York City counterparts.
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