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FTC Rules Against Take-Two Interactive
Posted by Thea Davis Categories: Action, Corporate News, Culture,
The Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Take-Two Interactive was deceptive in its marketing of “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” but its finding is a mere slap on the wrist as the company was not even ordered to pay a fine. The ruling stems from the fact that Take-Two Interactive “did not tell consumers that the game discs contained potentially viewable nude female characters and a potentially playable sex mini-game,” FTC officials said. During the normal course of the game said content was inaccessible. The problem arose when hackers exposed the presence of these hidden scenes and posted a program on online called “Hot Coffee” that would unlock the hidden content in the PC version of the game.
A complaint about the deceptive advertising of the game had been lodged by Senator Hillary Clinton. The FTC has placed the company on what amounts to probation—“if they again violate the ratings (again), they will be subject to a civil fine of up to $11,000 per a violation.” The judgment comes after nearly a year-long investigation.
Read More 
| Kotaku
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99 Nights Coming This August
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Corporate News, Xbox 360,
Microsoft today announced that Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s latest endeavor, 99 Nights, will be hitting the US this August. The game was released in Japan on April 20, and received a respectable 31/40 from hard to please Weekly Famitsu. The game is a departure for Mizuguchi, who previously created Meteos for the DS, and Lumines for the PSP. Whereas previous efforts have focused on puzzle-based and rhythm mechanics, 99 Nights could be best compared to Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series. Possibly the strongest features of the game are the large, expansive battlegrounds, and the massive numbers of enemies to face, clearly showing off the power of the Xbox 360. The action is mindless, and violent enough that the game has received an “M” rating from the ESRB.
Read More | GamerscoreBlog
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Xbox Live Update Coming Soon
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace,
Ubisoft today announced that the first set of downloadable content updates for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on the Xbox 360 will be available via Xbox Live Marketplace at the end of the month. Included in the new content will be Chapter 2 of the co-op campaign, featuring four new missions, according to Ubisoft:
- Coffee Plantation (Day) – This takes place on a coffee plantation embedded deep in Nicaragua. The map is littered with good cover options that appear in the form of a centrally located plantation house, coffee processing equipment, growing coffee plants, and stacked bags of coffee beans ready for transport. The Ghosts’ overall goal of this mission is to eliminate the arms dealer and shut down his operations.
- Shipping Port (Evening) – The next mission takes place at a shipping port and the Ghosts’ objective is to stop the enemy from smuggling weapons into the country. The player will interact with rebel troops through warehouses, decks of ships, and on massive shipping cranes. This night mission provides an eerie backdrop for Ghosts to move in take out the weapon shipments and ensure that the illegal smuggling of arms will stop.
- River Depot (Dawn) – This map puts the Ghosts in a jungle area that the Rebel forces have infiltrated and are using for storing and shipping out illegal weapons. The goal of the Ghosts is to secure the warehouse facility that holds crucial information concerning the placement and shipment of weapons. As the player weaves through the jungle and eliminates the patrols of enemies, they must also destroy all the weapon shipments and keep the Rebels from extracting from the area. Massive trees, loads of weapon shipments, and enemy transports are unique characteristics of this mission.
- Jungle Mine (Day) – The last mission in this co-op campaign chapter takes place in a mine that is vital to the Rebel force’s regime and the Ghosts are tasked with securing the area, destroying the weapons, and eliminating the Rebel leader. The central location on this map is the mine itself and it provides a place for multi-tiered gameplay surrounded by good cover. This mission provides a new gameplay experience for Ghost Recon fans and it will surely be one of the more memorable missions in GR history.
In addition, eight of the existing multi-player levels will be “remixed” with new lighting options, and there will be two new multi-player game types included. Gamers will be able to customize their online presence further with two new camo options, and four new face types. Five new weapons will also be included in the game, further enhancing the multiplayer experience. No word was given on possible bug fixes included in the content pack. Pricing wasn’t set, but expect it to be greater than the 500 points for the Perfect Dark Map Pack.
Read More | Ghostrecon.com
More Price Drops for Xbox 360 Games
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Driving, Hot Deals, Xbox 360,
1up.com and the Frugal Gamer are reporting on some more price drops for Xbox 360 games, including The Outfit and Burnout Revenge now priced at $39.99. Just to review, here are the Xbox 360 games now available at the $40 pricepoint:
- Burnout: Revenge
- Condemned: Criminal Origins
- Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires
- FIFA 06
- Full Auto
- Madden NFL 06
- NBA 2K6
- NBA Live 06
- The Outfit
- Perfect Dark Zero
- Peter Jackson’s King Kong
- Ridge Racer 6
- Rockstar Games Table Tennis
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
- Top Spin 2
Microsoft has stated that they’re feeling comfortable with their pricepoints through the launch of the PS3, and it’s not surprising - right now you could pick up an Xbox 360 and 5 decent games for the price of a PS3 un-handicapped system. Still, while Microsoft might not be lowering the price of their console anytime soon, they appear to be acting quite agressively in the area of games. Are these games for the 360 not selling as well as expected, leading to the price drops? Or is Microsoft positioning itself to be the console with the cheaper system AND cheaper games when the PS3 launches? We’ll just have to wait and see what further price drops take place in the months leading up to the PS3 release.
Read More | The Frugal Gamer via 1Up
Masahiro Sakurai, the Director of the upcoming Super Smash Brothers Brawl, has just revealed new tidbits of information regarding the game on his blog. According to the entry, game play will be less complex this time around, in an effort to make the game easier for new players to enjoy. In addition, a greater focus on aerial battles and “moderated” speed will be among the other changes to the game’s fighting system. Online play will feature only basic functionality, eschewing popular features in other games, such as player rankings.
The character roster for the game remains unfinished, but there does seem to be a chance that non-Nintendo characters may still appear. The only apparent requirements for consideration, are that the character(s) must have appeared already in a game on a Nintendo platform earlier. Sakurai goes on to mention that the roster has only room for one or two more characters.
Read More | Smash Boards
Halo 3 Documentary Coming Soon to Bungie.net
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, First Person Shooters, Internet, Trailers, Xbox 360,
Coming soon, you’ll be able to see a documentary of the making of the Halo 3 trailer on Bungie.net. From the company’s weblog:
“Some of our sharp-eyed fans may have noticed Marty hinted at an upcoming documentary on Bungie.net. It was supposed to be a surprise, but since the man himself gave it away, we can in fact reveal that we have a documentary short that shows the process and people involved in making the E3 trailer, complete with some never before seen scenes (think angles, really) from the trailer. This was the goodie I had hinted at in a previous update.”
No specifics were given yet as to when we can expect to see this documentary appear, but it should be interesting to see the blood, sweat and tears that went into getting the trailer ready for E3.
Read More | 1Up
Read More | Bungie
Rumor: Sora Joins Line-Up In Smash Brothers: Brawl?
Posted by Binh Tran Categories: Action, Fighting, Rumors, Wii,
On the heels of the surprise announcement of Solid Snake’s addition to the Smash Brothers: Brawl lineup, rumors have begun circulating on the internet regarding who may be added to the roster. Recently, Nintendo had begun receiving online surveys from fans of the series, with their suggestions for who they would want to join the lineup for the popular fighting game.
Sakurai, the director of Brawl and also the original Smash Brothers, recently issued a listing of some of the suggestions fans had made in the survey. Most notable of the names on the list included, Sora, of Kingdom Hearts fame; Mega Man, and also Little Mac from Nintendo’s Punch Out games. Whether or not this signifies if these characters are seriously being considered for the game is as yet, unknown.
Read More | SmashBoards
Read More | Smash Bros.
Andy Serkis to Star in Heavenly Sword for PS3
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Adventure, PlayStation 3,
Andy Serkis, the man behind both Gollum and King Kong, will be lending his talents to the Playstation 3 game Heavenly Sword according to the BBC news service. Serkis became involved by chance, after a trailer was passed on to Serkis by his mortgage advisor, of all people. Much like his work with Gollum, Serkis’ movements and dramatic performance is being motion-captured and used for in-game characters. The article goes on to describe some of the other Hollywood-like production qualities of this game, which is is expected to launch shortly after the release of the PS3.
If Serkis’ previous work is any gauge (13 Going On 30 being the odd exception) then we can expect great things from this game. Check the link below for a somewhat creepy look at the similarities between Serkis and his CG counterpart.
Read More | BBC News - Technology
PopCap’s Hammer Heads Now Available for Download
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Internet, PC, Portable/Mobile, Retro,
Hammer Heads, one of the first games ever shown on Microsoft’s UMPC spec (a.k.a. Origami) is now available for download over at PopCap Games. Based on the old carnival favorite, whack-a-mole, Hammer Heads has you breaking statues of garden gnomes that keep popping up on your lawn. The game could be great on a UMPC, as touch-screen controls could allow for much quicker gnome-bashing than a mouse. Still, it’s not necessarily a reason to go rushing out and buy that TabletKiosk just yet…with UMPC prices being what they are, you could probably just go out and buy an old carnival machine for the same price.
The game is available as a download only (no web version yet) for PC only. The free version of the game allows you to play through 7 levels before you’re asked to upgrade to “Deluxe” for $19.95.
Read More | Hammer Heads Product Page
New Super Mario Brothers Review Roundup
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Nintendo DS, Reviews,
New Super Mario Bros. has officially shipped in the US, and so far, the game plays great. There’s a real nostalgic feel to the game, but at the same time, there are enough new touches to make it feel like the game is a continuation of the 2D platforming gameplay made famous on the Super Nintendo. The game itself is almost a pure platformer, with the DS touch screen basically used as a power-up inventory, allowing Mario to hold a backup in a pinch. Seasoned Mario fans will probably be able to breeze through the game levels the first time through, but the organization of the levels means that completists will need to trek through levels more than once to grab everything possible. Graphically, the switch to a polygonal Mario is important for some of the games special effects and power-ups, but the level of detail means that the new model doesn’t detract from the core gameplay. Mario is better animated than he has been in previous 2D outings, but the look and feel of the game really captures the old school game mechanics. Gamestop, IGN, and 1up all have their reviews up, and Nintendo has updated their official game site to include strategy tips and gameplay movies showing off the additions that make New Super Mario Bros. new.
Read More | Gamespot Review (9.0)
Read More | IGN Review (9.5)
Read More | 1up.com (8.0)
Read More | Official Mario Site @ Nintendo.com
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