real world

R18+ Classification: "The release of GTA IV is a defining moment"

r18_left.jpgSlowly but surely, the reality of our skewed classification system has been making its way into mainstream media. This story on GTA IV over at The Australian turthers this point.

If there was any game, past, present or future, that shows we're in dire need of an R18+ rating for video games, it's GTA IV. Greg Bondar, Chief Executive of the Game Developers Association of Australia, feels it could be the game that pushes us over the line:

"I think the release of GTAIV is a defining moment; it goes to show how far the games industry has come," Mr Bondar said.

"The ratings system has not kept up."
A few statistics pulled from studies by Bond University and the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia also appear in the article. Here's a sample:
According to the research, 62per cent of people said a games classification had no influence on their buying decision, but it also found there was mass confusion about the differences between M and MA15+ ratings, with 32 per cent believing that MA15+ signified a game was meant only for people 18 or older.
32 percent? That's no small number of confused individuals. Wouldn't it be easier if we, like, just had an R18+? Of course it would.

Grand Theft raises R rating prospect [The Australian]

Kotaku Australia Post

2:30 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Logan Booker

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fighting

Xbox Originals Soul Calibur Looks... Constrained

I remember the Dreamcast version of the original Soul Calibur blowing my baby blue socks clean off when I first saw it. Then again, that was on a 4:3, standard definition TV. This update, on a 16:9 screen and in HD? With those Windows 3.1 desktop-lookin borders? I...look, it still looks great, and I maintain the first is the best game in the series, it's just going to take a while to get used to seeing it look so different, that's all.

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1:20 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Luke Plunkett

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playstation 3 xbox 360

Beyond Good & Evil 2 Is For PS3, 360

We first posted the news of a sequel to Beyond Good & Evil being in pre-production last night. Since then, though, we've been able to take a good look at the original source of the news, an interview in French magazine JeuxVideo, and glean a few more bits of info from it. Firstly, the interview wasn't just with Michel Ancel, it was with Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy artist) and French comic artist Enki Bilal, which is pretty cool! Secondly, Ancel says the game - if it's ever approved by Ubisoft, that is - will be for the PS3 and 360. Sorry, N-Gage fans. But it's better you know now than to keep on hoping in vain.

JeuxVideo Magazine [#91]

1:00 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Luke Plunkett

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psp

Japanese Hardware Buyers Still Like That PSP

Super Sales Chart Thursday comes to a close with the weekly tally of Japanese hardware sales, courtesy of Media Create. The PSP continues to sit pretty atop the charts—it's a distant third in the United States—but the separation between it and the Wii continues to grow slimmer, week after week. Not much action for the week of May 5 to 11 over there, but based on the bottom half of the chart, we're betting Sony is glad it has the PSP on its side.

  • PSP - 89,884
  • Wii - 67,308
  • Nintendo DS - 51,228
  • PlayStation 3 - 8,054
  • PlayStation 2 - 7,464
  • Xbox 360 - 1,298

12:40 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Michael McWhertor

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real world

Boys Pay Hookers To Play Halo And...Oh, That Story Isn't Real

If you've been trawling the recesses of the internets for the past week or so, you may have come across a story about a pair of 13 year-old kids who lied about winning a WoW tournament, booked a swish hotel room then paid for two $US 1000-a-night hookers to come upstairs and play Halo with them. For their troubles, the pair have allegedly been "convicted of fraud". It'd be a pretty funny story if it was true. Thing is, it's not. Kiwi site Stuff actually bothered to check with the police in Newark, Texas, where the events supposedly took place, and were told:

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12:20 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Luke Plunkett

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industry news

Sony Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

The PlayStation 3 may have finished (well) behind the Wii and (a smidge) lower than the Xbox 360 for the month of April, but that doesn't mean that we'll bat an eyelash when Sony sends us a statement that kicks off with "PS3 Continues Blockbuster Year." Fortunately for SCEA, it has triple the hardware representation, letting it flex carefully chosen figures like "total PlayStation hardware sales" topping 505,363 units sold in April.

Sony compared much of its performance to itself—well, its former self—as it touts 127% year-over-year sales growth on the PS3 hardware, with software up 410% over the previous April. That looks impressive! In other crazy percentages, Sony notes that 23.6% of PS3 owners bought a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV in April, a "29.0% higher attach rate for the title than Xbox 360." Stop! I'm getting dizzy!

"PS3 momentum is fuelled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few," said SCEA prez Jack Tretton. "With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year." Enjoy the full statement after the jump.

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12:00 PM on Fri May 16 2008
by Michael McWhertor

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industry news

Microsoft Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

Despite just narrowly beating out its higher priced, current gen high definition console competition, Microsoft sounds like it's pretty pleased with its April performance, at least on paper. And despite being outsold near four to one by the standard definition competition, the Xbox 360 manufacturer sounded almost ecstatic about its Grand Theft Auto IV numbers.

Microsoft's favourite numbers were its games per console attach rate (7.6!), spending to date on the "Xbox 360 experience" ($US 9.7 billion) and the roman numeral "IV" which it tossed around an impressive eight times in a post NPD release statement.

It even busted out review scores, saying "Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii." Alright! Let's party! First place in the U.S. ain't gonna last much longer.

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11:30 AM on Fri May 16 2008
by Michael McWhertor

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industry news

Nintendo Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

With such stellar Wii and Nintendo DS sales, Nintendo has a right to gloat. Even the almighty God would look the other way if Messrs. Fils-Aime and Iwata exhibited a bit of pride today. Nintendo was so pleased with its U.S. sales performance for April—in which it sold over 700,000 Wiis and 400,000 Nintendo DSs—that it distributed its statement before NPD figures were released. That's either confidence or a desire to leave the office by 5 PM at the latest.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America EVP of Sales & Marketing said in a statement "Our belief in appealing to a broad, diverse audience of players continues to resonate with consumers, and we look forward to continuing our outreach to an expanded audience with the launch of Wii Fit next week." Representative mascot Duffman said, "Duffman!"

Nintendo also noted in its statement that Super Smash Bros. Brawl passed the 3 million units in sales in the U.S. last month. Gosh! People really like that Smash Bros.! Quoted statement follows.

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11:00 AM on Fri May 16 2008
by Michael McWhertor

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playstation 3

Limited Edition MGS4 "Gun Metal Gray" PS3 Is A Konami.com Exclusive

Konami announced today that the "gun metal gray" special edition PlayStation 3—described as being "very, very limited" when confirmed for a stateside release—bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4 and a DualShock 3 controller will only be available for purchase from Konami's web site. Priced at $US 599.99, it will sport 40GB worth of hard drive space in addition to it's unique, flat finish.

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10:30 AM on Fri May 16 2008
by Michael McWhertor

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Hands on with Hellboy: Science of Evil

My hands on with Hellboy: Science of Evil was a surprising experience. I wasn't expecting to like it much but it ended up being a pretty fun little action game experience. You play Hellboy, the demon with the sawed off horns and stone fist of fury. After discovering a Nazi plot to take over the world, Hellboy must hit the streets to keep them from fulfilling their evil plans. Co-op play is available through two additional characters, Liz and Abe who you might remember from the movie and comic books. It should be noted that the game is mainly based on the comics but there are elements room the movie such as character voices from stars Ron Perlman,David Hyde Pierce and Selma Blair. As an added bonus, the script for the game was penned by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

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10:00 AM on Fri May 16 2008
by Flynn De Marco

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