The BBC recently launched their iPlayer television replay service for the Nintendo Wii, and that made PS3 owners a little miffed. Passing up the Xbox 360 with its lack of a web browser is one thing, but the PlayStation 3 is browser ready! Some went as far as to cobble together a solution on their own, a fact that impressed the hell out of BBC Head of Digital Media Technology, Future Media & Technology, Anthony Rose.

Read More »

The BBC announced earlier today, along with Nintendo, that the British broadcaster's iPlayer service has been tailored for Wii Internet Channel users. BBC dot.life blogger Darren Waters poses the question, "Why didn't it come to the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3?" Well, Waters writes, it's due to the assertion that Sony and Microsoft were less flexible, with BBC's Erik Huggers saying the corporations "want control of the look, the feel and the experience; they want it done within their shop, and their shop only."

Read More »

Doctor Who is coming to the Wii...sort of! The BBC has announced that their iPlayer replay service will now be functional on the Nintendo Wii. The service, made available last month on the iPod Touch and iPhone, presents time-limited replays of BBC shows, such as Doctor Who, Torchwod, and whatever else they have worth watching. Wii owners in the UK will be able to browse to the page and grab their favourite shows.

Read More »

You all remember. Genji, "historical accuracy", giant crabs, massive damage. We all had a chuckle (some even a chortle) at Sony's expense. But what if giant crabs were real? And not "giant" as in "oh, my, it's as big as your head", giant as in "run, before it eats you and your fleshy human babies". This BBC story, about the discovery of the fossil of an 8-foot scorpion, reports that the team researching the find claims:

The size of the beast suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were much larger in the past than previously thought.

Crabs! And crabs are a lot bigger than scorpions, so if we had an 8-foot scorpion, that's one...massive crab. Sorry.

Man-sized sea scorpion claw found [BBC, via The Gaming Fascist] [Image]

Gaming makes players into fat, anti-social, cold-blooded killers. Right? Right?! Nope! The BBC has a nice piece called "In Defense of Computer Games," which aims to clue in John Q. Public about what gaming actually means. Think of it as antidote for questionable dummies like wacky Florida "lawyer." From the BBC piece:

It's a common misconception that gaming is a solitary activity, as today an increasing number of titles are for gamers to get together and play in turn. In this respect, it's no different to golf — a game which can be a source of marital friction but is rarely accused of incitement to murder... Games like Halo are part of such a large sub-culture that people who don't play them are likely to be seen as oddballs and excluded from many conversations — in much the same way as people who aren't interested in football or who don't have a television.

The piece goes on to cite a university professor who says gamers have more friends than non-gamers and mention evidence that games improve eye-hand coordination. Maybe it's something in the air, but I get the feeling gaming's days as the scapegoat for society's ills are numbered. More of this level headed reporting please!
In Defense of Computer Games [BBC]

It seems like money and apologies aren't enough to satisfy the great Church of England. BBC News is reporting that the Dean of Manchester Cathedral is calling for arch nemesis Resistance: Fall of Man to be removed from a list of games that have been nominated for a British Academy Video Games Award after an unsuccessful bid to have the game removed from th UK's store shelves. Says the Dean:

It is a disgrace that Resistance: Fall of Man has been shortlisted... Sony has admitted that they did not have permission to film or use Manchester Cathedral in their computer game... BAFTA should not be seen condoning such behaviour unless they are saying it is acceptable for producers to walk into historic buildings and film interiors - ignoring contracts, rights and liability.

BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) has stated that the award which Resistance is up for, the PC World Gamers' Award, is public voted. Although they didn't say it outright, I'm assuming this means they are absolving themselves from any responsibility in the matter and basically telling the Church to take a hike. This final bit from the Dean of Manchester Cathedral, however, is priceless:

(The Dean) then called on Sony to abide by new "sacred digital guidelines" as he feared other buildings would be cloned for "virtual desecration".

Sacred digital guidelines? Wow... just, wow. Sounds like something a certain Florida lawyer might come up with...

Church criticises gun game award [BBC News]

[Thanks, HellblazerUSA]

The BBC couldn't ignore one of the biggest entertainment launches of the year, and in demonstrating the gameplay of Halo 3 for the viewing public, they managed to slip in some top-secret footage of the game that is simply amazing to look at. I really think they should have gone with the graphics in the second part of the clip rather than what they ended up with. Take that, Killzone 2! Oh wait...

Microsoft and the BBC are in talks about selling BBC television as downloadable content via the Xbox Live Marketplace when the Video service hits the UK, the Sunday Times reports. Last year the BBC signed an agreement with Microsoft to explore ways of developing its digital services.

"We are working diligently on multiple fronts to make it happen," said Ross Honey, senior director for media at Microsoft's content and partner strategy group. "The BBC is a great content provider."

The story goes on to say that they are also in talks with "several other European media companies," but doesn't name them.

BBC courted for Xbox link [Times Online, via Xboer.tv]

The BBC recently got a chance to play through a small chunk of Killzone 2. It appears the level they got their hands on was the one shown at E3, and they were thoroughly impressed:

Sat down in front of a playable level it is immediately clear that Killzone 2 will be one of the most cinematic and immersive games ever produced on a console.

The raw processing power of the PlayStation 3 has been harnessed to create a level of detail seen only in a handful of games on high-end PCs.

Read More »

Think the British Board of Film Classification care about Rockstar and Take-Two's release schedule? They couldn't give two shits. MCV "understand" that Rockstar's appeal to have the game's British ban overturned, which was submitted last week, is now being heard by the board. Thing is, they also "understand" the process could take months, meaning that if the game ever does ship, we'll all have gotten over it by then. Maybe even completely forgotten about it, and you have to resort to making things up so you sound like you know what you're talking about. "Manhunt 2? Ah, yes, the one with the magic penguins and little orphaned babies. No thanks, heard it was a bit crap. $10 for downloadable babies was a bit much".
Rockstar faces lengthy wait for Manhunt appeal verdict [MCV]