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Beer Pong with less beer, more tossing, extra controversy
It's official: Beer Pong was way too controversial for the family-friendly Wii, and the forthcoming lulzworthy WiiWare game has undergone a name change. Beer Pong: Frat Party Games is now Frat Party Games: Pong Toss. What, like taking the beer out of the name takes it out of the frat party? That will certainly work. Next up: Frat Party Games: Quilting. You know how those boys at the chapter house like to fight over the best remnants.Here's the thing: in this case, it really did work. Not only is Beer Pong now operating under a different title, but all the references to alcohol have been removed, too. Publisher JVGames already made the change (in response, we assume, to previous protests), which resulted in the assumed rating being dropped down to E. Now, a whole new argument has arisen, thanks to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who feels that, despite the lack of beer anywhere in the game (it's juice in them there cups), an E rating will encourage underage drinking. Blumenthal wants an AO-rating, which just ain't happening -- liquor references in games rates teen, per the ESRB.The ESRB is having none of it, though; they smartly responded with a racing game analogy: if you pulled the same stunts in real life as you do in a racing game, they'd certainly be illegal. However, as they noted, many racing games are rated E. So why give this one, with no overt alcohol use and no illegal behavior whatsoever, a restrictive rating?From the screenshots, we can't help but think people should have not only left this one alone, but also be celebrating this game as a PSA. If drinking makes everything look like this, we're taking the first train to sobertown.%Gallery-27047%[Via Game|Life]
Protesters fight the wrong in Beer Pong
When Beer Pong: Frat Party Games was announced for WiiWare, many Wii owners protested it based on its stupidity. We should have guessed, though, that some people would actually protest the software for moral reasons.The problem here lies with the games ESRB rating, which is T (13+). Lisa Lombardozzi of the Greater Herndon Community Coalition is concerned that Beer Pong will encourage children to play the game in real life. In fact, many college students who partake in the activity (which is also called Beirut, depending on who you talk to) are not even of legal drinking age. Since the United States' drinking age is 21, activists claim that the game will promote binge drinking ideals to youths. JV Games' response to the issue was more dismissive than eloquent. Company spokesman Vince Valenti said, "We are not advocating drinking any more than watching cartoons or watching the TV show Cheers, or even going bowling or to a baseball game ... If anything, you're going to be drinking less, because you are too busy playing the game, trying to beat your opponent, to be constantly picking up a beer and drinking it."We doubt parents and community members were soothed by this response.[Via Game Politics]
WiiWare Beer Pong brings college idiocy to the Wii [update]
[Update: trailer after the break! Looks pretty okay, we suppose, for a beer pong game.]Beer pong is one of the weirder recent trends in party games since the out-of-nowhere resurgence of poker, at least as seen through the eyes of someone who isn't currently in college. Now JVGames has announced their intention to translate the drunk version of Bozo the Clown's "Grand Prize Game" to WiiWare. We read the press release and started to reach for the picardfacepalm.jpg, but then we went to the website and were presented with an unexpected hilarity bomb.Let's just say that the website (screenshot above) doesn't really scream professionalism. Blurry, blown-up beer glasses with choppy filling animations, and a 3D logo that looks like it was rendered in a DS homebrew program. It actually makes us kind of love it. Beer Pong: Frat Party Games will be out in June.[Via IGN]
PSP Fanboy review: Warhammer: Battle for Atluma
When I first heard of Warhammer: Battle for Atluma's pending release on the PSP, I got really excited. I've never played a Warhammer game, but I am a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and have been waiting for a good collectable card game for the PSP for a long time.Unfortunately, it looks like I may be waiting a little longer for that game.Now don't get me wrong, Battle for Atluma isn't terrible game, but I don't think it's going to win over many newcomers to the Warhammer universe.
Namco Bandai officially announces Warhammer
Last month, we reported that Warhammer would be coming to the PSP, but just recently Namco Bandai has officially announced it plans to ship Warhammer: Battle for Atluma, a card-based battle game, this fall."One of the more compelling card-based games to date, Warhammer: Battle for Atluma goes beyond simple player interaction and encourages an inclusive sense of community among players through head-to-head battles, card collecting, trading and strategy sessions," said John Whitmore, Director of Internal/External Development at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "This unique dynamic coupled with the strategic, fast-paced nature of the game certainly sets Warhammer: Battle for Atluma apart from other games in its genre."While the press release didn't offer up any new gameplay information, it did mention the game will be rated "T" for teen, and the title's developer is JV Games, which has most recently developed James Bond 007: Nightfire for the Gameboy Advance.
