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Whoops! Metal Gear Solid forgets rating; no longer on sale
Months after the US and Japanese release, Europeans were supposed to enjoy Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops today. To make up for the excruciating delay, the PAL version will feature new content not available in the other releases, such as new characters, maps and missions. However, it appears Europeans will have to wait a little bit longer, as the game has been delayed yet again. Why? According to Pocket Gamer, it appears that the box art artist forgot to include the BBFC (the UK equivalent of the ESRB) rating for the game.Without a rating on the box UMD, the game will not be sold at retailers. Whoops! This is a strange mishap, to say the least. It looks like European gamers will have to wait just a little bit longer as Konami fixes this mistake--but you guys are used to waiting, right?
Over 100,000 standalone HD DVD players sold in North America
Sure, moving 100,000 units doesn't seem all that extraordinary when you consider that Microsoft managed to foist off 92,000 of its own add-ons last Christmas, but the number does manage to garner a bit more respect when you realize that the Xbox 360 addition nor HD DVD PC drives are included in it. The North American HD-DVD Promotional Group is now claiming that sales of set-top HD DVD players have finally hit the 100k mark, presumably ready to smack down that Blu-ray supremacy talk and prove that the recent surge in disc sales was more than a well-planned fluke. Of course, claiming the feat really says nothing in the grand scheme of the ongoing format war, but we can officially start the countdown until the Blu-ray camp proudly trounces these figures and yet again claims momentary dominance.[Via TGDaily]
Gallery exhibit looks to teach parents about video games
Brenda Brathwaite is a vocal advocate within the industry known for frank discussions on sex, censorship and ESRB issues. Recently she was awarded the 2007 Presidential Fellowship at the SavannahCollege of Art and Design to create a lecture and gallery exhibit titled, "What You Don't Know About Video Games..." The installation is aimed at parents and others unfamiliar with video games and the industry. The lecture is designed to cover all kinds of topics like ratings, game content, career options and the good video games are doing in all kinds of fields.The portion that Brathwaite is most excited about is the exhibit. It'll be in an actual gallery space and will give parents a hands-on guided tour of video games at every rating level from E to AO. The latter, of course, will not be readily viewable, and not at all viewable by those under 18. Brathwaite says, "For me, the motivation comes from both being a parent, a game designer and an acquaintance of many parents who know little about our industry, or believe that video games 'are just for kids,' or some great violence-filled, blood-soaked evil ... Hopefully, they'll come away more knowledgeable about our industry, excited about the games we make and better able to make informed choices at retail."For those who have seen Brathwaite speak, she knows how to keep an audience's attention. She explains large concepts in a clear and entertaining manner. If there is anyone we think can explain the industry to parents evenly by showing the good and the bad -- it's Brathwaite. We'll learn more about exhibit details and look forward to some preview photos as the opening draws near. What we're really hoping for is a good internet video of the lecture and exhibit for those who can't get to Savannah but want to see it -- or show it to someone who should.
Ask TUAW: Rating On-the-Go, multiple Docks, recovering icons and more
Wednesday is Ask TUAW time! This week we'll look at questions about the iPod's on-the-go features, multiple Docks, recovering icons, network disks, and much more. As always, please leave your own comments, and ask more questions for next week either in the comments to this post or using the tip form. Now let's dive right in!
More ESRB ratings found for Virtual Console
The ESRB ratings website is a veritable treasure trove of nuclear launch codes, CIA secrets, and unannounced Virtual Console games. Recently, ratings have popped up for Mighty Bomb Jack, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire. While not all of the ESRB rated games have yet arrived on the console, it's fairly certain that they'll get here eventually.In addition, Super Ghouls n' Ghosts was announced not only for the Wii, but for the 360 and PS3. This would make it the first game to be released on all three systems' classic download services, which then brings up silly flame wars and pointless arguing.But seriously, the Wii version will totally be the best.(Note: The GameSpot article mentions that Galaga was also tagged for release, but we actually caught this back in January. We rock.)
Another casualty, Germany won't rate Crackdown
Simply put, Germany's video game rating board is strict. They're the same group that refused to give a ratings to both Dead Rising and Gears of War which means these games cannot be openly sold on store shelves in Germany. Now it looks like Crackdown has become the third 360 victim of the German ratings board's wrath as they refuse to rate it too. It could just be us, but Crackdown is no Gears of War in terms of violence. True, we have yet to play the game, but from the videos and screenshots that we've seen, it doesn't look all that violent or twisted. Personally, we think the German ratings board just gets tired after months and months of non-stop game rating sessions. So, they randomly decide to not rate a game to make it a short work week. In their eyes not rating Crackdown for some quality vacation time ... it just makes sense. (Note: This isn't how Germany decides to rate games as their vacation time doesn't depend on how many games they rate ... or so we think.)[Via Joystiq]
Crack down on Crackdown, Germany refuses to issue rating
The German ratings board has refused to issue a rating for Crackdown, marking the third instance in which an Xbox 360 title will be ostensibly blacklisted in the country. This peculiar circumstance does not make Crackdown illegal, but its sale to minors is. In addition, the game cannot be displayed or advertised by retailers, and all purchases of Crackdown must be made in person. The ratings board was likely turned off by the game's violence, which has yet to draw attention from other critics. See also: Dead Rising banned in Germany Germany says NEIN to Gears of War German states mull violent game ban
Proposed legislation: ESRB must complete every game
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) has proposed a bill that would require the ESRB to play games in their entirety before providing a rating. This, like so much other legislation, establishes how little the government knows about games, making us concerned when it tries to legislate gaming.The punch-line, as you've guessed, is that there's not enough time for the ESRB to play every game. That's like asking a chef to make every possible meal before rating a restaurant. And how do you decide when an MMO, or even a repetitive game like Tetris, is complete?Under the current rating system, publishers provide the ESRB with video of the gameplay and detailed information about a game's content. The ESRB may also play the game, but the group relies most on publishers' full disclosure. If the publisher lies about the game, that company faces fines and the possibility that the ESRB won't rate its future releases. (Most major chains won't stock unrated titles.)Legislation like this, where our representatives don't understand the subject of their bills, makes us uncomfortable. We hope that logic will end this proposal, but logic seems to evaporate the closer we get to Congressional elections.[Via: Digg]
Bully gets a T rating. No, seriously
In a move predicted by more than a few comments at Joystiq, Rockstar's controversial title Bully has received a T for Teen rating from the ESRB. Questionable content includes Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence. Go ahead, let that one sink in, we'll wait. What does the T rating mean, exactly? Most retail outlets follow one simple rule of thumb: don't sell Mature-rated games to minors. According to the ESRB's official ratings guide, "Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older." Come October, little Billy won't need to ask him mom or bribe a homeless man into buying the game, he can do it himself. Wal-mart, after pulling Bully pre-orders a few weeks back (for various, disputed reasons), is now taking pre-orders on its web site. With the political season in full swing, we imagine more than a few politicians will cite this case as an example of the ESRB's negligence, or how the ratings system is "out of touch with" or "destroying" American values. Keep in mind the game has no guns or knives, disproving the theory that this title is a "Columbine simulator" (as purported by anti-game activist Jack Thompson). Bully will be released October 16 for the PlayStation 2.
macosxhints debuts hint-rating system
The 'don't-buy-a-Mac-without-it' macosxhints.com has debuted a hint rating system, allowing both logged in and anonymous users to place a 1-5 star rating on each hint. As you might expect, their stats page now includes a 'Top 20 Rated Hints' section at the bottom. This should allow you to spend even more time you never intended to, learning even cooler ways to use your Mac.
