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Mother's campaign to bring video game seizure concerns to British Parliament a success
By now, you've probably noticed the seizure warnings interjected into the start-up screens of many games, giving the .02 percent of the population that suffers from photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) a heads-up that the following game may not be entirely safe for them to play. However, Gaye Herford, a mother residing in England, has brought her concerns over game-related seizures to British Parliament after her 10-year-old son suffered a seizure following a round of Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the Nintendo DS.Parliament has agreed to debate whether or not rigorous testing for seizure-inducing material in video games should be required by their developers on a heretofore undecided date. Television and films are already tested in this manner, but no countries require similar checks for games. Ubisoft has independently agreed to begin performing these tests on all their future titles, though we find it difficult to imagine how one makes a mini-game compilation featuring hyperactive, mutant rabbits without using some PSE-sensitive material.
Mom wins her fight in Rayman Raving Rabbids epilepsy ordeal
Over the last year, UK mom ("mum" is the word over there, we believe) Gaye Herford has been fighting to change the way games are tested before they are sent to retail. Her 10-year-old son, while playing Rayman Raving Rabbids, went into an epileptic fit. She had no idea that games could send players into photo sensitive epileptic (PSE) seizures. We guess she hasn't seen the intro splash screen Nintendo has had around since the Pokémon incident.But, after a long year, she has won her battle. Ubisoft has volunteered to do the testing itself and will try to ensure such a thing does not happen again. Herford also managed to secure a debate in Parliament, for a future date that is yet to be determined. "As a parent myself, I was shocked that a single game could possibly trigger a sudden first-time seizure, with its life-long implications," says Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose, who helped Herford in her battle. "Right now, most electronic game publishers simply issue written warnings about PSE on or inside their products - and that's on a voluntary basis. But that's no good for the thousands of people with dormant PSE because they don't know the warnings - if they even read them - apply to them." At the time of the article, no comment was made by Nintendo. Ubisoft did say, though, that testing of Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the DS "showed that no images posed a high risk for photosensitivity epilepsy. However, we made a corporate decision to pre-screen and pre-test all Ubisoft in-house developed games regardless of platform, prior to publication."
Ubisoft wants to up its game: be on par with EA, Activision Blizzard
With "bigger and better" becoming a mantra of sorts for modern game design, it seems only logical for the developers and publishers of our favorite blockbusters to expand their operations in tandem with their goals. Speaking to Develop, Ubisoft head of global development, Christine Burgess-Quémard, has said that the Tom Clancy and Prince of Persia publisher is always looking to widen its worldwide business. "We want to continue our strategy of innovation, and in order to do that, we need to have more people and generate more business," she explained. "Every blockbuster we work on, we invest in new studios, new teams and new projects." As for measuring up to rival monoliths, EA and Activision Blizzard, Burgess-Quémard states that Ubisoft (or is that Take-Twobisoft?) won't be caught resting on its laurels. "We are in the race, definitely – and we're not in it to come last."Now, please remember the other half of the aforementioned mantra, Ubi. Bigger and better. We could certainly do with fewer giant corporations pumping pollution into our virtual environments.
Rabbids to return to DS, may even get noticed
Despite the fact that the first two games appeared on the DS, the Rayman Raving Rabbids series has always been more closely associated with the Wii, either because the original was a Wii launch game, or because the DS iterations are pretty mediocre.Now, the involvement of the Balance Board is threatening to relegate the DS edition of Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party to an even more insignificant footnote, but we hope the DS game stands on its own. The Rabbids are liked by pretty much everybody we know, and deserve a worthy handheld game. Protip though, Ubisoft: it's probably best to avoid this kind of publicity.[Via press release]
Raving Rabbids TV Party, for use with balance board, coming this winter
Click to embiggen ... Daaaah! var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Raving_Rabbids_TV_Party_announced_uses_Wii_balance_board'; Those wascally wabbits are back. Ubisoft has announced Raving Rabbids TV Party, due out this holiday season for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Said the press release, "The Rabbids plan to invade televisions worldwide, providing players with a variety of games and comedic exploits spoofing TV shows, pop culture and even advertisements."As was hinted in a recent video (embedded after the break), TV Party will make use of the Wii balance board. Early screenshots indicate the balance board is not required for every game, but will involve sitting on the board and shaking your butt. Said CEO Yves Guillemot, "The inclusion of the Wii Balance Board into the game was a huge source of inspiration for our development team and I guarantee you will see the Wii Balance Board used in ways that will be surprisingly unexpected!" More details are to come at this year's E3.%Gallery-23881%
Get teased about Rayman Raving Rabbids 3
We don't have to tell you how charmingly insane those little rabbids are. Even when it comes to Wii Fit, they just have to find their own delightfully ridiculous way of doing things. Well, it would seem, based on the teaser trailer above, that you can look forward to a third installment in the Rayman Raving Rabbids franchise. Hard to believe, we know, seeing as how a lot of you bought the previous titles in the franchise.Who's excited about a new Rayman Raving Rabbids game? Anything you'd like to change in the new game that you weren't all that happy about in the last two games?
Another Week in Europe
Grand Theft Auto IV continues to show up the competition across Europe this week, with either the PS3 or Xbox 360 edition claiming top spot everywhere. Wii pair Wii Fit and Game Night favorite Mario Kart Wii are close behind in most places (because we're optimists, we're now going to consider third as the new first), though yours truly would love to know where anybody is finding Mario Kart in the UK -- I hit the high street to find a copy for a friend a few days back, with zero success.Further down the charts, Boom Blox made (what could almost be described as) an impact in its second week on sale, soaring from outside the Top 40 to 19th in the UK, while Super Mario Galaxy and Guitar Hero III rejoined the top ten in Holland and Sweden respectively. No Irish charts this week, we're afraid, but here's a hunch we had: Grand Theft Auto IV probably sold a lot.
New DS demos are the old DS demos
When we turned on our Wii earlier to check and see if the recent habit of providing us with new DS demos every week would continue, we stumbled upon something very odd. You see, this week's new DS demos are, in fact, the first set of DS demos that released alongside the Nintendo Channel. Just now, they don't have an expiration date attached to them.For those of you with a bad memory (or no desire to click links), the list of demos available has been placed past the break.
ESRB lists potential upcoming PS1 downloads
Reader Matt G. sent in a tip, detailing a number of PS1 titles rated by the ESRB that have yet to be released on PSP/PS3. These downloadable classics should arrive on the PSN some time in the future -- but when? Wipeout XL (E) Jet Moto 3 (E) Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo (E) Buster Bros. Collection (E) Street Fighter Alpha (T) -- previously discovered, not released Rayman (E) Castlevania Chronicles (T) -- previously discovered, not released SCEA has been slow to make PS1 classics available on the PS Store. We're eagerly awaiting a version of Puzzle Fighter we can take on the go.
The rabbids show us how to use the Balance Board
Love 'em or hate 'em, Ubisoft's rabbids are quite the characters. From this little teaser video that the company sent to IGN, it's also not hard to believe that the bunny-like critters will soon be back on the Wii for Rayman Raving Rabbids 3. Whether the unconfirmed (but likely) game will use the Balance Board, or whether the rabbids are just spoofing Wii Fit remains to be seen.We'd guess that there's a high possibility for inclusion of the Balance Board in the next RRR iteration. Since the rabbid titles are generally full of minigames, the Balance Board will add a lot more possibilities in that regard. As IGN points out, Reggie also said that there were ten games using the board currently in development.We're sure it won't be very long before all is revealed, though, so stay tuned.[Via NeoGAF]
Today's most 'dah' holiday video: a Raving Rabbids Christmas
It's been about 363 days since we last highlighted this video, but it's Christmas and we feel it's best to be festive, and Michel Ancel's Raving Rabbids are terrific way to celebrate the holidays. It's time to get into the egg nog with the most eloquent lagomorphs around.For the holiday lovers out there, here's our cheap gift to you. Enjoy the video after the break.
Bunny girls sell Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 in Japan
Humor has played a big role in Ubisoft's marketing of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, but sex? Erm ... not so much. It's a different story in Japan, however. There, models dressed in midriff-baring outfits and bunny ears are recruited to sell the game to the public in shopping malls.Tottering on their high heels, they watch over a (admittedly very impressive) kiosk dedicated to Ubi's game, complete with Wii demo units, and tons of awesome Rabbids merchandise, including postcards, hats, and some too-cool-for-words Rabbids tote bags that WE MUST OWN.Plunge(r) past the break for more snaps.
Seizure brought on by DS game leads to banning crusade
After a boy in the UK fell into an epileptic fit from playing Rayman Raving Rabbids on the DS, his mother, Gaye Herford, protested to Parliament that there should be more vigorous safety testing for video games. Should her campaign be successful, any games that could potentially cause seizures will be banned in the UK and game developers will have to adhere to stricter safety standards. Currently, thirty-five Members of Parliament stand behind the proposal. Ubisoft (the makers of Rabbids) responded by saying that the company already pre-screened Rabbids DS for the potential to cause epileptic fits, and the testing showed that the game was unlikely to do so. Managing director of Ubisoft UK Robert Cooper added, however, that the company has made the decision to now test all in-house games prior to release. [Via Pocket Gamer]
Rabbids know how to play
The latest trailer for Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 is pretty much what we look for in any game trailer. It has lots of gameplay footage, some bit of humor and cheating rabbits. Oh, how we love those cheating rabbits. And, the minigames look fun, too.Who's going to pick this up?
Spooftastic Raving Rabbids art
Some would argue that Far Cry Vengeance was beyond help, though we maintain to this day that the Ubiport would have been vastly improved with added Rabbids. Clearly, some swashbuckling young designer at Ubisoft shares our thoughts on this crucial issue.The image above is one of nine spoofs to appear recently on the game's official site, all of which feature Rabbids invading a variety of Ubi's more well-known games. Sadly, none of them come in wallpaper size, which is precisely what these would be ideal for. Oh well.Hop past the break for images of "Bunny Steel," "Bunnies' Creed," and "Rainbow Six Bunnies."
Wii releases for the week of November 12th
Wow, that's a lot of games releasing this week. And they all look like they're going to be good games, as well. Not to mention that we finally get our hands on Super Mario Galaxy, which we've been been anxiously awaiting. For all of you who lucked out at your local Best Buy, we're glad to say we're finally joining the ranks of those who've been enjoying the game.This week's releases are: Super Mario Galaxy Geometry Wars: Galaxies Cars: Mater National Spongebob: Atlantis Squarepantis Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Need for Speed Pro Street Petz Catz 2 Petz Horsez 2 Petz Dogz 2 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles Tomb Raider Anniversary Smarty Pants WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2008
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 intro invades our hearts
We're not sure what it is about those crazy rabbids, but even when they're bludgeoning people with their plungers, we can't help but love them. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the above video makes us all kinds of giddy inside. Supposedly this is the first part of the game's introduction, but we suppose we'll just have to wait and see. So for now, just watch, enjoy, and then rave like rabbids.[Via GoNintendo]
Rabbids DO know what to do with a DS
While some of those crazy rabbids might not know what to do with a DS (we guess it could be a weapon, if you throw it hard enough), others are more informed in the ways of stylus-fu. And, based on the footage above, one will have to be adept in the art form as the game will demand plenty of tasks be completed with stylus in hand. It looks fun though, we must admit, so we're glad Ubisoft decided to go Nintendo-exclusive with the sequel here.
Nothing screams 'Rabbids' like a plunger to the face
The last time we brought you Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 gameplay videos, there was nary a plunger to be found. Fortunately, these new trailers from IGN show us that the rail-shooter minigame has returned.Despite the fact that we thoroughly enjoy shooting stuff with plungers, especially crazy bunnies, we have to say that these videos just didn't do much for us. Maybe it's because the one embedded above reminds us of being forced to sit in the front row at a movie theater. Maybe it was the pacing, or the lack of music. Then again, perhaps we're over this whole rabbid thing.Don't get us wrong, we still love the little buggers ... but whatever it is, something is just off. Are we cranky today, or do you feel the same way?By the way, more plunger videos are embedded after the jump.
Go stark raving mad for some Raving Rabbids 2 footage
We featured a lot of trailers yesterday, but we admit that perhaps we overlooked one important slice of footage: the above trailer for Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. Now a Nintendo exclusive, the game will only be appearing on the DS and Wii, which were the best versions of that game if you ask us. And looking at this montage of gameplay above, the second title should be another stellar game.[Note: The link over at IGN's video portal is kinda funny, so you might have some difficulty getting to their video directly. We suggest you just enjoy the embedded video above.]
