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Watch Penn and Teller: Bullshit! video game episode on YouTube
If you missed the recent video game-centered episode of Penn and Teller: Bullshit! it's a real shame. It was a really astute and occasionally even moving take on the whole situation. Plus, they make Jack Thompson look dumb, which, like falling off a log into a vat of Sierra Mist, is easy, but still totally refreshing.Right now, you can actually catch the episode on YouTube, though you'll likely want to act fast -- we can't imagine it'll be up for too long.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 moves away from violence
Puzzling Moments In Gaming Sequel History Sven Karrlsnod, lead producer on Tetris 3: The Blockening: "Sure, I love Tetris, you love Tetris. But what our team had to ask ourselves was this: Could we make Tetris work without all the blocks? We knew we had to try."Trina Schwinn, design lead on Super Mario Universe: "In retrospect, making a Mario game set in Compton circa 1992 that didn't actually include Mario was a little ... brazen. But we had to follow our bliss."Yosuke Hayashi, director and producer of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 to GamesRadar: "Each game has its own concept and with Ninja Gaiden 2, the focus was on extreme violence. But with Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, we really questioned whether violence is a necessity for a game, so we decided to move away from that trend. So the violence 'approach' is not the way we approached the development of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Being able to unlock higher levels of gore would be out of kilter with the concept of the game."[Via What They Play]
Jack Thompson talks violence, polio with Penn and Teller
You don't need another reason to watch Penn & Teller: Bullshit -- its regular skewering of nut jobs is more than enough to warrant your half hour -- but we've got one for you. Our buddy, Jack Thompson, will appear on the show's seventh season, as you can see in the promo after the break.As you probably guessed, Thompson will be discussing the therapeutic powers of crystal manipulation and -- oh, sorry, wrong episode. No, he'll talk about how bad Grand Theft Auto is and we'll make fun of him for it. Because that's the way it works.[Via Gay Gamer]
WoW as a channel for news from Iran?
Normally, this wouldn't rate too high for us -- lots of people have ideas about how to use World of Warcraft, and many of them never actually come about. But then again, this is in the Wall Street Journal of all places, so we'll give it a look. If you're on Twitter, you've probably heard about what's going on in Iran right now -- there was an election, the "official" results given were judged as rigged by many involved, and the government seems to be cracking down on both news media and citizen journalism, as well as protesting citizens, to very sad results. How does World of Warcraft fit in to all of this? Andrew Lavallee of the WSJ's Digits blog points to this report by Craig Labovitz, which talks about how Internet traffic has been filtered out of the country around the election. At the very end of his analysis, Labovitz points out that channels for videogames, including both Xbox Live and World of Warcraft, have shown very little government manipulation. That suggests that if the government in Iran does continue to shut down certain channels, citizens there might be forced to spread the news through any virtual route they can, including possibly Azeroth.This is obviously all just analysis and speculation so far -- while there clearly (from those charts) has been interference in the media, no one (as far as we know) has yet had to resort to chatting in World of Warcraft to get their message out, and though what's happening in Iran is made up of some very serious (and seriously unfortunate) situations, the fervor online about using brand new channels like Twitter to share real-time news is often overstated. Personally, I believe that even if Twitter didn't exist, this information would find another way to get out. Still, the interesting thing to take away here is that even our "silly" video games today are actually media on a global level.Thanks, Cedars!
Close Range: A game about shooting people in the face
We're all for games that trim away the fat and are left with only a lean, pure gameplay experience. But we've got a gut feeling that The Onion's new title, Close Range, may be going a bit too far. The core of the game ... nay, the whole game, is shooting people point blank in the face.You can see the story on the hot new IP right after the break. As a satirical commentary on a violence-obsessed video game culture, Close Range is a little on-the-nose for our tastes. But as a visceral gaming experience, it's absolutely exthrillarating. See for yourself here.[Thanks, Top Cat]
Bavarian Minister compares violent games to drugs, child pornography
Following last month's tragic shooting rampage in Winnenden, Germany, the target of which was a local secondary school, criticism against violent video games from German politicians has strengthened drastically. The most passionate denunciation thus far recently came from Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann, who accused violent games of being "one of the causes for youth violence and also for school shootings, where images from killer games become reality."However, Herrmann's condemnation peaked when he claimed violent titles are "on the same level as child pornography and illegal drugs, the ban on which rightly is unquestioned." Herrmann released his statement on the same day as the first-ever German Video Game Awards ceremony, many of the attendees of which responded with demands for an apology from the Minister. If you're also looking to get your dander up, you can read Herrmann's (Google translated) press release here.
April Fools: Jack Thompson wants government to legalize gamer murder
You may think he's a stick in the mud, but Jack Thompson does have a sense of humor. Want proof? Hot on the news of a slaying that may be connected to GTA, JT wrote us to say: "This is a switch, as it is typically the chronic players of these murder simulators that kill people - lots of people. In light of this new and welcome development, Miami anti-violent video game activist today puts forth a modest proposal to curtail sales of the Grand Theft Auto video games: Anyone who shoots and kills a player of the Grand Theft Auto video games gets a) a full pardon and b) a $5000 federal income tax credit because of the killer's successful efforts to reduce pollution."A hilarious call for mass murder in the wake of an actual tragedy and a classic literature reference? Be still our hearts.
Grand Theft Auto habit contributes to partner's murder
It's a known, scientific fact that Grand Theft Auto and other violent video games turn players into killers. But, apparently, its influence is so vile, it can even effect those that have to watch someone play. The Telegraph reports that after retired airport worker Malcom Palmer's partner repeatedly threw him out of the bedroom -- so she could play more Grand Theft Auto -- he stabbed Carol Cannom, the mother of his children, to death. Since the mainstream media isn't great with specifics when it comes to writing about video games, we don't know which PlayStation she was using, or which GTA she was playing. But it sounds like GTA might not have been the only problem in this relationship. For example: Though the PlayStation takes The Telegraph's headline heat, the story mentions "Palmer had also become convinced that she was having an affair, and went into a violent rage when she told him she wanted him to move out in November last year, threatening that he would never get to see their children again."... So, yeah. It's either that, or the PlayStation.[Via GP]
German Social Affairs Minister wants WoW classified 'Adults Only'
We've been reporting more and more lately on MMO censorship and legislation abroad, most recently with the troubles World of Warcraft faces in China. The latest news that we've come across comes to us from Germany where the Minister for Social Affairs in Lower Saxony, Mechtchild Ross-Luttman, wants to restrict sales of violent video games to minors in general, imposing fines of up to €50,000 for those caught selling these titles. She also wants to give MMO titles like World of Warcraft an "adults only" rating. This reaction to violence in video games comes in the wake of the tragic school shootings which occurred recently in Germany. GameCulture reports: "The proposals come on the heels of a survey by the Kriminologischen Forschuginstituts Nidersachsen (the criminal research institute of Lower Saxony), which reported that 14,000 9th graders in Germany are addicted to videogames, particularly World of Warcraft and first-person shooters."
The black-and-white evolution of MadWorld's graphics
MadWorld Lead Character Designer & Art Director, Masaki Yamanaka, just posted an informative blog that talks about Platinum Games' decision to go with a black-and-white art style and its subsequent evolution -- one that progresses from a high contrast black-and-white look to the addition of desaturated yellow tones and plenty of comic book violence. Something similar to Sin City, but with no Jessica Alba and fewer metaphors. It's interesting to note that early concepts of Jack had him free of bladed weaponry. Thankfully, through the miracle of development, a chainsaw was attached to his arm, which definitely aids in the spilling of Organizer blood.
MadWorld screens show off new bad guys, same old buckets of blood
Click image for more carnage Sega sent us a shiny care package, completely full of new screens from next month's MadWorld. As one might expect, there are at least three awesome things about these images: lots of violence motorcycles looking badass fat guy in a turtle suit We're big fans of those three things, which, obviously, make us big fans of MadWorld. The fat guy reminds us of Dynamo, which is the best. Check out the new screens in our gallery below.%Gallery-22964%
Penn & Teller call 'BS!' on video game violence
Penn & Teller are taking aim at the video game violence controversy in an upcoming episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! -- an ongoing television series that debunks misconceptions and popular fads. Earlier in the week, Penn Jillette revealed the video game themed episode had begun filming, via Twitter. Guests interviewed for the episode will include Grand Theft Childhood co-author, Dr. Cheryl Olson, along with her husband and writing partner, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Disbarred Miami attorney, Jack Thompson, will also be featured in the episode. A Penn & Teller producer told GamePolitics the episode would likely air during the summer, but did not reveal a specific date. We can only hope that Penn gives Thompson a suitable tongue lashing or that the magical duo makes him disappear. Either way, we're good.
Portland shooter called 'quiet, video game fan'
According to the Oregonian, a man who allegedly shot nine people outside a Portland, Oregon nightclub last Saturday was a player of first-person shooters. Erik Salvador Ayala (pictured) allegedly shot nine people outside of a nightclub called The Zone, killing two teenage girls and wounding seven other people before turning the gun on himself. Six of the victims were from outside of the United States and were part of a Rotary Club exchange program, while the remaining three were American. Ayala remains in critical condition as of late Sunday evening. A motive for the shooting has yet to be established, with no apparent link existing between Ayala and the victims. A neighbor claimed that he didn't own a gun.The Oregonian article describes Ayala as "a quiet man with an interest in computers and video games, not guns or nightclubs," noting that he played both Resistance: Fall of Man and Left 4 Dead. No link has been cited between the games and the shooting.[Via GamePolitics]
Study: Violence and gore don't make games more enjoyable
Put down that blood-soaked cleaver. After quizzing 2,670 "frequent" gamers and conducting four different experiments with more than 300 university undergraduates, researchers at University of Rochester discovered that, cool as it may be, violence doesn't make games more fun. Except, we assume, for those players who, you know, abhor puppy dogs and rainbows in what they play.The findings were based on what researchers described as a "good deal of violent content" in games such as Team Fortress 2 (alright), Halo 3 (we're with you so far) and World of Warcraft (okay, you lost us). According to a report by the Canadian Press, one portion of the study involved using a modified version of Half-Life 2 with brutality ratcheted up and another with violence nerfed, after which scholars found that "on average, violent content didn't add to motivation for play." Only about 5 percent of respondents showed a preference for violent games, individuals who were later quietly taken into the back room and summarily beaten to death with spoons. Or so we're told.
BBFC grants MadWorld '18' rating, no cuts made
Despite the Daily Mail's best attempts to whip up a fuss, the BBFC has granted MadWorld an "18" certificate in the UK. It is the eighth Wii game to receive the rating (see the full list after the jump), and was passed with -- yay! -- no cuts whatsoever. Sega is likely to face a bigger obstacle when it comes to getting the game rated elsewhere, and it seems to realize this. MadWorld won't even be released in Germany or Japan, while Australia's notoriously conservative OFLC may take some convincing.Elsewhere in MadWorld, uh, world, IGN has posted one of the first hands-on previews, including a full breakdown of the controls. The Nunchuk will be used to make protagonist Jack move and jump (with Z), the C button centers the camera behind Jack, punching people in the face is done with A, while the chainsaw attacks are on the B trigger. Holding A lets you pick people up, which is where you can perform special moves by waggling.%Gallery-22964%
World of Warcraft listed as one of the 30 most offensive games
The conservative Christian investment firm, the Timothy Plan, has released a list of the 30 most offensive games on the market (Warning: link is to a PDF file). This list details the areas of sex, nudity, gay / lesbian, violence, cartoon violence, language, comic mischief, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, demonic, and game addiction as things that are against any "morally responsible" mutual fund to invest in.In other words they don't want you to invest, like they don't, in companies that make games which deal with any of the above areas.World of Warcraft is on the list. It has an overall score of a 9, which means it is half as offensive as Grand Theft Auto IV. According to the Timothy Plan, WoW is morally deficient in sex, violence, language, alcohol, and game addiction.Some investors will take this advice, and that's their right to do so. After the break we'll examine areas in which WoW is morally deficient, according to the Timothy Plan.
MadWorld's 'Holiday Trailer' now a bit madder
Whenever the discussion turns to "mature" games, the gaming audience invariably displays an overt bloodlust. Such a stated desire to see blood is actually kind of strange when you think about it. We sort of understand, in that visible blood is a shorthand for completely uncensored in-game violence, and we all revile censorship. However, we are still often taken aback by how quickly an interest in non-cutesy games manifests as some kind of obsession with blood.That said, here's the MadWorld trailer with all the censor bars taken out. In an ironic act of censorship, we've placed the trailer after the break, because children might be looking. We want to protect the innocence of those too young to figure out the post break, but old enough to figure out the play button.%Gallery-22964%
A new MadWorld trailer for the holidays
Sega and Platinum Games have sent us a gift for the holidays in the form of the trailer you see above. It gives us a little more background on the story behind MadWorld, as well as a look at some of the more unique ways to kill your opponents. Our favorite? All we have to say is this: we like ours extra crispy.Because of the trailer being fairly gory, we've tucked it past the break.%Gallery-22964%
MadWorld's take on Wii music
As happens each month, some of the more interesting tidbits from the holiday issue of Nintendo Power have been transcribed by the tireless folks at Aeropause.The most eye-catching news, for us? A novel and particularly painful-sounding attack in Platinum Games' MadWorld. According to the magazine, you'll be able to lodge "a trumpet where the sun don't shine, leaving the unfortunate fellow to stagger around as he inadvertently toots the horn." Awe. Some. What's a trumpet doing lying around on the set of a futuristic game show about death and wanton bloodletting? Heck, don't ask, just shove.Other worthy factoids drawn from the mag deal with how No More Heroes creator Goichi Suda relaxes (by playing Burnout Paradise), and the news that Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers will have a two-player splitscreen mode. Hit up Aeropause for the rest!%Gallery-22964%[Via Go Nintendo]
Atsushi Inaba talks MadWorld inspirations, Wii
A lot of things come to mind when looking at screens or video from MadWorld. Its visual style has been compared to Sin City and Running Man, to name a few. So, is this where creator Atsushi Inaba got his inspiration for the game?"Of course we like Sin City very much and we have seen Running Man before but they are not the sources of our creation," said Inaba. "The concepts of MadWorld are 'visual impact' and 'over-the-top violence,' and these two themes run right through the game." Inaba also says it hasn't been easy for his team to accomplish the game's stylish look and feel, commenting that "all team members are constantly working very hard to capture the style we want the final game to have."When asked why Platinum Games settled on the Wii, Inaba pointed to the "huge install base" and said his team is "really interested in the Wii platform" and "wanted to create a really cool and stylish game for that." Frankly, we're glad. Not just because we, uh, want to play this, but also because we're tired of the Wii getting the "it's only for kiddies" label. We're awfully tired of that, to tell you the truth.%Gallery-22964%
