via Games Industry


TV parenting expert Tanya Byron is to head the inquiry into violent and sexual content in video games and other media, the BBC is reporting. The review was announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier this week.

Byron presented the BBC TV shows 'The House of Tiny Tearaways' and 'Little Angels', but decided to end her career as a TV presenter earlier this year.

Byron will talk to parents and the entertainment industry about how better to protect children from unsuitable material. The inquiry will study the availability and prevalence of violent games and internet pornography in particular, and look at the effectiveness of existing laws.

"It is essential that parents and anyone involved in the care and development of young people are familiar with the material they will access and view - and of the potential and actual risks therein," said Byron.

Byron will report to the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

"It is not about stopping children having fun," said Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. "It is about making sure they can do so safely."

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Brown said that the study would not lead to increased censorship. ...

via Games Industry


Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has said that Sony needs to makes its marketing for PlayStation 3 more consistent if the machine is to be a success.

Reuters quotes the Japanese publishing boss saying the future for PS3 "would be tough if its marketing strategy is not straightened up".

Wada said he felt the change from promoting the PS3 as a home entertainment hub to a pure games console had confused the market and harmed the machine's fortunes.

"Sony first unveiled the PS3 as a mighty home electronics product. Then, after some badgering from game companies, it shifted the position of the console closer to a game machine," he observed.

Square Enix has been a staunch supporter of the PlayStation brand since its inception. Before and after their merger, both Square and Enix made their multi-million selling Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest
games exclusive to PlayStation consoles.

However, the publisher, an influential force in the Japanese market, has recently started to distance itself from Sony. In what may indicate a shift in strategy, the next Dragon Quest game will be exclusive to the Nintendo DS. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Reports are suggesting that it's a beta version of the currently banned Manhunt 2 (on PS2) that has found its way onto the worldwide web.

Details are still coming in but it appears that a team of anonymous hackers has got access to the game and uploaded the software to the web, making it available for download on various sites.

Obviously this is very illegal and not something you should do. We'd also imagine Rockstar is trying to shut it down as you read this. It may have already done so.

We contacted Rockstar who was aware of the situation but offered no comment.

Stay tuned for any updates. ...

via Kotaku


That's right, you don't have to download the Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles expansion to play it on your Xbox 360, Bethesda today confirmed that the pack will be going to retail in October and will also include the Knights of the Nine content.

The retail disc will sell for $30, no word yet on whether they will be doing the same for the Playstation 3, though I'm told they are looking into options.

Bethesda also let us know that Prima is releasing a new nearly 500-page Game of the Year edition of their Oblivion Game Guide which will cover all of the content released to date. ...

via Computer and Video Games


PS3 owners will be able to blast their way through one level of Stranghold in a demo hitting the PSN later today.

Just like the Xbox 360 demo which went live a month ago, you'll take control of Inspector Tequila (Chow Yun Fat) and his duel-wield guns and go on a killing spree in the massively destructible Hong Kong marketplace level.

It will give a fair taster of all the table-diving mechanics as you leap over market stools to dodge bullets, and slide down rails on staircases - Sonic the Hedgehog-style - while firing off rounds from your two pistols.

A PC is also on the way, but an exact date is yet to be set. ...

via Eurogamer


Official Nintendo Magazine has held up its hands and apologised for getting a bit over-excited about potential features in the Wii version of Mario Kart.

Issue 21 of the mag says the game will let you take part in 16-player online battles, pull-off mid-air stunts and race on all of the DS tracks in revamped form.

However, according to a statement issued to Eurogamer, it turns out this is all "merely excitable speculation" based on the Mario Kart trailer shown at this year's E3.

"The details printed in Official Nintendo Magazine 21 regarding Mario Kart Wii were healthy speculation on our part and are in no way an official announcement from Nintendo," the statement reads."We are sorry if we have misled anyone."

Mario Kart Wii is currently scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2008. ...

via Games Industry


Gordon Brown has pledged to work with the TV, advertising and games industries to reach a consensus on the issue of violence in the media and potentially introduce voluntary controls.

As reported by the Guardian, Brown was speaking at his monthly press conference. He stated, "Where there is pornographic or violent material, any parent is going to be concerned.


The Prime Minister's comments come just days after he announced the launch of a Government review which will focus on the way violence in the media affects children. It will be conducted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The initial announcement raised concerns amongst gamers and the industry regarding potential censorship of videogames - but Brown's latest comments seem designed to allay these fears.

...

via Eurogamer


EA has tried to sign us up for its Rock Band this afternoon by releasing a fresh list of tracks for the game.

It coincides with frequent announcements from collaborators EA, MTV and Harmonix that either new bands or fresh brands have been roped in to appearing in the game.

Most recently rockers Grateful Dead were added to the roster, and will be lending 18 of their best licks to the title. They follow the likes of Metallica, The Who, David Bowie, as well as manufacturer legends Fender, Boss and Roland.

We also recently heard the hugely anticipated rhythm romp was delayed in Europe until Q1 2008, although a silver lining confirmed it would fully localised for each territory.

The confirmed track list so far looks like this:

• Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Master)
• The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again" (Master)
• David Bowie "Suffragette City" (Master)
• Black Sabbath "Paranoid" (Cover)
• The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Pop" (Master)
• Mountain "Mississippi Queen" (Cover)
• Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Master)
• Rush "Tom Sawyer" (Cover)
• Nirvana "In Bloom" (Master)
• Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline" (Master)
• Weezer "Say It Ain't So" (Master)
• The Hives "Main Offender" (Master)
• The Strokes "Reptilla" (Master)
• Queens of the Stone Age "Go with the Flow" (Master)
• Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly" (Master)
• Metallica "Enter Sandman" (Master)
• Deep Purple "Highway Star" (Master)
• Faith No More "Epic" (Master)
• Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (Master)
• OK Go! "Here It Goes Again (Master)
• Radiohead "Creep" (Master)
• Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" (Master)
• The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (Master)
• Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock" (Master)
• Beastie Boys "Sabotage" (Master)
• Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds" (Master)
• Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid" (Master)
• The Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" (Master)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps" (Master)
• Hole "Celebrity Skin" (master)

Rock Band is due out on PS3, 360, and PS2 in the first quarter of next year. ...

via Eurogamer


EA has bounced a new demo for NBA Live 08 onto the cheesy-smelling floor of Xbox Live.

It hits the scales at a trim 563MB, and will let you grow a few inches to see what EA has improved this year.

You might notice the better ball handling, for example, or enjoy the refined shooting and trick controls. But then there's always those new signature moves to pull off, or the better Live integration to try out - not to mention better looks and smarter physics.

It all sounds as though EA has learned from the rushed efforts it has produced for the last two years running, which have made it increasingly hard for us to recommend any but 2K's consistently well polished efforts.

NBA Live 08 is coming to 360, PS3, Wii, PS2 and PSP on 5th October. We'll let you know our thoughts closer to the time. ...