Every so often, video games are accused of causing all sorts of negative behavior in children, teens, and adults. These accusations are typically predicated on statistics that sound much more damning than they actually are. In that vein, gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun did their own tongue-in-cheek statistical analysis, complete with pretty charts and graphs. Quoting:
"As part of my research I thought to compare the sales of each GTA game with what the divorce rate must have been when each came out. As you can see each new GTA game has been directly correlated with an increase in divorces. ... An often ignored statistic (and you have to ask why it’s being ignored by the games media, don’t you?) is the sheer volume of PC games being released. We’ve all noticed the British population is abandoning the church, turning instead toward shopping, DVDs and knife crime. But few have thought to check for a connection between PC sales and the numbers of people attending their local Church Of England church on a Sunday. When you look at the data there’s little doubt left that as the publishers continue to release more and more PC games each year, our nation’s faith is being increasingly eroded. And at what cost? If only a graph could tell us that."

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...-Harm-Games-Do ...

The core of how people first learn to do stuff — programming, music, writing, etc. — is to imitate others. It's one of the best ways to learn. Apparently a bunch of students using MIT's educational Scratch programming language understand this. But not everyone else does. NAMCO Bandai sent a takedown notice to MIT because some kids had recreated Pac-man with Scratch. The NAMCO letter is pretty condescending as well, noting that it understands the educational purpose of Scratch, but 'part of their education should include concern for the intellectual property of others.

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...ac-man-Project ...

Konami is bringing DanceDanceRevolution to the PlayStation 3.

Confirmation comes from a sneaky update on the Japanese publisher's Facebook page.

On it there's an hilarious picture of an old school DDR box art and a fat PS3 with the words: "You really wanted it. So we really listened."

There's no mention of an Xbox 360 or Wii version.

That's all she wrote for now. A launch party is planned for Thursday, 12th August in Los Angeles. We're pushing for more details now.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ddr-coming-to-ps3 ...

Load times in PS3 game ModNation Racers will be reduced by an update set for release tomorrow.

The patch, due for release at 10am Wednesday, is designed to address "issues the community has been concerned about".

It'll also implement a new casual difficulty mode, fix a bug that allowed players to cut the track and post unbeatable times in Hot Lap, and improve server stability to improve disconnects.

"On behalf of UFG [United Front Games], we want to thank everyone for supporting ModNation and being patient as we've worked hard to make it the best experience possible," Sony San Diego community manager Ramone Russell wrote on the US PlayStation Blog.

Eurogamer reviewed ModNation Racers in May, and returned with a solid 7/10.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mo...ove-load-times ...

I'll admit it: At first, as my clammy hands clutch its radiant wide screen, I'm not blown away by the Nintendo 3DS.

I'm taking in the new Mario Kart. Of course, it looks great - and, lo and behold, is in full 3D without the need for glasses.



But that's what I expect to happen, having chomped my way through a million and one E3 hands-on write ups.

Where's the jaw-dropping, the mystifying... the magic? Is the impressive-if-functional experience before me really enough to justify another £200+ handheld?

Nintendo's been coy on the price, but we know 3DS is going to be in the current range's 'architecture' - so it doesn't take a genius to work out the hit my wallet will have to take come launch day.

Before I know it, however, boulders and baddies started falling towards the screen. As Mario and Luigi screech out of the various obstacles' paths - and the former lobs a pin-perfect banana on his Brother's bonce - I get it. The 3DS's sorcery has claimed another victim.

The 3DS isn't about making old games prettier, I realise; it's about adding a whole new layer of depth to how we play, judge and perceive video game worlds.



In 3D, you can accurately judge the distance of an upcoming checkpoint, ramp or projectile. Timing a corner perfectly in a racing game becomes that much more natural; platforming suddenly feels tangible.

Those lucky (and wealthy) enough to own a 3DTV will know all this already, of course - but in my experience, the 3DS's brand of 3D seems even more fulfilling than the glasses-dependant equivalent.

Of the games and videos I try, the most impressive are Resident Evil - which looks absolutely stunning - and Kid Icarus, whose developers have evidently had longer than anyone else to get to grips with the hardware.

As I play on, many elements of the 3DS hardware itself surprises me. For one, the 3D slider doesn't work like the significant depth-tweaking tool I expect, but rather a 'tuner' to set the 3D effect just right for your eyes.

I can't see bugger all to begin with, but setting the 3D slider to about the halfway point provided a perfect effect, free of the distortion caused by having it up full whack.

The slide pad (that's the 3DS's version of a thumbstick) feels far better than the shallow 'clicky' experience I predicted.

Although there aren't really any games on show at my London demo frantic enough to demand a workout of the kit, the 3DS slide pad is not disorientating to use. Indeed, it feels more precise than the PSP's often cumbersome thumb nub.

On that subject, there sadly isn't much for press to actually play on 3DS yet - it's all mostly interactive 'videos'.

Pilotwings, however, is one impressive hands-on demo available. Flying through hoops in 3D is a whole lot easier than it was on Super Nintendo.

The new game takes place on Wuhu Island, which you may remember from Wii Sports Resort. The demo allowed two short challenges, one involving the aforementioned plane-and-hoop trial, and another involving popping balloons with a jetpack.

The sense of momentum added to this style of game by the 3DS is what first grabs you. Jetting over a building feels more physical. It opens my eyes to the potential for a whole tonne of classics to be reinvigorated by the extra perspective.

The second game I properly 'play' isn't exactly hardcore - Nintendogs + Cats. Despite the name, there's no felines in this demo. It shows off another of the 3DS's features: facial recognition.

Calling over my pup and sticking my mug close to the screen causes him to 'lick' my face. Likewise, tilting my head causes him to do the same (though buggering up the 3D illusion slightly in the process, admittedly). I make a firm decision: I'm NOT going to be playing this on the tube.

As you can probably imagine, lobbing a tennis ball, swinging a Frisbee and hoofing a boomerang become instantly more compelling when enhanced by Nintendo's gorgeous tech.

The question is, will developers explore the potential gameplay enhancements 3D could introduce - such as those seen in Pilotwings - or will they simply put out a bundle of gimmicks?

It's too early to make a final judgement at this stage, with a lack of hands-on demos throwing up a big question mark: After all, it's much easier to make 3D gaming look revolutionary with an on-rails video.

What's for certain is that the 3DS is the most exciting thing to happen to gaming in a long time. And if I was to put my money on anyone getting it right - and offering that all-important value for money - it'd be Nintendo.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Rockstar's just released a price and date for the latest Red Dead Redemption multiplayer DLC.

The 'Legends and Killers Pack' will arrive on both XBL and the PSN on August 10 and can be yours for 799 English pennies or 800 Microsoft Points.

Here's what you'll get in return:

Nine new multiplayer map locations -- more than doubling the amount of territories in the multiplayer competitive modes;
Eight new multiplayer characters -- play as characters from Red Dead Revolver;
A new projectile weapon: the Tomahawk, with corresponding challenges for single-player and multiplayer gameplay;
New achievements and trophies;

Rockstar detailed its plans for Red Dead DLC over the coming months back in July. There's more to come and it involves Zombies.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Rockstar's just released a price and date for the latest Red Dead Redemption multiplayer DLC.

The 'Legends and Killers Pack' will arrive on both XBL and the PSN on August 10 and can be yours for 799 English pennies or 800 Microsoft Points.

Here's what you'll get in return:

Nine new multiplayer map locations -- more than doubling the amount of territories in the multiplayer competitive modes;
Eight new multiplayer characters -- play as characters from Red Dead Revolver;
A new projectile weapon: the Tomahawk, with corresponding challenges for single-player and multiplayer gameplay;
New achievements and trophies;

Rockstar detailed its plans for Red Dead DLC over the coming months back in July. There's more to come and it involves Zombies.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Motion control devices like Kinect will not cause the death of the traditional controller, insists Microsoft Games Studios Europe creative director, Peter Molyneux.

Speaking in a recent interview, the Lionhead man argues that game controllers are "not going anywhere" and that motion control is simply "a different kind of experience".

"The controller is a skateboard," he told Develop. "It requires an element of skill and practice for use. And yes, it is lovely and refreshing to use motion controllers, but they are a different kind of experience.


"You can argue all you want that bicycles are better for cycling than skateboards, but ultimately they're too different experiences for compare.

"Games controllers have been designed for two decades, and they're not going anywhere, they will continue to evolve," he added. "I don't think motion control, in itself, will cause the death of standard controllers."

Molyneux - who's overseeing big first-party Kinect games like Milo & Kate and Kinect Sports - says the device has been "a really interesting concept" over the last few years - though he's not sure it's been the most important change in gaming.

"That would be a difficult one to choose - handheld gaming, social gaming, the cloud, online gameplay," he said.

"It's been an amazing ride these last five years. I don't think anyone's stopped to notice that every six months over the last five years something's happened that's changed the course of the industry."

Lionhead's latest, Fable III, is just starting to gear up for release.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Nintendo has already confirmed that development of the Wii 2 is well underway. But don’t expect any more information than that for quite some time, as president Satoru Iwata has told investors that the silence to ensure that the mystery tech will be a surprise.
“We are of course studying and developing the next console to Wii,” he stated. “However, there is a big difference between studying a product and announcing what it is and when we will release it.
“I am afraid to say that the history of entertainment is also the history of imitation. A great idea will promptly be copied unless protected through patents. At the same time, it is really important for our business to positively surprise people. Will you be surprised by our completed product if we told you how it is surprising three years in advance?
“Therefore, we basically disclose information on our products as late as possible. We believe this is the best approach for the entertainment products we are developing. Again, we are planning the next products for Nintendo's continuous growth, but we cannot tell you what, when and how we will release it here. Thank you for your understanding.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/40261/Iwat...o-surprise-you ...