Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification has awarded forthcoming Rockstar title Bully an 'M' rating, suggesting that the game might not be all that violent after all.

According to the OFLC website, Bully contains "moderate themes, violence and sexual references". As a result, it will go on sale with an 'M' rating - one category below the 'MA15+' rating.

Because MA15+ is the highest rating videogames can be awarded, many titles with violent content have been refused classification by the OFLC - and thereby effectively banned from sale in Australia.

Most recently, movie tie-in Reservoir Dogs fell foul of the ratings board, and other titles banned in Australia include NARC, Grand Theft Auto III and Manhunt. Even Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was refused classification on the grounds that it could promote the crime of graffiti.

Little has been seen of Bully's actual gameplay so far, but controversy continues to surround the title. Anti-bullying groups from across the globe have criticised the game's theme, while notorious anti-videogames campaigner Jack Thompson and UK MP Keith Vaz have demanded that it be banned from sale.

Rockstar has defended the game by pointing out that the main character, Jimmy Hopkins, is tasked with standing up for his schoolmates against bullies. A spokesperson for the company told one anti-bullying group, Bullying Online, that the game is "no worse than Just William".

Bully is slated for an October release. ...

Fans of big stompy robots rejoice - Namco Bandai has confirmed that its new Mobile Suit Gundam game on the PlayStation 3 will be appearing before Christmas in the United States and Japan.

Using the increasingly vague "launch period" definition, that probably means that the game can probably claim to be a PS3 launch title - and it's even got an official subtitle now. Originally shown off at E3 under the simple working title of Mobile Suit Gundam, it's now called Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire.

Based on the incredibly long-running Gundam franchise - which sits firmly at the more "realistic" and military-focused end of the often utterly insane Japanese giant robot spectrum - the game harks back to the original Gundam continuity, and allows the player to choose between campaigns for the Federation and Zeon sides, piloting famous mobile suits from the various different Gundam series along the way.

Aside from that, details are thin on the ground - notably, there's no mention of any kind of online functionality or multiplayer - and the E3 demo didn't really tell us much either. We walked around a barren desert landscape for a bit in a Federation Gundam and shot a lot of enemy mobile suits in the face, but the most we can say based on that is that you can shoot off individual limbs from enemy mechs, and that all the metal is very shiny.

And, of course, there's no word on whether we'll see the game in Europe on the same timescale, or indeed at all - but previous console launches have shown that Sony likes publishers to roll as much of their portfolio as possible out in every territory around launch, to bolster the range of titles available, so there's every chance that we could see this in the PS3 launch period on this side of the world too. ...

News from Eurogamer

Eurogamer can exclusively reveal that a new instalment in the TOCA series is heading to PSP later this year.

According to Codemasters, TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge will feature a "cavalcade" of officially licensed cars and world famous tracks. Plus there's a new game mode - the World Challenge, which sees you competing in a series of international championship tiers.

You'll begin each tier with a series of tests and events designed to improve your racing skills, with a focus on the likes of damage control, using the racing line, manoeuvering, quick pit stops and braking accuracy.

Then it's on to the main event. Each tier has a specialist Championship season, where you must compete on a variety of different circuits. Only by winning the championship can you move up to the next tier.

The championships take place all over the globe - you might find yourself driving in the British GP or Australia's V8 Supercars, or taking part in the American Race series or Germany's DTM events, to name but a few. Once all that's out of the way, you can take on the very best in a global Masters championship.

Other game modes include Free Race and Time Trial, and up to 12 players can take part in Wi-Fi races simultaneously. There's also a game share feature, so up to four players can compete even if you've only got one copy of the game.

TOCA Race Driver 3 Challenge is out this winter, and will only be released in PAL territories - hard luck, Americans. ...

Virtua Fighter 5 looks set to be one of the PS3's premier beat'em-ups, with the perennially popular arcade fighter making a smooth and pretty lethal looking transition onto Sony's next-gen console.

Promising to unleash up to 17 fighters in a fists of fury extravaganza, VF 5 will allow you to customise your chosen bruiser to the ultimate degree with costumes and attachable items giving you an individual flavour you've never seen before in the series - plus two newcomers in El Blaze and Eileen also making their debut.

However, what concerns us today is a brand new movie from the game, with the first half of this slick if slighty camp showing reminiscent of Wrestlemania shenanigans of yore. The second half sees a very fetching Japanese lass (which we suspect might be Eileen) practising some solo moves (steady).

Throughout you'll be able to admire the amazing character models and slick animation which are very much the order of the day, but of course the proof will be in the brawling and VF5 looks like it'll be serving that up aplenty.

Trailer Here ...

Amazon UK have informed me they are now taking orders for the Upcoming Pink PSP



The Pink PSP will retail for £149 and will be released on the 27th October 2006.

Another first for DCEmu ...

News from PSPDemon:

Hi,

I have finnaly finished Throttle X mod ( took me about a week )

anyway....here is whats new.....

-New textures
-New menu
-New eboot

-----------------

What i plan to make in the future...

-More Car Skins
-More Level Textures
-More Wheel Textures
-(maybe) revamped editor (maybe)

anyway...here are some screenie's ( cause i know that everyone wants to see screenie's )



More info and download at PSPDemons Site Here --> http://pspdemon.dcemu.co.uk/ ...

Via IGN

Nintendo's presence at last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Bellevue, Wash. was limited only to a dozen or so DS Lite kiosks, each running so-to-be-released titles. The quirky Elite Beat Agents, based on the import smash Osu!Takaka!Oendan!, drew many eyeballs, with attendees laughing at the absolute absurdity of the game's premise and its similarly kooky visuals. The edition of the game at PAX featured two playable missions, chronicling the male cheerleading squad's attempts to help a babysitter and return a lost dog to its rightful owner.

The babysitter scenario is pure silliness, with gamers tapping the bottom screen in time to the licensed track "Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram. Nailing the rhythm of the song to the approval of the expertly coiffed cheer squad helps the babysitter get the kids to calm down so she can resume her romance with a local paramour. The visuals, while different from the Japanese original, still feature exaggerated expressions. If you follow a beat properly, love is in the air and the cheer squad gives you a righteous nod. Fail, and its no time for love, Dr. Jones.

The lost dog scene starts with a young pup accidentally napping in the back of a truck. When the dog wakes, it realizes its hundreds of miles from home. Can the cheer team inspire the pooch to pick up the pace? Will there be a heartfelt reunion between man and man's best friend? Only tapping dots in rhythm with music (almost impossible to hear at PAX) and drawing lines across the touch-screen will solve the scenario. Like the babysitter scene, the dog sequence is full of over-the-top animation. When you complete a sequence, the dog suddenly turns primal -- giant white eyes and fierce choppers -- before racing at top speed to its home.

The game is not much more than a silly trifle -- gamers that get their thrills from fare like Metroid might find Elite Beat Agents too shallow for their tastes -- but its loaded with personality. But personality isn't always enough to guarantee success, and Nintendo is taking a minor risk bringing Elite Beat Agents to America. Will Elite Beat Agents enjoy more than niche success? Or is Elite Beat Agents destined to go the way of Space Channel 5, a cult gaming phenom that builds internet heat but never converts it to real currency? ...

Via IGN

Nintendo's presence at last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Bellevue, Wash. was limited only to a dozen or so DS Lite kiosks, each running so-to-be-released titles. The quirky Elite Beat Agents, based on the import smash Osu!Takaka!Oendan!, drew many eyeballs, with attendees laughing at the absolute absurdity of the game's premise and its similarly kooky visuals. The edition of the game at PAX featured two playable missions, chronicling the male cheerleading squad's attempts to help a babysitter and return a lost dog to its rightful owner.

The babysitter scenario is pure silliness, with gamers tapping the bottom screen in time to the licensed track "Walkie Talkie Man" by Steriogram. Nailing the rhythm of the song to the approval of the expertly coiffed cheer squad helps the babysitter get the kids to calm down so she can resume her romance with a local paramour. The visuals, while different from the Japanese original, still feature exaggerated expressions. If you follow a beat properly, love is in the air and the cheer squad gives you a righteous nod. Fail, and its no time for love, Dr. Jones.

The lost dog scene starts with a young pup accidentally napping in the back of a truck. When the dog wakes, it realizes its hundreds of miles from home. Can the cheer team inspire the pooch to pick up the pace? Will there be a heartfelt reunion between man and man's best friend? Only tapping dots in rhythm with music (almost impossible to hear at PAX) and drawing lines across the touch-screen will solve the scenario. Like the babysitter scene, the dog sequence is full of over-the-top animation. When you complete a sequence, the dog suddenly turns primal -- giant white eyes and fierce choppers -- before racing at top speed to its home.

The game is not much more than a silly trifle -- gamers that get their thrills from fare like Metroid might find Elite Beat Agents too shallow for their tastes -- but its loaded with personality. But personality isn't always enough to guarantee success, and Nintendo is taking a minor risk bringing Elite Beat Agents to America. Will Elite Beat Agents enjoy more than niche success? Or is Elite Beat Agents destined to go the way of Space Channel 5, a cult gaming phenom that builds internet heat but never converts it to real currency? ...

Got some great scans of the Back and the Memory Card Slots of the PS3, check them out Via Comments. ...