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Retro Game Friday: Carmaggedon

Michael’s back with a game that made old farts froth at the mouth like the rabid dogs they were for this week’s Retro Game Friday! It’s time to glorify vehicular manslaughter with Carmaggedon. Disclaimer: Michael does not actually condone any such act and condemns anyone who performs them.

News and Industry Happenings

ESRB Adds New Ratings System For Downloaded Games

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The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the non-profit self-regulatory body for the video game industry, today announced a streamlined, no-cost service for assigning ratings to all digitally delivered games. ESRB’s new ‘Digital Rating Service’ utilizes a brief but detailed online questionnaire to assess not only a product’s content and age-appropriateness, but also interactive elements, including the sharing of personal information or physical location and exposure to unfiltered user-generated content. This newly streamlined service will first be put into use for downloadable games available from a number of computer and video game platforms including Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Vita, … Continue reading ESRB Adds New Ratings System For Downloaded Games →

News and Industry Happenings

In a 7-2 Decision, Supreme Court Strikes Down California Violent Video Game Law

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In what is likely to be hailed as one of the greatest legal victories for the game industry, the Supreme Court struck down the controversial California law that would have criminalized the sale of violent video games to minors. The 7 to 2 victory is a resounding win for the industry, which argued that the current voluntary ratings system created and maintained by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) was adequate protection, and in fact was more effective than the ratings in other industries, such as movies. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority opinion in the case. "As a … Continue reading In a 7-2 Decision, Supreme Court Strikes Down California Violent Video Game Law →

Game Review - Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II

When Nintendo unveiled their Rogue Leader demo at Spaceworld 2000, I was a skeptic. I could not believe how realistic the X-Wings appeared as they flew across the screen. The detail of every paint scratch, every bolt, every R2 unit and every pilot almost resembled what could be seen in a theater 20 years ago. That skepticism came to an end at E3 when I went hands-on. This time, I wasn’t playing the Battle of Yavin as I have before in countless Star Wars titles (X-Wing, Rebel Assault, Star Wars Arcade, and many others), I was actually living it. It … Continue reading Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II →

Game Review - Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown

Shrek is Blech

Well, perhaps not totally blech, but you probably won’t enjoy this title very much. Shameless licensing of a game on the back of a movie? Well, there is nothing wrong with that. Such shamelessness brought us the likes of Goldeneye (nuff said). Okay, so the ingredients are summer a blockbuster, comedy, family entertainment, fairy tale fantasy, lovability, highly marketable characters, and state of the art computer animation. Phew, put those together and you could have yourself the makings of a cute 2D platform adventure. Or not! The folks at TDK opted for Shrek the ‘fighting adventure.’ Hmm, I noticed the … Continue reading Shrek is Blech →