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Just one day after Rockstar Games announced that Manhunt 2 had secured an M Rating in the US, media watchdog group Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood has challenged the decision by the ESRB to re-rate the game, and is demanding to know why it has been allowed a lower rating than the previously Adult Only (AO) it received.

I think we'd all like to know what was cut from Manhunt 2, but only one thing's for sure. Manhunt 2. October 31st.
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Electronics giant Sony has confirmed a recently discovered security flaw in some of its products that could leave PCs vulnerable to attack by hackers.

The firm said that the fault, which affected software packaged with memory sticks, was developed by a third-party.

Sony said it was conducting an internal investigation into the problem and would offer a fix "by mid-September".

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Las Vegas police arrested O.J. Simpson on Sunday amid an investigation into an alleged armed robbery at a hotel in Las Vegas, a source close to the investigation said. O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday in relation to an armed robbery investigation, a source told CNN.

The charges he faces are unclear. However, Las Vegas Police Capt. James Dillon told The Associated Press that Simpson could face felony charges including robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a firearm. Simpson was arrested at his room in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, the source said.

On Saturday, Las Vegas police arrested Walter Alexander and seized two guns in connection with the alleged armed robbery, the source said.

"I don't know why they arrested him," Simpson said Sunday, before his own arrest. "I've stayed in contact with the police, and the truth will come out."

Simpson recently wrote a book originally titled "... More »  
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Although SCEA insists that consumers weren't harmed, an IT imposter recently managed to gain access to customer information on the PlayStation Network. The access was immediately disabled and SCEA is conducting an ongoing investigation.

Last week, one of GameDaily BIZ's sources close to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) informed us that there had recently been a "breach of security" in Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN). Our source indicated that one of SCEA's employees was actually tricked over the phone into giving out this important access to the network.

With our curiosity piqued we contacted SCEA and the company did confirm that there was indeed a problem. Kimberly Otzman, Corporate Communications, said that it really shouldn't be considered a "security breach," however, because a hacker did not physically break into the network.

Otzman explained, "Just to clarify, there has been no hacking or electronic breach to any of SCEA's elect... More »  

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British and Dutch police today shut down the world’s biggest source of illegal pre-release chart albums and arrested a 24-year old man in an operation coordinated between Middlesbrough and Amsterdam.

The raids, which were coordinated by Interpol, follow a two-year investigation by the international and UK music industry bodies IFPI and BPI into the members-only online pirate pre-release club known as OiNK.

OiNK specialised in distributing albums leaked on to the internet, often weeks ahead of their official release date. More than 60 major album releases have been leaked on OiNK so far this year, making it the primary source worldwide for illegal pre-release music.

The site, with an estimated membership of 180,000, has been used by many hardcore file-sharers to violate the rights of artists and producers by obtaining copyrighted recordings and making them available on the internet.

It is alleged that the site was operated by a 2... More »  

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It's easy to draw Manhunt and Condemned comparisons -- disturbingly-violent scenes, sneaking around in the dark, environment kills -- but after spending time with both games recently, we think we've found the line that separates the two.

In Manhunt 2, when you see characters running around in skull and pig masks, it's kinky. In Condemned 2, it's Halloween. Video below:



We stopped by Sega's offices earlier this week to get a look at Condemned 2's third mission, which just so happens to take place during Halloween. And sure enough, in the mission players come across masked enemies fighting each other on train tracks in what Sega calls a "riot." We're not sure if that's the best word to use, since the screen isn't exactly filled with enemies, but it's an impressive scene that comes as close as we've seen in a game to a real fist fight.

When you come across these enemies attacking each other, they'll turn ... More »  
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The hype is warranted. From my time with Assassin's Creed, I would not be surprised if it is game of the year.

Screen Play spent a gripping day last week playing the game and chatting to effervescent Creative Director, Patrice Desilets, the self-proclaimed "best Assassin's Creed player in the entire universe right now" (and also the genius behind critical darling Prince of Persia Sands of Time).

Assassin's Creed, which will be released on November 15 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (and later on PC), has been four years in the making at Ubisoft's Montreal studio and promises to revolutionise the action adventure genre.

Similiar to our recent Mass Effect special, Screen Play will be sharing highlights from the game all this week.

Patrice says the team spent the two first years building a "brand new engine" for
Assassin's Creed and then the last two designing the game.

"The mandate we received back in January 2004 ... More »  
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In an official statement and subsequent press call attended by Gamasutra, ESRB president Patricia Vance clarified her position on the recently-revealed Manhunt 2 'unblurring' hack, stating that while the content was "unintended and unauthorized," the publisher is not to blame, and the game won't be re-rated from its current M rating.

Take-Two recently confirmed that the content in question, which edits certain data from the game's code to 'unblur' and reveal some of the so-called "execution kills," does exist, and that the hack, which originally circulated via online message boards, is verifiable.

The ESRB issued a statement that said, in part: "We have investigated the matter and concluded that unauthorized versions of the game have been released on the Internet along with instructions on how to modify the code to remove the special effects.

Once numerous changes to the game's code have been made and other unauthorized software programs ... More »  
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Government regulators have wrapped up examination of publisher's stock options practices with no punishment levied.

Last year, a flurry of publishers saw their stock option granting practices come under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Among the companies affected were THQ, Activision, Take-Two Interactive, and Electronic Arts. While some of those inquiries are still outstanding, one of them has wrapped up, as EA this week revealed to investors this week that it is officially off the hook with the SEC.

"On September 14, 2006, we received an informal inquiry from the Securities and Exchange Commission requesting certain documents and information relating to our stock option grant practices from January 1, 1997 through the date of the letter," the publisher wrote in its latest quarterly report. "We cooperated with all matters related to this request. On October 31, 2007, we received a letter from the SEC informing us that they had termin... More »  
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Two misdemeanor counts of disrupting a school operation have been filed against a Frostburg State University student who allegedly made an Internet threat of “shooting up the school,” according to district court documents.

The charges were filed in a criminal summons issued by a district court commissioner following consultation between the C3I Unit and Allegany County State’s Attorney Michael Twigg.

Although the charges against 19-year-old Allieu Shaw of Gaithersburg are on file, there was no record this morning that Shaw had been served the summons. A trial date is set after the defendant is served a summons.

Shaw faces a maximum penalty of one year jail time and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

He was taken in handcuffs from FSU’s Annapolis Hall, Room 148, at about 2 p.m. Tuesday after the C3I Unit learned of his location.

The university has placed Shaw on interim suspension pending an administrative hearing to be co... More »  
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