The National Institute on Media and the Family is to release its 13th annual video game report card today and have given a list of 10 games parents should not buy their children.
They are Blitz: The League II, Gears of War 2, Saints Row 2, Dead Space, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Legendary, Left 4 Dead, Resistance 2 and Silent Hill: Homecoming.
The group recommended the following five T-rated games: Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2, Rock Revolution, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and Shaun White Snowboarding.
To quote: Bloodshed and brutality are staples in the list of 10 games to avoid. All the games were M-rated, intended for those aged 17 and over.
"Blitz: The League II" players can target which body part of their football rivals they want to injure. Warriors in "Gears of War 2" use a combination rifle and chain saw. "Saints Row 2" features gang violence and allows players to shoot police officers.
Today Ubisoft announced it will be releasing exciting new downloadable content (DLC) for Far Cry 2 by the end of November.
The Fortune's Pack DLC will bring new vehicles and new weapons to both the single-player game and the multiplayer game, giving gamers even more diverse means of destruction.
Press Release: UBISOFT ANNOUNCES NEW DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT FOR FAR CRY® 2 COMING SOON IN NOVEMBER - THE FORTUNE'S PACK BRINGS YOU EVEN MORE TOOLS OF MAYHEM
November 21, 2008 - Be the silent stalker armed with your crossbow or jump on your new quad and blast through the dunes of Africa. The Fortune's Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will be available for download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and from PlayStation®Network for $9.99.
The Fortune's Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will include:
Single-Player Mode
Three brand-new weapons
- Silen... More »
It seems no matter which Web site you go to, they all shower praise on the latest game by Valve entitled Left 4 Dead. As a zombie—and video game enthusiast—I assumed this would become one of my favorite games. It sounded like a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, I came away from the demo very underwhelmed. Sub par graphics and average gun play killed my enthusiasm pretty quickly. I did find the gun play enjoyable in Left 4 Dead, but I really wasn't overwhelmed by how good each gun felt. They felt appropriate.
The guns sounded average. Nothing praise worthy, but nothing to whine about, either. I don't want to offend anyone, but if you're going to tell me that this game has amazing texturing, lighting effects, environments, character models, and animations then you are probably one of those people that think Turok is a great looking game.
The environments themselves looked appropriately drab but they weren't very inspired or pleasing to the... More »
I have found Microsoft's updated version of Xbox Live to be a mixed bag navigation-wise. And I haven't used a few key features like parties or Netflix yet.
But there's one feature I'm using that is undeniably awesome: Saving games to the hard drive. As soon as I got the NXE (new Xbox experience) beta test, I immediately saved "Fable 2" to the hard drive, mainly because the game is constantly accessing data from the disc and it is loud, even by Xbox 360 standards.
I was hoping I would no longer be distracted by the noise of a disc spinning with such fury it could fly out of the machine and behead me and I was right. The 8 minutes or so it took to transfer the game to my hard drive was well worth it, because the 360 is now virtually silent while I play.
But there was one extra, unexpected benefit: "Fable 2" looks noticeably better. The graphics are sharper and brighter. So much so that it's like the game, or my graphics processor, has gotten an upg... More »
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PLAYSTATION Store) today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PlayStation Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation ($39.99)
Alone I am Lethal. As a Team I Dominate. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation deploys you online into intense and unpredictable 32-player battles where it’s better to fight as a team than it is to be a hero. Battle teams across the world, earn your Community stripes and become the ultimate Spec Ops squad.
ESRB Rated M
File size: 2.65 GB
PS1 Classics
Sno-Cross Championship Racing ($5.99)
Welcome to Sno-Cross Championship Racing! Join extreme sled racers from three different leagues as they hit some of the toughest snow-covered slopes in the world! Featuring 12 real Yamaha racing sleds and seven racing locations with changing weather and daylight conditions. Customize your sleds and even make custo... More »
We whetted your appetite with 10 Xbox 360 tricks Microsoft won't tell you, now here are seven more handy tips to help you get the best out of your console.
1. System updates by disc
Not got your console online yet, or having trouble downloading the latest dashboard update? Try downloading it from a web-connected PC or Mac instead and burning it to a CD. Grab the latest (well, latest-ish - hopefully Microsoft will update the page soon) update from the XBox 360 System Updates page, burn it to disc, then pop that disc into the 360 and turn it on. You'll be prompted automatically as to whether you want to run the update.
2. The towel trick
Bit of a controversial one this, at least as long as you count "possibly burning your house down" as controversial. What it is is a short-term fix for the infamous red rings of death, the mournful LEDs that announce your 360 is deaded. There are various theories about why it works, but the... More »
Silent Hill is coming home this week. For America and Asia, that is. Europe has about another month to wait, but instead get the latest iteration in the never ending FIFA franchise.
That's it for this week, but here's the info in a handy bullet-point list:
US Games • Silent Hill: Homecoming
EU Games • FIFA 09
Asian Games • Silent Hill: Homecoming
Release dates are constantly subject to change. If you're worried, then check with your local retailer. Europeans, feel free to import Silent Hill: Homecoming, if you're desperate.
Just be aware that imported games must have downloadable content from their respective regions. Not that we suspect Silent Hill: Homecoming will be getting any DLC.
Last week we posted an article detailing a limited list of PlayStation 3 titles scheduled to arrive this Holiday Season.
Today IGN (linked above) has posted their list of PS3 games slated for a Fall 2008 release, which include:
• BioShock
• Brothers in Arms
• Call of Duty: World at War
• Dead Space
• Fallout 3
• Far Cry 2
• Guitar Hero World Tour
• Lego Batman
• LittleBigPlanet
• Mega Man 9
• Midnight Club: LA
• Mirror's Edge
• MK Vs DC Universe
• Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
• Naruto
• NBA 09: The Inside
• NBA 2K9
• Prince of Persia
• Quantom of Solace
• Resistance 2
• Rock Band 2
• Saints Row 2
• Shaun White Snowboarding
• Silent Hill: Homecoming
• SingStar Vol 2
<... More »
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