U.S. Congressman Joe Baca has introduced the Video Game Health Labeling Act, a bill that would require a warning label on all games rated T or higher. The original bill’s text misidentified the ESRB as the Electronics Software Rating Board. It seems somebody didn’t do their research .
The label would read: “WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.” Of particular note is the fact that a recent study done in Australia has found no clear link between real world aggression and the playing of video games.
“Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents – and children — about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior,” Rep. Frank Wolf said in a statement. “As a parent and grandparent, I think it is important people know everything they can about the extremely violent nature of some of these games.”
The bill currently is currently being considered by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, although it is not a priority. Even if the bill is passed, it would still take quite a bit of force in the legislation to pass the bill.
Bit of a morbid contest but regardless of that fact, Konami is looking for people with artistic ability to take a crack at designing grave stones and monuments. This means that, if you so wish, you can draw and design a grave stone and submit it to Konami for them to choose which ones they like. Then on February 10th they will release their six favorite grave monuments and allow the public to vote on which three they should use within the game.
Though the announcement of this contest does have a small restriction however. The announcement states: “Since this is a new chapter in the Silent Hill saga, sculptures must be original works and not based off of existing characters or creature designs.” This means that regardless of your attachment to past characters or past monsters, they will not be allowed to be voted on or even considered. That doesn’t mean you can’t draw them anyways for fun however.
While it may seem like a bit of a simple way to make your first entry into the 3DS library, Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked will be released in the United States this Summer. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is a 3DS port of the original Devil Survivor that came out on the DS, hence the addition of Overclocked to the name.
There are a number of different enhancements to the game itself, such as menus that feature 3D demons that will fly out of the screen at the player, an eighth day added to the end of the story, and voice acting implemented throughout the whole game. Sure some people may feel a bit cheated out for playing a game with just a few additions, but it looks to be worth it as far as any fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series will see.
Who hasn’t played Oregon Trail and had their characters die of dysentery, or doesn’t remember the good old days when they played, or watched, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Well both of those childhood memories can be refreshed now as Facebook will be adding these two apps posted early next month. Darius Kazemi, who is the developer of the two titles alongside The Learning Company, is responsible for releasing this information and he himself loved the fact that he was able to work on games so reminiscent of his childhood.
Two trailers were released alongside this information, one for each game. February 2nd will be when The Oregon Trail will be released while February 9th will see the return of Carmen Sandiego. Catch the trailers for both Facebook games below.
During indie game development, it is often incredibly hard to create your games and keep your funds full. Bills, Food, and pretty much the rest of reality always comes knocking and causes the development process to slow down as you get a Job. 8-bit Funding is here to help developers such as that and is a crowdsourcing site specifically for video games and video game-related projects.
It works a lot like other sites that offer this kind of support, just only for video games; this way the focus is directly on what is important to the people who visit. Basically creators set a goal price amount, and then offer a series of “perks” to those who donate. Each “perk” is dependent on the amount of the donation and usually stack. Currently there are only Seven projects up on the site, but i’m sure that the site will increase to grow as more developers come to see if anyone is interested in funding their game as well as more people donating in hopes of getting these projects out into the world. Hopefully these first projects achieve significant funding (though a lot of them have an incredibly high amount requested). If they do, then the site will become a standard location to help indie developers raise money for their games. This is incredibly good news for the indie developers out there.
For those of you who enjoyed Bayonetta and Vanquish, you will be glad to know that Platinum Games are working on their next title that will be published by SEGA.
Platinum Games has revealed that their next game is titled ‘Max Anarchy’. Supposedly, the game is an online combat title that will support a high number of players, which means this is the first online title for the developer. The statement of “High Number of Players” is up to interpretation but a lot of talk is circulating the web that this game could be the next MAG.
Platinum Games continued to devulge a little more information on the game including that ‘Max Anarchy’ will feature an offline story mode as well as co-operative play. However, the main aspect -according to them- is free for all combat between numerous fighters online. Platinum Games is hard at work synchronising and balancing the game, but Inaba says that he has confidence in the gameplay.
There aren’t many more details than that at this time, but Jack from Wii-only MadWorld game will be featured in Max Anarchy (rendered in full color this time). Inaba continued by stating that Platinum Games wanted to use this particular character again, and that Jack was a perfect fit for Max Anarchy; however, he will have nothing to do with the game’s story.
Platinum Games is aiming for a fall 2011 release for Max Anarchy.
Game Name:Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Platform(s): Nintendo DS Publisher(s):Capcom Developer(s): Capcom Genre(s): Puzzle, Adventure Release Date: January 11, 2011 (US) January 14, 2011 (EU) Price: $29.99 (US) – $49.95 (AU)
From the mind behind the famous “Ace Attorney” series, Shu Takumi, comes a brand new mystery solving puzzle title by the name of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. This title puts you in control of Sissel, the game’s main protagonist, who has been murdered and now must use his spirit body to possess objects for the means of travel to gather clues, find out who his killer is, and why he was killed off to start with. With complete touch control thanks to the Nintendo DS’ touch-screen, Ghost Trick is out to possess players in this brand new mystery. How does it stand up? Here is my review for Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
Story
There are a ton of mystery titles on the Nintendo DS, and while Ghost Trick’s story does fall into that genre, it completely stood out as original and a bit refreshing to myself. As I mentioned, you start the game off as a freshly dead Sissel, who soon learns that he has been murdered and has to find out who killed him off. There is only one problem though, Sissel has no memory of anything and must find out how he died before morning comes or he will disappear forever. On the way, Sissel soon discovers he can perform “Ghost Tricks” where is able to possess inanimate objects as well as turn back time for up to four minutes. With the assassins still at large, killing off certain targets one by one, Sissel sets out to use his new found powers to rewind time and save each victim as well as gather more valuable information for his own mystery along the way.
This may sound a tad typical for today’s standards plot wise, but it isn’t the main plot isn’t where Ghost Trick truly shines. Each character you meet within the game is rich in personality. That also includes Sissel himself who comes across as a bit cocky yet likable lead for the game with his tall hair-do and dashing red suit. As you progress in the story, you set out to save different characters over time and there is a ton of dialogue to read as you go through the game. That isn’t a problem though as all of the interaction between characters is brilliant due to some clever and humorous writing that made it impossible to ignore the story’s progression. Things like this make going through the game easy as half the fun of Ghost Trick is finding new and interesting people along the way.
The game is divided into a chapter-based level format and as you progress there are plenty of interesting twists along the way. You would think with a game based around a topic such as death that the story would be a bit dark, but while the game does have some dark moments, it still maintains a positive and fun vibe the whole way through due to the humor and odd, yet truly interesting stories from everyone involved among the main plot.
Gameplay
While the setting in Ghost Trick is easy to become immersed in due to all of the colorful cast of characters, the odd take on gameplay is just as intriguing. The first thing you should know is that there are two worlds in Ghost Trick, a ghost world, and the land of the living. In the land of the living, time moves just as it should and ghost world lets time set still. These two worlds are the key to the way the game is played and you will find yourself switching between the two many times during one puzzle or “death” for that matter.
Since Sissel is dead, his only means of travel is by possessing certain objects in the ghost world. Sissel can only go a certain distance between objects though and only possess those items with a blue core, so you must use your stylus to drag his spirit from item to item along the environment. Certain items you will come across have an option to be manipulated, which is displayed on the top screen. For instance, you can open a fridge, turn appliances and lights on and off, move gates and ropes, and so on. This is done usually to make Sissel able to reach the next object, but it can also be used to interact with the characters in the environment.
When you must rewind time to save a character, you must use the object manipulation to create a distraction or just flat out stop the assassin from killing their target. Jumping from one object to the next, each item you interact with can change up the whole scenario as simply turning on a light or flipping a switch can change the fate of a fallen character, which is of course the main objective throughout the game. Once you are in an item, flip the world back to the land of the living, manipulate it, then watch the results. Timing is also mixed into this equation as certain items in the environments must be possessed while moving to get you to your destination so a watchful eye is needed at all times. It isn’t as easy as it sounds though as the true challenge in the game is trial and error, but thankfully the game lets you go back and gives you hints to provide some better insight on what exactly needs to be done to stop certain actions from happening. This whole strategy can really test your observation skills as Ghost Trick’s puzzles are completely environment based and the slightest detail could be the pivotal piece into completing a goal.
Sissel can talk to any dead body that has a yellow core to gather clues for the overall mystery so interaction is another large part of gameplay. While you can’t just possess bodies and walk around, you can speak to the fallen victim’s spirit to gather clues on how to prevent their death from happening. After you gather all the information you need from one area, Sissel can get to the next via a telephone line, making area jumping easy (as long as you have the correct phone number).
As a whole, each goal for whatever objective you have is pretty straight-forward and a bit linear, but it is so much fun to watch how the characters interact with all of your actions while manipulating objects that it never feels like a chore. The unique gameplay ties in perfectly with the quirky yet interesting plot and makes Ghost Trick hard to put down until it is finished. After you beat the game, there isn’t a whole lot left to do, but I can easily say I would mind spending another 10 hours or so going through this lively world to see it all again.
Graphics/Audio
The character models are the first thing that stands out in Ghost Trick as each are bright and vivid, boasting a cell-shaded cartoon-ish charm. Each character’s movement completely portrays their personality, and the animations brilliantly set the scene for each area you happen to be snooping for clues in. While you are conversing with characters, close up shots are used which give you a better look at the character’s expressions and the design work all came across great by the visual emotions that fit into the dialogue. Of course since the environment is key to solving these mysteries within the game, it is very important that each item looks the part, and thankfully every area is fully detailed to accomplish this.
The music in Ghost Trick is all scored well enough, but some tracks are more memorable than others. Certain characters actually use their own tracks to better fit with their flamboyant or stiff personality, tying the whole experience together. Sound effects are also used to portray settings and expressions which was yet another home run in the game.
Overall
Ghost Trick has a unique concept and plot which tied together brilliantly bringing the DS something it needed, a refreshing gaming experience. The characters in Ghost Trick are worth the price of the title alone as from baffled detectives to a fiesty Pomeranian, you will find it hard to put down due to the heavy and rewarding interaction from one chapter to the next. Ghost Trick is a title that not only does a fantastic job with gameplay, but also created a new Mascot who is bound to etch his name among the greats such as Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton. Do yourself a favor and don’t let this mystery go unsolved.
Little Orbit LLC, publisher and developer of products aimed at the casual market, has partnered up with Gem Distribution, signing a distribution deal with Gem Distribution which will see the release of latest Little Orbit title, ‘REDKEN Busy Scissors’ being released for Wii and DS on 4th March.
REDKEN Busy Scissors is a casual hairstyling game which aims to put you in the frivolous role of a hairdresser. It looks like it will utilise the Wii Remote pointer or the DS’s touch screen depending on the version of the game you are playing – shampooing, cutting, colouring and blow drying are the order of the day here. Also, because the game has a sponsor ship deal, expect official REDKEN salon haircare products, including various branded styling implements to make an appearance.
At the moment, it’s looking a bit like the Trauma Center games, but instead of removing a steel girder protruding through a man’s chest, you’ll be preparing Sally for a date with a quick cut ‘n’ colour.
The latest Pokémon trailer has been uploaded by Nintendo, showing more gameplay footage and displaying the delights of the Triple Battle, the new 3 on 3 Battle system which should offer the biggest mix-up to the battle formula since Double Battles were introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Saphire.
3 on 3 battles will bring a whole new level of strategy to Pokémon battles, and the mere contemplation of sending out a balanced squad makes our heads hurt. It should provide more depth than any other game in the series, and along with the vast list of other new features, this looks like it could set new standards for the franchise.
Anyone enthralled by the idea of the tactics involved in Triple Battles? Which version will you be picking up when it releases on DS in March, Black or White?
It’s official, the contract has been signed and Knights Contract is all set for a release next month on February 22nd on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Namco Bandai announced today that Knights Contract has officially been polished enough for its release date in under a month. The relatively close time to release for the golden finish can be seen as a good sign that lots of care was taken to fix any possible bugs that may have appeared if the game was left to sit for a long time before release.
Now Knights Contract will be placing players in the middle of the 17th century and in the immortal boots of Heinrich. Heinrich is teamed together with Gretchen, a witch who he himself executed, and must fight against the evil that has taken over the land. Players can expect fast paced battles full of explosive magic and plenty of blood flying around as Heinrich tears through opponents with Gretchen’s support.
