VGN for May 6th, 2005

Friday, 06 May 2005

VGN for May 6th, 2005

Videogame news:

Calif. violent video game bill passes committee

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California lawmakers reconsidered and approved a bill in committee on Thursday that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors.

The California Assembly's arts committee passed the bill by Democratic Assembly Member Leland Yee on a 6-4 vote after taking it up for reconsideration.

The bill had failed to pass the committee on Tuesday when it fell a vote short of a necessary six votes.

Michigan cracks down on video game violence

Michigan - Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm is pushing for a law to stop violent and sexually explicit video games from being rented or sold to children.

An undercover operation sent children as young as 9-years-old into stores in six Michigan counties, including Cass County. Nearly half the time, the kids were able to buy or rent inappropriate video games such as Doom 3 and Resident Evil, both video games rated “M” for mature for players over the age of 17 and Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas.

Randy Smith of LA Video in Dowagiac says, "San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto are number one. That is the number one. It's very bad. [There is] a lot of violence, drugs, sex, especially for a young kid, it's pretty bad."

Smith says younger children have tried to rent those games but at his store, they might try but they don’t succeed. “We just won't give it to them.”

Children were able to get such video games at nearly half the 58 Michigan stores visited in last month's undercover investigation.

“Children as young as 9 and 10 years old were able to purchase video games that contained graphic scenes of violence, of nudity, or drug use and much more,” says Governor Granholm

Video Games Grow Tiresome for Many

Alan Farley says the dire outlook from Electronic Arts points to consumers' disenchantment with video games. The poor performance is a bit surprising: Leisure stocks usually outperform in a downturn. Also, gaming hardware is becoming outdated. Online gaming offers an alternative, and that doesn't help Microsoft's or Sony's consoles. The sector appears to be out of ideas.

Hackers figure out file extraction from Sony UMD

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Software developers have figured out how to extract files from the Universal Media Discs used in Sony Corp (SNE.N).'s (6758.T) new PlayStation Portable handheld video game device, though there is no way to play the games extracted from those discs.

Some details of the exploit were posted Wednesday night on the Web site PS2nfo.com, along with lists showing all the files pulled off the game discs for "Ridge Racers," "Wipeout Pure" and "Vampire Chronicles."

The games are not yet playable because there is no way to burn UMDs from scratch, and the PSP does not accommodate larger discs. However, the site said the ability to look through the games' file structures could still be instructive for developers.

Showtime Teams with Microsoft on Xbox Promotion

Viacom (NYSE: VIAb - news) subsidiary Showtime Networks is teaming with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) on a marketing tie-in featuring the new Xbox video game console.

The promotion, which kicks off in May and runs through the summer, will provide new Showtime subscribers with free Xbox games and Xbox Live Starter Kits.

Video game systems have become a fixture in nearly half of all U.S. households, according to Showtime. This promotion is designed to promote a complete entertainment proposition, the network said, extending from Showtime and Xbox to digital cable, satellite TV, video on demand and high speed Internet.

New game-music concert to tour US

Classic games meet classical music with the Video Games Live tour; music from Halo, Zelda, and others to be played by full orchestras.
The tinny sounds of games may have driven parents crazy in the past, but scores since have certainly resonated with the current generation of gamers. Hot on the heels of the success of the Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy concerts comes a new orchestral tour featuring modern-day game music.

Featured music will include songs from several generations. More-modern selections include pieces from Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy, while retro fans will recognize songs from Donkey Kong and Pong.

Yamauchi To Leave Nintendo Board This Summer???

Reports suggest that the former Nintendo President may be preparing to leave in June 2005...

News filtered into TVG Towers today that suggests former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi is preparing to stand at the end of June 2005. Reports on certain web sites comment that the 77-year old, great-grandson of Nintendo founder Fusajiro Yamauchi, will be walking away from the Nintendo Board of Directors on June 29th.

Yamauchi-san stood down from his role as Company President three years ago after first taking the reins over 50 years previously, turning the playing card manufacturers into the video-gaming giants that we all know and love. An icon of the industry Yamauchi is known for speaking his mind which led to the creation of the famed ‘Wired parody.’

As well as retaining an advisory role with the company, Yamauchi-san will also retain his 10% stock interest in Nintendo, and reports comment that he has even turned down the standard golden handshake of 1.5 billion Yen instead asking that the money goes back into the Nintendo coffers.

Blog only:

Heavy.com weighs in on PSPs

Alt-comedy Web site to offer PSP-compatible content; four Heavy to Go packs can be downloaded today.
Web surfers who have gone on quests to find footage of the dreamy Fabio being hit in the face with a bird on a roller coaster or video of a portly kid doing his best Darth Maul impersonation, have probably come across Heavy.com. The comedy Web site specializes in the most absurd, sophomoric, and just plain wrong that the Internet has to offer.

What I've been Playing:

Wrestlemania 21--thanks Cybertron!

RAW 2

God of War

Anime News:

Anime Downloads

MetroCon!!

Stay tuned next week for the announcement of the return for one of last year's favorite anime convention events!!!