There are a few multiplatform titles releasing this week, including The Golden Compass, but it’s mainly Nintendo platform software hitting stores.
PS3 owners can look forward to playing the Shivering Isles Oblivion expansion this week, PC gamers can get their hands on Universe at War: Earth Assault. while Xbox 360 owners will have to make do with The Golden Compass (pictured). In contrast, Wii gamers will be able to pick up Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and Godzilla Unleashed. while there’s a host of new DS releases making their way to retail.
A new study claims that violent media and aggression are tied together the same way as smoking and lung cancer.
A University of Michigan study by psychology professor and researcher L. Rowell Huesmann finds that viewers of violent TV and videogames are more susceptible to increased amounts of aggression.
The study said that such content affects both adults and children.
"Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer," Huesmann said, as reported by Science Daily.
"Our lives are saturated by the mass media, and for better or worse, violent media are having a particularly detrimental effect on the well-being of children," he added.
According to the study, kids in the US spend an average of three to four hours a day watching TV, with over 60 percent of programming containing violence.
"Children are also spending an increasingly large amount of time playing videogames, most of which contain violence. Videogame units are now present in 83 percent of homes with children," he said.
Despite the recent announcement of upcoming downloadable original Xbox games for Xbox 360, Microsoft has released another free backward-compatibility update for its console.
On December 4, Microsoft will begin charging $15 a pop for original Xbox game downloads such as Crimson Skies, Halo, Fable and Burnout 3 as part of its upcoming Xbox Live Originals offerings. But apparently the firm isn’t letting the opportunity to make more cash on old games get in the way of continuing to provide free back-compat support.
Xbox Live figurehead Larry Hryb said in his blog that over 80 games would be added to the list of backward-compatible Xbox games, including Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Breakdown, Freedom Fighters, Future Tactics: The Uprising, High Heat MLB 2004, Playboy: The Mansion, Thrillville and The Bard’s Tale.
The compatibility update is available for free over Xbox Live.
Following the recent announcement of Xbox Originals, Next-Gen contacted a Microsoft rep to find out if the company would continue back-compat support, but the rep was unable to dig up an official comment. For now back-compat updates appear to be ongoing, although the timing of the next update is unknown.
Microsoft Japan recently held a small press briefing detailing some of the new features bundled into the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update.
With the help of Engadget Japanese's Ittousai we've been able to pinpoint a few relevant changes that are in store for next Tuesday's update. The most significant addition is the reorganization of the "games" blade (pictured above), which now features the "Game Library" (in place of "Xbox Live Arcade"), in addition to the old "Achievements" and "Played Games" sections.
When opened, the Game Library is nearly identical to the current XBLA menu, with a vertically-scrolling games list and an info box appearing for the highlighted game [Famitsu image]. New, however, is a horizontal sorting menu, broken down by filters like "All Games," "Arcade," "Demos," and "Recent Downloads." (This new horizontal and vertical organization is not unlike Sony's XMB design -- Microsoft calls it "twist" navigation, the same UI used for Zune.)
Additional Fall Update features:
Top level of "marketplace" has been reorganized and reduced to four categories: "Featured Content," "What's New," "Game Store," and "Video Store" (below top level, categories will be navigated by twist, just like the Game Library)
"Personal Profile" added to Gamer Profile; text field allowing approx. 500-1000 characters, providing space to publish name, nationality, region, and self introduction. (Further social networking tools to accompany 'Friends of Friends' functionality)
XBLA demos deleted from "Played Games" and Gamercard lists
Note: This feature set is by no means complete, and we should expect to see variations in and additions to the North American update, which will be made available on Dec. 4th.
We find it hard to believe there are any 360 owners out there who haven't picked up Halo 3 yet, but if they do exist, their day has just been luckified.
The legendary edition of Halo 3 is on sale, right now, on Amazon for a mere $59.99. A pittance!
The legendary edition regularly retails for $129.99 and contains:
Halo 3 game disc (of course)
Two bonus discs filled with behind-the-scenes docs, making-of movies and other insider material
Images "slipped through proper approval process"
Electronic Arts has said that it regrets a promotion for its latest Need for Speed game which used Page 3 porn models for a topless photo shoot.
The images appeared on Page 3.com, the official softcore porn site of UK tabloid The Sun, and featured topless models posing with a Ferrari. The Need for Speed branding and EA logo featured prominently.
"We regret that these images slipped through the proper EA approval process," said a spokesperson for the publisher, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz.
"They were not appropriate for our brand. The original site has been taken down this morning."
While the images have been deleted, an accompanying video of the photo shoot still remains online, although any association with the game has been removed.
Need for Speed: Pro Street was released last Friday in Europe and today entered the all formats charts at number two.
Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and PlayStation consoles Ultimate Games (@ULTGames) confirmed that Metro Simulator 2, the realistic and relaxing simulator with faithfully reproduced subway realities and train control mechanics from KishMish Games, will laun..