California Game Ban Rejected

Violent video game ban case is rejected, 7 to 2.

The case of Brown vs EMA, which would have required video game companies to slap a 18+ label on anything "excessively violent", was shot down today on grounds of freedom of speech and consumer protection in a supreme court ruling of 7 to 2.
It is a great success for gamers and game creators alike. Since the lines of what some may find violent and/or offensive differ from community to community, it's absurd to think that they could cover all grounds with a single law. Read more about the case here. Also, if you're interested in joining the fight for your right to game, check out the ECA (Entertainment consumer's association), who has taken action to bring gamers together for a common cause.

Phoenix Gamer Review - Duke Nukem Forever

Was Duke Nukem Forever worth the wait?

14 years! It took 14 years for this game to come out. After being passed around like a drunken prom date, "Duke Nukem Forever" has finally come to light. Now the big question; can a game with such a long development period live up to all the hype? We'll find out in a minute, but first here's a little history.

Originally announced on April 28, 1997, "Duke Nukem Forever", is the sequel to "Duke 3D" which is quite possibly the best game in the history of ever. The production was plagued with game engine changes, lawsuits and delay after delay after delay. 3D Realms finally laid off the DNF Team in 2009 and the status of DNF fell into developmental hell. In 2010, the game was re-announced with the development help of not 1, but 3 different development houses. Which brings us to today.
Now onto the review.

Graphics: 6/10

The visuals by no means make the Xbox 360 break a sweat. It's a strange blend of impressive textures in one room to flat bland colors in the next. A real cluster(expletive) of visuals.

Audio/Voice Acting: 4/10

The dialogue is comprised mainly of dick and fart jokes, written by a 12 year-old coupled with liberal use of...colorful language. However Jon St. John's portrayal of Duke Nukem is as great as ever.

Gameplay: 7/10

The basic gameplay is a call back to the classic "Duke Nukem" games. The downside: you can only carry two weapons at a time. The driving parts are a fun break from the run-and-gun. AND THE LOADING SCREENS TAKE FOREVER!

Story: 2/10

Oh my god, this story couldn't be more generic. Aliens kidnapping Earth's women, Duke enters. There's your story.

Final Score: 5/10

While not even close to living up to the 14 year hype; if you wanna blow stuff up look no further.

Review submitted by Tony, Phoenix Gamer Contributor

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Sega Pass Hacked

HAXX!!!

It was bad enough when the playstation network was hacked multiple times, but now it seems that the next target of attack was Sega's Sega Pass Database. Same hackers? Maybe, maybe not. Sega Pass has been down since yesterday, with a blanket email sent this morning to all Sega Pass Members.

Luckily, No credit card or payment information attached to accounts were stolen since Sega uses external payment providers. Unfortunately names, emails, dates of birth, and encrypted passwords have been compromised. Sega is temporarily preventing full access to Sega Pass until the whole mess is sorted out. Sega also stated that passwords have been reset and that if you share the same password with any other online accounts, you should change it immediately.

For any additional customer service inquiries Sega provided this email: csescalations@sega.com

E3 Coverage: Nintendo

Nintendo announces new games, "new" technology

Nintendo started off by their press conference at E3 this year with news of upcoming Zelda Titles and the the 25th year anniversary celebration that includes a symphony concert series taking place in the Fall. This Year will see releases of Zelda Ocarina of time for the 3DS, a remastered version of Link's awakening, and a free download of the 4 Swords for the DSI. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword for the Wii will be released this holiday season as will a promotional golden Wii Controller. Soundtracks for Ocarina of Time 3D and Skyward Sword will be released as full length albums.

Upcoming releases for the 3DS include Mario Kart 3DS which looks about the same as any other Mario Kart Game, the new Kid Icarus Game with it's terrible anime style animation and just as terrible voice overs, Luigi's Mansion 2, and Mario 3DS who's only saving grace is that they brought back the Tanuki Suit. Even though it's on the 3DS, it's still a side-scroller with little added depth. Other titles coming to the 3DS worth mentioning are Mario and Sonic 2012 Olympics, Tetris, Cave Story 3D, Resident Evil Mercenaries, Resident Evil Revelations, Tekken 3D, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, and an interactive 3D pokedex.

Of course Nintendo revealed their big bombshell of disappointment, their new console/controller officially named the Wii U. The controller is a brick bigger than the the Sega Game Gear that has dual analog sticks, a 6.2 inch touch screen, 1 camera, and a motion control axis. It will be used with the Wii U and will NOT be a portable console as was seen with the Sony Vita. Smash Brothers Brawl will have a port on both the Wii U and the 3DS. The only other title that caught my eye for the Wii U is the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge.

Towards the end of the conference, a representative of EA took the stage and went on about how there will be DLC for upcoming EA games and how it is exciting and new. Where were you when online gaming was released forever ago? This is not new, it's not innovative, and just seemed like a time filler.

Overall it seems that Nintendo probably had the weakest release announcements of all of E3. While Nintendo fans are probably still giddy from merely being the presence of their beloved Miyamoto-san and all the hype, the gaming community in general will probably be disappointed with Nintendo's offerings this year.

article submitted by Mel at www.meltheofficegamergirl.com

E3 Coverage: Sony

Sony introduces Vita, exclusives, and more

Sony's conference at E3 was off to a weak start opening with a pretentious video showcasing games we've already seen set to questionable music. The first thing that was addressed of course, was the recent Sony network outage. While boasting that the media like controversy, they openly took credit while apologizing to consumers for their game time being down. I'm sorry, but did they not get the memo that thousands of users had loads of personal information and credit card numbers stolen? They should have shown more sympathy towards their users, especially considering the number of eyes on them this evening. That's enough about that, let's get on to the games!

Some new footage for Uncharted 3 was shown. Very cinematic, dramatic, but over all nothing too eye catching. Sony will be partnering with Subway, yes the sandwich place, to bring you promotions for the game's multiplayer function this October. Resistance 3, yet another sequel, was shown as well. From the demo shown, it looks to be grungier, lesser polished Crysis 2-like game. Not something that I will be picking up but worth looking into if you're a fan of the franchise. It will be available in full blown HD 3D and will be playable with the Playstation Move.

2 Game collections will be remastered and released in 3D as well. The first of the 2 is the God of war origins collection. The other set is Ico packaged with Shadow of the Colossus. Yes, Shadow of the Colossus in 3D, how badass is that?!

There was a lot of Playstation Move news. NBA 2K 12 will be move compatible, as will Infamous 2 which will also have online user created missions. Little Big Planet 2 will be Move capable this September. A demo for a game called Medieval Move was shown. In this game the movement plays out like that of a rail shooter and there is no inventory select. All of your weapons will be used according to how you wield the Move peripheral. Puzzles will be solved in a similar manner. This game looks very rough around the edges and it's unclear just how responsive the actual controls will be. This is still an in-progress game so we'll just have to see how it turns out. Another trailer for Bioshock Infinite was shown but it didn't pack as much punch as the first trailer for the game. It was announced that this game will also be Move capable upon its release. Supposedly there's also a Bioshock game for the PSP in the works.

Making their way into innovative territory, Sony presented DUST, which will be a ps3 exclusive. The game is a generic looking first person shooter that hopes to set itself apart from the rest by being able to connect directly to the PC where players can choose to play it as an MMO. Dust is set to be released Spring of 2012.

Adventures in Space! A new Star Trek game is in the works to be released beside the upcoming movie. A special phaser controller will also be released. The game demo didn't look too exciting. It was obvious to tell that it was a movie based game. One of the more interesting games in Sony's lineup included the title Star Hawk. This game, also set in space, is a 3rd person shooter that features a futuristic world of gunslingers and mechs. Will this space western be a hit or a flop? Whatever it is, it's one of the more unique titles that I look forward to in 2012.

And Now, the news that everyone and their mom has already covered; Sony's Vita. The handheld system features dual analog sticks, your d-pad and familiar buttons, a touch screen on the front screen, touch controls on the back, motion control axis, and 2 cameras on the front and on the back. Just how much can you shove into one handheld anyways? You will be able to switch between playing on your Vita and PS3 seamlessly. It will also be wifi capable and be able to do just about everything your smart phone can do minus the phone part. But if you want to stick to your smart phone or tablet, Sony is starting up the Playstation Suite network so you can take your games with you wherever you go. Both of these things, however, will only be available to you if you have a plan through AT&T. Nice one Sony, I think you kind of screwed yourself over with that one.

Some of the titles on the Vita are worth mentioning. Ruin is an action based RPG that will allow players to defeat enemies in real time while crawling the dungeons created by their rivals and other members of the Playstation Network. Little big planet will allow you to use all of the tools from Little Big Planet 2 and import character costumes from your PS3. Lastly, Street Fighter X Tekken will be released cross console and will also be available on the Sony Vita with their Sony exclusive character being Cole from Infamous. C'mon now, everyone say it along with me: Mugen, MUgen, MUGEN!!!

We'll be back tomorrow with Nintendo's conference highlights.

article submitted by Mel of www.meltheofficegamergirl.com

E3 Coverage: Ubisoft

Ubisoft announces new games at E3 2011

Ubisoft took the stage at E3 this evening and started things off by showing the new Rayman game that's in the works. Rayman Origins will be a side scroller with co-op capabilities.

Next up the showed the newest edition to the Driver Franchise. Driver San Francisco looks like it will have all of the car chase goodness of other Driver games with a multiplayer mode.

The trailer for Far Cry 3 was brutal, but the gameplay footage left much to be desired.

Gearbox announced their new addition to the Brothers in Arms franchise. Brothers in Arms the Furious 4 looks brutal as hell with a dash of comedy. The trailer looked something like if they were to take the premise for Inglorious Bastards and make a game adaptation of it. Have fun huntin' down them Nazis.

More Gameplay of the upcoming game that was announced earlier by Microsoft, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, showed impressive intuitive multiplayer functions as well as advanced in-game character AI that makes the game feel like it will be a more immersive experience than thought in the first showing of the game.

For you who like music and dance games it was announced that Just Dance 3 and Rock Smith (a game that teaches you to play guitar) will both be released sometime in October. Other games to be released later this year include Tin Tin the game, Track Mania Canyon, and a Co-op version of the game Your Shape for the Kinect.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, Ubisoft announced the release of Assassin's Creed Revelations. The game intro and gameplay shown played out more like a movie than any game I've ever seen yet it still somehow keeps the feel of a game. Assassin's Creed Revelations will be released in November of this year and is definitely one to keep your eye on.

E3 Coverage: Microsoft announcements

Microsoft reveals Xbox exclusives and more

Today Microsoft took the stage at E3 2011, to show off some of their current projects.

The conference started out strong with a preview and demo for the upcoming Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. The demo showed us how the new game would take place across different terrain including under water, in the air, and on the ground. What was most impressive about this was the fluidity of the action. The in game graphics take on a darker tone than the games that came before it and the game has an extremely polished look over all. Whether you're a fan of first person shooters or not, this game looks like it's going to be one that shouldn't be missed.

Next up Microsoft showed a preview for their upcoming Tomb Raider game. Revamping a franchise that seemed to be more than dead, this new game will take place in the past as you play as a younger Laura Croft just starting out her adventures. The gameplay itself is nothing too spectacular, and the voice acting was atrocious. As we followed our main character through the demo, she kept pointing out the most obvious things in the surroundings. Things like "Oh, here's a torch, I've got to re-light it." and "That was close!" along with assorted girlish grunts and screams while trying to escape the fairly bland setting. It's obvious that this revamp is just a way to cash in on a franchise that doesn't really need anymore games. I would not suggest this one.

Mass Effect 3 was announced and will be compatible with the Kinect's Voice recognition function. You don't have as much freedom as that may imply though, as you still only have a couple of options to choose from. It would be quicker to just press a button.

Ghost Recon Future Soldier will also be compatible with the Kinect. The only new feature worth mentioning is the weapon customization where you will be able to tell the Kinect what parts to take out and put in to create the best weapon for your situation. The new Ghost Recons boasts that it will have over 2 million weapon options if you use this feature.

The Main Focus of Microsoft's presentation this year seemed to be all of the new entertainment options coming to Xbox Live. Some of the new features include Youtube partnering up with Xbox, Using Bing to search the XBL library for your favorite tv shows and movies, and Live TV. Coming to the Live Market place in November, a remake of the first Halo game will include updated graphics, remastered campaign, and co-op. This winter Minecraft will be playable through Xbox live and will also be compatible with the Kinect. Minecraft will be exclusive to the Xbox 360. Lastly, Microsoft has listened to requests from fans to bring you the Kinect Fun Lab. Fun lab can be accessed through the XBL dashboard today to bring you innovations for the Kinect made by other players and the industry alike. Some of the fun things you'll find there include People Scanning, a function that allows you to make an avatar that looks just like you by being scanned by the Kinect, Finger Tracking, which allows you to take pictures and draw in 3D, and Object Capture that allows you to make a character out of any household object.

Some kid-friendly titles were also announced. Double Fine, the creators of classics such as Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, are working on Sesame Street: Once upon a Monster. The game will play out like an interactive story book in which your child can interact with characters and play a series of mini games while progressing through the story. Also coming to Xbox is Kinect Disneyland Adventure. You will be able to explore the magical kingdom in the comfort of your own home.

A new Star Wars game will be coming out that is compatible with the Kinect. You'll finally be able to wield a light saber without the use of a controller. While they were showing the demo, there seemed to be a slight delay between the player and character's actions on screen. We can only hope that they'll tighten up the reaction time before the game's release.

Lastly a few other games were announced; Gears of War 3, Ryse, Forza Motorsport 4 (which looked really tight), Kinect Sports season 2 which includes skiing and tennis, Dance Central 2, and Halo 4 which is to be released in the holiday season 2012.

Be sure to check back for more E3 coverage and announcements!

Article submitted by Mel at www.meltheofficegamergirl.com