Thursday, June 1st, 2006

GP's Eisen Names E3's Most Controversial Games

The lengths I go to for GP readers - forcing myself to attend this year's E3 in Los Angeles; playing all of the new games and even checking out a bit of the E3 party scene.

In fact, while waiting in line to play the Nintendo Wii, I began to wonder which games will politicians and the anti-gaming crowd target in the coming year? What game will be the new GTA San Andreas or 25 to Life? Based on what I picked up at E3, these games could bring some rough sailing for the game industry:

First up is Grand Theft Auto 4 Why? Well, just because it's GTA. What more needs to be said? Ever since Hot Coffee, poor San Andreas has been pegged as the poster child for everything that's wrong with the video game industry. Will GTA4 cause a similar brouhaha? My gut says yes. It's true that we don't know anything about the game except for its name and release date but a lack of facts has never stopped the industry's critics. And besides, it's a pretty safe bet the characters in GTA4 won't be playing much ping pong.

Reservoir Dogs - If you've seen the movie, you know there's going to be a lot of violence towards cops. And 25 to Life showed how politically disastrous that can be for the game industry. Based on E3 previews, Reservoir Dogs has two play styles: psycho (kill everyone in your path) and professional (don't kill anyone). Check out Gamespot's preview for a gameplay video detailing all of the ear-slicing fun.

Sadness - Not much is yet known about this adult horror game due out for Wii in 2007 but here's an excerpt from the developer's website: "Imagine driving away rats with a torch, throwing a rope (as a lasso) when you want to climb over the wall, or slitting the throat of a persecutor with a piece of glass... All of this with the help of the Revolution controller."
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Saturday, November 26th, 2005

50 Cent Bulletproof Banned Down Under

The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification (OLFC) has refused classification for 50 Cent Bulletproof, essentially banning the game Down Under.

According to the organization's report, a 3-member team played the game for a combined 42 hours in reaching the decision.

Thanks to game sites Refused Classification and Playfuls by way of digg...

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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005

50 Cent Recommends His Game for Kids

GP's promo copy of 50 Cent Bulletproof came wrapped in miniature body armor and bearing a mature rating from the ESRB.

However, as reported by Reuters, the rapper himself thinks the game is suitable for kids.

"Just because it is rated mature doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it for your kids. Play the game and explain to them what they are playing."

50, the father of a 9-year-old, argues that violent games are a legitimate form of entertainment for all ages.

"I think everyone knows that a game is a game. There's the part where you actually press start on the controller - after that you are playing a game... The person that's influenced by a video game can be influenced by anything. If we have to take away video games, then we have to think about other things. And then we have no entertainment because we might influence somebody who's crazy."

What about this, GP readers?

UPDATE: Several GP readers pointed out that a Canadian Member of Parliament wants to bar 50 Cent from entering Canada for an upcoming concert tour. Not exactly a game story, but certainly related - and interesting.

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