Greetings humans, Monki here with your steaming pile of gaming news.
I honestly believe that Tim League and Harry Knowles are trying to kill me. This is the last week at the Alamo Drafthouse down here in Austin and I've been to one of two huge events to finish the poor girl off. Last night was the Half-Ass-a-Thon where my world was rocked by Stardust and my back was destroyed by the Drafthouse chair that was made of pure evil. Wednesday Tim is going to try to kill us all by dropping 50,000 watts of subwoofer power onto the movie Earthquake. He is going to literally bring the roof down, and somehow it's going to end up on my head. Oh well, maybe death will stop the pain in my back that has developed from painting the treehouse and evil Drafthouse chair.
All that being said, its a poor excuse for the tardiness of the column, but I apologize. It has been a hectic week in the treehouse and I've just now calmed down enough to talk about Manhunt 2 and the ESRB fiasco on a somewhat rational level. I hope...we'll get to that later.
I've got a good stockpile of things coming up for you to gaze at over the next few weeks. I've just received a review of Odin Sphere for the PS2, I've got a music column that I'm putting the finishing touches on, the Army of Two contest winners coming up and a possible new contest in the making, so keep your eyes open.
Enough blabber...I've got a whole section for that further on...away we go...oh and GO SEE STARDUST, damn fine movie.
Press Releases of the Week!
The first bit up is a reminder that the new Grand Theft Auto 4 trailer is coming out this Thursday at noon. (Not sure of that is PST or EST, so check between noon on the East coast to noon on the West coast.)
I received a reminder with a pretty sweet looking piece of art to go along with it. I'm not sure if this is the style they will be going for on the box (if they do the collage of images like they have before) but I really dig it. It's a bit more detailed than the previous style...anyway, check it out.
For what it's worth, the new trailer is called "Looking for that Special Someone." So hopefully this means that there will be ponies available to ride in-game and you can dress them up with hats and ribbons.
Up next is a contest that Doritos is putting on with the XBox Live Arcade. Basically, you design a Doritos-inspired game and they give you a bunch of prizes if you win. Doritos and gamers...kinda go together like peanut butter and women. (And I mean that in a good way.)
Plano, TX (June 21, 2007) - The Doritos brand announced today that it is once again putting Doritos fans in control by partnering with Xbox 360 to let fans design the first-ever consumer-created Xbox LIVE Arcade game. Together, the two brands are challenging people in the United States to think of an idea that takes the spirit of the Doritos tortilla chips brand and brings it to life on the Xbox 360. Five finalists will get to work side-by-side with Xbox LIVE Arcade development teams to build playable versions of their game concept which will be available online at www.snackstrongproductions.com. In addition, each finalist will also receive a prize package for their creativity, valued at over $6,000. In late October and early November, visitors to the site will have a chance to play working versions of the five finalists' games and vote for the one game concept they want to see developed for release.
Consumer votes will determine the winning game concept, announced in November 2007, to be developed by Xbox 360. Once released in summer 2008, fans everywhere will be able to download and play the first-ever consumer-created Xbox LIVE Arcade game for free.
Doritos-inspired video game ideas can be submitted at www.snackstrongproductions.com between June 21 and July 29, 2007. Submissions must describe an original idea for a Doritos-inspired video game in no more than 500 words along with any other original elements or components gamers would like to have considered as part of their entry, to help describe, depict or illustrate the original idea. Beginning today, additional details about the creative challenge are available at www.snackstrongproductions.com.
"Doritos fans continue to tell us how excited they are to be part of, and personalize, what is important to them," explains Ann Mukherjee, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. "Similar to past Doritos programs that put consumers in control, we hope Unlock Xbox gives people a chance to express their own creativity, this time in the innovative world of gaming."
Giving video game fans and Doritos chip-lovers everywhere even more reason to get in the game, between August 20 and November 18, 2007, visitors to www.snackstrongproductions.com will have a chance to instantly win great prizes including Xbox 360 consoles, Xbox Live Gold subscriptions and more with two consecutive online promotions. Promotion details, including rules, will be available on www.snackstrongproductions.com during the respective promotion periods.
"We are always looking for new ways to connect with fans and give them unique opportunities for expressing their creativity that only Xbox 360 and our partners can deliver," said Mike Fischer, General Manager, US Marketing, Xbox 360. "With millions of gamers already engaging in Xbox LIVE fan forums and communities, we extend an invitation to them to jump in with their ideas for a fun, new Xbox LIVE Arcade game."
The "Unlock Xbox" campaign is the evolution of the Doritos brand allowing consumers to be in control. Earlier this year, the Doritos brand aired two consumer-created commercials during Super Bowl XL as part of the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" challenge. These two ads kicked-off the first-ever consumer-created Doritos brand television ad campaign, in which all five of the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" finalists' ads aired on national television. Following Doritos Crash the Super Bowl," the brand launched the Doritos Fight for the Flavor" campaign to let Doritos fans vote to determine which of two new flavors survives on store shelves and which one gets pulled. Recently, the brand launched the Doritos X-13D Flavor Experiment," where consumers have a chance to name the new mysterious flavor of Doritos tortilla chips by entering their ideas at www.snackstrongproductions.com.
I got an email explaining the $6,000 prize-pack as well:
Five finalists will win a $6,000 prize-pack including:
- 42" plasma television, a Limited Edition Xbox 360 Elite Console
- One copy of every Xbox 360 title published by Microsoft during 2007 (10 total)
- 2000 MSN Points
- One year Xbox Live Gold Pass
- Home entertainment system including a 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System and a pro-gaming chair.
Before anyone starts bitching about the contest, think of it this way, even if you don't do anything, next Summer you can get a FREE XBox Live arcade game and with it, 200 FREE gamerpoints for your gamerscore. Did I mention FREE? Or you could submit an entry and possibly win a crapload of prizes. I'll make a deal to, if an AICN reader submits and wins, I'll give you a lifetime supply of high-fives to go along with your new 42" plasma.
Up next is a heads up for a DVD that hits the market today. (Tuesday the 26th) Super Mario Brothers 3 is being released. You'd probably remember it best from the Koopa Kids! Ahhhh the memories.
When it premiered as part of NBC’s Saturday morning lineup in the Fall of 1990, The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros. 3 helped catapult the record-breaking game (over 17 million units to date) on which it was based into video game history. Now, Mario is back with his pals on The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros 3: The Complete Series! For the first time ever on DVD, The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros 3: The Complete Series 3-DVD box set contains the complete series (26 full episodes), plus a bonus disc full of great Mario extras arriving on DVD June 26, 2007 from Shout! Factory. The DVD set is priced for everyone to own at $29.99.
After sending the infamous King Koopa into the Banishment Zone, the heroic plumbers, Mario and Luigi, finally made it home to Brooklyn. But just when the Mushroom People thought they were safe, Koopa escaped and brought with him seven of the most vile creatures the world had ever known: the Koopa Kids! Now only the Super Mario Bros. can rid the Mushroom Kingdom of Koopa and his deviant minions...or can they?
BONUS DISC INCLUDES:
- Interactive The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Writers Bible
- Learn the backstory of The Adventures Of Super Mario Bros. 3!
- Meet the Marios & Koopas!
- Visit the worlds!
- View the artwork from concept to final!
- Hear the original music!
Check out the trailer, it's like going back in time. To a good time.
Pretty Images of the Week!
The more I see on the Transformers game, the more I'm anxious to play it. Check out the opening cinematic.
Is it really possible to punch someone in mid air while you are both falling? Does gravity really allow for that? Hmmmm...
Up next is a new Stranglehold video that includes Chow Yun-Fat in a tracksuit laughing maniacally...and more doves.
MORE DOVES! MORE DOVES!
Last up is a new trailer for the Bee Movie Game. Enjoy MOVIE VOICE GUY!
Everyone loves movie voice guy!
As a quick heads up, I usually get between 3 and 5 trailers a week that I throw on my YouTube account, so if you want to get a sneak at some of these before they hit my column you can subscribe to my account by going here and clicking on the subscribe button. Joy.
Monki's Seven Most Important Stories of the Week!
N'Gai Croal and Stephen Totilo got to check out Manhunt 2 for the Wii. Those lucky bastards. It's like seeing a movie that won't get released in its intended form.
There is a guy in NYC who is in line for the iPhone already. And he gave his phone number away on a website...that won't come back to haunt him I'm sure.
Speaking of which, the Jesus Phone launches on Friday. Steve Jobs owns my soul. And yours. God I want one of these.
Briefly last week video games were put under the microscope as possibly being an 'official' addiction. Then logic stepped in and put a stop to all that talk.
The Internet is Serious Business. I absolutely love doing that to people...ask Merrick.
New York is about to donate a couple million to the games industry. If you don't want your tax money going to the ESA, go ahead and contact your Governor. Or just let the ESA collect another paycheck.
The ESRB is attempting to become the dominant monkey. Or angry school marm...
We Know What's Good for You of the Week!
Ugg.
It began here.
...and ended here.
I have a feeling that we're heading down a very very bad path.
Read this really quickly. Okay...someone is missing the point.
"Hopefully Take-Two has learned from its Manhunt 2 experience and will undertake preventive measures to ensure its future games, including Grand Theft Auto IV, are appropriate for families and gamers."
Pardon my French, but WHAT THE FUCK? GTA4 is NOT MEANT for FAMILIES. Gran-papa isn't supposed to sit on the couch while little Billy runs around boning hookers and running down gangsters. You would think with the decades that video games have been around would come some sort of increased knowledge on the subject. Obviously that is giving way too much credit to the general public.
I read somewhere that the average gamer is in their mid 20s. Mid 20s...by that point you should be out on your own and not need Mommy to come wipe your ass after you take a crap. Why do people still not understand that ADULTS PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
One of my new games writers, Pipking, sent in a brief editorial on the issue.
Nintendo responded to the ESRB's rating of AO for Manhunt 2 with a resounding "Pass." Sony, too - neither wants an Adult's Only game on their consoles.
Rockstar has delayed the game from it's slated July 10th release date. They have to compromise. They've got no choice.
It's not like DVD and it's "rating free" zone. If they don't edit the objectionable material to the point of M - you know, take it from 18+ all the way, way back to 17+ - they face a big loss on their investment. It would be something if they could still sell online, but no - this isn't about point of purchase. Nintendo will not license AO games as a matter of course. Rockstar is being denied access to the primary market they developed the game for.
I understand caution. Nintendo is riding on a fuckton of goodwill. An AO game on a family console doesn't fit the happy-white-fun paradigm. Jack Thompson has predictably splooged all over it the first chance he got. I hope his stock has gone down since the Virginia Tech fiasco, but I don't think it's gone down that much. And really, it's what he's been waiting for - a game that requires you to mimic the actions of a murderer. It spins itself.
Of course, you could make the same argument about toy guns, which we give to kids a lot younger than 17.
That's all Manhunt 2 on the Wii is - a new toy gun. An agent of pretend.
That's what all videogames are. Make-believe. Not real.
I don't understand what's so hard to get. If the Wiimote-nunchuck makes you think of using a garrote, chances are Manhunt 2 would have been nothing more that practice for you anyway. There are some people that are just...lost. Wrong. Troubled. If it's not one thing that sets them off, it'll be another, eventually. I don't think it's possible for a toy, or a book, or a film, to turn people into monsters. I don't believe in that kind of magic.
Censorship is an ugly word. I got a call a few weeks ago from the "Dove Foundation". They asked me a few demographic questions, and whether or not it was important to me for families to have 'safe' programming on television and in the cinemas. Before I could respond, she said very explicitly that they were NOT a censorship organization, but rather a group of Concerned Parents who were interested only in increased promotion of family fare.
So I said yes, they could call me back with more info.
I had a hunch. When I got another call I asked a few questions. It was all too easy to get the representative preaching on the End to Filth. I told him I did not support censorship, and I do not appreciate being lied to by his phone-monkeys. I don't remember who hung up first.
A lot of people want to tell you what's good for you. What's best for you. What you shouldn't see. What shouldn't exist. But no one wants to admit it, because censorship is an ugly word.
The AO rating is censorship in action. No one will sell it. No one will publish it. AO is ESRB for "Return To Sender". It’s a total sham. It has nothing to do with telling people what to expect and everything to do with controlling access.
But it's not just the ESRB's fault. They are certainly culpable, by way of having a 'rating' that functions as a ban - they are not ignorant of the consequences AO carries.
And the companies are guilty of saying, "Gaming has a content ceiling." It's a big flashing sign that definitively states Games Are NOT For Everyone, And MOSTLY For Kids. The industry is outpacing the rules for it. We need room for games to experiment with inappropriate content. Not entirely 'freely', but enough so that experiments like this can reach the adult market and consumers can decide for themselves.
Parents are guilty of being too unconcerned about what their children are exposed to until it's too late. In a lawsuit-happy culture, it is too easy to blame someone else and get paid for your irresponsibility.
I believe in restrictions, but not eradications. I don't think kids should be let anywhere near Manhunt 2, but that requires parents, retail outlets, the ESRB and the government to think about games seriously, which is a lot more work than just banning outright.
"That's all Manhunt 2 on the Wii is - a new toy gun. An agent of pretend." Exactly.
The video games industry has grown up...it is just time for the world around it to grow up as well.
There probably isn't a lot that can be done with Manhunt 2. It will be edited down to a "friendlier" form and will eventually get released. I just wish I could have seen the original vision of the developers...oh well, maybe some day when the new GTA 5: Adventures in Unicornland and Puppyville hits, I just won't care anymore.
The Final Minute with Monki!!
That does it for this week. I'm so tired. I got about two hours of sleep yesterday after Half-Ass, I've got to finish painting the treehouse before the new floors are installed, and tomorrow night is the final night at the Drafthouse, and then the iPhone hits on Friday. What a freakin' week.
Kraken sent me this track from Sarcastic Gamer:
Click to listen...
It's funny because it's true.
To close I want to share a video of a beautiful woman with a beautiful handheld device.
Hope that helps wash the taste of Manhunt 2 off of your palette. MMmmm...I'd challenge her to a Sudoku-off anytime.
Alright kids, I'm going to pass out now and dream of myself surrounded by Claire Danes, Nicole Kidman and Lacey Chabert as we all play Super Smash Bros. together...or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes...or Wii Sports. (Claire likes tennis but Lacey prefers bowling.)
Until next time, back up the tree I go!
-Monki
Lacey...drop me an email!
We Know What's Good for You of the Week!
"Hopefully Take-Two has learned from its Manhunt 2 experience and will undertake preventive measures to ensure its future games, including Grand Theft Auto IV, are appropriate for families and gamers."
Nintendo responded to the ESRB's rating of AO for Manhunt 2 with a resounding "Pass." Sony, too - neither wants an Adult's Only game on their consoles.
Rockstar has delayed the game from it's slated July 10th release date. They have to compromise. They've got no choice.
It's not like DVD and it's "rating free" zone. If they don't edit the objectionable material to the point of M - you know, take it from 18+ all the way, way back to 17+ - they face a big loss on their investment. It would be something if they could still sell online, but no - this isn't about point of purchase. Nintendo will not license AO games as a matter of course. Rockstar is being denied access to the primary market they developed the game for.
I understand caution. Nintendo is riding on a fuckton of goodwill. An AO game on a family console doesn't fit the happy-white-fun paradigm. Jack Thompson has predictably splooged all over it the first chance he got. I hope his stock has gone down since the Virginia Tech fiasco, but I don't think it's gone down that much. And really, it's what he's been waiting for - a game that requires you to mimic the actions of a murderer. It spins itself.
Of course, you could make the same argument about toy guns, which we give to kids a lot younger than 17.
That's all Manhunt 2 on the Wii is - a new toy gun. An agent of pretend.
That's what all videogames are. Make-believe. Not real.
I don't understand what's so hard to get. If the Wiimote-nunchuck makes you think of using a garrote, chances are Manhunt 2 would have been nothing more that practice for you anyway. There are some people that are just...lost. Wrong. Troubled. If it's not one thing that sets them off, it'll be another, eventually. I don't think it's possible for a toy, or a book, or a film, to turn people into monsters. I don't believe in that kind of magic.
Censorship is an ugly word. I got a call a few weeks ago from the "Dove Foundation". They asked me a few demographic questions, and whether or not it was important to me for families to have 'safe' programming on television and in the cinemas. Before I could respond, she said very explicitly that they were NOT a censorship organization, but rather a group of Concerned Parents who were interested only in increased promotion of family fare.
So I said yes, they could call me back with more info.
I had a hunch. When I got another call I asked a few questions. It was all too easy to get the representative preaching on the End to Filth. I told him I did not support censorship, and I do not appreciate being lied to by his phone-monkeys. I don't remember who hung up first.
A lot of people want to tell you what's good for you. What's best for you. What you shouldn't see. What shouldn't exist. But no one wants to admit it, because censorship is an ugly word.
The AO rating is censorship in action. No one will sell it. No one will publish it. AO is ESRB for "Return To Sender". It’s a total sham. It has nothing to do with telling people what to expect and everything to do with controlling access.
But it's not just the ESRB's fault. They are certainly culpable, by way of having a 'rating' that functions as a ban - they are not ignorant of the consequences AO carries.
And the companies are guilty of saying, "Gaming has a content ceiling." It's a big flashing sign that definitively states Games Are NOT For Everyone, And MOSTLY For Kids. The industry is outpacing the rules for it. We need room for games to experiment with inappropriate content. Not entirely 'freely', but enough so that experiments like this can reach the adult market and consumers can decide for themselves.
Parents are guilty of being too unconcerned about what their children are exposed to until it's too late. In a lawsuit-happy culture, it is too easy to blame someone else and get paid for your irresponsibility.
I believe in restrictions, but not eradications. I don't think kids should be let anywhere near Manhunt 2, but that requires parents, retail outlets, the ESRB and the government to think about games seriously, which is a lot more work than just banning outright.
