Brazil Judge Bans Video Game 'Bully'

I thought that this article was pretty interesting, seeing that Bully has been out for some time and now they are just banning it. Must have been the scholarship edition that came out not too long ago.

By TALES AZZONI
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — "Bully" has taken a beating in Brazil, where a judge suspended sales of the video game on the grounds it is too violent for young children and teenagers, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Judge Flavio Rabello prohibited the game from being imported, distributed, sold or promoted on Web sites or in stores in Latin America's largest nation, said Rio Grande do Sul state prosecutor Alcindo Bastos. Companies have 30 days to comply with the judge's order.
Bastos said the judge found the game was inappropriate for children.
"The aggravating factor is that everything in the game takes place inside a school," Bastos said. "That is not acceptable."
Made by Rockstar Games and mainly distributed in Brazil by JPF Maggazine, the game lets players act out the life of a 15-year-old student and decide how to deal with teachers and cliques at a boarding school.
A local youth support center had requested the ban.
"We have not been notified of the judge's decision," JPF Maggazine's attorney Diogo Dias Teixeira said. "When we are, we will decide if we will appeal."
He said the company advised retailers not to sell the game to anyone under the age of 18.
A spokesman for Rockstar was unaware of the ban and could not immediately comment Thursday.
Rockstar, a unit of New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., is known for "Manhunt 2," in which players fight violently to escape from a psychiatric institution, and for the popular "Grand Theft Auto" game series, in which players can hijack cars and run down pedestrians.
Bully is rated "T" for teenagers age 13 and older in the U.S., not of "M" for mature players 17 and older. It launched in October 2006 in the U.S. for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 gaming console. In March, it became available for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Nintendo Co.'s Wii, according to the Rockstar Web site for the game.

Drakengard 1 & 2.

Do you love RPG games? Do you love collecting what seems like limitless amounts of new weapons, each with their own devastating attacks? Throw a dragon in there for good measure and you have the Drakengard series. This game is nothing less than amazing despite low review scores. Produced by Square Enix (Final Fantasy Series) Drakengard delivers hours upon brutal hours of gameplay. Even if you beat the game, there are more endings than one, adding to the overall replay value. This is one game that lets you take out aggression on hundreds of enemies, either Dynasty Warriors style or by riding a dragon. I have played through each of the two games, but even after finding most of the weapons and viewing all of the endings, I still want to play more. If you need a cheap (under $20) game that will last you a long time, pick up either of these copies and thank me in the morning. Later.

Timesplitters 2.

There isn't much to say about the first Timesplitters: I doubt that anyone has even played it. In 2002, TS 2 came along, earning game of the year. I suggest that anyone who owns a PS2 or Xbox pick up this game if they love an amazing first person shooter with challenges and amazing multiplayer games. I picked it up for around eight dollars at Gamestop and there were more than a few copies of it for each system. I think I played the game about 20 hours since I got it last week and that is after doing homework and taking 18 credits of courses a week. yes, it is that addictive. Go and see for yourself, not like it is going to cost that much if you don't like it, which I highly doubt.

Dynasty Warriors Franchise.

Back in the day, Dynasty Warriors was the most amazing game you could play to kill an entire weekend either alone or with a friend. Playing as a Chinese warlord and taking down literally hundreds of enemies with brutal attacks was where the fun was at. The graphics may not have been the best thing out on the market, but it was still fun. Skip forward some years and only make minor tweaks to the game. I don't know what they were thinking, but people aren't going to buy essentially the same copy of a game over and over. Maybe if you added some new element like Tekken 5 did (the mini games and such) and maybe people would put down 50 bucks to get the copy. I picked up Dynasty Warriors 4 for 12 dollars just because I read reviews and did some research and found that it was the best out of all the games in my opinion. What do you think about the series as a whole? Do you have a favorite game in the series?

<3 Baragin Bin.

I know I have told you that I love buying discount games from the mall, but today I really hit the jackpot. I picked up Timesplitters 2 for the PlayStation 2 for around the area of seven bucks, and Soldier of Fortune Gold Edition for 4 dollars. They are both fun games in my opinion, and you really cannot beat the price. Buying something like Halo 3 for 60 dollars is both fun and an investment at the same time, so I try to get older, acclaimed games for a lot less cash. Maybe that is just me or all of you out there just like to spend money like it is going out of style. Later.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot: Buy It.

Seriously, this game is great if you are into the whole horror genre. The first installment of Condemned is great, and for 17 dollars, you get a lot for your money. The second game (if you played it) changes a few gameplay components, all of which seem to be working just fine. Grabbing enemies and launching them through TV's is satisfying, along with the fun little "fight club" the game has to train you into becoming a better player. i don't play online much, but from what I have heard, it is nothing special. Monolith did a great job with this game; and playing with the volume up and the lights down is scary and fun at the same time. I recommend it if you like scary games that rely more on your brains then gunplay, and if you like having nightmares. Later.

Going home.

Finally, Spring break is here in all it's glory. I'm sorry but I cannot talk for long since I still haven't packed yet. I'll be back in a week and let you know how Condemned 2: Bloodshot works out. Hopefully I won't be so scared as to sleep with the lights on. later.