You Have Got To Be Kidding Me.

One word: Yuck. Read on and you will know why.


In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the film's release, a video game is in development for the romance movie.
By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted May 29, 2007 9:46 am PT
The media of games and movies have long crossed over into each other's worlds, producing unlikely synergies like the recently announced The Sims movie, the Street Fighter movie, and Wayne's World: The Game.
The latest film set to be coming to the world of video games will perhaps come as a surprise--Dirty Dancing: The Video Game has been announced by Codemasters Online Gaming. The title is in development for the PC only, and it's due for release in time for the holiday season and the movie's 20th anniversary.
The game, being developed by Say Design, is described as a "premium action puzzler casual game," and gamers will take on the role of the film's main character, Baby, and learn dancing steps from dance instructors Johnny and Penny.
Dirty Dancing was originally released in 1987, starring then little-known actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. It tells the tale of 17-year-old Frances Houseman--nicknamed Baby--who, while on a summer vacation with her family, falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle. The film became a massive hit, along with the soundtrack, and catapulted Swayze and Grey into stardom.

Halo Shows Some Ass.

I found this on Gamespot's website, so I figured that I'd share it with you. Later.




What we heard: On May 8, the debut of Halo 2 on the PC was supposed to herald in a new age of Vista-enabled gaming on Windows Live. But then its launch was pushed back to May 22 and then again on May 24, when the game was officially--and suddenly--delayed to May 31.
Today, though, rumors began to spread like an unchecked rash that Halo 2's postponement had a fleshy origin. According to numerous online reports, the Master Chief's Windows Vista debut was delayed because the build shipped to retailers contained partial nudity.
The reports about the Halo 2 nudity were confirmed by an unlikely source--Microsoft itself. Famously recalcitrant when it comes to rumors about its games, the software giant flat-out admitted that Halo 2 contained risqué content. "An unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of Halo 2 for Windows Vista," the company told GameSpot.
One thing Microsoft would not comment on was a nonobscured photo attributed to Halo 2 that showed an error message displaying a young Caucasian male's rear end to the camera. Photos of said derriere surfaced on various sites, including popular blog Kotaku (WARNING: ADULT CONTENT), all of which said it came from the the PC game.
Microsoft declined to address the photo, saying only that the nude image in question in Halo 2 could not be seen by those simply playing the game. However, the ESRB had no such qualms about describing the game's interior posterior. "The content in question, although likely to be inaccessible to the vast majority of users, displays a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs," an ESRB spokesperson said.
The inclusion of said nudity has caused Halo 2's M for Mature rating to be tweaked by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Now, the game's label must include the words "partial nudity," and all boxed copies must be relabeled--hence the delay. "As a result of updates to retail packaging, Halo 2 for Windows Vista will now ship from manufacturers on May 31," Microsoft said before apologizing for said delay. Microsoft also released a Halo 2 patch that will make the nude content totally unviewable, and anyone wishing to play the game online must auto-update the game with said patch.
Bogus or not bogus?:

If I Only Could Afford It.

If I had the $600 to get a PS3, I think that this would be pretty cool. Later.TOKYO -- A free download upgrade for the Sony PlayStation 3 enhances the image quality of movies and old video games and allows people to check out stored video, music files and digital photos through the Internet with the handheld PlayStation Portable.
The upgrade, available for download worldwide yesterday, will improve the visual quality of PlayStation 2 games, as well as original PlayStation games, although it won't be quite as dazzling as the quality of PS3 games, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. officials said.
The software will also work to adjust the image quality of movies so they will look much better on the PS3, which is equipped to deliver higher image quality through next-generation Blu-ray disc technology.
Up to now, people could use the PlayStation Portable to watch content stored in their PS3 through a wireless local area network.
With the upgrade, users will be able to use PlayStation Portables to check out music, photos and video stored in their PS3 machines at home, on the go, even from abroad, wherever there's an Internet connection. But they won't be able to play PS3 games on their portable console.
The PlayStation 3 has been losing the battle of next-generation video game consoles to Nintendo Co.'s Wii, which has surprisingly won over the elderly and other newcomers with a wandlike remote-control that can be used for fishing, tennis and other easy-to-play games.
The PS3 went on sale in November in Japan and the U.S., and in March in Europe.
Tokyo-based Sony Corp. shipped 5.5 million PS3 machines in the fiscal year through March 31, fewer than the six million the company had targeted. Nintendo shipped 5.84 million Wii machines worldwide during the same period.

Burned.

Even all day at the beach can't stop me from updating for this entire week straight. Let's just keep this short so I can get some sleep and freeze my burns on my back. Dead Rising is ridiculous to play, and that will probably be my summer right there. I'm still playing that and Blitz: The League at least once a day also. I also got 2 month's worth of Game Informer in the mail today, so I have some delightful reading on the crapper tomorrow. Later.

Rocking It 80's Style.

Only a couple of weeks ago, RedOctane announced that there will be yet another Guitar Hero for the Playstation 2. Officially named Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80's. It is going to be released June 4th of this year, and I can say that the lineup is indeed awesome. One of the songs is "Holy Diver" by Dio, and I can honestly say that song is one of the only ones that I am really going to play because it rocks so unbelievably hard. No news that it is going to release for the 360 as well though. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Flock of Seagulls is going to have their hit song "I Ran" Oops, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Right now, there are 13 songs that have been named that are on the game; it looks like the other 17 are going to be a secret until launch. If you love Guitar Hero (and Dio) you should get this game. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, perhaps a loyal reader could get me a present for my 21st? I don't count on it. Later.

Hell Week.

Yes, this last week of finals and having to check out every resident in a 300+ person building has been most taxing on me. Sadly, I have not been able to update because of those damn children and trying to pack up all of my things to head home. Luckily though, I am going for a STRAIGHT WEEK of updates (this Today to next Tuesday) of very awesome things going on such as the new guitar hero, my run in with Dead Rising plus many more, so stay tuned, loyal readers. Later.

P.S. I got a surround sound for my PS2 for free...it is pretty awesome.

Smashy Smashy.

So on Sunday, I got angry. My one and only final (math) was the next day and I thought playing NHL '07 would calm me down. Turns out that it only made me more pissed off. I was playing with my third controller, the first being broken from how old it was, the second I had smashed in less then a week from buying it. The new one was working very well; I bought it in black, unlike the blue one that seemed to shatter so easily. To make a long story short, my player scored a goal on his own team, pretty much giving Griff the win . I threw that bastard as hard as I could at the ground, pieces flying everywhere. I then picked it up and twisted the controller, breaking it in half. Cheap piece of crap. I thought for 30 dollars, I could get something a little more durable, since I had dropped it before, causing the back piece to become off-centered and pinch me everytime I squeezed it. So yesterday, I bought a new controller for the third time, and hopefully it will last me more then a week since finals are over and everyone is moving out (thank God). later.

All Over The Place.

The last few days, it seems like I haven't been in my room nor near the computer at all. Lots of random things come up (Canada for example) and leaves me limited time to do this. During the course of this week though, I have come across a bunch of really cheap games. MLB Slugfest 2003 and 2004 are now in my possession for 4 dollars a piece, and NFL Blitz and Blitz the league for just about nothing as well. After this week is over, I should be home and away from school work for a while, so expect me to be updating just about every day instead of this whenever I find myself in my room kind of garbage. Later.

Neeson Comes To Regulate.

Pulled this off of a random website, enjoy!



Liam Neeson, star of Schindler's List and Rob Roy, has been brought on to voice a major character in the new role-playing game, Fallout 3, to be published by Bethesda Softworks. The popular franchise will find Liam Neeson voicing the player's father and is expected to come out for PC and next-generation consoles. No specific platforms for Fallout 3 have been announced and no release date has been confirmed. Bethesda acquired the rights for Fallout 3 from Interplay.
According to Reuters, Fallout 3 will be set in a violent postapocalyptic world filled with mutants, radiation, and gang warfare. The Fallout games have been very popular PC games for years and had a version on Playstation 2 and XBox called Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
Bethesda has made headlines for the very successful Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls IV, a game that was huge on XBox 360 and PC since last fall and recently shipped for Playstation 3. That game, Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls IV, featured voice work from Patrick Stewart, Lynda Carter, Sean Bean, and Terence Stamp.
The Liam Neeson character in Fallout 3 isn't just a "for hire" gig because the character in the game was actually written with the actor in mind and, according to Reuters, provides the dramatic foundation for the entire Fallout 3 experience. Liam Neeson said, "It's been a pleasure bringing the father to life and working with the wonderfully talented people at Bethesda on Fallout 3. I hope the fans of the franchise and the game will be excited by the results."
This isn't the first time that Liam Neeson has worked on a game, going behind the mic for Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for his character in Batman Begins. That game featured the likeness of Liam Neeson and his voice acting, along with the majority of the cast from the Christopher Nolan film. Bethesda also recently worked with Johnny Depp on an original game that shipped last year called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.
Liam Neeson has been acting in film for three decades now, starring in Excalibur and Krull in his early career, but his breakthrough was Darkman in 1990. Since then, Liam Neeson has appeared in Under Suspicion, Husbands and Wives, Leap of Faith, Schindler's List. Nell, Rob Roy, Michael Collins, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Haunting, Gangs of New York, Love Actually, Kinsey, Kingdom of Heaven, Batman Begins, Seraphim Falls, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Liam Neeson is currently working on that smash film's follow-up, Prince Caspian, and Taken with Lost's Maggie Grace. Liam Neeson will then play the lead in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

Ratings Mean Nothing.

Let's face it, the ratings given out by the ESRB really don't mean anything to a kid; they are going to get the game if it has a mature warning on it or not. It's not like E-bay checks these kinds of things, and with younger and younger kids having cell phones and bank accounts, no matter what congress does it is not going to take the games out of their hands. The most effective tactic is probably having adults watch their kids play and comment like "you know you can't really kill hookers in real life" or "if you did something like that, your ass would be in jail for a long time." Since I don't really plan on ever having kids, I doubt this really applies to me, but some parents are completely clueless. I leave you with this comment. While seeing that 60% of parents 'never' let their kids play mature rated video games, I just wonder why the word never is in quotations. Maybe it is because the other 40% of the parents let their kids play mature video games and they go over there to play them. Not like these stats are really accurate anyways. later.

NEW YORK, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National research shows that parents are increasingly becoming more restrictive when it comes to limiting the video games their children play according to a study commissioned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The study found that 6 in 10 parents (60%) with children under 18 "never" allow their children to play games rated M for Mature, while 34% only do so "sometimes" -- one of several findings that is consistent with those reported recently by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)(1). Moreover, parents of children under the age of 13 are twice as likely as those with children 13 and older to "never" allow them to play M-rated games. The ESRB study was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates in early April, and surveyed over 500 parents who have purchased a computer or video game in the last six months and have children age 3 to 17 that play video games.
Nearly 90% of American parents with children who play video games are aware of the ESRB ratings, and 85% use them regularly when buying games for their families -- both of which increased from the same study conducted last year (see historical chart). In fact, 3 in 4 parents (73%) reported checking the ESRB rating "every time" before deciding whether to purchase or rent a game for their child, an increase of 10 percentage points over last year.
"It's extremely encouraging that the vast majority of parents are involved and informed when it comes to choosing which games are appropriate for their families," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "The ratings continue to be a very important, if not the most important tool to help parents make an informed decision, and it's clear that parents are using and relying on them in growing numbers."
"Awareness and use of the ratings is clearly continuing to rise to considerably high levels, still showing steady growth from where they were just a few years ago," said Jay Campbell of Peter D. Hart Research Associates. "What is quite telling is that the number of parents who say they 'never' allow their children to play M-rated games rose as those who 'sometimes' do declined. This suggests that parents are becoming more assertive in using the ratings to set and enforce restrictions with respect to the games they allow their children to play." Among the study's other findings:
-- 87% of parents find it "very important" to be able to monitor and
regulate what their children watch, read and play
-- 90% of parents surveyed said that the ratings are "very" (55%) to
"somewhat" (35%) helpful in helping them buy and rent games they deem
appropriate for their children
-- 91% say the ESRB ratings are the "most important" (17%), a "very
important" (52%), or a "somewhat important" (22%) consideration when
selecting games
-- Other than ESRB ratings, parents turn to packaging (31%), other parents
(29%), or their children (21%) as the top three sources of information
about games
-- 83% said that they would consider parental control settings to be
"very" (53%) to "somewhat" (30%) helpful in allowing them to control
the games their kids play
The ESRB rating system includes six age-based rating categories: EC (Early Childhood) for ages 3+; E (Everyone) for ages 6+; E10+ (Everyone 10 and older); T (Teen) for ages 13+; M (Mature) for ages 17+; and AO (Adults Only) which indicates that the game should only be played by adults age 18 and older. The rating is found on the front of virtually every game sold at retail in the U.S. The rating system also includes over 30 content descriptors, found next to the rating on the back of game packages, which describe content in the game that may be of interest or concern to parents or may have triggered a rating category, including violence, sexual content, language, use or depiction of controlled substances, and gambling.
About Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
The ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESRB independently assigns computer and video game content ratings, enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry.

Spiderman 3

I cannot say that I am a fan of this series, but this installment of Spiderman does indeed look promising. It is the same thing with the movie as well; crazy effects, and it seems like he does get the chick in the end.

I found this little article about having a midnight sale for the video game that is coming up very soon. Speaking of reserving games, I got my reservation for Halo 3 finally. Later.

GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME), the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer, today announced that it will host midnight openings at over 300 of its U.S. GameStop and EB Games locations on May 4, 2007, to celebrate the much-anticipated release of Activision’s SPIDER-MAN 3 video game.
Spider-Man has been weaving his web throughout Manhattan for Spider-Man Week and now he will be landing at GameStop and EB Games stores nationwide. Based on the feature film, SPIDER-MAN 3, the newest game allows players to experience the actions of the heroic red-suit character and, for the first time ever, his mysterious black-suited persona.
Customers are encouraged to contact their local store to confirm participation.
To find a store near you, log on to http://www.gamestop.com/ or http://www.ebgames.com/, and search using the 'Store Locator' option.