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The Week in Review news piece summarizes and highlights the most important gaming related news and rumors over the past week. This weekly article will keep you plugged in and in-tune. In the wake of CES 2009, news has picked up nicely. Here’s a frustrating bit that will get the blood boiling. Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) is looking to get the following cautionary language put on the boxes of video games rated Teen or greater: “WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.” Of course, this link has never been proven, so it may be difficult to get H.R. 231, “The Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2009” passed. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has co-sponsored the bill, “which would apply to both packaged and digitally distributed games.” On a high note, Wedbush Morgan’s video game industry financial guru, Michael Pachter, sees strong growth in the gaming industry in 2009. The analyst feels that current concerns plaguing the industry are “overblown.” Moreover, hardware and software sales will likely be fueled by console price cuts at Sony and Microsoft . British scribe Graham Joyce has been given the nod from id Software to pen the next entry in the Doom franchise. Graham’s novels and short stories tend to deal with the mystical and even supernatural phenomenon. He has won the British Fantasy Award for best novel on four separate occasions and the World Fantasy Award for best novel once. Flying in the face of the closing of Free Radical, a YouTube video shows a Star Wars Battlefront III that’s very far along in the development process. Best of all… it looks AMAZING! Worst of all… it likely will never see the light of day. The game seems to have paid fan service to almost everything that’s awesome in the Star Wars universe: playable Vader, Yoda, Han Solo, Leia, and Ewoks, rideable Tontons, pilot-able Millennium Falcon, Endor Speeders, A-Wings, X-Wings, AT-ATs and AT-STs, TIE-fighters, battling Jedi Knights (there’s a monk-like kung-fu dude that seems far cooler than the Secret Apprentice), and even talk of a Sith Lord Kenobi. Click HERE to check out the video for yourself. YouTube announced on Friday that the YouTube.com/tv beta is up and compatible with Sony PS3 or Nintendo Wii browsers. The simplified interface is designed to facilitate a more standard television watching experience with near full-screen presentation. Most unfortunately, in an interview with Reuters, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stated that Final Fantasy XIII will be delayed until late 2009 for Japan and April 2010 at the very least for Europe and North America. On the rumor front, sources close to Nintendo have revealed that the Big N is targeting April 4, 2009 as the date the DSi will hit North American shelves. Apparently, the DSi will retail Stateside for $179.99. Of course, none of this has been confirmed by NoA, but the date and price point certainly make sense. Switching gears, apparently the board of directors at Eidos has been approached by an unidentified party making an offer for the company. Here’s the official statement: “The Board can announce that it has received a preliminary approach which may or may not lead to an offer being made for the Company. Eidos emphasizes that discussions are at a very early stage and that there can be no assurance that an offer will be forthcoming. Further statements will be issued in due course as appropriate.” There’s no news yet as to who the unnamed party is, however, the most likely candidates would include, EA, Disney, Warner, Ubisoft, or Atari. Thanks so much everyone and we will see you next week! |