Tagged: north america
Survey Finds Stores Still Sell M-rated Games to Teenagers
In a shocking revelation, a two month undercover survey by the NIMF has found that 46 percent of US stores investigated were willing to sell “M” rated games to teenagers below eighteen years of age. The survey was carried out in more than sixty stores across the US by a group led by the East County Youth Coalition, based in San Diego.
They are now calling for retailers to closely adhere to the ESRB rating system and is also asking them to institute formal training for employees, prominently display the rating system in stores and separate M-rated games from other titles.
White PS2 SingStar Bundle Announced
Catering to the wannabe-singer gamers, SCEA has announced that it will release a limited edition Ceramic White PS2 bundled with SingStar Pop, the second release in the popular franchise, along with two high quality USB microphones. This bundle will be available this November for $150.
The white PS2 features the same functions as its black and silver cousins. Bundled with it, SingStar Pop has players singing songs from current stars and pop legends including Alicia Keys, Gorillaz, Rihanna, The All-American Rejects and more. There are various modes in the game including multiplayer.
Check out the images of the white PS2 bundle below.
Codemasters' Games in NA Through Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. announced that it has entered a distribution agreement with Codemasters for distribution and sales of its products in North America starting April 2007.
“We greet this arrangement to work with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group with great enthusiasm,” commented Rod Cousens, Chief Executive Officer, Codemasters. “Codemasters continues to strengthen its content and distribution, and as the reach of our product portfolio broadens to a global audience, there can be no more effective alliance than to have the world’s largest entertainment corporation handling the line in the single largest market. The commitment of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group can only benefit the progress and scale of our future releases targeted at the North American consumer.”
Titles to be distributed include DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road, Overlord, Clive Barker’s Jericho, Fall of Liberty and more. This deal will last from April 2007 through May 2008.
SunAge Delayed
Due for release later this year, Lighthouse Interactive has pushed back SunAge to February 2007. The additional time has allowed the game’s publisher to secure the North American rights for the RTS, which is slated for release worldwide, with a beta test later this year.
Further information on SunAge is after the jump.
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Sony's New Ad Infuriates Americans; Dutch Unmoved
Sony has had a checkered past in advertising its PlayStation consoles: they ran an ad in Italy showing a man wearing a crown of thorns with PlayStation symbols on it; and then they ran ads throughout London with “naughty” connotations. What did they do this time? See for yourself:
The above ad was run in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and advertises the upcoming launch of the white PSP in the country. It has caused uproars throughout the Internet, with people taking both sides of the debate: racist, or not. Surprisingly, those who are debating about the so-called “racist” image are from North America where the ad was not run. It is yet to be reported whether any Dutch people were offended by the ads.
Those who were upset by the image in question have not seen the other photographs in the series which clearly shows the contrast between black and white, with the final one showing the black woman in a dominating manner.
Sony took the time to respond to these allegations, stating that “all of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show this contrast in colours of the PSPs , and have no other message or purpose.”
I’m not even going to bother taking a side in this, but I’d like to point out something interesting. Art connoisseurs may have noticed the odd pose of the white woman in the first photograph (look at her left hand). I have no idea whether this was intended or not, but it is an analogous comparison to one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous (and notorious) works: Madonna of the Rocks. See if you can spot the reference.
On a related note, I found the flag of Amsterdam to be quite interesting.
DS Lite Street Date Broken
Yes, the DS Lite street date has been broken! Originally intended for release on June 11, many people have reportedly bought the redesigned handheld from Walmart, Target and Sears among others.
An enterprising gamer has set up this Frappr page, bringing together people who have luckily purchased the device and helping others get hold of one.
BDGamers 