Author: Wailord

Phantom Hourglass gets near-perfect score from Famitsu

How colorful!I don’t know if any of you readers have heard of Famitsu, but it’s a very popular Japanese magazine that’s notorious for being fairly tough on games (though, it gave Nintendogs a 40/40)- giving Resident Evil 4 a 38/40 and Yoshi Touch ‘n’ Go a 35/40. The latest score to come out of Famitsu-ville was the DS’s next monster hit: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (official website here). This puts it ahead of many games, as it’s not commonplace for Famitsu to dole out such a high score, which will make cel-shaded-Link-fan’s heart’s across America leap with joy.

Well, maybe not.

Update: Apparently only six games have ever received a perfect score (mind you, this goes back to ’86), and only 17 have received a 39, one of which is Phantom Hourglass. So, it’s safe to say you can go ahead and bust out some preorder money.

Strike Three, You’re Out, Manhunt 2

You're outta there! In what is probably going to be the final straw for Manhunt 2 (after receiving an “Adults-Only” rating in the States, and being banned in the UK), IFCO has banned Manhunt 2 in Ireland due to a violation of the Video Recordings Act of 1989 which states that “acts of gross violence or cruelty (including mutilation and torture)” will not be allowed for sale or rental.

Manhunt 2 now has a history of being banned in two countries, and being 18+ in the US. And it was on the Wii? Now both Sony and Nintendo will NOT license the game if it maintains its Adults Only rating.
So, Rockstar can edit the game (however now that it’s set for release, it would cost a lot of money [and time] to fix), or give up on it.

Manhunt 2 gets “I” for Illegal in UK, AO in US

Americans above 18, only, pleaseManhunt 2, Rockstar Games’ (of Grand Theft Auto fame) murder sim, has reportedly received an “Adults-Only” rating in the States, followed up by being outlawed in the United Kingdom. Ouch.This comes out of much controversy with Jack Thompson and such, and things don’t look so bright regarding the game. When the target crowd for video games is teens to twenties, outlawing people under 18 from playing the game only points the game in a dark direction, and missing out on an entire country might hurt quite a bit, too. Walmart won’t even sell “M” games, and most chains don’t hold “AO”, either: missing out on Walmart sales is definitely not good. Rockstar can (and probably will) appeal the ESRB’s decision, but it’s not likely to get overturned. The ratings body that banned it in the United Kingdom is the BBFC, whose decision thoroughly annoyed Rockstar. So, all of you hoping to get your murder on and get a mature game on the Wii…not just yet.

Brawl Update: Pikachu + Link’s ‘Final Smash’

Pika ThunderThe last two days’ updates to the daily updates at SmashBros.com have given us a glimpse at both Pikachu’s and Link’s Final Smash (more about Final Smash here). Pikachu’s will initiate a giant…ball of electricity, which you will be able to move around for a short amount of time (hunt down players!), until it runs out of time and leaves Pikachu Link's Final Smashin a not-so-great state.

Link’s Final Smash, on the other hand, has the victim encased in a Triforce while Link bludgeons them with a sword, followed by a final swing which (I guess) does the most damage. This can be seen in the trailer for Brawl that was shown at E3 last year.

Microsoft sues Immersion after contract is neglected

In an odd turn of events, Immersion, the company that sued both Sony and Microsoft for copyright infringement over the rumble function in their controllers, is being sued by Microsoft for violating their settlement, which had Microsoft paying Immersion $26 million for licensing right (settling the rumble dispute) and a stake in the company. A lesser known part of the contract would have Immersion paying an undisclosed amount to Microsoft (“based on certain business and IP licensing arrangements”)- something Immersion never did. So, Microsoft filed a suit against Immersion- backlash, much?