Busy Gamer News

Another MMORPG cancelled. This time, it's Ultima X: Odyssey. EA promises instead to better support the existing Ultima Online with an expansion pack and other goodies to be announced...

If you referred a buddy to Xbox Live (or can find someone who joined recently and will let you claim them!), hightail it to www.xboxlive-friends.com and claim a free game from the now defunct XSN collection: Links 2004, Rallisport Challenge 2 or Top Spin. The deal ends July 29...

Fans of Beyond Castle Wolfenstein have ported the title to run on modern PCs. Released as a tribute to its late developer, Silas Warner, the game predates id Software's popular Wolfenstein series. Download it at www.oldskool.org/pc/BCW...

Answering the complaint that you can't play as an evil doer, City of Heroes developer Cryptic is already building City of Villains. Expected as an expansion pack, online gamers will be able to create bases and select whether they'll fight other players or only computer-controlled foes...

Tired of lugging game saves and codes between your PC and PS2? The new GameShark 2 ends the need for file jockeying thanks to its support of the PS2's broadband adapter for Internet access. Priced at $39.99, it also plays and displays MP3s, MPEGs, BMPs and JPEGs accessed via USB storage cards...

The holiday game slide mambo has begun, with several titles delayed into 2005. Joining the dance started by Starcraft: Ghost (now being completed by Metal Arms developer Swingin' Ape) and Middle-Earth Online are Far Cry Instincts for PS2 and Xbox, Dungeon Siege II for PC and Silent Hunter III for PC...

Action star Vin Diesel let slip clues that the Xbox exclusive Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - the game that's actually outdone the movie it was made to promote! - may be making its way to PS2 and PC by year's end. Publisher Vivendi Universal denies it, but we've all seen Microsoft's cheapness in securing third-party console exclusives (remember Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six 3 and Dead to Rights?)...

More Project Gotham Racing 2 goodness, and the first taste is free. A new autoupdate provides the Ariel Atom 2 (fully playable) and showroom test drives for the Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi, Dodge Ram SRT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Porsche 996 GT2 Club Sport, Radical SR3 Turbo, Subaru Impreza 22B STi and Volkswagen Nardo W12. A second $4.99 booster pack (the first was Paris) includes 8 Long Beach, Calif. maps and unlimited use of the additional seven cars...

Is your PC beefed up enough for Half-Life 2? You'll need at least a PC with a 1.2GHz processor, 256MB RAM, Windoes 98 or better and a DirectX 7 compatible graphics card. Too rich for your blood? You can always wait for the Xbox version...

Want to be a pirate in a massively multiplayer world of same? Try the free open beta version of World of Pirates at worldofpirates.4players.de...

After a year in limbo, Outlaw Golf 2 has resurfaced with a new publisher. The game will still feature Xbox Live online play along with several new features: 8 full courses, a mini golf run, extreme golf rules, cart races, mini games and an improved fighting engine for those all-important caddy beatings. There'll also be downloadable costumes (at least on Xbox), many of which promise to be even slinkier than the original. Still not convinced? The game will be priced to move at $20...

Early reports suggest the Nintendo DS will cost $179.95 when it's released on November 11. Expect only about six games at launch. Since Nintendo hasn't even announced an official name for this dual-screened gaming gizmo, take this news with a grain of salt...

If you've always wanted to relive the greatest scenes from the original Star Wars on your GameBoy Advance, you're in luck. Ubisoft is releasing Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force in September. (Not to be confused with Star Wars: The Final Ripoff, due in 2027.) Since these moments have been mostly played to death on the PC, Nintendo 64 and now GameCube, the devs have graciously added cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes...

Slow week at work? The free Flash game Megaman vs Ghosts 'n Goblins combines two classic platformers, both difficult in their own right. Play it at flashplayer.com/games/megamanghostsngoblin.html if you dare...

Forget Half-Life 2. You'll need that monster PC upgrade just for Doom 3 when it ships August 3. Minimum specs are 1.5Ghz P4 processor (or AMD equivalent), 384MB RAM and an nVidia GeForce 3 or an ATI Technologies 8500 graphics card. And that's just the minimum. If you want it to play smoothly, you'll need to go higher...

Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory actually ditches the series' existing game engine and rebuilds it from the ground up. This reimagining features open-ended mission maps that are more freely explored, a sound meter that measures Sam's output vs. ambient room noise, improved enemy AI, stunning weather effects, new and returning gadgets, a cooperative mode and all-new, yet unrevealed multiplayer gameplay. Drool much?...

Did you miss out on all of the fun at E3? Catch up on all of the game previews, press conferences and more with GameSpot To-Go E3 2004 at gamespot.com/e3/dvd. If you crave more booth babes than GameSpot's paltry offering, you can get an additional DVD featuring just the ladies at E3Girls.com...

Due August 2, the Hurricane Pack for Ninja Gaiden offers no changes to the core game. Rather, the free Xbox Live update unlocks a new Master Ninja Tournament mode replete with new weapons, moves and enemies plus a greatly improved camera control system balanced by a deadlier difficulty level. The update is needed to play in an online tournament, but can be enjoyed offline too. This is only Volume 1 of the Hurricane Pack, suggesting there's even more to come...

The recent Halo 2 trailer released in theaters had a nearly subliminal flash of the Web address www.ilovebees.com. The site appears to be a viral marketing campaign done up as a Web mystery. The idea is that some lowly California honey seller's storefront has been hacked by some mysterious force; there are regular blog entries to keep it interesting. It all reeks of Microsoft's famed AI Web game, the Beast...

Having problems playing ESPN NFL 2K5 online? Developer Visual Concepts is patching both PS2 and Xbox versions to fix several login and roster issues. Another patch due in early August will fix an Xbox-only bug that kicks in after several online challenges; for now, simply reboot your Xbox if you're having difficulties...

If you laughed at Nokia's original game phone, you might want to glance at the N-Gage QD. No more side-talkin' or removing the battery pack to change games. Not only that, but it's bundled with Tony Hawk and there's a $100 rebate with a T-Mobile service contract -- and rumor has it that AT&T Wireless will be an option soon...

It's official. The Nintendo DS will be called: well, um, the Nintendo DS. Enhancements since E3 include a sexier silver finish, larger buttons, 16-channel stereo and support for removable storage...

Season 2 of the Halo-based Machinima series Red vs. Blue is out on DVD. In addition to the 20 latest episodes, there are deleted scenes, more PSAs, line readings, director's commentary, and more. It's $20 plus shipping at redvsblue.com...

People kill people.

Like the 17-year-old British kid who lured his 14-year-old pal to a public park with the promise of hooking up with some girls. Instead, he battered his friend with a clawhook hammer and then finished him with a knife. A horrible, senseless, brutal murder.

By all accounts, the teenager was obsessed with Rockstar's Manhunt, a brutal murder simulator where the object is to win your freedom by killing people who are paid to hunt you. You get a higher rating for using unusual weapons and stealth tactics, all the while a "director" is videotaping you and egging you on.

I'm actually playing the game now, and it's not all that great. It's certainly not as stealthy or immersive as a Splinter Cell or nearly as fun or engaging as a Grand Theft Auto. And the violence is, well, it's just kind of disgusting. The game is cartoonish and not at all well written. I probably won't even finish it. But I'd fight for Rockstar's right to create such a game.

And, quite frankly, I'm one of the most nonviolent people you'll find. For years, I avoided Doom because the idea of shooting someone didn't really appeal to me. Then I learned how stress-relieving it could be to blow away a few zombies, imps and mancubi now and then, particularly after a bad day at work. Playing it didn't make me want to pick up a gun. I still waive my constitutional right to "bear arms and arm bears," as Robin Williams says. Shooter games remain a fun escape, a way to vent off steam and -- dare I say -- relax.

I won't make the obvious argument -- that the boy was too young to play Manhunt. The game was rated 18 and up, and he was 17. He's practically old enough, and who hasn't snuck into an R-rated movie by the time they were pushing up against the age limit? Unless this kid has been playing games like this for many years, one violent videogame all by its lonesome is not enough to unleash someone's inner sociopath. But he was still too young to play it alone, without some measure of supervision.

I'd ask the question no one seems to have asked yet: Where were the parents? Surely there were warning signs. Did this kid abuse animals? Did he get into a lot of fights? Did he show a surprising lack of empathy for others? Heck, just being obsessed with a crappy game like Manhunt is a warning sign! There were, no doubt, other symptoms of antisocial behavior. You don't just flip a switch, or push a controller button, and become a murderer. It's an easy answer, one that's a lot less confrontational than, say, blaming other people in the kid's life.

Art imitates life imitating art
Art has always been in the spotlight for its role in violence. Before videogames like Grand Theft Auto (which, by the way, did not invent the concept of carjacking or even popularize it) and Doom, the media picked on movies like The Manchurian Candidate (one of JFK's favorite movies, ironically), Taxi Driver and The Basketball Diaries as well as books like The Lord of the Flies and Catcher in the Rye.

Art -- even bad art, like Manhunt -- is a mirror of society. It doesn't come from a black hole or an evil muse over in the 47th Dimension. It's inspired by what we see all around us. It may be stylized, or a parody, or an over-the-top depiction of things that are probably not an everyday occurrence for most people. But it's still part of who we are as a global society. Drop a bomb in Iraq, and you may not feel the direct impact in Omaha. But a developer may create a videogame that reflects that experience, and it won't be long before some kid in Nebraska is touched by it -- for better or for worse.

Truth be told, the premise of Manhunt is inspired by a 1932 movie called The Most Dangerous Game, which itself was adapted from a short story by Richard Connell about hunting people for sport. Most of my generation read this story in high school -- before we were 18. And I bet at least a few of my classmates skipped the words in favor of a videotape.

There's no argument that, for some people, playing violent videogames or watching bloody movies can have a damaging effect -- just like some people can drink like a fish with no ill effects while for others a drop of alcohol sends them down a self-destructive path that may not end until it claims a life or two. Perhaps these people are not mature enough to handle the rough stuff -- especially if they were exposed to it at a young age, before they've solidified their value system. Or they've suffered some severe trauma or abuse that already made the world seem phony and fake. Either way, the lines between fiction and reality blur together.

Can brutal games have a negative impact? For sure. I'm not arguing that these mass media gorefests won't desensitize us or plant nasty little ideas that weren't there before. They often suggest styles and mannerisms for those who don't have enough the creativity and individualism to develop their own. Trenchcoat mafia, anyone? But what's worse: a videogame that depicts the horrors of war accurately or a Star Wars movie that shows a massive battle with no casualties?

Choose life, and just say no
People these days want sound bite answers. They want someone or something (usually the TV) to babysit their kids for free (or the cost of electricity) so they can be free to do other things. But these problems are never that easy to fix. Outlaw something, and it just becomes that much more attractive. Remove one element like a videogame and the underlying problems remain unchecked, waiting to be triggered by something else. Consider the British kid's obsession with Manhunt an early warning sign. On some level, Rockstar's game helped reveal the problem early but, alas, the portent went unheeded. And now people are jumping to blame the messenger.

This is where good parenting makes all the difference. A grownup can put imaginary things in context by explaining the difference between fiction and the real world. This is why you're not supposed to just drop your underage teenagers off at an R-rated movie and then go shopping until it lets out (as I've observed so many times). You need to be there, in the room, to view and then explain the things that may confuse your kids or cause them to adopt a skewed world view. Over time, such warping can become permanent. Sure, it may be a little embarrassing to watch a few naughty bits next to your sweet 16-year-old, but they're going to see them anyway. Better that you're there to help shape their moral choices when they first bump up against them.

The icepick did it
This problem requires a more thoughtful solution than simply banning a videogame. Or a movie. Or a book. People have been killing other people for thousands of years. Murder itself is nothing new.

Leopold and Loeb didn't get the idea to become killers by watching Alfred Hitchcock's Rope or Sharon Stone wielding an ice pick in Basic Instinct. Attila the Hun didn't learn battle maneuvers from Age of Empires and Full Spectrum Warrior. Jack the Ripper didn't train on a diet of Doom, Resident Evil and Operation, the wacky doctor's game.

It doesn't mean they wouldn't have liked them. Just that they didn't need them to become what they were. And neither do our kids.

Consider yourself warned.

-=Gamewatcher