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Jack Thompson found guilty
In rather anti-climactic fashion, the Florida Supreme Court found video game agitator and lawyer Jack Thompson guilty on 27 of 31 charges of professional misconduct. Thompson has made it his life's work to stop the distribution of violent video games, and has earned the hatred of many gamers who value free speech and abhor censorship. His personal crusade against developer Rockstar Games and its flagship franchise Grand Theft Auto, drove Thompson to cross the lines of decency and legality on countless occasions. Those transgressions finally caught up with him yesterday.
Among the Florida Bar offenses for which Judge Tunis has recommended a guilty verdict: * Knowingly making a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal * Knowingly disobeying an obligation under the rules of a tribunal * Communicating the merits of the case with a judge before whom the proceeding is pending * Using means that have no purpose other than to embarrass, delay or burden a third person * Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation * Engaging in conduct in connection with the practice of law that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly or through callous indifference disparage or humiliate litigants or other lawyers * Making statements that the lawyer knows to be false or with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge Next step is the sentencing, but at the very least we have to believe he will be disbarred. Finally, justice will be served! 
(3 comments)
Pandemic announces Lord of the Rings: Conquest
While it has been a few years since the last film of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was released in theaters, gamers this decade have had no shortage of titles set in the classic fantasy world of Middle-Earth. And today, LotR fans get yet another choice, as Pandemic Studios has announced Lord of the Rings: Conquest, an action game along the lines of the Star Wars: Battlefront series. Conquest allows players to control numerous characters (both good and evil) from the films and books, and fight various battles across Middle-Earth, from Helm's Deep to the Scouring of the Shire. Those familiar with the Battlefront series should expect this game to play very similarly.
 IGN interviewed Pandemic's Eric Gewirtz, the director behind the game, who had a great deal of insight and information into this latest LotR video game. As a huge fan of LotR (literature and film), I know I'll be following this closely. I'll have more information as it comes out.
GTA IV: First impressions
Grand Theft Auto IV's release for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 has dominated gaming news this week, being one of the most anticipated titles of the current console generation. After playing the game for a few hours on the Xbox 360, there is no doubt that there is a great deal of substance behind the hype.
 First of all, the single-player campaign is incredibly well done. So far, the story is engrossing, the characters are far more interesting than your standard video game fare, and the city is absolutely majestic in size, scope and detail. The main character, Niko Bellic, is one of the most interesting characters we've seen in a game in recent memory. There is a great deal of conflict between wanting to just explore Liberty City for hours upon end and wanting to delve into the mysterious and gripping story of our "hero." The game play should be very familiar to fans of the series. The hand-to-hand combat is a little slow and unwieldy, but considering you only really use it at the beginning of the game it's hardly a complaint. Ranged combat is very similar to previous GTA games, with a lock-on system that isn't always very precise. You often lock-on to targets you don't want to, but it's easy to disengage and re-engage the correct target on the fly. The driving portion of the game is incredibly fun and frustrating at the same time. The vehicle physics have been vastly improved over past GTA titles, which make for a great time when you get your hands on a sports car or motorcycle. However, the camera doesn't react to drastic changes in direction, leaving you to scramble when chasing other vehicles or dodging cops.  Multi-player is a thrill ride all to itself. While the unintuitive cell phone interface allows you to create or enter multi-player games -- with much trial and error -- the rewards are definitely worth the initial headache. With numerous competitive and cooperative modes, with up to 16-players in some, GTA IV offers endless entertainment for almost anyone. Whether you want to blast your friends with rockets, or strafe a police blockade from an attack helicopter, or race through busy streets in a Porsche, this game has it all. Overall, it's safe to say that the first impressions are incredibly positive. Is the game perfect? No. But, with the amount of game play and content packed into one title, this is a must-own title for any adult who owns an Xbox 360 or PS3. More impressions to follow...
Call of Duty 4 Map Pack sets sales record
In less than ten days, the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack has been downloaded by over a million people on Xbox Live. The pack contains four new multi-player maps, and its popularity is a testament to the fan base of the most played multi-player game on the Xbox 360 at the moment. This download was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 on April 4 for $10, and has already set a record with over $10 million in sales on Xbox Live.
 Bungie, developer of the second most popular game on Xbox Live, Halo 3, followed suit with its own map pack this week. We'll be following this release closely to see if Halo 3's Legendary Map Pack can compete with Call of Duty's numbers.
Fallout 3 Collector's Edition Revealed
Team Xbox is reporting that Bethesda Softworks' upcoming post-apocalyptic role-playing game, Fallout 3, will be released as a Collector's Edition on top of the standard release. Judging by the contents, I feel it's safe to say it will retail for $69.99 in the U.S. (the standard price for CE's).
Gamestop has revealed that Bethesda plans to release a Collector's Edition of Fallout 3, the post nuclear role-playing game from the creators of the award-winning Oblivion series. In addition to a copy of the game, the Fallout 3 Collector's Edition includes: * Vault Boy Bobblehead: Enjoy your very own Vault Boy with this collector's item direct from Vault-Tec. * The Art of Fallout 3: This hardcover book features nearly 100 pages of never-before seen concept art and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists. * The Making of Fallout 3: Get an exclusive, inside look at Bethesda Game Studios and the team behind the game with this special DVD. * Vault-Tec Lunch Box: The entire package comes in a fully customized metal lunchbox. Our friends from VE3D have pictures of the Vault-Tec Lunch Box and the Vault Boy Bobblehead:   Stay tuned for more details as we receive them!
More Gears of War 2 information
Someone on the NeoGaf forums has leaked some information from the latest Game Informer magazine on Gears of War 2, Epic's much-anticipated sequel to its 2006 smash hit for the Xbox 360. It sounds like the Gears 2 campaign will be far more story driven than the first game. However, technology is still going to be at the forefront, and it sounds like Epic will show us more of the Unreal Engine than we've seen from anyone thus far.
 Here are a couple of excerpts about the main story and gameplay of the game: "We want to fulfill the promise - it is a war. It's more than just these four guys. The first game felt very personal, and in a lot of ways that was good," senior producer Rod Fergusson tells us. However, it's clear from our time with the team that Gears 2 will shoot for a much larger conflict. "In order to save jacinto, they have no choice but to take the war to the Locust," Fergusson continues. "They're going to push back and go underground, and bring the battle to them." "We were shown a vast underground cave level wherin Marcus and his companions will take the fight to the Locust. Unlike the sometimes cramped and and linear subterranean paths from the first game, the cavern complex is vast and breathtaking. Branching levels and open spaces give players true tactical choices as they decide which way to tackle an assault. Whatever path you choose, bio-luminescent plants light light the faces of the new Locust Kantus enemies. These monk-like devils hum low and droning chants that can be focused into sonic attacks against you. They wield weapons like the new Gorgon burst pistol and poison grenades, both of which can become part of your arsenal if you play your cards right. However, the Kantus' true danger lies in their ability to revive their fallen bretheren from afar. Where before you could rest easy after taking down an enemy soldier, now there is the constant danger of them rising back up to continue to fight. The only alternative is to brave the hail of gunfire to break through enemy ranks and kill the Kantus sulking in the rear. Along the way, you may not have access to stable cover anymore, so you'll have to make do with the moving kind. Massive Locust rock worms will emerge from the cavern walls during battle, guided by the Kantus' chanting. Luckily, the creatures are so large you can hide behind them as they sliter about, and you too will be able to guide them to an advantageous firing position." The team at Epic is well aware that many players out there hunger for a deeper and more involved storytelling experience. Lots of emotion this time. Joshua Ortega has been brought on, he is a novelist / comic writer. Really sounds like they are working a lot on the story. Sense of depth with the characters. A "darker and more heartfelt narrative." "THE STAKES ARE RAISED. THIS IS HUMANITY'S LAST STAND. EVERYTHING IS AT RISK. NOTHING IS SAFE." -Joshua Ortega Here is some information on some of the new (or not-so-new) characters from the game: Tai Kaliso: While Cole and Baird are still a big part of the story, they won't be attached to Delta Squad as the new game opens. The reunion with those popular characters will have some lead up first, and until then, you'll be meeting some new personalities. The most memorable of these new additions may be Tai, a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor-bound fighters. This familiar archetype should add a fun and perhaps mystical dynamic to the squad. Chairman Prescott: Lots of gamers found themselves wondering if Marcus' domineering superior officer was the head of the human government. It turns out that Hoffman is only second in command. Above him stands the Chairman, an almost dictatorial military leader who nonetheless has made the hard choices necessary to keep humanity alive through decades of warfare. As Gears 2 opens, this leader of the COG forces will deliver a speech to the troops before sending them reeling into the suicidal mission ahead. Dizzy: In the seemingly unending struggle with the Locust Horde, the military forces of the COG have taken massive casualties. Somewhere along the way, Operation Lifeboat was enacted to bring in some fresh blood. Under this new act, the Coalition government will rescue a Stranded family and bring them into the relative story of a COG-protected zone. In return, the able-bodied men of that family join up and contribute their skills to the war effort. Such is the case with hardened soldier Dizzy, a new character who drives the massive Derrick on which Delta Squad ascends into the mountains. With a trademark drawl and an insistence on calling his truck "Betty", he's a colorful new addition to the cast. Maria Santiago: When Emergence Day struck, Dom's wife Maria became a victim as surely as if she had died in that first attack. On that day, her children were killed. Unable to deal with the shock and loss, Maria lost herself in the ruins of civilization. For Dominic, who joined the COG to protect his family, no priority is higher than to retrieve his lost love - his very personal quest to find her is a major part of the story that unfolds in Gears 2. A final little teaser: A SLICE OF ACTION. As seen in the second level of Gears of War 2, Assault. The sun-dappled pine forests are in stark contrast to the roiling convoy of human machinery as it rolls up the pristine mountain pass. Fenix and his squad stand atop their massive wheeled transport. Dizzy, the driver of their derrick, is shouting curses over the roar of the engine. As a breathtaking valley vista opens up to the west, the first mortar slams into a nearby derrick, leaving behind a flaming husk. The flying nemacyst and their explosive assaults are only the spear point of the Locust defense. After some near misses, the derrick tunbles off the dirst road and stalls. An emergence hole opens up nearby and Locust infantry begin to pour out. Firing wildly, Marcus and his team push back the assault. Even as Dizzy gets the truck running, a Brumak appears and gives chase. Crashing headlong throught he cracking and snapping trees, Dizzy forces the derrick into high gear, even as the transport across the way is overrun. Leaping from their new attack platform, enemy troops attempt to board, and Marcus rushes out from cover to curb stomp the assailants. Ahead, in the distance, a narrow bridge stands, wide enough for only one vehicle. The Locust driver sneers and speeds up his derrick as the drop into the gorge up ahead looms large. It sounds like there is a considerable amount more in the GI article, so look out for it on store shelves if you're interested in Gears of War 2. If you aren't interested, why have you read this whole thing?
If you can't beat 'em, rip 'em off!
We all knew it would eventually happen, but MTV News is reporting that Microsoft has been working on a wireless motion-sensitive controller for the Xbox 360 since last summer. With the success of the Nintendo Wii and specifically the popularity and critical praise for the Wii's motion-sensitive controller, it was inevitable that the other major players in the console industry follow suit.
Sony made a half-hearted attempt with its wireless Sixaxis controller for the Playstation 3, based on the venerable PS1 Dual Shock controller. However, very few games have supported the Sixaxis, and it hasn't done anything to improve Sony's position in current generation home console sales. Furthermore, Sony sacrificed vibration (or "rumble") in the Sixaxis in order to conserve battery life, a move that left many fans upset. This will be remedied shortly, with the release of the third Dual Shock controller, ending Sony's short experiment with motion-sensitivity. As for Microsoft nothing has been officially announced yet, but if MTV's "insider" can be believed it sounds like this is more of a marketing stunt aimed at nullifying Nintendo's market lead than a serious peripheral for hardcore gamers. Even looking at the supposed early sketch of this controller, it's easy to see that it would be close to unusable for many games. On top of this, it sounds like Microsoft is copying Nintendo's successful Mii avatar system. Microsoft avatars will be able to travel from game to game, just like Mii's. They will be attached to one's Xbox Live account, and seem to be an attempt to woo third-party developers into porting their Wii games to the 360. Considering how poor 99% of the third-party Wii games are (and how poorly they sell), I'm not really sure how this is a good business strategy by Microsoft. If all this is true or has any ring of truth to it, it looks like we'll probably see this new Xbox controller and avatar system by the end of the year. We'll have to wait and see how far Microsoft is willing to go to try and sell the Xbox 360 as a casual platform. Let's just hope that Microsoft doesn't further water down its brand and hurt the 360 in the long run with this stunt.
The unreasonable war on gaming
It seems that every few years or so, the powers-that-be decide to find a scapegoat to blame youth violence on. At some point it was rock music, then violent films, then gangsta rap. Usually, these scapegoats are easy targets because they are at the forefront of popular culture. With the video game industry now surpassing the movie and music industries, it only makes sense that it would pass in front of the cross-hairs.
Now, you might ask who exactly these people are who would so readily blame popular culture, while ignoring the obvious problems of poor parental control, easy access to guns and other weapons, and poor structure and discipline at school. It seems fairly ridiculous to reasonable folk to blame a movie or video game for a child shooting another child, all the while ignoring the glaring question of where did this child get the gun from! Ridiculous as it may be, there are lawyers and politicians, like the notorious Jack Thompson and Senator Joe Lieberman, who would rather spend time, energy and even taxpayers' money on doing exactly that. Politicians in the state of Massachusetts are the most recent to try and pass a law that would criminalize the sale of violent games to children. This bill, HB 1423, attempts to label a broad swath of gaming content, both violent and sexual in nature, as "obscene" material. Thankfully, all other bills of this nature from other states have been shot down in the courts as unconstitutional, as video games are protected by free speech. Hopefully, the Massachusetts court system will stand along with its peers and defeat this bill before it gains momentum.  If HB 1423 becomes law, will it remain law? Doubtful. Similar legislation has been declared unconstitutional in several states. Could Massachusetts legislators find better ways to watch out for the kiddies? Man, I sure hope so, because there's a lot more to America's culture of violence than Resident Evil 4. However, as long as video gaming continues to grow in popularity, there will be more and more detractors attempting to focus the blame of youth violence (and other societal ailments) on this medium. Hopefully, the industry doesn't have to put too much effort into fighting off these trouble makers, as we want all the energy focused on making great games. To quote Stephen King one more time..."Case closed."
Hello Hooked Gamers!
Hello everyone, I'm one of the new bloggers here on Hooked Gamers! I've been playing video games since the early 80's and have seen the industry grow and change so much over the years. I have friends and family in the industry, so I have a unique window into the future of gaming as well -- at least the future that gaming companies envision. However, as we all know, the gamers are the ones who drive this industry, not corporate suits! In that vein, I look forward to hearing from all of you and finding out what you're interested in.
Stay tuned, I'll be telling you more about myself, and showing you my take on video gaming and other aspects of my life!
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