An attorney in Syracuse, New York is representing a four-year-old boy who suffered a seizure watching his brother play a videogame. The attorney is asking other victims to come forward to presumably set up a class action lawsuit.

The attorney, Michael P. Kenny, is taking Sony and Vivendi to court over Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly for the PlayStation 2, claiming that the game contains “seizure triggers” which harmed his client.

Kenny released the following statement:

“The video game companies know there is a problem, and they choose not to fix it. The video games seizures have a cause, and the manufacturers choose not to correct it.” Kenny asserts that the video game manufacturers knowingly place their financial gain ahead of people’s health. He added, “Without federal legislation to compel the video game companies to take action, we have no choice but to litigate on behalf of the victims.”

You can check out the website Kenny set up right here. What I want to know, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, is why that kid was playing a game with a metascore of 56.

Game Politics

Prince of Persia Art at the Euogamer Expo

The London Games Festival 2008 is drawing to a close, and the last of the events will be happening soon. Undoubtedly the highlight of the Festival was the Eurogamer Expo, held on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th in a large brewery building near central London. Ripten was of course present at the event; and it was certainly worth going. The UK has not exactly been renowned for its quality of gaming events, but Eurogamer put on a great show for us this year, with plenty of big-name games ready to play. Hit the jump for the full list of games, as well as Ripten’s account of the show.

The games we saw at the show:

*Street Fighter 4
*Resident Evil 5
*Call of Duty: World at War
*LittleBigPlanet
*Mirror’s Edge
*Killzone 2
*Left 4 Dead
*Prince of Persia
*Tomb Raider: Underworld
*Far Cry 2
*Fallout 3
*Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
*Resistance 2
*Gears of War 2
*Bionic Commando
*Street Fighter 2: HD Remix
*Socom: Conforntation
*Red Faction: Guerilla
*Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
*Mushroom Men
*Tom Clancy’s Endwar
*Shaun White Snowboarding
*Many more

As you can see, it was an extensive lineup. The show itself was busy, although not as much as you might expect; it’s a shame this wasn’t advertised that well, as it really was the highlight of the London Games Festival. Playing the games at the show was, surprisingly, a fun experience. Most of the games, especially the ones set up on PS3s, were displayed on huge 40″ HDTVs, some even with large sound systems, and almost all had seats (for a most comfy experience).

Killzone 2 at the Eurogamer Expo

Outside the venue, the event had been decorated with a plethora of videogame memorabilia- a Gears of War tank, a Motorstorm truck, and a graffiti mural to Prince of Persia. The show was mostly focused upon XBox 360 and PS3 games; there were Wiis, DSs, and PCs, but most of them were deserted a lot of the time, usually due to the fact that the games being displayed were already released. The busiest sections were on the Street Fighter 4 arcade machines and the Gears 2 stand- unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to play on those games.

You got Resident Evil 5 in my Eurogamer Expo!

It was a fantastic surprise to see some of the games at the show- not only were they great games, but they weren’t even on the lineup released before the show. We had no idea a playable build of Killzone 2 would be there, and likewise with Resident Evil 5 and Gears of War 2. You’ll be glad to hear that we’ll be featuring some previews of a few of the biggest games we saw. Spoiler alert: they are really good games.

Another great week in gaming with the likes of LittleBigPlanet, Fallout 3, Guitar Hero World Tour, Ninjatown and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift being released this week. I’m already losing enough sleep as it is playing Fable 2, SOCOM and COD: WaW Beta, but I think I can fit in one or two more games for the weekend.

And as for my pick of the week, it’s really hard to choose between LittleBigPlanet and Fallout 3. Hit the jump to find out which way I swayed and to check out the full list of game releases.

Pick of the Week: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Xbox 360:

• Fallout 3
• Guitar Hero World Tour
• MotoGP 08
• Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two (XBLA)
• Scene It? Box Office Smash Bundle
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE
• Baja 1000: Score International

PS3:

• LittleBigPlanet
• Fallout 3
• Guitar Hero World Tour
• Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two (PSN)
• SingStar Vol. 2
• Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
• Baja 1000: Score International
• Moto GP ‘08

Nintendo Wii:

• Guitar Hero World Tour
• FIFA Soccer 09 All-Play
• MySims Kingdom
• All Star Cheer Squad
• Dora the Explorer: Dora Save the Snow Princess
• Go Diego Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
• Nerf N-Strike
• Six Flags Fun Park
• Twin Strike: Operation Thunder
• TV Show King Party
• Baja 1000: Score International
• Hunt for Black Beard’s Booty
• Shrek’s Carnival Craze
• Ben 10: Alien Force
• Petz Horsez Club
• Monster Jam: Urban Assault
• Goosebumps HorrorLand
• Ultimate I Spy
• Strong Bad Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands (WiiWare)
• Art Style: ROTOHEX (WiiWare)
• Earthworm Jim (VC)

PS2:

• Guitar Hero World Tour – Band Kit
• Dora the Explorer: Dora Save the Snow Princess
• Go Diego Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
• Mana Khemia: Alchemist of Al-Revis
• Baja 1000: Score International
• Shrek’s Carnival Craze
• SingStar Country
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE
• Moto GP ‘08
• Ben 10: Alien Force
• King of Fighters Orochi Saga
• Monster Jam: Urban Assault
• Onimusha: The Essentials
• SingStar Legends
• Goosebumps HorrorLand

Nintendo DS:

• My Sims Kingdom
• Rubik’s World
• Tornado
• Go Diego Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
• The Wonder Pets: Save the Animals
• Travel Games for Dummies
• Master of the Monster Lair
• Zenses – Rainforest
• Petz Rescue Ocean Patrol
• Monster Jam: Urban Assault
• Zenses – Oceans
• Ninjatown
• Bella Sara
• Shrek’s Carnival Craze
• Petz Rescue Wildlife Vet
• Ben 10: Alien Force
• Theresia

PSP:

• King of Fighters Collection – The Orochi Saga
• Neverland Card Battles
• Ben 10: Alien Force
• Monster Jam: Urban Assault

PC Games:

• Fallout 3
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Poker for Dummies
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE
• Officers
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
• Bella Sara
• Operation Mania
• Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
• Europa Universalis III Collection
• MySims
• Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge
• Moto GP ‘08
• Backyard Football 2009
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain

Another decent week in releases with Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood for the DS, Silent Hill Homecoming for the 360 and PS3 and Mega Man 9 finally hits Xbox Live on Wednesday. Y’all might want to check out Bomberman Blast on the WiiWare today as well.

Pick of the Week: Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood (DS)

Xbox 360:

• Silent Hill Homecoming
• Mega Man 9 (XBLA)
• Mobile Ops: The One Year War

PS3:

• Silent Hill Homecoming

Nintendo Wii:

• Art Style: Orbient (WiiWare)
• Bomberman Blast (WiiWare)
• Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
• Super Turrican 2 (VC)
• We Cheer

PS2:

• Mortal Kombat Kollection

Nintendo DS:

• Unsolved Crimes
• Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood
• Tornado
• Margot’s Word Brain
• Pop Cutie: Street Fashion Simulation
• Princess Debut
• Pipe Mania

PSP:

• Valhalla Knights 2

PC Games:

• Pipe Mania
• Sniper: Art of Victory
• Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate
• Baseball Mogul 2009
• SAS: Secure Tomorrow
• Dark Horizon
• Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft

A lot of games hitting stores this week, but none more exciting then Mega Man 9! Duh, we’ve all been waiting for this one. Other than that though, I’d say Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway looks good and Lego Batman should be fun. And the rest? Well, that’s up to you.

Pick of the Week: Mega Man 9 (WiiWare/PSN)

Xbox 360:

• Baja: Edge of Control
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• Warriors Orochi 2
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• LEGO Batman

PS3:

• Buzz! Quiz TV
• Baja: Edge of Control
• Cablela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• Mega Man 9 (PSN)
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• LEGO Batman

Nintendo Wii:

• LEGO Batman
• Mega Man 9 (WiiWare)
• PLÄTTCHEN twist ‘n’ paint (WiiWare)
• Super Dodge Ball (VC)
• Vectorman (VC)
• Sim City Creator
• de Blob
• Wario Land: Shake It
• Twin Strike: Operation Thunder
• Rebel Raiders
• Samba de Amigo
• Pitfall: The Big Adventure
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked
• Brothers in Arms: Double Time
• Margot’s Word Brain

PS2:

• Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
• Pipe Mania
• Onimusha: The Essentials
• Warrior’s Orochi 2
• Singstar Pop Vol. 2
• LEGO Batman
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009

Nintendo DS:

• LEGO Batman
• Di-Gata Defenders
• Drop Cast
• Sim City Creator
• My Little Pony Pinkie Pie’s Party
• Kirbie: Super Star Ultra
• Nancy Drew: Hidden Staircase
• Brain Quest Grades 3 & 4
• Brain Quest Grades 5 & 6
• Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge
• Shaun the Sheep
• Margot’s Word Brain
• Time Hollow
• My Japanese Coach
• Pipe Mania
• My SAT Coach: The Princeton Review
• Dinosaur King
• Disgaea DS
• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
• Barbie Fashion Show: Eye for Style
• Babysitting Mania

PSP:

• Buzz! Master Quiz
• LEGO Batman
• Pipe Mania

PC Games:

• Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization
• Command & Conquer 3 Deluxe Edition
• The Price is Right
• The Settlers VI Gold
• Metal of Honor 10th Anniversary Edition
• EA Sports ‘08 Collection
• Hell’s Kitchen
• Mount & Blade
• LEGO Batman
• Flight Similator X: Gold Edition
• Everlight
• Nostadamus
• Battlelord: King’s Bounty
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
• Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style
• Dark Horizon
• King’s Bounty: The Legend
• Guitar Praise

As the release of the new iPhone model approaches this Friday, more iPhone specific games are popping up all over the web. The unique nature of the phone’s technology paired with the sheer brand power that Apple has the iPhone in position to take the mobile gaming market by storm.

Below are just a few of the many videos floating around the web depicting iPhone games in development.

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D

3D racing game by Polarbit. Release date information not yet announced.

Rolando

Physics-based platform/puzzler by Simon Oliver. Estimated August release.

Raging Thunder

3D realistic racer by Polarbit.. Release date information not yet announced.

Tap Tap Revenge

Rhythm game by Nate True. Available for download July 11th.

trism

Unique puzzle game by demiforce. Available for download July 11th.

Most of the games in discussion for the iPhone, including the ones shown above, are hovering at around $5-20 a pop. While this may seem a bit pricey, if you consider the fact that the phone itself (along with its service plan) is no bargain, we think interested owners will be able to swing it.

[Thanks Pete]

Well folks it’s that time of year again, when the sun is high and E3 comes knocking. Hit the jump for the announced game lineup.

E3 is to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, kicks off on the 14th July until the 18th and as always comes and goes too soon.

The lists below are correct at time of publishing but are subject to change.

As you can see below, while Microsoft has a good staple of games to show, none of them are particularly a surprise at present. Personally I would have liked MS to announce a new title or two, however it’s possible that we may still get to see some at the actual event.

• Gears of War 2 (X360)
• Too Human (X360)
• Fable 2 (X360)
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (X360)
• Halo Wars (X360)
• Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (X360)

Capcom on the other hand has a few tasty treats in store with two untitled projects ready to show the world. There’s also some big titles to be shown such as Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter II Turbo HD and the Bionic Commando’s. And finally one last tasty morsel is the fact that the previously announced MotoGP 08 has not had its formats set, platform exclusive?

• Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
• Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
• Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
• Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
• Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
• MotoGP 08 (other)
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
• Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
• Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
• Spyborgs (Wii)
• Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)

Bethesda has confirmed that Fallout 3 will be the developers crown jewel for this years E3 presentation, Fallout 3 is set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with vaults, mutants, the Brotherhood of Steel and a f’ing huge unexploded nuclear device.

Speaking of f’ing huge, publisher EA also revealed it’s initial E3 lineup, which will surely be placing a huge amount of publicity on Dead Space. Has EA turned the corner and stopped beating dead franchises with a big stick? We’ll have to wait and see.

• Dead Space (PC, PS3, X360)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS3, X360)
• Crysis Warhead (PC)
• Spore (PC)
• Mirror’s Edge (PC, PS3, X360)
• Skate It (Wii)
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (PC, PS3, X360)
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC)

Sony has also pushed the boat out and should be showing big hitters such as Killzone 2, LBP, Resistance 2 and SOCOM.

• Killzone 2 (PS3)
• LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
• PixelJunk Eden (PS3)
• Resistance 2 (PS3)
• SIREN: Blood Curse Episode #1 [PSN] (PS3)
• SOCOM: Confrontation (PS3)

D3 Publisher

• Naruto: Clash of The Ninja Revolution 2 (Wii)
• Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 (DS)
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (DS, PC, X360)
• Bangai-O Spirits (DS)
• Ben 10: Alien Force — The Game (DS, PS2, PSP, Wii)

Deep Silver

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC)

Disney Interactive Studios

• Pure (PC, PS3, X360)
• Spectrobes: Beyond The Portals (DS)

Evolved Games

• B-Boy (PS2, PSP)

Namco Bandai

• Soulcalibur IV (PS3, X360)

Natsume

• Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS)
• Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii)

SouthPeak Interactive

• Mister Slime (DS)
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger (PS3)

Valve

• Left 4 Dead (PC, X360)

XSEED Games

• Little King’s Story (Wii)
• Valhalla Knights 2 (PSP)

Looking at this lineup it’s hard not to get excited as one things for sure, no matter what platform you follow there’s some corkers in store for everyone.

Source

It’s fun to compare consoles, especially when the comparison involves one of the biggest games of this generation. Grand Theft Auto IV has been littered with websites giving their opinions on which version looks best. Surprisingly, most had no inkling of each version’s native resolution.

Eurogamer are the first to speculate that GTA IV on the PS3 runs at 630p. When in fact, it doesn’t… It runs at 640p.

Yes, GTA IV on the PS3 is sub-HD. And if it couldn’t be any more ironic (the traditionally Playstation series runs at a lower resolution) it has the same resolution as Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 – perhaps the first game to receive the sub-HD back-lash.

The man who spilt the news? The now infamous Quaz51 of Beyond3d technical forums. PS3 GTA IV runs at 640p with 0xAA, in comparison to the Xbox 360 version at 720p with 2xAA.

Eurogamer, who base almost all their multi-platform comparisons on Quaz51’s findings, were using opinions from B3D’s technical wizard before he had received a reliable PS3 screenshot. In receipt of a high-res shot, Quaz51 had this to say:

Good news [...] it’s 1152×640p (and no AA) exactly like Halo 3, Perfect Dark [Zero] or Dark Sector PS3.

The resolution itself is unsurprising, but the side by side comparisons carried out by numerous websites tell a more complex story. For example, in IGN’s head to head, the PS3’s Anti-Aliasing is cited as being the better of the two versions, even though the Xbox 360 has 2xAA. This could be due to the upscaling and post-processing effects smoothing the edges on the PS3.

In their review, IGN continues to state that due to the PS3’s mandatory install there is less loading and less pop-in than on the Xbox 360:

For those wanting to know which version looks better, the edge goes to the PS3. The textures and framerate are comparable, but the PS3 has far less pop-in. The 360 has richer colors, but the PS3 has better anti-aliasing making it look a little cleaner. Because GTA IV can preload onto the PS3 hard drive, the in-game loads are faster. Don’t worry Xbox owners, the load times are rarely more than 30 seconds and don’t occur very often.

In another nod to differences between the two versions, EGM mentions that the “PS3 version looks slightly more vibrant and sharp.” You’d think the Xbox 360’s higher resolution would facilitate the sharper look.

Native resolution, thus, appears to have less of an impact than we might have first thought. At least, you are more likely to notice indirect differences, than the lower resolution itself. For example, upscaling on the PS3 appears to have some positive graphical results, which may explain why some websites say it looks better. Eurogamer’s Rich Leadbetter hypothesises:

It’s worth noting that due to the post-processing effects the game employs (there’s a serious amount of stuff being done to the raw frame), the PS3’s lower resolution serves to mask a lot of the nasty after effects.

For example, look at the dithering on the signs in the background on those shots. A bit ugly on Xbox 360, but smoothed and blurred away on PS3, presenting a generally nicer look.

In the end, what really matters is that both versions run extremely well and at an almost locked framerate. There are certainly differences on paper, but many will find it difficult to notice them in the game:

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Which version of GTA IV should you buy? Due to the game’s impressive multiplayer – buy the version where your friends reside, because you could potentially spend hundreds of hours duking it out online.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been noticing quite a few themes that have been making their way through the industry. Throughout last week at GDC, many of these took center stage in a variety of forms. First, we examine narrative in games.

It’s no secret that I’m a total 1UP fanboy, and while listening to a recent 1UP Yours podcast, Shawn Elliott prompted a discussion about the way stories unravel in games. Shawn said, in reference to Yakuza and its approach to storytelling, “I was saying ‘God, how did I miss this?’ because I’m a fan of games with good narrative but then when you said it was cutscenes it was immediately irrelevant to me because the cutscenes are just like — they may as well not be part of the game.”

This got me to thinking about narrative in games, and I came to the conclusion that there are two opposing kinds of people with polar reactions when they are presented story sequences while gaming.

There are those that are content with putting the controller down at the end of an epic battle to watch a cutscene analogous to something that may be seen in film. Then there are those that are annoyed and angered when they’re taken out of the experience and feel they are forced to watch something that is aped from another entertainment medium– film.

Let me preface the rest of this one-man rant by stating that regardless of which side of the fence you’re on, more power to you. Nobody can criticize you for what you enjoy.

Now, although watching cutscenes doesn’t particularly tempt me to drive off a cliff, I do think that gaming is a unique form of entertainment with a unique opportunity to take storytelling to the next level by telling a story with someone, as opposed to at them.

For the most part, this has been a missed opportunity. The closest I feel gaming has gotten to taking advantage of our unique abilities as a medium is with the Half-Life series, by never taking control out of the players hand and forcing players to interact with the environment. However, as great as Half-Life 1, 2, and the episodes have been, they still leave a lot to be desired.

To continue to use Half-Life as an example, although it comes so close in terms of getting everything right, it falls short at the same time by virtue of the main protagonist being a virtual nobody. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t have a personality, and his interaction with those around him never goes past sight or sound. As far as I’m concerned there is no main protagonist, there is no Gordon Freeman.

That’s no knock against Half-Life, it’s definitely among my favorite games of all time. I’m aware the guys over at Valve made him a blank canvas consciously, to serve the purpose of engrossing you in the experience — but for me, it does just the opposite. And in spite of that, they’ve still delivered the most intense and emotional experience I’ve ever had in a game through the ending of Episode 2; if you played it, I’m sure you’re right there with me.

To step away from Half-Life, 2K Boston’s head honcho Ken Levine made us aware of where he stood during his GDC ‘08 session ‘Ken Levine Speaks: Empowering Player to Care About Your Stupid Story’ by rhetorically asking “What’s the purpose of a cutscene?”, then continuing, “It’s to push information at the player. It’s the same as linear media — it’s not our advantage, it’s not our strength.”

The point that I’m trying to make is: if you’re a developer, I challenge you to think outside the box and make your game something unique that can’t ever be emulated by films or novels. And if you’re just a gamer like me, I encourage you to continue to challenge developers just as I have.

Source: ZodTTD.com [via Gizmodo]