Scribblenauts, the fantastic-looking DS game that went big after an appearance at this year’s E3, is coming to the UK on September 25, following a North American release of September 15. I’ve embedded the above video to give you a look into what the game is all about- you can write almost anything and have it appear on screen. It’s rapidly becoming one of the most hyped DS games this year, and is even causing bouts of “I need a DS just to play this game” syndrome.

Yesterday, the UK government’s department of Culture, Media and Sport decided to ditch the BBFC for game ratings and instead adopt the game-focused alternative, PEGI. In light of this, PEGI have introduced a new set of coloured symbols, similar to the colourings of the BBFC designs. Obviously this will help people to see the rating more quickly and assess the contents of the game. Personally I think this was the best decision; a company that is Europe-wide, proven to do a good job, and focused purely on videogames, I think, will do a better than the BBFC.

The London MCM Expo is growing in size every year, and so its previously poor gaming section is finally becoming at least worth a look. It has a decent line-up this year, including Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Tekken 6, and a lot more: Ubisoft, Capcom, Koei, Rising Star, Ankama, Eidos, and Atari are all supporting the show. I’ll be attending the show, so even if you can’t make it, my impressions will help you to imagine as if you were.

The expo is trying to get a gaming cosplay world record- that’s people in fancy dress as characters from games (they have to be proper games characters, not ones that went from movie to game, etc). If you can make it, see if you can dress up and add to the record. More info is on the expo’s site. That’s May 23-24, London’s ExCel centre.
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British TV presenter and celebrity-man Jonathan Ross has revealed in his Twitter that he “Got asked to do voice in Fable 3 tonight.” Needless to say, in a later update he mentions that he has to “apologize to Peter Molyneux”. Whoops. In any case, it looks like we’ll be seeing a Fable 3 in the future, with or without Ross’ voice.

I feel a bit sorry for Molyneux, since his so-far secret baby has been revealed to the world (well, mostly just to people who read gaming blogs). Oh, and another post of his suggests that “Charlie Brooker said he would do a voice for it to[o]!”- another British TV man, but this one is a funny, funny man.

ThreeSpeech reports that Sony are releasing a Killzone 2 PS3 bundle in the UK, priced at £299.99. That’s about $418 at the time of writing. The bundle includes the game and an 80GB PS3 console, as well as the fancy box. The release date is TBC currently, but expect it to be very near to the Killzone 2 release date. If you are in England, don’t yet have a PS3, have £300 to spare, and want Killzone 2, this is the perfect bundle for you! Hey, maybe they’ll widen the target audience by releasing it in the US, too.

Well, shit. Gamesindustry.biz today reports that one of the gaming world’s finest development studios is shutting its doors. Rumour has it that when UK developer Free Radical’s employees showed up at the doors today, they were told to meet at a local hotel for a final meeting- the lack of response to calls seems to back this up, too. Oddly enough, a few weeks earlier the studio’s director Steve Ellis had said “we certainly won’t be laying off any staff today. Or, for that matter, any time in 2008.”

I sincerely hope that this rumour is false. Free Radical was formed from the Rare employees who developed GoldenEye for the N64, one of the best games of all time, and went on to develop the Timesplitters series- a consistently outstanding set of games. Free Radical were said to be developing Star Wars Battlefront 3 (another great series), too. Perhaps their only bad game was Haze; is this why they are supposedly shutting down? Graeme Norgate, David Doak- what will become of these industry greats? I don’t think I’ve ever felt this sort of despair over a company closing down.

[UPDATES]More stuff happened. See it after the jump.

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When I saw the headline “Grand Theft Auto Sex Beast is Caged,” I knew I had to report it. I mean, not only is it more sensationalist anti-video game bullshit, but there was a sex beast on the loose! Thank God he was caged! Read more…

Some of you may be familiar with the Family Guy episode pictured above. Oh, that Peter Griffin! What a wacky fellow! Well, it turns out that he’s not quite the wackiest. That title would go to Mr. George Garatt from Glastonbury, England. Hit the jump to find out why. Read more…

Hoverit Ltd, a UK-based design company, recently announced their new levitating lounge chair. Yeah, I know it’s a tongue twister, but say it slowly. Levitating. Lounge chair. Sexy. Read more…

In a story that I’m sure is incredibly embarrassing for the police forces of England, a semi carrying approximately $1 million in PlayStation 3 videogames (including GTA and Brothers in Arms) was stolen by a merry band of thieves.  The truck and its cargo were then recovered by police, who failed to capture the men responsible, which led to the same merry band of thieves stealing the same truck full of games from the custody of the police themselves! Read more…

Are you an inmate in a United Kingdom prison who is contemplating suicide? Why not fire up the ol’ Xbox instead? Perhaps that will you make you realize the value in your life. At least that’s what the UK Prison Service hopes. Read more…

It was released in Japan last November; now the fourth version of PS2 is coming to Europe and India. That’s according to SCE India country manager Atindriya Bose, who claims it will launch simultaneously in the two regions at some point before this year’s Diwali festival on 28 October. Read more…

Both mainstream and games press have reported today that UK women are breaking more than a sweat when it comes to Wii Fit. Trouble is, they’re all talking a load of cobblers. Read more…

Following Microsoft’s recent price cut of all the Xbox 360 hardware packages in Europe, sales in the UK have risen by 40%. In an attempt to push back against popular incoming Sony software like Metal Gear Solid 4 and the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue PS3 bundle, the price cut looks to have had the intended effect so far.

Given such an immediate rise, it’s likely the sales increase will continue as word gets out and more people are able to take advantage of the new price. Read more…

Today Ray Maguire officially revealed that the PS3 has passed the 1 million mark in the UK. Read more…

What do you get when you combine a fashionably bald British television presenter with an ancient flying killer? Well, you get Jason Bradbury from Channel 5’s The Gadget Show in Assassin’s Creed of course. Read more…