The Hill is reporting 2 members of the House of Representatives have introduced a bill requiring video games to carry a warning about the violence contained in the game. I was under the impression that the ESRB rating already covered this. The problem with this bill is ANY video game with violent content will carry this warning if it has a rating for violence. This means if this bill passes, games like Ratchet and Clank would carry the same warning label as Grand Theft Auto.

I have survived many years of working in a game store and the level of education among the employees and parents has risen when it comes to the content in games. We, as employees, explain the rating to people shopping and ID for M ratings on games. In the current store I work at, and they go as far to fire employees who sell M rated games to people under 17. Even when I worked for a locally owned store we still provided that level of education because its bad business not to. Having gone through all this in trying to help customers the one thing I learned from it all is parents don’t care. The parents who do heed the warnings of the employees do so ONLY out of guilt, not concern. They feel like the employee is shaming them into not getting something that is crazy violent for their children, and most of them don’t even feel that and tell us, “Meh, I don’t Care.” And who cares? This decision is for the parents to make.  I can help them find what they need for their family but it’s not my place to impose my morality on them any more than the Government.  My personal favorite response from parents is, “I know I shouldn’t get it for them but i’m going to anyway.  Does that make me a bad parent?”

This new legislation also made me ask another question. The scientific evidence, the Representatives refer to in their quotes, only says video games are to blame? Where are the warning labels for movies and TV? They adhere to a similar standard in a rating system but they aren’t being targeted by this? Why isn’t the government so concerned about the movies I show my son AS WELL as the video games I let him play?

The industry has made a lot of improvements when it comes to handling violence and mature rated content in video games and the people who want to make legislation like this really are showing how much they don’t get it. My recommendation to them would be come spend a few days in the video game store I work at as an observer and see what we are really all about. It’s not the morally bankrupt, fear mongering, den of evil, people who introduce this kind of law make it out to be. But what do I know, I just work there.

If you have a different take on it, or have anything to add sound off in the comments below.

If you’ve been following their Playing Dead web series, then you’re probably very aware of the imminent release of the episodic content Telltale has been preparing for us. Based on Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead, and of course closely monitored by Kirkman himself. If you didn’t know we here at BigShinyRobot are huge fans of both. The game does not look to disappoint, following side characters who may occasionally interact with the main cast, it is focused around the human condition much like the series, with zombie bashing on the side. In even better news Telltale announced that the first episode will release in late April and pre-orders have already begun. If you pre-order through them right now, you get 10% off of all five episodes running you a scant $22.49 for the entire set up. The trailer looks incredibly gorgeous with a very dark style mimicking the books from Kirkman. I’m very excited to see a story written in the same world and intune with the series that doesn’t follow the current crew. In Playing Dead episode 2 one of the writers mentions his love of The Governor, hopefully throughout the five piece we’ll get to see him too. I’ll be playing this day one, how about you folks?

Telltale Press Release:

There must be something in the air…a mysterious virus maybe? Regardless, there’s a lot going on in the world of The Walking Dead right now and we have some exciting news to share! The first of the five episode season is coming late April and…

• The pre-order is live! Pre-order the 5-part season pass (PC/Mac) from the Telltale Store to receive a 10% discount ($22.49, normally $24.99), access to the developer forums, AND a chance to join the cast of the game in episode four! Find out more here.

• Don’t miss our first full-length trailer for the game! It’s live over on IGN.com. The trailer debuted on the “Up at Noon” show, which also features a great interview with the game’s story consultant and episode four writer, Gary Whitta. You can watch it here (skip to 8 minutes and 54 seconds if you want to go straight to the trailer).

We hope you like the trailer and all the other news – let us know what you think! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@telltalegames) for more info.

More news coming soon!

The Telltale Team

[comments welcome]

I’m apparently a really slow gamer, because I just finished my first run of Mass Effect 3 on Sunday with about 42 hours of game time. Now I finally understand what everyone is crying about with the ending. By that I mean, I know what happens, but I don’t know why they’re crying. The final set of missions is wrenching. Even playing as a renegade character I had a hard time being the bitch I needed to be to stick to my karmic guns. As for any characters’ fates, I don’t really see how else it could have gone. My one complaint is that a character I’m fairly certain was killed somehow ended up in the Normandy’s final cutscene. Of course, very minor spoiler, there are at least three possible endings based on the player’s choice at the end. I’ve only experienced one of those endings. The difficulty for me was in trying to decide which choice made the most sense for a renegade character. Each option seemed equally noble and ignorant. Ultimately I took a clue from the environment and headed to the right only because that area was red, a color I’d come to associate with renegade options in the game. After finishing the game, I would have to say that my initial reactions in the incomplete review are still accurate. It’s a fantastic game with some nagging inconsistencies. There are some other choices with different consequences that I think could make a big impact on the game. I’m very curious, for instance, what would happen to two potential squadmates had they died in the second game? How would the Horizon mission have played out if Miranda Lawson hadn’t survived? She seems very integral to that plot. Also, I took the DLC character, Javik, to Thessia with Liara. His specific presence there had such momentous scripting I’m surprised it was optional. How would they even have pushed this plot point without the character?

But that’s enough about that game. We’re here for news:

Haha. You didn’t think I’d walk away from Mass Effect 3 that quickly did you? This is mostly for people who love statistics, as Bioware has released a few regarding the multiplayer modes. Nothing important here to know really, but it’s fun information:

• 83 billion credits have been earned in multiplayer
• 33% of matches end in failed extractions
• 36% of players select the assault rifle as one of their two weapons
• Two million Cerberus Phantoms have been killed
• Players have accumulated 1,800 years of play time
• Soldier, Vanguard, and Infiltrator are the most popular classes (18%, 17%, and 16%, respectively)
• Less than 1% of successful extractions occur on Gold difficulty
• Firebase White (Noveria) is the most popular map at 36% of selections
• Turians are the most popular non-human race at 6.43%
• The Battlefield 3 Soldier kit has been used in 618,000 matches

Guerilla Games has announced that they are currently working on three new games. The first is the already-announced Killzone for PS Vita. As you would expect, they are also working on “the continuation of the Killzone series on PS3.” Is that a sequel? An MMO shooter? Further expansions to the multiplayer? That’s uncertain for now, but it is somewhat telling that they say PS3 specifically. Industry rumor is the imminent announcement of PS4 and the next XBox at E3, though both manufacturers deny it. Is Guerilla supporting the party line by publicly developing for PS3, or is this project so far along that it will preempt PS4 if it is announced in June? Regardless, the third game is a new IP. That’s always an exciting prospect. Lots of sequels are great, but new properties are especially welcome. While we don’t what that IP will be, Jan-Bart van Beek of Guerilla did tell us what it won’t be. One of their pitched ideas, later scrapped, was a steampunk, Holmes-style mystery with protagonist, Jake Crowbar, fighting monsters. Sounds a little generic but still awesome. If that idea, once called Dark Science, was scrapped, what did they keep?

Shenmue fans may be thrilled about the latest rumor regarding the series. Unfortunately, it’s only a rumor from a source close to SEGA. According to the source, Shenmue HD and Shenmue II HD have been complete for over a year, but are being held back by SEGA. With the recent success of many HD remasters of classic games, why would they be holding the titles? The same source says they’re waiting to see if and when Shenmue III will be ready. HD versions of the first two games will serve as a great introductory marketing tool for the third game. Makes sense. But is it true?

Of the various gaming award shows, BAFTA seems to run a little late in the game. Normally it wouldn’t even warrant a mention this far after all of the other game of the year awards were distributed. But something quirky happened at their presentation on Sunday, Skyrim won zero awards. Considering how many other outlets gave the massive RPG top honors, this seems a little strange. It certainly had its fair share of bugs and glitches (backwards flying dragons, numerous crashing problems on PS3, game ending save data), but its massive scope and rich world has given it massive respect throughout the industry. Here’s the full list of those who did win:

• Action: Batman: Arkham City
• Artistic Achievement: Rayman Origins
• Audio Achievement, Online Multiplayer, and GAME Award (public voting): Battlefield 3
• Best Game, Design, and Story: Portal 2
• Debut Game: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Family, and Game Innovation: Little Big Planet 2
• Mobile & Handheld: Peggle HD
• Online & Browser:Monstermind
• Original Music: L.A. Noire
• Performer: Mark Hamill (The Joker, Batman: Arkham City)
• Sports/Fitness: Kinect Sports Season Two
• Strategy: Total War: SHOUGN 2
• Ones to Watch Award: Tick Tock Toys (Swallowtail)

As we’ve come to find over the last few years, online gaming has a drawback: server shutdowns. EA has recently announced the next list of games that will have their online capabilities severed in the near future. Among these games is Spare Parts, a downloadable title for PSN and XBLA that’s been available for just 15 months. Also included are several titles that utilize EA’s online pass program In theory, those titles should still be generating $10 in revenue for EA when used copies are sold. If you just bought a used copy of one of these games and paid the $10, I hope you get your money’s worth by April 13, 2012:

• BOOM BLOX Bash Party (Wii)
• Burnout Revenge (360)
• EA Create (PC, PS3, Wii, 360)
• EA Sports Active 2.0 (PS3, Wii, 360)
• EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp (Wii)
• FIFA 10 (PSP, Wii)
• The Godfather II (PC, PS3, 360)
• MMA (PS3, 360)
• Need for Speed ProStreet (PS3, 360)
• The Saboteur (PS3, 360)
• Spare Parts (PS3, 360)

We’ve known since long before the game released that Capcom’s Street Fighter x Tekken would come with a plethora of DLC. The schedule and pricing has now been announced, starting with the “swap” costumes that puts Tekken costumes on Street Fighters, and vice versa. Those will release April 3rd with individual costumes $1/ea when you buy a la carte. Getting them bundled will save you $6 on each of the two packs. Some color packs will be available at no charge on the same date. New quick combos, gem packs, gem slots, and more will also be released for free. The 12 PS Vita “exclusive” fighters (Blanka, Guy, Cody, Sakura, Dudley, Elena, Alisa, Bryan, Christie, Lars, Jack, and Lei) will also be coming as DLC in a single $20 pack at an unspecified date.

Saints’ Row: The Third also has a DLC pack incoming today. “The Trouble with Clones” is $6.99 as a stand alone or comes with the $20 Season Pass. In this episode Jimmy Torbitson has cloned Johnny Gat. But, as clones are wont to do, this copy goes rogue and it’s up to you to stop him. A modified Saints’ Flow energy drink will give you super powers to aid in your quest. Yeah, that is just as looney as it sounds, but it is Saints’ Row.

The latest rumor is that Crystal Dynamics unannounced title in the works is another reboot, Soul Reaver. I can’t make heads or tails of the source so I can’t even advise on how believable the rumor is, but a few sources I trust seem convinced. This franchise started with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain back in 1996 and had several spin-offs and sequels up to the 2003 release of Legacy of Kain: Defiance. The time seems about right to reset the tale of Kain and Raziel, and Crystal Dynamics should have be able to cover it well.

It looks like that’s all I’ve got for now, but come back Friday for more of the biggest news in gaming this week.

So you picked up a PSVita and need some great entertainment for it, look no further than Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack from DrinkBox Studios. You play this side scrolling puzzle platformer as a blob, held captive in a lab until one day you escape and want to wreak havoc upon the world. Your method for wreaking havoc is by devouring everything. Like any good blob story it has a 50’s-esque backdrop, government agencies trying to stop you, scientists, blob friends to rescue, and lots to eat. The more you eat, the bigger you get, and the bigger you are obviously allows you to eat larger things.

"Tilt-a-Blob" Old School Style

The game sports 29 levels total, 24 standard platforming levels and 5 tilt-a-blob levels. The standard levels give you a good amount of challenging puzzle designs to live through making you avoid spikes, flames, lasers, crushing walls and whatever else the military can throw at you. The tilt-a-blob levels provide a nice change from the norm gameplay. Their style of play is a top down view where you must use the gyroscopic sensor in the Vita to roll your blob around and complete the mazes while finding new things to eat. I never once got bored of playing this game. It has a very nice check-pointing system within each level, so if you fail an area then you will most likely restart at the beginning of that specific puzzle. It’s like the game is encouraging you to try again. You are given abilities as you progress through the game, such as a smash attack, the ability to fly, polarization to repel or stick to metal surfaces and others which I’ll leave for you to find out. These abilities help you navigate the areas.

Another thing I loved about this game is the amount of humor packed inside. The billboards and advertising throughout the game are jokes about eating and media within our world. So you find yourself actually paying attention to what everything says and getting a chuckle out of it while munching on people, or their homes. The cut scenes are also funny, showing news reports of the growing blob’s exploits, but even the detail of making the screen look like a dirty tube television all help in selling the overall game as a 50’s blob movie.

Overall I can’t really find any flaws in the game; the controls are good, the touch elements are responsive, visuals are top notch for what they are trying to achieve, the story is simple and accessible. At only $7.99 this game is an absolute must have. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. Everyone should own this title. It is the best value on the Vita hands down.

Score: 9/10

For fans of: Super Mario Bros., Super Meat Boy, Rayman Origins, Tales From Space: About a Blob

Plot: Batman is gone fishin’, in his absence all the half wits of Gotham city go to war with each other for either justice or crime.

The breakdown: Build out characters based on playing preferences from tiny- fast- weak to big- strong- slow. Three different game types offer a deathmatch, point capture, and a bomb arming scenario with a twist.

About six months ago I caught the trailer for Gotham City Imposters. Reading the synopsis of the game and taking into account that two of my all time favorites (fear and condemned) came from the the Monolith’s studio I had faith! The I started playing the Beta 2 weeks before launch, and bought the full version on day 1.

On the surface this game plays just like your average shooter, It’s set apart by the attention to detail. You choose your personality disorder…yes…every character is deemed insane with their own disorder. Depending on your play style you unlock your disorder that best suits your play style, you also unlock and build your own personal calling card.

This game is comical vulgarity at its finest. This game is a huge change from the rinse and reuse style of shooter we are used to. When I die from an unknown bullet spray I feel somewhat less likely to throw my controller and scream when I hear a silly heroic voice boom over my tv “justice has outdone you!!!” from a gloating bat.

Replay value is very high in the world of GCI the unlockable costumes alone keep me coming back for more. First I aimed to simply get my Joker and Bat down to only their underoos to strike fear into my enemies as I swoop down and murder them from my glider rigs. With that objective accomplished the next goal is a full Luchador get up for the Bat. Tie that together with a 1,000 level cap I won’t be leaving the game anytime soon.

You’ve seen reports of Mass Effect 3’s ending being disappointing to many fans. Game Informer and Kotaku reported this weekend that a Mass Effect fan is so upset that he filed a complaint with the FTC and the Better Business Bureau.

After reading through the list of promises about the ending of the game they made in their advertising campaign and PR interviews, it was clear that the product we got did not live up to any of those claims,” El_Spiko says. “This is not somethign [sic] I was happy to do, but after the terrible ending that was in no way the product that had been advertised to me and the lack of any kind of response from Bioware/EA to address this, I felt it was one of my only recourses.

I like my video games, I like them a lot. If a game doesn’t live up to my expectations I’m definitely disappointed. Maybe even a touch sad, bummed that I wasted a hard earned $60. Would I ever take my compaint through a legal route? BioWare promised to deliver an epic trilogy to it’s fans, and I feel it did just that. Filing a legal complaint based on you not getting it doesn’t seem fair. M.E. 3 is based on choices, you save and interact with thousands of races, and when the game ends you make one final choice. Wasting the FTC’s time (whether or not you think they serve any purpose) with a video game false advertising complaint is ridiculous. If these accusations are valid then every game on the market is guilty of criminal intent. No game has ever fully lived up to it’s advertising guise to everyone. Let’s take Elder Scrolls for example, one of the most popular RPG’s on the current generation of consoles. I hate them, they are in my opinion boring beyond belief. Their commercials promise me excitement, adventure, and hours of entertainment, I got 1 hour before turning it off and giving it to a friend. No game is objectively perfect, if a game studio could create a game that every single human being alive liked then everyone would play video games. You are not entitled to having a game run exactly the way you prefer because you’re a fan of the series. Being a fan doesn’t give you creative license over a title, the developer owes you gratitude for supporting them, but that is all. Expecting anything more removes the artistic side from games. If you want to play games that try to cater to the masses and read minds buy a Tony Hawk game, I think those are still be siphoned for cash.

Capcom made it official today, the first of two scheduled add-ons for the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will be free! That’s right I put Capcom and free in the same sentence, and the best part is there’s no catch. April 11th is when this whole free business goes down. The dlc will give you a Spec Ops mission where you’ll take on zombies, bio-organic weapons and those fancy new Umbrella security service people too. Did I forget to mention the dlc will feature Jill Valentine as well? Tentatively the add-on will also include new achievements/trophies, for those who are looking to boost their gamer scores.

Additionally on the dlc front for Operation Raccoon City, for those who checked the marketplace for add-ons this week will have noticed they already uploaded packs to unlock extra guns and costumes for the USS agents. There are four to be exact, well actually three and one option which compiles them all and adds two more guns. Before you go downloading them right now, there are free bonuses depending on where you might do a last minute pre-order, if you go through Gamestop you’ll get a code to get the Power Pack and Costumes, Amazon will fetch you the Renegade Pack and Costumes and Best Buy can set you up with Elite Pack and Costumes. Still not good enough you say? For those who can get their hands on a special edition of the game, that one comes with a code for the Weapon Stash and Costumes which will give you all of them plus the two extra guns. Or you could spend $8 later for the Weapon Stash to pick up whatever you might have missed.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City officially launches in North America on March 20th and March 23rd in Europe.

PC Magazine reported today that emails from Microsoft’s David Dennis stated that there will be no new hardware this year. PC Magazine quoted him saying:

“We can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon,” Microsoft’s David Dennis said in an emailed statement on Friday. “For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360, and it’s the best year ever for Xbox 360.”

Zombietron:I find myself a touch surprised at the announcement. PC Mag went on to describe the amount of money Microsoft is making on the 360 currently, and the other reasons as to why and it made plenty of sense. Another year isn’t too long of a wait, there are still a huge slew of great games coming out. I guess the BigShiny E3 trip can focus on the latest and greatest software, and not the hardware en route.

Juke-Bot: So this is sad news for all those who were looking to shell out loads of cash for the next big thing this holiday season, but hey you can still spring for the Wii U from Nintendo. Me, well I’m just happy to get another year where they are focusing on games and content for the system I already have. Also I’m secretly also glad they are waiting to put it out there, hopefully they can get most of the kinks out before releasing it this time, no more red rings in our future.

Shocked?! Angry?! Let us know below!

2K wants you to rock the Borderlands 2 style and design the very most badassest t-shirt you can. (more…)

Pretty slow week, unless you’re one of those who crashed the Baldur’s Gate server during the countdown.

Despite THQ‘s continuing financial drama, they filed a trademark application for “video game software” under the name 1666. There has been no announcement regarding the game itself or what it concerns. History buffs will note that 1666 AD was the year of the Great Fire of London. Much of the city was destroyed over the fire’s three day inferno, including St. Paul’s Cathedral and the homes of 70,000 people (the population at the time was about 80,000). This is likely the setting for any game set in that year. The year also hosted the Second Anglo-Dutch War, but it lasted only four days and isn’t historically notable. If THQ were looking to cash in on the Assassin’s Creed audience they may be referencing the year Sabbatai Zevi, a Jewish millenarian, converted to Islam. But that’s pretty obscure and is only really known by religious scholars and conspiracy nuts. The year 1666 is also notable for its expression in Roman numerals, MDCLXVI. This expression uses all of the Roman numerals, from biggest to smallest, in order, once. Basing a game on bizarre Roman numerology seems even more doubtful than a game about a Jewish apostate, however. I’m sticking the London fire theory. Hopefully we’ll know more soon.

Another interesting find from the trademarking world is a new title from Square Enix, Mini Ninjas: Hiro’s Adventure. This is likely a sequel to IO Interactive’s 2009 children’s title that found a strong fan base of adults as well. The Hitman developer has been rumored to be at work on an unannounced title and this is likely it. Obviously no details are available with only the trademark being announced, but the unlikely domain name of minininjashirosadventure.com has also been registered. You can watch that site, or just keep reading VGQH and we’ll update you when more is announced.

If you’re the type of gamer constantly looking to boost your Gamerscore, Microsoft is making a move to interest you in their XBLA offerings. Previously, XBLA games have had an achievement score cap of 200 points with 20 Achievements, plus up to three DLC packs valued at 50 points a piece, for a maximum of 350. The new format allows for 400 points and 30 Achievements in the base, plus up to four DLC packs valued at 100 points a piece, a new maximum of 800. That means a downloadable title is edging close to the same value as a retail copy’s 1000. Of course, retail games are also seeing a potential increase with Gears of War 3‘s “Forces of Nature” DLC taking it to a 2000 point maximum. The new policy goes into effect April 1st, allowing developers a two month grace period when they can choose which score format they’d like to use. Beginning June 1st, all new XBLA games will use the new scoring. But what does this actually accomplish? For Achievement Hunters or Whores (and you know which one you are) you’re certainly going to be pumping the score more quickly. Then again, so is everyone else. So does this just dilute the points quality, creating a false virtual penis economy, or does it create further separation between the hardcore and casual? Notably, Sony has stated that their copycat Trophy system will not be affected by Microsoft’s changes. According to an SCEA spokesman, “The overall scope of the game determines the trophies available, not method of distribution.” It will be interesting to see what multi-console developers do with the new disparity between the two ranking systems.

Do you like zombies? Of course, you do. Well, technically you like exploding their heads, not the zombies themselves. What about light gun shooters, the wonderfully classic arcade genre? If you answered yes to that one as well then Sony has got you covered in the coming months. Two much-anticipated releases have been given a release dates. Technically only one of them has a release date, House of the Dead 4 on April 17th. The other, Resident Evil: Chronicles HD only has a release month, June. House of the Dead 4, formerly an arcade exclusive, is set for $9.99 with a 30% PS+ discount. Chronicles HD is a two game bundle, combining Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles, both formerly Nintendo-exclusive. Both releases will have Move support. HotD 4 will also support a standard controller. Still waiting on confirmation of RE using standard controllers.

If you’re still stuck on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim like a junkie with a needle you’ll be seeing a patch very soon. As expected, the version 1.5 update will bring a raft of glitch and bug fixes (hopefully without creating more of them), but there are other game tweaks as well. Primarily you’ll notice new kill cameras for spells and projectiles, new kill moves and animations for melee weapons, and that smithing skill increases now factor into a created item’s value. So, nothing major, but a nice change of pace for those still dedicated to the game.

After Jak and Sly, there’s only one pair of mascots from PS2 that have desperately needed an HD remake. There’s been plenty of rumor, and it seemed a foregone conclusion, but The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy HD has finally been confirmed by Sony. Ratchet & Clank, Going Commando, and Up Your Arsenal have been remastered in 1080P with 720P stereoscopic 3D support. Europe is getting the game on May 16th – before North America gets it this Fall, a very odd move for a video game. According to Sony, they “something very special planned for our North American fans to celebrate the 10th anniversary, and we’ll share all the details very soon.” So we have to wait, but it will apparently be worth it. By the way, the multiplayer mode from Up Your Arsenal is included.

If you don’t read Big Shiny Robot! regularly, there’s a few other things you may have missed this week:

• Diablo III is coming May 15. PvP will be added later with a free patch. Full story
• Star Wars: The Old Republic has a free trial up this weekend. Full story
• Zombietron has a preview of The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in for the upcoming film. Full story
• We’ve also got a preview of Darksiders II, where Death will be trying to prove his brother, War’s, innocence. War was accused of prematurely starting the apocalypse in the first game. It’s a simple mistake. Full story
• Irrational Games has been showing off footage of featured bad guys in Bioshock Infinite. Check them out: The Motorized Patriot and The Handyman