When millions of dollars are at stake, “regret” is not a good thing to be feeling when you’re in the gaming industry. Unfortunately, this might be exactly what Sony is feeling right now.

If you like to stay updated on the latest PS3 game titles then you probably know that Demon’s Souls was one of the best-selling games of last year. Even its publisher, Atlus, was quite surprised especially since not many of their games sell big among North American audience. The big sales of Demon’s Souls is definitely good news for Atlus but not so good for Sony. This is because Sony actually had the first chance to publish the game but passed it up.

Yeonkyung Kim from Sony spoke about how his company made what turned out to be the wrong decision. He said that the Japanese flavor and unusual game play that Demon Souls had made the execs of Sony hesitant about publishing the game, opting to pass it on to Atlus instead. Kim admits that the decision was a complete mistake.

Many would say that Atlus definitely deserved the break that Demon’s Souls has brought them, especially since Atlus has a history of bringing gamers unique titles that one cannot find elsewhere. Maybe this could be a good lesson for major publishers like Sony to take a closer look at what they’re passing up in the future and to learn to take more risks.

Most gamers across the globe would agree that the third installment to the popular game series Yakuza is hands-down better than the recently released Final Fantasy XIII. Now, word has it that Yakuza 3 could have kicked Final Fantasy’s ass even better if Sega did not cut out the content that it has reportedly removed from the original game.

At first, it was reported that only several history minigames and the hostess bars where cut from the game. No big deal. But now, it is being reported that about 13% of the first 6 chapters of the game have been booted from Yakuza 3’s English version. Among the content which got the axe were mahjong games, loser song minigames and quite a handful of side quests.

Many gamers are complaining not just because of the fact that they don’t know what they’re missing, but also because most of the quests cut can be used to potentially upgrade players and make the game more challenging. Gamers and critics alike are puzzled over the cuts. Another thing that boggles the mind is why Sega was so adamant on releasing the game as early as possible. Is it because of the competition from other hot titles such as God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII? Fans of the game also agree that Sega is hopefully not cutting content just to make the game more Western. After all, it’s the faithful Japanese culture of the game that has made the title so popular.

When you think about paparazzi and talent agencies, you probably think about big celebrity tabloid names like Britney Spears, Rob Pattinson, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and other big Hollywood names. However, there has been some evidence that the gaming industry is becoming just as big as the film industry. If big-budgeted videogames and the billions of dollars that games make are not enough to convince you then the latest news on some well-known game developers just might.

Word has it that popular developers Jason West and Vince Zampella are now being represented by Creative Artist Agency. CAA is known for representing big stars and famous directors in Hollywood. You may known West and Zampella as two studio heads responsible for some of the best-selling videogames today such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. If you like to keep updated with your gaming news then you probably know that these two hotshots have also been fired by Activision for an undisclosed reason. Incidentally, the firing also occurred before the two heads were scheduled to receive a hefty royalty from game sales.

Gaming fans and developers alike agree that seeking representation is a smart move for the two developers. This will help West and Zampella choose among the many companies who are after them and will definitely help them avoid another fiasco like what happened in Activision. The lawsuit with Activision continues but the two developers say that they are ready to move on to bigger things, and with the help of CAA, that may not be hard to do.

Could it be just a matter of time before we see game developers chased down by the paparazzi too?

Given the success of God of War III, you would think that the director, Sig Agmussen, would be lying back in his chair with a smug and content smile on his face. It turns out that the game director is actually quite the perfectionist. He said that the game still has a lot of room for improvement and that he’s planning to make these improvements on the next game from Sony Santa Monica.

Agmussen claims that the studio will be using the God of War engine again and the team already has plans to make the next title better. In fact, he says that development is already over 50% as of now. Many players are asking about what else can be improved with an already-fantastic game like God of War III. The director’s response? Well, for one, he says that the animation system of the game can be enhanced. He also says that the team already has the technology for the planned development.

Despite these complaints, Agmussen praises the individual animations in the game and the incredibly talented animators behind it. What he wants is to improve the animation blending by improving the system in the technical aspect. He doesn’t doubt that such improvements are now possible, and that the reason this improvement was not implemented in God of War III was because the system was upgraded too late.

Lighting and cut-scenes are also a couple of areas that Agmussen wished to work on. Given the fact that God of War III is already an awesome game, any changes to make it even better will surely blow fans away.

The idea that videogames promote violence in children has been a long-standing cause for protesting parents who claim that action-filled videogames encourage violence in their young players. Allan McCullough is a man who seeks to turn things around.
The developer recently held a talk where he began by telling a story about a young girl who was abducted in 1985. Despite the police’s efforts, the girl was raped and murdered, devastating loved ones and strangers across the country alike. It was this particular case that inspired McCullough to search for a way to prevent these kinds of child abuse. He stated that the traditional teaching of “stranger danger” actually backfires in real-life situations. This is because there are many cases where children are harmed by people who befriend them or someone they already know. In 1989, McCullough came up with an idea of an educational game. Unfortunately, computers haven’t caught on yet so it would have been a challenge to distribute the game.
20 years later, McCullough introduces Sydney Safe-Seeker and the Incredible Journey Home, a colorful game for children that teaches them lessons on how to prevent violence and danger in real life via a fun and adventurous gameplay. For instance, there is a mini game where someone steals an item from Sydney’s backpack. Because he needs all his items in order to go home, Sydney must retrieve the item. To do so, he needs to use his cell phone to make a call to the police. He will then need to describe the perpetrator to the police.
The game also encourages parents to supervise their children’s playing so parents can be aware what safety areas their children need the most improvement in.

Southeast Asia is known for its original horror movies. Japan, in particular, has terrified the entire world with successful flicks like The Ring and The Grudge. Well, game developer Hudson Soft decided to capitalize on this fact and design a game that will have all the elements of the classic Asian horror movie. Behold the videogame Calling.
Basically, Calling has all the right scary stuff—the long black hair, creepy dolls, dilapidated hospital and school corridors, mysterious phone calls and the works. However, it’s a general rule in gaming that once the primary shock wears off, the game should still be able to keep you interested. Unfortunately, Calling has failed to do just that. The first two levels are exciting enough. The sudden appearances of faces in the window and the attack of scary ghosts are really good for some fun. But as the game progresses, the player barely does anything more than wander along dark corridors and enter doorways.
The cell phone feature is also incorporated in the game. Basically, the player receives scary phone calls and can also make calls in order to pass from one stage to the other. However, the fact that you need to remember each and every phone number definitely subtracts from the urgency of the game and turns it into one long memory exercise. Apparently, mobile phones in Calling do not have the redial feature.
Most players also found the puzzles quite slow and boring—which is quite ironic since they were probably thrown in to interrupt the game’s overall monotony.
All in all, the only redeeming factors of the Calling are the nice graphics and the consistently creepy atmosphere.

Do you belt out Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon in the shower? Do you listen to the The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love while you are driving to town for the weekend? Is Sinead O’ Connor’s Nothing Compares to You your ultimate heartbreak song?
If you answered yes to these questions then you are a bonafide 80’s music freak. Being a fan of 80’s music doesn’t mean that you had to be born in the decade. In fact, more and more 80’s tunes’ fanatics are being born by rummaging through their parents’ old records or being exposed to 80’s music through the Internet.
Unfortunately, the 80’s are long over and if you’re like most fans then you are probably thinking that today’s bands and musical artists simply can’t compare. The only times you can get to sing and listen to your favorite 80’s songs is through karaoke, 80’s nights in bars and 80’s compilation CDs. Well, if you play videogames then there is about to be one more way that you can relive the glorious musical past and that is through the game that ESRB is currently developing.
Prepare for Lips: I (Heart) the 80’s. The game is pretty much still under wraps for the most part but the word out on the street is that two major 80’s hits that will be included in the game are 80’s staples Super Freak by Rick James and Roxanne by none other than The Police. The game is also predicted to show plenty of music videos that depict scantily clad men and women doing sexily choreographed dance moves. Ah, just like the good old days.

If you have always been a die-hard God of War fan then you probably know that the popular game is about to come to the end. However, developers are saying that the franchise of the Kratos epic tale is not over. Some fans are speculating that this reported ending is just being used as a publicity stunt for the upcoming installment but Steve Caterson (senior producer of God of War III) begs to differ.

According to Caterson, cliché as it may sound, his team is “constantly pushing” themselves. Caterson also recalls spending three entire years working on God of War III, not to mention the seven more years he devoted to developing the entire series of God of War. He also says that although his team is looking forward to working on the next big project, the team is also determined to take their time. Caterson also shares with fans that Dead Space has been the only game that he has finished playing over the last several years. Caterson also wistfully states that it would be nice if he can take some time to sit down and play videogames himself, if only just to see what other developers are up to.

Caterson was also asked if the next project of Sony Santa Monica will also be another installment of God of War. Caterson responded by reiterating that God of War III was the last installment in the trilogy and the finale left no cliffhanger or any more questions to be answered. He also expressed his interest on doing something different, but still admitted that the franchise might be reincarnated in the future. Good news for Kratos fans all over the world.

Whether your grandma used to tell you mystery stories or you liked reading Agatha Christie novels as a child, chances are you’ve developed a penchant for well-plotted detective stories set in quaint little English villages. If this sounds like you then you are exactly the type of target audience that Relentless Software had in mind when they developed the new game, Blue Toad Murder Files.
Basically, the plot of the game revolves around a little English town. The game basically begins when the mayor of that town is murdered. You will have four options to choose from as to who is the character you want to play. There is a young boy genius whose character will remind you of Harry Potter, there is also a middle-aged man, a kind old grandma and a blond Nancy Drew-type teenage girl.
There will also be a series of mini mystery games that you are required to finish so you earn points and move on. These games are generally easy. Some will require you to arrange jumbled letters written in a notebook while some will call for your memory power while you recreate a character that you were introduced to during the beginning of the game.
So if you are into whodunit stories then be sure to check out this game.

Those who regularly try to restore their faith in mankind after reading or hearing atrocious stories in the news will certainly have one heck of a time with this story from South Korea.
A couple was arrested this week when their 3-month-old infant died due to starvation. The baby was neglected because the married couple was busy playing online games in an internet café. According to the police, the 41-year-old husband and 25-year-old wife were spending as much as 12 hours a night playing at the online café.
Unsurprisingly, the unemployed couple met in an online chat room last 2008. With no means for a home of their own, the two went to live under the roof of the wife’s parents. It was also reported that even the wife’s pregnancy did not stop the couple from participating in what is known as “PC Bangs”. PC Bangs are small dark internet parlors that are rampant in Korean streets, where an estimated half of the population participates in online games.
After the autopsy of the premature baby, it was discovered that she died of malnourishment. The couple further admitted that they would sometimes spank the baby and feed her with powdered milk that was way past the expiration date. Ironically, the couple was addicted to a game called PRIUS where they were busy raising and feeding their virtual child.

This is not the first time that news of this nature has spread in South Korea. There have also been cases where game-addicted teenagers have sat down and played the game for such a long time that they died of dehydration and exhaustion.