For years now California has been trying to uphold a bill signed into law that would make it illegal to sell or rent “violent video games” to children, and for years judges have struck down the law stating it was unconstitutional. This week, in a final attempt to uphold the law (which is currently before the Supreme Court) Attorney General Jerry Brown has submitted the State’s written arguments on the case to prevent the sale of violent games to minors. The brief submitted to the Supreme Court reiterated the arguments made by supporters of the bill, stating the effects that violent video games have on children and that those games shouldn’t be treated any different than pornography. This is the first time the Supreme Court will be hearing a case involving violent video games.

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Obsidian’s back, firing on all pistons, making a show of Fallout’s brand-new edition. Many of the developers of the original Fallout are making their return to the series, and E3 2K10 warranted a brand-new gameplay trailer for the upcoming title Fallout: New Vegas. Among other things, the footage details some of New Vegas’ new weapons and environments. It seems players will be treated to more colorful landscapes, more vibrant NPCs, and even a few mini-games to pass the time.

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A lot of big games have already had some showings at this year’s E3. Of all of them, even of whats passed and still only potential, I couldn’t be more excited for any game over Dead Space 2. This new gameplay footage shows off a lot of what is to come in Visceral Games’ latest, including movement in zero gravity, the updated RIG, enhanced statis effects, the new weapons, and even new enemies.

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Fans of the Front Mission series of games will soon be treated to a modern-day version of their favorite mech-heavy titles. Square Enix has recently announced that the latest iteration in this series, Front Mission: Evolved, will be available in North America on September 14th, 2010. Although the setting of the game will be classic Front Mission material, Square’s evolution of the title sees a dramatic shift to the third-person perspective, and will now focus less on tactical gameplay and more on action. Check below the cut for more details straight from Square Enix.

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Raven Software is sweetening the deal for Xbox 360 gamers planning on purchasing Singularity.  For a limited time, those buying this new shooter that turns time into a weapon can take advantage of a mail-in offer that will net them Prototype for free!

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Edmund McMillen of the upcoming Super Meat Boy wrote an interesting blog about the difficulty in platformers.  With Super Meat Boy looking much like the gameplay and difficulty of VVVVVV, he makes good points about the history of difficulty, what defines difficulty, and the reward system for overcoming it.

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Leona Lewis and Square-Enix are teaming up again, but this time it is in the form of a giveaway for Final Fantasy XIII.  If you don’t already own a copy or are just a really big Leona Lewis fan, you will probably want to enter this contest.  The giveaway started on April 9th and will end on May 7th at 12:00 p.m. EST.  Winners are to be selected randomly and will win a copy of Final Fantasy XIII and a prize signed by Leona Lewis.

According to the singer’s official website, 10 winners will be chosen in total and 5 will receive a game for the PS3 or Xbox 360.  The contest rules seem simple enough, except that it is restricted to those who live in the United States and the District of Columbia.  All you need to do is send Leona Lewis an e-mail with your full name, address, age and your type of gaming console to either LeonaLewisContestPS3@sonymusic.com or LeonaLewisContestXbox@sonymusic.com.

You can read all of the official rules on Leona Lewis’ official website here.

[Source: Press release, Square-Enix]

Imagine being told when you could and couldn’t play your favorite RPG.  That’s exactly what the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans on doing with its underage MMORPG players with an imposed curfew.  The blackout time is six hours long and is being called “night time shutdown”, which currently affects four games as of right now which includes Dragon Nest and Dungeon Fighter Online.  There is also a system “slowdown” which will affect the person’s internet connection by throttling it, making it more difficult to play when logged in for a long period of time.

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Pokémon Black and White has been announced to released for the Nintendo DS in Japan this fall.  Black and White will be the fifth generation of Pokémon games and unfortunately there isn’t much information available as of yet.  A note on the Pokémon homepage reads, “Every aspect will be reborn innovatively.” What could this possibly mean for the next generation of Pokemon games?

According to the teaser on the Japanese home page, we might have more information on April 15th.  Zoroark, a dark-type Pokémon, is described as a “Monster-Fox Pokémon” and will be appearing in the Black and White games.  This is all pretty exciting news for Pokémon fans, so keep your eyes peeled on April 15th!

[Source: Joystiq]

Did the Spirited Green PSP bundle not tickle your fancy, fellow Peace Walker fan? Me either. Luckily, we’ve got something much better to look forward to! For a measly $200, you can obtain the “Big Boss Bundle,” exclusive only to GameStop. That pretty penny will get you a copy of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, a camouflage-riddled PSP-3000, a 4GB memory stick, as well as a carrying case and a copy of the apocalyptic epic 2012.

Curiously enough, the previously announced Peace Walker bundle is also priced at $200, which makes the decision to pick this special edition up a no-brainer. Unless, that is, you’re really diggin’ that Spirited Green. More stuff for the same price? You bet I’m there. But I still have my eye on the cherry red Kratos PSP, so I’ll likely pass on this sweet deal.

You can snap up this gorgeous camo PSP as well as Kojima’s latest on June 8th.

If you were thinking of picking up Transformers: War for Cybertron you may want to pre-order the game through either Amazon or Gamestop retailers.  If you pre-order through Amazon.com, you’ll receive a code to unlock a playable Demolisher, and those who pre-order through Gamestop will be given Shockwave.  The game is set to release on June 22, 2010 and will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS systems.

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In September later this year, a brand new Spider-Man game is about to surface. Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions is set to, well, shatter our previous notions regarding what a Spider-Man game should be.

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My prayers to Godga have been answered. Next week, you will find that the Rock Band Music Store looks a little more…glammed up. The Lady is making her first appearance in Rock Band, and it’s about time! Yeah, yeah, I’ve downloaded all the tracks I could on Lips and have exhausted Karaoke Revolution, but this is huge. I want it bad. Your bad romance. Next week will see the addition of a special Lady Gaga four-pack for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and singles for the Wii. Yes, I am squealing like a fangirl right now.

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Fan of Disgaea? Enjoy the errant visual novel? Me too! But this post isn’t about me. It’s about Disgaea Infinite, NIS America’s next entry into the lighthearted yet ridiculously deep strat-RPG series. Except this time around, there’s no strategy to be found. It’s a visual novel! I’m just as surprised as you are, but most definitely intrigued.
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Oinkers being used as weapons? When pigs fly! Er, maybe not — maybe they’ll be flying at the release of American McGee’s sequel to the original, fantastic Alice. According to the developer’s Twitter account, we could possibly see adorable pigs utilized in some form of combat. Of course, whether he’s joking or completely serious is anyone’s guess.  Check out the enigmatic tweet below or head on over to American McGee’s personal Twitter account as more details could arise. (more…)