200 billion ISKs embezzled in EVE online causing run on the digital vaults

EVE Online's largest player-controlled virtual bank, Ebank, just can't seem to catch a break these days.

A few months after it was revealed that the company had been defrauded of a staggering amount of virtual cash, it turns out that the institution's digital vaults are far more barren than many realized, leading to an in-game freezing of accounts for any individual or organization that happened to have invested any InterStellar Kredits (ISK) with the bank.

Early this summer, it came to light that a veteran EVE player (known only as 'Ricdic') had embezzled — and then sold in the real world — over 200 billion ISK from Ebank, causing a run on the virtual financial institution.

However, this was just the beginning of the problems for the player-owned bank. Recently-installed Ebank Chairman Ray McCormack admitted that the bank had been mismanaged, and rules, safeguards, and controls were not enforced. As a result, it's been revealed that Ebank is 380 billion ISK poorer thanks to a number of defaulted loans.

Because of the aforementioned mismanagement, it apparently took the bank's new officers a while to figure out just how far in the red their institution is."

Karos online video game Fact Sheet free-to-play MMORPG

Karos Online is a new free-to-play MMORPG set in the torn fantasy world of Asmara. Players take the role of a hero engaged in an epic war to defeat the forces of Malyx, God of Darkness, who seek to free their captured lord and conquer Asmara.



Through questing, guild clashes and mass PvP, players fight for control of the world’s vital energy source, Fletta, with the ultimate goal of becoming the mythical Karos warrior who brings glory to the side of Light.

Karos Online is being developed by Galaxy Gate lead developers of Laghaim and Last Chaos, and will be published in Europe by NHN Corporation in 4Q 2009.

Breathtaking 3D graphics and combat action effects

Unique Fletta progression system that complements traditional leveling

Exciting dynamic dungeons

Small client size (700MB) and low minimum PC requirements

Keyboard and mouse control options

Client in English

German and Turkish Client to be supported
Characters

Five different playable races

Nine original classes with four sub-classes each,

A total of 36 specialised class options
PvE

Beautiful landscapes to explore

Ticket-based system for dungeon access -- advance to harder challenges as you prove yourself worthy

Two types of thrilling dynamic dungeons:
- Mazes: walls move and shift to affect the party’s path - no party size limit!
PvP

Guild rivalries: kill your enemies on sight!

Territory/resource control wars
Fletta progression system

Gather Fletta energy as you fight enemies

Collect Fletta shards that can be used to increase attributes, give buffs,
buy resources and enchant items

Craft beautiful Fletta weapons and armour that grow more powerful as
your character levels up
Economy

Well-developed crafting, fishing and mining systems

Consignment system for storage; increase capacity as needed
Platform

PC
System Requirements

Minimum: Windows XP / Pentium IV 1.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM, GeForce MX
5600, DirectX 9.0c, 3GB HDD

Recommended: Windows XP, Pentium IV 1.8GHz, 1024MB RAM, Geforce
FX 6200, DirectX 9.0c, 3GB HDD
Closed Beta:

Phase 1: 21-23 August

More phases to come

ESA top five P2P game piracy countries - Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland - 45 milllion notices issued

The Entertainment Software Association has released this year's fiscal report, putting out their numbers to level the finger at new targets.

Following up on last year's published report, this one has a whole bunch of new numbers to ponder.

The top five P2P game piracy countries this year are: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Poland. The ESA's anti-piracy program notes, 'Chief among this year's actions were five separate law enforcement raids against game pirates in California, resulting in the seizure of several thousand games and dozens of modded consoles, and the arrests of five individuals.'

But don't worry, they've expanded to other countries. 'The ESA sent takedown notices to ISPs covering more than 45 million instances of infringement of member company games in more than 100 countries worldwide.'

Source: Slashdot - read full post here...

Pay what you want for Championship Manager video game 'sold for a penny' as first time that a pay-what- you-want model has been tried with videogames

Fans of the popular football video game Championship Manager will be able to choose how much to pay for the new version of the title.
Developer Eidos is offering a download of the game from a penny, along with a £2.50 transaction fee.
It is the first time that a pay-what- you-want model has been tried with video games, said the developer.

UK rock band Radiohead used a similar sales strategy in 2007 with its album In Rainbows.

A survey found that nearly two-thirds of downloaders paid nothing for the album.

The new game will be available to download until 10 September, when the price will rise to £29.99.

Additional content for the game will be sold throughout the year, costing £5 for six updates.

"This is the first time an initiative like this has ever been tried in the videogames market," said Roy Meredith of Eidos.

Source: BBC

Section 8 video game release dates announced - Xbox 360 and PC

SouthPeak Interactive announce Section 8 will be in stores on September 1 for Xbox 360, and September 4 for PC in North America. In UK/Asia Pacific shelves for both Xbox 360 and PC on September 11, the rest of Europe will get the game September 18.

Developed by TimeGate Studios, Section 8 is an intense first-person shooter that gives players strategic control over the battlefield, employing tactical assets and on-demand vehicle deliveries to dynamically alter the flow of combat.



Set at the crossroads of a growing insurrection among its colonies, Earth dispatches the elite 8th Armored Infantry to turn the tide. Utilizing advanced powered armor suits, these brave volunteers are the only ones crazy enough to smash through enemy defenses and drop directly into the battlefield from 15,000 feet, earning them the nickname.

Kevin McKidd, Keith David and More Join Cast of Modern Warfare 2 video game

Some good news for you Modern Warfare warriors out there, as it looks like some real talent are lending their voices to the upcoming Modern Warfare 2.

Glenn Morshower from "TransFormers: Revenge of the Fallen," Turns out, it was the aptly-named General Morshower.

Performing duties also go to Keith David ("They Live" and "The Thing," plus Halo 3, Mass Effect, and plenty more), Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan), and Scots actor Kevin McKidd ("Grey's Anatomy" and Lucius Vorenus from HBO's "Rome") plays captain 'Soap' McTavish. Rounding out this lot will be one Craig Fairbrass, who voiced Gaz in the first Modern Warfare, aka Call of Duty 4. He didn't finish out the game in the best of shape, making his return more interesting.

So, a nice, well-rounded cast, I'd say. You know, I used to be more in-touch with who was who in voice acting. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just be sitting over in the corner, pondering at exactly what point I lost touch with reality.

Modern Warfare 2 has taken a lot of criticism over it's price - in the UK it's £10 more expensive than other console games.

Kevin McKidd also did voice work for Rockstar in Grand Theft auto - Vice City.

United Nations urge Japan to ban pornographic video games and cartoons featuring rape, gang rape, stalking and the sexual molestation of and girls

The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Against Women issued a lengthy list of its observations on Japan’s sixth periodic report on sexual discrimination on August 7. In section 35 of the report on the status of 1979’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the committee welcomed the increased prison times under Japan’s Act Banning Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

However, it expressed concern “at the normalization of sexual violence in the State party as reflected by the prevalence of pornographic video games and cartoons featuring rape, gang rape, stalking and the sexual molestation of and girls.” It also noted that the current child pornography laws do not cover virtual child pornography — material such as some manga, anime, and software that explicitly depict fictional children.

The committee then strongly urged Japan “to ban the sale of video games or cartoons involving rape and sexual violence against women which normalize and promote sexual violence against women and girls.” It further recommends that this issue be covered in the revised act.

While the bill on the act’s revision was introduced in the Japanese parliament last year, the government decided to study the issue of virtual child pornography for three years.

Three years?? That’s a lot of ’studying’…

Earlier this year, it was discovered that Amazon was selling a Japanese game called Rape Lay. Cara Kulwicki describes the game this way on The Curvature:

The entire objective of the game is to rape women with varying levels of violence — sometimes stalking them first, sometimes using gang rape scenarios, and sometimes forcing them into abortions afterward.

Kulwicki sums up the insidious harms of making a game of rape:

The premise of the game reinforces the idea of rape as okay and not a big deal. It reinforces the idea that women exist for the sexual pleasure and abuse of men.


Source: Feminist Peace Network

How to take apart the new Sony PlayStation 3 slim - in pictures - checkout that 17 blade fan!

Take a look inside Sony's new flagship console the PlayStation 3 slim.

iFix it have done all the work so why not pop on over to their site to see all the details...Check the links below for more Playstation stories on gamezplay.org

Cute ain't pretty - Little King's Story video game on Nintendo Wii

The most common complaint you will hear about Little King's Story has nothing to do with the game itself. The game's biggest problem, and the reason it will be overlooked by most gamers, is that it looks like a cutesy kids' game.

Its marketing would seem to confirm this impression: a colorful 2-page spread in Nintendo Power (but nothing in, say, Edge Magazine); a flash-based children's book-style website (with background audio of cheering kids); and the game's cartoonish box art - all apparently go out of their way to discourage so-called serious gamers from taking the LKS plunge.



If you have two normal people standing there, and one of them says 'I KILL YOU!' and stabs the other one, that's just sad. But if you have two little anime-cartoon cute guys, and one of them says [high-pitched voice] 'I KILL YOU!' and stabs the other one, it's serious, but it's really funny. It's the opposite of real people in games doing corny, goofy things... we have little goofy guys doing very serious things.[1]
Yoshiro Kimura, producer/director of Little King's Story

Read the full post here...

Muse frontman Matt Bellamy to star in Guitar Hero 5 video game - with plug in baby video

The multi-talented Matt Bellamy will bring his trademark falsetto and intense guitar shredding to the virtual stage as an in-game playable rocker in this autumn’s highly-anticipated Guitar Hero 5. In addition to his likeness, the frontman of UK alternative band Muse is bringing one of the band’s most popular singles, “Plug in Baby,” to the massive 85 song on-disc set list. Bellamy joins Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana and Shirley Manson as part of the all-star lineup of in-game artists set to appear as playable characters in Guitar Hero 5.



This September, living room legends will rock any way they want in Guitar Hero 5. The entire set list is at players’ finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from more than 80 of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debut. Players take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows gamers to personalise and customise how they experience music by being able to play with any in-game instrument combination - multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game’s all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. Players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero® series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.

Scheduled to hit store shelves during September, Guitar Hero 5 is rated 12+ by PEGI, and will be released for the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2. For more information about Guitar Hero 5, please visit gh5.guitarhero.com.

Fans can visit muse.mu to get the latest news on Matt Bellamy and Muse, or to take advantage of an exclusive pre-order offer for the release of the band's upcoming album The Resistance, which hits stores in the Uk on September 14.