I do not know if I have ever expressed my interest in mixed martial arts in this blog but let me tell you now – it is one of the most exciting spectator sports for me. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I am a frustrated martial arts person. I cannot call myself a martial artist – the extent of my experience is limited to basic taekwondo classes in grade school – but I do know that watching the UFC has become one of my habits as an adult. This is on top of playing video games, of course.

That is why, when I read something about Randy Couture being in a video game, I was elated. At first I thought that it would be a mixed martial arts video game. I couldn’t have been more wrong, though. Impact Wrestling has a write up on the new version of Command & Conquer, which features a power packed cast of characters:

Poised to be one of the best strategy games of 2008, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 blends the over-the-top humor the series is known for with exciting new real-time strategy innovations. With three fully co-operative, story driven-campaigns, and an unprecedented emphasis on naval gameplay, the game will delight fans and strategy novices alike. Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 also features the Command & Conquer franchise trademark live-action movie sequences starring one of the largest and most talented casts in the history of video games, including Gemma Atkinson, Gina Carano, Randy Couture, Tim Curry, Kelly Hu, Jenny McCarthy, Jonathan Pryce, Autumn Reeser, J.K. Simmons, Peter Stormare, and George Takei.

Both Carano and Couture have also been featured on game cards prior to the release of the actual video game.

Ahh, I have to get my hands on this.

Though a lot of people didn’t think that the video game industry was going to be seriously affected by the economic crisis, it happened. The video game industry actually reported lower sales this quarter and I am not really surprised. After all, when it comes to the crunch, entertainment is usually the first thing to get cut off the list. At least this is the case for me. Still, video games are a good alternative to going out to watch movies and eating at restaurants. In the long run, staying at home and having video game parties will save you less.

But what about buying new video games? You would think that not many video games will be released at this point in time, knowing that majority of the people all over the world are cutting back on their spending. Still, the people at Activision have just released the fourth installment of the Guitar Hero franchise. Guitar Hero World Tour, released today, does not come cheap.

The whole package is selling for $189.99 – almost $200. In an attempt to make it more marketable, Activision is also selling cheaper versions. The game only version comes at $49.99 while the game plus guitar controller comes at $90. If you already have the old guitar controller, then you can just get the standalone version. Still, is this a time to be spending hard earned dollars on video games?

Don’t get me wrong, I am actually trying to balance my checkbook and figuring out if I could get the game. I really want it but I am not sure that my finances will permit it. Perhaps this will be my Christmas gift to myself. How about you? Are you willing to get it as soon as it hits the shelf?

How can they do this if they were able to approve games such as GTA IV? That’s as offensive as you can get! Well, it depends on your definition of offensive and what kind of offensive language you mean. In the case of Little Big Planet, it seems that there were words from the Koran that were used in a song. That fact spawned a lot of noise in the Muslim community in the United Kingdom.

Apparently, one of the songs used for background music in Little Big Planet mentions phrases from the Koran. Sang by Toumani Diabate, a Mali-born singer and himself a Muslim, the song was noticed by Yasser, a gaming enthusiast who promptly posted an entry on the official PlayStation Forum. He is quoted as saying “we Muslims consider the mixing of music and words from our Holy Qur’an deeply offending.”

In order to avoid further damage, Sony and Media Molecule, the game’s developers, have decided to recall the copies that have been released. According to the statement in Media Molecule’s web site:

As some of you may have noticed, LBP has been slightly delayed in some territories. At MM we were as shocked and dismayed by this as anyone – shellshocked and gutted. We can’t wait for you all to get playing and creating!

We learnt yesterday that there is a lyric in one of the licensed tracks which some people may find offensive, and which slipped through the usual screening processes. Obviously MM and Sony together took this very seriously. LBP should be enjoyable by all. So within 12 hours of hearing about this issue involving a lyric (in Somalian, I believe!), Media Molecule had prepared an automatic day 0 patch and had a new disk image ready; however a decision was made within Sony that the right thing to do for quality and support of people with no on-line was to replace existing disks. They assure us that they are doing everything in their power to get things straightened out as fast as possible, and will announce dates soon.

There you go. People in the UK, you just have to wait a little bit longer.

Here is another casual game that might get you glued to your computers for hours and hours. Carnival Mania is relatively new tycoon game that challenges the player to create his own fair ground. The basic concept is fairly simple – just like all the other tycoon games. The difficult part is in actually achieving all the goals. I have only tried the demo version but based on that, I think that I shall buy the full version some time soon – when I have the spare time to spend on playing. Anyhow, since I only played the one hour free demo, I didn’t encounter the really difficult parts yet. Let me just share Gamezebo’s review, which is quite comprehensive:

Of course, all of these elements belie a surprisingly tricky economic ecosystem which hides underneath, whether in sandbox or story mode, the main attraction. Assigned specific goals in each of 54 timed scenarios (build X many of a certain structure, reach Y income level, save up Z amount of cash) and six individual locations in the latter case, to meet them, you’ll need to think several steps ahead.

Managing money and resources like building materials and employees is just the beginning. As play progresses, you’ll also need to buy blueprints for newer, more expensive attractions, acquire land to build them on, sell off underperforming acts and upgrade various park elements. Never mind mechanical repairs that can shut down your cash flow as quickly as they can a hot streak in one fell swoop.

I can’t wait to actually play the whole game!

It’s a first for presidential candidate Barack Obama and it is also a first for everyone. With the elections almost here, the candidates are stepping up their efforts in getting the votes of scores of Americans across the nation. And for the first time ever in American history, a candidate is extending his campaign beyond the usual media. Reuters has this story:

Barack Obama, flush with cash and ramping up his advertising in the final weeks before the November 4 election, is making U.S. political history by placing the first presidential campaign ads in online video games.

The Democratic Illinois senator is using the Internet ads, featured in 18 games through Microsoft Corp’s Xbox Live service, to promote his online voter registration and early balloting drive in 10 battleground states, a campaign spokesman said on Wednesday.

The ads appear in games as banners or billboards with an image of Obama, the slogan “Early voting has begun,” and a reference to his VoteForChange.com website. The site allows users to register online to vote, obtain absentee voter information and find a polling location.

I think that this is a brilliant move. I mean, everyone in the world is aware of this controversial presidential race. Still, not everyone is sure as to which way he would be voting. And those who spend most of their time playing video games online are supposedly harder to reach by means of traditional media.

Other than that, I just think that it is cool how video games are becoming more and more a part of “real life.” Seriously, who would have thought 10 years ago that presidential candidates would be paying money to have ads in video games?

Video game lovers, here is another summit that you may want to be part of. However, I think that you have to be a game developer or programmer to participate in the East Coast Games Summit, which is to be held in November. This is actually part of a bigger event, the Video Game Expo. Worthplaying has this report:

Co-sponsored by GameJobs.com and GameRecruiter, the East Coast Games Summit is an industry conference that supports a range of programming and networking opportunities. Summit tracks include: “Scrum Deconstructed,” a hands-on workshop for game industry management and technologists; ‘Breaking In’ a single-track mini-conference for students and others interested in making a career out of games; ‘Pitch You Game Idea’ , a session for would-be game entrepreneurs to present their game concepts to game industry leaders; and a number of additional keynotes and panel sessions on hot topics in the game industry.

“The East Coast Games Summit helps the videogame industry grow not only on a management-process level, but on an education-outreach level as well,” stated Fiona Cherbak, Vice President of Marketing at GameRecruiter. “For people not already in the games industry, there is an opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge about the the games making process and also get your foot in the door for a possible career in videogames.”

I am sure that you have been fantasizing about a career in the video game industry. Well, here is your chance! Go visit the web site of VGXPO for more information.

The video game industry has really expanded these days, hasn’t it? With the revolutionary ways video game developers have introduced to the general public, this is not a surprise, really. Toddlers and grandparents alike have learned to love video games because of the Wii. Music lovers and musician wannabes have found their dream in games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Even real life musicians have found a novel way to gain publicity through the same games.

And this time, another rock group is given the chance to breathe new life into their career. With the latest version of Rock Band, AC/DC is set to gain more new exposure than they have in the recent years. Dubbed “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack,” the game promises a peek into real life sets of the band. This expansion pack – mind you, it is not a full game – can be used with both Rock Band and Rock Band 2.

iStockAnalyst provides more insight:

“When MTV first launched in 1981, we promised that people would ‘never look at music the same way again’ and, with ‘Rock Band,’ we continue to fulfill this commitment,” Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s senior vice president of electronic games and music, said in a statement. “Being the first to present these revered songs in interactive form, exclusively on the ‘Rock Band’ platform is a true honor.” Among the songs included in the game are “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “Moneytalks,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “For Those About to Rock” and “Highway To Hell.”

AC/DC fans who do not have Rock Band will probably find their way to the video stores soon.