News Blips: Team Ico Games on PS3, Bungie's New Engine, Free Lord of the Rings Online, and More

Ports of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus would totally be PlayStation 3 killer apps for me, and I don't think I'm alone on that.

News Blips:

Walmart.com lists "Ico/Shadow of the Colossus" for PS3 ($39.82) on its website. Sony has not officially announced a port of these classic Team Ico games. So someone who works on Walmart's website either likes jumping the gun and listing unannounced titles, or is doing an excellent job of pranking everyone who wants to see these games on an HD console. [via CheapAssGamer]

Developer Bungie (Halo: Reach, etc.) is working on a brand new game engine for its next project with Activision. Bungie Communications Manager Brian Jarrard told Develop that the engine is "actually in development, so I would say it's in a stage where, technically we're still at the end of a pre-production mode." The company has yet to reveal any information on its next title, but Jarrard says the "full weight" of the studio is behind it now that Halo: Reach is about to hit stores. Is it weird that something so behind-the-scenes actually significantly piques my interest in this mysterious new game?

The Lord of the Rings Online is now available as a free-to-play game in North America. LOTRO currently features three tiers of players: Free, Premium, and VIP. Paying customers naturally receive an array of in-game perks and bonuses, such as extra-hairy feet. Check out the game's website for more info, and book your trip from Middle America to Middle Earth today!

The non-profit parents' group Common Sense Media cites a Zogby poll claiming that 72 percent of adults favor California's proposed anti-violent-video-game-sales law. Common Sense Media CEO James Steyer says, "What we've learned from this poll (of 2,100 adults in August) is that parents want to be the ones who decide which games their kids play, not the video game industry." Currently the Entertainment Software Ratings Board issues age-appropriate ratings for games, but the proposed California legislation would outlaw the sale of games intended for adults to minors. I don't see how supporting this law means parents want to be more involved in what games their kids play. If parents were actually involved in that decision-making process this whole thing wouldn't even be an issue. [Gamasutra]

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Tags: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, News Blips, Halo: Reach, The Lord of the Rings Online

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Lance Darnell

September 13, 2010

I think the leak was purposeful. What better way to see if there is a demand for a Team Ico Compilation? And I called this a year ago on the Mobcast!

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Bryan Harper

"What we've learned from this poll (of 2,100 adults in August) is that parents want to be the ones who decide which games their kids play, not the video game industry."

That doesn't make a lick of sense. How does automating the process involve parents in purchasing decisions for their children? And the ESRB's just about as much the "video game industry" as the MPAA is "Holywood", isn't it?

Maybe the way they presented the poll was as skewed as the apparent results and should be dismissed as irrelevant. Maybe if someone says they enjoy macaroni and cheese, I shouldn't be allowed to publicly state that the poll obviously shows that they approve of canned tuna.