A bill presented to the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday would force retailers to check the ID of anyone buying an M or AO-rated game or face a $5,000 fine.

Proposed by Lee Terry (R-Neb) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah), the effort relies heavily upon the Entertainment Software Rating Board's established ratings, and would ask that retailers have in-store materials explaining the system.

The use of the ESRB's rating system sets the bill apart from the typically unconstitutional game legislation proposals, which often use vague standards to label violent games instead of a set guideline.

"Many young children are walking into stores and are able to buy or rent these games without their parents even knowing about it," Terry told Variety.

In a statement released today, the ESRB said that retailers denied sales of M-rated games to 80% of individuals under 17 in a recent Federal Trade... Read more

A new listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board's website indicates that a new title in Konami's long-running Castlevania series is heading to the Nintendo DS.

Entitled Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, the title was also recently discovered in an entry in the US Patent and Trademark Office's database which revealed the game's title and logo.

Previous Castlevania appearances on the Nintendo DS platform include Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, released in 2005 and 2006, respectively. A third title in the 2D adventure series was confirmed as in development by series producer Koji Igarashi last year.

Shacknews has reached Konami for confirmation, but has not heard back as of this writing.

Former rater for the Entertainment Software Ratings Board Jerry Bonner thoroughly criticized his ex-employer in an article appearing in this month's issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpot reports.

In his editorial, Bonner called on the ESRB to make a number of changes to its current system and policies for rating games, asking that the Board drop its insistence on secrecy and make the process of rating games more transparent.

Bonner also suggested that the ESRB should consider splitting the T for Teen rating into the age-specific ratings of T13 and T16. He advocated eliminating the AO for Adults Only rating altogether, and changing the M for Mature rating to apply for gamers 18 and older, a one year increase to the current age limit.

The former rater also shed some light on the goings-on within the organization, revealing that more than once the ESRB has overruled designations agreed upon by its raters. Though many of the changes were minor tweaks to descriptive ... Read more

Update: Contradicting earlier statements, Funcom community manager Shannon Drake now claims that the North American version of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will include nipples, though the German edition will still be edited to reduce in-game violence.

"It has come to our attention that the North American edition of the game was submitted (by [publisher] Eidos) to the ESRB without any server-side censorship," Drake clarified. "Funcom apologizes for this small error (or maybe two small errors)."

However, despite the insistence that the North American version was granted an M rating with no censorship, Drake points out that the game will not feature full nudity. At this time, it is unknown if other editions will include full nudity or if this was merely a general statement.

Original Story: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures developer Funcom today revealed that certain elements of its upcoming PC and Xbox 360 action-MMO will be... Read more

A new entry in Capcom's Lost Planet franchise may be headed to Xbox 360 and PC, according to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

A listing for Lost Planet Colonies recently appeared on the ESRB's official site, proudly announcing the title's receipt of a T for Teen rating. The game's moniker game matches a trademark listing made last year, which at the time, set off a flurry of speculation regarding a possible sequel.

Interestingly, the site only lists Lost Planet Colonies for Xbox 360 and PC. While the first entry in the snowy shooting series, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, arrived on those two platforms last year, a PlayStation 3 edition--packed with bonus content, including new single-player and multiplayer characters--is currently slated to arrive February 26.

Shacknews has contacted Capcom for more information, though a response has yet to be received. However, responses to other publications have consisted of an image reading "Stay Tuned," suggesting that an announcement is inbound.

Update: Peggle is indeed headed to Xbox Live Arcade and is tentatively slated for a Q2 release, a PopCap representative has confirmed to Shacknews.

Original Story: PopCap's ultra-addictive and mega-colorful casual gaming sensation Peggle is on its way to the Xbox 360, according a listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board web site.

Though not officially confirmed, the title is expected to be a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game, as past PopCap Xbox 360 releases, such as Zuma, have been. It has been assigned an "E for Everyone" rating.

Previously released on PC, Mac, and the iPod, the Pachinko-like skill-based offerings of Peggle have won over many a cold-hearted gamer despite its... Read more

Officially halted in September after more than a year of court battles brought on by the Entertainment Software Association, the Oklahoma bill equating games to porn was originally authored by Rep. Fred Morgan (D-Oklahoma City) and Sen. Glenn Coffee (R-Oklahoma City). In an interesting twist, Coffee has returned to the spotlight in the games industry, this time on the side of the ESA.

Coffee has created a public service announcement endorsing the Entertainment Software Rating Board's ratings system, the ESRB announced yesterday. "ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate," Coffee said in a statement. "I'm proud to be educating parents in our state about the tools at their disposal."

Coffee's PSA will air on Oklahoma television channels and radio stations this month. ESRB president Patricia Vance said the board appreciates Coffee's collaboration, and the announcement unsurprisingly made no reference to the senator's previously opposing standpoint.

Coffee's pro-ESRB stance is certainly not indicative of other policy-makers' views, and some U.S. congressmen have come forward today to make a request concerning... Read more

A feud between the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF) and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has erupted, causing the two organizations to clash about the effectiveness of and policy behind video game ratings.

NIMF's 2007 Video Game Report Card claims that, despite retailer and industry efforts, an investigation revealed that minors were able to purchase M-rated games, which are intended for audiences 17 and older, nearly 50% of the time.

Earlier this year, a separate study performed by the Federal Trade Commission showed that though 42% of unaccompanied children were able to purchase an M-rated game, 71% of minors were able to purchase R-rated films on DVD.

NIMF president and founder Dr. David Walsh also noted "several shocking incidents [that] have inadvertently revealed dangerous loopholes in the ratings process," no doubt referring to the ESRB's decision to uphold the M-rating of Rockstar's Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) despite the existence of a technically-demanding hack that allows a clearer view of the game's violence.

The ESRB has been under fire since that controversial decision, with... Read more

The month in review starts off with a list of this month's most notable Shack-crafted features, followed by the most popular news items and feature posts. It continues after the jump with a concise synopsis of November's most important news in an easy to digest paragraph form.

Shacknews' feature picks:

• The Shacknews Holiday Buyers' Guide 2007
• Shacknews' Guide to Underhyped Holiday Titles
• Shacknews' PlayStation 3 Buyer's Guide
• World of Warcraft: The Guilded Age
• Super Mario Galaxy Review

Most popular news items:

1. First Crysis Patch Arriving Within Two Weeks
2. Report: GameSpot's Gerstmann Fired Due to Negative Kane & Lynch Review
3. Call of Duty 4 Online Woes Being Addressed
4. Wireless 360 Guitar Hero III Controller Compatible with PC Version
5. Update: Star Trek Online to Become 'More Casual,' Developer Perpetual Acquired by New Ownership

Most popular features:

1. Crysis Review
2. Hellgate: London Review
3. Gears of War PC Review
4. Mass Effect Review
5. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men Review

The month of November will come to a close tonight, heralding the arrival of December and its multitude of traditional celebrations. But November has much to be remembered by in in the world of gaming news.

The month started with the creation of a hack for the PSP version... Read more

Here's a pre-Thanksgiving holiday summary of all this week's feature content, as well as some of the more prominent news items.

Features:

• Mass Effect Review
  Nick Breckon played through BioWare's new space odyssey and found it an unbelievably ambitious but slightly flawed epic RPG.
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Review
  The jovial Chris Faylor took a trip through Naughty Dog's latest offering and found it to be an amalgam of game genres with lots of pirate killing.
• Undertow Interview
  Were you aware: The concept for XBLA's Undertow came from the designer's childhood doodles? Chris Faylor reveals all in this exploratory interview.
• The Shacknews Holiday Buyers' Guide 2007
  The Shack staff assembled an incomparable cast of gaming experts to make well-informed recommendations on this holiday's best games.

News posts

• First Halo 3 Map Pack Arrives Dec. 11
• Sony Cuts PS3 Dev Kit Price to Attract Developers
• Newest Halo Novel Makes Times' Bestseller List
• Ubisoft Delays Haze and Splinter Cell: Conviction
• Manhunt 2 Controversy Hangs On by Bloody Thread as Senators Demand ESRB Re-rating
• Sony CEO Claims PS3 on Same Sales Rise as PS2

Update: A Nintendo representative has returned Shacknews' request for comment on the issue with a statement defending the ESRB's rating of Rockstar's Manhunt 2 on the Wii as a mature title.

"Manhunt 2 is not developed or published by Nintendo," the statement reads. "It is one of many titles released by third-party publishers for our system that appeal to people of all ages and interests. Just as with movies, television and books, different video games appeal to--and are appropriate for--different audiences."

The statement goes on to encourage parents to make use of the ESRB ratings when purchasing titles for their children, as well as to activate the Wii's parental control features. It also emphasizes the need for retailers to abide by the ratings when selling games to minors. But it also stresses that video games as a medium should not be limited to children's titles.

"Nintendo is committed to serving the tastes of all gamers, just as it has always been," the statement says. "Currently 14 Wii games have been rated M by the ESRB. The average game player is 33 years old."

Original story: Though it seemed as if the controversy surrounding Rockstar's Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) was largely dead and buried, the game is back in the news again as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators is once again calling for a re-rating by... Read more

Publisher Take-Two's proposed settlement for a class action lawsuit stemming from the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" fiasco will reward "offended and upset" owners of the original, unmodified game with up to $35 a piece.

The cash payout is just one of many settlement options Take-Two is said to provide, with another being an exchange for an edited copy of the game. Full details on the possible settlements are expected in mid-November when the Settlement Agreement is filed with the Court, and the company is sure to point out that the amount of cash payments depends on the number of people that apply.

To qualify, Take-Two stipulates that owners of the game must submit a "detailed" proof of purchase and swear that: they bought the game before July 20, 2005, were "offended and upset" by the "Hot Coffee" content, would not have purchased the game had they known about the content, and would have returned the game upon learning about the content "if they thought this was possible."

More details, including how those interested can participate and exactly what they need to submit, are expected shortly.

The settlement, which would cost the company at least $1.025 million but... Read more

Players of CD Projekt's hardcore Polish RPG The Witcher may not be hearing the whole story when it comes to the game's characters and quests. According to one of the game's writers, and a chorus of disappointed fans, The Witcher was heavily edited in its transition to the English language.

"Yes, it's true," said writer Sande Chen in response to the issue on the official Witcher forums. "My writing partner and I worked on the English adaptation of the script (based on the translation from the Polish script). It was edited down considerably, not because of censorship, though."

According to translations worked up by fans, the cuts range from minor alterations to drastic changes. One line in the English version reads, "Humans have always hated dwarves and elves," while the same line in the Polish release translates as, "Why do pricks go in cunts? It's the natural order of things. Humans have always disliked dwarves and elves. Not for me to know why."

Though that line may seem to be an obvious candidate for censorship, The Witcher is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB, and features plenty of equally-vulgar language throughout its existing English translation.

Chen elaborates on the situation via her blog, stressing that CD Projekt did the best they could--while not going so far as to blame publisher Atari for the... Read more

A Target rep has confirmed with GameSpot that the store will no longer sell Rockstar Games' controversial title Manhunt 2 (PS2, PSP, Wii) in light of a violence-enhancing hack for the PSP version. Though the hack can only be used with the version of Manhunt 2 on Sony's portable device, the retailer is pulling all three versions of the game from shelves and has taken down online listings for all three as well.

"While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code," a Target rep told Gamespot. "As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."

ESRB president Patricia Vance defended Manhunt 2's M rating following the release of the hack after advocacy groups called for the title's rating to be changed back to Adults Only. The game received an Adults Only rating this summer upon Rockstar's first submission of the title to the ESRB, but was granted an M rating after Rockstar modified the game and resubmitted it.

The ESRB said Rockstar fully complied with the rating board in disclosing the content in question and modifying the game code to censor it. The complicated hack also requires a modded PSP, making it more difficult to accomplish than previous potentially rating-altering mods.

Following the news of an unlockable uncensored version of Rockstar's controversial Manhunt 2 for PSP, advocacy groups like the Parents Television Council and anti-media violence types like Senator Leland Yee called for the game's ESRB-issued rating to be changed from Mature back to its original Adults Only rating.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board investigated the situation and has issued a response, defending the game's M rating in light of the hacked versions of Manhunt 2. "We do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content," the statement reads. "Our investigation indicates that the game's publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content."

The statement goes on to further distinguish between this instance and the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, Xbox) Hot Coffee mod in a number of ways. Whereas the Hot Coffee mod unlocked content Rockstar had knowingly included in the... Read more

Update: Rockstar has confirmed to GamePolitics that hackers have indeed reversed some, but not all, of the edits made to the PSP edition of Manhunt 2.

"It is unfortunately the case that no one in the entertainment software industry is immune from hacking," explained Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick. "We hope that consumers will not engage in hacking or download illegally modified copies of our games. We encourage them to enjoy our games as they are meant to be played."

"All of the game material, and especially these specific edits, was submitted to and reviewed by the ESRB in accordance with requirements regarding disclosure that were enacted two years ago and any contrary suggestion is inaccurate and irresponsible," reads the company's statement.

Original Story: In an unsurprising revelation that is beginning to seem all too familiar, a group of hackers is reported to have once again enabled purposefully disabled content in a title from Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar.

This time around, the game is Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP), which was just released yesterday. By editing the title's initialization files, players of the PSP edition can supposedly experience the uncensored version of the game that was originally rated Adults Only and denied release.

In order to secure a retail release for Manhunt 2, Rockstar "modified"... Read more

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Maybe it's the zombies. Maybe it's the candy. Maybe it's because Halloween is the only holiday that feels like it's trying something different. Most holidays are more sugary and sappy than any two candy bars. Halloween is the Batman Begins to the rest of the year's Batman and Robin. Halloween knows what it's about.

It's not about the girls in slutty costumes or the giant inflatable Frankensteins, either. Okay, I guess it can be about the girls in slutty costumes too, but leave your $2000 lighting displays and elaborate mechanized lawn ornaments for December. Halloween is really about cornfields at dusk, and eerily glowing squash, and that feeling you get walking from the car to your door at 3am. It's about the macabre and the living dead and reveling in the dark side of things. It's about the spooky-yet-fun vibe that something like The Nightmare Before Christmas captured so well, the sickly twisted tales that writers like Edgar Allen Poe popularized long beforehand, and women being attacked by ferocious cats.

Plenty of video games try to capture this spirit, too. The gaming horror genre, ever-expanding since the release of interactive PC titles like The 7th Guest, has truly exploded since the advancement of 3D graphics. Now any game can have a cutscene that pans to a dead body and plays a stock sound effect. That phenomenon is so prevalent that one imagines it must have been made a requirement by those bloody-thirsty dogs at the ESRB. A likely page from their constitution, surely following the section disallowing fun: "If the game is seeking an 'M' rating, it must include a cutscene that slowly pans to reveal a dead body. Note: No nipples, please." Luckily for Acclaim, the Batman and Robin tie-in game must have slipped past the ratings ... Read more

Though modified, Rockstar Games' brutally violent Manhunt 2 (PS2, Wii, PSP) was not neutered in the company's quest for an M rating, claims Rockstar VP of product development Jeronimo Barrera.

"We feel we kept the original vision and the content and we didn't neuter the game as people say we have," Barrera told MTV.

The original version of Manhunt 2 received an Adults Only rating from the ESRB and denied a rating by the British Board of Film Classification, causing Nintendo and Sony to deny the game a release on their platforms. Rockstar later submitted a "modified" edition of the game to the ESRB, securing a Mature rating and scheduling the game for an October 31 release in North America.

At the time, Rockstar refused to specify what those modifications entailed. It has since been reported that the so-called censored edition adds blur to some of the game's more violent non-interactive scenes, making it more difficult to discern the on-screen actions. Barrera was adamant that no portion of the game's story and cutscenes were removed, though a system that awarded players for repeatedly performing the most violent acts in the game was taken out.

"The scoring was a hold-over from the first game, and when we had ... Read more

The Witcher has the outward appearance of a top-rated modern classic, but the soul of a 1993 epic. If you're a fan of traditional PC RPGs, and if you're bored of bland MMO quests and dull online play, and if you don't mind a little sex and violence in your roleplaying, you'll want to look into The Witcher.

A warning: like the game, these impressions are rated M for Mature.

The Witcher isn't exactly a breath of fresh air. It's more like the musty, stimulating smell of an old library; somewhat stale, but comforting, nostalgic. It's a throwback to an age when the ESRB didn't exist, and when game designers were free to fling as much sex and violence around as they saw fit; when they were willing to fill their RPGs with outlandish one-liners and depressingly realistic scenarios, and to pose nude on box covers.

Old-school action specialist Treasure's acclaimed--but relatively obscure--Nintendo 64 rail shooter Sin & Punishment looks to be coming to English-speaking territories for the first time. The game was originally released in 2000 and has developed a strong following among the import crowd.

Last month, it was revealed on Nintendo's official Japanese Virtual Console site that Sin & Punishment is being released to the Wii download service in September. While encouraging for fans of the game, the news did not necessarily suggest a release elsewhere, as the game had never been localized outside of Asia.

Now, however, an entry for the game on Australia's Classification Board indicates that the cult classic is finally being localized to English; the game has received an M rating, roughly equivalent to the ESRB's T rating.

Currently, Sin & Punishment has not shown up on the ESRB's own site. Shacknews has sent inquiries to Nintendo as to whether the game is heading to the Virtual Consoles of other territories, which seems likely given the minimal distribution costs for games on the service once ready to be sold.