News outlet says Gearbox Software’s M-rated action game “takes sexism to a new level”; Women’s Media Center VP calls game’s depiction of women “extremely harmful.”
In early February, Fox News slammed Bulletstorm, questioning whether it was the “worst video game in the world.” Now, the Rupert Murdoch-owned news outlet is taking up arms against Gearbox Software’s long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever, calling it “awfully sexist.”
According to an article on FoxNews.com, 1996′s Duke Nukem 3D–”which made millions for its developers and transformed the entire world of video games–depicted women as strippers and prostitutes.” And now, according to Fox, Duke Nukem Forever is primed to “take sexism to a new level.”
To illustrate its point, the story says the game opens with a scene where Duke is seen receiving implied fellatio from twins in school getups. This is where Women’s Media Center vice president Jamia Wilson takes severe offense.
“It was offensive then and it’s even more offensive now,” she told Fox News. “These depictions of women are extremely harmful, especially to young women.”
Specifically, the scathing article’s main focus is on Duke Nukem Forever’s Capture the Babe multiplayer mode. This game mode–according to the Official Xbox Magazine (via Eurogamer) — has players carrying a character, the Babe, around. If she yells, players are given the option to slap her.
WBIE’s ring-powered superhero swooping onto 3DS, PS3, 360 in 3D shortly before film debut; 2D Wii, DS installments also en route.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment succeeded not at all in keeping Green Lantern’s identity a secret, after the film tie-in’s cover was blown a full year before the publisher officially announced the game. Now, WBIE has told audiences exactly when they can see what developer Double Helix has been up to these past couple of years.
Today, WBIE said that gamers can expect Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters to arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, and 3DS on June 7. That date falls a week and a half prior to the Ryan Reynolds-led film’s June 17 box office bow.
Green Lantern signifies a significant 3D push for WBIE. The game will be the first title from the publisher created for the 3DS, Nintendo’s glasses-free 3D-enabled handheld that launches in the US on March 27. That version, along with the regular DS installment, is in development at Griptonite Games.
The Double Helix-developed Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will also be released with glasses- and 3D HDTV-required stereoscopic 3D support. According to its publisher, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by the film and sees gamers taking control of the emerald superhero as he and his mentor, Sinestro, take on the Manhunters as part of a bid to “restore intergalactic order.”
The somewhat vague and foreboding “grim darkness of the future” got a bit more specific today, as THQ nailed down an August release window for its upcoming third-person action game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Previously, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC game had been set for a general summer launch.
The game casts players as Captain Titus of the Ultramarine chapter of the Space Marines, one of humanity’s last hopes in an intergalactic war against the sinister Orks. Players are charged with defending an Imperial Forge World from the Orkish invasion, a task made more complicated when the forces of Chaos make their presence known.
While the Warhammer 40,000 universe has featured in multiple PC titles, Space Marine marks the franchise’s first outing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. THQ has a crew of developers well acquainted with the universe handling the game, as Space Marine is being created by the publisher’s in-house studio Relic Entertainment, whose previous works include Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II and Company of Heroes.
This new trailer will give you a glimpse of the gorgeous environment and clever physics-based gameplay you can expect when you play as the powerful knight, the swift rogue, and the crafty wizard.
Inception, The Dark Knight, and Modern Warfare 2 composer lending hand to soundtrack for Crytek shooter due out next week.
Next week, Crytek and Electronic Arts will launch the much hyped Crysis 2. The sequel will land on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as the PC, but going multiplatform won’t be the game’s only distinguishing characteristic.
EA has announced that noted Hollywood and video game composer Hans Zimmer collaborated with Borislav Slavov and Tilman Sillescu in creating the soundtrack for Crysis 2, which is due out next week.
Zimmer’s previous composing credits include Hollywood hits Inception and The Dark Knight, as well as Activision’s blockbuster first-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Zimmer’s game work will continue, as the composer has been attached to Activision’s upcoming Skylanders Spyro Adventures.
Crysis 2 sees players fend off an alien threat once again, aided by a nanosuit that grants the user superhuman abilities ranging from speed boosts to active camouflage.
While the original Crysis featured lush tropical environments, Crysis 2 takes place in the urban jungle of New York City.
THQ responds to investor concern by announcing “robust” North American sales tally; online multiplayer server capacity increased.
Yesterday, the reviews came in for THQ’s newest first-person shooter Homefront, and while the game’s Metacritic average was technically positive, it wasn’t positive enough to appease investors. Fearing the lukewarm critical response presaged a commercial failure, investors were bearish on THQ, resulting in a 21 percent crash in the publisher’s stock price yesterday, slipping an additional 1.28 percent today to $4.63 a share.
After market close today, THQ moved to assuage investors’ panic, making a rare announcement of first-day sales for Homefront. According to the publisher, Homefront sold approximately 375,000 units in North America within 24 hours of release. European and Asia Pacific sales figures were not included in the tally, as the game has not yet seen full release worldwide.
Calling this sales figure “robust,” THQ also said that it would be increasing server capacity to accommodate demand for Homefront’s multiplayer. As with a handful of other THQ titles, those who purchase new copies of Homefront gain full access to the game’s online multiplayer component.
Secondhand users have access to every map and can spend as much time as they wish in Homefront’s multiplayer modes. However, they won’t be able to advance their characters any further than level five–out of a possible 75–unless they purchase an online pass for $10.
