Testifying to the huge reach of subscription-based on the web gaming, the NPD Group came up with numbers and revealed that the on the web game subscriptions market exceeds US 1 billion annually. According to data gathered between October 2007 and March 2008, 11 million gamers are subscribers.

As many would expect, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft topped the list of MMOs with the most subscribers. Aside from the usual suspects RuneScape and Lord of the Rings On the web which came second and third respectively, Final Fantasy XI made its way to the fourth spot. City of Heroes trailed the rest.

Gaming websites contribute to the industry, spearheaded by Pogo.com and followed by Realarcade.com. Most players who visit these sites are reportedly females over 35 years old, while males below 35 dominate the MMO scene.

source pc.qj.net

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For those of us eager to behold just what’s in store for us when the upcoming Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li rolls out next year, here’s a special update: the writer of the movie’s plot itself, Justin Marks, and his explanation just why the motion picture focuses on the high-kicking wonder rather than the game’s more visible characters.

So, just why Chun-Li, then? Justin Marks reveals that he picked Chun-Li as the focus of the movie simply because he believed films are about unexpected heroes, and not because he wanted to have a “blatantly sexualised female lead”.

While he admits that Ryu and Ken are more visible and familiar in the series, Chun-Li is the heart and soul of the game, having lost her father and being left for dead. His quote, verbatim:

First, I’ve never seen a successful action movie (in my mind) that blatantly sexualised its female lead and succeeded for its audience; Catwoman, Elektra, the list goes on and on.

Then I think back to The Terminator, or possibly my all-time favourite motion picture, Aliens, and I think of how Ripley is depicted in that film. She’s a tough woman, but not because she came from a place of wearing tight pants and beating up men.

She’s tough because she had this core emotional story about a life that could have been and never was. To me, that’s the way you write a woman in these kinds of movies.

Very well said. Here’s hoping that the motion picture is worth the wait. Updates as we get them!

source pc.qj.net

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Three thousand miles is a long way to go, even for virtual athletes as they take on the Tour de France in this latest cycling sim from Cyanide and Focus Home Interactive. A new set of visual assets was recently released for Pro Cycling Manager - Tour de France 2008 showing off some of exciting shots of this racing title.

This year’s version of the premier cycling sim features even more depth from the management aspect of the game. It will feature an entirely new stamina system, a more realistic progression curve, a complete skills editor, and a new talent recruiting system with a more aggressive AI.

Taking a look at the shots, the developers weren’t kidding when they said that this year’s title will be even more realistic than ever. Coupled with the new user interface and lighting system, it makes the perfect complement to the detailed environment bikers can travel through in their race to be number one.

Pro Cycling Manager 2008 is set to be released in June for the PlayStation Portable and Computer. In the meantime, why not feast your eyes on the rest of the new screenshots we have from the game below.

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Marvel might have a shaky start this year due to their falling out with Electronic Arts on the Marvel fighting game franchise, but things are definitely looking up now.

The company has just signed a partnership with THQ to bring Marvel’s Super Hero Squad to consoles. Video games based on the squad will soon invade next-gen consoles, handhelds, and the Personal computer in fall of 2009.

The promised video game series is set to be kid-friendly. The companies will try to bring out the best in Marvel’s iconic characters with fun and humor. Here’s a list of the superheroes and supervillains who are apparently going to make an appearance in the game:

• Iron-Man
• Hulk
• Spider-Man
• Captain America
• Wolverine
• Thor
• The Fantastic Four
• Physician Doom
• Magneto
• Iron Monger
• Loki
• The Abomination

With this new agreement, Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ, remarked on the matter, saying:

Marvel is one of the true crown jewels in the entertainment industry and we’re thrilled at the prospect of both building the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand and further developing our relationship with Marvel.

We’re dedicated to expanding our unmatched success story in the children space and this agreement with Marvel is an excellent complement to our portfolio.

source pc.qj.net

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Marvel might have a shaky start this year due to their falling out with Electronic Arts on the Marvel fighting game franchise, but things are definitely looking up now.

The company has just signed a partnership with THQ to bring Marvel’s Super Hero Squad to consoles. Video games based on the squad will soon invade next-gen consoles, handhelds, and the Computer in fall of 2009.

The promised video game series is set to be kid-friendly. The companies will try to bring out the best in Marvel’s iconic characters with fun and humor. Here’s a list of the superheroes and supervillains who are apparently going to make an appearance in the game:

• Iron-Man
• Hulk
• Spider-Man
• Captain America
• Wolverine
• Thor
• The Fantastic Four
• Physician Doom
• Magneto
• Iron Monger
• Loki
• The Abomination

With this new agreement, Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ, remarked on the matter, saying:

Marvel is one of the true crown jewels in the entertainment industry and we’re thrilled at the prospect of both building the Marvel Super Hero Squad brand and further developing our relationship with Marvel.

We are dedicated to expanding our unmatched success story in the children space and this agreement with Marvel is an excellent complement to our portfolio.

source pc.qj.net

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We’ve got the latest information regarding Atari’s Alone in the Dark (Computer, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has just passed their rating on the game, revealing some interesting details.

For starters, the rating of the game is set at “15.” The BBFC also noted that the game uses strong language frequently, but “does not dwell on the infliction of pain and injury.”

Although there might a lot of violent content in the game, it is set in a fantasy context and does not focus too much on inflicting it in an exaggerated manner. Furthermore, players will have to face zombies and other supernatural and horrific creatures. They have the ability to fend off these fiends with “guns, posts, spades, flamethrowers and other items that can be turned into weapons.”

If you guys want to read more on what BBFC had to say about the game, feel free to visit the link below. Just be sure to come back to this space for more updates on the game.

source pc.qj.net

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Two House members have introduced a new bill that’ll make video game retailers perform identification checks in order to prohibit minors from purchasing games meant for adults. The people behind this bill are Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah).

Last Wednesday, the pair introduced the bill known as the Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act so that children “can only access age appropriate content without parental permission, said Terry.

This bill will put a stipulation of ID checks before consumers can fully purchase video games that have have been given Mature (M) or Adult Only (AO) ratings, presumably by the ESRB.

Furthermore, retailers will have to post the ratings system in their respective stores for people to have a proper knowledge on the ratings of the video games. Those who fail to follow this regulation will be fined a civil penalty of about US 5,000.

Even though numerous bills have been turned down in the past, Terry is keeping his hopes up for this particular bill. He explained:

This bill doesn t involve itself in content or defining the standards for “mature” or “adults only”. It simply requires the retailer to post what the industry has defined as “mature” and “adults only” so that parents can know, and requires checking of identification.

This is certainly an interesting take on making bills for video games and children, just like the “games-as-porn” bill in Massachusetts and the “ultra violent” game bill in Oregon. Question is, how will the bill fare? Only time will tell. We’ll keep you guys updated on the developments of this matter.

source pc.qj.net

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