Now that's a frag grenade!

There are a lot of things we as Americans take for granted, especially when it comes to video games. Sure, we can argue about whether or not it's proper to have a level about terrorists shooting up airports, but the important thing is that we even have the right to see it. One of the biggest challenges in gaming is convincing others that video games can be taken just as seriously as television or movies.

Then again, if you live in Australia, your probably having a lot tougher time getting this point across than we are. It's no secret how hard it is to get a mature rated game released in Australia. Sometimes developers literally have to butcher their fundamental game designs just to let aussie gamers get a glimpse at what everyone else is playing. Don't just take my word for it, check out Left 4 Dead 2 in Australia!

Notice something? No flying limbs? Severed body parts? Bodies that mysteriously disappear?

Some Australians have taken it upon themselves to petition for an R18+ rating, our equivalent of an "M" rating. It might be a tough sell, but many are taking to the streets to let their voices be heard. You can find more coverage of this at GamePolitics.com, or check out their website for Electronic Frontiers Australia. Just something to think about when your mowing down bad guys with chainsaw guns.

News Recap

Bayonetta Cleans Up?

A lot of fuss has been made about the Playstation 3 version of Bayonetta. Early screenshots show a version with blurry textures, struggling framer ates and lengthy load times. However, according to Gamekyo, Sony has sent an engineering team to bring the game up to par with the system's capabilities. Don't care? Well maybe you should! Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave this game a perfect score, and they have tougher critics than the whole UNM Gamer Podcast crew put together.

SEX! Now That I've Got Your Attention...

Say you're working on a game, and you just found out that your studio is closing. How do you convince gamers to buy your game on day one?

According to Joystiq, a DLC code named "The Midnight Show" will be included with all new copies of the game, which unlocks a few extra features, the most noticeable being nudity. Eventually you'll be able to buy the code after the game is released, but still, quite the incentive eh? I would wonder if this will affect the rating of the game, considering the lack of nudity should the player opt out of the DLC code.

Player Beats World of Warcraft

Well, sort of. "Little Gray" of the server, Wratchbringer, has become the first person to earn every single achievement in World of Warcraft. Frankly, I had my money on the Koreans.

According to the WoW Armory, this player has earned all 986 achievements. That means he's beaten every dungeon, killed over 300,000 creatures, and confirmed his virgin status to the rest of the world. More on this story at IGN.

War of Wars

Meet the new face of Medal of Honor. You remember Medal of Honor right? That WW2 game that started the trend of WW2 games throughout the decade. It seems EA is setting sights on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise and updating the series to a more modern setting. Not only that, the game is reported to be set in Afghanistan, according to Gamespy. Guess they were also aiming to beat Six Days in Fallujah as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey, no news today I'm afraid, but look for an update later this week. Just wanted to thank everyone who listens to the podcast and reads the site. We work hard to do what we love, but most of all, we do it for you. Thanks everyone, and have a great thanksgiving!