We’ve got a new update for Namco Bandai’s Wii RPG title, Fragile. Another character has been revealed, and it’s a young, brilliant scientist named Shin.

According to his profile, his brilliance is truly to be envied, that’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise if those around him do get bitter with jealousy. Despite his intellectual capacity, however, he does leave room for a lot of improvement when it comes to communication. He is, as Namco Bandai would describe him, as one where “Words are really an inefficient means of communication.”

Toshio Furukawa lends his voice for Shin’s character in the game. We’ve also got new screenshots, as well as the boxart for the game. Do click away to see the images in full size.

An unfortunate event on Black Friday has occurred at a Wal-Mart branch in Long Island, New York. One worker was killed while at least four other people were injured.

The unnamed 34-year-old worker was doing maintenance work at the store when the people rushed to get inside, trampling him down. Co-worker Jimmy Overby narrated the scenario:

He was bum-rushed by 200 people. They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. … I literally had to fight people off my back.

The store was rushed with a surge of eager shoppers awaiting the door’s opening at 5AM for the annual Black Friday sale. On the site, a metal portion of the door is “crumpled like an acordion”.

The Wal-Mart branch has since been closed after the incident, with the investigation still ongoing. The company is said to be  working with the police. Said company spokesman Dan Fogelman, “The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time.”

Go easy on your shopping, guys. No need to rush. The store’s not going anywhere anyway. Always be mindful of what’s going on around you so that if heaven forbid another situation like this comes up (knock on wood), tragedy may be averted.

Bring out the marksman in you with Smashing!, the smashingly fun 3D shooter by warpfish. We last saw this in the Tehskeen coding competition, and now comes at v1.1, though no changelogs are available.

For controls, just press B to shoot or select, then shake the Wiimote to reload. After a while, you start to feel like the remote’s actually firing at the targets. No better way to check that out than to try it out.

Download: Smashing v1.1

• Tehskeen Wii Coding Competition: Smashing v1.0 and CosmoRaketti

Could it be that European gamers will be getting a reprieve with the not-so-late release of Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2)? If you’ll remember, the original iteration for the Wii did not land in Europe till September of this year, a good ten months after the North American counterparts.

However, if all is to be believed in Amazon’s page, there is a chance that that the release for the Rock Band sequel won’t take as long this time around. They’re claiming a January 22nd release, a good month (give or take a couple of weeks) from the NA Wii release.

We’d rather not hold our breaths for this one though. Better to not expect and be pleasantly surprised than expect to high heavens and fall down with a crushing disappointment.

I’d be downloading something, then while waiting for it to finish, I’ll click away at Minesweeper. It’d be more than an hour later when I’d realize I have better games to play. But hey, that’s what gaming is - doesn’t matter what you play, as long as you love playing it. That’s what I always said when they kept bashing the PSOne’s Brigandine from Atlus. Hey, the graphics suck, but it’s fun!

Anyway, you can bring the time-burning fun of Minesweeper straight into your Wii, that is if you haven’t already. This new version now supports the Wiimote IR sensor, so you can add a new twist to playing the Windows classic. Controls are simple enough. A to clear spaces, B to toggle between the flag and the question mark, and the usual directional buttons.

Download: Minesweeper v1.2

• Homebrew Minesweeper for Wii

Finally, some good news! Taking another look at Media Create’s latest report from the week ending November 24th, we’re finally seeing hardware sales pick up. PSP and Xbox 360 more than picked up, almost doubling their sales from last week.

The Wii remains strong, and the DSi made a strong comeback after last week’s loss. The only platforms that didn’t get in on the sales growth are the PS3 and PS2, though the decline was very marginal.

November is drawing to a close, and sales are picking up. Hopefully the PS3 will pick up as well, with deals left and right showing up, and the PlayStation credit card should help that number go up in a big way.

Anyway, here are the figures from Media Create:

Hardware   This Week   Last Week   Last 4 Weeks      YTD         LTD    DS           107,423      88,886        497,881   2,989,390   24,162,444PSP           61,226      38,153        193,463   3,246,892   10,911,969WII           35,298      26,787        109,934   2,398,615    7,014,754PS3           17,436      17,448         92,825     796,697    2,438,373360           15,474      7,983          42,335     262,964      771,409PS2            5,281      5,421          23,159     435,393   21,362,433

• Media Create report from November 17 to 24 - new releases top the software charts
• Media Create report from November 10 to 16 - hardware sales fall further in Japan
  

Wii Quizz is a Homebrew quiz game created by CashMan for the Wii console. It can support up to four players and has multiple quiz modes (such as an imitation of the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” format). It looks pretty good, though there is a downside for most English-speaking users: The questions are in French.

Controls are simple: “A” to select, “B” to return, and “home” to quit.

Version 1.5 fixes a few minor bugs and ads several topical improvements. See the Chagelog below:

1.5

• Appearance of the mascot presenter of quiz
• Improvements graphics of the game
• Fixed a bug that caused a crash of the game
• Improving the pause menu :
• Add Wiimote Rumble
• Fixed bug when leaving the pause menu
• Add POWER button support
• Fixed several bugs in display questions
• Add Wiimote Rumble in game
• Add sound
• More improvements and corrections

Download: Wii Quizz v1.5

• Wii Homebrew - Wii Quizz v1.0
• Wii homebrew - Wii Quizz v1.3.5
  

Did you think Amazon was going to leave you (and your wallet) to slog through the press of holiday shoppers at your local retail stores? Hardly. Here’s the list of goodies available for Amazon’s Black Friday Sale.

Important Note: Items marked with a (asterisk) will only be available today until 11:59pm PST later tonight (2:59am EST on Sat) . Everything else will be available only until Monday (aka Cyber Monday).

Also note that some deals will only be going live over the weekend or on Monday itself so be sure to check back intermittently.

And now, without further ado: Amazon’s Black Friday Sale (use the source link at the bottom to get to Amazon’s main Black Friday Sale page).

Xbox 360:

• Buy Xbox 360 Pro - Get US 60 Towards Future Game Purchase
• Buy the Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle you’ll get Gears of War 2 and the Gears of War 2 Amazon.com Exclusive Lancer for free
• Buy an Xbox 360 Arcade, Get Dance Dance Revolution 3 (w/ mat) for Free 
• Fallout 3 - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Far Cry 2 - US 49.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Call of Duty: World at War - US 49.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• BioShock - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Dead Space - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.95)
• Left 4 Dead - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Madden NFL 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• NASCAR 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• NBA Live 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• NCAA Football 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Saints Row - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Shaun White Snowboarding - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway - US 17.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Warriors Orochi 2 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Alone in the Dark - US 11.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - US 29.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.95)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle - US 49.95 (Reg. US 99.99)
• Infinite Undiscovery - US 18.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Infinite Undiscovery Includes Gift with Purchase - US 19.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• LEGO Batman - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Lost Planet Extreme Condition: Colonies Edition - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Major League Baseball 2K8 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Kollector’s Edition - US 49.95 (Reg. US 69.99)
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Pure - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Sega Superstars Tennis - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• The Bigs - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• The Club - US 14.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• The Last Remnant - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Too Human - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Top Spin 3 - US 39.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Viking: Battle for Asgard - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

PS3:

• Buy a PS3 80GB console, Get Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition and a PlayStation 3 Component AV & USB cable Free 
• Buy a PlayStation 3 80GB, Disney Sing It Bundle with Microphone, and Wall-E (Two-Disc and BD Live) for US 399.99 
• Buy a PlayStation 3 160 GB Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Pack and get US 60 off a future video game purchase
• Fallout 3 - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Soul Calibur IV - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Call of Duty: World at War - US 49.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway - US 17.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Madden NFL 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• NASCAR 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• NBA Live 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• NCAA Football 09 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - US 29.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Far Cry 2 - US 37.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.95)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - US 49.95 (Reg. US 99.99)
• Heavenly Sword - US 19.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• LEGO Batman - US 25.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Major League Baseball 2K8 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe Collector’s Edition - US 39.95 (Reg. US 69.99)
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• MotorStorm - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• NBA ‘09 The Inside - US 19.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• PlayStation 3 Blu Wave Remote - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• PlayStation 3 Charge Base 2 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• PlayStation 3 Charge Link - US 4.95 (Reg. US 12.99)
• PlayStation 3 Component AV Cable - US 9.95 (Reg. US 24.99)
• PlayStation 3 Component AV Cable & USB Cable - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Playstation 3 Energizer Power & Play Charging System - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Frontman Wireless Guitar - US 6.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• PlayStation 3 HDMI Cable - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• PlayStation 3 Memory Card Adaptor - US 4.95 (Reg. US 14.99)
• PlayStation 3 Zero Wireless Controller - colors may vary - US 4.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Pure - US 29.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Resistance: Fall Of Man - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Ridge Racer 7 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• The Bigs - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• The Club - US 14.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Top Spin 3 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Viking: Battle for Asgard - US 14.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Warhawk (no headset) - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• WWE Smackdown vs Raw ‘09 Collector’s Edition - US 39.95 (Reg. US 79.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

Wii:

• Nintendo Wii Console will be available Black Friday  (12:00 am PST)
• Nintendo Wii Fit will be available Black Friday (12:00 am PST)
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith - US 25.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Boom Blox - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Cooking Mama: Cook Off - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith - US 25.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Namco Museum Remix - US 15.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Resident Evil 4 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Shaun White Snowboarding - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Wii Fit Energy Pak - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Animal Crossing: City Folk - US 39.95 (Reg. US 69.99)
• Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader: Make the Grade - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Celebrity Sports Showdown - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• DeBlob - US 25.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - US 49.95 (Reg. US 89.99)
• LEGO Batman - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Major League Baseball 2K8 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.95)
• Mercury Meltdown: Revolution - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• MLB Power Pros 2008 - US 25.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• MySims Kingdom - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Nights Journey of Dreams - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Official Wii Component Video Cable - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Rock Band Illuminated Drum Sticks - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• The Bigs - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Top Spin 3 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Ultimate Board Game Collection - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Wario Land: Shake It! - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• We Love Golf! - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• We Ski - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Wii 5-In-1 Fitness Bundle - US 39.95 (Reg. US 59.99)
• Wii Charge Station - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Wii Dancing Mat - US 9.95 (Reg. US 22.99)
• Wii Fit Balance Board Silicone Sleeve - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Wii Fit Balance Board Glow in the Dark Silicone Sleeve - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Wii Fit Balance Board Mat - US 9.95 (Reg. US 24.99)
• Wii Fit Balance Board Silicone Sleeve - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Frontman Wireless Guitar - White - US 9.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Wii HD Link Component Cable - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Wii Kama Wireless Controller - US 9.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• Wii Magnum Gun - US 7.95 (Reg. US 14.99)
• Wii Micro Wheel - US 4.95 (Reg. US 9.99)
• Wii Nerf Sports Pack - US 9.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• Wii Net Connect - US 7.95 (Reg. US 21.99)
• Wii Nunchuk Cord Free Wireless Adaptor - US 7.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Wii Perfect Shot Gun - US 7.95 (Reg. US 17.99)
• Wii Power Adaptor - US 9.95 (Reg. US 24.99)
• WonderWorld Amusement Park - US 15.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

DS:

• Buy DS Lite Console, Get Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force for US 5 more 
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - US 19.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• Brain Challenge - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Imagine: Babyz - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Imagine: Figure Skater - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Nintendo DS Lite Limited Edition Mario Red Bundle - US 134.99 (Reg. US 149.99)
• Nintendo DS Lite Limited Edition Ice Blue Bundle - US 134.99 (Reg. US 149.99)
• Build-A-Bear Workshop - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Touchmaster - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• MySims Kingdom - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader: Make the Grade - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Ben 10 Protector of the Earth - US 15.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Brain Quest: Grades 3 & 4 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Cake Mania 2 - US 15.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Clue/Mouse Trap/Perfection/Aggravation - US 12.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Guitar Hero: On Tour - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Justice League Heroes - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• KORG DS-10 Synthesizer - US 24.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Major League Baseball 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• MLB Power Pros 2008 - US 19.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• N - US 11.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Nintendo DS Game Card Case 16 - Black - US 4.95 (Reg. US 8.99)
• Nintendo DS Lite Play Stand - US 4.95 (Reg. US 12.99)
• Personal Trainer: Cooking - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness - US 19.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time - US 19.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (Gift With Purchase) - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Teenage Zombies - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Top Spin 3 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Travel Games For Dummies - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• What’s Cooking? With Jamie Oliver - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

PSP:

• Buy a PSP LE Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack, Get 1 of the following PSP Games Free: 
• Daxter
• Spongebob Squarepants The Yellow Avenger
• Tekken - Dark Resurrection
• Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
• Star Wars Battlefront II
• SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo
• Patapon
• Medal of Honor: Heroes
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories
• Mortal Kombat Unchained
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008
• Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• God of War Chains of Olympus - US 19.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• N - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• PSP 17 in 1 Starter Kit - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• PSP 2000 Component AV Cable - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• PSP 2000 Traveler Case - US 4.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• PSP Charger Grip for PSP 2000 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• PSP Game & UMD Case - US 4.95 (Reg. US 14.99)
• PSP Headphones with Remote Control - US 4.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• PSP Pouch and Wrist Strap - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• PSP Super Travel Case With Pockets - US 4.95 (Reg. US 9.99)
• The Bigs - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

PC:

• Fallout 3 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Left 4 Dead - US 19.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• BioShock - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Far Cry 2 - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Guild Wars - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Guild Wars: Eye Of The North - Expansion Pack - US 9.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Pure - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Spore Creepy and Cute Parts Pack - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Warhammer Online 60 Day Prepaid Game Time Card - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - US 19.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack - US 25.95 (Reg. US 39.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

PS2:

• PS2 Limited Edition LEGO Batman Bundle - US 99.96 (Reg. US 149.99)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES - USUS   29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• God of War - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• God of War 2 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Alone in the Dark - US 6.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Arcana Heart - US 19.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• Disney Sing It - US 29.95 (Reg. US 49.99)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - US 49.95 (Reg. US 89.99)
• Jak 3 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 14.99)
• MLB Power Pros 2008 - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• Playstation 2 Cobra TT Wheel - US 19.95 (Reg. US 34.99)
• PlayStation 2 Dualshock 2 Analog Controller Satin Silver - US 14.95 (Reg. US 24.99)
• Playstation 2 Dualshock Controller Ocean Blue - US 9.95 (Reg. US 24.99)
• Playstation 2 Memory Card 8MB 2PK Red/Blue - US 14.95 (Reg. US 35.99)
• Sega Superstars Tennis - US 14.95 (Reg. US 29.99)
• The Bigs - US 9.95 (Reg. US 19.99)
• more deals throughout the weekend…

• Leaked: GameStop Black Friday Sale catalog

D-Dub Software, a video game studio specializing in adult-themed games that involve a lot of ahem explicit sex and nudity (i.e. BoneTown, a PC game which makes GTA’s Hot Coffee mod look not-so-Hot-after-all), is waging war against the ESRB and the three major console manufacturers.

Since D-Dub can’t market their game out in the open, they’re now on a mission to take the first step in what they hope to be an eventual “adult video game industry.”

Their first step is basically to squeeze past ESRB, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Trying to avoid the ESRB’s grasp may be understandable given their situation, but why include the console manufacturers, you ask? As some of you may know, the big three aren’t quite friendly in licensing Adults Only (AO) games for their console.

D-Dub’s CEO commented the following:

It doesn t make sense. The ratings boards are not telling us that these games aren t for kids. We know that already. What they re telling us is that adult games shouldn t exist at all. We don t agree, and neither does our customer base of adults who are interested in games that might include themes like sex, drugs, and language. Since they ve made it so that games like ours can t be marketed and distributed through the channels other video games use, we are starting a new industry to get this game out to our customers.

Their move now is to push for online sales. “Through the channels other video games use” basically means retail. On top of the ESRB and the big three hounding AO titles, retailers themselves will hardly touch them, leaving the Internet as the only viable option for releasing BoneTown.

• Clarifications on the ESRB Adult Only rating
• Gamestop ponders retailing of AO-rated games
• EA responds to Fox News’ “‘SE’XBOX” report of Mass Effect
• Jack Thompson: OK with Mass Effect, Cooper just uninformed

According to a financial report published by Ubisoft, they’ve been doing well, profit-wise, during the first half of this year, however, not quite as well as they did last year, despite a healthy 32 percent growth in their sales.

Over a period of six months ending on September 30th, although operating income was up from US 16.2 million a year ago to US 31.9m, Ubisoft also saw a drop in net profit from US 39.5 million to US 31 million.

Recent Ubisoft releases include Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party for the Wii, which is selling surprisingly well, and Tom Clancy s EndWar, which is not.

Far Cry 2 is reportedly doing well in Europe but is seeing slower sales in North America. Conversely, Shaun White Snowboarding is showing lackluster sales in Europe, but is described as “solid” for North America (perhaps thanks to ringing endorsements from the NIMF Video Game Report Card).

• Ubisoft is “working hard” on Assassin’s Creed sequel
• Ubisoft replies to rumors of a French Revolution setting for Assassin’s Creed 2