Activision's decision to raise the suggested retail price of Modern Warfare 2 in the UK to UK£ 54.99 (almost US$ 90) has raised a furor among gamers in the region. Former SCEE president Chris Deering recognizes that a conundrum exists: prices for blockbuster titles should be even higher in order to support the industry, but people "just don't have that kind of money."

Neil Thompson, Microsoft's regional director of Xbox in the UK, has emphasized the need for the videogame industry to impress upon parents that consoles and videogames have grown far beyond what they were in the past.

Microsoft Europe's David Gosen has questioned the gaming industry's seasonal approach to game releases in a recent interview with MCV. According to Gosen, the focus on Q4 and Christmas releases has put the sustainability of new IP into question, and that a second or third release window will be good news for the industry. Great news for my wallet as well, since I won't have to buy all the major releases I want in one big go. More after the jump.

The last time we had an article on a Change 4 Life campaign, it was when the group supposedly linked gaming to obesity. The ad was fine and I thought that the publishers who rejected it were taking it out of context. This time, however, it seems a little different. Another Change 4 Life ad, printed this time, shows a kid leaning back, holding a PS3 controller and lazily playing games, with a title that reads, "Risk an Early Death, Just Do Nothing." Poking on the same buttons are they? Find out more.

Despite having a comical and motivational theme to it, the TV spot for Change 4 Life was met with ire by the gaming industry for linking gaming with obesity, calling it "another example of naive stereotyping and scapegoating." If you haven't seen the ad, click for the full article and see for yourself.

Capcom cleared the air today on some mistaken notions about a few UK release dates that have been floating around. Specifically, those of Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) and Bionic Commando. Unfortunately, the dates were apparently just a list of retail guides rather than actual game launch dates.

Despite friction with trade infringement and discounting on game releases, Microsoft's winning streak for 2007 seems to be keeping strong as the computer technology corporation tops MCV's 2007 Retail Survey - helmed by Halo 3 and the Xbox 360.

More details on Microsoft's achievement after the jump.

Rockstar Games will be making another push next week to get Manhunt 2 (Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii) onto store shelves in the UK.

The BBFC has reportedly confirmed that the publisher will be appealing to the Video Appeals Committee to get the revised version of Manhunt 2 onto UK store shelves. More details at the full article.

The British Board of Film Classification will be reviewing its guidelines for games classification next year as part of a review of all the BBFC's guidelines. This was revealed by BBFC senior examiner Gianni Zamo in an interview with MCV UK.

Additionally, Zamo explained that the more realistic graphics found in today's games don't necessarily pose additional problems for the BBFC. The same goes for motion-sensing controllers. Context is one of the big factors in classifying a game, but it's not without its problems. Said Zamo:

Many game narratives are often fractured and detached from the interactive element of the game, making it difficult to see them as a whole, coherent piece. Trying to understand the context of a 40 plus hour game (even with a storyline) is very different from understanding a 90 minute movie.

It looks to be a rude awakening over in Britain for Rockstar, as the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has rejected the changes made to Rockstar's Manhunt 2 (Wii and PSP).

The BBFC mentioned that Rockstar seemingly ignored the suggestions made by the BBFC to address the game's content. It is currently unclear if these changes are the same as in the revised edition made for American audiences.

David Cooke, director of the BBFC, had this to say about the changes made to the game:

We recognise that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version.

The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient.There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the "execution kills", but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature.

We did make suggestions for further changes to the game, but the distributor has chosen not to make them, and as a result we have rejected the game on both platforms. The decision on whether or not an appeal goes ahead lies with the distributor.

With this bit of news, it seems Rockstar's last chance to get the game to be released in Britain is to go through the Video Appeals Committee, which is expected to hear Rockstar's plea later in the year.