The THQ Gamers' Day 08 sure is making the most out of the event by promoting their upcoming titles. de Blob (Wii, DS) is one of them, and that's why we got three videos for you guys to watch. Remember, the operative terms for this title are "color" and "revolution". Join in on the fray by heading to the full article.

While gamers in parts of Europe have a long road ahead regarding their copy of Take-Two Interactive's Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii), word is out that the game is expected to be released in the Netherlands. According to Holland Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin, this is because existing Dutch laws do not authorize banning games due to violent content.

The Minster noted that theoretically, it would still be possible to prosecute people who distributed the game to people under the age of 16 provided the images were violent enough. "The current law is based on the principle that every adult is considered capable of deciding for himself which games he wants to play, unless it contains illegal material," said Mr. Ballin in a letter to the Dutch Parliament.

Ballin further noted that the decision of what sort of video games children are allowed to play is "the joint responsibility of parents, the audiovisual industry and the government." Ballin wrote in the letter a plea for unified EU standard for video game ratings. As it stands, Manhunt 2 has been re-rated M by North America's ESRB, and has been cleared for an October 31 launch in the region.

The Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) has recently released an official announcement ticking off the need-to-know facts of this year's Tokyo Game Show (TGS). The freshly wired press release claimed that an anticipated 168 exhibitors will strut their stuff on 1,708 booths over eight spacious halls in Makuhari Messe, Mihama-ku, Chiba City starting September 20, 2007.

 

From 2007 onwards, the TGS will serve as a essential part in Japan's International Contents Festival (CoFesta). And while it will serve as a bid for major publishers towards the end-of-year season of software releases, it will also bring mobile telephony forward to the tech-savvy masses, courtesy of special sponsor NTT DoCoMo.

TGS2007, extending its show to four days for the first time, will also be introducing new exhibitors from around the world, including companies from The Netherlands, Sweden and Thailand, adding to the 51 international participating exhibitors from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

The business leg of the event is also stretched to two full days, a conclusion of which is succeeded with open exhibition to a targeted gathering of 180,000 attendees on September 22-23. The first two days of the Nikkei co-organized event will be open only to attendees with business in mind, touting a TGS Forum 2007 program keynoted by none other than Kazuo Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainment's (SCE) president and group CEO.

Need to know more? Then head on over to the full article, right after the jump!

When Electronic Arts said they've upped the ante on Need for Speed ProStreet (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2), they definitely weren't kidding. While they've spun developer interview after developer interview explaining why Need for Speed was being redefined for a more hardcore audience, those interested in what EA Black Box was offering waited quietly for an up-close and personal look, taste and feel.

But wait no longer, because from Dutch (Netherlands) Game1, we've watched an in-game gameplay demonstration of Need for Speed ProStreet on what appears to be an updated version of the circuit race (or URL) and found our eyes momentarily glued to the screens in awe. That much detail (including damage and asphalt grain) with an almost unflinching framerate was dumbfounding - at the least.

Without further ado, though, we'll let you check out the three-minute long gameplay video. Downtown Tokyo, here we come a-driftin'!

By way of press wire, game publisher THQ is officially announcing that de Blob is indeed being readied for release not only for the Nintendo Wii, but the DS as well. And no, there's no spelling error - the company's decided to keep the original Dutch name instead of its English translation "The Blob."

Naming details aside, THQ has also explained the game's story. Players will take the form of a giant paint blob whose task is to explore, liberate and revitalize Chroma City, which has been drained of all color by the evil I.N.K.T. (inked?) Corporation.

de Blob's Wii and DS versions are both expected to make use of each console's unique control style. In line with this official announcement, THQ's executive Vice President Kelly Flock had this to say:

In the spirit of some of Nintendo's most innovative properties, de Blob's simple game mechanic will be fun and easy for core and casual gamers to learn and reveal unbelievably addicting levels of depth and complexity as they progress through the game. We look forward to unveiling de Blob at next week's E3 press event.

Expect de Blob to be available some time in February next year. As a brief history snippet, de Blob was originally conceived by nine students studying Game Design & Development at Utrecht University's School of the Arts in the Netherlands. The game was originally meant to convey how they thought the Utrecht railroad station area would look in 10 years. The blob featured in the game, as strange as it may sound, is currently Utrecht city's mascot.

Tipster Grannd sends us some sad news from the Netherlands about the Wii launch in The Hague. A less than stellar delivery to Gameshop, one of the game stores there, has prompted the store to not sell any Wii units or accessories, at least for now.

While Gameshop's website is in Dutch, Grannd manage to give us the gist of the issue. Nintendo seems to have promised the Gameshop stores 600 units, and around 400 pre-orders were made by people based on that assumption.

The problem comes when, as Grannd tells us, "a week ahead of the release, Nintendo told Gameshop that they could only deliver 10 (!) Wiis". Since Gameshop has three stores, that means three units per store, and 390 customers feeling very annoyed, not to mention the folks at Gameshop who'll have to work with the customer service nightmare this might entail. As a result of this, Gameshop opted not to sell their units, nor offer any accessories or games for the console.

While some of you might be thinking that something of that sort is unfair for the store to do, you can also see why they're doing this temporary boycott of sorts. Who wouldn't be rather annoyed at only finding out a week before launch of something like this? Perhaps the problems of next-gen launches have taught them the value of sticking to their guns, even if their own customers don't agree with the methods. Waiting for Nintendo to actually send them the goods they asked for seems safer than fans fighting over a console, at least.

If any of you folks know Dutch, we'd appreciate a translation of Gameshop's statement at the source link. Translation sites can only do so much, you know.

Hark, the rabbid rabbit invasion is already here! Prepare for your doom (or hours and hours of mind-numbing fun)! We even got pictures from Netherlands to prove it.

You've probably heard about the "Stop de konijnen" (Stop the rabbits) campaign, where various pictures show bunnies scattered all over Netherlands: you can see 'em in tourist spots, fairy-tale coaches, even in pastures milking cows (then again, you can't blame them. After all, they ARE rabbits, mammals notoriously known for their reproductive frenzy).

ANYWAY, a couple of Rayman Raving Rabbidstreats are making rounds online, so if you want to get in the craze, go check 'em out. I'll probably get a handful of those stickers myself, and use 'em as my room's wallpaper to commemorate the bunny invasion.

Viral marketing: when companies let YOU do the advertising. For free. One technique: make something amusing or strange, something worth talking about. Then people online will talk about it. Success: when the ads start doing the blog circuit. Eventually, it might become a meme. Then people will do something silly on YouTube.

The Netherlands "Stop de konijnen" (Stop the rabbits) campaign might have what it takes. It already looks like a meme. And it's bizarre. We're still smiling over the Sam Fisher Rabbid.

They even made it look like a campaign: "Partij tegen konijnen" (Party against rabbits). "Forget terrorism, forget the greenhouse effect, forget world famine: the rabbits are coming!"

Is the campaign working? Well, a few are speaking out with Rayman zuigt (Rayman sucks) and Wii zuigt (Wii sucks).

Stop de fanbojnen.

Last June, we reported on a detox clinic in Netherlands for gaming addicts. Now, a hospital in the United States offers pretty much the same thing. Located in Newton, Mass., the McLean Hospital actually has a "Computer Addiction Services" department, that aims to help people who are hopelessly immersed in video games.

The said department's coordinator, Dr. Maressa Orzack, believes that "game addiction is a true mental disorder." According to Orzack who has treated all types of addictions for 15 years, there's little difference between drug use, gambling and video game addiction. She adds that video games work on a theory pretty similar to gambling, called the "variable ratio reinforcement."

Basically, it means that players will set a goal (like finish a particularly a hard mission), and will keep playing until they accomplish it, even if they fail doing it a couple of times. However, they would still keep playing even if they reach the said goal. Thing is, before the players know it, they're addicted. They're already immersed in that "particular gaming world," and see it as a way to escape problems in real life.

Orzack's prescription? "Video game addicts" should accept their problem and be willing to change. And therein lies probably the biggest problem as most people don't see video games as "potentially harmful," as opposed to getting hooked on drugs or other vices. She also adds that there should be "warning labels" in video games packages, pretty much like the warning labels in cigarettes.

What about you? Do you agree with her? Share us your thoughts.