Oddworld's New Movie

Developer Oddworld Inhabitants has teamed up with Vanguard Animation, the team behind Shrek, to create "Citizen Siege", an animatated CG sci-fi action thriller movie and videogame.

Citizen Siege is set in an entirely new universe where "current global conditions are extrapolated into a frightening near future where democracy has all but disintegrated under the rule of global corporatism". The story's expatriate hero finds himself "repossessed" after becoming ensnared in a nightmarish credit racket.

Mario in Russia?

Reuters, via daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun, is claiming that Nintendo are looking to open a Russian distribution office. This is great news for chilly, North European gamers looking to get their hands on Nintendo goodies in a timely manner. It also continues Nintendo's promise to expand the gaming market in new directions - tapping into a major market like Russia would be a shrewd move for the company.

CNN on Wii, "Enhanced" Wii coming later?

- CNN has signed up with Nintendo as the provider of news content on tne News Channel in American and Japan. News will be presented by category, but another way of getting to it is by spinning the weather globe to find stories in different countries

- Although Nintendo has removed DVD movie playback from the Wii, it plans to launch in Japan next year an enhanced Wii capable of such a feature

Microsoft banning modded Xboxes

And maybe some innocent bystanders:

After several months of silence it was more or less accepted that Microsoft wasn’t going to do anything about the firmware hacks that allow Xbox 360s to play backups. Rather surprising, considering the ‘inventor’ of the hack confirmed in March already that the mods are easily detectable, and the reports that piracy is running rampant in countries like China. It appears that Microsoft is finally taking action against them though, although they may be hitting the wrong persons.

3D Weather Display in Second Life

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with Aimee Weber Studio just unrolled a sneak preview of their educational project in Second Life (due to open in mid November). This appetizer of things to come features the three dimensional visualization of live national weather (now on display at the Science Center).

Hot Coffee Cools GTA Mod Scene

"Over a year after the infamous 'Hot Coffee' incident, author and game designer Brenda Brathwaite explores the tragic aftermath on the GTA mod community — including interviews with 'Hot Coffee' creator PatrickW, the ESRB's Patricia Vance, and more."

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