Things have been pretty light-hearted for the past few months around ESH. With last year’s console wars kicking off, there’s someone we forgot about. We totally dismissed good ole’ Jack Thompson from our minds, but he’s back. Thanks to Take Two, we’re FINALLY going to get a little downtime from Jacky-Boy.

We all read and/or heard about Jack Thompson’s crusade on video games, specifically Bully and Grand Theft Auto IV from Rockstar and Manhunt 2 from Take Two. If you haven’t then Google it and you’ll be up to speed. Basically, Jack tried to halt some games from these companies. Take Two sued Jack. Jack countersued Take Two and was held in contempt of court for, well, being Jack Thompson. Realizing that he was facing some jail time if the contempt of court charge panned out, J.T. waved the white flag and agreed that he:

· will not sue or threaten to sue to block sale or distribution of any game published by Take Two or its subsidiaries (i.e., Rockstar)
· will not communicate to Take Two or anyone doing business with T2 (like, say Wal-Mart) any accusation that the company committed any wrongdoing by selling its games. Thompson is not restricted from criticizing the content of T2 games, nor is he prevented from acting as counsel in lawsuits brought against Take Two by other parties
· will make any future contacts with T2 through its attorneys

In return, Take Two dismissed their counterclaim and dropped their contempt of court charge on Thompson.

Jack Thomson claims that he is extremely concerned about the effects that video games have on those who play them. He claims to believe whole-heartedly in his crusade and there is nothing more important than the safety of kids from these violent video games…nothing except his own safety and keeping himself out of jail. When asked to comment on the settlement, Jack Thompson said,

“I’m still concerned about the effect of these games on the youths of today…but I ain’t going to jail for them. Those little smacktards are on their own.“

OK. I’m kidding. He didn’t really say that. He just showed us that by his actions. I don’t know about you, but I can sleep much better knowing that he’s got my back.

The papers of Jack Thompson’s official defeat are here.

Finish What You Start...

Bully turns out unexpectedly to be Rockstar Games' tongue in cheek response to criticisms of their games. Despite of the feigned outrage by video game hater Jack Thompson, this game is actually harmless fun. There isn't anything in this game that you wouldn't find in an average American comic book from 1955 or in any anime today.



The game play consists of running missions where you make deliveries, or escort nerdy kids to classes and protect them from bullies. The game takes place in a school of unruly toughs where you play as an average boy who is just trying to make it to class and have a little fun. You are scored and earn money by finishing missions. You also go to classes such as art, english, chemistry and gym. Each class is a series of mini-games that increase in difficulty as you progress. The game would benefit from a wider range of classes to go to, and a better arrangement on the way that all the missions are timed. It would be even more fun if you could take your time going through it so that you can see and try everything along the way. It would also be better if you could hold more items.

You have a meter in the upper right hand of the screen that tells you how much trouble you are in. As you commit acts of truancy, violence, or trespassing then you need to find ways to hide or lower the amount of heat you are under. It is set up similar to the way that you get Wanted by police in Grand Theft Auto. You can't die in the game but you can get Busted or Knocked out. If you get in trouble and skip class or other problems there are immediate repercussions. bigger boys called "Prefects" will come along and try to bust you or beat your character up. You can evade them by hiding in lockers, or trash pails. Contrary to popular belief the game doesn't really reward misbehavior.

If you do well in the classrooms at the mini games you get rewards such as a can of soda, or the skateboard. In chemistry class if you pass then you are able to take a chemistry set back to your room with which you can make fire crackers. By beating bullies that are preying upon weaker kids you can get their "weapons" such as a sling shot. Once you have it there are various uses for it, Who wouldn't want to hide up a tree and nail a few over pumped macho football players?

The camera in the game could have used to be more refined it doesn't respond quickly enough to turn around during a fight sequence. If you are in a hurry to escape the prefects, your character may get stuck in a wall or other minimal obstacles that shouldn't be impeding the action.

There is a peace sign that you can use to make peace as an option as well.

The graphics are more detailed than expected as well. They are well done and you'll see things in the art class or library that you expect to find in real life. However the scenery isn't very interactive. Outdoors the game gives you more to explore and interact with. There are a variety of pick ups and missions that you can commit all sorts of vandalism with.

Your character can change outfits that are mainly limited to the school uniforms and aren't very imaginative. The environments and backgrounds are homogenous and average. Like the usual Rockstar games it isn't about the look of the game, as it is about the activities. The facial artwork is better than the rest of the graphics.

The music in the game is limited to monotonous baselines. It is boring and it is a flaw to have such lame tunes backing up a game put out by "Rockstar". The voice acting is one of the best things about the game. Like Grand Theft Auto that has a funny sound track, the background comments made by the NPC's that you overhear are just hilarious. Guys walking around will say things like "My butt itches." "I think I spend too much time playing RPG's." "Your Mama hits harder." " How did I get mayonnaise on my pants?" " If the sky fell on my head I wouldn't feel worse than I do right now." "I know I'm a good kisser, I practiced for years on my arm." "I can't believe people like condiments, I mean they are like snots or something."

The game is a riot. It's fun, it's pick up and play. You don't have any learning curve to deal with. It is all straight forward. You can sit down with it and enjoy lots of laughs and have a good time. It is a game that doesn't feel like work. You go to class or not, you play missions or not. You can blow things up, beat people up and be as criminal or truant as you want to. If you want to be a good kid, then you can do that too. It is basically a mirror of real life. In spite of the vagaries of life that present themselves, the choice of how you react is up to you. There are Bullies, Prefects that pick on you and a generally hostile environment that puts unfair amounts of pressure on kids in both directions. Good and bad are portrayed in a ratio that is a reflection of what any high school is like today.

This game may just be Rockstar's back handed apology to female gamers for the infamous Ho's in Grand Theft Auto. If you want to get attention from the girls in the game and kiss them, you have to offer them candy or flowers, and dress nicely to impress them. Hitting them over the head does not work in this game.

It is a shame that there isn't an option to play as a female student. The story-line is familiar from just about every high school genre anime on TV. In anime girls get into fights and pull off all of the antics that you find in this game. The game is devoid of sexism, and T & A. The girls are expected to be treated with at least a modicum of respect.

Whether it's rats that tell on kids, beatings, bribes, stealing from weaker kids, and making the nerds pay for protection none of it is new or shocking. Those high school horrors aren't limited to one gender or another. Kids are cruel on both sides of the schoolyard. There aren't any guns or killing, just mayhem and silliness.

Once again we have what might be expected to be a "guy game" that girls will enjoy. I know plenty of girls and women who play GTA and the whole gamut of WW2, and the other war games. Enlighten up dudes, we don't want Barbie - we want this game right here. Design me a female, gum chewing, pigtailed, kung fu fightin' girl, in a leather jacket to play as, and put her in the sequel to this game, and don't forget to pay me my royalties for the idea.

This game exemplifies the reason why people should play a game through before they open their mouth and start complaining about it. This game gets all up in your face and says "Buy an F'ing Sense of Humor America". It doesn't advocate violence or encourage kids to be anything that they are not. It is original in the way that Rockstar gives us a slice of life that some people might not want to look at or deny that has always been right there. If Grand Theft Auto taught us that "It's Hard Out There for a Pimp" then Bully shows us that it is just as hard out there for a teenager. I give Bully a 5 out of 5 for misbehavior rock on Rockstar Games.

Finish What You Start...

The final two combatants in the console war, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, have stepped onto the battlefield to stand against the Xbox 360 and all that remains is the verdict on the winner. Right now there are many gamers around the world enjoying their newly acquired systems after waiting in a long line for days, bribery, or paying twice the retail value on an auction site. What about those poor chaps who couldn’t get a system? Who speaks for the little guy that was fifth in line at a store that received four? That would be the Douce.

After getting a tip the night before the Wii release day that the local K-Mart would have about seven systems in stock and ready to sell when they unlock the doors at 7am, I begin the necessary preparations for a 6:30 am stakeout.
Fresh cup of coffee…check
Something warm to wear…check
PSP…check
Money in my account…check
Bulletproof vest…check

The alarm sounds and off I go. I get there at about 6:30am and to my surprise, there’s only one guy standing at the door and two people sitting in a parked car a few feet away from him. Let’s do the math…seven systems and three people here so far including me (I assumed the two people in the car would be picking up one system). “YES!! Douce is getting a Wii today!” you say? No, Douce is not getting his Wii.

To make a long story short, K-Mart got six system in, two were purchased by employees, the remaining four were reserved and sold to customers who got there before me(the two people in the car each got a system), and I was SOL. Being the loyal ESH fan/writer that I am, even though my heart was heavy over not getting a Wii, I sucked it up and interviewed a couple of others who couldn’t get the system. The general consensus was that the whole system launch situation could’ve been handled better and it’s a shame that nowadays in order to get a gaming system you must camp a store before it opens. I asked about the violence that’s been breaking out around the world over people waiting to get these systems and one guy replied, “Things like that just confirm what people like Jack Thompson are saying about gamers. People have been incited to violence over the HOPE of getting a system and haven’t even put a violent game in yet.”

Another customer said that if the stores would have handled the system launch with a little more organization then things wouldn’t have spiraled into violence. “If I’ve been camped out first in line at Best Buy for a week and then a few hours before they open the doors to let us in to buy the system, some employee with a security guard comes out and tells us that we have to form a line at a different location, I’d be pissed too. Employees have been going in and out of this place for days, looking at me stand in this line, probably laughing at me and NO ONE thought to tell me that I couldn’t stand here. Now I stand the chance of losing my number one spot and not getting a system. I’d probably be upset too.”

Could the system launches have been handled better? Was this year’s launches a sign of things to come? Is this what we, as gamers, have to look forward to every launch year? Is getting a system at release-minute worth a possible stick-up or fight? I’m curious as to what you think could have been done differently. Put in your two cents because change has to be start somewhere.

Finish What You Start...

NinJaSistah in the spot to be on a fine, fine, football afternoon to share with you some news about the Wii. [Don't get all in a tizzy, I wrote this originally at 2 in the afternoon... Blogger was havin' issues again so just be glad I finally got this thing posted.]

Moving on.

In between beers [Guinness if you're curious] and football games [can't BELIEVE New Orleans lost to Baltimore, dammit Reggie, you're a receiver, not a QB!] I've spared a few moments to share with you some wonderful news I've heard about the Wii. Well, more directly, the Wii Nunchaku remote.

There seems to be a debate about the Wii Nunchaku [the little analog stick dongle for the Wiimote] having a rumble feature. There was a post on the Gaming Tengoku blog that linked to a quote from the NeoGAF forum about a quote from the British magazine EDGE. The forum post didn't link directly to the EDGE article, but I'll help them confront all the naysayers out there. Nintendo's own website SAYS the Wiimote has a rumble feature. This should not be any big news. It's good to know, since SIXAXIS won't have the feature, and makes me curious if the lack of force feedback will be a big noticable difference or not. Now, from the looks of all the attention that this got on Digg with people calling this wrong, inaccurate, and a rumor, I thought I would run with my very own flaming rumors and unconfirmed speculative thoughts through untraceable links and pure flights of fancy, in order to show people what actual bullshit looks like. Maybe that way, when the real info hits, it won't be mistaken for bullshit. Let's test it.

What is to follow is totally unconfirmed, in all liklyhood never going to happen and as such, should be regarded as incorrect, impossible, or as blatant lies for the sake of entertainment only.

Not to be outdone by Nintendo, Sony has decided to add in the ability for your PSP to operate your PS3 wirelessly, anywhere. Got to pee? No need to stop the gaming fun, bring your PSP along and you can continue playing your game as you "drop the kids off at the pool." Gotta go to work? Again, not an issue as Sony has you covered with their new PLAYONOYALP system, you can continue to play your PS3 games from your cubical computer, LP2 printer, or fax machine! Sony really means it when they say "Play B3yond!" I heard this over at the forums on the d00dI'mJokin.net website

Not to be left behind in the race for next-gen game console dominance, Microsoft and Take 2 Interactive in a joint partnership with Dairy Queen are going to create a new XBlive experience for the Gold level members. The new "Just Dip It!" program, not to be confused with Nike's "Just Do It" campaign, will reward XBLive Gold members that (1) pre-pay for 4 years of the XBLive service and (2) can teabag Jack Thompson in public with free small Blizzards, Single-Dipped cones, or Sundays each Friday during their tenure as an XBLive Gold member. Dive right in to the fun with XB360, Take2 Games, and Dairy Queen, and "Just Dip It!"

You see my friends, THAT is what you can list as being "inaccurate" or "unreliable." Something that is listed on a manufacturers website that you can find by Googling the words "wii controller+rumble" and get in the FIRST FREAKIN RESULT... not bullshit.

You all my now return to your previous gaming playing, anime watchin', and general geekin' out.

Finish What You Start...

I know I've been a bit lax in the posting of late, but danged if the so called "real world" hasn't been intruding on my web and game fun. Unfortunately, I've been having to do this thing, where I provide different people my design services on projects of their liking and in return, they give me money for my efforts.

Yes, NinJaSistah... daytime web design whore.

Moving on, I'm a little behind in my news, but I've seen a couple of things that I wanted to share with you and talk about if you hadn't already heard about em.

First off, Jack Thompson. You know him, you love him, [or is that loathe, they are so close together on the emotional rollercoaster chart] and well, Jack's got himself in a tad bit of hot water. You know how that judge disagreed with his ideas about Bully being a public nuisance and needing to be kept off the shelves where consumers could buy it? Well, Jacky boy shortly after the hearing wrote the judge hearing the case a letter. If I ever in my life were to receive a letter like this from someone because they lost at something by my hand, I would have no choice but to pursue legal action against them rather than my first instinct to do them bodily harm. In this diatribe to Judge Ronald Friedman, Thompson at one point says,

"What you conducted in your chambers, Judge, was the equivalent of Iran leading UN weapons inspectors around the country taking them to places where the illegal activity was not occurring."

Now unless the Judge in this case anal raped all of the principles in this case and broadcast it live on the web, I'm not exactly sure what he could possibly have done in quarters to gain such glowing praise from JT... but I'll continue on. Also in the letter, JT mentions that his losing is not the cause of this letter being sent.

I can handle an adverse ruling by a judge. I've had plenty of those in my lifetime, and that's fine.

Which by itself wouldn't be any interesting point to bring up... but the sentence that follows is why I point it out. JT goes on to say

"But the way you conducted yourself today helps explain why a great Dade County Judge, the late Rhea Pincus Grossman, could not abide you. She was not the only one..."

Then the list starts. Seriously, read the letter.

Now Kotaku posted this on the 13th of October. What I find interesting is that the next day [14th of October for those of you keeping track] the family group that Thompson has so often referred to as having the support of in all of his open letters, many sound bytes, and so forth, issued their own open letter... to JT himself. The National Institute on Media and the Family said that Mr. Thompson better stop letting their name come out his mouth. Well, that's basically what they said. Dr David Walsh who founded The Institute says in his open letter

"However, over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue."

"...Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect... Some of the people that you have publicly criticized are not only people of integrity, but are people who have worked to improve the lives of children."

"...Consequently, I ask that you cease using the institutes or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts."

Ouchies! It has to hurt when everyone in the world [and not just the gaming community that you feed upon like a vampire]finds out your a poser.

Now that Jacky boy may be in some hot water with Judge Friedman for his lovely letter and may be found to be held in contempt of court. With this well published letter of his floating around, I don't know how it could be seen as anything but contemptible. I wasn't even in the court house, nor was I the person the letter was addressed to and I find it highly arrogant, offensive, and ultimately immature.

I am now going to sit back and watch with joy as the US legal system work, again [as I do not feel that Bully, or any video game to date is a public nuisance] as you get held in contempt of court and get to spend some one on one time with a few folks that may be convicted of violent crimes.

While you are there, ask them if video games made em do it.

Finish What You Start...

In today's news:

• Gamer girls told she's not
• Madden NFL 07 recalled?
• That's so Bully
• Nebraska nerds love anime
• Count on Monte Cristo

Girls don't play RPGs, do they? She might be a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but E. Cabell Hankinson Gathman is also a gamer girl. She reveals in the blog Strange Horizons, "even when they're not being told that they can't or shouldn't play games, girls are still being told that they don't." If boys can be female characters in RPGs, why can't a girl be one, too?

Madden NFL 07 recalled by EA: EA Sports is recalling Madden NFL 07 according to this release: "The recall came after gamers grumbled that no matter what teams or players they put on the field, Al Michaels and John Madden would only talk about Terrell Owens." Deleting the controversial receiver required a recall, programmers said, because the "81 module" is not merely one among many players but an integral part of the game's basic operating system. (OK, OK, it's just a joke! We already knew that. But it's pretty dang funny.)

A Bully's first gay kiss: Perhaps this is what Jack Thompson is missing in his life. The Entry-Level Heiress blog features a still and a movie showing the Playstation's first gay kiss, from the just-released videogame Bully, which "features a character that likes to give flowers to other boys and then make out with them."

UNOtaku group enjoys nerdness: At the University of Nebraska-Omaha, anime fans are comfortable enough with their fanaticism to make a little fun of themselves. Rachel Samson, president of UNOtaku, told the university's student newspaper, "The word 'Otaku' originated in Japan, where it carries a slightly negative, nerdy connotation, but we don't mind." The group meets on Thursday nights and is free to anyone who wants to show up.

Gankutsuou 6 - Count of Monte Cristo: The sixth chapter of this classic tale of love, betrayal and revenge has just been released. Jean Jacques Burnel, who did the music, said of the project, "what I like about this version is the additional mephistolean arrangement between Edmond and the creature. This reminds me a bit of the degenerating power of the devil when you accept his help." You know you want it.

Finish What You Start...

You know the drill, it's free-swim Friday: EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL

BYOSAAH [That's Bring Your Own Skype And A Headset for those of you not in the know] and join us for a live recording of the ESH podcast this Friday OCT 20 at 5pm EDT. Ask questions, , chat along, it's all good in the hood. NinJaSistah will be talking about the Rockstar game Bully and the lack of student violence/deaths in schools [poor Jack Thompson, proven wrong yet again] and the value of online gaming. Who knows what Pandalicious will talk about, but you can rest assured it's going to be a party ya'll!

So get on your Skype account, make sure you have a mic and headphones [or a headset] plugged in [you know, to keep ambient noise out] and go to Skypecasts.skype.com we'll even give you this link log in with your username and password, and then at 5pm EDT on Friday under the "Find A Skypecast" click on "On Now" and look for "Electric Sista Hood." It's just that easy. If you have any difficulty, you can read this page for help and instructions.

See you then.

Finish What You Start...

In today's news:

• Judge not bullied by Jack Thompson
• Pick your favorite video game boss
• Yet more Sony batteries recalled
• Yet more Tenchi

Florida judge OK's Bully: Although he doesn't want his kids playing it, Ronald Friedman, a circuit court judge in Miami-Dade County, Fla., said it is not violent enough to ban it. "There's a lot of violence," Judge Ronald Friedman said in court Friday, according to a story in the Miami Herald. "A whole lot. Less than we see on television every night." Friedman didn't offer a ruling, saying he would consider the matter further if Coral Gables attorney Jack Thompson wanted to schedule a hearing after the game is released. Thompson, who brought the complaint, said he doesn't plan to revisit the issue.

It's National Boss Day -- Here are the top video game bosses: "Instead of leaving goopy Hallmark cards on the desks of the higher-ups around here," the video game fans at thephoenix.com decided to choose the top 20 bosses in video game history. We won't reveal the list here, so you should just surf over to read it for yourself. And be sure to comment if your choices differ.

More Sony batteries recalled: Sony reports no reports of additional battery accidents, but another 79,000 of the company's batteries were recalled on Friday. Sharp Corp. said it was recalling 28,000 batteries made by Sony and Fujitsu said it was recalling an additional 51,000 battereis, bringing the total number of computer batteries recalled to more than 7.7 million. Here are the current recall numbers, as of Sunday, Oct. 15:

Dell...........4,200,000
Apple..........1,800,000
Toshiba..........830,000
Lenovo...........526,000
Fujitsu..........338,000
Sharp.............28,000
Hitachi...........16,000
TOTAL..........7,738,000

More Tenchi: In Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Ohki: Final Confrontations, it's the aftermath of Tenchi's battle with Z, and events are once again proceeding as they should. With normal life back on track, Tenchi's father and grandfather decide the time is right to tell him the truth about his mother's death. One thing in certain - on this day, the answers to all of Tenchi's burning questions will be revealed. Final volume comes packaged in collectible tin. Get it all right here.

Finish What You Start...

F.E.A.R. stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, and while I could care less about the acronym, I figured I ought to go ahead and explain it now so I wouldn't have to later. Moving on.

First thing, F.E.A.R. plays extremely well... this coming from a gamer that plays mostly fighter games, is a big deal. Right from the level start very little controller tweaking is needed feel comfortable playing the game. The visuals in the game are gorgeous. A lot of attention was paid to detail you find as you run through the levels: dripping liquids from ceilings and pipes, and great use of light and shadow that is equally balanced by nearly perfect audio. Background music swells in places heightening the player's awareness, which is then startled even more by some gameplay element that seems to appear out of nowhere. The game also uses time manipulation to slow down your movement and focus the player on some increasing spooky or "weird you the hell out" stuff. [Which they succeed at, by the way]

There is nothing special about the game control setup. Like most FPS games you use one analog stick for aiming, one for movement, a button for weapon switching, a button for reloading or action, a button for jumping, and the d-pad for incidental items. [Flashlight, medpacks, etc] Yes, all in all, F.E.A.R. would be just another good-looking, solid, FPS if it weren't for the storyline and environment development. Where F.E.A.R. differs from most FPS games is that the story isn't just a run of the mill "kill the alien invaders" type deal. As the game starts, a base is taken over by some military unit that takes a bunch of hostages but make no demands. The F.E.A.R. Unit is sent in to take control of the situation, but some unknown force or entity takes out nearly every member of the team. The player is left alone to save the hostages from the intruding military unit, and find out who or what is behind the mysterious stuff that has started happening on the base.

From the start, the game unfolds more like a love child from a Resident Evil, The Shinning, and The Grudge. [You might even want to throw in Eternal Darkness as, like, maybe a fluffer] I mean the game is designed to psych you out and then scare you out of your drawers not by just bombarding you with gory images, but with creating environments that draw you in and then confine you. The use of space, dimly lit areas with a finite light source, music that seems to build to a crest as something is about to happen, all lead the player to a worked up state that lends itself well to the quick introduction of a "what the fuck was that" element. F.E.A.R. does this over and over and over in the game. As you progress on in the game your character starts experiencing paranormal things... you start seeing people in an area that when you get there, aren't there. You hear children laughing in a place that is just littered with dead bodies... a place that no children belong at all. I don't even want to mention the voices you hear from time to time. F.E.A.R. wants to un-nerve you, and it will.

That's what I really enjoy about this game. I don't like games that are just gory for the sake of being gory. Not because they are fodder for the likes of Jack Thompson, but because they just aren't entertaining. F.E.A.R. is made more scary to me, even terrifyingly so at times, for me because the game directly tries to mess with my head. That excites me. Get me where I live and I'll be loyal to your franchise until the day I die. The plot is revealed through accessing data via intercepted voicemail message, laptop access, listening to radio newscasts, and pc character encounters throughout the game. And while I never played the PC version of the game, I'm almost certain that all these elements combined will still leave some gaps in the story that my imagination gets to fill in. That's even more exciting to me about this game. I love games that just give me enough... enough of the story that I can let my fertile and active little imagination run around free and create it's own story scenarios. That keeps me engaged in the game and ultimately makes me go back for more. Maybe there was a bit of info that I missed, or a clue I somehow didn't see. Maybe it was a puzzle I didn't know I had to solve, the answer that I needed might have been right there and I just missed it. I have to go back and find out... I need to know for sure. Any game that makes me feel that way is a game that I will probably pre-order.

So even though I totally suck at FPS games, I am probably going buy F.E.A.R. when it comes out on 16 NOV 06. The game will be available on both the XB360 and PS3 platforms, but if you have an XB360 with a hard drive you can get the demo from the marketplace right now.

Tell them NinJaSistah sent you.

Finish What You Start...

"His mama named him Clay, I'mma call him Clay!"

I have not been a big fan of Rockstar to begin with. I have enjoyed a few of their games, not to the point of pre-order or anything like that, but I did have a lot of respect for their refusal to cave under the "video games are killing/ruining our kids" pressure. That took serious balls. I respect having and exercising your balls. And Rockstar had been exercising their balls on a regular basis until the recent game name change. They stuck it out when they were first pressured about the game and kept developing it. They continued to weather the storm when the waters got rough with mounting protests outside their office buildings. They seemed to flex their balls at every turn and so my respect grew.

Rockstar Games this week changed the name of a game they are releasing in October 2006 called, "Bully" to "Canis Canem Edit" which means "dog eat dog" in Latin. As a professional and individual capable of educated thought processes, I understand why Rockstar felt the need to make this change. The folks over at Rockstar must be tired of the flack they have been receiving over the Bully game; tired of the protests and weary of the constant barrage of negative press from the mass miss-informed public.

I mean, look back over the past year...with "Hot Coffee" problems, the FCC inquisition, and Jack Thompson declaring that they are responsible for all that is unholy in present day America the name change must have seemed the easiest of decisions to make in order to gain some sort of reprieve. [Let's face it, when Adam Sessler ends up defending you to your buddy and mine Jack Thompson, you probably need all the rest and positive press you can get your hands on.] So change your products name to something that will not aid in triggering more negative responses. Really, I do understand it...but at the same time, it seemed like a total "wuss" move to me. I am not afraid to say that a little piece of me died that day.

But back to the game. The main thing that I got my attention about this new game Bully was how the game's basic plot line resonated with me. The game is about a character going through school having to either face or run away from bullies. I was picked on elementary school [being the only black kid didn't help, but neither did being the shortest kid in school either] and in high school [being the only black female in my school to get into an ivy league college didn't help me get a superlative in the yearbook let me tell you] so the idea of a video game that would allow me to avenge my younger self against the embodiments of my former tormentors really interested me. Then I started thinking that it could be therapeutic for me, and not only me but other gamers as well. This game might allow players to express any feelings of repressed anger or resentment that they may have to be released in a safe and controlled environment. Wouldn't that be a great thing? If people used the video game to blow off steam as opposed to self-medicating using alcohol, drugs, or resorting to violence?

It would wonderful if people would recognize video games as the fun diversions they are meant to be, but the politicians and "family values" groups won't allow that to happen. These groups that say they want to protect children from sex and violence refuse to address the issues that make kids choose these outlets for their emotions or how to handle them in the first place. No, they will continue to harass the people at Rockstar, make appearances before the media with no real or educated arguments and just out right dog this game...but in my heart of hearts I hope that the Rockstar dog eats their dog.

So from today until the end of time this game will always be Bully to me.

Finish What You Start...