Gamer Scan on hiatus

We regret to inform that for the time being, Gamer Scan is being put on hiatus. Editorial efforts are instead being shifted behind Electronista. The Scan may resume updating at some point in the future, but if so, it will most likely be with different contributors. We'd like to thank each and every one of you who has become a regular reader, and please be sure to visit Electronista for updates on gaming-related hardware.

Bully lawsuit ruling comes in

The anticipated decision has been made, and Jack Thompson has lost his case, Destructoid reports. Bully will go to market on schedule without any interference. "There’s nothing in the game that you wouldn’t see on TV every night," Judge Ronald Friedman has ruled. "[I] wouldn’t want [my] kids to play the game, but that shouldn’t mean that the game won’t ship." In reaction, Thompson apparently lost his temper in court. Destructoid writes that the courtroom became "pretty heated," and the judge had to ask Thompson to sit down. The lawyer insisted that Friedman hadn't really played the game, which may have been true, but he was present alongside Thompson and a Take-Two employee while two hours of gameplay were shown. Thompson further rejected an offer to appeal the decision to the Third Appellate Court, saying that Bully would already be in stores by the time the case was heard. The game is due October 17th.

ESA announces details of new E3 Expo

Down but not out, the new incarnation of the E3 Expo will take place July 11th to the 13th in Santa Monica, California. The event will be invitation-only for members of the game industry, and revolve around press events scheduled by companies. Those wanting to actually play a game will have to migrate to Barker Hangar, where software will be set up in pre-sized areas for demonstrations. More "intimate" meetings and demonstrations will take place in local hotel suites. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) is also toying with adding an independent games showcase, plus the Into the Pixel art competition and exhibition. "The new E3Expo event will be more personal, efficient and focused," the ESA's Doug Lowenstein says, "and it will provide the top stakeholders who make games, sell games, and cover games streamlined access to the people and products they most need to see."

New Playstation Network details...

Sony's reputation is lacking somewhat when it comes to online play. They may have implemented networks for the PS2 and PSP, but nothing they've done has been as successful as Xbox Live or even the Nintendo DS. That could be changing, says Eurogamer. The site had a chance to get hands-on PS3 experience with Sony's Phil Harrison, and quite a bit of info has been spilled about the PS3 and its operation with the Playstation Network. As we've known, the core interface will resemble the PSP. What you may not know is that the PS3 will support multiple PSN accounts, unlike the 360, which forces you to use a single Xbox Live account. PSN accounts will be further divided into master and associated levels. Most gamers will want to stick with the master level, but parents can use associated accounts to restrict how much a child does online. And speaking of account levels, you can forget about about buying the equivalent of Xbox Live Gold. All features of PSN will be immediately accessible, from Web browsing to multiplayer play. The only items you'll pay extra for are subscriptions to massively multiplayer games, and select downloads from the Playstation Store.

G4 network placed under the thumb of E!

In an attempt to consolidate its west-coast TV channels, Comcast has placed the G4 gaming network under the auspices of E! Entertainment Television, TV Week writes. For gamers, this is just the latest in a series of disappointments from G4. The network's programming has become increasingly diverted from gaming since its debut in 2002; some current shows include G.I. Joe, The Man Show, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The E! changeover may accelerate G4's transformation into a non-gaming channel. "I do agree with the vision of going after young men more than just going after gaming," E!'s Ted Harbert says. "Gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow." He may be right, since G4 is ranked 57th among 64 channels available on basic cable.

South Park sword manifests in Burning Crusade beta...

You knew it was coming. In South Park's World of Warcraft episode, Stan Marsh uses the specially-crafted Sword of a Thousand Truths to slay an otherwise unstoppable griefer. Now that the closed Burning Crusade beta is underway, testers have discovered the sword for sale from a merchant - "Finely crafted to Salzman's specification." Joystiq has confirmed the sword's existence with Blizzard. The weapon is apparently intended as a reward for gladiators in the new Arena PvP mode. Unlike the fictional sword, however, the real one doesn't cause instant mana burn or 120 points of damage per second. Click below to see bigger screenshots.

PS3's extra Oblivion content coming to PC and 360

In an interview with IGN, Bethesda's executive producer on The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion has said that both the PC and 360 will get the extra content shipping with the PS3 version of the game. "We always aim to have all our content available across all platforms, so that is our goal," Todd Howard explains. No timeframe has been set for any downloads or retail packages. Called Knights of the Nine, the extra content will add another 10 to 20 hours of gameplay as players join a new faction and encounter new quests, locations, characters and equipment. The PS3 game ships on November 17th.

Judge may rule on Bully this afternoon

Lawyer Jack Thompson e-mailed GamePolitics last night and informed them that "Judge [Ronald] Friedman has seen the game played with me present, and… he has granted my motion to reconvene the hearing at 1:30pm tomorrow (Friday). After argument by both sides, he will rule." Friedman is one of the presiding judges at Florida's Third District Court, which is overseeing a case that would see Bully handed over to Thompson to determine the threat of copycat violence. Yesterday, Friedman himself asked to see the game so he could evaluate its contents. Such a short viewing may well mean that the judge has made up his mind.

Phantasy Star Universe beta is out at last

With the end of the test period (October 18th) a mere five days away, Sega has finally put the Phantasy Star Universe beta up on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The file is a free 940 MB download until Sunday, when beta entries will be closed. Players will be able to fight, talk, try different jobs, explore three different planets, and manufacture their own weapons. If you have bug reports or game suggestions, Sega is hoping you'll send them in through forms on the official Website. Now for the unfortunate news: on October 17th, Xbox Live will be going down for as much as 24 hours of maintenance starting at 3 AM Eastern. So in reality, gamers will get closer to four days of Phantasy Star.

Activision games come to Steam

Ever since Valve opened Steam to third-party developers, companies have been in a rush to sign their games to the network, which is a relatively simple way for back catalog and indie titles to get distribution that would otherwise be impossible. One of the biggest leaps, however, was today's news that Activision would deliver an initial batch of its own games to Valve's network. The first games to arrive on Steam will be the three current games from Infinity Ward's Call of Duty series as well as Neversoft's cowboy action title GUN. Call of Duty, its expansion pack, and GUN will all be available for $20 when they become available later this month; as a newer game, Call of Duty 2 will sell for $40. Other games weren't mentioned as part of Activision's announcement, though they will likely follow if the early launch proves a success.

Federal judge blocks Oklahoma video game law

Laws banning the sale of games to some or all of the public are not a new occurrence: we've seen nine such laws turned down by the US government. Thank Federal Court District Judge Robin Cauthron for adding a tenth to that list. The lawmaker today made an initial ruling that would block a recently-enacted Oklahoma video game law that would have taken effect on November 1st. Named Bill HB30004, if enabled it would have prevented any game with "inappropriate violence" - that is, gore without artistic, political, or scientific commentary attached - from being sold without being hidden from younger shoppers. Numerous groups, including the Entertainment Merchants Association, were up in arms regarding the law as they said it violated the First Amendment and effectively ignored the ESRB ratings system. The ruling is likely the precedent to declaring the law unconstitutional, so avid Oklahoman gamers can now breathe a (tentative) sigh of relief.

EB Games Canada pre-orders begin October 16th

Since we don't want to leave Canada out of the loop, an e-mail from EB Games confirms that Wii and PS3 pre-orders will start there on Monday, October 16th. Like the US' Wii scheme, Canada will take pre-orders on a first-come-first-served basis with one console per household. The primary difference is that to make a reservation, you'll need $50 in trade-ins or $200 in cash or credit. You are not guaranteed to get your console on launch day, "as we [EB] cannot control production and shipping issues" that might happen to Nintendo.

Nintendo changes stance on Wii's sunlight behaviour

Reversing what they said to 1UP, Nintendo tells Kikizo that direct sunlight can indeed confuse the sensor bar needed to track the Wiimote. A representative likens the problem to being unable to watch your TV in full glare. Of course, the trouble here is that the sensor bar represents a much smaller target than a TV. Some gamers may be forced to reposition displays to use the console. Worse, it doesn't seem like Nintendo could easily improve a sensor with such unique functions.

id Software: More XBLA games, Quake map source out

More id Software games could be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade, FiringSquad says. With Doom having come to the Arcade in late September, it seems only natural that other id titles such as Quake, Commander Keen, and Wolfenstein 3D might be considered. id CEO Todd Hollenshead has this to say: "We're looking at bringing some of the other games to XLA, but a lot is going to depend on the response to DOOM. From what MS tells us, its been fantastic so far, which bodes well for other id 'classics' to be released there. But there's nothing concrete. Making the surprise announcement at X06 for DOOM worked out great, so I'll be tight lipped about anything specific for now." Speaking of Quake, John Romero has released cleaned-up source code for the game's maps. You can download it here. Previously, the only (easy) way of replicating Quake's maps was by imitation.

Wii downloads to go beyond Virtual Console

In a conference held by the Japanese division, Nintendo has announced the creation of line of products called Wii Compact Software, The Wiire reports. As opposed to the mostly "classic games" lineup of the Virtual Console, Compact Software will consist of original games that are nevertheless small enough to be downloaded. Pricing and titles remain a mystery; it is known, however, that the first WCS games should be ready for spring of 2007. In the same conference, Shigeru Miyamoto made reference to a Wii title called Health Pack - could this be the first WCS product?

Phantasy Star Universe beta "this weekend"

Sega is saying that the free Phantasy Star Universe beta, delayed from its original date of October 11th, will now be available on Xbox Live "this weekend." The unfortunate news is that despite the postponement, sign-ups will still last two days and the beta will still end October 18th. The retail version of the game will launch October 24th for the PC, 360 and PS2, and at that point will cost a subscription fee for online play. A single-player adventure will be playable without extra cost.

Developer of Okami, Viewtiful Joe closing its doors

In a shocking turn of events, Capcom has decided to close Clover Studio, the development team reponsible for critically-acclaimed titles like Okami, Viewtiful Joe, and God Hand, which was just released in North America this Tuesday. "Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has met the goal of developing unique and creative original home video game software," Capcom tells CVG. However, "in view of promoting a business strategy that concentrates management resources on a selected business to enhance the efficiency of the development power of the entire Capcom group, the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has been raised and passed at a Board of Directors' meeting." The closure takes effect in March of 2007. UPDATE: A Wired source says the Clover team is considering forming an independent studio. In fact, this may be the real reason for the split.

PS3 not even shipping with component cables?

For such an expensive console, Sony is being extremely stingy. First it was learned that the PS3 wouldn't ship with an HDMI cable. In response to the furor, Sony replied by saying it wasn't a big deal. HDMI wouldn't be required for 1080p. They went ahead and added HDMI support to the $499 PS3 anyway, but now Famitsu is saying that in Japan, at least, neither model of PS3 will come with so much as a component cable. Gamers will instead get a standard, HD-less composite connection. To experience HD, you'll have to buy your own component or HDMI cables elsewhere. Sony has yet to say if this development will carry over to North America.

EB and GameStop taking Wii pre-orders on Friday...

Close but no cigar, GayGamer. Go Nintendo managed to obtain a confirmation e-mail which says that Wii pre-orders will begin with regular store hours on Friday. The letter also notes that while managers won't be able to force bundles on customers, orders must be taken in person on a first-come-first-served basis. No mention is made of a deposit requirement. On a tangential note, Scan readers living in New York City may be extremely lucky. Kotaku writes that Nintendo World has been silently taking pre-orders since last week, and moreover, a $50 deposit will guarantee a Wii on launch day without waiting in a lineup. The store has already assigned over 1,000 Wiis. UPDATE: An e-mail from EB/GameStop offers info on pre-order requirements. You'll have to put down a $50 deposit in the form cash, credit, or trade-ins. Specific trade-ins (namely PS2, PSP, Xbox and GameCube games) will earn additional money towards reservation or purchase. Call your local retailer for details and availability.

Bully to make a court appearance

A judge in Florida's Third District Court of Appeal, Ronald Friedman, has asked Take-Two to produce a copy of Bully before the end of Thursday, GamePolitics reports. Friedman intends to review the game for as much as 100 hours to determine whether it could be the "public nuisance" described by plaintiff lawyer Jack Thompson. Thompson filed a lawsuit back in August, demanding to see the game personally so that "I and others can analyze it to determine whether it still poses a threat of copycat violence in our schools." In an odd statement, Friedman says he hopes Wal-Mart will reconsider selling Bully to minors if he decides the game deserves a Mature rating. It's set to be rated Teen by the ESRB - a private industry organization. The courts can only ban the game or permit sales as usual.