– The subject of much speculation since Square’s mysterious poster at the Tokyo Game Show, a sequel to hit role-playing game Final Fantasy X is now confirmed to be well under development. This, of course, is not in reference to Final Fantasy XI, whose future existence has been common knowledge for quite some time; rather, this is in reference to Final Fantasy X-2, the first ever Square RPG to directly further the storyline of a previous Square title. Not much is yet known about this intriguing sequel, except that it will be set two years past the battle with Sin, involve three main characters (Yuna, Rikku, and a currently unidentified newbie female), and feature a substantially altered combat system.
– Fans of Sid Meier will be pleased to know that his popular strategy title has finally returned to its board game roots. Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game pits you and up to five others in a competition to forge the greatest nation, by engaging in such activities as building cities, researching new technologies, and taking over the world. This realistic portrayal of global politics is now available in toy and hobby shops around the world.
– The tri-platform video game formerly touted as Dave Mira BMX XXX has been served another setback in its effort to become the “first major release to feature full-action nudity and with prostitutes and pimps as major character”: Three major retail chains — Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and KB Toys — are refusing to stock the game due to its generous amount of adult content. Now simply called BMX XXX (Dave Mira had his name removed also due to the game’s generous amount of adult content), Acclaim’s latest extreme sports title has been labeled a “grab for attention” by its critics, and a “parody in similar taste as Austin Powers and American Pie” by its supporters. Aside from being one of (if not the) most controversial video games of 2002, BMX XXX is somehow linked to bicycle racing. Look for this interactive porn on the shelves of video game retailers beginning November 19th.
– For a while now Nintendo has been hinting at some sort of “special connection” between their two upcoming Metroid titles — GameCube’s Prime and Game Boy Advance’s Fusion. The proverbial cat is no longer residing in “the bag” now, as the basic details of this connection are now available. It seems that if you complete Metroid Prime and then link it with Fusion, you will able to play through Metroid Prime wearing Samus’ special blue Fusion suit. Conversely, if you complete Metroid Fusion and link it with Prime, you will be able to play on your GameCube the original NES Metroid, with the added ability to save your status to the ‘Cube’s memory card as opposed to using the prior complex password system.
– A twenty-four year old male was found dead in the restroom of an Internet cafe in South Korea after an extreme eighty-six hour computer gaming marathon. The man reportedly stopped gaming for nothing, not even to pee, for over three and one half days, until finally collapsing from exhaustion. He quickly regained consciousness and went to the men’s room, where he collapsed again — this time for life. Police at the scene refuse to say what game the man was playing, presumably so to not affect its sales.
