Sony angers Vatican
A Sony ad campaign in Italy celebrating the PlayStation's 10th anniversary has angered local Catholics. The ad shows a man wearing a crown of thorns that have been twisted into the shape of circles, X's, triangles and squares, symbols that feature prominently on the PlayStation controller. The caption reads "Dieci anni di passione," which translates to "Ten years of passion."
"This time they've gone too far," Antonio Sciortino, editor of the Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana (Christian Family), told a local newspaper, according to Reuters. "If this had concerned Islam there would have been a really strong reaction."
Sony quickly pulled the ad and apologized.
Next-gen "Castlevania" in the works
A new entry in the long-running "Castlevania" series is in development for an unidentified next-generation console, series producer Koji Igarashi said in an interview with "Nintendo Dream" magazine last week. So far 20 games have been released in the "Castlevania" series. "Castlevania" celebrates its 20th anniversary next year. It is one of the longest running video game franchises in existence, its debut dating back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
"I've been told by an overseas anime developer that products themed on vampires never die out," Igarashi said.
Man sells Xbox 360 controller on eBay
The Xbox 360, as well as its games and accessories, do not go on sale until Nov. 22. Even so, one of its controllers appeared on eBay on Sept. 17 and sold last week for $91. The seller, whose eBay name is "tuzik7," said he acquired the controller at a Microsoft game developer's conference. There were 22 bids. Buyer "jhenshaw" could not be reached for comment as to whether the sale was indeed legitimate or if he in fact got ripped off.
"Turok" gets new developer and "Unreal" engine
Buena Vista Games is revitalizing the "Turok: Dinosaur Hunter" series that many gamers had thought permanently faded into oblivion with the death of original video game publisher Acclaim. Last week the new developer announced they will use the "Unreal 3" engine, an increasingly popular engine for developing next generation action games. BVG has yet to announce a release date or platform choice for the next "Turok"
