Following the Grand Theft Auto IV copycat crime in Thailand, the government's Ministry of Culture has tightened its grip on video games and banned five games from being sold in the country. Details after the read more link below.

Eidos is the latest company to announce their gaming lineup for this year's E3, which will include the latest game in the Tomb Raider franchise, and Just Cause 2. More details are available in the full article.

People say Jane Cavanagh, the founder of the SCi Entertainment Group, has just released the company's 2007 annual report where they revealed that sequels to the Tomb Raider, Hitman, and some of their other IPs are in development. There's an uneasy air surrounding its emergence, however, since SCi's own investors called for the ousting of Cavanagh a few months ago. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

It looks like Lara finally has a daddy to come home to. Warner Bros Home Entertainment recently subscribed up to £15 million (US$ 30 million) new shares in the company and announced a new strategic partnership with the house behind the Tomb Raider series. For more details regarding this, read our full article after the jump.

Worried about the possibility of video game violence tainting the minds of children, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy came up with a "do not buy" list of violent video games.

Contrary to what most might expect, Rockstar Games' controversial Manhunt 2 (Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable) isn't the number one violent video game, but Grand Theft Auto is. Check out the Top Ten list in the full article.

 Ubisoft Montreal had a lot of things to say about Assassin's Creed (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) that made us hunger for more. Innovative controls, amazing visuals, big and immersive cities, top notch art direction, you name it. The much anticipated action game finally appears on shelves, and we jumped at it without a second thought. We played it for hours on end, and here's our verdict.

Another great game from Epic Games is releasing an album for its soundtrack: Unreal Tournament 3 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC). The soundtrack is compiled into a 2-disc set and features over 150 minutes worth of tracks, including re-mixed music from previous Unreal Tournament games.

The soundtrack will be released on November 20.

European Sony PlayStation 3 owners might want to check the PlayStation Store out, because Sony's Halloween treat is already online. PSN title Feel Ski, new applications for the PlayStation Eye, game demos, and a barrage of videos should prove to be sweeter than a handful of candies.

Tori Emaki and Mesmerize, those odd "games" as we've seen in videos, allow players to use the PlayStation Eye to recognize movement. In Tori Emaki, you'll be leading a flock of crows by waving your arms around. Mesmerize, on the other hand, boasts of ten different modes, one of which puts you on the screen and creates funky effects based on your moves. Both are trippy, but they should provide moments of relaxation.

Known as Go! Sports Ski in the US, the indie ski simulator Feel Ski is finally available on the European PSN. Along with it come demos of Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights and the much anticipated Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. There are also new videos for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Eye of Judgement, MotorStorm, and more.

Before you run off to check if the goods are in mint condition, hit the full article for a checklist!

Eidos apparently believes that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has the potential to replicate the success of Hitman. According to MCV UK, SCi CEO Jane Cavanagh revealed even though the game hasn't been released yet, a sequel is already in production.

"We've already got Kane & Lynch 2 in production, which just goes to show the belief we have in it as a long-term franchise", Cavanagh said. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) is being developed by IO Interactive, the same studio behind the successful Hitman series.

Eidos is also reportedly pumping a lot of money behind the marketing drive for Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. According to reports from MCV, Eidos is dishing out more money into the game's marketing than it did for any game in the Tomb Raider series.


Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC)]
Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3)]

In the 2007 Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Eidos Product Acquisitions director Ian Livingstone observed that gaming was still significantly behind movies and comics in terms of character "recognizability". This led him to say that the gaming industry "needs more Lara Crofts."

GameSpot narrates that in Livingstone's presentation at the aforementioned shindig, he presented the audience images of popular movie and comic characters first, then went on to flash pictures of iconic game personalities. The result: movie and comic book characters were easier to recognize for the crowd.

The Eidos bigwig then goes on to ask, "If we all work in the games industry, what does that say?" And then he went on to answer that same question by saying that developers need to establish more character in their games.

Livingstone discussed some key elements which can make a character linger in the psyche of gamers. One of the most important, he says, is the name. ""With a name like 'Darth Vader,' you know he's not going to be nice," he says. "Now 'Jar Jar Binks,' he's going to be much more fun."

Livingstone also pointed out that a distinctive look always helps. He cited their character Agent 47 from the popular Hitman series and revealed that the bald head with the bar code at the base often fascinated their audience, giving the character more life than others.

Finally, he says there are catch phrases. These are amazingly cool and original lines that will help people identify with a given character. Much like in a movie, people will find it hard to forget a particular line that hits close to home.