Explosions coming from every corner of the frame? Check. Torched cars barreling through the air? Check. Dozens of bullets blanketing the screen? Check. Could this perhaps be the latest action-packed film from Michael Bay?! No, surprisingly its not. Its Gamer from directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. You know, Neveldine and Taylor. The gentlemen who brought us Crank and Crank: High Voltage.
Didn’t see them huh? Don’t sweat it, neither did I. That’s not to say they weren’t any good…I just never got around to seeing ‘em.

The duo’s latest film, Gamer, takes place in the not too distant future and follows Kabel (300’s Gerard Butler), one of many death-row inmates forced into participating in “Slayers”: an ultra-violent multi-player online game created by the reclusive twisted billionaire, Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall).

In Slayers inmates are controlled remotely through by high-paying participants using a pseudo-virtual mind control interface. To Kabel’s highly-skilled controller Simon, and the other paying customers, the inmates are nothing but disposable sacks of flesh that serve as a form of entertainment. Not only for them, but for the millions who tune in to watch Slayers online each week. However, to Kabel, Simon’s skill might be the key he needs to put a stop to Slayers and eliminate Castle.

Now if the core premise of inmates being forced to run a gauntlet of death and destruction in exchange for huge ratings sounds at all familiar to you, that’s because its been done before. You may recall a little film from 1987 called The Running Man which is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

Rather than sit around twiddling your thumbs while you wait for Lionsgate to release Gamer into theaters later this year on September 4th, perhaps you can ponder some of the following questions:

Pending Gamer warrants a sequel, I’ll bet dollars for donuts that they use a videogame-related term(s) in the film’s title. I can see the possibilities now: Slayers: Time Extended. Or Gamer: Powered-Up.

[FirstShowing.net]
[Gamer - official site]

We here at Dark Diamond (I say that like we have a central office) know that times are tough. With home foreclosures on the rise, stocks hitting an all-time low, companies conducting massive layoffs and soaring gas prices, which are finally receding after reaching an all-time high (averaging over $4.00 a gallon), one would be foolish not to see these as tumultuous times. And now that the holidays are upon us, shoppers must think wisely and spend frugally when shopping for gifts for the perfect gifts their family, friends and loved ones. But fear not consumer, for we are here to help you save some time and some green with Dark Diamond’s Holiday Gift Guide – 2008 Edition.

Now before you hit the jump get comfortable: grab a cup of Egg Nog or hot apple cider, put on Christmas With the Rat Pack and let the 1080P Virtual Fireplace blaze away.

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It’s no secret that women gamers are drawn to different aspects of gaming then their male counterparts. The gaming industry is seen as a teenage boy clubhouse. While there has always been talk surrounding getting women more involved in this industry, finally a company is taking real action.

“Today, I am challenging everyone to take action to help level the playing field for women pursuing a career in video games,” said Torrie Dorrell senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE). “We can encourage diversity in development and make a difference, hopefully creating more opportunities for women.”

SOE is piloting, G.I.R.L. or Gamers In Real Life, a new initiative designed to encourage female students pursuing a career “in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play,” stated in a SOE press release.

There are a number of statistics and write-ups concerning this topic, but it is pretty clear that in the game development industry and within the gamer population “girl gamers” are a small albeit growing population.

G.I.R.L. is a scholarship program given to students of undergraduate studies relating to game development. Female students compete by submitting original artwork or essays to be judged by a panel. This scholarship has been in the seedling stages for quite a while and I think this is a fantastic outreach opportunity.

Let’s be real honest here and make some general, bordering on stereotypical statements, guys are very goal oriented. Girls that I know who play games tend to enjoy games that are either more cerebral or social based. Games like Rock Band, World of Warcraft or The Sims fit in this type of category and casual gaming is still dominated by women.

In a growing multibillion dollar industry, where nearly 75% of paying casual gamers are women demonstrating they play and are willing to purchase games for themselves, the potential revenue created by having women design games with the woman in mind, are too good for developers and publishers to pass-up.

What are your thoughts? Think I’m wildly off base and the gaming industry won’t change? Let me know in the comments.

[G.I.R.L. / Via SOE Press Release]

As you are aware, there is a shopper’s guide written by our very own tskiller (it got its own sidebar, so go click it, goddammit). But my rather insane-like right side of my brain thought to myself, “Why stop at 2007, when you can plan on what to get your friends and neighbors swag for the future?” Here’s a list on what you can expect to purchase for the holidays….of the future!(cue omnious Twilight Zone music)

*Please note that these forecasts are 50% accurate and 0% credible. So enjoy, as I bid Merry Christmas to all, and drive safe!

Final Fantasy XIII & Final Fantasy Versus XIII Exclusive Demo

Likely to be purchased via: Playstation Network

Estimate Price: US$49.99

Given the fact that Square-Enix has a tight grip on the JRPG market, it will only be a matter of time until they thought of something like this: Why place a free demo of a Final Fantasy game on a Square product (i.e Dragon Quest VIII) when fans are stupid loyal enough to pay for said FF demo at a retail price? Heck, if some gullible chap was willing to pay full price for tripe like Dirge of Cerberus, charging for a demo would seem like a logical step for the money vampires of the East. As an incentive, it comes with a brand “new” trailer, which is basically the one shown at the last E3 with additional 5-seconds worth of new footage.
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