I first got news of  ”shocking” footage from GamePolitics and felt the muted CNN iReport to be nothing more than people up in arms. Watching animated videogame footage of people being mowed down, even if they are unarmed civilians is, what some might say sadly, not new to me.

We’ve seen controversy play out like in Six Days of Fallujah; the player needing to make a moral decision on the battlefield with the media and non-gamers (and some gamers) saying games about terrorism in ultra-high-def-realism is too soon. So going back to COD: MW2 found by way of TheEscapist I saw the actual gameplay, with sound.

That’s where my attitude changes; maybe I’m getting grandpa old because once I heard what was going on in the background it became much harder to keep my belief people just need to get a grip. I hope I don’t now fall in that crazy crowd. I’m not going to say this goes too far, but I think it certainly comes close to the line.

You guys know I’m all against censorship, especially in games so you tell me what you think…

[RuTube]

UPDATE:

Activision responds:

From GamePolitics

Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.

Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older.

About the events taking place in the scene itself, Activision explained:

The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them.

I’m not sure what I just watched, but Liberty City just got a new show. Found in your safehouse on cleverly named CNT, Princess Robot Bubblegum show be available at the end of this month. In this series you’ll be sure to get all the wonderful stereotypes we’ve grown to love about anime.

At last, a little update on that whole Kirsten Dunst doing mahou shojou cosplay we reported on a while ago. It has emerged that the shooting was indeed a music video. In fact she was singing the much cliche’d and ad hoc song ‘Turning Japanese’.

What’s more though is that the video is to be part of a much larger film based on Akihabara culture directed by Takashi Murakami, who long time readers might remember as the director of this excellent superflat Louis Vuitton video we posted back in 2007. The film is titled “Akihabara Majokko Princess”. Above you’ll find a couple of images of Muramaki, the first being him in front of a giant print allusive to the film, you can even see the legs of a giant Kirsten Dunst in her infamous cosplay, terrorizing the city. The other image… well lets just say it’s quite titillating.

[Arrested Motion]

Sure the US has a cool president right now but it doesn’t hold a candle to Japan’s Ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Not only did he impersonate Elvis on his last trip to the US but now he’s going all superhero on us by voicing Ultraman King in the next big Ultraman movie, Giant Monster Battle: Ultra Galactic Legend. He’ll be voicing the iconic Japanese superhero at the urging of his son (cool dad points too). His raspy deep voice fits perfectly to the King of the Ultramen. Perhaps Obama should take a passage from the book of Conan Obrien and try his hand at anime dubbing. Perhaps he can voice himself.

We shouldn’t be shocked by the various guises, ways and fashions in which Hello Kitty gets pimped. You’d be harder pressed to find something she hasn’t had her faceless mouth all over. But still; Kitty finds ways to make us feel inner shame, sickness, disappointment, yet also a great deal of commendability for her knack for rolling with what ever is popular at any given time. Lady Gaga is currently the world’s ‘it girl’ on the music scene, and Hello Kitty is right there along with her. Do not knock the hustle of Hello kitty. Ever!

[Gaga daily]

Well we had the controversial Hello Kitty contact lenses, then we had the face mask vixens. So it was bound to happen. The Hello Kitty face mask vixen. With eyes as penetrating as the Hello Kitty ones and makeup that challenges the Hello Kitty MAC ad, this woman rules fearlessly over the rest of the face mask idols!

Oh yeah and I guess she’s also protecting everyone else of her flu. That’s awfully nice of her, isn’t it?

[Tokyomango]

A little less than a year ago Jason Nelson and many of you became enemies. I became his enemy as well when I played his fantastic art/poetry game ‘I made this. You play this. We are enemies.’ which was one of the most remarkable flash games I’ve played. Now Jason has tried to one-up himself be releasing Evidence of Everything Exploding. Evidence of Everything Exploding centers around evidence of everything exploding (or not exploding). Again the key here is in the attention to detail and replaying it to your curiosity’s content. As with last time, don’t try to understand the game, it’s pointless.

There are some very cool secrets in this game and you certainly will need more than a couple of playthroughs to see most of them. But it wont feel it’s a chore because this game has the best ending song of every videogame I’ve played. Let me repeat that, Evidence of Everything Exploding has the best ending song of every videogame I’ve played. Clearly Mr. Nelson is a man after my own heart, pineapple juice and singing made-up songs to myself are of my favorite things. Play it now.

Well well, the freemasons must be hyruleans because there’s a triforce in the dollar bill! With any luck this will make the next National Treasure movie include a visit to Kakariko village and Dan Brown’s next book will talk about the hero of time and his lost sages. Ok, ok, I’m taking it a bit far but it’s a slow news Sunday. Now go look for a dollar bill and gasp in awe. Done? Now go show your friends.

[Wonderland]

While we’ve featured much weirder self-shot videos from Japan this one excels in the sadness category. Here’s a man who wears not one, but three different skimpy girl outfits while playing slap bass to a Hatsune Miku song. A song about having small breasts and pondering if drinking milk would fix it. He then performs breast increasing exercises on screen with amazing prowess, it’s clear he has vast experience in self-treatment.

There are men who see a moe character and are overcome with a lust and longing for the little girl. This man? This man wishes to be the little girl.

Also, Nice Boat reference at the end.

We know no one does robots as well as Japan but Taiwan is not that much behind, except they make them ten times as creepy. Case in point, Thomas and Janet, two robot ‘actors’ designed to kiss. It apparently took three years to design both robots with autonomous hand-eye coordination and self-balance. Three years and all we get is the creepiest uncanny valley kiss ever performed.

Don’t get me wrong, the technology is outstanding, but in the end, it looks like two sedated drunks falling on each other’s faces.

This level of achievement is still not enough for Taiwan, though. Taiwan Tech, the university behind this project, wants to:

“form a group composed of autonomous robots, which are like well-trained versatile performers. They can not only perform different plays, sing songs, or broadcast news, but also interact with real persons appropriately”

Obviously with the intent of having them perform an orgy on stage and creeping the rest of humanity out of procreation. Beware, the uprising of the robots wont be violent, it will be creepy and messy and very, very awkward.

[IEEE / Via Tokyomango ]