Whatever console you might own, we as gamers still share one common battle against those pesky little nutters in court who start slapping everyone for too much violence and mature content in video games. Sigh. It's an unending crusade, I tell you. Here's Quantic Dreams (Heavy Rain) boss David Cage commenting on the nature of mature content in video games. It's an argument I've heard before, one which I've also used as well. But it's different coming from an actual developer, right?

What comes to your mind when you hear the words "Adults Only?" Chances are, you're thinking what we're thinking. There are, however, certain things you should know about what makes the rating and what the actual number of games with this kind of rating is. The latter point is especially important. Find out why after the jump.

If you were impressed by Mass Effect's smooth mix of the RPG and third-person shooter genres, Obsidian Entertainment and Sega's upcoming title is right up your alley. Enter Alpha Protocol, a stealth action RPG in the v as Jeins of secret agents suchames Bond. Instead of just fixing your hair, however, you'll do a lot of skill learning and shooting in this game. Head over to the full article to learn more.

 

Set in Greece, Theseis features the exploits of Andronicos and Pheve as they try to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of their stepfather. The game combines the realms of the natural and supernatural as brother and sister join forces to put to rest the struggle between good and evil that his disappearance brings about.

We recently had the chance to chat with Track 7's Demetris Papadopoulos, product manager for Theseis, about their upcoming game. In the interview, we were given a peek as to what to expect for the PC version, as well as some hints as to what gamers might see in the future 360 version. More importantly, he gave us a glimpse of Greece, past and present, and that's something many adventurers, perhaps even Andronicos and Pheve's father, would have been willing to give their lives for.

   

The Full Interview after the jump!

 

Warren Spector of Thief and Deus Ex fame delivered an hour long address at GDC 2007 criticizing the state of storytelling in today's videogames.

His address, entitled "The future of Storytelling in Next-Generation Game Development – repeatedly emphasized how compelling, player-driven narratives are key to reeling in those who make up the sizable "non-gaming" population.

Spector stated that he was less than impressed with linear narrative models in games, and though he does truly enjoy games with linear narrative, he says that he feels that it has to go, even though he admits that it won't. He emphasized that a shared authorship model – where developers give players limited freedom - could be best. Examples of the shared authorship model include games like Grand Theft Auto.  Bottomline: he wants more player involvement in today's video game's story lines.

Some of us here at QJ agree with this. For one thing, multiple game endings as a standard instead of a bonus would be nice. What else would all the extra space in next-gen formats be for?

Spector also takes time to note that creating more believable characters, and not just prettier character graphics and designs should also be a goal for next-gen games. He cites the characters from Indigo Prophecy, Final Fantasy XII, Mass Effect, and the lovable Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2.

Spector urged video game developers to "Tell stories with players," to let them have part in the creation experience, and to push storytelling forward. Spector explains: "How can we be satisfied with just letting players jump from cover point to cover point so they can kill somebody. ...How can we settle for that?"

He also goes on to say:

The best way to do this is to get over yourselves. It doesn't matter how cool or creative you are--don't tell your story, work with players to tell our story. Let players off the rails. And let them explore the inner life of their characters

...If you think that story has no place in games, you're crazy. If you think story is everything in games, you're just as crazy. It's all about balance.

If this list is (a) in Major Nelson's blog, and (b) available in PDF format, and (c) available through Xbox.com, then it dang well sure that no one's gonna pull this list out.

It doesn't feature all the games on the rumored (and pulled-out) list - hence, probably the pullout. But it also features a couple of new items. Also interesting is that it features some Japan-only games, so just in case your Xbox Live profile hooks up to the Japanese Live, you should also be seeing those Japan-only games playable on your 360s.

For those who don't have Xbox Live, we're also making the update from Microsoft available via download below. To get it running on your 360, unzip the file - it should read "default.xex" - and burn it into the root a CD or DVD (don't place it in a folder). Then feed that disc to your 360 and follow the prompts.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
• Burnout 3: Takedown (UPDATED)
• Conker: Live and Reloaded  
• Dead Or Alive Ultimate  
• Destroy All Humans!  
• Dynasty Warriors 4 / Shin Sangokumuso3   
• Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick  
• Ex Chaser   (Japan Only)
• Family Guy  
• Far Cry: Instincts  
• Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy  
• I-Ninja  
• Leisure Suit Larry: Magna *** Laude  
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon  
• MotoGP  
• Incredibles/ Mr. Incredible (J)  
• Muzzle Flash  (Japan Only)
• MX Unleashed  
• Open Season  
• Pariah  
• Plus Plumb 2  (Japan Only)
• Psychonauts  
• Psyvariar2 Extend Edition  (Japan Only)
• Rainbow Six: Lockdown  
• Rapala Pro Fishing  
• Rent-A-Hero No. 1  (Japan Only)
• Scarface  
• Shark Tale  
• Shenmue II  
• Soul Calibur 2  (North America only)
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent  
• Tenerezza  (Japan Only)
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie  
• Ultimate Spider-Man  
• Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray  
• Whacked!  
• Winback 2: Project Poseidon  
• Xiaolin Showdown

Download: [December Xbox 360 back-compat update]

It's another blink-and-you-miss-it affair. Sporadic of the CheapAssGamers forum thought he saw an update to the 360's back-compatibility list from Microsoft. Heck of a lot of games added to the list, and Sporadic himself was happy to note that Shenmue II, Indigo Prophecy and Psychonauts were on the list.

Then the list got pulled out, he says. "Looks like somebody at MS screwed up." (Hey, that's him talking, not us, aight?).

According to Kotaku, Xbox community team manager Chris Paladino posted on Gamerscoreblogger.com, "We haven't made any announcements on this subject yet. Please hold off on freaking at this point in time. ;)" Well, the freak's out of the bag, if both Kotaku and CAG readers are commenting on their favorite games on the list (or not on the list). We'll see if this list holds true when Microsoft officially unveils the latest compatibility updates.

• All-Star Baseball 2005
• Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Burnout 3: Takedown (Updated)
• Dead Or Alive Ultimate
• Destroy All Humans!
• Dynasty Warriors 4
• Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
• Indigo Prophecy
• Family Guy
• Far Cry: Instincts
• Incredibles
• I-Ninja
• Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
• MotoGP
• MX Unleashed
• Open Season
• Pariah
• Psychonauts
• Rainbow Six: Lockdown
• Rapala Pro Fishing
• Scarface
• Shark Tale
• Shenmue II
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent
• The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
• Ultimate Spider-Man
• Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray
• Whacked!
• Winback 2: Project Poseidon
• Xiaolin Showdown