The flow of adaptation is not limited to having books being transformed into movies or videogames, or videogames being turned into movies. We complete the love triangle today as Epic Games and Del Rey Publishing reveals that they are adapting the beloved Gears of War video game title into a novel. Oh, and not just one. We mean a full trilogy. Check out the details at the full article.

Microsoft Game Studios Vice President Shane Kim discussed several choice topics during the recent DICE Summit in Las Vegas last Thursday. Among the things he mentioned were the company's move to expand its userbase into the casual gaming market, more Halo projects and some other small tidbits discussing the state of the gaming company and its plans for the future (a portable handheld gaming console, perhaps?). Read more about what Shane Kim had to say in the full article.

Psychology expert and self-help author Cooper Lawrence who appeared on the segment that featured EA's Mass Effect in bad light has admitted her mistakes, saying she "misspoke" about full nudity and graphic sex scenes in Mass Effect. Lawrence is currently weathering a storm raging on the internet caused by her remark on Fox News. More details at the full article.

If you can't get enough of Bungie and Microsoft's Halo universe and Halo 3 just isn't enough to fill your craving, there's a good chance that you're one of the many who got a copy of Joseph Staten's Halo: Contact Harvest. The fifth novel based on the Halo series has been out since October 30 and is now ranked fourth in the prestigious New York Times Best Seller list.

(Editor's Note: QuickJump QuickPeek just turned 16. Ah, sweet sixteen. Sixteen is definitely a lovely number. For those inclined to all things mathematical, four is the square root of 16. And that's just what we're going to try to get to the bottom of right here. The root of all things gaming. For this week at least. Here again is QuickJump's weekly article dedicated to the un-updated. A week's worth of great news, in bite-sized form!)

So here we are in QuickPeek 16. Last week's edition was pretty jam-packed with hot news items, confirmations, and releases, and there's also been a couple of heated debates between icons in the industry. This week will have you guys feeling good about the little big tiny giants that you have sitting in your living rooms - or handhelds snuggling comfortably in their respective pouches or carrying cases.

This isn't about one platform besting another. It's about shaking hands and welcoming people with open arms. As beauty pageant contestants always put it: World Peace! Because if Mario, Solid Snake, and Sonic can do it, then so can we. Err, that is barring the fact that Mario, Snake, and Sonic are in a Brawling game, but the essential thing remains: they're together.

Click the Full Article link below to check out this week's full issue!

QuickJump QuickPeek 16 originally posted October 13, 2007 at 02:00 PM.

Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people (playing Halo). An article from the New York Times reveals that churches actually do have a soft spot for games. In fact, some churches are using video games as an actual tool to recruit more youths.

Taking a more modern approach at enticing kids to their community, church leaders have been renting out video games and inviting teenagers for "video game night" down at the church - and this is despite the fact that some churches hold some grudges against violent games (e.g. a very recent appeal to withdraw R:FoM from the BAFTA). The New York Times article runs:

Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent video game Halo[...] // Witness the basement on a recent Sunday at the Colorado Community Church [...] where Tim Foster, 12, and Chris Graham, 14, [...] locked in violent virtual combat [...] Tim explained the game's allure: "It's just fun blowing people up." // Once they come for the games, Gregg Barbour, the youth minister of the church said, they will stay for his Christian message. "We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell," Mr. Barbour wrote in a letter to parents at the church.

Other supporters of this new method in recruitment believe that the important thing is for the church to connect to the youth. James Tonkowich of the Institute on Religion and Democracy points out that "If you want to connect with young teenage boys and drag them into church, free alcohol and pornographic movies would do it. My own take is you can do better than that."

The story of Halo 3 is sometimes used even as a spring board for discussion about faith. As a 16 year-old Baptist in Lawrenceville recounts: "We play Halo, take a break and have something to eat, and have a lesson. [The pastor even tried to use analogies] between God and the devil."

Sort of makes you think twice about the definition of "Covenant" doesn't it? The simple fact that the game is called "Halo" might connote something rather holy as well. So what's your take on this, though? Yes, there are a lot of controversial points raised by this issue, but please be mindful of your comments.

Paramount and DreamWorks recent decision to release their movies exclusively on the HD DVD format renewed the format war. The announcement even had Michael Bay steamed up.

The unexpected move, as the New York Times reveals, may have more to it than meets the eye though. According to Times, two unnamed Viacom executives revealed that the two studios together will be getting US$ 150 million in financial incentives.

The financial incentives will consist of revenues that will come from cash and promotional guarantees. Microsoft, one of the lead supporters for the HD DVD format, commented however, that they "provided no financial incentives to Paramount or DreamWorks whatsoever."

One interesting detail from the terms of exclusivity deal with the format may suggest that this blow to Blu-ray is only temporary: Paramount will only be HD DVD exclusive for 18 months. Only time will tell whether the format war will see its conclusion or whether the recent development just delayed the outcome.

It seems Florida-based lawyer Jack Thompson's at it again, and apparently the latest item in his agenda is to appear in an upcoming episode of Dr. Phil as a "game violence expert" - with the host of the show himself, Dr. Phil, inviting the attorney over. This bit of news comes from a comment posted on a recent Game Politics article, with the poster bearing the name of none other than Jack Thompson himself. Here's the statement, verbatim:

You all can relax. Dr. Phil’s people called me last week, and at that point they were going to take the show in the direction of video game violence. They indicated they wanted me on the show. I got a call yesterday, and they decided to take the show in a different direction, with the focus on role-playing game addiction. They have a girl who has that problem.

Look, I’m giving you the straight scoop here, so knock off the flaming at least in response to this. Dr. Phil’s people were very nice, very professional, and quite enthusiastic. Of course, Dr. Phil was spot-on after V-Tech, given the link to video game play by Cho substantiated by the New York Times and the Washington Post (you won’t read about that here).

Of course, with Internet anonymity and GamePolitics' commenting system not needing any sort of verification to post, it certainly does read like some of the past statements the attorney has made. It's also worth noting that in a more recent article, the individual posting as Jack Thompson also made note of upcoming horror FPS Bioshock(Xbox 360, PC), promising quite a hard time for Take-Two. The comment itself:

By the way, since Dennis McCauley has proven once again, by this thread, his Jack Thompson obsession, please note that big trouble is on the way for Take-Two re Bioshock. Hooah!

Is BioShock going to be the next game in Mr. Jack Thompson's sights? While the game certainly has violence - lots of it - it also supports a gameplay where you can use the environment (and your Plasmid abilities) to approach the game in a less violent and more stealthy, security-alarm-evading manner.

There's also the decision of either killing or saving Little Girls - probably the only ones left "sane" in Rapture - after defeating the Big Daddies that travel with them. In my opinion, that certainly gives Bioshock an edge over the other, more violent titles out there, if we're to nitpick violence in videogames itself.

Certainly a very interesting update in the case of Jack Thompson. What about you, dear readers? What's your two cents in the matter? Let us know by your comments below.


Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]

By now we've all heard about the Xbox 360 red ring of death saga, and how Microsoft is working - and spending - hard to correct the fatal design flaw that caused many a gamer's Xbox 360 consoles to go kaput. But what we haven't heard much about is how Xbox 360 enthusiasts are coping with this "crisis".

Contrary to what many people may think, it seems that Xbox 360 fans are doing just fine. The New York Times has reported that despite changing out their defective consoles for as many as three or four times, Xbox 360 owners are not fazed and are maintaining a positive outlook toward Microsoft's highly-popular console, home to gamer favorites such as the upcoming video game Halo 3.

One such fan, Stephano Nevarez, is still happily holding on to his Xbox 360 despite having changed out his console for the third time already, NYT reports. "There’s nothing in the house that breaks down as much," he said. But he says that the problems he experienced doesn't mar his anticipation for Halo 3, exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Aside from Halo 3, Microsoft's extended three-year warranty also helped boost current customer morale. While some market analysts, such as Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group, think that the current ring of death crisis is doing considerable damage to Microsoft's reputation, other financial analysts think that the way Microsoft is handling the problem will salvage the Xbox 360 from further damaged reputation and loss of revenue. Evan Wilson, equity analyst of Pacific Crest Securities, thought that the fix-it-free policy will put off owners of the launch Xbox 360 consoles, but was proven wrong.

Michael White, a high school teacher in Montreal, had expected that the expensive Xbox 360 would do better, what with its not-so-light price tag. However, he's not so worked up. "I'm a happy customer," he said, quite happy that Microsoft was able to fix his console for three weeks.

Perhaps Benjamin Lin, an 18-year-old Seattle Halo 3 fan, would sum up this article nicely with his words: "I’m on my third 360, and it’s working great for me."

A report was recently published by the New York Times detailing how Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is good enough to replace cable TV for some people, at the same time drawing in new users outside of the core demographic.

The famed publication has recognized the marvel that is the Xbox Live network and how it's serving up a well-rounded dose of gaming and viewable content which consumers have caught on to because it can be availed of in increments. Movies and TV series episodes can be rented or purchased, making nostalgia another drawing point to the business model.

The strategy for Microsoft is basically to form an entertainment coalition with heavyweights Paramount Pictures, New Line, Warner Brothers, MTV, CBS, A&E and ABC, then find the consumers wherever they are and give them what they're looking for. By taking into consideration the demographic included in the more than 6 million subscribers, the coalition determines what content is most appropriate to serve.

More importantly, the New York Times report reveals an unexpected but pleasant side effect of the move by Microsoft and its partners: Non-gamers are actually getting into the act by warming up to the entertainment content.

The example of Memphis account executive Josh Roberts is cited in the article. He's 24 and has owned every game system since the Nintendo Entertainment System. When he and his wife moved to the city, they didn't have cable TV for a while and Xbox Live kept them occupied. Today, Mrs. Roberts still doesn't play video games but uses the Xbox 360 to watch HD movies and series episodes. However, they do have their gripes with how the system is currently set up.

Roberts says that the Microsoft Points system, for one, is a little confusing. He says he'd rather have it in dollars. Still, he's optimistic with what Xbox Live can be given the right approach. "[Xbox LIVE Marketplace]," he added, “is not yet at a place where I think it’s made my life easier or more entertaining in my leisure time, but I’m excited for the potential. When it moves faster and the bandwidth is great, then I think it will be very cool."