It looks like web browsing on the Wii is about to get a whole lot more interesting, as an entirely unofficial Wii Opera SDK has now been released to the general public, opening up the possibility for all sorts of browser-based games, among other things. What’s more, the SDK allows developers with the necessary know-how to take full advantage of the Wiimote, including the ability to detect the remote’s distance from the sensor bar, along with any button presses, and movement along the Z-axis. That makes things like the familiar-looking “2 Play Ship Demo” pictured above fully playable using the Wiimote, as well as more basic things like drawing and 3D rotation. Those looking to get started on a homebrew game of their own can hit up the read link below for the necessary files, while the rest of us can try out a handful of ready made demos at the same link.

A judge accepted the British Board of Film Classification’s argument that the game had been approved for release on a misinterpretation of the law.

The game was banned in June but the Video Appeals Committee said the game could be classified and released.

The BBFC said that the VAC had been guilty of “a very serious misdirection of law” on the question of harm.

The judge said: “I have taken into account the high public interest in the possibility of harm to children.”

Mr Justice Wyn Williams ruled the Board had an arguable case that should go to a full hearing.

Both sides agreed that the game was not suitable for children, but the BBFC argued that if given a certificate for release, it could still end up in the hands of minors.

The judge also suspended the VAC’s decision that the game should be classified, halting any possibility of it going on sale until after the High Court challenge, due to take place before 31 January next year.

The BBFC said it would pay any damages that developer Rockstar might suffer as a result of the stay, if the Board loses its legal challenge.

The Board had warned that if the VAC decision had stood, it would have fundamental implications for all of its decisions, including those about unacceptable levels of violence.

Rockstar Games said that Manhunt 2 was “well within the bounds established by other 18+ rated entertainment”.

Last week developer Rockstar won a hearing at the Video Appeals Committee to have a ban on the title lifted.

But the British Board of Film Classification said that decision was based on an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act.

The game was first banned in June, as was a revised version of the game which was presented to the BBFC in October.

“The VAC judgement, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board’s decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence,” the BBFC said in a statement.

Rockstar was not immediately available for comment.

When the game was first refused certification, effectively banning it, David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said the game featured “unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone”.

He added: “There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.”

The title has become one of the most controversial games in recent times.

At the VAC appeal hearing, Fred Hasson, president of developer association Tiga, said he was “surprised at how tame [the title was] compared to some very graphical scenes I’ve seen in other games which have received certification”.

He added: “I expected it to be a lot worse… I can’t believe that this has been singled out as something that is worth banning.”

Samuel Livingston of San Diego has brought suit against Activision for “deceptive and unlawful” conduct for the marketing of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the Wii. The class-action lawsuit charges Activision with not addressing or attempting to warn customers about the mono sound issue, despite the game’s packaging continuing to advertise Dolby Pro Logic II sound.

Activision said that they would replace the defective discs in early 2008, an announcement that occurred five days before the Livingston suit was filed on December 11. The timing demonstrates Activision’s willingness to resolve the mistake. Activision’s only public response: “We cannot comment on any on-going litigation.”

This is the second lawsuit to hit Activision over their smash hit Guitar Hero. An 80’s rock band, The Romantics, filed suit for the game’s use of their song in the Rocks the 80’s PS2 version of Guitar Hero. No matter that Activision retains legal authority to use all of the songs featured in the game, this will be a battle of nuance in the courtroom.

According to the environmental campaign group, game console makers have so far “failed to reduce the toxic burden of their products”.

It accuses Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony of lagging behind mobile phone and PC manufacturers.

The initiative is part of Greenpeace’s campaign to persuade the electronics industry to be greener.

“Game console manufacturers are lagging way behind the makers of mobile phones and PCs who have been reducing the toxic load of the products over the past year,” said Zenia Al Hajj, Greenpeace International’s toxics campaigner.

“Game consoles contain many of the same components as PCs so manufacturers can do a lot more,” she added.

Workers “at risk”

As part of its campaign, Greenpeace has launched a 90-second video featuring some of the iconic games console characters - Microsoft’s Master Chief, Nintendo’s Mario and Sony’s Kratos - competing for the prize of a greener games console.

Gamers can compare how each console meaures up on toxic materials, recycling and energy efficiency, as well as logging their support for the campaign.

The campaign is aimed at the big three game console manufacturers - Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

All were asked to respond to the allegations but, at the time of going to press, had not responded.

Greenpeace is engaged in a wider campaign to persuade the whole electronics industry to eliminate hazardous chemicals across the board.

It does not believe that current legislation goes far enough and on its hazard hit list are brominated fire retardants and PVC, the use of which it claims can lead to dangerous chemicals building up in the environment and in human and animal tissue.

It said that Chinese and Indian workers in production facilities and scrap yards where goods are dismantled could be at risk.

Leading mobile phone makers, including Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Philips, have all implemented eco-design aspects into their production lines, including reducing the amount of hazardous substances used in their products.

Global warming

Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, produces a handset every nine seconds. It has decided to implement requirements set out in the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive in all 10 of its factories around the globe.

The RoHS Directive bans six substances (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PDBE) from products that are either made or sold in the EU.

Greenpeace has been busy garnering support for its various initiatives from the web community. Earlier this month it teamed up with teenage social networking site Habbo to find out more about youngsters attitudes to global warming .

50,000 teenagers responded to the survey, with 74% rating global warming over drugs, violence and war as the issue they were most concerned about.

It has launched a 90 second video, aimed at gamers, in which iconic characters from each of the major manufacturers compete for a greener games console.

NINTENDO DS WILL FINISH 2007 AS THE YEAR’S TOP-SELLING VIDEO GAME SYSTEM

Appeal to Core and Casual Gamers Keeps Portable System Going Strong

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 11, 2007 – While many eyes are focused on home video game consoles, Nintendo projects Nintendo DS™ to be the top-selling system of the year. More than 6 million Nintendo DS portable video game systems have sold in the United States in 2007 through Nov. 30, according to internal Nintendo of America Inc. sales numbers. That’s a rate of about one sold every five seconds of 2007, enough to project Nintendo DS will be the top-selling video game system of any kind for the year. Nintendo DS has increased its sales in the United States every year since it launched in November 2004.

“There’s no letup in sight,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Nintendo DS appeals strongly to both core and casual gamers, and its momentum is set to propel us into 2008.”

Nintendo DS began 2007 strong, but its momentum only increased as the year progressed. Before 2007, Game Boy® Advance held the all-time U.S. Thanksgiving week sales record, with 600,000 systems sold in 2005. But Nintendo DS beat that Thanksgiving week record with more than 650,000 sold.

The huge appeal of Nintendo DS stems from the diversity of software available for the system. Four Nintendo DS games have sold more than 2 million in the United States alone, including New Super Mario Bros.®, Mario Kart® DS, Pokémon® Diamond and Super Mario® 64 DS. Another eight games have sold more than 1 million each in the United States, including Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Pokémon® Pearl, Animal Crossing®: Wild World, Big Brain Academy™ and four separate versions of Nintendogs™.

Wii Photo Channel Update (Optional)
- allows you to choose your own photo as the Channel icon.
- Removes mp3 support
- Adds acc support

Wii Virtual Console Update
-Pokémon Snap (1000 Wii Points) with the ability to send your photos.

Rockstar has won its fight to overturn the BBFC’s decision to refuse Manhunt 2 classification.

The Video Appeals Committee voted four to three in Rockstar’s favour, leaving the BBFC to either classify the game or appeal the Committee’s decision at the High Court in pursuit of maintaining the ban. “We won’t make a decision until we’ve seen the full printed judgment, which we’re expecting this week,” said Sue Clark, spokesperson for the BBFC talking to GamesIndustry.biz.

Rockstar has not yet signaled its plans for publishing the game in the UK. The publisher did respond to the decision with the following statement: “We are committed to making great interactive entertainment, while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system.”

Rockstar continued, “we are pleased that the decision of the VAC has recognised that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18+ rated entertainment.”

It’s the news that our most loyal members have been waiting for, and today we are happy to announce that we can finally unveil the eagerly awaited Wii Points Card Shop!

The Wii Points Card Shop is the place where Club Nintendo members can swap Stars for Wii Points Cards. These cards contain a code that you can enter in the Wii Shop Channel on your Wii. This will add Wii Points to your Wii Shop Channel account, which you can spend on such items as games for Virtual Console or Wii Software.

In order to make use of the Wii Points Card Shop you need to link your Club Nintendo account to your Wii Shop Channel account. You can read instructions on how to do this below, as well as in the Wii Points Card Shop FAQ.

Once you have made this connection, all you have to do is login, select the Wii Points Card denomination of your choice and press the ‘Purchase’ button to receive your Wii Points Card code. Please note that we currently allow a maximum of two Wii Points Cards to be purchased per day by any individual. If you reached the daily limit, please come back tomorrow.

We would like to thank our members for their patience, and hope you will enjoy this Club Nintendo benefit! If you’re not a Club Nintendo member yet, click here for more information on becoming a member.

How do I link my Club Nintendo account to my Wii Shop Channel account?

• When you have a Club Nintendo account and your Wii console is connected to the Internet, go to the Wii Shop Channel from the Wii Menu.
• Once you are connected to the Wii Shop Channel, select ‘Start Shopping.’
• On the next screen, select ‘Settings’.
• On the Settings Screen, point your Wii Remote at the Club Nintendo logo and press the A Button in order to link your Club Nintendo account.
• You will then be asked to enter the email address and password that you normally use to log into your Club Nintendo account.
• Once you entered your details, select ‘Link.’
• When the link has been established you will get a confirmation message. Select ‘OK’.

Your Club Nintendo Membership is now linked to your Wii Shop Channel account.

Due to the extremely high demand for the Wii in the United Kingdom and the relative scarcity of the console, Nintendo UK has decided to pull its upcoming Wii television ads. They will be replaced with commercials for the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo realized that it would work against them to advertise a product that people probably will not be able to find during the holidays. “We have been running the campaign all year round, but we want to take a responsible stance this Christmas and not fuel demand,” said a Nintendo spokesperson.

The UK shortages are in despite of Nintendo’s worldwide monthly output of 1.8 million Wii consoles a month.