Games

To celebrate the upcoming consumer release of the Windows Vista? operating system, Microsoft Corp. and AMD have launched ?Vanishing Point,? the largest puzzle game in the world. While many clues have been revealed online, parts of the puzzle are being revealed at real-world events including a first-ever takeover of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino fountains and cryptic skywriting messages. These spectacular sights have driven millions of people to find out more, with hopes of winning the grand prize: a trip to space.

EU justice chiefs took aim at violent video games on Tuesday, agreeing to share information across the bloc on which games to outlaw and how, but leaving the final decision on bans with states themselves.

The executive European Commission said it would also draw up plans in coming weeks to harmonise national penalties on retailers caught selling such products to under-age children.

World of Warcraft has signed up its eight millionth player, making it an online community with the same population as Austria.

The role-play game was started in 2004 and is set in the fictional realm of Azeroth.

Players join as weak fighters, thieves or magicians and develop their abilities online while playing against other people around the world.

Players buy the game for ?19.99 in the UK and then pay around ?11 per month to keep using the online world.

China's official news agency Xinhua has reported that online games will now be more firmly regulated, with new games requiring approval by government censors and references to sensitive political and religious matters -- presumably including the status of Taiwan or the treatment of Falun Gong adherents -- not allowed.

Online gaming has proved a lucrative business in China, with many Chinese accessing the games at low-priced Internet cafes, a common phenomenon throughout Asia.

Fans will have opportunity to play Halo 3 multiplayer over Xbox Live.

Gaming company Bungie Studios, the developers behind the popular Halo franchise, dropped a bombshell this week with the news of a public beta for Halo 3 coming next spring.

Bungie has confirmed that fans of the game will have the opportunity to play Halo 3 multiplayer over Xbox Live before the final game is available.

The company said that selected beta testers would be playing a multiplayer game and providing Bungie with valuable data to help the development team.

The European Union could force games manufacturers to submit to an official classification system, according to comments from Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini.

"It is first and foremost the responsibility of parents to protect children from such games, but I nevertheless think that we at Member State and European level also have to take responsibility to protect children's rights," he told The Times.

Sony Corp.'s new PlayStation 3 game console has problems when playing about 200 software games from previous versions of the machine, the Sankei daily reported on Tuesday. Sony started selling the latest version of its blockbuster game console in Japan on Saturday, and video game magazine publisher Enterbrain has said it sold 88,400 units of the console in the first two days after the launch, leaving most stores without any stock.

Sony's PlayStation 3 made its highly anticipated debut in Japan to long lines on Saturday, marking the initial launch of the video game console that's expected to become a global sellout.

Throngs of people lined up for hours around Bic Camera, an electronics retailer in downtown Tokyo, to get their hands on one of the consoles. The enthusiasm was so great that clerks with megaphones asked the crowd to stop pushing, warning that all sales would end if there were any injuries.

Keylogging scammers are once again laying siege to World of Warcraft gamers.

Future video games could routinely monitor players' vital signs and emotional state to ensure a truly exhilarating experience.

At least, that is what Brendan Walker, curator of a forthcoming exhibit at London's Science Museum, called Thrill Laboratory, would like to see.

At the Thrill Lab, which opens on 17 October 2006, volunteers will be asked to try several different fairground rides while hooked up to equipment that tracks their emotional state.