Features// SPOnG's Review of 2008: April

“Certainly, from my point of view, one of the things the video games industry has said, which I've really appreciated, is how they feel I've been a friend to the industry. That I've been very positive about the industry. I've positioned the industry in quite a different way to how you are normally positioned in the media and the minds of the public.“

Tanya Byron, author of 'Safer Children in the Digital World'
04/04/2008
Dr Tanya Byron – The Exit Interview


April. There were leaves appearing on trees – that sort of thing. And there was that game that got released. With the cars and the guns and stuff. With the stealing and the driving. The one that destroys children's minds and suchlike. You know the one! Anyway, before that came out, there were a couple of other things that happened.

We were mercilessly teased about the possibility of the PSOne classic, Final Fantasy VII, coming to the PS3, for one. Fortunately, while that rumour still hasn't come to fruition, SPOnG did get a look-in on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP and had a chat with the producers while we were at it.

There was finally a storage solution for the Wii! Well, there was if you're the sort of person that views £20 notes as useful for wiping your arse, anyway.

The ink on the Byron Review into violence in games (and mature web content) had barely dried in April and the games industry was still getting to grips with it all. To help things along, SPOnG spoke to Dr Tanya Byron about her recommendations, experiences of the industry and why parents need to pull their fingers out.

On to something that had a more immediate impact on something very close to the crotch – our wallets – we got the pricing for Rock Band. It gave us European folk that sense of righteous indignation we get over international pricing – it wasn't all that pretty.

Then there was that mysterious motion-sensitive 360-mote. We were going to be jigging Master Chief around like Mario by Greedmas, apparently...