The rumors are true! Feast your eyes on the following video, which is set in a remake of the classic map Zanzibar!

It seems that the idiots behind the hoax still won't quit. In fact they insist that this is real despite every shred of evidence against them.

But that is not why we are here today folks. Today we hope to prevent all of you from getting ripped off...majorly. The idiots behind the hoax are now asking for $20 via PayPal to show the secret, something to which a friend of mine was victim. I had warned him it was not real, but the guys insisted they would show him how.

So he paid. They logged in, and logged out. So now my friend is fighting the charge though PayPal. Sucks to be him, right? Well don't let it be you!

You have been warned!

Please help support Rated-M and click on our Google banner. It only taks a second to do, and costs you nothing. This will help us pay for server fees, design and content, etc.

Thanks in advance!

LotusFilms invites you all to view the great documentary film about the homeless, Suriving the Streets. The best part? You can watch it FREE!

http://www.lotusfilms.us

This film's file is suitable only for DSL and Cable connections. There will have a 56k version up soon.

Please give the browser a few minutes to connect, and don't forget to vote for the film at IMDB.com!

Another video direct from EA, this time showcasing MySims for the Wii and DS. This game looks to dethrone Animal Crossing as the cutesy wutesy town simulator! Watch the teaser and judge for yourself!

Enjoy this custom video from Electronic Arts, in which Lily Allen's "Smile" video is redone using The Sims 2! I know it seems like a weird idea, but Lily sounds just as good in Simlish as she does in English!

The second big Halo 2 map pack story of the week comes in the purchase of the maps themselves...or lack of purchase that is.

Early on it was discovered that you can get the new Halo 2 maps for free from an XB360 using a specific exploit. I will not detail the exploit here, as I have agreed to Bungie's terms in return for their time.

It doesn't matter though, as those who used the exploit will soon be forced to pay for the maps. When calling a source within Bungie today, I was told of a few methods they will be using to combat the exploiting. The first method will be a "possible patch to detect unpaid map packs". The second method will be an IP tracer.

"We record the IP addresses of all connections to the halo 2 matchmaking system and the downloader. Regardless of which Gamertag the player used, they all will share the same IP address. We know exactly who they are."

But how can they possibly get all the thousands and thousands of players who did this? "We have some ideas, and are working with Microsoft to deduct the fee from player's Live subscription time if they used a Live card or directly from their listed credit card on their MAIN GAMERTAG."

Before you get your panties in a bunch though, they will be notifying as many players as possible to be honest and pay up. Those that don't will be charged. I was not given a time-table, but look for this to happen very soon.

So by now I am sure you have heard the rumors about some kids on GameFAQs that claim to have found a hidden Halo 1 pistol on Tombstone, one of the two new Halo 2 maps.

Here are both threads:

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=562116&topic=34796576

http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=10575840&postRepeater1-p=1

A quick readthrough of both threads will tell you what you already suspect...that this is in fact BOGUS! However, if the following modder's screenshot doesn't prove that the handgun is only scenery, we have something that may.

As if a slew of racist PSP camaigns worldwide, and one of the worst absolute US marketing campaigns ever for a gaming system weren't enough, Sony sinks to a new low in their new EU commercials. Perhaps it's better if you just watch for yourself...but I don't get what Sony's thinking...associating the PS3 with taking a dump...now THAT is living! LMAO!

Before I start, let me say that I know this game is not out yet. I know that it is unfair to do a review for an MMO this early in it's life. That being said, This game has hardly changd much at all since Alpha, which is a BAD thing. Plus, it does not stop other publications from voicing their opinions, so I don't care. I think people DESERVE to know what they are getting themselves into.

First of all, the graphics are hardly better than Guild Wars. This game runs on a modified DDO engine. In fact, in Alpha, the engine was so similar it was immediately obvious the direction they were taking this game.

Secondly, the game world is very small. Unmounted you can practically cross the entire landscape in less than an hour. In Vanguard for example, it would take you 30 mins just to reach the next town. Another problem is the frequent and long load times. After about 20 minutes of playing it is painfully obvious that this game is a load hog.

Third, don't expect any variety from the classes what-so-ever. Just a glance at the official site's descriptions of them will show you just that. Due to this, the group mechanic is HORRIBLE. The way fights play out in a group fashion are barely similar to the standard MMO type (tank, DPS, healer). However the classes all feel the same in the end, and in group roles, people will often NOT know their role at all, because they are not comfortable with the class-types in comparison to a real MMO.

Combat, just like the graphics, borrows heavily from the DDO infrastructure. The combat skills are weak, and often times this alone is what makes the classes seem boring and non-descript. When fighting, there is no uniqueness to any of the classes, even the most "unique" class in the game.

Crafting is boring and simple, with no real reward for dedicating to it. PVP is almost non-existant except for a poorly constructed "good vs. evil" PVP set-up where one team will temporarily play as monsters and baddies. Not saying PVP is important to me, but if it was, I'd be sick with disgust.

My biggest qualm. The lore. How can someone presume to alter what Tolkien had perfected? Quest and story lines in this game not only alter Tolkien's story, they drastically change certain aspects of it at a certain point in the game.

The day Turbine announced the bargain bin monthly fee, I knew they had no faith in their MMO. They feel like they need to lower themselves to the standards of Guild Wars, Phantasy Star, etc by placing that price point. While they hoped it may turn some heads in their direction, it is only obvious that LOTRO will just be a source of income while they develop something better...if Turbine can even DO that anymore.

When will developers learn that MMO's based on popular movies/books just don't do well? SWG, MxO, and now this? LOTRO gets the biggest PASS of them all. You'd be better off playing a free MMO called Flyff. It's free and muh better produced than this game. As for me, I'll stick with Vanguard until the next big thing comes out...cause one this is for sure...LOTRO is NOT that big thing.

OUR VERDICT: PASS

I came across this last night and my jaw hit the floor.

LEGO Ultimate Collector's Series Millennium Falcon

The price tag is hefty, but this is easily one of the coolest collectibles I've seen in a long time.

Rated-M now has it's very own comic series based on the amazing Vanguard: Saga of Heroes! This first issue begins the tale of an Imperial Captain who has a run in with a very dangerous Monk! Stay tuned for future issues!

http://home.insightbb.com/~lotusfilms/vanguardkojani.pdf

http://www.kikizo.com/viewer/imageview_forums.asp?http://xs411.xs.to/xs411/07044/psm3feb.jpg

The above scan shows that no matter what Sony does, Microsoft will always be one step ahead of them. People can say what they will, but think of this...you NEVER see Sony games advertised in OXM...

Anyways, as I have been saying and will say till the end...one more nail in Sony's coffin.

Major Nelson caught this. I can't believe Sony is willing to stoop so low. What a bunch of thieving assholes!

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/01/25/psp-connect-using-pgr3-screenshot.aspx

Sony is one step from the edge of the cliff.

Check out my screenshots from my personal experiences in the Vanguard beta! This is an amazing game with amazing visuals. This game is sure ot surpass the competition, as the wrd on the servers is that this is what EQ1 fans have been waiting for.

The photo journals are linked in my personal blog:

http://blog.myspace.com/lotusfilms

Make sure you leave some comments!

UPDATED! More added as of 1/17/07!

Please check out the new artist M.A.N.T.I.S at MySpace. Currently, he has launched a collection of his classic instrumentals from 1998-2001, and in the coming weeks he will be releasing some tracks off his new album entitled "The Mantis Strikes".

http://www.myspace.com/mantis2007

Since the year has now come to an end, I'd like to share some of the best and worst of 2006 with you, including our choice for 2006 GOTY! Let's get underway!

Biggest mistake of 2006: A lot of you think I'm gonna say "the PS3 launch". However, I think someone screwed up this year a lot more than Sony. You see, the PS3 just needs time to get off the ground. My pick for biggest mistake is Kurt angle leaving the WWE for TNA. Since leaving Vince, his story lines have suffered, and he has to job to an overrated wrestler like Samoa Joe.

Biggest surprise of 2006: Britney Spears' crotch shots. I wasn't ever expecting to see hew twank, but there it was for the world to see. Thanks for the memories Britney!

Biggest letdown of 2006: Sony's PS3 launch. Notice I said the launch, and not the system. I feel the PS3 has potential. But there is no denying that Sony fucked up real bad this time around, and has paid dearly for it in sales and popularity. The poor design of their kiosk units doesn't help matters much, as it causes systems to overheat and freeze up in stores. This obviously doesn't leave a good impression with Average Joe and Jane Walk-In who may just be in the market for a new system.

Most underrated item of 2006: Microsoft's Zune player. Definately the iPod killer MS promised it to be, but no one knows what the hell a Zune is yet. MS wanted to obviously keep the focus on their 360 console, which has hurt this amazing little piece of machinery. Hopefully their ad campaign will kick into full gear in 2007. This little movie and music player deserves our attention.

Most viewed Rated-M story of 2006: I have a lot of viewers, and with my stat counter, I have tracked the most viewed story of the entire year. I was surprised that this story got as much attention as it did, but you fans have spoken! You all want to know about the WWE's Mickie James' alleged porn career! So for you fans, here are the links to refress your memory:

Original Story / Follow-up

Most controversial Rated-M story of 2006: Without a doubt, this would have to be the leaking of the Transformers teaser, and the posting of it on Digg.com. The story went to the first page in a matter of hours. Again, I never expected so much attention behind this, but Paramount was genuinely pissed. to this day, I will still not reveal my source, but it matters not anyways. Within 48 hours of me posting the leaked trailer, they went ahead and released it officially via their website, and in much better quality. I guess they figured "if you can't beat em, join em". Below, you'll find the links to our Transformers coverage, as well as the original Digg.com story.

Transformers Coverage at Rated-M / Digg.com post

Console of the Year 2006: XBOX 360. Without a doubt. It had a slow start, but to look at the line-up now is intimidating. What sealed the deal for me was the key release of a few strong titles, titles that cemented the 360 as a mainstay in the console world. 2006 saw the release of Saints Row, Dead Rising, Oblivion, Gears of War, Viva Pinata, and WWE Smackdown VS. Raw 2007 (the 07 was cancelled for the PS3!). Also this year, XBL proved to us all how neat the internet can be when integrated into your gaming lifestyle. DLC for games, downloadable demos, and the great XBL Arcade (yes, I know I hated it, but it has really really grown on me). Nearly flawless and very safe, I feel it's worth the fee. Anyways, after a rough start, this system picked up steam to gain the top spot as out 2006 Console of the Year! Can PS3 pull off the same, and take our 2007 honors? We will see!

Game of the Year 2006: Here it is guys, the one you've been waiting for. Our pick for GOTY 2006. A lot came out this year that I feel is worthy. Dead Rising, Oblivion, Gears of War, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Final Fantasy XII are my contenders.We have chosen Gears of War as our pick for GOTY 2006. Sure, graphically the game is the best there is at the moment. But the game is much more than that. Great production value, perfect controls, lagless online, fun co-op and SP (though a bit short), and the coming FREE DLC pack are all parts of why we chose this game. Rarely does a game ever live up to the hype. Gears had tremendous hype, and lived up to every single second of it.

So Ken Kutaragi, the "father of the Playstation", was forced to step down. By now, you all have heard the news in some form or another. Some of you (and by some of you I mean the rabid PS3 fanboys sending me hate mail) don't think it's a big deal at all. Just a normal day of operations at Sony. Well not so fast there bucko, this is VERY significant, and I'm about to tell you why.

Ken Kutaragi has been the driving force behind Sony's foray into gaming since the start. Known worldwide as the father of the Paystation, he has had a hand in all of Sony's gaming consoles, including PSP. He has also been the face and mouthpiece of the Playstation, but none moreso than the PS3 and PSP.

In short, he is the man who talked all the shit and couldn't back it up. He is the man that made all the promises that he couldn't keep. Sony finds him responsible not only for the failure of the PSP, but the imminent failure of the PS3.

Now before you go get your panties into a bunch, the PS3 hasn't failed yet, and it still has potential. However, there are some things you need to factor into this equation.

A.) Kutaragi hyped the PSP as the GameBoy killer, when obviously it wasn't. It was pretty, but cost way more than gamers wanted to pay. Even now, the core system itself struggles to sell in the face of Nintendo's juggernaut, the DS.

B.) Again, Kutaragi hyped the PS3 to be Jesus Christ walking on water, there is nothing else. Also pretty and overpriced, the system has failed to live up to the hype created for it.

C.) Then comes the defects. Let's forget that the PS2 laser fiasco never happened. Forget that it took 4 years and a class action lawsuit to fix it. What about the thousands of PS3's beginning to crash worldwide? Well the majority of them are due to the same thing that happened at TGS. The system is overheating in the small space afforded to it in the kiosks. People who walk into GameStop usually walk in to find the PS3 froze up. bad publicity.

This is all the latest in a string of fuck ups from Kutaragi, from the defective PS2's to the millions spent on crappy advertising for the PSP (like the racist ads here in the states calling mexicans dustballs, and the black vs. white ads overseas), to the millions spent on faulty kiosks that are causing false impressions in potential buyers.

3rd Party developers are taking once exclusive titles to the competition, and day by day, things look worse and worse for Sony.

So it's still not a big deal? Well what if Nintendo had fired Miyamoto-san, the father of almost every single popular Nintendo IP? Or what if Microsoft suddenly canned Peter Moore? Well considering that the Playstation is primarily Kutaragi's brainchild, we feel this is a big deal.

Will Sony pull out of this slump and reposition themselves? Or is it simply over for them before it even began? We will just have to wait and see. We here at Rated-M don't have high hopes, though we hope that 1st party games like Lair and Heavenly Sword can restore people's faith in this arrogant company.

Stay tuned for more.

We all know the sad truth behind the PS3. It costs too much to make, and there have been so many technical issues with it even after it's rather unseuccessful launch, that Sony was obviously headed into a downward spiral.

Following the failure of the PSP, and the imminent failure of the overhyped PS3, Sony has shelved Ken Kutaragi, the face of the PS3.

Reputable site Financial Times reports the following:

"Ken Kutaragi, the maverick Sony engineer behind all three generations of PlayStation games consoles, will on Friday become chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment in a management reshuffle that could foreshadow the company’s exit from video games hardware.

The surprise move, though technically a promotion, removes Mr Kutaragi from the day-to-day running of Sony’s games division at a critical moment.

With the PlayStation3 only just past its difficult launches in Japan and the US, Sony is desperate to ensure that its complicated machine triumphs in the holiday shopping season. The company described the changes as “strengthening” its management line-up.

In the longer-term, the PS3 faces stiff competition from Microsoft and Nintnedo and a European launch next March for which some analysts fear it is not fully prepared.

Replacing Mr Kutaragi as Sony Computer Entertainment’s global president and chief operating officer will be Kazuo Hirai, a veteran of SCE’s US division, who prematurely claimed four years ago that the era of console wars was over.

Investors know Mr Hirai as a slicker, more confident presenter than Mr Kutaragi. He is also understood to have stronger working relationships with American, European and Japanese games makers.

Analysts said that Mr Hirai’s promotion to a global role at SCE could mark a critical shift in management thinking, with Sony changing its emphasis so that the current generation of games console will be its last as a hardware manufacturer.

“The appointment of Hirai could be the start of a shift from hardware to software,” said Yuta Sakurai, an analyst at Nomura. “I cannot now imagine a PlayStation4.”"

So in a nutshell, financial advisors are now predicting that Sony will go the way of Sega, and just make software, which has always been their stronger point. I can't say we didn't see this coming. Sony has been in the red for years, hardly ever turning a profit in the videogame industry. Mark our words, this is the end.

For the full report from Financial Times, please visit the source link below!

SOURCE: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f6728ed8-8095-11db-9096-0000779e2340.html

G4TV made this parody commercial which pits PS3 vs. Wii in the style of the stupid, lame, retarded, misinformed Mac commercials.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9136575504838642038

I laughed out loud at this one. I really, truly did.