Worried about the possibility of video game violence tainting the minds of children, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy came up with a "do not buy" list of violent video games.

Contrary to what most might expect, Rockstar Games' controversial Manhunt 2 (Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable) isn't the number one violent video game, but Grand Theft Auto is. Check out the Top Ten list in the full article.

Videogames based on hit movies have pretty much always been around since Atari rolled out E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. While a lot of them leaned more towards the "sucks so much I wanna tear my own eyes out" end of the videogame spectrum, a select few of them have actually garnered accolades from gamers.

If we're going to base a tie-in videogame's success on how favorably gamers reacted to it, then we could probably make a case for the PSP title 300: March to Glory. Perhaps one of the reasons why it translated so well from the big screen to the small (PSP) screen is that Zack Snyder, the guy who directed and wrote the screenplay for "300", had a lot of input on the PSP title.

"They constantly kept us in the loop with the game's progress, and would bring us builds of the game to show us the progress that they were making," said Snyder in a recent interview with GameSpy. "And because I'm a gamer, and I play quite a bit, I wanted to make sure that we had something that felt like more of a game than a mere tie-in."

So what's next for 300? Snyder says that it could make the jump from the handheld PSP to the bigger consoles. "We're thinking beyond just the PSP game, though," he said. "In the long run, though, we're really interested in releasing a bigger game for Xbox 360 or PS3, and that could be much further down the line, maybe two or three years from now."

  

300: March to Glory, published by Eidos and developed by Collision Studios, is looking to break the mold of movie based games by providing more than the usual fare for the PSP. The videogame, based on the movie which was based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, tries to capture the look and feel of both its influences. While technically an action game, the developers have promised that it won't be a button masher but a more tactical affair.

In the game, you will play as King Leonidas, leading 300 Spartan men against the Persians. You and your men will be equipped with standard Spartan fare - a shield, a sword, and a spear. You will be needing all three as the Persians, led by Xerxes, send their cavalry, footmen, the immortals (the elite fighting force of the Persians), and even various beasts against your men.

The movie and book had spectacular visuals that have captivated fans of both genres. 300: March to Glory has a lot to live up to given the high bar both (movie and book) have set. Check out the new screenshots and see if it's lives up to expectations.

  

Spartans! For the rest of the screenshots check the full article.

The last time Zach Snyder hogged the QJ limelight, his directed-movie, 300, has not yet conquered movie houses. Now, during WonderCon, GamePro was able to chat with the director about 300 (the movie and the PlayStation Portable game), the Watchmen (the film and a possible game), and Gears of War (the game, not a future movie or something along that line). Well, the first question that was asked to him, is "are you a gamer?" And this is his witty reply:

I am a gamer! Right now I'm playing Gears of War, which I like a lot. I play it with my son, which is bad parenting I know

Then, the Gears of War talk ended there. He was next asked if he had any input on 300: March to Glory for the PSP. He said that he collaborated with the game developers (Collision Studios) with regards to the look and feel of the game. He shares that he somewhat found it funny that the developers aren't used to a movie director being interested in a video game. He also shares that gaming might have positively affected the way he makes and looks at movies.

He also divulged that Watchmen, his upcoming movie, is going great. They are working real hard on it and there are talks that there might be a Watchmen game coming up. He mentions that if ever that pushes through, he wants a game "that will not only expand the experience of the movie but also an irreverent game that would have the feel of the movie. Scenarios in the game would have to have the same type of cultural commentary that the movie will have."

 

When the writer/director of the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film, 300, Zack Snyder was asked by Yahoo Video Games, about his intentions of churning out a game based on his adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel, he had this to say:

At first I wanted to do a larger platform game, but it takes a while for the Hollywood machine to pull a trigger on something like that. ...We wanted to do Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but everyone has in mind what they want to do with marketing and everything. By the time they get around to pulling the trigger and they want a day and date with the movie, we ended up with the PSP. I'm completely happy with the game we made. I think it's cool.

So there you have it folks, the reason for why 300: March to Glory ended up on the PSP.

What's nice about the PSP game, is that Snyder was very involved with the development of the game. It seems that Snyder actually played through the game, and worked closely with Collision Studios to ensure that the game retains the organic low-tech feel that the movie has.

A specific example of Snyder's influence on the game would be the waving capes on the characters in the game. Despite the fact that Collision could've used the memory (used for the waving capes) on other things, they tried their best to ensure that Snyder's vision for 300 is still there.

 

Before we go, if you're curious about what other graphic novel Snyder chosen to bring to the world of the cinema and video games. Here's a little teaser:

The next movie I'm working on is Watchmen. ...Because of my experience with 300, we've been talking about doing a big game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that's consistent with the movie's satire. It can't be just a straight-forward game. It has to be more sophisticated, like the movie is. That's the kind of challenge we face when you make a game from a movie.

Alan Moore's Ozymandias in an Xbox 360 game? Sign me up.

 

There may be a whole lot of baddie-decapitating involved in 300: March to Glory, but producer Jeff Nachbaur says the gameplay involves more than that. It's all about strategy - managing your own internal resources, mastering combos and special moves to kill specific enemies in this graphic novel/movie-based PSP exclusive.

In an interview at Game Zone, Nachbaur declares:

There is a whole lot of killing of Persians as you would expect. However, there is more to it than that. Our combat system is a bit more thoughtful – it isn't a button masher. You can button mash for the first level or so, but after that, you really need to start thinking about what you're doing. Our solo combat is deep, allowing you to upgrade weapons, use special abilities we call Battle Skills, unleash Wrath attacks, and perform combos to dispatch enemies.

Jeff says internal management and combo-killing defines 300 in the solo gameplay, and when you have to control an entire line of Spartan soldiers there is still a lot of strategy and thinking involved. Button-mashing newbies indeed won't last long in this game!

When asked about King Leonidas' strengths and abilities, Jeff is quick to point out why Leonidas heals through Battle Skill. "Potions and the like just didn't seem very Spartan. It should be all about the warrior and not anything else. That's what a Spartan is. These are guys who went to war naked."

We might just as well add: being a warrior isn't all about killing, it's also about thinking.

300: March to Glory is expected to come out on the U.S. this February 27 while Europe will be getting it on March 30. Since the release dates of this game is coming closer each day, it is just apt for us to know just what we're getting into once we decide to buy this game.

So it's a good thing that the game's Associate Producer, Jeff Nachbaur, is shedding some needed info with regards to how they manage to adapt the movie and the graphic novel to a game, and just what unlockable goodies could we get our hands into. He mentions directly that the game should be very bloody and gory - so expect a lot of decapitation and dismemberments.

Then he went on to discuss about their gameplay - the Phalanx. What you have to do is control all the 300 soldiers at once. Included in the unlockables are movie trailers, a four-part interview with Frank Miller, film-stills, concept arts, storyboards among many others. Anyway, here's the video for you to enjoy!

We've treated you guys to a whole bunch of 300: March to Glory video footage recently - an interview with Frank Miller, a trailer, and the whole slew of gameplay development. Some of you guys (that includes me) might be excited for the movie that's to come out in a matter of weeks. But how different will the video game be? After all, it's based on a movie that's based on a piece of literature.

From what we've seen of other movie- or book-ported games, that sort of thing could be a hit-or-miss. Either it's a really good adaptation, or a sloppy remake. However, given more screenshots below, the game looks like it could actually work out for everyone. For one, the gameplay looks intense. The other, it seems that the "cinematics" do capture the graphic novel feel of the story. Check 'em out for yourself (the rest are behind the "Full Article" link below!). The game gets released this March.

The rest of the screens await behind the "Full Article".

Aaaand we're not done with the 300: March to Glory updates just yet. After bringing you the hack and slash gameplay vid and Frank Miller's Multimedia sources 101 video interview just a few hours ago, we're back with yet another one which basically discusses how 300: March to Glory will differ from all the other PSP games out in the market right now.

One of the main things tackled in the interview is how they were able to pull off power boosts and level ups in the absence of magical spells and mystical whatnots. And this is exactly what the Wrath System is all about, everytime you successfully land a blow on your enemies, you're able to draw energies like healing, power boosts, etc. But don't take our word for it, hear it straight from the Collision Studios folks themselves by hitting the play button above.

When it comes to developing games, do you think an originally-graphic-novelist can meet the gaming industry's standards? Well, for Frank Miller, author of the "Sin City" graphic novels, helping out in the development of 300: March to Glory had its own learnings and important revelations about the differences and similarities of media.

In the interview above, Miller talks about writing books and movies, where he gets to tell how the story ends. But in games, well they have this "participatory thing" which he admits he's never encountered before. He says though that this isn't really much of a hurdle just as long as you know the rules. His framework for media is basically that all these types - movies, books, even video games - are built on the same logic. Follow the rules, and you can take the skills from one field of expertise to another - "Sometimes seamlessly," Miller adds.

Well, I haven't read the graphic novel myself (has anyone here read it?), and both the movie and the game are only about to come out this March. Only time will tell if all the "skill transplanting" was done seamlessly, from graphic novel, to movie, to video game...