Remember the Sony Ericsson Aino? The phone that could sync up with the PS3 and let users manage their PS3-stored media? Yeah, another Sony Ericsson phone just did it one better by being able to play PlayStation games.

LucasArts has released more details for the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes game which is currently being developed by Krome Studios for PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360. LucasArts Singapore is taking care of the DS version. More after the jump.

While other publishers are sacking people left and right, Koei is apparently in good spirits and is in gear to move forward. Edge reports that Koei is gonna double the manpower in their Singapore studio to strengthen the Koei titles. More Dynasty titles perhaps?

The organizers of the Games Convention Asia (GCA) and Games Convention Asia Conference (GCAC) must be very happy about the success of last year's events. This year's show has already been dated so  those who plan on attending might want to start clearing their schedules. For the venue and dates, head on over to the full article.

During the first ever Games Convention Asia Conference (GC Asia Conference) held in Singapore, many countries proved how the industry is also strong in Asia outside Japan. Singapore, known as a big market for MMORPGs, even took a step forward to announce that they're ready to become a games industry center of excellence.

Minister for community development, Vivian Balakrishnan, revealed that around US$ 330 million (SG$ 500 million) of government funds went to research and development in the digital interactive sector.

A student exchange program called "GAMBIT" is also under way for Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to share their expertise.

Other parts of South East Asia expressed interest in the industry. A memorandum that "signifies the recognition of each other as ideal counterparts for future collaboration and co-operation in this region for the benefit of the games industry" was signed by ten Asian game developers associations from various countries like Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to contribute 40% of gaming industry's US$ 39.8 billion annual revenue by the end of 2008, and Singapore wants a piece of the cake. "Singapore intends to be part of the action," said Balakrishnan.

US attorney Jack Thompson has commended the UK for banning Take-Two Interactive's Manhunt 2 from sale, adding that he "would absolutely like to see the US and other countries following the UK’s lead."

Thompson said in an article published in MCV UK that the British have a working model where a law has a functional sanction that prevents people from purchasing the concerned material. "I think you all have it right and I think the ruling on Manhunt 2 was spot on – and I see also that Take 2’s The Darkness was banned in Singapore," he says to the UK ratings body BBFC.

Thompson also took a swipe at nemesis publisher and developer tandem Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, saying that the fact that they made Manhunt 2 made it all the more likely for a ban to be imposed. The high visibility of Take 2 and Rockstar – the poster child for what’s wrong in the industry – made it more likely that it would get a ban," comments the activist lawyer.

"In a way the BBFC rating is redundant because the industry itself, the format holders, have banned it," Thompson says in reference to what he says is a sensible act by Sony and Nintendo to not allow an Adults Only-rated game to be sold in their platforms.

And if you think gamers are the only people excited about Grand Theft Auto IV's launch, you're in for a shock. Thompson says "the next big thing that’s going to hit is Grand Theft Auto 4 and we’ll have to wait and see whether or not that deserves a very restricted rating or doesn’t get rated at all."

The US attorney then concluded with optimism that Americans will adopt a similar rating system to that of the UK, especially Thompson says, if Hillary Clinton becomes the next President. "This has been one of her issues for many years, so I think if she’s elected you’ll see a real push from the White House to have a national sanction hooking into the Government’s rating system."

Gaming in Asia is often associated with Japan, South Korea and China, but the region as a whole is catching up to the growing industry as evidenced by more events being organized to forge cooperation and spread new knowledge on the field.

Games Convention Asia Conference (GCAC) is among the first of such large scale events outside the three aforementioned nations. It's the equivalent of Europe's GCDC and this year, Singapore is hosting it.

The event is none-business in nature and more oriented on talks which seek to impart insights on the state of the industry. However, such conferences have been known to be venues where parties interested in starting commercial ties get acquainted and start partnerships in the long run.

Speakers from Europe, North America and Asia are in the roster of those who will be taking the stage as facilitators of discussions. Bob Bates, story writer behind Unreal Tournament II, will be there, as well as Steve Schnur, EA's Worldwide Executive for Music and Audio.

Local stalwart Chris Natsuume will also be among the first to speak in the events. He was largely responsible for the creation of the game Far Cry. Frank Sliwka, GCDC Project Manager, commented on the new event, stating:

We are confident that the GC Asia Conference will establish itself as the leading platform for the game development community in Asia. The program we put forward will provide attendees with the kind of practical knowledge and numerous networking opportunities for which GC development conferences are well known.

The Games Convention Asia Conference will commence September 6 and last for two days, although no particular venue in Singapore has been named as of press time.

In Singapore, new generation moms prefer computer-related gifts over anything else. G3 Interractive's Lynn Oh has gone as far as to say that women really go for PSP and DS Lite games. She cited Cooking Mama and Cake Mania as two games that are easy for women to get really into.

A good example of a mom who really got into this is 60-year-old Ruth Tang. She has two children who are already working, so now she spends her time playing online computer games. She stated that "I enjoy it! In fact, I play every day for one to two hours. Sometimes when I want to play more, my daughters will say, 'No mummy, not good for you'."

She was drawn to the new hobby because of curiosity. She spied her youngest daughter playing the whole night, and decided to watch her play. Now Mrs. Tang plays video games and claims that it exercises her mind as well as her hands. (Hmm, dont'w we all use the same excuse) Her daughter speaking on her mom's new hobby:

She used to be afraid of technology. That's why I was very, very surprised when she started playing. Before that, she couldn't even hold a mouse properly. I tried to enrol her into community centre courses and everything but she just didn't like it. Nonetheless, she managed to find her own groove, which is good.

So what's in the future for Mrs. Tang? She wants a laptop. We would like to suggest getting an Intel Core 2 Duo laptop for her needs because the it is currently the preferred processor by women according to MC2's Leslie Lim.