Some new screenshots from Penumbra Black Plague that is scheduled for release during Q1 2008.

Apparently, Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, resorts to Democracy to make sure he’s making the right decisions. Or at least that’s what Ascaron, the game’s publisher, wants us to believe anyway.

The game is due out February 2008 and lets players take on the role of a country’s leader, running the country and choosing between policies to maintain the majority vote.

With mounting pressure from the back benchers to review unpopular policy, the PM needs to carefully assess political strategy to gain the largest share of the vote to stay in power. But you won’t be able to keep everyone happy all of the time, so tread cautiously as popular policy may not be in the best interests of the country.

With an unpopular war being waged in the East and financial meltdown coming from the sub prime markets in the West, the UK government needs to take a firm and steady stance to appeal to the mass vote and win through. Tough political decisions lie ahead…

Do you withdraw British troops from Iraq to gain approval from the masses back home but expose the world to the increasing threat of terrorism? Do you maintain the unpopular increase in interest rates to safe guard from recession or opt for the more popular cut in interest rates and risk increasing the level of consumer debt in the UK? Winter bird flu is back on the agenda - do health services need a boost?

In a shocking revelation, a two month undercover survey by the NIMF has found that 46 percent of US stores investigated were willing to sell “M” rated games to teenagers below eighteen years of age. The survey was carried out in more than sixty stores across the US by a group led by the East County Youth Coalition, based in San Diego.

They are now calling for retailers to closely adhere to the ESRB rating system and is also asking them to institute formal training for employees, prominently display the rating system in stores and separate M-rated games from other titles.

THQ, in conjunction with Games Workshop and a team of professional modelers, has announced that it has created a limited set of six exclusive Squad Command themed PSP consoles, one of which it will give away in the UK through an exclusive competition. All users have to do is enter the competition on the publisher’s website and test their luck; there are copies of the game for runners-up, too.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command is the first portable title in the series, offering turn-based action strategy combat on the go. It features 15 single-player missions, as well as various multiplayer modes playable over nine multiplayer maps with up to eight players.

This forum post on the BeyondUnreal forums offers a look at changes planned for the first patch for Unreal Tournament 3, offering fixes in almost every part of the game. No release schedule was offered though.

In actual patch releases, a v8.0.1 update for Football Manager 2008 was released for both PC and Mac versions of the game. Grab them from Gamer’s Hell and Strategy Informer.

Just when is too good considered “too good”? Well, now you can ask The Romantics, a washed-up group, who is suing Activision over the inclusion of a “too good” cover version of their song “What I like about You” in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the ’80s.

Apparently, the cover version infringed on the group’s rights to its own likeness, with the band claiming that it was an imitation that was “much like the Romantics’ original”. The band is seeking unspecified damages and is also seeking an injunction that could take the game off store shelves.

Though it isn’t confirmed yet, TGMOnline, by way of Halifax, the Italian distributor for Capcom, reports that a PC version of Dead Rising is in the making, as well as an expansion to Lost Planet dubbed Colonies.

Capcom is yet to comment on the rumor.

Game god John Carmack of id Software, in an interview with Gamasutra, has noted the power of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, saying that it has spurred PC gaming, all the while reaffirming his company’s support for PC as a gaming platform.

He described WoW as a “train driving all the PC sales numbers altogether on gaming,” while at the same time acknowledging that most players of “higher-end games” have moved onto the consoles, citing well-implemented console features as well as connectivity options such as Xbox Live.

However, he still believes in the strength of PC as a games platform, stating that “the PC still has a strong enough margin to make games, and we continue to support it.”

To celebrate Thanksgiving, a completely free song for Guitar Hero III was released yesterday, offering Xbox 360 owners the chance to rock out to the MJOLNIR remix of the Halo theme. The song has been written, composed and performed by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, with Steve Vai on the guitars.

A second demo for Blacksite: Area 51, the upcoming shooter sequel to the Nevada military base alien infestation, has been released via Xbox Live. It weighs in at 988MB and offers two levels from the game’s single-player campaign. The full game itself is already available in stores for PC and Xbox 360, with a PS3 version coming soon.

In more demo news, a playable sneak peek for The Orange Box is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace, offering people a sampling of Half-LIfe 2: Episode Two. It’s a 724MB download. Interestingly, Valve refers to this as the first one, indicating that demos of Portal and Team Fortress 2 are also in the making. It is currently not known whether a PC demo will be released or not.

The other major new piece of content to be added to the service was a 1.92GB expansion pack for Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus. It adds new areas, missions, enemies, items and more for use in both single and multiplayer modes. The add-on is selling for 1600 Microsoft points.

The Japanese will be getting a redesign of the PS2 hardware later this month, as announced by SCEJ. The model is listed as SCPH-90000, and is a slight streamlining of the current slim PS2. It weighs in at 720 grams, which is about 200 grams lesser than the previous model, and replaces the power brick with an internal one without affecting the system’s dimensions.

Arriving in the land of the rising sun on November 22, the new model will be available in three different colors - black (pictured), white and silver. Unlike past rumors, the price will remain the same at 16,000 yen (approximately $140 US).

No announcements were made for other regions.

It has been revealed by a Sony representative that Cory Barlog, the dude behind God of War 2, is leaving SCEA’s Santa Monica studio. “We are grateful for his work and creative vision for the critically acclaimed God of War franchise,” he said, adding that they are confident in the remaining members of the God of War team, unofficially confirming the development of God of War 3 on the PS3.

Barlog is best known for stepping into the titan-sized shoes of David Jaffe, creator of the God of War franchise, in the sequel; he served as animation director on the first game. While Jaffe went on to form his own Sony-endorsed game studio Eat, Sleep and Play, it is currently not known what Barlog’s future plans are.

We wish you good luck Barlog, wherever you go!

Sega has claimed that it plans on bringing more previously import-only Sega Genesis titles to the Wii Virtual Console service. According to the publisher, prices for import games will begin at 900 Wii points ($9 US), a premium over standard titles mostly caused by localization efforts.

The company’s first titles on the service were recently released Golden Axe 3 and Alien Soldier, both of which were previously only available to North American Genesis owners.

The Hollywood writer’s strike is taking a toll on TV shows and movies, but thankfully not on videogames. Even then, SCI-FI WIRE reports that the Return to Castle Wolfenstein movie is on hold due to the strike.

Roger Avary (Beowulf, Silent Hill) is the writer of the script behind the film, revealing that he is “almost done” with the script and that he is “proud of it”, but that the production date and the consequent events are currently on hold due to the strike, which he “fully support[s].”

When asked about what the game will be like, he had this to say: “a World War II old movie of guys who are out on a mission, but this one will have the addition of monsters and horror and a lot of craziness all mixed together.”

Bringing puzzle-platforming to the PSP is European developer Ivolgamus, who is currently developing Fading Shadows for the aforementioned handheld device. Exclusive to the PSP, the game will feature action-based puzzle gameplay, with a “riveting and immersive” storyline, wireless multiplayer modes and more.

Fading Shadows sees the player faced with the challenge of saving Erwyn, whose death, according to the millennia-old prophecy, will allow evil master Gardal to breach the gates of the Castle of Heaven, the supreme fortress built to protect the world from the forces of darkness. Erywn’s soul has been enclosed in a protective orb by his clairvoyant sister, Aira, and the orb must now be transported to the Castle of Heaven, using a magical beam of light.

The player is charged with using the beam of light and exploit its state-changing abilities to complete the challenges set out in the 40 single-player levels or 10 multiplayer levels. Environments include swamps, mountains, castles and deserted cities. The game is due out in February 2008.