The Last Word: December 18-21

With the holidays fast approaching, much of the industry took a well-deserved break this week after an intense November and early December. In the past few months, several big-name games hit shelves in hopes of ending up under the tree, two major consoles landed on shelves and were scooped up just as quickly, and shortages of said consoles resulted in plenty of newsworthy events.

But that doesn't mean that was it for big gaming news. As 2006 waves good-bye, so does Entertainment Software Association president Doug Lowenstein. On Tuesday, Lowenstein confirmed what had been percolating since last week--that he was leaving his post for work outside of the industry he championed for a dozen years.

As president of the ESA, Lowenstein fought for game publishers, developers, and retailers during a time when several politicians and organizations had the industry under a microscope, most often for violent content.

Lowenstein summed up his decision when he told GameSpot, "I've enjoyed a lot of this, almost all of it, [but] life presents new opportunities and new challenges and it's...it's kind of carpe diem."

Lowenstein will continue to serve as ESA president through February. The ESA has not yet decided on a successor.

Though Nintendo announced it would voluntarily replace the first round of its Wii Remote wrist straps due to rampant breaking, the decision wasn't enough for one gamer from Texas. A lawsuit was filed against the gaming giant for "unfair and deceptive practices" by providing straps that proved to be ineffective.

According to the lawsuit, "The controller is an essential component of any video game console, and so [the] plaintiff is unable to use the Nintendo Wii for its intended purposes as a result of the broken wrist band. Accordingly, it renders the Wii console, which retails in the United States for $250, useless."

Nintendo responded to the lawsuit, saying, "We believe the lawsuit to be completely without merit." The case is pending.

Lawsuits aside, the Wii continued to build up its features with the announcement that a beta version of the system's Opera Web browser would be given out for free this Friday. The Forecast Channel, which gives updated weather information all over the world, also went live this week.

Halo fans got their first peek at Halo 3 in motion Wednesday when Bungie released a seven-minute mini-documentary detailing the new and improved Brutes--an ape-like alien race that debuted in Halo 2. The video featured in-game footage, but Bungie stressed that all the graphics were "work-in-progress."

One of gaming's premiere fighting franchises, Virtua Fighter, got a one-two punch of news this week. On Monday, Sega revealed that Virtua Fighter 5 for the PlayStation 3 would be released on February 20 in the US and would also be a launch title for the European launch of the console. On Thursday, Sega dropped a doozy on Xbox 360 owners, revealing that the game would be headed to Microsoft's new console in summer 2007.

More news on Sony's video download service for the PSP broke this week when Financial Times reported that Sony would begin selling feature films for the PSP next year. However, Sony had little to say on the article, commenting, "At this time, we have not confirmed any further news regarding a potential movie download service for the PSP."

Time may not be a hardcore gaming media outlet, but it did have some not-too-kind words for Sony's PS3. On its list of "5 Things That Went From Buzz to Bust," the magazine listed Sony's console right up there with Snakes on a Plane and O.J. Simpson's If I Did It.

On the pro gaming circuit, Major League Gaming (MLG) signed seven pro gamers to exclusive contracts worth a total of $1.75 million. Ubisoft's Frag Dolls, an all-female gaming clan, hushed critics who claimed they weren't real gamers when they won their first pro tournament at a CPL event in Dallas.

And finally, proving that unusal marketing and a creepy mascot can be very effective, Burger King revealed that more than 2 million units of its BK-themed Xbox 360 games have been sold in just four weeks.

MONDAY
Trio added to Wii's VC
Virtua Fighter 5 date punched out
Lost Planet demoed over 1 million times
Sony launching PSP video downloads
MMO vet Raph Koster surfaces

TUESDAY
ESA boss confirms departure
Wii Web browser Friday, weather channel today
MLG spends $1.75M signing seven pro gamers
Nintendo sued over Wii wrist straps
Q&A: Doug Lowenstein, going the distance

WEDNESDAY
Brutish Halo 3 "ViDoc" now playing
Over 2 million BK games served
Ubisoft's Ninja Turtles emerge from the shadows
MLB 07 chooses Wright
Downloadable maps for 360 COD3 debriefed

THURSDAY
Virtua Fighter 5 dukes it out on Xbox 360
Frag Dolls win first pro event
More groups at odds over Left Behind
Guitar Hero suit settled
Ubisoft confirms PS3 Double Agent

RELEASES
Shippin' Out December 18-31: 2006 goes out with a whimper