The second week of February ended on a high note, with Microsoft releasing a free Xbox 360 picture and theme pack featuring the likeness of everyone's favorite faux Kazakh, Borat. (Great success!) But the previous five days weren't all fun, games, and naked wrestling in hotel rooms. The week started off all right, with Bungie answering many non-trash-talking-adolescents' prayers by announcing that Halo 3 will have an insta-mute button. Also welcome was news that Sir Shigeru Miyamoto would be further honored in the form of a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Game Developers' Choice Awards.

　　Tuesday was more muddled, however. Activision answered console-owners' prayers and committed heresy in the eyes of many a PC gamer by announcing it was porting Enemy Territory: Quake Wars to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Then it was learned that the same producers who haven't managed to get the Hitman or Spy Hunter movies off the ground have snapped up the film rights to Eidos and Io Interactive's promising shooter Kane & Lynch.

　　However, the day ended with the specter of stiff federal game regulation rearing its ugly head once again. That's when presidential candidate Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) reintroduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act, which would require the ESRB to play all the way through the final build of games before rating them. While that may sound reasonable to nongamers, those in the know quickly grasped that such a measure would drastically slow the release of games with long play times, such as epic The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It also raised the prospect that open-ended massively multiplayer role-playing games like World of Warcraft could be prevented from ever being rated--since they have no end--and would therefore be effectively banned. (Riots in Azeroth quickly ensued.)

　　Remember when Sacha Baron Cohen was best known as Ali G? Anyone? Bueller?

　　Wednesday had its share of ugly news, with the founder of former Take-Two CEO Ryan Brant pleading guilty to charges of first-degree falsifying of business records. In a bit of delicious irony anti-game activist Jack Thompson must be savoring like a slab of lean Kobe beef, this makes the founder of the publisher of Grand Theft Auto a convicted felon. The day's skullduggery was ameliorated somewhat, though, by the first details about Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the most promising-looking LucasArts game since Knights of the Old Republic.

　　Fans of Japanese games got a double dose of good news this week. First, an ad reportedly ripped from Famitsu magazine further confirmed that Fumito Ueda and the rest of the Shadow of the Colossus crew are working on a PS3 exclusive. Shortly thereafter, it became public that the former staffers of Clover, the now-dismantled internal Capcom studio that created Okami and many other cult classics, have formed their own independent studio, Seeds.

　　Oh, yeah, and don't forget to Wii vote! The fate of Western democracy hangs in the balance! (What's Japanese for "hanging chad"?)

　　MONDAY

　　Analysts split on NPD expectations

　　Halo 3 gets shutup button

　　GameStop splitting stock

　　Game Developers Choice Awards to honor Miyamoto, Tetris creator

　　Q&A: Gamecock's Harry Miller crows

　　TUESDAY

　　Presidential hopeful resurrects federal game bill

　　Activision waging Quake Wars on 360, PS3

　　Kane & Lynch headed to Hollywood

　　Wii Votes Channel launches

　　Q&A: Wideload's Alex Seropian gets Gamecocky

　　WEDNESDAY

　　Clover vets reunite, form Seeds

　　Marc Ecko tailors game company

　　Take-Two founder pleads guilty

　　Rewards coming for Gamerscores, offer extended

　　The Force (will be) Unleashed in November

　　THURSDAY

　　Patrick Stewart voicing FFXII ads

　　ESRB rates unannounced retro games

　　MTV layoffs leave game guys alone

　　Miyamoto talks violent games

　　Q&A: C&C3's Kane speaks!

　　FRIDAY

　　Q*Bert hops to PS3

　　Analyst downgrades Take-Two stock

　　Halo 3 beta detailed...sort of

　　Eidos sets up Montreal studio

　　DS scoops up Cookie & Cream

　　RUMORS OF THE WEEK

　　Fight Night to knock out Wii?

　　Colossus devs cooking up PS3 project?

　　RELEASES

　　Shippin' Out 2/12-2/16: Ratchet & Clank PSP, Wii Play