The week of June 12-16 saw World Cup Fever in full swing, with a series of exciting matches captivating the globe. Even the typically soccer-phobic United States stood up and took notice on Monday, when Team USA took on the feared Czech Republic...and was drubbed 3-0. (The Americans would redeem themselves on Saturday, tying Italy 1-1 in a hotly contested game.)

　　The week also saw a major kickoff in the gaming world with the launch of Nintendo's DS Lite. The sleeker, thinner, and not-at-all-iPod-like redesign of the wildly popular dual-screen handheld went on sale stateside on Sunday. By Tuesday, it had sold an estimated 136,500 units and was predicted to sell a half million by week's end. Worldwide, more than 16 million units of both versions of the DS have been sold since it debuted in November 2004.

　　In less festive news, the week saw some major developments on the legal front. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco signed a game-restriction bill cowritten by the country's most vociferous and vocal anti-game activist, Miami attorney Jack Thompson. As one might expect, the bill imposes stiff penalties for renting or selling a game that "appeals to the minor's morbid interest in violence," "depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards," and, when "taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors."

　　Thompson and coauthor representative Roy Burrell (D-District 2) partially based the Louisiana bill on existing obscenity laws to help it stand up to legal challenges. And one wasn't long in coming. Within hours of Blanco's signing of the bill, the Entertainment Software Association and the Entertainment Merchants Association filed a suit against the state in the Federal District Court of Baton Rouge to have the law overturned. It was ESA's second such legal action for the week, after a suit it filed Monday to have a game-restriction law in Oklahoma declared unconstitutional.

　　MONDAY

　　DS Lites up US retailers

　　ESA to sue Oklahoma

　　Retail Radar: New Growlanser, Warhammer for PSP?

　　Adriano signs up for Pro Evo 6

　　Patched Oblivion still dupe-able

　　TUESDAY

　　Xbox 360 BC list updated

　　Broussard: We won't rush Duke Nukem Forever

　　Lara's date with PSP announced

　　EVE Online hits China, breaks record

　　Oblivion Mehrunes' Razor add-on dated

　　WEDNESDAY

　　Congress holds at-times-contentious game hearing

　　Sony's post-PS3 vision for the Cell

　　Atari full-year revenue tanks

　　Blizzard freezes non-WOW MMOG rumors

　　DS Lite sells 136k in two days

　　THURSDAY

　　Bill Gates stepping down in 2008

　　Majesco grapples with Nacho Libre for DS

　　Midway prepping Unreal comp

　　Spore spreads to mobile phones

　　EA to sell mobile games direct

　　FRIDAY

　　Louisiana governor signs game bill

　　Madsen, Dushku head Yakuza voice cast

　　PS3 bundle-palooza opens with $1,000-plus pack

　　Report: M'soft working on handheld

　　ESA, EMA file suit against Louisiana

　　RUMORS OF THE WEEK

　　Grand Theft Auto IV powered by Table Tennis engine?

　　World of Starcraft or Diablo MMO game by 2009?

　　Nintendo patent signals imminent suit against Microsoft?

　　Boll to brawl critics onscreen in Postal movie?

　　RELEASES

　　Shippin' Out June 12-16: MotoGP 06, Civilizations at War, Metal Gear PSP comic

　　CHARTS

　　US console sales charts: June 4-10

　　US PC game charts: May 28-June 3

　　Japan game charts: May 29-June 4

　　UK game charts: June 4-10