Sony and Lockwood Publishing have launched Sodium One, a futuristic MMO exclusive to PlayStation Home.

Since its December 2008 launch, Sony’s virtual world has been the subject of considerable ridicule. Sodium One is undoubtedly aimed at addressing Home’s perceived lack of meaningful interactive content. Of course, anyone who savours standing in a virtual queue is already a lifelong fan of the service.

Sodium One challenges you to pilot a high-tech hover tank across the salt flats of a desolate alien world. Sound strategy and quick reflexes will be required to outmanoeuvre and destroy your opponents. As you rack up the wins, you’ll unlock upgrades for both your vehicle and your Home avatar. In keeping with the social aspect of Home, you’ll be encouraged to befriend other pilots in the game’s VIP lounge.

The game is being developed by Outso. Belonging to a long dormant genre and with graphics reminiscent of launch era PlayStation 2 titles, Sodium One has the odds stacked against it.

Publisher Square Enix Europe has issued a new video to promote the upcoming release of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.

While the previous teaser presented action via the lens of a security camera, developer IO Interactive has this time adopted a more traditional cinematic style. Vision of an uncharacteristically domesticated Lynch is expertly juxtaposed with footage of a frantic shootout involving Kane. Lynch reveals with a mixture of dread and resignation that his ‘old friend’ will be dropping by the following day.

By far the most disturbing revelation of the trailer is that Lynch’s special lady refers to the cold blooded psycho as ‘Lynchie’. Have IO Interactive gone soft? After defying expectations with the family friendly Mini Ninjas, the creators of Hitman will be desperate to reclaim their status as the hard men (and tough broads) of games development.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is scheduled for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010.

Welcome to the Black List, our regular retrospective on the week in games.

On Monday, the season finale of The Black Panel Podcast left the audience hanging on a knife edge.

On Tuesday, we examined the Halo: Reach trailer and concluded that Bungie is taking the series in a (long overdue) new direction.

On Wednesday, we encouraged you to respond to the Federal Government’s discussion paper on the potential for an R18+ rating for games.

On Thursday, we scoured the debut trailer for Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands for evidence of Jerry Bruckheimer’s influence.

On Friday, we examined the new Medal of Honor trailer and revealed that the Aliens vs Predator ban had been overturned.

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon – Editor

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"Whoa... Is that dude wearing fishnets?"

UPDATE: The Classification Review Board has issued its decision. The ban has been overturned. Aliens vs Predator will be classified MA15+.

ORIGINAL STORY: Today the Australian Classification Review Board met to discuss an application to review the RC (Refused Classification) rating currently allocated to the upcoming Aliens vs Predator game from SEGA and Rebellion.

As of this article being written the results are not yet known, and I for one will have an anxious wait ahead of me I assure you. But, although I am grateful for the (albeit slim) chance of being able to purchase and play an unedited version of AvP in my own country, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed by the decision to appeal. Is it wrong to think that it dilutes the righteous indignation Rebellion expressed in their statement criticizing the Australian ratings system?  I believe the statement was instrumental in embarrassing our Government enough to force them to commence public consultation for an R18+ rating for video games. Does it not also contradict their other official statement that although “disappointed”, they agreed “strongly that our game is not suitable for game players that are not adults”?

On the plus side however, I am very excited by this obviously embarrassing situation for the Classification Board. If the Review Board overturns the decision and awards AvP our highest possible rating of MA15+, despite the assertion from Rebellion themselves that it is an ‘adult’ game, then won’t it prove once and for all that our ratings system is a joke? By giving a game its own creators say should be rated R18+ a rating that allows teenagers to purchase it, what message would our Government be sending? Make a fool of us in public and we’ll cave in, ignoring our own laws in the process?

We’ll let you know as soon as the Review Board publishes its decision.