EA have released the first vision of their forthcoming Medal of Honor reboot. The action packed trailer premiered during Saturday’s Spike Video Game Awards.

The original PlayStation game was released to considerable acclaim in 1999 and more than a dozen sequels and expansions followed. Once virtually synonymous with the World War II shooting genre, the series has been dormant since 2007’s Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 for Wii and PSP. Now, for the first time, in move entirely unrelated to the success of Activision’s Modern Warfare series, a Medal of Honor game will portray war in a contemporary setting.

Set amidst the chaos of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, the game is certain to provoke strong reactions both within the game industry and in the broader community. While EA has promised to tell “the soldier’s story”, their depiction of Afghan locals and enemy combatants will also come under close scrutiny.

EA’s Los Angeles studio is crafting the single player campaign, while Battlefield developer DICE will deliver the multiplayer component. Look for it on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010.

Ubisoft has issued a trailer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands along with concept art and new story and gameplay details. While the video, which debuted during Saturday’s Spike Video Game Awards, establishes the look and feel of The Forgotten Sands, it doesn’t include gameplay footage.

All in all, it doesn’t appear that the direction of the game has been unduly influenced by Jerry Bruckheimer’s forthcoming film adaptation.

Set between the first and second instalments of The Sands of Time series, The Forgotten Sands sees the Prince attempting to liberate his brother’s palace from a debilitating siege. In addition to the free-running and time manipulation mechanics found in existing Sands of Time games, the Prince will now possess certain, thus far unspecified, elemental abilities.

The core version of the game is being prepared for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Wii, DS and PSP owners will, according to Ubisoft, receive “a different gaming experience.” No kidding…

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is due for release on in May 2010.

Visitors are often surprised by the scale of the Black Panel offices.

"Come and give your Uncle Charlie a hug."

Sick and tired of reading the words ‘refused classification’ on gaming blogs? Well, at long last, you have the opportunity to do something about it.

The Federal Attorney General’s Department has commenced public consultation regarding the potential for an R18+ rating for video games in Australia. Under the current National Classification Scheme, any game that cannot be accommodated under the maximum MA15+ rating is refused classification, effectively banning it from sale in this country.

To facilitate debate, the Department has issued a discussion paper summarising some of the arguments for and against R18+. Though far from comprehensive, the paper does manage to address a range of arguments entirely irrelevant to the issue at hand. Why, for example, are we discussing the possible impact of ultra violent video games on minors, when it would be illegal to sell R18+ titles to these consumers? In my view, the question of enforcement is an important, but separate, issue.

Some of the arguments listed in favour of introducing R18+ are equally immaterial, for example the notion that we should amend the law because so many people are already breaking it.

The Black Panel encourages its readers to download the discussion paper and lodge a submission. We do note, however, that the submission form includes questions regarding the frequency and duration of your gaming sessions. If someone can explain to me how this is relevant to the issue, I would be much obliged.

A new Halo: Reach trailer was broadcast during Saturday’s 2009 Spike Video Game Awards. Thankfully, Microsoft and Bungie have now made the clip available for all to peruse and dissect. While the two and half minute clip doesn’t include any gameplay footage of the Xbox 360 exclusive, it was reportedly created using the in-game engine.

The video features a number of signature Halo elements, including what appears to be a faceless protagonist, this time in the company of an entire squad of Spartans. The commanding officer informs his new recruit that he can “leave that lone wolf stuff behind” suggesting a greater emphasis on specialisation and teamwork in this iteration. The emphasis on clichéd dialogue appears to be about the same.

Notable squad members include a battle-scarred female Spartan and a brooding knifeman with skull insignia on his helm. The squad will be battling to protect the human colony on Reach from Covenant attack. Halo devotees will no doubt recall the significance of the battle being portrayed in this long awaited prequel.

If October’s Halo 3: ODST confirmed anything in my mind, it was that the series is dire need of fresh ideas. We’ll have to wait until Spring 2010 to see if Halo: Reach delivers on that front.