And to think some people were offended by this cover… sheesh.

South Australia has introduced a law prohibiting R18+ films from being displayed in the traditional manner.

As reported by The Advertiser, retailers will be able to comply with the law in one of two ways. The first option involves creating a dedicated space for R18+ material, a space that must be clearly marked as containing potentially offensive material. The second option involves replacing a film’s cover art with a predominantly blank page containing only its title and rating information. I would argue that that the new measures should be applied to anything directed by Michael Bay, regardless of rating.

Non-compliance with the new restrictions will result in a penalty of up to $5,000, i.e. just enough to force small operators out of business but not enough to cause undue stress to the industry’s heavyweights.

The new law will have no effect on the sale and display of video games. How could it? Australia has no R18+ for video games to begin with. Sigh…

Ubisoft employees moments after being granted more time to work on I Am Alive…

Ubisoft has announced delays for R.U.S.E and I Am Alive, while confirming that new instalments of the Assassin’s Creed, Raving Rabbids and Driver franchises are in the works.

While R.U.S.E. was expected in Q1 2010, Ubisoft has now revealed plans to deliver the console focused strategy title in the second quarter. As unfortunate as this may be, it can hardly compare to the revelation that I Am Alive, a game announced more than three years ago, has been delayed yet again. According to a report published on IGN, the highly anticipated survival adventure is now expected in April 2011 at the earliest. The Black Panel believes that I Am Alive remains in production solely to prevent bloggers from using the headline ‘I Am Dead’.

While few details are known of the new Raving Rabbids and Driver titles, Ubisoft has been more forthcoming about Assassin’s Creed. According to a CVG report, the new title will be a direct continuation of the second game in the series. As such, Ezio will again feature in the role of protagonist. A multiplayer mode, a first for the series, has also been mooted.

A new multiplayer focused third person shooter is headed for the Xbox Live Arcade according to a report published on Kotaku. Created by newcomers Uber Entertainment, Monday Night Combat invites you to choose between six character classes, each with their own signature skills, weapons and finishing moves. You’ll even have the opportunity to create a custom class of your own. Once you’re happy with your character, you’ll enter an arena to fight in a Running Man style game show.

Winning is not just about the bragging rights though. The cash you earn from churning through your opponents can be used to upgrade skills and weapons for subsequent encounters. Fortunately for those who fear they’ll become online whipping boys or girls, there are a number of modes in addition to the obvious adversarial multiplayer, including single player and co-op matches against bots.

Monday Night Combat certainly could be worth a look. It’s due for release on XBLA in 2010.

Independent developer Eipix Entertainment has announced a new downloadable action title, according to a report published on Joystiq. Eclosion is a vertical shooter with 3D graphics presented on a 2D plane. You’ll zip around in your little spacecraft shooting up a storm against lava, ice and space themed backdrops, which probably make no difference to gameplay, but look pretty nonetheless.

Eipix Entertainment are promising 40 levels, 20 weapons and 40 enemies types but what sets the game apart from similar top down shooters is its ‘co-op single player’ mode. Huh? Maybe it’s just me, but that sounds like a contradiction in terms. There is one element that made me squeal with excitement though. Eipix Entertainment have used a Commodore 64 chip to create an authentic retro soundtrack for the game.

Eclosion may be worth a gander and, if you’re interested, it will be available in 2010 for download on the Wii, PC, PSP, and XBLA.