The ESRB has helpfully decided to add "ratings summaries" to the existing ratings system. The summaries are meant to better inform parents as to the nature of the games their children will be playing by giving a brief description behind a game's rating.

So what's going to be in our videogaming menu starting this week? A whole lot of DS games once again, we tell you, though there's a few gems or two in the Nintendo handheld rough on Tuesday. There's a music rhythm game for almost every console out there, plus a couple new additions to the portfolio of PC games. Somehow we're also seeing another relaunching of Gears of War for the Xbox 360 the "Refresh" edition. We don't know why it's re-listed, but it is. The full list follows at the full story.

This issue is another one of those weeks where you could selectively stave off from spending hard-earned cash, but then there are millions of gamers who need their gaming fix. Gladly enough, third-party publishers on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii have addressed the casual gaming populace, and that pretty much sums up this week's retail release line up. On second thought, no - we still have an MMO, EA Maxis' pre-Spore sampler, a formerly retail, now PSN game, plus the release of Rock Band on the Nintendo Wii. Check the full story for details.

This week welcomes the much-loved and much-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 from Konami. No longer should we worry about broken street dates, because today it all becomes official. But Solid Snake is not the only superhero around as there's also Goku and the gang of Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, as well as the big, green machine, The Incredible Hulk. If you'd rather work on the sidelines, then Don King Present: Prizefigther is here as well to show you the ropes of managing in the boxing profession, as well as Total Extreme Wrestling 2008. More games await after the jump!

We have had quite a share of sports titles last week, and this time we're going to add a little more into the fitness equation with the release of Nintendo's much-hyped up Wii Fit as well as UEFA EURO 2008 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PSP, PC). Meanwhile, PS3 owners should have yet another field day at the retail stores with the release of the highly anticipated FPS, Haze, and the karaoke title SingStar. See the full article for more details!

* Article originally posted May 19, 2008 at 12:45AM

As this month comes to a close, blockbuster titles make the cut to establish March 2008 as a great period in time for us gamers. Of course, we're talking about the launch of big hitters headlined by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Ryu Hayabusa will draw his Dragon Sword on the DS in North America following its recent Japan release, while glaives are going to fly in Dark Sector for the PS3 and 360. To know more about this week's releases, hit that jump!

Are video game developers afraid of including sex in their products? We do know that graphical sex scenes almost warrant an Adults Only (AO) rating from the ESRB, making it a no-no for titles that need to sell more than a few copies to earn profit. Veteran game designer Brenda Brathwaite, however, believes that there should be no discrimination against games that teach the art of making love. More of her insights are at the full article.

The steady stream of high-quality games as early as the first quarter of 2008 continues, proven by this week's line-up of releases which includes Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, the next Ace Attorney, and Dynasty Warriors 6. A very promising Devil May Cry-esque MMORPG is also on the way, while Need for Speed is in for another lap. The rest of this week's releases await at the full article!

During the DICE Summit, Michael Gallagher, CEO and new president of the ESA, told the audience that the video games industry has become mainstream.

It all started with Pong, the game industry has finally arrived with games reaching millions of households in the US and throughout the rest if the world. Details of his speech in the full article.

We recently reported that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, Xbox 360) will be delayed. Following that, here's the latest update regarding the developments happening. We got news that Funcom's upcoming game will not be censored when released in the US. But people in Germany won't be having the same luck. Details in the full article.