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We all know that video game revenue has long passed that of films, but did you know how much they actually cost? According to DigitalBattle.com, this is the official list of the ten most expensive video game developments:

1. Grand Theft Auto IV ($100 million).
2. Grand Turismo ($80 million).
3. Shenmue ($70 million).
4. Too Human ($60+ million).
5. Metal Gear Solid 4 ($60 million).
6. Halo 3 ($55 million).
7. APG ($50 million).
8. L. A. Noire ($50 million).
9. Final Fantasy XII ($48 million).
10. Killzone 2 ($45 million).

So, there you have it: The grand theft is the grand investor in the business.

For some reason, video game developers tend to keep actual development costs secret from the public. The numbers listed above are eiter officially (but not necessarily accurate) numbers, or estimates based on several known factors.

Also, the numbers generally do not include marketing costs, which would increase the amount spent significantly.

Like Age of Conan developer Funcom before them, Rockstar elevates the women of their new game in a new femme fatale teaser trailer. There is only one thing to say about this game: I want it, and I want it now!

Just the idea of a proper western open world sanbox game is absolutely fantastic. And with the cinematic quality of their previous sandbox game Grand Theft Auto 4 fresh in my mind, I am already… erh… smiling (you can’t say aroused on Internet).

April 27 just can’t come around fast enough.

Do you remember those things with paper and letters in them? I think they called them “books”. Well, one of those is coming your way with a novelization of the great action game.

The novel, entitled Renaissance, features the exact same story told in the video game, only through a different narrative (it’s a book after all). The book is written by a certain individual by the name Oliver Bowden, whom I’ve never heard of.

Personally, I have trouble understanding why anyone would pick this one up at all, and even more so actually reading it. The plot in the Assassin’s Creed games are quite interesting from a video game perspective. But from a novel persoective… not so much.

After all, gamers aren’t commonly spoiled by great story-telling, and Assassin’s Creed II is no exception.

I don’t want to step on any die-hard fans’ toes out there, but let’s face it: if you think this game would make great litteraure, you’ve never read good litterature.

If you haven’t done so yet, I strongly recommend trying out the demo of my upcoming point and click adventure game Bachelor Story. The demo is now available on rpgmaker.net, or you can download it from this blog.

Some feedback and comments on the game is appreciated. This is a work still unfinished, and all feedback is valuable to improve the final product.

We all knew it was only a questino of when, and now 2K Games has announced a smashing sequal to Sid Meier’s magnificent turn based strategy game. Sid Meier’s Civilization V is ready for release this autumn.

In addition to a brand new game engine, some core game play mechanics will be redesigned and hopefully improved. The traditional square based world will now be devided into hexagons (not unlike those old turn based strategy games), “stunning organic landscapes” (obviously), and a more realistic gameplay experience.

How much the core game play will change we’ll have yet to see. In any case it’s still Firaxis Games developing the game, with legendary designer Sid Meier behind the wheel.

Personally, I am a great Civilization fan and would gladly welcome any new installment in the series. However, let’s hope we’re not talking a reimagined version of Civilizatino IV, with better graphics. After all, what we know so far has a lot to do with graphics and fully animated leaders.

I want an even more realistic AI, and a flexible and realistic diplomacy feature. Oh yeah, Mr. Meier! If you’re going to include wonder movies; make them good like in Civilization II, and not bland and boring like in Civilization IV.

Everyone who has previously signed up for beta testing of Blizzard’s new installment of StarCraft, may now log in and have their way with the Zergs and whatnot.

The client is available for download from Battle.net, a massive 1.64GB piece of nerd love.

Me? Another generic space-themed real time strategy game? Sorry Blizz, not my cup of tea.

Recently, game developers all over Europe have been calling their governments for industry tax cuts. This is not unnatural due to sharp competition and cruel economic recession, but it may prove a formidable invesment for governments to enrich cultural prosperity.

The largly privatly owned video game industry provides a cultural aspect of modern civilization. As film and litterature is already largly subsidised and easily treated tax-wise, why are not video games recognized in this very same manner?

It is a paradox, that one of the fastest growing and most profitable branches of cultural development, is left almost completely unstimulated by public spending.

During the recent X10, British game designer Peter Molyneux called the UK government for tax cuts in order to stimulate the national gaming industry. Molyneux states that “It is just crazy that the British government does not recognize the games industry as a creative industry in the way it recognizes others.”

This does not only have to do with the desire of video game develoers to profit more from their games. It is not about throwing money at the big game publishers like Activisino Blizzard and Electronic Arts.

Government money in the pots could also encourage developers to take greater risks and innovate the video game as a medium.

Molyneux states further that “The UK has a great heritage of invention and creativity, it’s just the rest of the world have a great heritage of recognizing that properly and it frustrates the hell out of me.”

Doesn’t he have a point?

I finally got my copy of Bioware’s space shooter RPG Mass Effect 2 today, for my Xbox 360. I will tell you what I think of it as soon as I’ve gotten around to play it properly. I have heard lots of great things about this second installement, so my anticipations are rather hight at the moment.

I did enjoy the original Mass Effect, although not everything was superb to my taste. I hope for a better menu system, a better planet exploration system without a unmaneuverable moon car, and more of the interesting characters.

It would also be nice with a storyline that doesn’t suck this time around.

Well, I am off to explore the world of Mass Effect once more. Wish me luck!