The Week in Review – Double Duke and Bungie

On this week’s edition, Plants vs. Zombies helps against cyber attacks, and Bungie seeks massive brains for its next game.

Is Duke Too Rude of a Dude?

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is concerned that Duke Nukem Forever might prove a little too much for the fine folks at the ESRB and PEGI. He was so worried in fact, that he asked people not to film the new trailer shown in London this week, for fear of getting publisher Take Two into hot water over the nudity, swearing and, err, junk punching it contained. (Link)

Do You Still Have Your Pre-Order Ticket?

In related news, Gearbox has announced that it will work with retailers to try and honor all pre-orders for Duke Nukem Forever, no matter how old they might be. DNF has been in development since 1997, so some of the pre-orders are very old indeed, and Gearbox is keen to avoid any ill will from consumers who feel like they have been cheated. (Link)

Bungie Wants Big Brains for PS3

Bungie is looking for experienced PS3 developers to join its team, and it has a very specific attribute it’s looking for in potential new recruits. Besides technical and interpersonal skills, Bungie is specifying that applicants should have a high IQ. Presumably, this is to weed out some of the chaff, although there are rumors that Bungie has been taken over by hungry zombies. (Link)

Keeping Military Secrets Safe With Plants and Zombies

You might think that playing casual games won’t help keep cyber criminals at bay, but when that game is Plants vs. Zombies, it’s a different story. PvZ isn’t some kind of impenetrable anti-hacker barrier in and of itself, but Lockheed-Martin’s Rick Doten says that the principles of the game are a brilliant example of how to counter a cyber attack. (Link)

It’s Amazing What You Can Build

A MineCraft player has used the game to build a basic working computer. Using sticks, fire, and miles and miles of rock, “theinternetftw” was able to make a machine capable of performing basic arithmetic on its own. Thinking too hard about someone using their computer to play a game in which they built a computer will make you go cross-eyed, so just hit the link for a video instead. (Link)