Activision's decision to raise the suggested retail price of Modern Warfare 2 in the UK to UK£ 54.99 (almost US$ 90) has raised a furor among gamers in the region. Former SCEE president Chris Deering recognizes that a conundrum exists: prices for blockbuster titles should be even higher in order to support the industry, but people "just don't have that kind of money."

Neil Thompson, Microsoft's regional director of Xbox in the UK, has emphasized the need for the videogame industry to impress upon parents that consoles and videogames have grown far beyond what they were in the past.

Microsoft Europe's David Gosen has questioned the gaming industry's seasonal approach to game releases in a recent interview with MCV. According to Gosen, the focus on Q4 and Christmas releases has put the sustainability of new IP into question, and that a second or third release window will be good news for the industry. Great news for my wallet as well, since I won't have to buy all the major releases I want in one big go. More after the jump.

Despite having a comical and motivational theme to it, the TV spot for Change 4 Life was met with ire by the gaming industry for linking gaming with obesity, calling it "another example of naive stereotyping and scapegoating." If you haven't seen the ad, click for the full article and see for yourself.

Capcom cleared the air today on some mistaken notions about a few UK release dates that have been floating around. Specifically, those of Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) and Bionic Commando. Unfortunately, the dates were apparently just a list of retail guides rather than actual game launch dates.

A recent article on MCV revealed that the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, or ELSPA, is considering taking actions to stop the proliferation of flashcarts such as the R4 and M3 in the UK. Learn more after the jump!

Despite friction with trade infringement and discounting on game releases, Microsoft's winning streak for 2007 seems to be keeping strong as the computer technology corporation tops MCV's 2007 Retail Survey - helmed by Halo 3 and the Xbox 360.

More details on Microsoft's achievement after the jump.

The British Board of Film Classification will be reviewing its guidelines for games classification next year as part of a review of all the BBFC's guidelines. This was revealed by BBFC senior examiner Gianni Zamo in an interview with MCV UK.

Additionally, Zamo explained that the more realistic graphics found in today's games don't necessarily pose additional problems for the BBFC. The same goes for motion-sensing controllers. Context is one of the big factors in classifying a game, but it's not without its problems. Said Zamo:

Many game narratives are often fractured and detached from the interactive element of the game, making it difficult to see them as a whole, coherent piece. Trying to understand the context of a 40 plus hour game (even with a storyline) is very different from understanding a 90 minute movie.

The British Board of Film Classification has responded to UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron's statements calling for a review of its regulatory framework.

Cameron revealed earlier this week a dossier called "It's Time to Fight Back". As we reported earlier, the dossier urged video game developers - as well as proponents of other forms of artistic expression like films and music - not to promote issues such as casual violence, gang culture and the degradation of women.

In response, BBFC spokesperson Sue Clark told MCV that the classification guidelines that the BBFC uses are "based on what the public deems acceptable." She further added that they "feel confident that we have public consent on how we deal with issues such as gun and knife crime."

The UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) also spoke in support of the BBFC. Here's what one DCMS spokesman told MCV:

We have a strict enforcement code for people who supply '18' or '15' rated games to children. Adults can make their own decisions which games to play, as they can which films to watch.

US attorney Jack Thompson has commended the UK for banning Take-Two Interactive's Manhunt 2 from sale, adding that he "would absolutely like to see the US and other countries following the UK’s lead."

Thompson said in an article published in MCV UK that the British have a working model where a law has a functional sanction that prevents people from purchasing the concerned material. "I think you all have it right and I think the ruling on Manhunt 2 was spot on – and I see also that Take 2’s The Darkness was banned in Singapore," he says to the UK ratings body BBFC.

Thompson also took a swipe at nemesis publisher and developer tandem Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, saying that the fact that they made Manhunt 2 made it all the more likely for a ban to be imposed. The high visibility of Take 2 and Rockstar – the poster child for what’s wrong in the industry – made it more likely that it would get a ban," comments the activist lawyer.

"In a way the BBFC rating is redundant because the industry itself, the format holders, have banned it," Thompson says in reference to what he says is a sensible act by Sony and Nintendo to not allow an Adults Only-rated game to be sold in their platforms.

And if you think gamers are the only people excited about Grand Theft Auto IV's launch, you're in for a shock. Thompson says "the next big thing that’s going to hit is Grand Theft Auto 4 and we’ll have to wait and see whether or not that deserves a very restricted rating or doesn’t get rated at all."

The US attorney then concluded with optimism that Americans will adopt a similar rating system to that of the UK, especially Thompson says, if Hillary Clinton becomes the next President. "This has been one of her issues for many years, so I think if she’s elected you’ll see a real push from the White House to have a national sanction hooking into the Government’s rating system."