Yesterday, news was floating around the web about a possible game based on "Antichrist," a new movie from Lars Von Trier which has received a boatload of controversy. The film, which revolves around a couple staying in a cabin in the woods, is filled with extremely sexual and violent imagery, ranging from the graphic death of a child to close-ups of vaginal insertion and genital mutilation. It's not, shall we say, for the kids.

Today I had a chance to speak with Morten Iversen, the Game Director behind "Eden," the title based on "Antichrist." Iverson is not new to the video game world. He worked at Io Interactive as the writer of the "Hitman" series for six years before forming his own company. When that company went under he joined up with Zentropa, Von Trier's production company.

"Von Trier has been extremely fond of video games for ages, and has been an avid player of 'Alone in the Dark,'" explained Iverson. "He's been circulating the idea internally…that making games would be a good idea."

But is "Antichrist" really the one to start with? Iverson admits that it's a challenge.

"[The movie] goes against all the conventions of how you make games and what you can do in games. Dead kids, nudity, graphic violence. It will be a very controversial game, and it'll be a game that doesn't really compare with anything else."

Clearly there are going to be issues with such themes with certain retailers, but Iverson takes those in stride. "We don't expect Wal-Mart to roll in crates of this and put it on their shelves. Absolutely not available at Wal-Mart!"

"Eden" is actually planned as a download-only game, which Iverson hopes to get on services like Xbox Live and Steam. In style, he describes it as a "nightmarish version of Myst."

There are some very unique gameplay concepts at work, though. When you queue up the game, players will have to upload a profile, describing what their biggest phobias are. For example, are you afraid of spiders, loud noises or the dark? Based on that profile, certain themes will be loaded into the game to challenge you on those phobias.

But what about interational ratings boards? Recent releases of "Fallout 3" and "Grand Theft Auto 4" have had to be edited in order to see shelves in certain territories. Is Zentropa willing to make changes to the project?

"Yes, of course. Just like the movie, they made two versions so they can get released in countries like Italy and the US, [countries] that view things differently than we do in Denmark." The game's release will be edited, as well, depending on the region.

Despite all the controversy (to which Iverson replies with a warrior-like battle cry: ""Bring it on! Controversy!"), the game's release is still a ways off, planned for sometime next year. Currently the team at Zentropa is just four people and the game has just finished the design phase. Next it's a matter of staffing up and getting the title playable. Iverson seems pumped at the prospect.

"I admire Lars von Trier's work immensely, and look forward to developing this game based on his work and hopefully with his creative input. He's an extremely creative, condescending, misogynist genius with a shipload of phobias rattling him every day, so we're like kindred spirits."

Now the only question that remains: Where's the Project Natal version?

"Of course if Microsoft is interested, they could bring us an offer. Chopping of axes and stuff like that, I'm not sure Microsoft would be extremely happy to have a nihilist game with their technology."

"Splinter Cell: Conviction" is set around the events after Sam Fisher's daughter is killed in a suspicious car crash. Sam is rightfully pretty pissed about the whole thing and basically goes on a bloody quest to take down the folks responsible. The game still has a big focus on stealth, requiring you to use guerrilla tactics to get the jump on your foes, but Sam has a lot more tools in his belt.

What It's Doing Right

Speedy Sam
Although Sam has always been deadly, when it came to moving about his world, he was pretty slow and plodding. In "Conviction," he moves much faster, with a smoothness that you'd expect to see from a trained spec-ops ninja. He can slide along walls, run while crouched and leap into open windows with the grace of Altair, and such fleet-footedness makes getting out of sticky situations much more natural.

Mid-Gameplay Cutscenes
Definitely the most unique visual aspect about "Conviction" is how it displays objectives and important information right in the game world. For example, the opening scene of the demo had Sam torturing a thug in a bathroom. Once he got his information, a video of his new target was splashed over the walls of the bathroom. It's a really cool way of displaying such data without just having a text box pop-up.

Improved Stealth
While "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" featured a lot of stealth, it didn't give you a lot of tools to make use of it. "Conviction" instantly lets you know when you're in the shadows by washing out the colors in the game. Step into the light and the environment around you will once again pop. Again, a very clever way to integrate HUD-less gameplay.

Another great feature is the use of a marker which shows you the last place the enemy saw you. A "ghost" will appear showing that location and you can assume that enemies will be focusing on that spot when they come to look for you. Thankfully you're not there anymore, so getting the jump on them should be easier.

Mark and Execute
Killing someone up close with a melee attack gives Sam the ability to mark and execute a target. So long as you have line of sight, you'll be able to hit a single button for an instant headshot. Once it's used, though, you have to get another melee kill before you can activate it again. This turns "Conviction" into a crazy mad dash, hopping from kill to kill, as fast as you can. Of course, you could always just stick to the shadows and play it safe, but where's the fun in that?

What It's Doing Wrong

Mid-Gameplay Cutscenes
Yes, I realize I'm contradicting myself here, but the developers need to be very careful about how they use these. Since they're so integrated into the environment, it's extremely difficult to tell what's actually there. Usually it's as blatant as giant text like "INFILTRATE THE MANSION" on the wall, but with video it's harder to pick up on. Maybe that's the idea…but in its current state it needs a little polish.

Final Impressions
I played through the E3 demo of "Splinter Cell: Conviction" a few times, and each time I was able to try something new. You can go in stealthy, you can bash down the door, it's really up to you. The environments (or at least the mansion in the demo) seem much more open, with varied pathways and entry points, and the visuals are smooth and precise, with a tight framerate and cool visual cues to give you pertinent gameplay information. It's hard to summarize why the whole experience is coming together so well, but I hope this gave you a sense.

This particular series focuses on Moon Bloodgood's character, Blair Williams (as in the game, she lends her voice as well). It will run for six episodes -- the first was released on May 18 -- as Williams tracks a hacker known as "The Ghost." The series relies entirely on in-game assets, and the production was overseen by "Salvation" director McG. Check out the video below for an inside look.

The game is set in 1939 and those crazy Nazis are stirring things up again, forcing our intrepid archeologist to go hunting for new treasure. While the missions will be fun for all systems, the game is especially optimized for the Wii. In particular, the advantage of having the Wii remote allows some innovative gameplay with Indiana's signature weapon, the whip.

In the video below, Matt Shell from LucasArts takes us through using the whip with the Wii remote and how to properly wield the rawhide wand.

I fired off questions to the makers of upcoming MMO "Fallen Earth." They told me why we should care about their massively multiplayer, post-apocalyptic shooting game and what will set it apart from the rest.

***

Fantasy MMOs are a dime a dozen, but it seems that shooting-based ones are on the rise. I interviewed Jessica Orr, the product manager of "Fallen Earth," via e-mail to see what makes their game unique.

MTV Multiplayer: Can you give me some background on the company? Are you experienced MMO and/or shooter developers?

Jessica Orr, product manager: "Fallen Earth" is the only title in Fallen Earth, LLC's roster, although many of the team members have worked on other games. Our team is very well-rounded in that some enjoy the FPS games while others enjoy the RPG games. Some like PvP more, some PvE. Having a variety of voices that contribute help ensure a healthy balance.

MTV Multiplayer: How long has "Fallen Earth" been in development? How did it all get started?

"We wanted to make sure that players retained the feeling of being in an MMO by keeping people in the same server until we're ready to expand."

Orr: "Fallen Earth" has been in development for about six and-a-half years. Initially, not many people worked on the project, and those who did were balancing game development with other projects. Just a few years ago, "Fallen Earth" went into heavy development and a few of the team members spun off to make Fallen Earth, LLC. We've met the milestones of Feature and Content Complete in the past year and are in closed beta currently.

MTV Multiplayer: How many servers do you plan on having at launch?

Orr: We will use a waterfall approach at launch and fill up one server at a time. With more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory to explore, the world is vast. We wanted to make sure that players retained the feeling of being in an MMO by keeping people in the same server until we're ready to expand.

MTV Multiplayer: Why did you decide to have it switch between first- and third-person perspectives? Was it difficult to adapt the game to both?

Orr: Different players like using different perspectives, but in order to make the most of the shooter-style action, we needed a first-person perspective. It was more immersive. But traditional MMO players enjoy a third-person perspective, so we wanted to be able to switch seamlessly between the two. We did have to work through some issues, such as making sure that the aim and damage tally balanced out between the two perspectives.

MTV Multiplayer: What's the business model? How often do you see expansions?

Orr: We're already working on post-launch content, but we also understand we have to make a strong launch through careful work to debug and polish the product. We hope to release regular updates and we'll work to release new content in a timely manner, too. Concerning our business plan, we'll have a box/download fee up front and we'll have a monthly subscription fee.

MTV Multiplayer: Do you think MMO gamers are willing to spend their money on multiple MMOs (either subscription or micro-transactions) during this difficult economic period?

"Why wouldn't MMO games want to capitalize on some of the console's best features to add to their purchase power?"

Orr: I can't speak for all MMO players, but spending money on an MMO would make sense to me. I'll make a simple comparison. We've estimated that if a player works hard to burn through our game—overlooking the majority of the content—that they will finish in about 160 hours. If you count replayability into the equation, that's more than 600 hours of content. For an expected [manufacturer's suggested retail price] of $49.99, that comes out to about $0.08 per hour of entertainment (not including the monthly subscription, which for most MMOs is around $15). I don't think there are many, if any, alternatives in the entertainment industry that are that cheap. Even going to see a movie is usually at least $8 for 2 hours of entertainment.

MTV Multiplayer: Shooting MMOs are now all the rage. What makes your game stand apart from these and all the others?

Orr: The post-apocalyptic setting is a definite departure, lending itself to a unique setting and a very sandbox-style feel to the game. The classless advancement and real-time crafting system provide more freedom and are more immersive for players. With these, you aren’t limited by what you can make or who you can be. You can do anything.

MTV Multiplayer: No, really!?

Orr: Yeah. Really. ; )

MTV Multiplayer: Why do you think shooting MMOs are so popular to make now?

Orr: There's nothing new under the sun, but there are a lot of iterations of the same thing. We know that the gaming market is growing by leaps and bounds and that console games have a majority rule on the market. Why wouldn't MMO games want to capitalize on some of the console's best features to add to their purchase power?

MTV Multiplayer: How will you appeal specifically to hardcore shooter players? Do you think there's an inherent difference between shooter gamers and MMO players? If so, how are you going to address this?

"We do hope to provide a different type of MMO and have found that our fans find an elf-free world to be quite refreshing."

Orr: While you can't be all things to all people, having some well-rounded features definitely makes the game play experience more unique. We've tried to look at the combat from a fresh point of view. Instead of PvP just for the sake of killing, we've created player conquerable towns. If your faction gains control of the town, you can unlock new content—missions, trainers and questors that can help you advance your character. We also try to make our environments interesting. Areas like the Dump provide thousands of objects for a sniper's dream. But we also acknowledge these as PvP areas, so you get a notification before you actually enter a PvP zone. Unlike other games, we try to protect the balance by giving PvE players a chance to level their characters without engaging in PvP. They can craft or do other things to advance.

MTV Multiplayer: Do you think shooting MMOs will be more popular than fantasy MMOs?

Orr: I think there is always room for the fantasy genre MMOs. But we do hope to provide a different type of MMO and have found that our fans find an elf-free world to be quite refreshing.

MTV Multiplayer: Do you think that the shooting MMO genre will be too saturated too soon?

Orr: There will always be a lot of options on the market. We can't be everything to everyone, but we think we've found a good niche—post-apocalyptic, classless, FPS/RPG hybrid—and we’re going to try to make the most of it.

MTV Multiplayer: Also, why go with post-apocalyptic? Do you think there are too many post-apocalyptic games? How is yours different?

Orr: We felt that post-apocalyptic was compelling. People seem to have a greater emotional attachment to something when it's something they know, something familiar. It's much easier to be immersed in a setting that you recognize than a setting you have to completely create with your imagination. While there are some post-apocalyptic games on the market already, we think ours is unique in that it's set in the future and in the American Southwest. The key features set it apart, too.

MTV Multiplayer: Did you ever consider console development for this title? Is it possible in the future? What needs to happen for this game to come to consoles?

Orr: Console development would be great but as a startup developer, we wanted to focus our attention on one platform and make sure we nailed it. I can't say we won't ever go to a console but it's not currently in development.

MTV Multiplayer: A lot of MMOs have tried... and failed. Only a few really succeed. What do you think is a good measure of success for an MMO? And what have you learned from past MMOs' mistakes and successes?

"Some of the recent games that have been considered 'failures' actually have surprisingly high server populations."

Orr: I think you should measure an MMO on its long term viability. Some of the recent games that have been considered "failures" actually have surprisingly high server populations. Unfortunately they were over-hyped and over extended at launch so the contraction from a million beta testers to merely hundreds of thousands of players seems like a failure. This leads to server population issues and everything feels like it's collapsing. If you set reasonable goals and establish a strong community around the game, you will do fine.

MTV Multiplayer: I read that a producer has expressed interest in making "Fallen Earth" into a movie. Is that in the works? What's the status of this?

Orr: While I'm sure "Fallen Earth" could make a great movie, there are no scripts in the works right now.

MTV Multiplayer: It's not Uwe Boll, is it?

Orr: Ooo, that's a great idea! We could put him in a boxing ring with angry fans for PR before it comes out…. No, Uwe Boll is not working with us. ; )

***

"Fallen Earth" is currently in closed beta and is set for a summer 2009 release.

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Previews of "BioShock 2" are circulating the Internet. Beyond the summaries you can find elsewhere, here are some answers MTV Multiplayer got regarding some key sequel details.

***

Recent press demos of "BioShock 2" showed off the several ways that the upcoming 2009 first-person shooter is different than its 2007 predecessor: it presents a nearly decade-later return to the underwater city of Rapture, starring the player as the first Big Daddy in an adventure that pits him against a mysterious Little Sister who has adopted the mechanical mantle of Big Sister. The gameplay has changed. The player can dual-wield and mix an arsenal of tiered Plasmid powers while choosing to harvest or adopt Little Sisters to help in one's quest for Adam energy.

That's what was shown in the game's demonstration to reporters. But what about those two different endings of the first game? And why is this sequel even being made?

During a demo in New York City for "BioShock 2" I was able to pepper the game's senior producer at development studio 2K Marin, Melissa Miller, about these things. (Development studio 2K Australia is also working on the game)

"These people love this world."

Let's start with the ending, as it does affect the idea that a sequel could even begin. although "BioShock" presented two distinct endings based on the moral behavior of the player in the game, "BioShock 2" will work with both. Miller said the team worked hard "to not contradict either of the endings of the game." The events of the new game will be set up to allow the possibility that, no matter how your first "BioShock" game ended, the right characters will have managed to survive to get the new game going.

A more fundamental question may be why, other than for business reasons, a sequel is even being made to "BioShock," a game that to some gamers felt satisfying and complete. Miller said that the "BioShock" developers, like most game creators, see room for improvement in some flaws in the first game and simply have too many ideas for the new game to hold back. "These people love this world," she said. "They love playing in it. And they love to make new things in this world." When asked what room for improvement the team saw, Miller offered the idea that the game presents the wish fulfillment of playing as the Big Daddy, an experience not fully explored in the original game. And maybe the new game could improve the one widely-acknowledged flaw of the last game, it's tonally odd super-villain final boss battle? "We learned a lesson about that," was all she'd say.

Miller stressed that the game is being designed to retain and celebrate the things players most enjoyed about the first game. "BioShock 2" is engineered, for example, to allow players tactical flexibility, this time as they try to protect an adopted Little Sister as she gathers Adam while a dynamically-generated assault from Splicer enemies commences. Mixing Plasmids, triggering traps and other strategies are back and continue to be left to the player to fully explore. "We don't force players to use one toolset," she said. "We like to think that's what works about 'BioShock.'"

"We don't force players to use one toolset. We like to think that's what works about 'BioShock.'"

The thinking will be back too. While "BioShock" creative director Ken Levine is not overseeing this new game, Miller noted that his successor, Jordan Thomas, himself a "BioShock" veteran, is both prepared to re-visit some of the Randian philosophy from the first game and is "excited about exploring other ideologies."

Finally, I asked a question about virtual life and death. The first game's Vita-Chambers allowed defeated players to re-spawn and then re-engage with enemies. The re-engaged enemies retained the damage incurred from the player's previous assaults. A downloadable update allowed players to raise the difficulty by turning the Vita-Chambers off. Miller said that "BioShock 2" will ship with the base functionality to turn the Vita-Chambers off. She added that players who use the Vita-Chambers will find that the game world "will be different" when players are revived, suggesting that enemy health will be restored.

The original game set a high standard, and while game sequels are often improvements on their predecessors, the developers at 2K Marin and 2k Australia are just beginning what will be a lengthy campaign to convince players that their sequel can top one of the best-reviewed games of the generation. They have no easy task, but their early showing is, at least, a strong one.

There will be plenty more to learn about "BioShock 2" in the coming months. The game is slated to ship for PC, PS3 and the Xbox 360 later this year.

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The new "Fallout 3" downloadable content was detailed in London this week, so MTV Multiplayer set up a trans-Atlantic phone call to clear up some important things.

***

You can read about the next "Fallout 3" downloadable expansion, "Broken Steel" in previews around Internet today, but you may have some lingering questions. I did. So I got on the phone with Bethesda's vice president of marketing, Pete Hines, for some trans-Atlantic clarifications about his company's new add-on.

Via phone from London, Hines educated me on the following topics:

You need to finish the game to access most of "Broken Steel": Unlike previous "Fallout" DLC expansions "The Pitt" and "Operation Anchorage," "Broken Steel" is meant to mostly be experienced after the moment when "Fallout 3" originally concluded. A player could access the missions from the first two DLC offerings activated as soon as their character was outside the game's opening area, the first Vault. "Broken Steel" keeps its quests from you until you've reached that original endpoint.

But you can enjoy the raised level cap well before ending the game: There is positive news for those "Fallout 3" players like me who maxed out the game's level cap at 20 long before downloading "Operation Anchorage" and "The Pitt." Players like us have waited to play any of the new DLC until we could use whatever experience points we might gain in them to grow into the new "Broken Steel" level 30 cap. Our patience will be rewarded. Even though the main events of "Broken Steel" don't kick in until you've passed that original ending moment of the game, the raising of the level cap kicks in as soon as a player starts a "Broken Steel"-supplemented "Fallout 3." No matter how far away the player might be from the game's original ending, they can start taking advantage of the boosted cap. They'll also see some other changes prior to reaching the events of "Broken Steel." Hines said that "Broken Steel"'s new enemies will begin appearing as soon as the player is at level 18, and that new perks and weapons will be available as well, before the post-ending "Broken Steel" content is accessed.

You'd best hang on to an autosave: Because "Broken Steel" re-writes the ending to "Fallout 3," players who don't want to start their "Fallout 3" game from scratch will want to access a save file near the end of the game and play from there. Hines recommended that players take advantage of a save file they may not known about, one that anyone who has finished the game should still have -- unless they are weird about how they manage save files. Anyone who has already finished "Fallout 3," Hines said, should find that their last autosave file puts them minutes before the game's original ending, deep into what was the game's final mission. Picking up from there will enable players to play the new non-ending and go beyond.

Old quests won't vanish: The "Broken Steel" DLC may bring the player's character to a timeframe two weeks past the game's original ending. And it may change the look of some of the game's key locations. But it won't, Hines told me, block any of the game's quests. None is time-sensitive. Any quests that a player could have accessed before "Broken Steel" will still be available during the events of "Broken Steel."

That's all I could think of, and Hines was calling me long distance. So I wrapped up our chat. Hope that helps.

"Broken Steel" will be available to download for PC and Xbox 360 "Fallout 3" owners on May 5 for 800 Microsoft Points.

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"'GTA: Chinatown Wars' is exceeding our expectations and illustrating the power of the franchise on a new platform," GameStop spokesman Chris Olivera said in an e-mail to MTV News. "We've seen a solid lift in sales of 'Chinatown Wars' following the launch of the DSi and believe that the product will continue to enjoy a long life at our stores as the buzz around the new handheld gaming experience continues to grow." Nintendo's DSi model of the DS platform was released a day after NPD's sales-tracking window for March.

For the rest of the story, which includes comments from Take-Two, readers of this site and older "GTA" talk from my interview with Nintendo of America" president Reggie Fils-Aime, check out MTVNews.com: 'Is 'Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' A Flop?

I was so ready to bail on the Wii's "Mushroom Men" after my first few minutes playing it on Wednesday.

The game seemed like an unpolished 3D action world set in a visually interesting world of mushrooms turned into little anthropomorphic characters.

It wasn't enough. But we've covered the game's unusual soundtrack before and I decided that alone required I play it further. I haven't noticed much of the promised experimental integration of music timed to the beat of the game's action. But I have enjoyed the weirdness of the music, which you can hear in the clips I'm linking to here.

Last night, I gave the game another hour. It's still not hooking me with its gameplay, but I quite like the music. So I'll keep playing. A soundtrack has never had that effect on me before.

(Note: In terms of gameplay and game flow, the closest thing I've played to "Mushroom Men" is the Nintendo-published "Chibi Robo," which also starred a cute, diminutive three-inch hero who climbs and fights through a relatively super-sized world. What "Chibi Robo" had on "Mushroom Men," of all things, was a surprisngly mature storyline involving a fracturing human family who Chibi Robo wanted to help bring back together. "Chibi Robo," like "Mushroom Men," had some audio tricks: the character's footsteps created music with each stride.)