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  • Oz Developer Watch: 3RD Sense

    Oz Developer Watch is back this month with Sydney-based studio 3RD Sense. Founded in London in 2002, 3RD Sense opened up a local branch in July 2003, and now employs 18 staff locally. It’s dedicated to making casual market PC games, which it sells on a ‘try before you buy’ basis. We had a chat with 3RD Sense CEO Colin Cardwell about the studio’s selling strategies and its past games.

    3RD Sense began as a niche advertising agency developing video games for brands to use as promotional tools. After developing a few titles this way, the company then set up Fizzy.com, a platform for distributing titles from both 3RD Sense and other developers. With over one million visitors a month, Fizzy.com has a growing member base--its appeal is in allowing other developers a simple solution for publishing their titles.

    To date, 3RD Sense has developed around 16 downloadable casual PC titles, all sold on a ‘try before you buy’ basis from Fizzy.com. Each game sells for around AU$15-20. The studio has also developed more than 60 free-to-play Flash games.

    “We were tiny, and now we are just small,” 3RD Sense CEO Colin Cardwell said. “However, we are slowly growing--the company more than doubled in revenue last year, with similar growth levels expected this year. Casual games are a good place to be.”

    One of the most popular 3RD Sense game series is the Swords & Sandals series--a 2D turn based combat game with RPG elements that puts you in the shoes of a customisable gladiator who must fight other gladiators to win skill points and currency. There’s also Pirate Cove, a 30-level platformer; Hawaiian Runner, a 2D racer; and Exmortis, a three-part point-and-click horror adventure series set in a post apocalyptic world. The studio’s most popular territories are the US, followed by the UK and across Western Europe. Cardwell says that a developer cannot afford to limit itself to just one market.

    “There is money to be made, and you can’t limit yourself to a single market. Australia is just too small a market, and the web allows us to be fully global. Australia has a great future, as long as developers don’t think they should be developing just for Australia. You have to develop games that will have worldwide appeal. It sounds like a good idea to make an NRL game, but you’ll be more successful making a soccer game every time.”

    For Cardwell and his studio, the casual market has been a great place to strike it rich.

    “You have to be creative and think in business terms. Casual games are a great space to get into, they cost far less to develop and can appeal to a wider market. My team love doing what they do and it shows in the games they make.”

    On the horizon, 3RD Sense is going to continue investing time and money into Fizzy.com and the Fizzy Games Developers Network, which allows Flash developers to self-publish their titles.

    “If they have a great idea and can make the game, this is a way of getting it to market and making some serious cash while cutting out the middle man.”

  • PlayStation Network cards on sale in Australia this month

    While our American and European cousins have been able to purchase PlayStation Network Store credit from brick-and-mortar retailers for a while now, the options have been more limited down under. All of that is about to change very soon. From mid-to-late November this year, gamers who don't have access to a credit card--or simply don't like giving their details out online--will be able to purchase PlayStation Network Store prepaid credit.

    Epay will be providing the infrastructure to power the transactions, and once purchased, consumers will receive 12-digit codes to redeem either A$30 or A$50 worth of PSN credit. Epay will be the exclusive distributor across the Australian and New Zealand market, with national retailer GAME set to sell the vouchers later this month. No other Aussie retailer has confirmed it will sell the product, but it will be interesting to see if EB, who turned its back on Sony's PSP Go, will jump on the bandwagon to sell PSN funny money.

    If you're looking for ways to spend your hard-earned e-bucks on PSN games, then be sure to check out our PSN Games section for review scores on all the major titles.

  • Glenn McGrath promotes Cricket on the Wii

    Cricketing legend and breast cancer awareness advocate Glenn McGrath has signed up as a brand ambassador for Codemasters' upcoming Wii Cricket game, Cricket. McGrath will appear in advertisements for the game and will flank Shane Warne and Sir Ian Botham at promotional events.

    In a press release announcing McGrath's involvement, he said, "It’s always refreshing to see new and unique ways of bringing the game of cricket into lounge rooms across the country and being accessible to families."

    Originally named Ashes Cricket 2009, like its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, the game has since been renamed "Cricket." Expect to see it bowl onto Aussie store shelves on November 5 this year.

  • Aussies given censored version of Borderlands on Steam

    Thanks to the repressive nature of the Australian games classification system, it's not too surprising that developers are a tad on the cautious side when it comes to submitting violent games for classification. Despite 2K Games' postapocalyptic shooter Borderlands passing through the Classification Board without a hitch with an MA15+ rating, it would appear that a toned-down, less-violent version was accidently uploaded to Steam.

    Australian players were tipped off that something wasn't quite right when they went through the game's installation folders and found a suspicious file called "borderlands_low_violence.ncf."

    2K Australia has confirmed that the wrong version of the game was uploaded for consumption by Aussie players. "We'd like to confirm that the Australian version of Borderlands is not censored in any way. This applies to all platforms and distribution methods, including Steam. Because of an internal mix-up an incorrect version of the game was available to preload on Steam for a brief period of time. This version has since been replaced," a 2K spokesperson said.

    The bad news here is that in order for people to play the uncensored version of Borderlands, they will have to completely wipe their install and re-download the entire game. While it may not be an issue for other countries with uncapped broadband, this could prove problematic for Aussies with a small download limit, who may end up going over their download allocation correcting 2K's mistake.

    On the plus side, thanks to a broken timer that pushed back the unlocking of Borderlands for European and Australian Stream users, anyone wanting to re-download the game won't be missing out on much because the game won't unlock until October 30.

    Check out GameSpot's review of Borderlands here.

  • PlayTV ready for Aussie launch?

    Source: An official patch released for PlayTV that specifically states "Support for Australian Digital TV."

    What we heard: It's no secret that Sony has been teasing Aussies with a 2009 release date for PlayTV, but the company has always remained quiet when it comes to specifics about bringing the PVR add-on down under.

    Keen tech enthusiasts who have imported PlayTV into Australia, however, noticed an interesting update on the weekend, with a patch released that included support for previously unsupported channels like SBS, SBS HD, Parliament, and others.

    The official story: A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Australia told GameSpot AU: "We are still tracking a 2009 launch for PlayTV in Australia and will keep you updated on any official announcements regarding the launch timing."

    Bogus or not bogus: It’s fair to say that from a technical standpoint, PlayTV is all ready to go in Australia, so we’re calling not bogus. GameSpot AU has confirmed the validity of the attached screenshot and that all Australian digital TV channels (including the ever-so-exciting Parliament and Senate channels) are now working fine on imported PlayTV units. However, trying to work out a release date is a different story. One Australian video games retailer has it dated for release on November 1. The end of 2009 is less than nine weeks away now, so either way, it’s safe to say it will be out soon.

    Stay tuned to GameSpot AU for more details on PlayTV, when Sony announces more details.

  • DJ Hero Renegade Edition delayed for Australia

    Would-be bedroom bangers are going to have to hold onto their fistful of rhythm game dollars a little longer with news that the DJ Hero Renegade Edition has been delayed until November 6 in Australia.

    The limited-edition bundle, which retails for A$299.95 and includes a black turntable peripheral, a transforming stand/carrying case, a Jay-Z and Eminem double CD, and a copy of the game, has been delayed due to manufacturing shortfall.

    Activision Australia has issued a statement for the one-week delay: "Due to both high global demand and manufacturing restraints during this time of year, Activision Australia will be unable to receive their full allocation of the DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring Jay-Z and Eminem to fulfill all day one orders. The new anticipated date of availability is now November 6, 2009. In an effort to handle all Australian retailers and consumers fairly, Activision will wait until the balance of stock is received in our warehouse before we ship the DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring Jay-Z and Eminem."

    The standard-edition DJ Hero bundle will go on sale nationwide on Wednesday, October 28, as planned for a recommended retail price of A$179.95. Seen a better price? Let us know in the Official GameSpot AU Bargains Thread!

  • Nintendo Connection comes to Sydney

    Sydney is about to join the exclusive list of Aussie cities with dedicated Nintendo retail areas this week with the announcement that Myer Sydney City store will receive a Nintendo Connection section from tomorrow.

    The section will offer customers a dedicated area of games staffed by people who intimately know Nintendo products. Think of it a bit like the Apple Store, but with Nintendo products instead.

    If you're one of the first people to arrive you'll receive a free gift bag containing a standalone copy of Wii Fit Plus software--no free Balance Boards to be had. If that's your thing, Nintendo Australia also suggests there will be some Nintendo mascots on hand during the opening, though they didn't go into specifics of who is on the bill.

    The event begins at midday and details for the address of the Nintendo Connection are listed below:

    Myer Sydney City
    Level 6, 436 George St
    Sydney

    A snapshot of the inside of the Nintendo Experience Store in Melbourne

  • Chunks O' Crosshairs: 8 October, 2009 edition

    We have a dev for Assassin's Creed 2 live in the studio, chat WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2010 with Yukes, get mythical with the founder of BioWare about Dragon Age: Origins, & head to Tokyo for our full wrap-up of TGS. Plus we have the latest on L4D2. To watch the entire episode of Crosshairs click here.

    News:
    Transmission Games lay off staff, PSP Go Mini games, the latest Wii update bricking consoles, and more!

    Ratings:
    While Left 4 Dead 2 was reclassified with an MA 15+ rating, a few other violent games passed through the Classification Board last week. Find out which ones and what they were rated by watching the video.

    Preview:
    Randolph Ramsay and Laura Parker chat with creative director Patrice Desilets about narrative, numbers, historical accuracy, and collecting stuff in Assassin's Creed II.

    Preview:
    Randolph Ramsay chats to Dr. Greg Zeschuk of BioWare about Dragon Age: Origins' console controls, DLC, and user-created content.

    Preview:
    We chat with Naoto Ueno of Yuke's about the online content-sharing capabilities in WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010.

    Community:
    We check in with the community to take a look at what's being given away, gauge your thoughts on Valve's response to Left 4 Dead 2's banning down under, and check out what games came out last week.

  • GS AU Tokyo Game Show Wrap-Up

    The developers have gone home, the booth babes are back in their normal clothes, and the cosplayers are already planning for next year. The Tokyo Game Show finished last Sunday, and it was--as usual--a hectic yet enjoyable ride. GameSpot AU was there in force in 2009, and you've already read all our coverage when we worked as part of the global GameSpot crew. We'll have more GameSpot AU-specific coverage from the show in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, check out our overall impressions. Plus, we're joined by a special guest--the winner of our Sony Ericsson TGS competition!


    Hackin' zombies with a chair. Oh yes.

    Randolph Ramsay:
    Top Game -- Dead Rising 2
    My favourite game of the show wasn't even on the show floor, or anywhere on the TGS premises. Dead Rising 2 was paraded in front of journalists in a nightclub in Tokyo, with producer Keiji Inafune saying he preferred to showcase the game in this way rather than behind a small, curtained off room at TGS (where all mature-rated titles have to be when shown in a public space in Japan). Even though what we saw were only small snippets of single-player and the newly-announced multiplayer, it was enough to get me more than excited to take on the zombie hoardes again, if only to see what other insane weapons will be available for undead carnage.

    Top Moment
    Once again, this event didn't technically happen within the TGS surrounds, but it did have plenty of impact on what people were talking about during the first day of the show. Halfway through Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai's keynote on the Thursday morning, you could sense something exciting was happening--and it wasn't because of anything Hirai was saying. No, it was because Nintendo had cheekily decided to inform the world of their Wii price drop right in the middle of the Sony chief's speech. Oh Ninty, who knew you had such a wicked sense of humour...



    Top Image
    One of the things I most look forward to every year at the Tokyo Game Show are the hundreds of cosplayers who come out in their amazing get-ups. You've probably seen plenty of them in our photo feature, but those are just a small sampling of the costume craziness that happens during the show. But amongst all of the flashy fashions, creative outfits, and barely-there costumes we snapped during TGS, this shot has to be my favourite. I snapped this melancholy Onion Knight while lining up to take a picture of another cosplayer (yes, you have to politely line up to take shots), and it bought home to me the enormous amount of effort it must take to be a serious cosplayer in Japan. Think about it--putting in all that time to create a costume, lugging it all the way to Makuhari Messe (which is about an hour away from Tokyo), and standing in front of thousands of people, not knowing if they're taking pictures because they think you look cool or because you look plain weird. It must take a bit of emotional strength, and for that, I salute them.


    Laura Parker:
    Top Game -- Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
    I'm a huge fan of the Ace Attorney series and I must admit, when I first heard they were giving Miles Edgeworth his own game, I was confused and slightly disappointed. However, after playing through the 20-minute demo at this year's TGS, I have changed my mind. The reason behind the spin-off is that the head writer, Shu Takumi, has been spending all his time on a brand new IP titled Ghost Trick. A Capcom rep told me they decided to use Edgeworth because a lot Japanese fans had given positive feedback about the character. The game play was very similar to the other Ace Attorney games only this time, because Edgeworth is a prosecutor, the focus was on crime scene investigation rather that court-room drama. It was a fun little demo that involved searching for clues and piecing together facts using Edgeworth's new 'Logic' system--I was impressed with the new third person perspective which allowed for a top-down perspective on the game play mixed with close-ups of the characters during the dialogue bits. However, my initial suspicions were confirmed: Edgeworth just doesn't have the same punch as Phoenix Wright or even Apollo Justice. Where Phoenix was savvy, Apollo was naïve and hilarious; Edgeworth is none of these, and his dry observations don't make for very interesting, or funny, dialogue. I guess Capcom realised this because they inserted old Dick Gumshoe back in there to serve as Edgeworth's sidekick, and while he does provide some of the comic relief, I'm of the opinion that this isn't going to be as strong a title as the previous games in the series. I only hope Takumi hurries up and gets back to it because I'm aching for another Apollo game. Meanwhile, check out GameSpot's preview of Ghost Trick.

    Top Moment
    I was lucky enough to go to the Microsoft Creator's Panel to hear three very talented Japanese game creators talk about the potential of Project Natal. While I wasn't completely sold on Natal itself, it was amazing to hear these three celebrated figures of Japanese game development discuss their ideas and their creative process. There was also a very heavy science-fiction feel to the whole panel, as the future of games and technology itself was touched upon. My favourite part of the discussion centered on the potential of a technology like Natal when applied to other industries, like medicine and science. All three creators agreed that the game development industry can be a leading force in this field, showing the rest of the world how to implement and take full advantage of new technology. For more topics that were discussed, check out GameSpot's coverage.


    Top Image
    I took the left-hand side photo on the first day of TGS (a business day, closed to the public) and the right-hand side photo on the last day of TGS (a public day). I put them together because I think it encompasses TGS beautifully--the excitement, bright lights and crowds can take their toll very quickly. In fact, there was no shortage of fatigue during the four days of the show. I came across many fallen soldiers, some sleeping upright, others lying in the corners of the show floor and some even dozing while waiting in line at the booths.



    James Kozanecki
    Top Game -- Left 4 Dead 2
    Zombies? Check. Circus? Check. Left 4 Dead 2 being my game of TGS '09? Check. Release date in Australia? Denied. I didn't originally plan on checking out L4D2 at TGS, but it wasn't until we interviewed Kim Swift from Valve about the game's Aussie banning that I started to get a hankering for some zombie action. The Classification Board's big beef was with the gore and melee attacks that "cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore". To be honest with you, the CB has summed up the most awesome parts of L4D2 into one sentence. There's something really satisfying about chopping the top of a zombie's head off with an axe, or blasting a zombie in the back with a shotgun and seeing his skeleton exposed. Swift told us after the interview that Valve had spent a lot of time watching classic zombie films and trying to recreate the extreme levels of gore, and from the looks of it, the company nailed it. Here's to Valve and trying to get it into the country!

    Top Moment
    My favourite part of TGS didn't actually happen during the open hours of the show. In fact, it happened during breakfast on Friday and Saturday--yes, this is one of those stalker moments. I was sitting with a few other GameSpotters at breakfast one morning when Randy mentioned that Hideo Kojima was "here". Seeing as I'm not a morning person and that I hadn't really woken up by that stage, I thought Randy was saying that Kojima-San was here at TGS, not here in the very same breakfast room as me! A couple of minutes later I saw Kojima-san stand up and leave his table and that's when it dawned on me that Randy meant that he was here at breakfast. So you can guess that I wasn't caught off guard the next day when I got to see Kojima-San in his natural environment at the breakfast table, chatting to who I can only assume were other Kojima Production employees. AWESOME!


    Top Image
    TGS was crazy. Especially on the public days, as there were crowds everywhere and more than enough people yelling from all directions to try and get you to their booth. So when I stumbled over the small Zen garden-like area that was the Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou booth, it was a pleasant surprise. Capcom really went to a lot of effort to decorate that booth and it definitely paid off. If you were willing to wait in line, the Okamiden booth could easily shelter you from the show floor craziness.

    Nick del Pozo
    Nick is our super special GameSpot AU reader who got to go to the show after winning our Sony Ericsson TGS competition. Nick has been a busy scribe, penning plenty of his thoughts and experiences about the show. Nick--also known by the handle of Penguinofire--has blogged about the big booths, games like Peace Walker, Okamiden, Red Steel 2, and plenty more. Be sure to check out his thoughts by visiting his blog here! Good work Nick!

  • Wii Fit Plus dated for Australia

    If you were to tell someone in the exercise industry in the early '90s that fitness games were to be the fastest growing genre in 2008/9 you'd probably be laughed at and told to drop and give them 50 for suggesting such craziness, but that's the world we live in. Following on from the success of the original game, Nintendo Australia has announced that Wii Fit Plus is due to land on Aussie shores on October 15.

    The original game, Wii Fit, is synonymous with fitness and has sold an impressive 700,000 units to date in Australia since being released in early May 2008. Given that the latest Wii sales figures from the Aussie arm of Nintendo quotes over 1.5 million consoles sold down under, that equates to a little under one in two Wii owners owning a copy of Wii Fit and the Balance Board peripheral.


    Wii Fit Plus will add 15 new balance games, the ability to customise and create your own workout, and more importantly, the ability to weigh your cat or dog! Though we're not too sure if any of the exercises cater to your furry companion if it determines they're overweight.

    When it comes out on the 15th of October, Wii Fit Plus will cost A$29.95 for the software, or A$159.95 for a copy of the game and the Wii Fit Balance Board.

  • Sony sells 40,000 PS3 Slims in two and a half weeks down under

    TOKYO--Following on from Sony Computer Entertainment's keynote address at Tokyo Game Show '09, the Australian arm of SCE announced that the PlayStation 3 120GB, commonly referred to as the PS3 Slim, managed to sell 40,000 units in its first two and a half weeks of sales (September 3-20). Interestingly, 21,000 of those units were sold during the first four days of sales alone.

    The PS3 Slim hasn't even been on sale for a full month, but that hasn't stopped SCE Australia from announcing new bundles for the unit. Launching on the 15th of November, a new PS3 Slim revision will be coming out that will ship with a copy of Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves and will include a 250GB hard disk drive. The bundle will retail for A$599.95, which is A$100 more than the current 120GB PS3 Slim that comes with no games. Later on down the line Sony AU plans to release three more bundles, featuring a copy of Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, EyePet, or SingStar Motown.

    Pre-TGS rumours indicated that a 250GB HDD revision might include a PlayTV personal video recorder adaptor, but at this stage Sony has made no such announcement. No updated release dates were announced for the PVR adaptor, PlayStation Network Video on Demand, or ABC iView.

    Stay tuned to GameSpot AU for any more Aussie-specific announcements and more from the Tokyo Games Show 2009.

  • Q&A: Game composer Inon Zur

    This Saturday night (September 26) marks the opening of A Night in Fantasia, a musical experience dedicated entirely to bringing to life the sounds of anime and video games. Taking place at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, celebrity guest performers span singers, composers, and conductors. We caught up with Inon Zur, the man who has scored everything from the game soundtracks of blockbusters Prince of Persia, Crysis, and Fallout 3, to Digimon and Power Rangers music.

    GameSpot AU: You've been working on the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, how did you become involved in the project?

    Inon Zur: In 2007 the word was out – the big anticipated RPG from BioWare was up for bids to compose the music. I was very excited about this challenge and worked really hard to make the demo for it. I also contracted and recorded a small ensemble in my studio (strings, brass, woodwinds and voice) and sponsored it myself; I believed it could make the difference in choosing me as the composer, and apparently it did! I was very happy and charged forward to start working on the game!

    GS AU: What can you tell us about the style of music you've written for Dragon Age?

    IZ: I think the best description for it is if you take the Lord of the Rings music and taint it, corrupt it and apply darkness to it you will get the style of Dragon Age. It is what we call "Dark Fantasy" as opposed to "High Fantasy"– it's brutal, very powerful and emotional.

    GS AU: We've heard you're working on the soundtrack to the Nintendo DS version of James Cameron's Avatar: The Game. How difficult is it to transition from the relative audio freedom of games like Dragon Age or Fallout 3 to a handheld with limited audio capabilities? How different is the creative process?

    IZ: This was a very challenging project, but I also had a lot of fun doing it. The expectations verses the capability of the DS was a bit of a struggle but I think I was ultimately able to use every byte and put it to work for the music, so the player should be quite surprised with the quality of the sound. I have to commend the music & audio team from Ubisoft – they did a magnificent job in helping me to maximize the music for the game.

    GS AU: You've written scores for a huge number of games ranging from modern day shooters to fantasy titles. What are the challenges of creating for such diverse genres?

    IZ: I think that you have to really immerse yourself in the game in order to get the music to convey the real drama. Every game is different, and every development team has different tastes and preferences, so the challenge is not only adapting myself to the specific style of the game, but also understanding what the development team is looking for on the project. It takes a lot of work, compromises and most of all understanding that you are here to support the game rather than featuring your music. You have to be ready to change, fix and redo the music, sometimes many times, until you hit on what they are aiming for and sometimes there are unexpected challenges.

    GS AU: Can you give us a simplified typical creative process involved in creating a game soundtrack from start to finish?

    IZ: First you need to convince the team that you are suitable and the right choice for the game. Then comes the brainstorming process, which is demanding but very crucial – what do we really want to hear as far as music in the game? What kind of music? How should it work? Should it be wall to wall or only small parts of the game? How can we make the music as interactive as possible considering the technical limitations?
    After that phase, the actual writing process begins. It is usually the longest (by far) of the creative stages. Then, if you have the budget, you record with a live orchestra, mix, produce, master and deliver the music. Then comes the implementation process (putting the music in the game) and sometimes the composer is heavily involved with it and sometimes not so much. This is the general scenario.

    GS AU: Do you have a favourite genre of game to compose for? If so, what is it and why?

    IZ: Truthfully, I see any project as a new musical challenge, and thus I'm as excited to take on each and every one of them. There are styles that I'm more fluent at, but I am always excited to do new things while expanding upon my musical style and vocabulary.

    GS AU: When you became a composer, did you originally do it with a view to composing music for games?

    IZ: No, but fairly early while growing up, I realized that I'd like to write a dramatic music for media, so games are very good fit for this aspiration.

    GS AU: Does listening to game soundtracks outside of the game world changes the experience at all for listeners?

    IZ: Yes! I think that they can discover a whole new world of excitement and an emotionally charged experience that they can sometimes miss because they are too busy fighting and playing the game… But we do need to remember that the music is there FIRST to support the game before standing on its own, so sometimes it is more impressive to listen to the music while playing the game – the context make it more meaningful and exciting.

    GS AU: In your opinion, what do live performances of game music like A Night in Fantasia and Play! do for game music as art form?

    IZ: It is transforming it from just a soundtrack to an art form on its own, and raises the appreciation value of the music while expanding the audience. It is also introducing the music to an audience that aren't necessarily gamers, and by establishing wider recognition of the music. I'm very grateful to Eminence for allowing me to introduce my music in this concert!

    GS AU: Inon Zur, thanks for your time.

  • Chunks O' Crosshairs: 17 September, 2009 edition

    In this episode, we hit the club with a look at the latest GTA episode, walk around in the slush with Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer, and chat with key development team members behind Borderlands and Heroes Over Europe. Plus we catch up with the voice of Mario! To watch the entire episode of Crosshairs click here.

    News:
    Laura brings us the hottest news in the world of video games.

    Ratings:
    Blur, Bloodhunt, Dark Void, and Contra Rebirth have been rated by the Classification Board last week, but which high profile game was banned? Tune in to find out.

    Preview:
    Koz gets some hands-on time with the latest Grand Theft Auto episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony, and checks out new missions, crazy vehicles and nasty weapons.

    Preview:
    Koz picks up the controller and takes Detective Jack Shellby for a spin during an armed robbery in Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer.

    Interview:
    Dan and Koz dress up and hit the Myer store in Sydney to chat with the crowd and the voice of Mario, Charles Martinet. Who has the better sounding Mario impression?

    Interview:
    Laura heads to Melbourne to speak with Transmission Games CEO Mike Fegan about their dogfighting WWII flying title, Heroes Over Europe.

    Interview:
    Randy chats with Gearbox Software vice president Steve Gibson about upcoming RPG shooter Borderlands.

    Community:
    We hear your thoughts on the current R18+ public consultation process for games, outline the week's big releases, and give away some huge prizes!

  • PlayStation Portable go unboxing

    Though Sony hasn't yet owned the commanding market share of handheld games platforms this generation, the company hasn't given up trying. for the top spot Their latest effort is the PSPgo, a rework of the current PSP look and feel, and designed around ditching Sony's proprietary UMD format in favour of digitally distributed software. Sony's latest effort turned up at the GameSpot AU offices today and we snapped a few pictures to find out what will be inside the box on its October 1 Aussie launch date.

    Yep, that's a box alright. Let's crack it open and take a squiz inside!


    The guts of the go box revealed! Inside you'll find the console, mains charging cable, miniature power brick, USB PC sync cable, and the new Media Go file management software to get content onto your device.

    The PSPgo is about two thirds the size of the current PSP-3000 model and rests comfortably between your hands without your fingers getting all knotty behind it.

    The left and right triggers, four iconic face buttons, D pad, and analog stick have been hidden below the sliding screen, helping to save space and keep the PSPgo small.


    Thinner than the current PSP range even when the screen has been hidden away, the top of the unit houses the backlight intensity toggle (three brightness settings), volume adjustment, and a mute button.


    Direct size comparison between the Nintendo DSi and Sony's PSPgo, both closed.


    Side-by-side comparison between an open PSPgo and Game Boy Colour.

    The PSPgo's screen is slightly smaller than the old model, but it's nice and bright--perfect for watching educational videos on how to work your new toy or the finer arts of eating biscuits.

    The PlayStation Portable go will be available in Australia on October 1 for $449.95.

  • Aussie emulation mash-up 11/09/09

    While Sega was busy teasing a new 2D sonic this week, they sneakily released Sonic and Knuckles, from the Sega Megadrive days, onto Xbox Live Arcade. Still in a 2D perspective, the game follows Sonic and his former enemy Knuckles as they join forces to try and bring down Dr. Robotnik and save Angel Island. Similar to Sonic & Tails, you'll be able swap between Sonic and Knuckles, who both play slightly differently. Sonic & Knuckles is out now for 400 Microsoft Points.

    Only one release from the Nintendo DSi Shop this week: 2-in-1 Solitaire for the DSi. Including two versions of the world famous card game, Klondike and Spider Solitaire, 2-in-1 Solitaire has a variety of difficulty levels, and is available for 200 Nintento Points.

    Spaceball: Revoultion comes from the Wii Shop Channel this week and is a ball bouncing puzzle game where the object is to turn a series of squares into a set pattern. Bouncing a ball into the squares turns them either on or off. With four different difficulty levels, Spaceball: Revolution also allows you to compare your scores on a worldwide leaderboard, and is available for 800 Nintendo Points.

    Two games were released this week for the Virtual Console, Solomon's Key and RYGAR. Solomon's Key is a side-scrolling puzzle action game first released in 1986, and is now available for 500 Nintendo Points. RYGAR, also a 1986 original release, is a side-scrolling action adventure game, praised for its graphics, and is available for 600 Nintendo Points.

    The PlayStation Network had a pretty slim week this week, with the only game to hit its virtual storefront being a port of Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos. The game was critically panned earlier in the year when it came to XBLA. Aside from that, there's just a couple of new Dynamic Themes for your PS3, a few new demos, and the usual assortment of Rock Band tracks. Check out the list below for all the details of what new content came out on both the PSN Store and XBLA store this week.

    • Wipeout Dynamic Theme - FREE
    • Sackboy on the Run Dynamic Theme - FREE
    • MotorStorm Dynamic Theme - FREE
    • FIFA Soccer 10 demo - FREE
    • Little Big Planet demo - FREE
    • Katamari Forever demo - FREE
    • PAIN: George Takei character pack - A$2.45
    • High Velocity Bowling Back to School Ball Pack - A$1.75
    • High Velocity Bowling Graphic Pattern Ball Pack - A$1.75
    • High Velocity Bowling Heather Haughter Pack - A$1.75
    • Rock Band: Get Ready 2 Rokk, Less Talk More Rokk, and Science Genius Girl - Freezepop, ABC - The Jackson 5, Gasoline - Audioslave, Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down, and Miss Murder - AFI. All tracks are A$2.45/160 Microsoft Points each.
    • Rock Band: Freezepop Pack 01 (Includes the three Freepop tracks listed above) A$9.25/240 Microsoft Points
    • Rock Band: The PAX 2009 Collection (containing the list of tracks below): A$3.75/240 Microsoft Points, or A$1.30 per song.
    • Opening Band - Paul and Storm
    • Origin of Species by MC Frontalot
    • Re: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton

    Knuckles tears it up in Sonic & Knuckles.

  • GS AU: FIFA 10 Preview: A-League in the spotlight

    We've had several hands-on sessions with the latest in EA's long-running FIFA series--FIFA 10--in recent months, with our last look unveiling the Virtual Pro feature. This time around, we thought we'd examine in closer detail something close to most Aussie football fans--just how does our local A-League fare this time around?


    It's snowing here. So yeah, this is not an A-League screenshot.

    Here's the bottom line Aussie fans: as you'd expect, the A-League is (once again) no La Liga. The highest star rating awarded to any A-League side this year is 1.5, which is the same as in FIFA 09. Several team rankings have also shifted in the 10 version, but the game has added the two new clubs which have debuted in this year's local competition--Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury.

    Newbies Gold Coast has received a more favourable welcome to the football franchise, with the Queensland team scoring an overall 1.5 star rating. Unsurprisingly, Socceroo Jason Culina is the team's highest-rated player at a ranking of 71, while in-form striker Shane Smeltz is rated at 65. North Queensland Fury is a one-star rated team, with glamour import and former Liverpool great Robbie Fowler only scoring a 68 rating.

    As for the A-League's eight other teams, there has been some movement on the ranking front. Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory both remain as 1.5 star squads, while the Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners retain their 09 rating of 1 star. The big movers in FIFA 10 are the Queensland Roar and Perth Glory, which have been both bumped up from 1 to 1.5 star ratings. The same can't be said for Adelaide United and the Newcastle Jets, however. Both teams have seen a downgrade from 1.5 stars in 09 to 1 star each in 10.

    But despite the wide gulf in quality between our Aussie league and some of the European club giants, the game play changes made to this year's FIFA offering means A-League matches can still be as interesting and challenging as a Barca versus Man U match. Full 360-degree dribbling adds a lot more control, and the game generally seems to move at a faster rate than last year's offering. FIFA 10 is out on a variety of platforms in October. Keep checking GameSpot for more coverage and a full review soon.

  • Charles Martinet comes to Sydney

    Charles Martinet, best known as the voice of Mario, made his first appearance in Sydney this week at the Myer store located in the heart of Sydney's CBD. Waiting for him were over 150 fans of his work, who took time out of their work and school days to come and see him in person. Those who decided to dress up as their favourite Nintendo character were automatically entered into the Cosplay competition, which had a Wii and six games up for grabs. We managed to take a few photos of the event today, but stay tuned to Crosshairs next week for a full rundown of the event, as well as an interview with Charles.


    Fans were lined up all over level 6 at Myer's Sydney City store, waiting for Charles to take to the stage.


    GameSpot AU's Dan Chiappini and James Kozanecki messing around before they started filming.


    Charles was more than happy to pose for photos with fans. He even recorded a few voicemail messages for those who asked him to!


    The first 50 people in line were treated to a special Mario gift bag, which included a Nintendo pen, snazzy hat, and an as yet unreleased Mario action figure.


    These little guys took the day off school to dress up as Link and Mario and meet Chales.


    Dan (dressed as Doctor Mario) and Koz (dressed as Princess Peach) managed to corner Charles for a few minutes-- just long enough to threaten him with the chainsaw and force him to come on camera for an interview.


    Charles chats to Dan and Koz about voicing one of gaming's most iconic characters. Be sure to tune into Crosshairs next week to see the full interview.

  • Chunks O' Crosshairs: 03 September, 2009 edition

    In this episode, we ravage Azeroth with an interview with the brains behind WoW: Cataclysm, chat to some developers for Diablo 3, and corner the Australian head of Sony Computer to talk about the PS3 Slim and the PSPGo. To watch the entire episode of Crosshairs click here.
    News:
    Laura brings us the hottest news in the world of video games.
    Ratings:
    Need for Speed: Nitro, James Cameron's Avatar, Rogue Warrior and more got rated by the Classification Board last week, but did they make it through?

    Preview:
    Back from Blizzcon, Dan returns after spending some time playing Diablo III and managed to corner some of the guys from Blizzard to ask them about the game.
    Preview:
    Dan gives us his thoughts on the new World of Warcraft: Cataclysm after spending some hands on time with it at Blizzcon 2009.
    Preview:
    Randy and Laura get to spends some hands-on time The Beatles: Rock Band, as well as check out the official instruments.
    Interview:
    We chat to Sony Computer Entertainment Australia's Michael Ephraim to get an update on how the PlayStation is going down under.
    Community:
    We strap Koz into a straight-jacket and ask him what the community had to say about the latest batch of Xbox 360 figures, announce the prizes, and see what games came out last week. Naturally we slap him about in the process because he can't fight back while he's strapped down.

  • Aussie emulation mash-up 4/09/09

    Just in case there wasn't enough tower defence games on Xbox Live Arcade, this week sees the release of Defence Grid: The Awakening for 800 Microsoft points. There's not a whole lot more to say about this game given the amount of tower defence games out there, except that this one has a fairly impressive pedigree, since Mark Terrano, the lead designer on Age of Empires II, created it.

    Arr, me hearties, next up on Xbox Live Arcade is Yo-Ho Kablammo, which mixes pirate goodness with multidirectional shooting--think Geometry Wars meets pirates. To complement the Yo-Ho's online competitive modes, players will be able to create their own game modes and share them around to keep the multiplayer fresh. Yo-Ho Kablammo came out on Wednesday and will set you back 800 Microsoft points.

    It's another quiet week on the Nintendo front, with only one game landing across the three services, and it's worthiness of being called a "game" is questionable. Essentially, Dictionary 6 in 1 is an electronic dictionary for English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. The interesting thing about it is that you can take a photo of a word using the DSi's camera and the software will translate it and give you the definition. f you're about to travel overseas and have a spare 800 Nintendo points handy, you might wanna check this out.

    The second bite-sized mini-game compilation aimed at kids using the Buzz! peripherals, Buzz! Monster Rumble, arrived overnight. Essentially a "lite" version of the PS2 game of the same name, Monster Jam is a collection of eight mini-games aimed at children. It's only A$8.45 and well worth a look if you're after something that will keep the kids entertained. On the other hand, the not so kid-friendly F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin got a new campaign added to it, courtesy of Monolith. Set in the same time as F.E.A.R. 2, you play as a replica soldier called FoxTrot 813 who is trying to break himself free of the clutch of his psychic commander Paxton Fettel. Check out the full list below for all the latest DLC to come

    • Disgea 3 Complete DLC Pack A$79.95
    • Burn, Zombie Burn! theme A$2.45
    • PAIN character: Fannie A$1.75
    • PAIN character: Le Toot A$1.75
    • PAIN character: Ivan Tojakov A$1.75
    • PAIN character Pack: $3.75 (contains the three characters mentioned above)
    • F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Reborn A$12.95/800 Microsoft Points
    • Rock Band Tracks: And She Was by Talking Heads, Crosseyed and Painless, Once in a Lifetime, and Girlfriend is Better by Talking Heads, Guerrilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine, Oasis' Supersonic (live), Going Underground and Town Called Malice by The Jam. All tracks are A$2.45/160 MS points each each.
    • Rock Band Talking Heads Track Pack 01: A$11.05/680 Microsoft Points
    • PSP Games: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End A$49.95
    • Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? Marona of Phantom Island DLC A$6.95

    Defence Grid: The Awakening is the latest tower defence game to hit XBLA.

  • Charles Martinet set to make three in-store appearences down under

    The man who has voiced one of, if not the most, iconic characters in video gaming history is coming to Australia and will be appearing in three stores on the east coast of Australia. Charles Martinet, best known as being the voice of Mario from Nintendo's trademark franchise, kicks off his tour in Melbourne at the EB Games Nintendo Experience store on the 9th of September at 11:30am. He then moves up to Sydney for a meet and greet at the Myer's CBD store at 1pm on the 10th and one final appearance at Harvey Norman in Auburn at 11am on September 12.

    The first 50 people in line at each store will receive a special Mario gift bag, so if you're a sucker for freebies, you might want to get there early. There will also be a prize for the best dressed Mario-themed cosplayer there. All three stores will also be offering special prices on the Wii and DS Mario games, so if you find yourself short on something to get signed by Charles, you can always pick up a game while you're there.

    GameSpot AU managed to corner Charles Martinet during his appearance at E3 this year, be sure to check our interview here before you head along to meet him.

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