March is shaping up to be a busy month for Capcom, with the Japanese developer releasing three new games during the final month of the first quarter. As anticipation for Street Fighter X Tekken, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, and Asura's Wrath grows, Capcom is flying several developers into Sydney to give Aussie fans a taste of what's to come.

On February 1, Capcom and THQ (the Aussie distributors of the Japanese publisher) are putting on a special event in Sydney where Aussie fans will be able to come along and play Street Fighter X Tekken, Resident Evil: Raccoon City, and Asura's Wrath, as well as hear presentations from various developers. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PlayStation Vita will also be on show, a full three weeks ahead of its Australian release.

Capcom's Seth Killian is set to make the trip Down Under to talk about Street Fighter X Tekken, while Resident Evil: Raccoon City producer Mike Jones will be talking all things zombies, and finally, CyberConect2's Hiroshi Matsuyama and Kazuhiro Tsuchiya will be showing off Asura's Wrath.

The event is only for people over the age of 18, and it is a "first in, best dressed" affair. So to get your name on the door, be sure to email your full name and phone number to capcom.showcase@thq.com.

Due out on March 8, Street Fighter X Tekken is set to settle the age-old argument of which fighting franchise has the superior fighters. With its release quickly coming up, Capcom's Aussie distributor--THQ--has formally detailed the preorder incentives that those who put money down on Street Fighter X Tekken early can expect to receive. As with previous preorder campaigns, the offers are tied to various retail chains, so you'll need to decide where you preorder carefully.

The Street Fighter X Tekken special edition comes with a money box so you can save up for Tekken X Street Fighter.

THQ and Capcom have teamed up with EB Games to offer the special edition of Street Fighter X Tekken exclusively through the specialist retailer. Selling for A$128, the limited edition includes a Street Fighter X Tekken arcade-cabinet-shaped money box, prequel comic, 45 power-up gems, and of course a copy of the game. Customers who opt to preorder the regular edition of Street Fighter X Tekken will also receive the 45 power-up gems.

Meanwhile JB Hi-Fi is giving away 60x90cm wall scrolls to customers who preorder Street Fighter X Tekken at its stores, and GAME is offering exclusive T-shirts featuring Ryu and Kazuya to its customers.

Street Fighter X Tekken was unveiled last year at Comic-Con 2010 by Street Fighter series creator Yoshinori Ono and Tekken founder Katsuhiro Harada. While this entry will feature Street Fighter-like play style that involves ranged attacks, Namco Bandai is also working on a Tekken X Street Fighter, however little is known about the latter title.

While the chances of a God Hand sequel are slim, those looking for a lighthearted brawler that doesn't take itself too seriously can look forward to Asura's Wrath. With the game just under six weeks away, THQ (who is distributing Asura's Wrath for Capcom in Australia) has detailed incentives that those who have preordered the game will receive.

Asura is a man who likes to get punchy, real punchy.

Those who have their copy of Asura's Wrath reserved at EB Games can expect to receive an art book, while JB Hi-Fi preorder customers will get a 60cmx90cm wall scroll that they can hang up. On top of that, people who preorder at GAME, JB Hi-Fi, and EB Games will all receive codes for the Devastator and Infinity downloadable content packs.

Asura's Wrath is a third-person fighting game that sees an angry Asura punch and kick his way through hordes of enemies in an attempt to rescue his wife and child. The game was originally unveiled at TGS in 2010, and it has since built up a bit of a following, thanks to several quirky trailers that show the demigod fighting his way out of a variety of over-the-top situations.

In June last year, EA revealed BioWare's upcoming action role-playing game sequel Mass Effect 3 would hit store shelves around the world on March 6 this year. Now, the publisher has revealed further details ahead of the game's release, detailing a number of preorder perks, both internationally and in Australia and New Zealand.

Starting today, customers who preorder Mass Effect 3 at selected retailers in Australia and New Zealand will receive a number of different items.

Those who preorder at GAME and Mighty Ape will receive exclusive N7 Warfare Gear, which includes the N7 Valkyrie Assault Rifle that fires two rounds per shot and the N7 Defender Armor. The latter improves shields and health, as well as provides increased ammo capacity, additional ammunition compartments, and amplified weapon damage with built-in power cells.

PC players who preorder through EA's Origin service will score the rapid-fire AT-12 Raider shotgun.

BioWare's preorder incentives for Mass Effect 3.

Finally, those ordering through EB Games will receive the exclusive Omni-Blade Edition, which includes the M55 Argus Assault Rifle, an inflatable Omni Blade, and collectible metal packaging.

In Mass Effect 3, players will once again take on the role of Commander Shepard, who is now on the run from shadowy organization Cerberus. To save Earth, Shepard must travel the galaxy trying to rally support from alien civilizations.

Microsoft has been aggressively expanding the capabilities of its Xbox 360 console recently to offer more than just games. Features like downloadable movies and the ability to stream Foxtel are just a few of the console's recently learned tricks. Piggybacking off the last console update, which introduced Aussie Kinect voice support and SBS On Demand, Microsoft has now made two new apps--ABC iView and DailyMotion--available for Aussie Xbox 360 owners to download.

ABC iView is a TV catch-up video service that streams shows that have been aired on ABC TV in the past 14 days, while the DailyMotion app streams videos that are hosted on the YouTube-like site. Both apps need to be installed before you can use them, but they are quite small in size and take about 30 seconds to download and install.

For more information on the new Xbox 360 dashboard, check out this comprehensive guide below.

Studios focused on traditional console development in Australia have taken a battering over the past few years. In their wake, smaller companies focusing on mobile and digital platforms have risen up from the ashes. Even in the past few days, two new Aussie mobile developers have popped up: PlaySide and Square Egg Games. While both startups are busy working on their inaugural releases, GameSpot AU was fortunate enough to catch up with Square Egg Games chief marketing officer Rene LeMerle to get a bit of info on the studio and to find out about its first game, Finger Puppet Frenzy for the iOS.

Founded: 2011
Location: Perth, Western Australia.
Team members: Four part-time members, plus a bunch of contractors.
Current projects: Finger Puppet Frenzy.

GameSpot AU: If you had to talk to someone about your game who has never heard of it before, how would you describe it in one paragraph?

Rene LeMerle: Finger Puppet Frenzy centers around a range of colorful characters that pop in and out of the screen, the challenge being to tap the good characters while avoiding the bad ones. While the premise of the game sounds simple (and is aimed at kids), the game progresses rapidly, posing a real challenge to even the most experienced adult gamers. Players will be drawn back to achieve higher scores and [to] gather all the special and rare puppets that are hidden throughout the game. It also has cross-platform leaderboards and achievements to encourage players to compete with their friends.

GS AU: What challenges did you face while developing the game?

RM: There has been a steep learning curve in the development of the game. Although the team members are all experienced programmers, this is our first complete game. We have had to address challenges with performance, graphics, animation, models, and music. There were many items that we failed to anticipate in the planning of the game; things that as a gamer, you might take for granted, but are crucial issues to address as developers.

GS AU: Bite-sized games are a great way for developers to experiment and try something new. Describe to us something that's unique to your game?

RM: We felt that a game that appealed to kids should, by default, appeal to adults if designed correctly. After all, when playing games, we're entertaining that "little kid" in all of us. This game is simple enough to play and instinctive to understand, but what we've realized from testing is that it's achieved its goal of being engaging and entertaining for children and adults alike.

Earlier this year, Nintendo dropped the price of its 3DS console, citing disappointing launch sales for the stereoscopic handheld.

The price cut went a long way to bolster the console's sales, with a recent report showing the 3DS topped the Nintendo DS's first-year total sales in the US.

It now appears Nintendo has mirrored that success in Australia, today announcing the console has become the fastest-selling console Down Under, selling 200,000 units in 37 weeks.

According to Nintendo Australia and data from the NPD Group Australia, the number puts the 3DS ahead of all other handheld consoles and home consoles, and it sets a new sales record for Australia.

The 3DS is popular again!

The 3DS goes into the holiday season with a couple of big-name releases. Both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have received positive critical reception, and the publisher is slated to release Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS in 2012.

The Nintendo 3DS is available in Cosmos Black, Aqua Blue, Flame Red, and the recently released Lavender Pink in Australia for A$249.95.

There are two ways that you can approach Christmas present shopping this year: One, go to your local mall and fight the crowds, trying to snag a bargain; or two, let the bargains come straight to your doorstep by shopping online. While most of the best prices come from online retailers overseas, it's not fair to write off the local retailers quite yet. Next Monday sees EB Games launch its online-only Mad Monday sale, which will see the retailer offer various discounts on games throughout the day. Retail giant Harvey Norman even made it into the roundup this week, demonstrating that you can still find good bargains close to home.

Remember, bargain hunting is a communal activity, and there's a thread over on the GameSpot AU forums dedicated to finding cheap games. If you spot a good deal online or at a store, be sure to jump in and tell your fellow GameSpotters. Even if you're new to the forums, pop in and say hi!

Batman: Arkham City (PS3) - A$49.99 from Oz Game Shop
Battlefield 3 (PC) - A$49.99 from Oz Game Shop
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360) - A$54.07 from Play Asia
Forza Motorsport 4 - A$52.99 from Oz Game Shop
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC) - A$44.22 from Play Asia
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - A$61.95 from Play Asia
Gears of War 3 - A$44.99 from Oz Game Shop
Mario Kart 7 - A$47.99 from Oz Game Shop
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - A$51.99 from Oz Game Shop
Monster Hunter Tri – A$38.66 from Harvey Norman
L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition - A$53.58 from Play Asia

While iOS and Android app development is all the rage right now on the local indie scene, few Aussie developers have dabbled with Windows Mobile. The Melbourne-based Ignition Studio is an exception to that rule, opting to choose Microsoft's slow-growing mobile platform for its inaugural release--Monkey Mini Golf. It's been several months now since the arcade sports game first arrived on Windows Mobile, and GameSpot AU was fortunate enough to catch up with Shannon Gilleland, the director and animator at Ignition Studios, to get an idea of what challenges the studio faced while developing Monkey Mini Golf.

Studio: Ignition Studios
Founded: April 2011
Location: Reservoir, Victoria
Team members: Two full-time directors, plus contractors
Current projects: Monkey Mini Golf on WP7 (released); working on bringing Monkey Mini Golf to new platforms; external programming contract for an iPhone game; and prototyping new games.

GameSpot AU: If you had to talk to someone about your game who has never heard of it before, how would you describe it in one paragraph?

Shannon Gilleland: In Monkey Mini Golf, you play as cheeky monkey characters, Mica or Zeb, and spend your time putting around bright and vibrant tropical island courses to collect bananas and challenge your friends through the online leaderboards.

GS AU: What challenges did you face while developing the game?

Making a 3D game is harder than it looks, as Ignition Studios discovered.

SG: We had a small team, which meant that we had a core set of skills that narrowed down what we could develop. While one programmer had done iPhone development, the other had not, causing a constraint on the project in terms of skills.

As a new studio, we knew getting exposure for our game was important, but we knew game exposure was an issue that plagued many startup indie developers. Keeping this in mind, we decided to focus our game on the Windows Phone 7 platform, as it wasn't flooded by games and apps like the iPhone and Android markets were. It also meant we weren't competing against thousands of other developers for media exposure and created a unique story for us to tell about our studio.

Due to the technical specifications of the game and being the first time the team had developed a game together, it was inevitable that there would be a blowout in production time.

We highly underestimated the time it would take to develop a 3D game, rather than 2D. However, we were also focused on creating a fully polished game rather than releasing a game that was on schedule with flaws. Through this process, we learned to tighten our project pipeline through the milestones and quality assess to create a successful deliverable project.

GS AU: Bite-sized games are a great way for developers to experiment and try something new. Describe to us something that's unique to your game?

SG: Because our game is a 3D sports game, rather than a 2D platformer, we were able to play around with the in-game camera. We used the mobile phone's accelerometer to allow the player to tilt the phone left and right to look around the character and obstacles that might be in the way. This allowed us to give more visual depth to the game.

We also added in a "time of day" feature, which allowed the game to change the course lighting from sunrise, day, sunset, and night, depending on what time the user's device was set to. This meant the users could play the course at different times without getting visually bored of the game.