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RandolphRam's blog
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10Jul 07
Hi all. Direct from San Diego, here are a few pics from inside (and outside) GameSpot's E3 2007 headquarters at Venice Beach. We've taken over a two-level space right on Santa Monica pier--check out a few shots below.
Welcome to GameSpot on the beach!
Here's the view from our front window onto Santa Monica pier and the beach beyond.
The second level houses all of the editorial staff. If you look closely, you can GS AU's Dan Chiappini typing away.
GS' studio. This is where all of the live action from the next few days of E3 will happen from. Wave to Rich!
Come back soon for more photos!
- Posted Jul 10, 2007 5:28 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 11 Comments
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17Dec 06If there's one thing we've learnt about you--our loyal and loving GameSpot AU readers--it's that you all seem to love Spider-man and Wolverine. Or at the very least you'd love to see them bash the crap out of each other.
In our Marvel Ultimate Alliance Face Off competition, we asked you to come up with your ultimate hero battle. Reading through the gazillion entries (OK--thousands) we received, we found many cool suggestions--but also many, many, many entries asking for a Spider-man/Wolverine smack down. And while having ol'webhead and Logan square off is a pretty nifty idea, we decided to award our prizes to the most creative, different and downright funny entries we came across. Besides, we all know who'd come out on top in a Spidey/Wolvey battle anyway -- Spider-man FTW! (Sorry, showing my Spidey bias there...)
So without any further ado, let me introduce you to the winner of GameSpot AU's Marvel Ultimate Alliance Face Off competition--Daniel McFadyen, who's also known by his GameSpot username of evilmanman. Daniel has scored himself AU$5000 worth of goodies, which includes an Xbox 360 Premium Pack, Panasonic 81cm HD LCD TV, Panasonic home theatre system, an Xbox 360 wireless controller, an Xbox Live Vision Camera and a copy of Activision's Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Daniel's entry was a little strange, slightly un-PC and made us laugh:
"I would like to see Professor X fight some sort of stair monster. Maybe a mutated stair machine that is out of control. Can you imagine it? "Eat stairs, Professor!" "No, my only weakness!" Naturally, hilarity will ensue."
We also chose 10 runner-up winners, each of whom receives their own copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Below are some of the runner-up entries--we're not listing them all because if you've won, you probably already know about it because our marketing team would have notified you by now.
"Wolverine versus Iceman, because summer is coming up and everyone loves snow-cones."
"Wolverine and Mario. One possesses keen reflexes and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound while the other has an ass that can flatten opponents and doesn't even complain about saving the same person hundreds of times."
"My dad, against your dad. Come on, let's just end this 1000 year old argument once and for all. P.S My dad can kick your dad's ass."
"Dr. Who vs. Prof. X... both are pacifists and intellectuals, so there wouldn't so much as a big battle, but instead lots of intellectual banter, which could be very thought provoking. Eventually they both might get tired and fall asleep."
Congratulations to Daniel and all the runner-up winners. Have fun with your new toys. And for the rest of you, don't stress--GameSpot AU will be bringing you more competitions in the New Year. Thanks for all of your support!
Go Spidey!- Posted Dec 17, 2006 4:30 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 10 Comments
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14Dec 06Nintendo--for years the distant third place in the console race--must be chuffed at the Wii's Australian sales figures.
The Wii is now officially Australia's fastest selling console, with sales of 32,901 Wiis in the first four days after last week's launch. It has eclipsed the Xbox 360, which sold 30,421 in its first four days after its March launch this year. And not only is the Wii the country's fastest selling home console, it's the fastest selling piece of game hardware including handheld devices.
The record of fastest-seller is a great one for Nintendo to hold, and it looks like one it may hold for a few years. The only other foreseeable game hardware launch is that of Sony's PlayStation 3--and if the scarcity of available units from the PS3's international launches are anything to go by, it's not unreasonable to think that Sony may find it hard to even ship 30,000 units locally when the console launches here in March 2007.
Of course, if you wanted to be completely pessimistic, you could say that the Wii didn't exactly smash the Xbox 360's sales records. A margin of 2000 isn't really that much, especially when you consider that the Wii is several hundreds dollars cheaper in Australia than the Xbox 360 was at launch. Plus, you could say that the Wii had the added advantage of being launched so close to the Christmas buying rush. If you wanted to be pessimistic, that is.
Bottom line, however, is that Nintendo needs to be congratulated on having such a successful launch. And the best news is that while Wiis may be sold out in some locations, anecdotal evidence is that Wiis are still available out there in Australia-land--perfect for those still wondering what to buy for their gaming needs this Christmas.- Posted Dec 14, 2006 4:30 pm PT
- Category: Editorial
- 10 Comments
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28Nov 06
With just over a week to go until the Nintendo Wii's Australian launch, we get our hands on a final retail box of the next-generation console. Want to see what's inside? Then check out the pics below.
The Wii retail box itself is not bulky, and sports a clean white design.
The contents of the box are divided into two sections -- the first
carries the Wii unit itself, while the second has the accessories (such
as remote controller, nunchuk and Wii Sports).
The Wii itself is fairly small -- in fact, its power brick is almost half its size.
The second section of the box carries the remote, nunchuk, sensor and more.
The contents of the second section spread out. As you can see, you get several instruction manuals as well.
The remote sensor unit is quite small and discreet.
At the front of the unit is the Wii's SD card slot, which is hidden behind a white panel.
At the top of the unit are four GameCube controller ports.
The back of the Wii is clutter-free. Here you can see the power, AV multi-out and sensor ports.
Behold the Wii60. As you can see, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is much larger than the Wii.
Just like the 360, the Wii can also be stored flat on its back.- Posted Nov 28, 2006 7:15 pm PT
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- 13 Comments
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16Nov 06
What is it about party games that we Aussies just can't get enough of?
Here at GameSpot AU, we've been tracking game sales charts for Australia for a little while now, and for the past few months there have been three constant entries in the top 10: SingStar, Buzz and Brain Training. Compare that to the US charts and there seems to be a world of difference. US gamers still tend to lap up racers, shooters and action games, with nary a 'non-traditional' genre in sight. And when I say non-traditional, I mean titles that don't fall into what most people would typically consider as games -- such as karaoke, quiz, music, puzzle or fitness-type titles. The most popular of these non-traditional titles down under are, of course, party games such as Sony's extremely successful SingStar or Buzz series.
Sony, for its part, obviously doesn't think US gamers like these types of titles that much, having not released many Buzz or SingStar games stateside. Australians, on the flipside, are lapping these games up. Is it because Aussies just aren't as "hardcore" as US gamers? Or do we just have a natural affinity for making fools of ourselves at karaoke?
Here's a controversial thought: maybe the Australian games market is actually a little more mature than the US. Before you howl me down with stats and figures on how huge and advanced the US games market is, let me assure you that I'm not trying to compare size here. In pure dollar terms, the US is a behemoth, and Australia in comparison is miniscule. And I don't mean mature in the sense of being more adult or dignified. What I mean is the shape of the Australian market -- the people who game, those who own consoles and use them regularly -- may actually be what the US will be like in a few years' time. The three big players in gaming -- Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo -- have all acknowledged the need to expand past the "core" audience of gamers in order for the industry to prosper and grow. The big three are planning to expand the market by developing new titles to attract people who aren't interested in shooting Nazis, or going on mythical quests, or killing aliens in a post-apocalyptic future. Sony's already produced these type of games in their party series, while Microsoft is about to test the waters with Viva Pinata. Nintendo's entire philosophy with the Wii is to attract as many people back to gaming as possible.
It's clear that with SingStar, Buzz and Brain Training such Top 10 stalwarts in Australia, our market may already include plenty of these new types of gamers the major games companies are trying to attract. Who knows? Maybe our Top 10 charts are a sneak peek into the future of US gaming.
- Posted Nov 16, 2006 5:08 pm PT
- Category: Editorial
- 8 Comments
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9Nov 06
While most Australians can only look on in envy as Japanese and US gamers get their hands on Sony's PlayStation 3 next week, we lucky GameSpot AU staffers have been fortunate enough to have spent some quality time with the new console this week. Of course, we're not as lucky as Greg and the gang over in GameSpot US, who have already been playing with the console for a while--check out our Launch Centre for everything you need to know.
Up close with the PS3 at Sony PlayStation's AU HQ.
The Australian launch of the PS3 isn't until March 2007, but Sony took us deep inside PlayStation AU HQ this week to give us an extended play session with the next-gen behemoth. And behemoth it was--our first impression upon laying eyes on the shiny black PS3 was that it was a pretty hefty unit. Looking more like a small bar fridge than a gaming console, the PS3 is certainly far removed from the petite slimline PS2. If you're planning on buying one of these babies next year, better start making room for it now.
Riiiiiiiiiidge Raaaaaaaceeeeeerrrrrrr!
The games themselves, as you'd probably expect, looked stunning. We played Ridge Racer 7 (amazingly detailed cars and tracks), Genji: Days of the Blade (impressive use of colours), Motor Storm (excellent rag doll animations on the riders) and Lair (you get to ride dragons--'nuff said). The standout was Resistance: Fall of Man. This first-person shooter looked gorgeous, with realistic locations and enemies linked with some decent gameplay.
There's a caveat to all this positive eye candy, of course. We viewed all of these games at Sony HQ through a high definition projector--the 1080p capable Sony VPL-VW100, which retails for a hefty AU$15,000. Right now, it's probably safe to assume that most gamers who shell out the cash for a PS3 won't have an AU$15,000 projector in the house, let alone a 1080p-capable display that would make full use of the PS3's visual capabilities. And as with the Xbox 360, this could potentially lead to disappointment if the console is hooked up to a normal old CRT television, or even an SD-only flatscreen. In Australia, 1080p-capable screens are just beginning to hit the consumer space in decent numbers, so it might be a while before the majority of gamers can get the most out of their PS3s.
But there is a positive. Our PS3 launch delay gives us Aussies until March next year to save up for a new HD screen. It looks like 2007 is going to be a pretty expensive year for gamers.- Posted Nov 9, 2006 2:55 pm PT
- Category: Editorial
- 6 Comments
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5Nov 06GameSpot AU visited the first GAME1 Electronic Gaming Expo and Tournament held in Melbourne's Convention Centre last weekend (4-5 November), and yours truly had the chance to get up on stage and talk with some key developers in front of a very enthusiastic audience.
Hundreds of Melbourne gamers attended GAME1 to check out the latest games from Microsoft, Activision, THQ, Ubisoft, EA and more. On display where such anticipated games like Guitar Hero II, Rainbow Six Vegas, Need for Speed Carbon, Fury (from Aussie developers Auran), Call of Duty 3, Splinter Cell Double Agent and more.
But by far the most popular stand on the day belonged to Nintendo, who was showcasing the brand new Nintendo Wii. Gamers were lined up all day to get a chance to play the new console, and were extremely enthusiastic during Nintendo's on-stage presentation to explain the Wii's capabilities.
Consumer game shows are pretty thin on the ground for the average Aussie consumer, so it was great to be at a show where gamers could come along and sample upcoming titles weeks ahead of their official release.
GameSpot AU will also be at the Sydney leg of GAME1 (2-3 December, Sydney Olympic Park), so come along if you want to say hi to the team.
Nintendo's Wii stand was by far the most popular.
Gamers patiently lined up for their chance at the Wii.
I was lucky enough to chat with Irrational Games' Jay Kyburz about their upcoming game, Bioshock.
Next up on stage with me was Activision's Joel Graham, who spoke at length about Guitar Hero II.
Joel and I shredding it to the Foo Fighters on stage.
And yes, booth babes were present at the show.- Posted Nov 5, 2006 9:48 pm PT
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- 5 Comments
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30Oct 06Hi all. Our GameSpot newshounds reported yesterday that Red Octane will be bringing out a wireless guitar controller in the US in time for the release of Guitar Hero II for the PS2 in November.
The bad news for us is that Activision locally has confirmed that said wireless controller won't be making it to Australia until "early 2007".
No further details were available -- but we'll keep you up to date of any more info that comes to hand.
I guess we'll all have to do our shredding while shackled to a PS2 for a little while longer...- Posted Oct 30, 2006 2:46 pm PT
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- 2 Comments
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25Oct 06Console battles aren't won overnight, although I'm pretty sure local Microsoft execs are satisfied with the impact the Xbox 360 has had so far on the Australian market.
Latest figures from data trackers GfK Australia show that more than 100,000 Xbox 360s have been sold in Australia since it was first launched here at the end of March this year. Xbox execs are crowing the fact that 100,000 units in seven months makes the 360 the fastest-selling home videogame console in Australian history -- a fact made more substantial considering that figure was reached without the aid of the major holiday season of Christmas.
But while the 100,000 figure may seem impressive, it's a small fraction of the overall Australian console games market so far. In terms of install base, the great hulking behemoth in the Aussie market by far is the PlayStation 2, which has sold more than two million units since its local launch on November 2000. And despite the console's age, Sony execs are still bullish about the PS2, forecasting sales of more than 200,000 units in the three months between October and December 2006 alone.
Selling 100,000 units in seven months is a good start, although you'd have to be a dedicated MS fanboy to claim it as any sort of convincing victory for the Xbox crew. On the flip side, only die-hard Sony or Nintendo fanboys will see no positives for Microsoft in this. The real game starts this time next year -- by then, the Nintendo Wii would have been released in Australia for 10 months, and (fingers crossed) the PS3 would have been out for seven months. By then, we'll have a much clearer picture of who's winning the next-gen war Down Under. And who knows? Maybe 100,000 in seven months won't be the benchmark for console sales any longer.- Posted Oct 25, 2006 10:26 pm PT
- Category: Editorial
- 14 Comments
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10Oct 06It's been a long and arduous road: not only have we pored over the thousands of entries to come up with a winner in GameSpot AU's first ever competition, but we have finally managed to contact that winner.
So in the proud and very annoying fashion of shows like Australian Idol...I'm not going to tell you the winner just yet. Let me instead pad this out a bit longer by sending a big thank you to all of you great GameSpot readers who entered the competition. We received many fabulous entries and found out a lot about what the Australian public wants from GameSpot AU. Many of the things you asked for--such as localised release dates for games and local news--we've already implemented. Other often requested functions--like local tournaments--are already on our planning schedules. We'd love to be able to give prizes to all our entrants, but just like in Highlander, there can only be one. Instead in this case, the "one" doesn't get eternal life, just an Xbox 360 with loads of accessories and games. Which is still pretty cool.
And the winner is... actually, just before I announce the name, let me first stress what a tough job it was for me and the rest of the GameSpot AU crew here in Sydney (yes, we're definitely local!) to choose just one winner. Our main criteria in choosing the winner included originality of ideas and the clarity in which those ideas were presented.
And so here we are. The winner of the GameSpot AU launch competition is...
Lewis Hamilton from NSW (also known as Arathin).
Congratulations Lewis. Lewis' entry included suggestions of enhancing GameSpot forums with the addition of more community-based features such as flash games and chatting; an official high scores board; outlining a system where GameSpot community members could "add" entirely new games to the GameSpot databases; a dedicated section focused on the Australian game development community; and an dynamic "schedule" for online gamers to organise sessions.
As I mentioned earlier, we received many great entries (many, we know, which had some similar suggestions as our winner). We've also chosen two runner ups, each of whom will receive a AU$30 JB Hi-Fi gift voucher. The two runner ups are Danielle Mellor and Andrew McLean.
Congratulations to the winners, and commiserations to all of the other entrants. Never fear though--this event isn't a one-off. If I were you, I'd keep a close eye on GameSpot AU in the next few weeks--bigger and better competitions are on the way...- Posted Oct 10, 2006 10:06 pm PT
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- 7 Comments
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28Sep 06Lego Star Wars II consolidated its hold on Australian game charts this week, with the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game staking out first and second positions in the overall top 10, respectively.
According to data trackers GfK Australia, the Nintendo DS version of Lego Star Wars II also managed to make it into the top 10, landing ninth in the charts for the week of September 18-24.
Atari's Test Drive Unlimited for the Xbox 360 had a strong showing in its first week of release in Australia, finishing fourth behind Capcom's Dead Rising. This week also saw a PSP title make the big leagues, with Tekken: Dark Resurrection rounding off the list at number 10.
Full figures, including console-by-console breakdowns, can be found below.Top 10 Full Priced Games
1. Lego Star Wars II, PS2
2. Lego Star Wars II, Xbox
3. Dead Rising, Xbox 360
4. Test Drive Unlimited, Xbox 360
5. Saints Row, Xbox 360
6. New Super Mario Bros, Nintendo DS
7. AFL Premiership 2006, PS2
8. SingStar Anthems bundle, PS2
9. Lego Star Wars II, Nintendo DS
10. Tekken Dark Resurrection, PSPTop 10 GameBoy Advance Games (over AU$40)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. Crash and Spyro Pack Vol 2
3. Pokemon Emerald
4. Monster House
5. Cars
6. Pokemon Leaf Green
7. Pokemon Ruby
8. Pokemon Sapphire
9. Barnyard
10. Simpson's Road RageTop 10 GameCube Games (over AU$50)
1. Pokemon xD: Gale of Darkness
2. Mario Party 7
3. Mario Smash Football
4. Cars
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. Mario Party 6
7. Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
8. Pokemon Colosseum
9. Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door
10. Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost OceanTop 10 PC Games (over AU$20)
1. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
2. World of Warcraft
3. The Sims 2
4. Lego Star Wars II
5. The Sims 2: Open Business
6. The Sims Deluxe
7. Age of Empires III
8. The Sims
9. The Sims 2: Nightlife
10. The Sims 2: Family Fun StuffTop 10 Nintendo DS Games (over AU$40)
1. New Super Mario Bros
2. Lego Star Wars II
3. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
4. Nintendogs Dachshund
5. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
6. Nintendogs Labrador
7. Monster House
8. Mario Kart
9. Nintendogs Chihuahua
10. Star Fox CommandTop 10 PS2 Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. AFL Premiership 2006
3. SingStar Anthems bundle
4. Cars
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. Dance Factory
7. SingStar Rocks! bundle
8. Buzz: The Big Quiz bundle
9. FIFA 2006 Platinum
10. EyeToy: Play 3Top 10 PSP games (over AU$40)
1. Tekken: Dark Resurrection
2. Gangs of London
3. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
4. GTA: Liberty Cities
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. Star Wars: Battlefront II
7. Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai
8. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 06
9. FIFA 2006
10. Tomb Raider LegendTop 10 Xbox Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. NFS: Most Wanted
3. Over the Hedge
4. Star Wars: Battlefront 2
5. FIFA 2006
6. Black
7. NRL Rugby League 2
8. V8 Supercars 3
9. GTA: The Trilogy
10: Crash Tag Team RacingTop 10 Xbox 360 Games (over AU$50)
1. Dead Rising
2. Test Drive Unlimited
3. Saints Row
4. Lego Star Wars II
5. Call of Duty 2
6. Project Gotham Racing 3
7. Perfect Dark Zero
8. Dead or Alive 4
9. Genuine Wireless Fun Pack (compilation)
10. Ghost Recon Advanced WarfighterAll data supplied by GfK
- Posted Sep 28, 2006 1:51 am PT
- Category: N/A
- 1 Comment
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27Sep 06
It's an image etched into the minds of football fans (otherwise known as soccer) throughout Australia: super striker John Aloisi with arms spread wide after scoring the winning penalty against Uruguay to send Australia to the 2006 World Cup finals.
Konami Digital Entertainment Europe has announced that it's using that iconic image for the cover of Pro Evolution Soccer 6, known as Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 in the US. The game will be released in Australia in early November for PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PSP and PC. A Nintendo DS version will be released in December.
Aloisi is one of the true stars of Australian football, having represented the country 45 times and scoring 24 goals overall. As well as the match-winner against Uruguay in 2005, Aloisi is probably best remembered for his impressive third goal in the come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Japan in Australia's opening game at the 2006 World Cup finals.
The entire Australian Socceroos line-up has also been included in Pro Evolution Soccer 6's roster of international teams.- Posted Sep 27, 2006 5:17 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 1 Comment
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25Sep 06When Ken Kutaragi last week announced that the 20GB-hard-drive-equipped model of the PlayStation 3 was getting a price drop in Japan, Australian gamers anxiously held their breaths to see whether Sony would apply the same drop here.
But just like gamers in the US, it seems Aussies won't be getting a discount. Sony Computer Entertainment Australia spokesman Adrian Christie told GameSpot AU today that the price of the PlayStation 3 in Australia would stay the same--AU$829.95 for the 20GB-equipped model and AU$999.95 for the 60GB-hard-drive model.
Christie, however, did confirm the news that all 20GB PS3 units will now sport an HDMI port. HDMI is an all digital audio/video connector that was previously limited to the more expensive 60GB PS3.
Sony's Kutaragi used his Tokyo Game Show keynote speech last week to unveil the news that the 20GB PS3 model would now retail for 49,980 yen (US$429) at launch on November 11, which is about 10,000 yen (US$85) cheaper than it was previously.- Posted Sep 25, 2006 11:26 pm PT
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25Sep 06Nintendo Australia has refused to disclose how many Wiis they will be bringing into the country for its December Australian launch, and has not ruled out the possibility of shortages come launch date.
Nintendo Australia spokesman Vispi Bhopti says while the company is bringing in a significant number of consoles for the Australian launch on December 7, it cannot guarantee "total supply".
"We will be guaranteeing pre-ordered stock at retail--so that's definitely the way to go to secure it because we can't guarantee total supply because we don't know how many consumers are going to go wild over this," Bhopti said "We are bringing in a significant number of Wiis into Australia--it won't be a small drop. But at the same time, our expectations are so big for this product that we would, to err on the safe side, recommend that people pre-order."
Australian gamers most recently had to suffer through a next-generation console shortage earlier this year when the Xbox 360 launched in March. Within days of the official launch on March 23, 60GB Xbox 360 bundles had all but sold out across the country.
Nintendo announced last week that the Wii would hit Australian shores on December 7 for AU$399.95. Bhopti said final pricing for games, accessories and virtual console titles was still being finalised for Australia, although they would be "relative to overseas pricing". In the US, first party Wii titles will retail for US$50 (AU$66.50).
Bhopti said while the number of launch day titles was also still being finalised, he did confirm that Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be a launch title locally. The GameCube version of the game would arrive in early 2007, he said.
And for those still holding out hope that the Wii will be region-free console, Bhopti has some bad news. "You won't be able to play overseas games on an Australian unit," he said.
Bhopti says Nintendo is gearing up national roadshows to promote the Wii in the weeks leading to launch. The shows will be similar to its recent DS Connection Tour, which had Nintendo visit major shopping centres around the country. Consumers will be able to get their hands on the Wii and its unique controllers during these shows, Bhopti said.
The Wii's use of wireless controllers means free-standing in-store demo units, however, will not be part of the promotional campaign, Bhopti says.
"We can bolt things down as much as we want, but when we do that it ruins the experience of the wireless controller. You really don't want to pick up that wireless controllers unless it really is wireless," Bhopti said.
"Some of these experiences are also quite unique, and we want to be able to explain the experiences to people when we're there. So it's important that when we do have in-store units, they will be manned demonstrations."- Posted Sep 25, 2006 12:22 am PT
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- 0 Comments
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21Sep 06Lego Star Wars II exerted a Sith-like grip on the Australian game charts in its first week of release, with LucasArt's and Traveller Tales' latest taking up three of the top 10 positions in the overall sales charts according to data trackers GfK Australia.
Lego Star Wars II for the PS2 was Australia's best selling game for the week of 11-17 September, with the game's Xbox and Xbox 360 versions landing in the fourth and eight positions respectively. The game was also a prominent feature in most of the other console specific top 10 charts.
Xbox 360-exclusive Dead Rising had to settle for second place on the overall charts in its debut week, although it did manage to beat the Star Wars juggernaut in the Xbox 360 specific charts. Saints Row continues to be a strong seller in Australia, landing in third spot this week after being number one in the previous two.
Full figures, including console-by-console breakdowns, can be found below.
Top 10 Full Priced Games
1. Lego Star Wars II PS2
2. Dead Rising, Xbox 360
3. Saints Row, Xbox 360
4. Lego Star Wars II, Xbox
5. New Super Mario Bros, Nintendo DS
6. AFL Premiership 2006, PS2
7. SingStar Anthems bundle, PS2
8. Lego Star Wars II, Xbox 360
9. Cars, PS2
10. EyeToy: Play 3 pack, PS2
Top 10 GameBoy Advance Games (over AU$40)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. Pokemon Emerald
3. Cars
4. Pokemon Ruby
5. Pokemon Sapphire
6. Pokemon Leaf Green
7. Simpson's Road Rage
8. Donkey Kong Country 3
9. Pokemon Fire Red
10. Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force
Top 10 GameCube Games (over AU$50)
1. Super Smash Bros: Melee
2. Pokemon xD: Gale of Darkness
3. Mario Party 7
4. Super Mario Sunshine
5. Mario Smash Football
6: Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door
7. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
8. NFS: Most Wanted
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Cars
Top 10 PC Games (over AU$20)
1. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
2. World of Warcraft
3. The Sims 2: Open Business
4. The Sims 2
5. Lego Star Wars II
6. The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff
7. The Sims Deluxe
8. Age of Empires III
9. The Sims 2: Nightlife
10: Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Top 10 Nintendo DS Games (over AU$40)
1. New Super Mario Bros
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Nintendogs Chihuahua
4. Lego Star Wars II
5. Mario Kart
6. Tamagotchi Connexion
7. Cars
8. Animal Crossing Wild World
9. Big Brain Academy
10: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Top 10 PS2 Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. AFL Premiership 2006
3. SingStar Anthems bundle
4. Cars
5. EyeToy: Play 3
6. Buzz: The Big Quiz bundle
7. GameTrak Real World Golf
8. SingStar Rocks! bundle
9. NFS: Most Wanted
10. FIFA 2006 Platinum
Top 10 PSP games (over AU$40)
1. Tekken Dark Resurrection
2. Gangs of London
3. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
4. GTA: Liberty Cities
5. Loco Roco
6. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 06
7. NFS: Most Wanted
8. Lemmings
9. NBA Live 2006
10. Crash Tag Team Racing
Top 10 Xbox Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. NRL Rugby League 2
3. Cars
4. Black
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. V8 Supercars 3
7. FIFA 2006
8. Over the Hedge
9. 50 Cent Bulletproof
10. Madden NFL 2007
Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (over AU$50)
1. Dead Rising
2. Saints Row
3. Lego Star Wars II
4. Call of Duty 2
5. Enchanted Arms
6. Madden NFL 2007
7. Perfect Dark Zero
8. Project Gotham Racing 3
9. Dead or Alive 4
10. Genuine Wireless Fun Pack (compilation)
All data supplied by GfK Australia.- Posted Sep 21, 2006 12:01 am PT
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19Sep 06UK retailer The Game Group has purchased Australia's Games Wizards chain for AU$3.8 million.
Games Wizards has 14 company-owned stores and eight franchise stores throughout Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, the NSW Central Coast and country Victoria. The company was first established in 1990. The Game Group, which runs stores under the GAME brand, is one of Europe's biggest videogame retailers, with more than 700 stores and franchises in the UK, France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark.
Games Wizards CEO Robert Lukic told GameSpot AU that he was enthusiastic about the sale. "We're excited about having GAME on board and look forward to having an aggressive roll-out of stores in the future," he said.
Lukic said there was no information yet on whether Games Wizard would adopt the GAME brand in Australia, or when and where new store openings were being planned.
"Details are still to be worked out on those issues. I would expect in the next month that the strategic direction of the company will be formalised," Lukic said.- Posted Sep 19, 2006 6:06 pm PT
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18Sep 06If you're a fan of Fuzzy and her CyberShack TV shenanigans, then you're about to read some good news. The Channel Ten videogame program's life has been extended with the addition of nine more episodes, and will now run until December 26 this year.
CyberShack TV will also move timeslots from November 1 from its regular spot of Tuesdays after the late night news to Wednesday nights at 11:15pm.
CyberShack TV first aired in August of this year. A press release from CBN Media, owner of the CyberShack brand, stated that the television show attracts a national audience of roughly 270,000 each week.- Posted Sep 18, 2006 11:34 pm PT
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14Sep 06Aussie gamers seemingly can't get enough of the gangsta life, with THQ's Saints Row making it to the number one position on the Australian game charts for the second week in a row.
Sales figures from data trackers GfK for the week ending September 10 2006 show that the 360-exclusive Saints Row edged out Sony's latest EyeToy bundle, with EyeToy 3 landing at number two. The sales heavyweight of recent weeks--AFL Premiership 2006--has slipped back to number four on the charts.
Nintendo's portable powerhouse--the DS--had a strong showing, with five of the top 10 games in Australia being DS titles.
Full figures, including console-by-console breakdowns, can be found below.
Top 10 Full Priced Games
1. Saints Row, Xbox 360
2. EyeToy: Play 3, PS2
3. New Super Mario Bros, Nintendo DS
4. AFL Premiership 2006, PS2
5. Cars, PS2
6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, Nintendo DS
7. SingStar Anthems bundle, PS2
8. Mario Kart, Nintendo DS
9. Nintendogs Dachshund, Nintendo DS
10. Nintendogs Labrador, Nintendo DS
Top 10 GameBoy Advance Games (over AU$40)
1. Pokemon Emerald
2. Cars
3. Pokemon Leaf Green
4. Pokemon Sapphire
5. Pokemon Ruby
6. Catz 2005
7. Donkey Kong Country 3
8. Pokemon Fire Red
9. Simpson's Road Rage
10. Dogz 2005
Top 10 GameCube Games (over AU$50)
1. Mario Party 7
2. Pokemon xD: Gale of Darkness
3. Mario Smash Football
4. NFS: Most Wanted
5. Cars
6. Starfox Assault
7. Resident Evil 4
8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
9. FIFA 2006 World Cup
10: Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door
Top 10 PC Games (over AU$20)
1. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
2. World of Warcraft
3. The Sims 2: Open Business
4. The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff
5. The Sims 2: Nightlife
6. The Sims 2
7. The Sims Deluxe
8. Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood
9. Age of Empires III
10. The Sims 2: University
Top 10 Nintendo DS Games (over AU$40)
1. New Super Mario Bros
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Mario Kart
4. Nintendogs Dachshund
5. Nintendogs Labrador
6. Nintendogs Chihuahua
7. Tamagotchi Connexion
8. Animal Crossing Wild World
9. Big Brain Academy
10. Cars
Top 10 PS2 Games (over AU$50)
1. EyeToy: Play 3
2. AFL Premiership 2006
3. Cars
4. SingStar Anthems bundle
5. Buzz: The Big Quiz bundle
6. SingStar Rocks bundle
7. FIFA 2006 World Cup
8. FIFA 2006 Platinum
9. NFS: Most Wanted
10. Over the Hedge
Top 10 PSP games (over AU$40)
1. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
2. Gangs of London
3. Daxter
4. GTA: Liberty Cities
5. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 06
6. Loco Roco
7. FIFA 2006
8. Lemmings
9. NFS: Most Wanted
10. Cars
Top 10 Xbox Games (over AU$50)
1. Cars
2. NRL Rugby League 2
3. Black
4. Over the Hedge
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. V8 Supercars 3
7. FIFA 2006
8. 50 Cent Bulletproof
9. Fight Night Round 3
9. Tiger Woods PGA 2006
10, Madden NFL 2007
Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (over AU$50)
1. Saints Row
2. Enchanted Arms
3. Project Gotham Racing 3
4. Perfect Dark Zero
5. Dead or Alive 4
6. Call of Duty 2
7. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
8. Madden NFL 2007
9. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 3
10. Genuine Wireless Fun Pack (compilation)- Posted Sep 14, 2006 5:55 pm PT
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12Sep 06The full song list for Guitar Hero II has been a closely guarded secret so far, with developers Red Octane content to trickle out a song name here and there to tease fans awaiting the sequel to last year's rhythm game hit. With Guitar Hero II's release now only two months away, Red Octane has shed more light on the game, confirming the names of 12 more songs sure to test eager guitar shredder's fingers.
Some of the big names to make the latest list include grunge scene behemoths Nirvana and Alice in Chains, classic rockers The Rolling Stones and Pretenders, and surf rock icon Dick Dale (of Pulp Fiction soundtrack fame).
The 12 new Guitar Hero songs confirmed today are:- Avenged Sevenfold--"Beast and the Harlot"
- Rolling Stones--"Can’t You Hear Me Knocking"
- Heart--"Crazy on You"
- Nirvana--"Heart Shaped Box"
- Allman Brothers--"Jessica"
- Lamb of God--"Laid to Rest"
- Police--"Message in a Bottle"
- Dick Dale--"Misirlou"
- Cheap Trick--"Surrender"
- Pretenders--"Tattooed Love Boys"
- Alice in Chains--"Them Bones"
- Spinal Tap--"Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
The previously confirmed songs are:- Primus (original master recording)--"John the Fisherman"
- Reverend Horton Heat--"Psychobilly Freakout"
- KISS--"Strutter"
- Black Sabbath--"War Pigs"
- Butthole Surfers--"Who Was in My Room Last Night?"
- Van Halen--"You Really Got Me"
- Rush--"YYZ"
- Anthrax--"Madhouse"
- Motley Crue--"Shout at the Devil"
- Stone Temple Pilots--"Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"
- Lynard Skynard--"Freebird"
- Guns N’ Roses--"Sweet Child O’ Mine"
- Posted Sep 12, 2006 11:52 pm PT
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12Sep 06Good news for you Test Drive fans who own an Xbox 360--Test Drive
Unlimited's Australian release date has been pushed forward one week,
and will now hit stores on September 21.
Bad news for you Test Drive fans who own a PC, PS2 or PC -- Test Drive
Unlimited's Australian release date for other platforms has been pushed
back all the way to February 2007.
Read GameSpot's full review of Test Drive Unlimited, the world's first MMOR, by clicking here.- Posted Sep 12, 2006 7:16 pm PT
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