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Behind the scenes pics from GameSpot HQ at E3 2007 by RandolphRam

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:28:57 PDT

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!

And the winner of Marvel Ultimate Alliance Face Off competition is... by RandolphRam

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 16:30:36 PST

If 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!

Wii--the new King down under by RandolphRam

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:30:51 PST

Nintendo--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.

Nintendo Wii: Inside the box by RandolphRam

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:15:42 PST

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.

Is Australia a party games island? by RandolphRam

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:08:05 PST

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.

PS3 envy from Down Under by RandolphRam

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:55:54 PST

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.

GameSpot AU at GAME1 Melbourne by RandolphRam

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 21:48:31 PST

GameSpot 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.

Dagnabit... no Guitar Hero wireless controller for Oz until 07 by RandolphRam

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:46:28 PST

Hi 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...

The 360 reaches 100,000 in Australia by RandolphRam

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:26:02 PDT

Console 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.

The winner of GameSpot AU's launch competition is... by RandolphRam

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 22:06:56 PDT

It'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...