Rockband is not here yet. Personally i don’t think it will ever get released here and that it does not exist. It is all a big joke by the rest of the world on NZ. Australia however are meant to be getting thier version in October, and price rumours are circulating.

The game is “due in October” for Australia. Rumours are circulating about the pricing for Australia and its going to be expensive. Whats worse is there is no ‘all in one’ package to get you rockin. They are looking at charging $400 AU for this. Thats over $500 NZD !!!!

You’ll have to buy the game separately, and the game is going to retail for AUD$120 (USD$115). For instruments, you’ve got two options. All will be available individually (guitars are priced at AUD$110/USD$105, with drums at AUD$160 and mics TBA) , but you’ll also have the option of buying a “hardware kit” that includes one guitar, drums and one mic. That’ll cost you AUD$290 (USD$277). So to buy the game and the hardware bundle (ie what you get in the $169 American bundle), you’ll be paying AUD$400. That’s USD$380.

I cannot condone anyone buying this game here if it is real and ever arrives. It potentially is going to be over priced, and not only that it will have been superceded by its follow up, Rock Band 2, by the time it gets here. Such a shame as I personally know quite a few people, other than myself, who have been looking forward to this.

Source

Update: Yesteday afternoon (31/07) EA confirmed to retailers that Rockband will be available early to mid October this year. Expect to be paying around $420 for the hardware + game.

So with the launch of the iPhone on Friday the 11th of July at 12:01am (The first country in the world) people have been waiting with baited breath… well… WAIT NO MORE!!!

Except, the plans Vodafone are offering suck, the pricing sucks and, it’s cheaper to buy an iPhone from the USA and import it than it is to buy one here…

GG Vodafone… G G.

A petition has been started HERE for Vodafone to create a pre-pay plan

There has been an immediate backlash, with what seems like thousands of people who are very unhappy.

Vodafone Plans

Did you know Gaming Generation offer free services ? You didn’t ? Well now you do.

We offer the following:
- Team Speak Server
- Ventrilo Server
- IRC Channel
- Clan Forums

If you want your own TS / Vent / Clan Forum you can request them at our services page here. All are free to use ! The clients to connect to TeamSpeak & Ventrilo servers are in our downloads section.

Connecting to our IRC channel is also free. You can use the free webpage based java client here or download a client such as mIRC here.

Surprising, considering Vodafone have a competing music store… Maybe they’re scrapping it? or have signed some deal… Either way, good news for NZ!

All those who’re desperate for the JesusPhone to bless your shores need to read this list: Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Vodafone’s just announced that its customers in these ten lucky countries will be able to buy iPhones for use on its network “later this year.”

Source

Shacknews Views Duke Nukem Forever… Apparently.

Duke Nukem Forever, the game, actually exists.

I have seen it. Maarten has seen it. We watched actual interactive gameplay being interacted with.

Of course, we are far from the first to make such a claim. During 3D Realms’ lengthy development cycle of Duke Nukem Forever here in the Dallas area, I have run in to my fair share of publishers and developers who boast they have gotten a glimpse of the game.

continue reading "Duke Nukem Forever… Exists…??? WHAT?!?!?!"

Well looks like Konami have delivered. The beta is up and running and so far so good, YAY !. Vast improvements on the previous attempt which we should all move on from and never mention again.

I personally have been having a ball doing my best impersonations of a cardboard box. Once training had been completed I ventured into the online world and much to my surpise it was an enjoyable experience.

The odd bit of lag and some noticeable drop in frame rate my only complaints so far. Menus can be a bit of a handful in game but you get used to them. I am just happy to be playing MG again. I cannot wait for the full game and single player

Let us know your thoughts here & on the forums.

Note if you havent downloaded the beta of the PSN already you are too late. It has been taken down as a result of the overwhelming response to the beta.

Well there was a chance of it happening and it looks like it will. According to a NZ retailer (GPStore) we will be getting the edited Aussie version of the game. Just as everyone was strating to get excited about it and all !

That is really pants. Even if the content is not majorly edited we are still losing out for no real reason. We have an R18 rating unlike Australia so why should we suffer ? Boils down to a simple case of money in my opinion. Easier to ship NZ copies that Australia are getting.

Rockstar at this stage have not responded to Kotaku’s emails so we wait to hear back. Until then importing a PS3 unedited versions seems to be the choice of the masses.

Looks like the war is finally over.

Toshiba Corp is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp, a company source said on Saturday.
The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.

Toshiba’s cause has suffered several setbacks in recent weeks including Friday’s announcement by U.S. retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) that it would abandon the HD DVD format and only stock its shelves with Blu-ray movies.

A source at Toshiba confirmed an earlier report by public broadcaster NHK that it was getting ready to pull the plug.

“We have entered the final stage of planning to make our exit from the next generation DVD business,” said the source, who asked not to be identified. He added that an official announcement could come as early as next week.

Source: Reuters

I dare say everyone knows that I’m not a fan of EA, ever since they killed of Origin Systems and doomed my beloved Ultima series – but it seems that EA be turning over a new leaf. The head of Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, admits that EA blew some of it’s earlier acquisitions by attempting to absorb them instead of allowing them to function in the unique way that allowed them to create popular games in the first place. He said that opperating in that way is a business model in the industry that is leading to “creative failure.”

“We at EA blew it,” he said, referring to EA’s problems keeping former top-tier studios Origin, Bullfrog and Westwood vital or even simply in existence, once they were purchased. There was too much consolidation, too much group think. The problem, he said, was “the fundamental belief that we could be one big happy family.”
Riccitiello proposed a solution.
The answer for Riccitiello is a label system. Or, using another metaphor, he proposed a view of game development studios treated like football teams, each one with their own heritage striving to reach the Super Bowl.
Another way of looking at it, he said, was city states. He pointed to Rockstar Games, Valve and Blizzard as development studios who do their own thing regardless of who owns them.
“The Command and Conquer model doesn’t work,” Riccitiello said. He said it was a bad idea for companies to buy development studios, change the studios names to brand them all to the publisher and expect progress.

[MTV's Multiplayer Blog]

As a fan of Bioware, this is great to hear. Hey, maybe Mass Effect 2 will be okay after all?

Although not neccessarily Gaming news this announcement is still huge and will be (if successful) one of the biggest aquisitions so far.

Microsoft is looking to purchase Yahoo! to compete in the online space with Google. Microsoft is looking to purchase Yahoo! for $44.6 Billion dollars *cue Dr Evil laugh*.

Discuss it with the fellow GG members here.

Source is here.