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L.A. Noire: The Red Lipstick Murder

Kelly Teng
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The crimes that plague Cole Phelps in Rockstar’s upcoming game L.A. Noire are some of the most intriguing aspects of the game. With the game being a replica of 1940s Los Angeles in all its corruption, glory, and landscape, it’s no wonder that the cases are at least somewhat inspired by real-life crimes of the ’40s.

Rockstar showcased one of these crime cases at the PAX East show last weekend. “The Red Lipstick Murder” from the in-game Homicide desk was inspired by the real life homicide investigation of the murder of Jeanne French. French was a 45 year old veteran Army nurse who was found stripped and stomped to death inside “The Moors” in February 1947. It was discovered that the letters “B.D.” (and other rude words) were written in red lipstick over French’s nude body. The case remained unsolved, with a myriad of questions left unanswered.

While L.A. Noire doesn’t directly translate this case into the game, several pieces of information were used for inspiration. The red lipstick on the corpse is a prime example of the way Rockstar and Team Bondi have worked to take 1940s L.A. and translate it into 2011 L.A. Noire. Players will be happy to know though that unlike the real case where the killer was never brought to justice, The Red Lipstick Murder in the game will definitely have a ‘case closed’ stamp on it.

Australian Customs to seize Mortal Kombat imports

Kellie Wallace
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It was the news that rocked gamers all over Australia. The Australian Classification Board had refused classification (RC) of Mortal Kombat. The internet was turned into a warzone with fans coming together to vent their anger and seek vengeance.

Games that are slapped with a RC rating is banned and it is illegal to promote and sell in that country.  So fans of MK who are seeking to import the game into Australia, watch out. Australian authorites have already blacklisted the game and will be keeping an eagle eye out.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service spokesperson has confirmed that Mortal Kombat has been added to its list of prohibited items.

“As Mortal Kombat has been refused classification in Australia it is considered objectionable material. It is therefore a prohibited good, and illegal to import into Australia,” the spokesperson said. “Customs and Border Protection works closely with Attorney General’s Department to identify imported games that are banned in Australia. This includes games purchased over the internet from foreign websites. Attorney General’s Department regularly updates Customs and Border Protection about classification decisions on publications, films and computer games, including the reclassification of material, and about different versions of computer games (some of which may be refused classification), and how to identify those versions at the border. This information is then used to assist in identifying and seizing banned versions of games.

“Any copies of the games detected at the border, including via international mail, will be seized.”

AND NOW THE CRAZY PART !!!

The Customs spokesperson said someone caught trying to import RCed games into Australia could expect a fine of up to three times the value of the product, or A$110,000, which ever is greater.

I feel sick to my stomach, how about you ?

Australian games should be aloud to be eligible for an R18+ rating! No matter what country your from, you to can fight for the cause! Even if it’s just as simple as signing the Capsule Computers petition to include an R18+ rating for Australia here! Sign it now and help make a difference.

Two new 3rd Birthday vidoes show off battles and cutscenes

Travis Bruno
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Battle_11

Now that the original Parasite Eve is going to be arriving on the PSN tomorrow there is no reason for Square Enix to be letting people forget about the 3rd game of the series. Or should I say The 3rd Birthday eh? Today they have released a couple of videos that show off the cutscenes and battle of the game itself.

In the one cutscene we are introduced to the CTI team and despite some bad lip-syncing with the English voice over work everything looks great. Also released was a video that shows off some of some actual battle scenes were Aya dives into various team members and also uses Liberation mode to help defeat a the enemies that are in front of her. This cutscene is also in English and allows us to get a better look at the user interface in action. Catch both videos below.

 

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy3LrbMTwCg[/pro-player]

LG Vs Sony

Darren Resnekov
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If you havent already seen the previous post written by Travis, there is currently a law suit involving electronics giants Sony and LG with claims from LG that Sony are infringing on patent laws by using what they say is technology owned and patented by them within there PS3 Blu ray drives. In late February temporary injunctions were placed on the importation of PS3 consoles across Europe with some 300000 consoles impounded and  LG  pressing for similar actions to be taken in the United States.

Latest rulings have seen these decisions overturned and Sony has confirmed that they are again shipping PS3 consoles across Europe. Unfortunately for LG they have been hit with large damage claims and Sony’s legal bill to pay. While their consoles may be on the way to homes across Europe, Sony will still have defend these claims in court and could be ordered to pay royalties including back pay for consoles already sold since its launch.

It is quite an important case regarding property and patent laws and also allows Sony to concentrate on other legal issues such as similar charges against LG for use of what Sony say is their technology within LG mobile phones.

Heres hoping they can sort it out asap and continue to ship there much loved  products to all of  there fans and consumers worldwide maybe even sharing there technology with each other.

Celebrate Mana Bar’s First Birthday

Michael Irving
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mana-bar-11

This weekend, Mana Bar – Brisbane’s unique video game cocktail bar – will reach the first checkpoint in the game of business; celebrating one year of operation. And it did so without an instruction manual, or even a tutorial level.

On Sunday 20th March, Mana Bar will celebrate its first birthday with a public event, featuring gaming competitions, special guests in attendance and prizes awarded every twenty minutes to those willing to dress up.

“The Mana Bar proves that gaming transcends the usual geek stereotype, and allows people from all walks of life to socialise in a new and unique way,” says co-founder Guy “Yug” Blomberg. The bar offers visitors the chance to play current video games with friends and like-minded strangers, in a friendly, modern atmosphere.

The response to the unique venue has been overwhelmingly positive, to the extent that the business is expanding across Australia, with a Melbourne venue set to open within months, and further locations nationally and internationally to follow.

If you’re in the Brisbane area – or are willing to travel – pop in this Sunday between 6pm and midnight to join the celebrations.

For more details, visit http://brisbane.manabar.com.au/events/1-year-anniversary, or for info on the upcoming Melbourne Mana Bar, check out our interview with Yug.

New Lego Star Wars III trailers!

J. Bradshaw
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ZOMG!  Lego Star Wars III is almost upon us. In fact, on March 22, 2o11, we will finally be able to play through the new worlds of the Star Wars universe  that have taken their cue from the animated TV show on Cartoon Network.  If your in the mood for a laugh, check out the new commercials for the game.

How does a clone trooper feel when he really needs to go?  Find out here.

Or, check out the more drama filled trailer below!  Whichever one you choose, you can be sure that the game will feature the same great charm as these videos.

Hasbro & Jagex announce a Transformers MMO

J. Bradshaw
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What will you be doing in 2012?  Hasbro and Jagex Limited would like you to be playing their new game: a Transformers MMO.  This game will be released in North America, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

“Hasbro’s decision to align with Jagex speaks to the quality of their award-winning development and publishing team that boasts an outstanding track record of delivering  innovative and fun online games capable of reaching millions of gamers across the globe,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro.  “We are extremely excited to create a dream team that combines TRANSFORMERS brand stewards with Jagex development experts to deliver an epic TRANSFORMERS gaming experience to fans in 2012.”

“TRANSFORMERS is one of the most iconic brands in the world and we are delighted to team up with Hasbro in order to bring our shared vision to reality,” said Mark Gerhard, CEO at Jagex Games Studio. “There is a huge appetite for an online TRANSFORMERS game and we will utilize every bit of our development and publishing expertise to deliver a dynamic and action-packed game that TRANSFORMERS fans will find irresistible.”

No word yet on how the game will function, like how the payment system will be implemented.  But, Jagex Limited is the developer behind the free to play Runescape, so hopefully that is an indicator of things to come. 🙂

 

This Week on The Xbox 360 (3-14-11)

Dylan Radcliffe
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This Week on The Xbox 360 (3-14-11)

Happy Pi Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed your math and your PI!

Now enjoy the video, and then check out what is coming to Xbox Live this week.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG7vhMMXagQ[/pro-player]
This week sees the finally of the Xbox Live House party with the release of Full House Poker. Grab your poker chips, get your game face on and pick it up on Wednesday March 16th, for 800 Microsoft Points.

The deal of the week sees green, as it seems the committee seems to have searched through all the possible items to put on sale and selected ones that had to do with green, luck, and the Irish.

 

Check out what is coming to retail in each specific market.

North America

  • Homefront
  • Top Spin 4

Asia

  • Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening

Australia

  • Homefront
  • Major League Baseball 2K11
  • Top Spin 4
  • MotoGP 10/11

Europe

  • Homefront
  • ArcaniA: Gothic 4
  • Top Spin 4
  • Warriors: Legends of Troy
  • MotoGP 10/11

 

Well, that is probably not everything; but it surely is a large list. Of course, as always there is probably DLC I am forgetting or one game that is going to pop up on the radar (I’m looking at you Battle: Los Angeles!)

 

WWE All Stars Demo Hits the PSN & Xbox Live Next Week…

Dustin Spencer
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WWE All Stars Demo Hits the PSN & Xbox Live Next Week…

We are just two weeks away from the official release for THQ’s WWE All Stars, and today the company announced that a demo would be making it’s way to both the PS3 & 360 next week on March 23rd. This demo will include two playable superstars, The Ultimate Warrior & Rey Mysterio, which are two fantastic options to go with. The demo will also fully utilize the game’s class system, with Warrior being a ‘Brawler’ and Rey Mysterio being of the ‘acrobat’ class.

This demo will also feature a multi-player as well but it has been confirmed to be offline only, much like the Smackdown series’ demos we typically have seen in the past. This arcadey, larger than life persona this title has taken on certainly has me interested, and with the release coming for just about every system out there (except the DS), I certainly hope it performs as good as it looks.

Plants vs Zombies invade the DSiWare…

Dustin Spencer
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If you have been holding on to those DSiWare points and looking for the perfect time to splurge, there is no better day than today as Plants vs Zombies has now officially hit the DSiWare. This version brings the same addictive madness we recently seen hit the DS last month and at just 800 points. I am guessing this is a lighter version of the game, as PopCap’s DSiWare release of Bookworm just included “Classic” mode, but either way, the core product is well worth the money spent in this case.

Those who already have the DS version can also look to the other DSiWare releases today, Agtec’s Rabi Lady and 5 in 1 Mahjong. I think the only question now is just what platforms are left for these plants and zombies to invade. Perfect time for a sequel in my opinion, so hopefully that wish will be granted soon (looking at you PopCap ;)).

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