Monthly Archives: April 2015
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Xbox One Bundle Announced for Europe
A new Xbox One bundle for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to Europe, Microsoft has announced. The package will be priced at £310 in the UK, with prices varying across other territories.
The bundle is confirmed specifically for the EMEA market (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). It doesn't include Kinect, but a second bundle which does include the motion sensor is coming to just ten territories, as listed on Xbox Wire. Both editions of the bundle come with a download code for The Witcher 3.
Report: Wildstar Pulled From Australian Stores
Major Australian retailers EB Games and JB Hi-Fi have reportedly removed copies of Carbine Studios’ sci-fi MMO WildStar from its shelves.
Games.on.net reports that copies have been returned the distributor with an EB games employee telling the publication that the stock was removed “a few weeks ago.”
While the game is still available for purchase via the official WildStar storefront from USD $39.99, the removal of the game from retailers is a possible indication that the game may transition into a free-to-play model in the near future.
Environmental Group Still Unhappy With Xbox One Energy-saving Mode
US-based environmental advocacy group the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has welcomed Microsoft’s plan to give users the chance to activate the system's energy-saving mode during the initial console set-up period but remains unhappy with the way Microsoft may be planning to describe the differences between “Energy-saving mode” and “Instant-on mode” to new Xbox One owners.
Based on a screenshot Microsoft published earlier this month via Xbox Wire, the NRDC’s Noah Horowitz is disappointed with the language Microsoft has chosen to use to differentiate between the two modes.
EB Expo 2015 Tickets on Sale Tomorrow
Tickets for EB Expo 2015 go on sale tomorrow, Thursday April 16, at 9am AEDT. Tickets will be available from EBExpo.com.au, EB Games stores and through oztix.com.au.
Tickets start at AUD$40 for general admission but a three-day pass will cost $150, and the special express queue ticket will set you back almost $200. You can read more about the ticket categories here.
EB Expo 2015 will take place at Sydney Showground (Sydney Olympic Park’s events precinct) from October 2 to 4. EB has announced Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. will be at the show, and has also confirmed Australian comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers will be performing across the weekend.
Silver Mario Amiibo Bought From Chinese Auction Site
A sharp-eyed collector has nabbed a yet-to-be-released silver Mario amiibo from a Chinese auction site, and it appears to be the real deal.
Considering its non-branded packaging, the figure looks fake at first glance. However, the collector has verified it not only works with Mario Party 10, it gives Mario a silver base and comes with a silver token, just like the gold Mario does.
The gold and silver Marios are variants of the classic Super Mario amiibo, which launched March 20. The gold amiibo was released into the wild last month as a Wal-Mart exclusive in the United States, but there's no word yet as to how Nintendo plans to distribute the silver figurines. Which is, naturally, just how the company likes it.
Google’s Phone Service May Offer Rollover Data, Pay-per Gigabyte Plans
A leaked app from Google codenamed Tycho, which is thought to supplement Google’s wireless network service, reveals information about the initiative’s activation, payment structure and more.
Tycho was found within a February Lollipop build for the Nexus 6 and mined for details by Android Police. Its code mentions both “Project Fi,” an internal placeholder name for the carrier service, and “Nova,” the rumored name of Google’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) hardware infrastructure.
Video Games Live: Australian Tour Dates
The long-running concert experience Video Games Live is coming to Australia in July, and tickets are now on sale. The three shows will be at The Palais Theatre in Melbourne on July 24, the Brisbane Convention Centre on July 26 and the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on July 30.
Making Tetris cinematic is no mean feat.
According to the organisers, "Video Games Live is an award winning immersive concert event featuring music from the most popular video games of all time," in which "top orchestras and choirs around the world perform along with exclusive synchronized video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, well known internet solo performers, electronic percussion, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience."
Baby Park and Neo Bowser Coming to Mario Kart 8
Nintendo of Japan has released a series of trailers (find them on its YouTube channel) confirming the 8 new courses coming to Mario Kart 8.
Baby Park, Ribbon Road, Neo Bowser City, Nature Road, Big Blue, Cheese Land, Lingling Metro will be added alongside the previously revealed Animal Crossing track.
The second Mario Kart 8 DLC will also introduce 3 new characters (Villager, Isabelle and Dry Bowser) and 4 new vehicles (Streetle, City Tripper, Bowser Trike and P-Wing). You can pick it up April 23 for $7.99 USD.
Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN’s AU office. Follow her ramblings on Twitter.
Joss Whedon, Lionsgate Facing Lawsuit Over The Cabin in the Woods
Joss Whedon and Lionsgate have been struck with a USD$10 million lawsuit launched by an author alleging the plot for 2012 horror film The Cabin in the Woods was largely lifted from a novel he self-published in 2006, reports The Wrap.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, April 13, author Peter Gallagher alleges that The Cabin in the Woods “borrows heavily” from his book The Little White Trip: A Night in the Pines and goes on to claim that, “in many respects, the elements in the two works are virtually identical.”
“Both works display a self-referential awareness of classic horror movie tropes and insert third-party puppeteers to manipulate the characters for the fulfillment of narrative requirements and the enjoyment of others,” claims the suit, which also goes on the assert that the “similarities between the characters in both works are striking” and list a number of “specific scene similarities.”
Radio Shack Puts Customer Data Up For Sale
Radio Shack has asked a bankruptcy court to authorize a second round of auctions of its assets, including valuable customer data.
According to a report from PC World, the personally identifiable information of a possible 117 million customers could be up for sale to the highest bidder. That number was later reduced to a possible 67 million.
Texas is leading the charge of states attempting to block the sale of the sensitive data. Texas opposes the sale on the grounds of the online and in-store privacy policies of the formerly relevant chain.
According to the report, Texas has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to require RadioShack to provide information on the type of personal data that is up for sale and just how many customers would be affected.