Entries close on October 22, so you have over a month to get yourself sorted – just don’t leave it too long. The finalists will be announced and contacted in November, and must be prepared to make a trip to Brisbane for Game Connect 2008.

Press release with all the details, after the jump.

INDEPENDENT GAME AWARDS 2008

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

CATEGORIES
* Best Unsigned Game (Professional)
* Best Unsigned Game (Indie)

DECISION
This year, the winners of these categories will be determined by an expert panel, to be convened at Game Connect Asia Pacific, to be held at the Brisbane Hilton from 19-22 November 2008.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
* Only games developed in Australia and New Zealand are eligible.
* Games must be unreleased and unattached to a publisher as at 22 October 2008.
* To be eligible for the Indie category, the development team must not have received significant funding or payment for the production of the game.
* Selection committee members shall have no pecuniary or other interest in a nominee, or if so will disclose this interest and abstain from any votes.
* Nominations can be made by any resident of Australia / New Zealand.

NOMINATIONS
* Developers must submit 3 copies of games and any accompanying materials, all clearly labelled, by COB Wednesday 22 October 2008, to: Attn: Mike McNabb, GDAA, Level 8, 14 Queens Road, MELBOURNE VIC 3004.
* Games that are works-in-progress at the nomination date but planned for completion by the exhibition date will be considered by the selection committee if they are accompanied by a brief (max. 1 page) development schedule which outlines how they will be practically completed. A copy of the schedule should be included with each copy of the game.
* Entries will not be returned.

SELECTION
* A maximum of six games will be selected for exhibition at the conference, including up to three games in the Indie category and up to three games in the Professional category. These numbers may vary at the Selection Committee’s discretion based on the number and quality of nominations received.
* At the Selection Committee’s discretion, the Indie and Professional categories may be combined.
* The Selection Committee will notify developers of their decision by Monday 10 November 2008.

EXHIBITION
* All games short-listed for eligibility in the categories of Award for Best Unsigned Game (Professional) or Award for Best Unsigned Game (Indie) will be on display during the conference.
* All nominees must be willing to supply and set up their own computer hardware and software for demonstration in the Trade Expo area during the exhibition.
* A maximum of two computers are allowed per team and a maximum of one trestle table and two chairs will be provided.
* We recommend that equipment be supervised at all times.
* Entries for this category which are not in a playable format at the commencement of the GCAP Expo will not be accepted.
* Finalists will be advised of set-up and pack-down times.
* Entry to the Expo hall will be free of charge to finalists.

I cannot help but be wroth beyond measure. The PC version is a port of the PS2 version (couldn’t even give us 360-level graphics) so it has awful graphics; you can’t turn autoaim off, so you can never hit moving enemies; and there’s a catastrophic bug that makes the game freeze when it tries to play a movie — which is literally within the first second of starting up, when it tries to play the EA logo movie.

The only way to get it to play is to rename the movies folder, so that you play with no cutscenes and therefore zero exposition.

IGN didn’t think it was too bad, but I’m reluctant to use a single review as a yardstick. Maybe Desi’s PC just doesn’t like him, or the frustration’s making his eyes bleed. Regardless, let us know if you’re having similar issues.

The gallery’s dated April 2008, but that doesn’t stop it from being both awesome and sweet. You can visit it via the link below, or hit the jump for some instant additional pics.

Defender of Earth [Flickr, thanks Alex]

When you’re playing Spore, and you periodically pause to ‘evolve’ your organism, you’re not emulating evolution. But you are nicely emulating the way Intelligent Design works … Every time you meddle, it’s the hand of, um, whatever it is the ID crew think is running the show (just between you and me, I think they might actually think it’s God, but it could equally be a player of MetaSpore in another universe) that is shaping the direction of the organism. Not evolution.

The man does have a point. I’m not sure it’s what Will Wright intended, but that is how the game plays out, in a nutshell.

Spore: The Intelligent Design Simulator [Trembling Hand]

Noooooo! George Lucas Involved With Force Unleashed Plot
Please find him another crappy movie project before someone gets hurt.

Diablo III Will Have Its Own ‘Unique’ Battle.net Needs
People play Diablo II like a ghetto MMO, so I can only imagine the demands the third instalment will vomit on Blizzard’s multiplayer service.

More Creepy Game Characters
Kirby, like you’ve never seen it.

Uwe Boll Bitches About Movie Industry, Has Action Plan
Oh, not this crap again.

Seems Pete Hines is quite talkative now! First the news that the Aussie-edited version of Fallout 3 is the only version, and now the one (yes, single) change made to the game to conform with classification guidelines. First, some background from Pete:

The chems in the original Fallout used fictional names…Buffout, Jet, Rad-X, etc. Those all appear in Fallout 3 in exactly the same way as before. We had added a new chem to Fallout 3 and had given it a real-world name, Morphine. Questions were raised about the use of that real-world drug, not only in Australia, but other territories as well.

Even though Australia’s a good example of classification gone wrong, I understand it’s not the only country with issues. So, what concession was made to appease aging conservatives the world over?

A few readers touched base about the anomaly, with concerns that something might have been altered, given how touchy our classification laws are. Turns out there’s no need to worry – EA Australia has happily confirmed that nothing’s been changed, and that the later submission was just a courtesy. How kind of it!

Dead Space search results [Classification Board]

Microsoft’s gone a bit peripheral-mad of late, with the most recent instalment being the Sidewinder X8. Older gamers will remember Sidewinder as MS’ joystick brand, but it’s been expanded to included gaming-orientated keyboards and mice.

Going by the press release (after the jump) it sounds like your standard “gaming” mouse – wireless, DPI switching, seven buttons and macro recording. There’s the mystical “BlueTrack Technology”, which has MS all excited, but doesn’t mean much to anyone else.

I don’t know if the X8 is worth $150, but I quite liked the Habu, so who knows. Hit the you-know-what for more info.

Experience uninterrupted gameplay with Microsoft’s new SideWinder X8 Mouse
First wireless SideWinder mouse features Microsoft BlueTrack Technology

SYDNEY – September 11, 2008 ? Microsoft Corp. today unleashed the SideWinder X8 Mouse, offering wireless freedom with wired performance with a 2.4GHz wireless connection that is built for lag-free play. The latest SideWinder mouse features an innovative play-and-charge system to ensure a nonstop gaming experience — up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge — with no need to stop the game to change batteries.

The SideWinder X8 Mouse is a top performer thanks to Microsoft’s new, proprietary BlueTrack Technology that gives this mouse the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 to 4,000 dots per inch (dpi).

“When conducting our research, we found room for improving on the wireless experience for gamers, especially as it related to perceived delay or lag time of response. The SideWinder X8 Mouse will put those wireless gaming mouse fears to rest,” said Scott Jackson, ANZ Group Marketing Manager. “We designed this mouse to perform to the highest gaming standards — with near-zero latency, uninterrupted gameplay and the world’s most advanced tracking with BlueTrack Technology.”

Innovation for Gaming Performance
The SideWinder X8 Mouse is a top-performing wireless gaming mouse, with a combination of BlueTrack Technology tracking that provides the best speeds and feeds available, 2.4GHz wireless technology built for lag-free play, and an easy recharging system that keeps gamers in action.

BlueTrack Technology
Microsoft’s next generation tracking technology gaming with image processing of 13,000 frames per second, 75g maximum acceleration and 120 inches per second maximum speed.

2.4GHz wireless The device is built for lag-free play with virtually no latency.

Play and charge Get up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge, or use the play-and-charge cable for nonstop action. The winding cord management system offers easy charging — simply unwrap the cord from around the storage box and snap it onto the underside of the mouse.

Designed for Gaming:
Comfort continues to be one of the main needs of PC gamers and the SideWinder X8 Mouse features a unique, comfortable design that gamers will appreciate for extended sessions of play. Features include the following:

Scroll wheel with tilt. The mouse has better feel and response with detents for precise control.

Engineered for speed. The shape was designed for quick, balanced and precise gaming actions.

Vertical side buttons. The top and bottom design makes locating side buttons easier and reduces unintentional activation.

The X8 also offers smart features to enhance the gaming experience, including an LCD screen on the mouse to quickly view dpi settings and macro-recording icons, and a Quick Launch button that provides one-touch access to Microsoft’s PC gaming features.2

Custom Tuning
Gamers also like to customise their gaming mouse to fit their needs, which is why the SideWinder X8 Mouse offers the following adjustable features:

DPI switching. Instantly switch sensitivity among high, medium and low with one click, ranging from 250 to 4,000 dpi.

Replaceable mouse feet. Choose from three materials for glide preference.

Seven programmable buttons. Customise five programmable main buttons, plus left and right tilt.

Macro record button. Easily record macros while in game with the dedicated button.

Pricing and Availability:
The SideWinder X8 Mouse will be widely available in March 2009 for a recommended retail price of $149.95.

Left 4 Dead Demo Coming For Xbox & PC
Happy and joy: two things you should be feeling right now.

Frankenreview: Spore
Will Wright’s best simulation title yet, or a gigantic flop? See what the major gaming sites have to say.

NC Europe, NC Austin and ArenaNet Transform to Become NC West
I guess they levelled up.

BioShock PS3 Versus BioShock 360
I know, I know! One’s on PS3 and the other… is on Xbox 360! Do I win anything?

Read The ‘Ensemble, You’re Done Here’ Email From Microsoft
Sad email is sad.

In the market for a second-hand game? Anthony from EcoGamer sends word that JB Hi-Fi has done some price tweaking on its range of preowned titles. Here’s a teaser:

- Assassin’s Creed $34
- Devil May Cry 360 $39, PS3 $49
- COD4 $49
- Viva Pinata $14
- Haze PS3 $34
- Lair $34

The rest, over at EcoGamer.

JB Hi-Fi Preowned Price List [EcoGamer]