Kotaku Australia » Mark Wilson

Super Mario Really Is A Plumber (And Heating Specialist)

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Crack open a pint of ice cream and grab the tissues. We have some very bad news. Super Mario, you know, that guy who has saved the world/Princess on multiple occasions while facing ridiculous odds? He’s a plumber in Europe. Yeah, and that’s the picture is his van. His van! Sure, Superior Bathrooms by SuperMario “takes bathroom projects to new heights,” but it sinks our hearts to new lows.

The last time we were this disappointed, we woke up to find hair in all our weird places. And every day since then things have just gotten worse.

Superior Bathrooms by SuperMario [SuperMario Broke Our Heart via technabob]

GTA IV DLC Arriving This Summer?

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Rockstar’s “Lazlow” (one of the game’s DJs) made another appearance on the Opie and Anthony show this morning. This time he claimed that the Xbox 360’s DLC is being worked on at the moment and could see the light of day as early as this summer. Not much was said about PS3 DLC other than he hoped to see it happen in the future. Our guess is that Microsoft will release the DLC whenever it works best with their general plan of attack—be that as soon as Rockstar finishes the content or months later—since paying $50 million and ruling a platform probably affords you such luxuries.

O&A talk GTA IV [Loot Ninja via Maxconsole]

Super Mario Kart Is All I Need (With Expensive Simulator)

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:40:00 +0000

WARNING: DO NOT STEP BEYOND THE WAIST HIGH FENCE WHILE MARIO KART IS IN MOTION.

Luke can have his Mario Kart Wii and his fancy wireless motion controls from the future. I’ll enjoy the classic, SNES version and a humble motion simulator by Force Dynamics. Constructed from various flavours of steel, this simulator features 500lbs of peak thrust, five channels of surround sound and one wicked disclaimer:

The [unit] can move suddenly, and severely injure someone who is within the working envelope. A waist high fence located at least 4 feet away from the machine is strongly suggested.

OK, technically the disclaimer is for a more premium unit. But I had a need to post that bit about the “waist high fence.” For your safety.
[via UberGizmo]

The Incredible, Super, Magnificent, Blockbuster Exclusive GTA IV Preorder Picture Frame

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Those who preordered their copy of Grand Theft Auto IV at Blockbuster received a more…domestic celebration of the world’s most controversial game—a picture frame. We’d call it a GTA IV picture frame, but the only thing GTA IV about it is the print placed inside. The frame’s exterior is a very standard, black-painted wooden design you’d see at any department store.

Oh, it’s super lame today. But in a few more months, that frame will make a sweet, sweet regift.

Thanks to Gizmodo’s Jason Chen for sending this in!

Microsoft Slashes Xbox 360 Prices Through Asia

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Microsoft, apparently having some difficulty infiltrating Asian markets, has reduced prices of the Xbox 360 in many areas. The biggest price reduction (20 per cent to $400) happened in Singapore, though Taiwan’s price drop wasn’t far behind (17 per cent to $370). Hong Kong and Korea both received smaller price reductions as well.

I’m not positive that increasing Xbox sales in Asia is as predictable as the rest of the world where the drop price, grow sales technique reigns supreme. But, you know, it probably won’t hurt.

Microsoft Cuts Xbox 360 Prices in Four Asian Markets [Bloomberg via Gamasutra][image]

GTA IV Runs At 630P on PlayStation 3, So What’s That Mean?

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:40:00 +0000

Early test reports are finding that Grand Theft Auto IV is only running at 630P on the PlayStation 3—falling short of hi def—while the game runs at 720P on the Xbox 360. Clearly, the PlayStation version must look worse, right? It’s not that simple. But the basic explanation is easy enough to understand.

You know 720P (along with 1080P) as “high definition” content. What 720P really means is that 720 lines of resolution are displayed on your television in “progressive” format—meaning all at once.

So if GTA IV is running at only 630P on the PS3, that does mean PS3 gamers are seeing 90 less lines of resolution—or quite a bit from a relative standpoint. And it’s fast-approaching the Wii’s standard def, 480p output.

The bottom line is that resolution does matter, but the more lines of resolution you add will depreciate in value. There’s an interesting stat that always sticks in my head: From only about 3 metres away, most people cannot tell a 720p image from a 1080p image on a 42″ television.

I’m not sure how well I could differentiate a 630P signal from a 720P signal from 10 feet away. But I’m sure that, given large enough televisions and sharp enough eyes, some of us could. Especially in a game context.

But what we’d be overlooking is that eyes-on reports show that Rockstar has taken the processing power formerly spent on resolution and added it to filters (and maybe even lighting). If GTA IV feels warmer or softer on PS3, that’s probably why. And that’s where taste triumphs numbers.

(If you’re having a tough time wrapping your head around the filter concept, mess with the settings in Mass Effect.)

At the end of the day, both versions look good. But the PS3 used methods other than raw resolution to get there. Of course sharpness and detail is an important—that will be the biggest bonus of 720P. But in an era when we’re past merely counting polygons on the screen to measure graphical quality, we shouldn’t blow small numbers out of proportion. In short, it’s not just the size of your P, but how you use it that matters.

And to see what we thought of the versions side-by-side, check out our impressions.

Neverending Upscaling/Resolutions/AA etc Thread #2 *Rules: post: #619 * [B3DForum via Eurogamer]

Fatal Intertia EX, Xbox 360 Game Becomes PSN Download

Mark Wilson — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Koei’s Fatal Intertia didn’t revolutionise racing on the Xbox 360 as we know it—in fact, it was received as pretty mediocre. But now the full game—formerly offered as a normal Xbox 360 retail release—will be coming to PSN for download. (Originally, the game had been planned for PS3 but the team had issues during production.) Redubbed Fatal Inertia EX, the game adds eight new training tracks to ease the intense learning curve. Coming in late May for $US29.99, downloadable releases could be an inexpensive method to bring games that potentially underperformed on the 360 to the PS3. Here’s hoping we see PSN ganking more full, downloadable titles at budget prices.

Exclusive: ‘Fatal Inertia EX’ Arrives Via PlayStation Network Next Month [MTV Multiplayer]

Before Painting Your Car, Consult A Picture

Mark Wilson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:40:00 +0000

It’s hard to find fault in any Xterra owner who takes it upon themselves to paint their rear hatch with the controls of a Game Boy…if they do it right. We’d love to be the types not make fun of people who try really hard at something and kind of miss on the execution, but we’re just not that secure. So spot the big screw-up in the comments!

Oh, and that said, this car, spotted on the street by one intrepid photographer, is more than a little fantastic. And it’s not likely to be replaced by various forms of emulation any time soon, which is a plus.

gamer 4 [deviantART]

Amazonians Buying Wii Fit And Mario Kart Faster Than GTA IV

Mark Wilson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

This is by no means the most scientific of measurements, but GTA IV for both Xbox 360 and PS3 is currently being outsold on Amazon by Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and the Wii Wheel. Things to keep in mind: the Nintendo games are each single platform (effectively doubling their sales) and Wii Fit pre-orders may be more common than GTA IV pre-orders this close to GTA IV’s launch (at this point, gamers may be more likely to just go to the store to get their Liberty City fix). Still, we didn’t expect Wii Fit’s pre-sale numbers to come out on top today on Amazon. At all.

Bestsellers in Video Games [Amazon]

PS2 to PS3 Guitar Hero Adaptor Rescues Otherwise Non-Functional Guitars

Mark Wilson — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Here’s some great news…that possibly comes a few months too late. TAC has released an adaptor that will make your PS2 Guitar Hero controllers compatible with PS3 versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Running $19.99, the company promises the adaptor makes guitars “100% compatible” for use, supporting: regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane’s and Activision’s SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko’s PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers. While the $20 sticker price is a bit steep to make this purchase a no-brainer, many of us have been sitting on otherwise useless PS2 guitars. So we’ll just label this a good thing and call it a day. You can buy one here, hit the jump for the full details.

DUST OFF YOUR FAVOURITE PS2 GUITAR CONTROLLERS! THE ANT COMMANDOS’ PLAYSTATION® 2 TO PLAYSTATION® 3 ADAPTOR IS NOW AVAILABLE TO REVITALIZE YOUR PS2 GUITAR HERO CONTROLLERS
TAC’s Universal Adaptor Is The First On The Market That is 100% Compatible With Guitar HeroT 3 & Rock BandT Features

April 28, 2008 – Ontario, CA- The Ant Commandos (TAC), a leading provider of innovative wireless video game music peripherals and accessories, announced today its universal PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adaptor for guitar and game controllers is now available at retail for an SRP of $19.99.

This is great news for Guitar Hero and Rock Band fans as they can protect their investment in PS2 guitar controllers and revitalize them for Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3. Gamers will no longer have to throw away all of the valuable PS2 hardware they have accumulated over the years. The new PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adaptor enables all PS2 controllers, such as PS2 Guitar Hero guitars, to be utilized on
the PlayStation 3. Unlike previous attempts from other companies, TAC’s universal adaptor is 100% compatible with all of the popular guitar controllers on the market, and is engineered to function
perfectly with every feature in the Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band games for PS3.
“When consumers purchase a PS2 to PS3 adaptor for their favourite PS3 games, they expect everything to be compatible. It is devastating for a player to discover that certain game features such as hammer on,
hammer off don’t work with other adapters on the market,” said Jesse Manwill, Senior Manager, Product Management at TAC. “The great thing about the new TAC universal adaptor is that we take into account every feature that players love in Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band for PS3, and ensure that every gamer can have an enjoyable experience with their video game peripherals. We spent an incalculable amount of engineering and testing time with almost all guitar controllers in the market to make sure it is compatible.”

The new TAC universal adaptor is guaranteed to work on all of TAC’s PS2 guitar controllers. The adaptor is also compatible with regular PS2 controllers, Red Octane’s and Activision’s SG Controller, the Kramer Wireless, Nyko’s PS2 Frontman guitar, the DreamGear Shredster, all React PS2 guitar controllers and all Psyclone PS2 guitar controllers, along with many other brands. Additionally, the TAC adaptor features
a Power On Indicator LED, Easy Plug-N-Play installation, and supports multiple PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 adapters. The Universal PS2 to PS3 adaptor is available now.