Kotaku Australia » News

Hey, It’s The World’s Fastest Graphics Card

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Meet the ATI Radeon HD 5970. Why are we bothering to introduce you? Because the ATI Radeon HD 5970 is now the world’s fastest graphics card, that’s why.

Several PC tech-type sorts have put the new card through its paces and have found that it just blows right on by the previous record-holder, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 295.

Course, it had to. It’s got two GPUs on the one card and will cost you around $US600.

I always knew the day would come where my 800GT felt truly inadequate. I believe that day is today.

GRID Now Available On Games On Demand

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

It’s been announced that Codemasters’ rather well-received 2008 racer, Race Driver: GRID, is now available for download via the Xbox 360 Games on Demand service.

It’s available right now, pretty much everywhere (except Japan), with pricing to of course vary depending on where you are. In the US, for example, it’s $US30. In the UK, it’s £20, while in Australia, it’s… AUD$70 (USD$65).

Kotaku AU Note: A quick check of EB ($55), JB ($100) and GAME ($60) puts that $70 price tag into perspective.

Bayonetta Out Now In English

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

With the time difference, right now Bayonetta is out in Japan. You might not live in Japan. You might not know Japanese. You might like tangerines. Fret not!

The PS3 version of the game is region free, and better yet, the voices and the in-game text is in English. The game’s manual, however, is not. It’s in Japanese.

Bayonetta will not be released in the West until early next year.

Buy Bayonetta (PS3) [Play Asia via Siliconera via Endsights]

Silent Hill: Homecoming Not Coming Home To Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Konami’s Silent Hill Homecoming will not be released in Japan. On the title’s official home page, the Japanese company has announced that the domestic release of the game has been suspended.

No reason was given for this decision. “Please look forward to future titles in the series,” the announcement notes.

Released in North America in September 2008, Silent Hill Homecoming was developed by Double Helix Games and Foundation 9 Entertrainment for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. It is the first console title to be handled by a Western developer.

The last time the Japanese Homecoming site was updated was in November 2008.

Silent Hill Homecoming [Konami]

Take A Dip In The Muramasa Hot Springs

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

When you go to the hot springs in Japan, you’re naked, save for a small towel if you so desire. Well, not like on the train ride there, but you know what I mean.

So in Wii title Muramasa: The Demon Blade, the characters are just that — naked in a hot spring, save for a small towel.

In the game, the hot springs, called “onsen” in Japanese, recharge your character and sword energy. You can also run into other characters or even boars while in the hot springs.

Muramasa At The Hot Springs [Siliconera via Dtoid]

PAL PlayStation Store Update: Go Do Something Else

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:20:00 +0000

Those of you who depend on the late-week PlayStation Store update to provide you with something fresh, new and exciting to enjoy may this week wish to seek alternate means of entertainment.

Can’t remember a PAL Store update being this barren in a long time. I mean, you know things are bad when the two best things in the update are a demo for an American sports game and a retro DLC pack for a crummy movie tie-in.

PS3 Store

Game Discount
Crash Commando (£3.99/€4.99)

Downloadable Games
Smash Cars (£11.99/€14.99)
Battle Tanks (£7.99/€9.99)
Topatoi – (AU$15.95, $US18.90 NZD, wasn’t previously available in Aus/NZ)

Demos
NHL 10
F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn

Add-On Game Content
Fight Night Round 4

* Champions Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
* Content Pack 1 (free)

Batman: Arkham Asylum – Play As Joker (free)
Crash Commando

* Combo Pack (this combines the four packs below) (£3.99/€4.99)
* Heist Map Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
* Colonel Chaos and Army Chick Pack (£1.19/€1.49)
* Gangsta Rapper and Reggae Rasta Pack (£1.19/€1.49)
* Nukem Ninja and Maid Mayhem Pack (£1.19/€1.49)

Disgaea 3

* Action Prinny (£1.59/€1.99)
* Adell (£1.59/€1.99)
* Class World Command Attack (£3.19/€3.99)
* Curtis (£1.59/€1.99)
* Defender of Earth Set (£4.79/€5.99)
* Demon & Detective Set (£3.19/€3.99)
* Disgaea 2 Sacrebleu Set (£4.79/€5.99)
* Disgaea 2 Main Character Set (£3.99/€4.99)
* Dragon (£0.79/€0.99)
* Fake Heroes Set (£3.99/€3.19)
* Gig (£1.59/€1.99)
* Gordon (£1.59/€1.99)
* Hanako (£1.59/€1.99)
* Item World Command Attack Mode (£3.19/€3.99)
* Item World Survival Attack (£3.19/€3.99)
* Jennifer (£1.59/€1.99)
* Kogure (£1.59/€1.99)
* Makai Kingdom Main Character Package (£3.19/€3.99)
* Marjoly (£1.59/€1.99)
* Mid-Boss (£1.59/€1.99)
* Nekomata (£1.59/€1.99)
* Pram (£1.59/€1.99)
* Pierre (£1.59/€1.99)
* Prinny Curtis (£1.59/€1.99)
* Raspberyl Chapter 1 (£2.39/€2.99)
* Raspberyl Chapter 2 (£2.39/€2.99)
* Raspberyl Chapter 3 (£2.39/€2.99)
* Raspberyl Chapter 4 (£2.39/€2.99)
* Raspberyl Chapters 1-4 (£8.99/€11.25)
* Revya (£1.59/€1.99)
* Rozalin (£1.59/€1.99)
* Soul Nomad Set (£3.19/€3.99)
* Taro (£1.59/€1.99)
* Thursday (£1.59/€1.99)
* Tink (£1.59/€1.99)
* Yukimaru (£1.59/€1.99)
* Zetta (£1.59/€1.99)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Character and Map Pack (£6.29/€7.99)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Tatooine Mission Pack (£7.99/€9.99)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 – Wolf Creek Course (£3.19/€3.99 – Introductory price for one week only)
LittleBigPlanet – VeraBee Original Sticker Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
Rock Band

* Don’t Stop by Fleetwood Mac (£0.99/€1.49)
* I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty (£0.99/€1.49)
* Mony Mony by Billy Idol (£0.99/€1.49)
* Rebel Yell by Billy Idol (£0.99/€1.49)
* Runnin’ Down A Dream by Tom Petty (£0.99/€1.49)
* She’s A Genius by Jet (£0.99/€1.49)
* World Turning by Fleetwood Mac (£0.99/€1.49)

Videos
Batman: Arkham Asylum Villains Trailer
IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Launch Trailer
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Gamescom 2009 Trailer
Mini Ninjas Futo Vignette
Mini Ninjas Shun Vignette
Mini Ninjas Suzume Vignette
Mini Ninjas Tora Vignette
Crash Commando Characters Trailer
Crash Commando Heist Map Pack Trailer

PSP Store

Downloadable Games
Dynasty Warriors (£13.99/€17.99)

Add-On Game Content
Rock Band Unplugged

* Black Sunshine by White Zombie (£0.99/€1.49)
* She’s Not There by The Zombies (£0.99/€1.49)

Themes
Dissidia Final Fantasy Theme 12

Nintendo Brings Shmup To DSiWare (Yes, Nintendo!)

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Nintendo does make things besides brain games, fitness games and I-don’t-know-what type games. What proof? Here’s proof.

This is Aa Mujyou Setsuna (Ah Cruel Instant or Oh Heartless Moment, depending on your localisation fancy). It’s a chaining-based bullet hell shooter. From Nintendo. In 2009. Yes.

The game’s official page lists Nintendo as the “maker”, but the copyright is shared between Nintendo and Akira. Akira ported Cave’s shmup Ketsui to the DS. Still!

Aa Mujyou Setsuna hits Japanese DSiWare on September 2 for 500 Points. No, really.

???? ?? [Nintendo]

Company Of Heroes Online Replaces Germans With “Federation”

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:30:00 +0000

Like many Western games, Relic’s Company of Heroes is in line for some changes once it hits the Chinese market as Company of Heroes Online.

The LA Times’ Charles Proctor reports that, amidst concerns surrounding China’s laws forbidding any reference to the Nazi party, THQ have rebranded the Germans in this new CoH title as “The Federation”.

They’ve also removed any and all instances of the Iron Cross emblem, which fans will know can be found on pretty much every single German vehicle and structure in the game.

Despite these sweeping visual edits, THQ’s online boss Steve Dauterman promises the actual game mechanics of the German side will remain untouched.

Now, I’m normally not one to criticise regional edits like this, but…THQ do know that there already were no references to the Nazi party in the game? And that the Iron Cross is the symbol of the German armed forces, was before the Nazi party, and remains so to this day?

360 Price Cuts Also Looming For UK Market

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:30:00 +0000

British sites are reporting that, ahead of an expected announcement later this week, Microsoft are to copy the rumoured North American moves by implementing both a price cut and a lineup shuffle for their range of 360 consoles.

MCV say that retailers across Britain are being told they can’t order any/many existing 360 consoles, while VG247 go a little further and provide details, with the 60GB Pro to be discontinued (as expected) and the Elite to be dropped from £240 to £200. Which, incidentally, is the same price as a Wii.

Ghostbusters Now Looks Better On PS3

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Ghostbusters on PS3 took some flak upon release for looking, well, worse than it did on 360. Significantly worse. So Terminal Reality went back to the drawing board, and have today released a patch that should bridge the gap.

IGN say that fixes have been made to both single and multiplayer modes, most important of which is an upgrade to the game’s visuals that has resulted in “an increase in resolution to match that of Xbox 360″ version. There’s also some random freezing corrections, along with the long-awaited fix that’ll allow two of the game’s achievements – Pay Day and Capture All Most Wanted Ghosts – to actually be unlocked.

Which is all well and good, but until somebody tells me that they’ve fixed the firehouse save bug (specific notes on other fixes aren’t to be found), I’m not touching the game again. Not familiar with it? Well, every time I save my game in the firehouse, and quit, the next time I reload the game it drops me at the start of gameplay in the next mission. Meaning I’ve endured boring, repetitive missions just to get some plot exposition and hot Peck action, only to find that the game’s skipped both of those and dropped me right into the next mission.

New Patch Available for Ghostbusters: The Video Game on PS3 [ign]