You guys have any burning questions? About anything? This is Ask Me Stuff, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Leave me a question in the comments below and I’ll endeavour to answer it before the day is out.
Ask Me Stuff
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131 responses to “Ask Me Stuff”
Is this a pimple or a boil..?
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Leprosy.
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Lupus.
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It’s aids
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It’s a gummy bear.
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It’s a gummy bear
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Sarcoidosis.
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Necrophilia.
What?
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Fuckin’ botulism, yo!
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If you have a better way to keep my youthful complection… let me know.
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I was trying to pull a massive grin at your comment, but I can’t move my face 😐
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For once I remember what I want to ask you!
Firstly: American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns (or however it’s formatted), having looked at gameplay stuff thus far I’m cautiously optimistic, as I really liked “Alice,” but Spicy Horse does have a bit of a history of turning out sub-par games. Open to everyone, do you have an opinion on the game, are you excited, uncaring, anything like that?
Secondly: A more job related one, do you spend much time looking at other gaming websites? For example looking for information that you think the Kotaku community might be interested in, or maybe just to feel smug because you have better writing (or something).
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Actually going to have my first look at the game this Friday, and interview one of the producers. I’m trying to be open minded about the game, but it’s not really on my must play list just yet…
Yeah, I read a lot of other writing if I have time. There’s actually a lot of Aussie game journalists I like reading.
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names??
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Adam Mathew, James Cottee, James Ellis, Luke Reilly, Cam Shea are some of my favourites.
But I try and read most stuff.
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I know when I’m not being appreciated!!
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Will make sure the staff member I’m sending out there from my publication says a quick hi to you on Friday! Looks like a nice event, for sure!
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Giant Bomb did a quick look of it recently. Got to say, I was pretty impressed.
Last time you mentioned that the most shameful game in your pile of shame was so shameful that you would be publicly named it. Which I thought was a bit of a shame.
What is that game?
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I didn’t finish Half Life 2.
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Join the club.
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I have never even played it 🙁
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I’m making jackets.
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Tsk tsk. For shame.
Wait, I didn’t finish it either.
Oh well, I don’t mind being a hypocrite. Shame on you, Mr Serrels. :p
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Snap. Never got round to finishing it. And I think I was nearish to the end, too 😛
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That’s pretty amusing because not ever finishing half life 2 was my most shameful act, until last weekend when I finally got stuck into it and played it from about 2hrs in until the end. I got the inspiration after finishing Portal 2 and boy am I glad that I did. Half life 2 definitely lives up to the hype and the review scores. Such a great game! Now I’m playing through half life 1 again for the first time since it launched. Still holds up pretty well after all these years! Then I’ll move onto HL2 ep 1&2. LA Noire will cause some disruption to this process though.
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I never even started it either. So, inspired by being in such good company I grabbed my copy of The Orange Box at lunchtime and started playing…Portal.
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I tip my hat to you, ma’am.
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How do you finish that which has no end?
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Can we get a picture of you planking in the office?
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Or better yet, the whole Allure Media team planking in the office?
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Does the office even have enough space for TadMod to plank?
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Is that a euphemism?
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Yes, I guess it is… Take it whichever way you please (see what I did there!)
But seriously, get someone in the office to take a planking picture!
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Thoughts on First Day DLC? Cop out or worthwhile? Also dont you hate pants?!
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Hate it. But not as much as I hate different retailers getting exclusive pre-order DLC content.
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Especially annoying when 3 months down the track they release all of it and charge you for it.
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I went into EB Games at lunch today:
Me: Will you be releasing LA Noire tomorrow
SalesPerson(SP): Yep
Me: Will you be price matching JB’s $78
SP: Yep, but not the DLC edition. We have one left if you want to pre-order it
Me: I’m not sure the DLC mission is worth $30
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Impeach Churchill!
Donkey Kong 64. It aint on the wiistore cos of emulation problems.
Any news that that may be changing? Lost cuase?
If you don’t know can you point me in the direction of someone who does?
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Sorry dude – have no idea. I could ask Nintendo Australia, but I’m sure they would either just ignore the question or palm me off with an meaningless answer…
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*sob*…I knew…It was a lost cause…
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A Cosby Show game. Done right. Made by Telltale Games.
How awesome?
Please indicate level of awesome on the Nick Nolte scale below:
– Nick ‘You been dicking me around since we started this turd hunt!’ Nolte in 48 Hrs.
– Nick ‘Go straight up that goddamn hill!’ Nolte in Thin Red Line.
– Nick ‘They’ve infected humanity’s soul!’ Nolte in Hulk
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– Nick ‘You been dicking me around since we started this turd hunt!’ Nolte in 48 Hrs.
For sure.
THHEEEEEOOOOO!
Blahblahblah Ico/SotC Collection blahblahblah?
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Blah blah rubbish answer…
Who are the distributors in Australia that stores like Game, EB and JB HiFi buy games from?
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By all accounts, that would be Satan.
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Hey… I’ve got some standards.
I only distribute the Activision stuff.
And online I do some work with Everquest… but that’s it.-
I truly chuckled.
Hats off to you, malicious demon-fly lord creature!
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All Interactive on the Gold Coast does a large amount of the distribution of both games and DVDs. I don’t know if there are any other companies out there though.
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EB, JB and Game and any other big retailers buy directly from nintendo, activision, Sony etc. AID is a big supplier for Gametraders hence their sometime higher prices. Gametraders however, have their own import company and get a lot of games directly from UK. Only the bigger companies have the buying power to directly deal with Nintendo, Sony, etc. I know all this because I have previously worked at EB, JB and Gametraders in management/coordinator positions.
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Can you clarify a little, because I’m pretty sure they don’t buy straight from Nintendo/Sony in Japan or Microsoft etc overseas.
They’d have a local distributor, I would think, and what I’d wonder is if those are wholly owned/operated by their overseas parent, or not. And then if not, who is at the ‘top’ of these local companies.
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Well for example, invoices from Activision, Nintendo, Sony, would come straight from their distribution centres in Australia. Microsoft also, but they had a company name like Synnex or something, I really can’t remember.
Other companies like Tru Blue, the local guys who make the NRL/AFL games would come via AID who are based on the Gold Coast I think.
A couple years back, my father and I almost bought a Gametraders franchise, but didn’t for numerous reasons, but they did not have agreements dealing with Nintendo, Sony, Activision directly. Therfeore, they had to get a lot of their stuff from AID, thus being more expensive because they added their own markup. An example of cost would be a Nitendo game like Twilight Princess on Wii would be about $74 from Nintendo, but through AID it would be close to $10 more expensive. This is why Gametraders went and started their own import company called Sonic Imports which only sells directly to their own stores. Which is BS because they import at a cheaper price then on sell them to franchisees at a markup and then still take franchise fees from those sales! But yeah, you will notice most new release games in Gametraders these days will be the Australian copy day 1 for the early adopters, then after the first week or so and the Sonic orders arrive you will see they are all UK copies of the games with the PEGI ratings covered up by OFLC stickers.
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I’d assume the publishers themselves.
CAn you please send me a lock of your hair?
On a serious note is there any really good indie games your looking forward to playing this year?
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Game I’m most looking forward to this year is Journey – if that counts.
Any word on the He-Man game yet? 😉
Nothing on the Steam debarcle for Honest Hearts DLC for New Vegas.
I’m of the belief that Bethesda deliberately delayed the release as part of an XBOX agreement. And if they supposidly uploaded the files and it was up to steam to release it why has there been ZERO advertisement of the incoming release on steam?
Will Bethesda be advertising their incoming new DLC on steam beforehand or are they setting up more delays?
Are you headin’ to E3 this year?
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Nah. Decided it would be better to stay home. Hard decision 🙁
Have you, or are you going to play Terraria? You need to, it’s really fun 😀
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Seems to be getting a fair amount of hype. Will def try.
Will you get to go to E3?
and if so will you try to get a 3DS Street Pass from Shigeru Miyamoto?
Do the Kotaku crew get to claim their consoles and games as a tax write-off, and have you ever been investigated by the ATO for claiming Farmville as a deduction?
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Yes. Also claimed a TV last year!
RE: Farmville. They’ll never take me alive!
Any new news on Prey 2?
I’ve been waiting an age for it, and now that it has turned all Mass-Effecty, I’m keen!
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Why are you posting that here? Can’t you just turn around and ask Mark? And possibly slap him across the head if he doesn’t have an answer for you?
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Prb not before E3 – but I’m interviewing a producer soon.
Sad Celtic supporter 🙁 … we will get you next year Serrels!!!
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NEXT TIME GADGET!
Why are we back to the boring old headslam pic? You know what? I think Sughly should make a new pic each week for this segment. Because Sughly always delivers, right?
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Sughly always delivers.
If I can get the time off work, can KotakAU hire and pay for me to go to E3 this year… please?
I need to ask Piranha Games and Jordan Weisman of Smith & Tinker Games a very, very important question. And I need to discuss a TIE Fighter remake with the Lucasarts people.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Nah.
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But it’s about Mechwarrior.
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+1 for MechWarrior info!!
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Ooh, the Genesis comic for ME2 released on XBL this morning.
Can you please tell me what choices do I get to make with it…
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You get to choose whether you should buy it or not.
Have you played La Noire yet? If so, is it good or not?
If you manage to play it, it would be nice to have a feature where you or one of the US Kotaku team play the game with a 70-90 year old person who grew up during that time period.The feature would gauge their reactions and recollections of the period and how it is represented in the game. Even better if the interviewee was an actual cop at the time.
Also what game did you play first when PSN came back online?
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If Mark Serrels manages to track down a 90 year old ex-cop and get him to play LA Noire and then report on his impressions of the game then Mark Serrels is greatest game journalist of our generation.
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I’m making this happen.
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May I recommend Prince Phillip?
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Wow. 🙂
Next, can you see if you can find someone who was around in the Wild West (preferably a cowboy) and see how RDR matches up?
Ooh, and get a once and future Space Marine to comment on Starcraft and Mass Effect.
(Disclaimer: I do actually like the LA Noire idea)
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Get a pill popper to review Pac Man.
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He’s already the greatest games journalist of our generation, and has the award to prove it.
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I’m an Aussie, and the release date of LA Noire is confusing me :/ some websites say 19th, others the 20th. JB Hi Fi even has both on theirs, and rockstar says its the 20th….
Mark do you know when its released?
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Should be tomorrow.
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It’s got something to do with the international date line… or the space time continuum, I can never remember which.
More importantly is how this will meddle with the date for Skyrim, Mark?
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I’m pretty sure it is just due to the publisher not understanding that AU/NZ release on Thursday, and UK/EU release on Friday. (with the US/CA releasing earlier this week on Tuesday).
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Do you know if foxtel is showing microsofts e3 press conference again this year?
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I think Spike is the only one with tv rights (although I don’t know if that’s US only)… but there’ll be a number of internet video streams.
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Not sure TBH – but I’ll look into it.
Has LA Noire broken street date yet?
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We has a story yo.
Game Traders sold it “by mistake”. No one has the balls to break street date.
For the first time ever (second and third, also) I didn’t get a chance to ask you some absurd, inane question in Ask Me Stuff.
Did you miss me? If so, how much?
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Like the flowers miss the rain.
I dunno if this has been asked before or discussed, but please keep the FB commenting feature off! It sucked.
Otherwise, keep doing what you’re doing!
Thanks!
Do you have an idea when the xperia play will be released in Australia? I have seen some suggestions of June but nothing firm.
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Nothing specific yet I’m afraid…
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I was at the Sony Ericsson Xperia event.
I can officially quote it’ll come in June.
No specific date released as of yet.
A mate of mine (who works at EB games) just told me that R rated games will soon start being stocked in the ACT, but only select titles that the government accepts.
Sounds pretty fishy to me, care to comment?
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That sounds like the type of friend who has an uncle who works for Nintendo. (He made it up).
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Yeah I’m not rushing off to believe it anytime soon, but apparently there’s an article or something on it in the new issue of game informer?
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I heard about this too. If the Governor Generals don’t come to a consensus ACT was going to pass solo legislation.
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Isn’t this what Germany does??
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Prob a misunderstanding based on the whole states going their separate ways stuff.
Hi, why don’t my pre-order bonus codes work with mortal kombat 9 ??? Is this a region thing. Sorry if this has been ask before.
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Where’d you buy it from? Start an account in that region.
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I’d go with what Jimu said…
If you’re attending E3, will you be live blogging the major keynotes?
I really enjoy watching the live stream and reading the impressions of the people actually in the room at the same time.
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I’d like to. I’ll see it it’s possible.
Mark, a little while ago I couldn’t remember your email address so I thought I’d get it from the playstation network.
Long story short, know of any non-extradition countries with stable internet connection?
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Lichtenstien
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lol
Planking or Gargoylin’ ?
The Xbox website has re-jigged it’s forum section and as a result, the Xbox Australian General Discussion section is GONE!
The forum hhoused a hefty community of Aussie xbox gamers, who have been conversing about everything video games for over 6 years. But now there is nothing.
It’s like the community has been shattered into a thousand pieces, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
Any chance you could flex some muscle on Microsoft Australia and find out if they have a solution?
Help us Obi Wan Markobi, you’re our only help.
The address used to be – http://forums.xbox.com/217/ShowForum.aspx
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that just looks like a massive headache to me. I need structure. Thanks tho
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^ what he said.
We welcome all newbies to hop onto TAY 😀
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Dear Mark,
I am a third year journalism student, and would LOVE to do an internship with you guys at Kotaku in Australia.
How would I best go about this, seemingly impossible, feat?
Regards,
Olivier
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