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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160 responses to “Ask Me Stuff”
What’s your dream job?
What’s the highest you could possibly go in any indutry/trad/whatever where you could say “damn this is awesome, it doesn’t get any better than this!”
As awesome as it would be editing Kotaku, i’m sure there is still something in your head that makes you think “well… his is awesome.. but that would be awesome +1”
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Hmmm. Hard to say.
1. Seamus’ job.
HAHAHA ONLY KIDDING.
[but not really]
Why is the Aus PSN pricing a joke ??
$8.45 for 1 MvsC 3 character DLC?….REALLY !?!?!?
Pathetic.
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CAPCOM are simply arseholes who have always asked for far too much in price for what you are actually getting…
RE5 & SFIV are great past examples…
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It truly is atrocious.
When I first read initial reports that each character would be 5bux I was somewhat hesitant at best at the pricing.But 8.45 is insane.
Sure the 5r may’ve meant in US bux, but how the f&^$ could they come the price of 8.45 when the dollar is virtually on parity?
Surely the Aus PSN has some hand in this tomfoolery.
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Once again, it’s just CAPCOM doing it, Sony have no part in the cost on PSN unless it’s actually a 1st Party title.
I feel as though the price conversion is fair based on all the other markets (btw, our price would be set by EU CAPCOM), the actual cost is the problem.
2 addition characters for the cost of ~$17, when you get 36 in the game for ~$100 (ave $2.78 per character)…
A $6 markup is simply taking the piss, and if it was $8.45 for BOTH, then it would be alot fairer.
Just wait for the eventual Alternate costume packs, that will be broken down into about 4-5 characters per pack and cost about $7-8 per pack. The cost of all the DLC will be more than the game.
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Thanks for the breakdown oggob.
Yeah Costume pack 1 is already in affect.Def would’ve bought if you got the two characters for the one price.
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Yeah! Someone should do an article out Capcom screwing its loyal fans! 😉
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I’d read that!
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I’d write that! Except I lack the contacts to properly flesh that out, so it’d be nothing more than an angry rant. Angry rants are things I’m trying to avoid writing at the moment.
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Because SCEA are jesters, and price-gouging is their punch line.
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$23.95 for MAG is well priced if you ask me
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I think everyone’s kinda covered this one!
I guess this question is open to everyone.
Do you think we will see a major change in the type of video games we play in the next few years?
I ask this because it seems that Console developers are very quickly losing the battle to the smaller game developers. The things that would once caused front page controversies like day one DLC that was cut from launch, online passes and paying real money for in game perks are now commonplace. Console developers seem to be scrambling to get every last dollar they can out of a title, via ethical methods or otherwise. It’s not all the developers doing either, pre owned sales and pirating as well and high prices steer a lot of people (myself included) away from buying as many games as I have in the past. Do you think we will be exclusively playing smaller games in the years to come? Will big budget console and PC gaming become a smaller niche of the market?
Hypothetically, if I was an up and coming game developer, I would literally see no reason to sign up with Activision and make the next Call of Duty game, or Squaresoft to make the next FF when games like Angry Birds are made on a fraction of their budget and often produce just as much money (last I’ve heard angry birds has become one of the biggest selling games of all time passing 50 million units)
Obviously Smaller app-games are not a fad that will blow over anytime soon. So, what does this mean for the video game market? We’ve already seen that developers are desperate for more money. What happens when even more people start buying smaller games exclusively?
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Smartphone games and console games are entirely different markets.
Saying that there is more incentive to get into smartphone game development instead of console game development is somewhat like saying getting in reality tv production is more attractive than movie production. They’re similar, they overlap, but they’re two very different things.
Also, games like Angry Birds are very hit and miss. For every Angry Birds, Tiny Wings or Fruit Ninjas, there’s thousands of games that nobody bothered with. Console games are a much more established industry, with publishers putting sizable budgets behind marketing the product. Giving console games a more likely return on investment.
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Actually a better comparison, instead of reality TV and movies, would probably be Youtube and movies, or possibly commercials and movies.
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Bigger games are just as hit and miss. The only difference is that because of the Tiny costs associated with these games (as well as no very little publishing costs and almost no marketing) If these games fail, then no big deal. When Big budget games fail the entire studio goes bust. APB and Bloodstone 007 are some recent example I can think of.
I think they are the same market. We are seeing more big name developers try to get in on the casual smaller market via Facebook. They obviously think their games of interest to a casual market.
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Wow, I really have no grasp on grammar today, do it?
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A major developer may fold if they are not providing a reasonable return on investment to the publisher. The publisher doesn’t want that and uses whatever means they can to get the best return on investment they can.
With the other market, there are less mechanisms to exploit to try and ensure a return on investment. There is far less security in being an independent developer, especially if you are expecting your income to be based on sales (whereas someone under a major publisher will expect payment for their work with a potential bonus if it does well).
Tapping into new markets is something that businesses do. Look at Apple, they have a pretty tight hold on the smartphone market but prior to that they focused on computers. Their utilising of a new market does not stop their other products from accessing their old markets. There is even a reasonable level of overlap known as the Halo effect, where purchases of products from the new market become interested in the other products by brand association.
That’s very similar to a major developer focusing on social media/smartphone games. They’re just taking advantage of another way to make money.
Consoles game sales generate a ridiculous amount of money. If some developers and publishers abandon that to make money from the more risky casual game market, then someone else will simply step into their place until nobody is interested in buying the product.
/rambling.
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For every Angry Birds there are thousands of games that burn hard and fast.
Studio games come with a measure of security, and it’s not your money on the line… indie games are an all or nothing prospect.
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If games go in that direction the industry will lose me as a consumer.
There are the occasional easy to pick up games that attract me, but they never hold my attention for as long as a good solid RPG or something similar.I don’t buy nearly as many games as I did 5 years ago and when I do I go for my dollars worth in playtime and fun. I know there are the type who can play simple puzzle games for longer than I put into an RPG but it just isn’t my thing.
I love portability, so a game like Dragon Quest IX or Pokemon are really up my alley.
Angry birds?? Not so much…
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My point being that people like me will still exist so that is a market that won’t be ignored.
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This is such a big question.
– The market is very fragmented now. Mainly because it’s bigger. I think different developers will adapt and cater to different markets. We won’t have seen the last of the Assassin’s Creeds, the GTA’s and the Halos. I think the next consoles will still use disc based media.
Premium content still makes a lot of money, and that won’t change.
I think your quirky, super original, yet still expensive titles will be digitally distributed as premium content. Your Katamari Damacies are now your Noby Noby Boys, your Flowers, etc etc. Mainly because retail can’t really afford to take risks.
Then you’ll have your cheap games like Angry Birds, Doodle Jump et al.
To be honest I think we’re already getting a vibe for how things are evolving.
Sorry – rushed answer to a good question.
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One thing is for certain. This “evolution” is happening much faster than anyone could have imagined. People talk of the “future” of games as if it’s something that will occur in the distant future. But when I look around I see a video game market that will drastically change in the next 5 years.
Maybe that guy (Cory Barlog?) was right when he said the next generation will be the last.
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I assume you (like many other journos) get to go on hasty-but-fun adventures to visit game devs and see what they’ve got cookin’ – who have you found has the best attitude/setup/whatever… i.e. which of the studios you’ve visited was the most impressive?
(I’d also like to know who was the least impressive/worst, but I won’t do that to you 😛 )
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The best place I’ve ever been to through work was the Konami secret training center, which is like a frickin’ Bond Villain lair in the middle of the Japanese mountains.
That entire trip is sort of coloured by the fact that I was getting the chance to play through the entirity of MGS4 3 months before it went on sale, and spending time with Kojima and his team. That whole trip was just amazing.
Man, this has been asked before, but I can never remember: When does our PSN store update? Was it Thursday night-ish? I think a few years ago it was Friday night. Or something. I don’t know! I want my Hard Corps Uprising!
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Wed night. iirc
How far behind are you with prizes and stuff? 😛
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I’ve been worse! What are you waiting on?
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I’ve heard that Community Kudos winners get a prize, I think, and I won community kudos back in January for my Kotaku Wars videos http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/01/community-kudos-14/
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Hahah – I couldn’t tell who you were because your name is obscured with French.
Your name is actually on a post it note on my monitor. Will shoot you an email.
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Actually – could you shoot me an email to make sure I get the right one?
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Yep, will do, sorry about the name confusion… 😀
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I gave up on the Metal Gear franchise after MGS2 when I thought I was about to finish the game @ around 11pm but then had to sit through 1 hr of useless exposition that made no sense and that I couldn’t skip past and couldn’t quit for fear of losing my progress.
Lately I’ve been considering giving MGS4 a go but :
a) Am I likely to be in a similar situation (I recall reading somewhere that there are equivalent length babblefests in MGS4 as well)
b) Will I have missed too much by skipping MGS3
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I loved that full-on ending to MGS2. That elevated the game above the mediocre fest I thought it was before.
All that mask taking off at the end as people revealed that it was actually them pulling the strings was so stupidly over the top I loved that too!-
Maybe I wouldn’t have been so pissy about it if I hadn’t been half asleep while it was all going on.
Definitely no fun when all you want is the game to f%^&n’ shut up and end
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MGS4 was great, I loved it. Definitely give it a go. Yeah there’s a few cuts scenes but I dont think they went on too long, I was actually pretty engaged in the story.
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Spoonie, are you serious or are you just teasing?
Everyone knows the cut-scenes in MSG4 are all long winded and long.
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MGS3 is like a spinoff rather than a hard-and-fast continuation of the story.
That said, it has by far the best story of any of them, so if you can play, DO play it.
Also MGS2 endgame was epic. Will not hear otherwise 🙂
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I love MGS4, but I realise it’s not for everyone. I actually just love the gameplay. Brilliantly balanced, endlessly rewarding – there’s just an incredible level of depth and detail to every mechanic.
Just play it. Then replay it. Then play it on Big Boss mode – then you’ll get a feel for just how well made the game is.
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I find it hard to believe Mark didn’t say this, but you need to go back and play MGS3 – you’re missing out on a brilliant game.
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Can you fix the hole in my sock? It is quite vexing.
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I had that last week… i got home and put it in the washing basket (forgetting there was a hole). I put them on monday morning and the hole was bigger and my big toe was sticking out.. put them straight in the bin. Make sure you check them out tonight.
My suggestion for today… use a stapler.
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My wife throws out socks as soon as they get a hole in them. Quite vexing.
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If ever there was a perfect opportunity to say “darnit, woman!” that would be it.
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Truly, I see what you did there.
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What should I cook for dinner?
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I feel like pizza. make that.
then invite me!
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Alright Shady, if you make it down to my house in Canberra by dinner time tonight, you can come in and eat some pizza.
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I swear if i didnt have a wife and kids right now i would do this just to be a smart arse!!! damn responsibilities!!! Cheers mate.
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You’ve got a late meeting…
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I made a hotdog pizza for my lunch but it’s almost all gone now….
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Oh, another one that’s been annoying me for a while – what is Seamus’ actual job title and what does it require him to do?
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I thought his job title was “Seamus”…
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In French his title is :
éditeur en ligne avec les illusions de la télévision présentant grandeur -
I… don’t… know…
Nah his job is ‘Publisher’ and he works across all the tech sites.
How do I permanently log out of my facebook account here? Clicking “here” to log out does nothing. NOTHING D:
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Try clearing your cookies and emptying your cache.
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This doesn’t work. The only way I found that worked for me was to remove Kotaku AU from my apps in Facebook. Facebook was different then but I think this is what you’d do now:
Account -> Privacy settings -> (Apps and Websites) Edit your settings -> (Apps you use) Edit Settings -> (Kotaku AU) Edit settings -> Remove app
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Thers a thing in Facebook.
In options maybe?
There is like a Kotaku APP thingy you need to remove.(STrange knows more she fixed mine!)
Where are you at with sending out Stacking. I finished Portal last night so looking for a new game..? Cheers.
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I’ve been hassling THQ about the codes. I have the frickin’ statue toy thingies just not the codes.
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On that note – Qumulys and I seem to have reached the agreement that we were the joint winners of the Community Kudos that week (correct me if I’m wrong Q-Bo!) – I get the dolls, he gets the code.
I sent you an email with my details way back then, so if you already have the dolls, you should be free to send out that part of the prize without waiting!
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Sounds good.
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Hey Mark,
Do you know what’s going on with the Raiden Fighters Aces PAL release for the X360? The release date’s been pushed back over and over again and I fear the worst.
Bit of an open question, and slightly left field, but has anyone on here (including you mark) played the Assasins Creed Brotherhood multiplayer? The series pretty much lost me after the first one, but for 50$ on steam, I thought if the multi was any good I’d get it. Cheers.
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Assassin’s Creed 2 fixed a lot of the problems that the first game suffered. I was really pissed off with the first game but gave the second a try after being told exactly what I just said. Brotherhood is really AC2.5.
Although I haven’t bothered with the multiplayer, so that’s another factor entirely.
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I played it at E3, but AC:B came out at a time when I had so many games I wanted to get through, so I never bothered with Multi.
My online game of choice is Halo: Reach, and it takes a lot to get me off that!
So Mark, I have a “friend” who won a prize from a “website” in a format he can’t use? What would you recommend? 🙂
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Tell your freind “Tough titties” and also tell him to lay off the Spider-Man
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Ooh…I have pretty much all formats…ask your “friend” if he wants to work something out.
Oh, wait, what prize did your “friend” win? Would I want it? Badly enough to trade something in a format usable by your “friend”?-
I will let my “friend” know…..
HEY JIMU!!!!
***arms waving***-
I have an anime in a format you may of heard of…Bluray.
It’s called X…something, starts with X looks a little like Evangelion but without the cerebral deep thought. I wouldn’t know as it is still in the shrink wrap.-
(crappy)Blu-ray players can be bought for under $100 these days.
When we get other region DVDs that can’t be played on most of our players we use our computer to make a copy and burn it on an all-region disc, I don’t know if it’s possible to turn a Blu-ray into a DVD this way?
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Although obviously that requires knowing someone with a blu-ray drive in their ‘puter.
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lol – sorry Jimu. I’ll try and sort you out with something for your troubles.
Asked it the other day but had no answer so thought I would ask again.
How is the MAG community?
Is the game still worth a purchase?
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There is still a decent sized community and shouldn’t have too many issues with finding a game.
On the previous page it’s mentioned that it’s ~$24 on PSN, for that price it’s worth it.
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Sorry – haven’t tried MAG online. The communities for Sony exclusive shooters are traditionally good. I remember Warhawk having a great, tight knit community.
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Thnx Mark and thnx oggob I hadn’t noticed that price mentioned, that’ll save me over $20 cheers
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Mark, do you have any suggestions or advice for someone looking to get into Games Journalism in Australia? How’d you go from a PhD in kayfabe and dirtsheets in wrestling to doing games writing?
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It’s such a big question.
– Build up experience working for free sites.
– Pitch editors interesting ideas.
– Work on your writing, be critical, develop your own style.
– Try and get a vibe for the publications you want to write for and pitch sensibly.Sorry – it’s tough to be specific in this context.
Mark (or any tech savy gamer here),
I’m in the market for a new DirectX11 Graphics Card.
At this stage I will probably go with a Nvidia GTX580 or a AMD HD6970, thoughts? Should I be looking at another card?
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Just get a DS Lite, you’ll be fine.
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That’s no good. Need to be able to do 3D graphics. So they should get a 3DS instead. 3D is the name after all!
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Depends just how much you want to pay. The 6990 (I think) is essentially two 6970s strapped together, and, as of today, is the most powerful card on the market, Nvidia is expected to launch the 590GTX on Thursday, US time, and I expect that to outperform the 6990 at least a little. The upside of the release, since odds are it’s out of your price range, is that it should drop the price of the 580, at least a little (don’t hold me to this).
I’m personally a fan of nvidia, so I’d go with the 580.
However, if you have a meaty Power Supply, and your case and mobo have the space, you might want to consider getting two 560Ti’s, two of them should easily outspec a 580 (although, with a lower amount of VRAM, as it can’t be shared), but would be using about 100 watts more power, but for a similar purchase price.
I doubt this will help, but I hope it does.
Hi Mark, I sent in a feature idea about duke nukem forever late last week and i just wanted to know if you got it.
Btw what is your guilty TV pleasure?
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Mark watches Packed to the Rafters.
And if that doesn’t make him feel guilty, then it damn well should.
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Alas, this is not Reddit so I cannot upvote this comment.
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Got it – thought it was a good feature idea, but more suited to a magazine, poss OPS or Game Informer.
Guilty pleasures? There’s no such thing. Packed to the Rafters is quality television.
wheres the best place for work in the videogame writing industry? in perth theres a major lack of specialised publishing and street press cant get a hold of preview code. does geography matter with this line of work?
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Sadly Geography does matter. Most are based in Sydney. You can still do freelance!
A couple of guys are based in Perth area, Vooks and Dylan Burns from Pixel Hunt are in Perth.
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Iiiiiiiinteresting, I was considering throwing some feelers out for people wanting to collaborate in a blog or some jazz. Am definately looking at the freelance side of things, already do that for music.
Cheers for the info!
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Alright, I can ask a question can I? Very good, here’s one –
Ok so the federal government seems to support this R18+ thing, right? Then why hasn’t any video game website, blog, journalist etc tried to contact, say the attorney general’s department, and enquired over whether it was possible to relax restrictions on the import of certain RC titles for purely personal use, such as Mortal Kombat?
Hmm. Don’t think this is possible.
This was the busiest Ask me Stuff by far! Awesome job dudes.
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So busy that you didn’t answer my question. 🙁
Breart Hoken!
Favourite episode of Mad Men? Mine is the episode in Season 3 where that British guy loses his foot.
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MAD SPOILARRRRRR?
Do u know yet if we are going to get a censored version of mk? Sorry if this has already been asked.
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Warner Brothers have said they’re not editing it… although they may resubmit it sometime after July.
Their statement was that it was an adult game, made to be played by adults.
I would like to know what is happening with the APB REVIVE thing. last i heard, they had 200,000+ beta applications
Hey mark, have you heard back from microsoft about the voice control on the kinect?
Btw because of u I purchased a hd DVD player and 30 hd DVDs. Damn you eBay and amazon. But they look great next to my blu-rays. And there seems to be no fighting!
I might be a bit late in asking here, but is there any work yet on when voice control for Kinect is going to be activated on Aussie 360 Live accounts?
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My brother changed his “country” to UK just to get the update!
I have a question for Mark or anyone else who was involved in the Crysis 2 comp last year http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/08/your-crysis-2-interview/ is EA supposed to get in touch with us or what happens?
I passed on my details to David Wildgoose back in August last year but haven’t heard anything since, should I get in touch with them (EA)?
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I’ll have a word with Goose and then EA on monday dude.
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Thanks Mark – that’s awesome 😀
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