Available for pre-order today comes the Halo 4 Limited Edition, packed with additional content to maximise your multiplayer experience, the Limited Edition will surely drop the jaws of many Halo fans.

Denouncing a Legendary Edition for the game, 343 explained that their main focus was on one special edition, rather than multiple editions. The reason for that is to give gamers an easier choice when buying the game. Do players want the stand-alone game, or the game plus a large handful of goodies?

Encased in a UNSC themed box, the Limited Edition comes with a whole lot of additions mainly for Infinity, the name of Halo 4′s Multiplayer experience. These Include:

War Games DLC Map Pack Access

Presumably a season pass to Halo 4 DLC Maps, this pass will give players access to 9 multiplayer maps (3 future multiplayer map packs), showing off new locations in the Halo universe.

Specializations

Unlocking new customisable options for your in-game Spartan, everyone will be able to access specializaions, but for those purchasing the Limited Edition, 6 specializations will be given to you early, giving you a head start for War Games. More information about specializations will be announced at E3, but it looks to me as if they act as ‘perks’ for your loadout, giving your spartan more ammo clips, or an extra grenade, changing up the gameplay.

UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet

Much like Halsey’s Diary in the Halo Reach Limited Edition, Halo 4 Limited edition will also include a packet/book of information based on the Halo universe, including Spartan armor customization schematics, information about UNSC weapons, an introduction to the UNSC Infinity, and an insight into the Spartan-IV program. Fans of the Halo story will especially enjoy this packet of informaion that provides ‘a glimpse into the indoctrination of Spartans aboard the Infinity’.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition

Recently announced Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn live action series, will be included in this edition of Halo 4 with additional scenes and special features. This live action series will take fans back to the Human/Covenant war, where Master Chief inspires a young cadet, who eventually becomes the leader aboard the largest UNSC vessel, Infinity

Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE

The Limited Edition also includes:

• A unique in-game Spartan-IV armor skin
• A unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle, yes! weapons skins/ customisation is confirmed, I’m assuming it will follow similarly to Gears of War 3′s weapon skins.
• An exclusive in-game Emblem
• Xbox LIVE Avatar Prop
• Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan IV armor set.

The Standard and Limited editions are available for pre-order today, Halo 4 will be released worldwide on November 6th. Are you guys excited?

The upcoming game Crysis 3 isn’t coming out til 2013, but EA has released some concept art and some screenshots from the game. If you haven’t already heard, the game sees Prophet returning to New York, only to find it encased in a ‘Nanodome’ by the Cell Corporation. The screenshots and art can be found below, after the jump.

Looks very cinematic, doesn’t it? Microsoft has unveiled the multiplayer hub for Halo 4, called Halo Infinity Multiplayer. The entire hub is based around the UNSC Infinity, and you’ll be able to create your own custom super-soldier, and progress your carrier throughout its own story.

343 Industries is taking a new approach with its Spartan Ops storyline. Released in a series of weekly installments via Xbox LIVE, it will intersect the main storyline on Halo 4 and center around the leaders of UNSC Infinity and a new team of Spartans known as “Majestic Squad”. These missions can be played with up to three friends, or by yourself, and will be available for free for all Halo 4 users.

Another new feature is ‘War Games’, which is the “competitive multiplayer modes” for Halo 4. Though Microsoft has not revealed any more details on it, we can only assume that it will still be the Red vs Blue style of combats.

Microsoft is also touting that it has a “vastly expanded suite of new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and player progression system”, and you will be able to modify your armor for the first time.

Halo 4 is set to come out internationally on November 6. You can see the gallery below.

With all the Halo 4 related Game Informer news which have been coming up over the past few weeks we figured we’d sum it all up for you in a nice compact package.

Note: Most of the information being discussed are subject to change.

Campaign

So what’s the deal with Chief? If you haven’t finished Halo 3 on legendary then this may come as a little bit of shock to you. But the Master Chief in all his glory is stuck inside the Forward Unto Dawn when out of nowhere a Forerunner facility looms ominously followed by really dramatic music that makes you immediately think… SEQUEL. And so here we are with Halo 4 coming out 343 Industries have begun to flesh out more of the campaign sequences and the role the Chief will play in all of this.

343 are trying to humanise John-117 and make the story more personal whilst still maintaining the feeling of being a one-man army. The chief however has a few cosmetic changes as well, the noticeably missing cod piece and the change in the overall look of the armour have been pretty perplexing ever since we all got a good look at it last E3. However 343 has explained that this change in armour is as a result of Cortana’s tampering and upgrading of the Chief’s armour whilst he was in cryo. However that in it of itself is a bit confusing. Where did she get the parts? The ship? Maybe … I guess and how did she do that without waking him up from his Snow white-esque beauty sleep? I reckon its just kind of an excuse to make some more armour.

343 Industries also have stated that the events of Halo 4 are taking place 5 years since the destruction of the Ark and replacement Installation 04 facility. That length of time is also a big problemo. Not sure if you guys know this but Cortana isn’t getting any younger and even though she’s got a few more polygons in a graphical sense her 7 year Artificial Intelligence (AI) life-span is coming to a close. Halo canon associates this with Cortana being a “smart AI” basically the most elite type of AI humans have created, but because of this they wield so much knowledge that after around 7 years they need to be decommissioned before they become too rampant and convinced of their god-like power. 343 have stated that this will have a major effect on the way the story progresses over the trilogy.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

Okay so you have some back story now let’s delve straight into the supremely awesome first campaign mission details. According to Game Informer the first mission revolves around the Chief waking up only to discover the Forward Unto Dawn collapsing around him. But then out of nowhere an elite comes swinging with an energy sword trying to kill the Chief… needless to say the Elite’s life expectancy dropped substantially. But wait did you just hear that (I mean read that)? Why is an Elite attacking the Chief? What happened to the truce and all that brotherly-feeling of camaraderie with the Arbiter?  Well it turns out that the elites and the subsequent grunts were part of a radical faction of Elites after the fall of the covenant. This ties in very closely with the novel Halo: Glasslands. This book is jam-packed with Halo 4 hints and background info, and provides some reasoning for the early attack in the game.

BOOKS SPOILERS!!!

In Halo: Glasslands, ONI (The Office of Naval Intelligence) is doing some pretty shifty things. Following the fall of the covenant the Elites struggle to find a unified government. Whilst the Arbiter appears to be the obvious successor -something exemplified by the end of Halo 3 and Admiral Hood’s support of the Arbiter during Halo: Glasslands-  ONI has other plans. During this time other Elites feel that the Arbiter should not take over leadership of the Elites. These Elites are apart of a fundamentalist Elite faction who believe in the worshiping of Forerunner relics prior to their interaction with the Prophets and before the formation of the Covenant. ONI was working with this faction and providing them with weapons but following the climatic cliff-hanger ending of the book, it appears the radical Elites may have double crossed ONI. Considering these events occur around 4 years before Halo 4, these new radical elites may have broken off from their brethren since the events of Halo: Glasslands. 

The final bit of news that we know is that after fighting through these radical elites. The Forward Unto Dawn lands on a Forerunner shield world called “Requiem” similar to that present in the events of Halo Wars. The Forward Unto Dawn breaks apart, and the Chief is on land once more where he encounters a new threat unlike anything seen before (see Adrian Cajili’s article on possible new enemies).

Multiplayer

‘UNSC Infinity’

So multiplayer huh, or should I say “Infinity” thats right infinity. Why is it called Infinity you ask? Well its fairly simple the UNSC Infinity is the largest ship ever created in human history, which comes in built with its own virtual reality simulator i.e. the multiplayer environment. 343 Industries have dubbed the multiplayer Infinity in an attempt to link multiplayer to the campaign.They have also announced that the UNSC Infinity will make an appearance in the campaign. 343 wanted to bridge the gap between multiplayer and campaign that has been lacking in all previous Halo games. The spartans you play as in multiplayer are Spartan IVs, who vary from Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs in that all people who enrol to become Spartan-IVs are consenting adults of 18 and above.

Spartan Ops

The major tie from the campaign to multiplayer is Spartan Ops.These are different missions unlocked by Spartan Points earned whilst playing multiplayer and is being used by 343 Industries to get people who simply play campaign to jump into multiplayer to unlock this new content. This is mainly due to the fact that most people who actually play Halo, play campaign more than multiplayer despite multiplayer being very popular in itself.

There are also a few things you need to know about this, Spartan Ops replaces Firefight, that’s right Firefight is completely gone. These missions are also NOT DLC they come included in the game price and so you won’t have to spend excessive amounts of microsoft points to play through these missions. In total 343 believes that after all the Spartan Ops missions have been unlocked and completed it will become the equivalent length of the campaign itself. No plans for any future Spartan Ops missions have been announced so we’ll just have to see if they have more campaign goodies.

Spartan Points

I briefly mentioned Spartan Points above, but it basically just replaces the credit system from Halo Reach but gives it a slightly fancier name. Not to be confused with Experience points, which helps rank up your in-game Spartan.

Load Outs

Customisable loadouts. But wait? This is Halo, not COD or Battlefield? But people relax here’s how it works. Yes 343 have announced that starting weapons will be unlocked. Like the DMR or the BR, but I think it will just be for certain general gametypes. I say this because previous screenshots have suggested that old playlists like Team BRs are still present in the game so if you want your classic experience you can play that playlist. Playlists solve all problems in this scenario, if Halo Reach showed us anything it would be how many flexible options of playlists can be made available to you and I’m sure if you wanna play more of a classic style 343 will cater for you.

Armour Abilities

Armour Abilities are making a return but many returning armour abilities have been altered, however we  do not yet know of any of these changes.

Active Camoflague: Is coming back, from Halo Reach.

Jetpack: Is also making its return.

Hologram: Is once again returning, to test how dumb your opponents are.

Promethean Vision: A new armour ability which allows players to see through walls to view opponents. This one is a bit sketchy and 343 have said they will explain this in more detail as time progresses. The name appears to be a reference to the “Didact” a forerunner from the Warrior-Servant class who was prestigious enough to be termed a Promethean. This is depicted in the novels Halo:Cryptum and Halo: Primordium.

Sprint is not an armour ability but will be returning as a default setting.

Weapon Spawn

Weapon spawns are no longer in fixed positions but move to different areas on the map to create new focal points and to prevent weapon spawn camping.

Respawn Delay

Instant respawns have been introduced into certain gametypes, but NOT objective gametypes as this would over saturate the game with players and make claiming objectives very difficult. But again if this particular procedure is not all that fun a playlist with more classic themes can easily fix this issue.

Matchmaking

There are no plans to announce dedicated servers into Halo 4 however players will have the option of joining in-game sessions, basically like joining a quick match. 343 have not yet stated other ways to start games like waiting in lobbies for a full game but they will probably announce some of those details in the months to come.

And that’s a wrap, for any future Halo news make sure to come pay us another visit.

Confirmed by Franchise Development Director, Frank O’Connor, this will be the box art for Halo 4. The image shows Master Chief crouching next to what is left of the UNSC frigate, Forward Unto Dawn, and behind is the entrance to the shield world Requiem.

Also in recent news, images were leaked showing off some of the new toys from the Halo franchise, two of these figures were completely new and could be seen as the new enemies or wildlife in Halo 4. Dubbed the “Crawler” and “Watcher“, these figures give us an insight on the threats that we may encounter on Requiem, as well as the new gameplay that these ‘enemies’ may bring to the game. With the crawler looking to be a vicious canine-like enemy, and the watcher, possibly similar to the covenant Drone and may alert others of your position, these enemies are an interesting addition to Halo 4′s line-up of characters.

Along with these two new enemies, figures of Master Chief, an Elite Zealot, a Grunt Storm, and Spartan Warrior were shown. The toy box art also hints a “Deluxe boxed figure of an enemy unlike anything before!“, hopefully this new enemy will make an appearance at this year’s E3, along with more features of the game. Halo 4 will be released on November 6th by developers 343 Industries, and will be the start of a whole new Halo trilogy.

GAME Australia’s administrators PwC has outlined what will happen during its period of administration. It has said that all trade will continue, and all existing gift cards will be honoured. If you have pre-orders, however, you’ll have to wait and see.

“We are still working to clarify the status of pre-orders. At this stage we are intending on honouring certain pre-orders placed on the Diablo III and Max Payne new releases.We will provide clarity on these and other new releases in due course,” its advisory said.

“We are not able to refund customer deposits and customers who have paid a deposit for a pre-ordered item at this stage should continue to monitor the website for further updates.”

On gift cards, it will honour all commitments for most products – but can only be used for 25% of the total price. Meaning that if you have a $15 gift card, then you have to spend at least $60 to redeem it. At least they are honouring it, unlike Borders when it shut down and filed for receivership. Customers are unable to claim refunds, but can claim – if they don’t want to follow the above criteria – can fill out a form. No new gift cards will be issued.

The stores will operate as usual until PwC get a clearer picture of what is the current state of GAME Australia. However, trade-ins and returns will be rejected.

If you work at GAME or know anyone who works for GAME, feel free to contact us: tips (at) techgeek.com.au. Anonymity will be guaranteed.

GAME Australia’s franchise operator has gone into administration, just months after its UK counterpart also filed to be taken under receivership. News of the company’s demise was broken by Kotaku Australia, and filings with ASIC have also confirmed the reports.

ASIC’s filings note that GAME Australia’s owners – TGW Pty Ltd – filed today a document of “Notification of Appt of Administrator Under S.436a, 436b, 436c, 436e(4), 449b, 449c(1), 449c(4) or 449(6) (505U)”. Kotaku also notes that emails were sent to all its stores across Australia about the latest developments, after the company had trouble getting Diablo 3 into stores.

As reported by many, it is said that PriceWaterhouseCoopers will be the administrator of the company.

GAME Australia’s demise follows its UK counterpart, who also faced similar problems. Lower sales and unable to secure products saw GAME in the UK going into administration. New owners were soon brought in, and are hoping to turn GAME back into profit.

However while it has been cited that digital distribution of games that saw the demise of GAME, it might be a different case in Australia. I think it could be lower sales due to strong competitors in Australia with JB Hi-Fi and EB Games, and games being brought overseas since the regions in Europe and Australia are essentially the same (PAL).

However, that’s not to say that digital distribution did not have an impact on its bottom line – it did, but also to many other game stores. Especially with many games now being offered via Xbox Live, Steam or Origin – just to name a few. In addition, there has been a rise with small, arcade-like games with mobile devices or on your Xbox 360 and PS3 – which are only offered in those stores, rather than physical retail stores.

We’ll keep you updated on what is happening with GAME Australia.

Update: The following is a statement from PwC in relation to GAME Australia

PwC partners Kate Warwick and Greg Hall have been appointed Voluntary Administrators of TGW Pty Limited – trading as GAME.

GAME is a retailer of video games, games consoles and PC software & accessories and operates 92 stores across Australia, employing c.500 staff.

TGW Pty Limited is a subsidiary of The GAME Group Plc, a UK public company which was placed into administration on 26 March 2012.

Kate Warwick, PwC partner, said, “Initially we will continue to trade all stores, operating these on as close to a ‘business as usual’ mode as possible whilst we get a clearer understanding of the current state of the business and actively pursue options to secure its future.”

Ms. Warwick added “Prior to our appointment, the company’s management had been exploring interest in investing in the business with a number of parties and we will look to see whether this interest can be harnessed to continue the business or part of it through the voluntary administration process.”

TGW Pty Limited’s UK based parent company faced serious cash flow and profit issues. “While we are still investigating the causes behind the Australian administration; the impact of the administration of its parent, an ambitious national roll-out combined with the current soft retail environment appear to be key factors,” said Ms. Warwick.

Further updates will be made to creditors as soon as more information becomes available.

Ms. Warwick also noted that the company’s customers hold various claims against the company under loyalty cards, gift cards and vouchers. Ms. Warwick said “We are working on schemes aimed at giving customers some return on these claims if they are used to make additional purchases.” Further details will be available to customers on-line or in store from appointment.

BioShock Infinite‘s release date on October 2012 is now no longer happening. Developer Irrational Games has decided to delay the game for a few more months, til February 26 next year, in order to make the game “even more extraordinary.”

“When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timingm” CEO Ken Levine said in a blog post announcing the delay.

“Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.”

However, Levine has confirmed that the game will also not be shown at E3 in Los Angeles next month, nor at Germany’s Gamescom. “That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box,” Levine added.

BioShock Infinite is part of the BioShock series, but is not a sequel or prequel to the previous titles in the series. The game takes place in 1912 and on a floating city of Columbia. You take on the role of a former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt to rescue a young woman imprisoned since childhood in the city. It will be out for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

27 titles such as Ninja Gaiden 3, Just Dance 4, Assassin’s Creed and Batman Arkham City could be coming out sometime this year as launch titles (or, of course, next year) for the upcoming Wii U, according to leaked images from a UK retailer.

Picked up by GoNintendo, these come from Blockbuster UK. These leaks, obviously, aren’t confirmed to be released titles – but the fact that Batman Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed could be on the Wii U sees a major shift in Nintendo’s attitude from casual gaming to more ‘full-on’ games that can be found on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Other titles claimed include Dirt 3, Tekken and Your Shape 2013. So, pretty much it’s a catch-up race of getting their rival’s titles onto this new console.

However, is anyone really interested in the Wii U? It’s basically the much-needed upgrade to the Wii that supposed to include HD. Maybe, it’s time for a brand new console – or at least, a brand new name. Because I still cringe when I hear that name.

I’m more surprised by the fact that this was its ‘first time’ ever, but users on Xbox Live will be soon able to watch Microsoft’s E3 briefing LIVE when the big gaming event happens in June. The briefing will also be broadcast on television on US channel SPIKE.

The news was broken by Major Nelson, or Larry Hryb.

And yes, Microsoft has gone on and said that this will be WORLDWIDE – and that does include Europe, Australia, and Asia. It has been confirmed by this little tweet by SPIKE’s Geoff Keighley:

And yes, we will be streaming the Xbox briefing worldwide, as well as over 17 hours of live coverage from E3. Even bigger than last year!

May 4, 2012 2:03 AM via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@geoffkeighley

Geoff Keighley

The event will be streamed starting at 9:30am Los Angeles time on June 4, or 2:30am Melbourne time on June 5. Darn those time zones.

The PS Vita – the gaming device that is the successor to the PlayStation Portable (and pretty much a very tiny library of games) – is getting a bit more useful with the addition of Skype. You will now be able to make video and voice calls with the new app, which will be available in the PlayStation Store for free.

And as a little nudge after the lack of such feature with the Windows Phone 7′s version – the PS Vita does support running in “background mode”, so you will be able to pause a game and conduct the call before resuming. Though, it should be noted that some games will automatically terminate the game, rather than pause, as noted by the PlayStation Blog.

So, I’m assuming the five of you PS Vita owners will be pleased.

Okay, a new trailer for Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 has been released by Nintendo, showing some gameplay. Yes, they’ve actually tacked on a number at the end and it will be a sequel to the popular Pokemon Black and White games.

And yes, yes, we’re kind of late in the game. It broke during the Easter week-long break. Anyway, the two games take place two years after the original Black and White games, and you have a new rival and gym leaders to battle.

No release date has been organised in the United States or Europe, but it’s coming out on June 23 in Japan. Also, it’s coming out for DS, rather than the 3DS – interesting choice of platform, but granted since most people who play the genre are kids, and kids don’t have money to spend for the Nintendo 3DS, it’s probably a good move.

New trailer is below, thanks to Andriasang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9pKCqvJH2gp

This could be banned in the US by Motorola

Motorola appears to have an early win with the US’ International Trade Commission against Microsoft and its Xbox 360 console. The ITC has issued a preliminary report that has said that the Xbox 360 did infringe five of Motorola’s patents.

The patents revolve around the H.264 video encoding patents owned by Motorola.

Of course, it’s a preliminary report (via The Verge), meaning that it’s not a final judgement. However, if Microsoft loses the case, it could mean Microsoft will have to license those patents under Motorola’s conditions – as opposed to the FRAND principle, which lets you have a reasonable price to license patents so that you don’t stifle innovation. In Europe, the company that holds patents essential to a standard – like 3G or 4G – must offer it under FRAND.

The ITC could also potentially have the Xbox 360 banned in the United States. It is also going through the European courts, and Microsoft took an unusual step in having a US court ruling that Motorola can’t enforce a ban in Germany.

Yes, that’s massive confusion right there.

As noted before, Motorola is also being investigated by the European Commission after Microsoft and Apple complained that Motorola was using its patents to distort competition. Obviously, they were being sued by Motorola (Apple over its iCloud push email service).

If it has breached those commitments, then Motorola could face a big fine from the European Commission.

Halo 4 will come in November 6, Microsoft has confirmed. The game will launch worldwide, and will see the return of Master Chief in a new adventure. The game, set four years of the previous Halo 3, will be the first major game developed by 343 Industries – the group tasked to continue Halo after Bungie ended ties with Microsoft.

Halo 3 launched in 2007 – and now, after five years, the game promises to answer the questions of the fates of Master Chief and Cortana, his artificial intelligence companion.

Also being recruited to help promote the game is Conan O’Brien, who will have a special segment in the show. Sadly, those in Australia, Channel Nine’s GEM airs it and for some unknown reason, is on a 36 HOUR DELAY. So, thanks Channel Nine!

EA has revealed its first major game for 2013, confirming that there will be a Crysis 3 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Described by EA as giving gamers “the premier sandbox shooter experience of 2013″, it suggests that it could be more like the first game in the series. We’ve got screenshots, and you can see them after the jump.

Crysis 3 sees Prophet returning to New York, only to find it encased in a ‘Nanodome’ by the Cell Corporation. As well, both human and alien enemies from Crysis 2 will make an appearance in the game.

Crytek, the developers of the game, have also started pre-orders for the Crysis 3 Hunter Edition, which will give them extra goodies in multiplayer to “become the ultimate hunter”, plus early access to the new signature bow and its attachments and the Hunter Nanosuit. Some retailers will also other unlocks:

• Stalker Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: for players who like to stalk their prey from the shadows the Stalker Pack provides early multiplayer access to the deadly semi-auto Jackal shotgun. This powerful, close-range shotgun comes with a unique silencer attachment, custom weapon skin and two exclusive themed in-game dog tags.
• Overkill Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Overkill Pack features early multiplayer access to the Typhoon assault weapon and skin. Spewing 500 rounds a second, the Typhoon gives players the ability to go guns blazing to take back the Liberty Dome. Also included are two exclusive Overkill themed in-game dog tags.
• Predator Pack – Includes the base game, all the Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Predator Pack delivers early multiplayer access to the Feline submachine gun and exclusive camo. With an extremely fast rate of fire and a 60 round magazine the Feline is highly effective and deadly, at short range.

The Hunter Edition will retail for US$59.99 from retailers or via EA’s Origin service. Crysis 3, however, won’t retail until Spring 2013.

Screenshots and box-cover images are below.

Square Enix’s Sleeping Dogs has a European (and PAL territories) release date. The open world cop game will be on sale on August 17 – three days after its US release date – for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Gallery can be found, after the jump.

So what is this game? Well, according to the summary, you play an undercover cop in Hong Kong and you are pretty much tasked in taking down a criminal organisation from the inside. The game is essentially a reboot of the True Crimes series by Activision and was started by them, before they cancelled it and sold it onto Square Enix.

Apologies for the GP watermark – turns out, Square Enix likes to put watermarks despite other publishers don’t.

Image: from GameIndustry

Despite being labelled as the worst company in America, fans are defending the company after anti-gay activists decided to send letters of complaint – like the one above (which I facepalm at since it is stupid) – because of a game’s option to let you participate in a same-sex relationship with another character.

(Also, letter writer above, you happen to have a poor sense of grammar – it is the overwhelming number of players… are children, not is. Children is a multiple term, not a singular)

But back on the main issue at hand, the letters are basically saying that EA must remove the LGBT content from the Star Wars: The Old Republic game because they have issues with it. However, it should be noted that you have a CHOICE to select if you want to be in a same-sex relationship. It’s not forced upon you like some, I don’t know, some outdated belief that gay people are some sort of threat to some religion that you may practice and believe in a text like it was gospel.

Behind the move happens to be the Florida Family Association, who claim that adding such a thing would mean children are “forced to deal with lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender characters”. Because that is such a scary thing to teach children (sarcasm.) I should also note that this is the same organisation that managed (and sadly were successful) in getting sponsors to pull out of a program called All-American Muslim because it did not portray Muslims the same way the Florida Family Association did. Since I’m too lazy to write the entire case – here’s a link to Jon Stewart explaining the entire issue.

And to watch that clip – you might want to look how to circumvent that geoblock here.

EA has basically resisted the move, and its fans are coming out in support of its decision – and have started a petition with nearly 29,500 people (at the time of writing) already signing it. Even Stephen Fry has come out in support for EA’s decision.

So, basically – go EA!

It’s crunch time for 343 Industries, and with about seven or so months left until its Holiday 2012 release, there is an increase of Halo 4 information surfacing the web recently. GameInformer Magazine’s May issue not only has a Halo 4 cover but also includes 14 pages of Halo 4 epicness which digs into Halo 4′s Campaign and Multiplayer experience (now named ‘Infinity’).
(Screenshots included in Gallery)

From all this new information, Halo fans everywhere are starting to wonder, ‘is 343 headed the right way?’ With inclusions such as Armor Abilities, Customizable Loadouts, Spartan Points, Spartan Ops and other Multiplayer features, Halo 4 is looking to be a very busy game. Whether it’s playing multiplayer to upgrade your Spartan IV, working co-operatively on Spartan Ops missions, and of course playing the Campaign as Master Chief by yourself or with friends, 343 Industries have been working hard to finish the game. Hopefully we can get some more snippets of the game before E3 2012, this game is looking to be really interesting.

Stay tuned for a detailed discussion of the new Halo 4 information with myself, Adrian Cajili and Ashton Bernard coming on later in the week, as we discuss the new features in Multiplayer as well as looking at some of the issues that may arise in Halo 4.

Image: Shaun Greiner/Flickr (Creative Commons)

In a radio interview with 891 ABC Adelaide, South Australia’s Attorney-General John Rau has outlined his new classification laws, declaring that he will scrap not only the MA15+ rating, but the M15+ and PG ratings as well.

The proposal would see any game classified MA15+, M15, and PG-rated games move up to R18+ territory only in South Australia – where people over the age of 18 can buy the game legally.

SA Attorney-General John Rau

“I’ve now come to the conclusion that having two distinct ratings would make it easier for parents to decide what games are suitable for children,” he said in an interview with host Ashley Walsh. “It makes it clear what is child-safe and what is not.”

He said that he has had several consultations with parents and different organisations before coming to his conclusions to scrap three classification ratings. Rau has also noted that he has full cabinet support for the proposal.

“I’ve been alerted to video games such as, um, We Dare that has been rated PG,” he continued. “After hearing about the game, and seeing some footage, I think that it was inappropriate for the Classification Board to have rated it as such.”

“Children need to be protected from this kind of sexualisation. The current rules make it easy for children to access very inappropriate content.”

We can only guess what kind of footage he saw for We Dare – if there is any. Let’s say, the trailer?

The new laws are expected to be introduced in the state’s Parliament in May, following federal legislation being passed in the Senate.

Note: To the best of our knowledge, Rau isn’t planning to introduce such a thing. Happy April Fools Day!

This should probably be marked in your calendar.

After some wait, Microsoft has finally announced a release date for the Xbox 360 edition of Minecraft. It will hit the Xbox Live Arcade Store on May 10, as part of its “Arcade NEXT” series of games that will begin on April 19.

Other games include Trials Evolution, Bloodforge and Fable Heroes. Trials and Bloodforge will set you back 1200 Microsoft Points, Fable Heroes will cost 800 Microsoft Points, while Minecraft will be the expensive one of the lot at 1600 Microsoft Points.

The descriptions for all games can be found below, as well as the gallery for Minecraft.

TRIALS EVOLUTION rated PG in Australia (Publisher: Microsoft Studios; Developer: Ubisoft/RedLynx)
April 19 | 1200 Microsoft Points |

“Trials Evolution” is on every front, the next dimension of the smash-hit, award-winning “Trials HD.” Bust out of the warehouse into an outdoor world of night and day, curved driving lines, and spectacular scenery. Multiplayer comes alive in your living room or on Xbox LIVE. Build your own tracks with the in-game editor or download* those of any other player from the new Track Central. Customise your bike and rider with awesome gear and unique parts, enjoy innovative skill games, try ghost racing, beat your friends’ scores and more! Don’t miss the madness!

BLOODFORGE rated MA15+ in Australia (Publisher: Microsoft Studios; Developer: Climax)
April 26 | 1200 Microsoft Points |

With a brutal combat system, stunning art style, and a deeply compelling story, “Bloodforge” empowers you to slaughter hordes of demonic soldiers, deformed worshippers, and the gods themselves, using ferocious Rage Kills, devastating Rune attacks, and furious Weapon Combos. Help seal Crom’s fate – and the fate of the rest of the world – in this dark, visceral story of revenge, betrayal, and destiny.

FABLE HEROES rated G in Australia (Publisher: Microsoft Studios; Developer: Lionhead Studios)
May 3 | 800 Microsoft Points |

“Fable Heroes” is an action-packed, hack-and-slash adventure built for Xbox LIVE Arcade. It delivers a fresh spin on the “Fable” franchise with a unique art style and gameplay that takes playful competition to the next level. Whether on the couch or using Xbox LIVE, up to four players work together to defeat enemies while also competing with one another to collect gold coins and level up. Precious gold collected in Fable Heroes can be imported into the forthcoming Kinect title, Fable:  The Journey**, providing players with a valuable head start from day one.

MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION rated PG in Australia (Publisher: Microsoft Studios; Developer: 4J Studios/Mojang)
May 10 | 1600 Microsoft Points |

The infinite possibilities in “Minecraft” just got bigger. “Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition” brings the global phenomenon to console gamers for the first time. The Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game features an innovative new crafting interface, natural controller movements, a full Tutorial mode to teach the basics and for the first time in “Minecraft,” split-screen multiplayer as well as over Xbox LIVE.

Zynga, the makers of Farmville and the annoying constant Facebook spam messages that appear on your news feed, has announced that it has acquired OMGPOP for an undisclosed sum. OMGPOP, if you didn’t know, are the creators of the Draw Something mobile game that has basically taken over the world.

And basically, the fact Draw Something became popular was one of the reasons why the deal was signed.

“The OMGPOP team has created a game that’s fun, expressive and engenders real social interaction,” Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder of Zynga said in a statement. “We’re honored to have the opportunity to partner with and support such an innovative team of creative inventors.”

OMGPOP will be part of its mobile games team, and its acquisition will most likely help build its stable of mobile apps so it can reduce its dependence on Facebook.

Image: Shaun Greiner/Flickr (Creative Commons)

The House of Representatives have passed the R18+ classification amendment for video games, meaning that the law reaches its final hurdle – passing the Senate. However, as seen by the support in the House, then it will most likely pass without any hitches.

All political parities – including the Coalition – voted in favour for the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Ammendment (R18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012 this evening, after the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs unanimously supported the bill. A Senate Committee is due to publish its report on Wednesday on whether it will also support the bill.

Currently, video game classification is limited to MA15+ – so anything above that automatically gets a “RC” rating, or Refused Classification. Any form of media, such as video games and DVDs, that receive that rating cannot be legally sold in Australia. Australia is the only country in the Western world that does not have an adults-only classification for video games, and the bill’s passage to law will rectify that.

If passed in the Senate, then Australians will have to wait until the start of 2013 for it to become active. It is unknown whether games previously banned will be released in Australia, such as Mortal Kombat and Syndicate – despite it already being passed.

The full bill can be found below.

Gaming retailer GAME could have its assets broken up as the company is reportedly trying to find buyers before it goes to administration – while publishers have decided that it will no longer stock several high-profile games to their UK and Irish stores.

It isn’t able to sell Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3, Mario Party 9 and Street Fighter X Tekken as publishers have now given up hoping the company could save itself. They have also pulled out over fears that they will not be able to reclaim stock if it files for bankruptcy – a big loss in confidence in the largest gaming retailer in the UK.

And now, reports are swirling saying that it could have as little as two weeks to live and could potentially be worthless. It’s shares have lost as much as 95% of its year-on-year value.

But who is looking to buy GAME? MCV and UK’s The Independent have pointed out that US-giant GameStop (owners of EB Games here) is interested. But The Independent has claimed GameStop is looking to buy all, or some, of its operations in Spain and Portugal.

The Financial Times, on the other hand, is claiming two more potential buyers – Hilco and OpCapita. Hilco is reportedly interested in its international assets – including its Spanish and Portugal stores – while OpCapita is more fixed on buying its UK assets. OpCapita is more famous in the UK after buying an electronics retailer for just £2.

Game’s sad demise will reverberate as more and more games are heading digital and avoiding the physical store. It was just too large to compete in a digital era. Mobile gaming has been rising, with the help of the iOS App Store and Sony’s efforts with its PlayStation brand on Android. Then we have Origin and Steam, who make it possible to download games on PC and Mac. Consoles, not so much.

But they are slowly getting there – you can buy games via Xbox 360′s Games on Demand service, but most of titles are old releases and newer titles are released a few months after their physical release.

Music experienced this already, with a fundamental shift from releasing singles to releasing a track on iTunes to purchase. Games, on the other hand, don’t require such a fundamental shift since its already there, and they are still making money from physical copies. The better question is, when are they going to go digital only?

THQ and Microsoft have released new screenshots of the upcoming game Darksiders II. A sequel to the 2010′s Darksiders game, the player will take control of another legendary Four Horsemen – Horseman Death. The game will be released in the United States on June 26, with an Australian release sometime after. Gallery is after the jump.