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Mortal Kombat – “Australian” Edition

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:05:34 +0000

Australia is no easy walk when it comes to games coming through the classification system, and many a good game have fallen foul to the R18-less environment.

The latest in the long list is the upcoming gore fighter Mortal Kombat, and the reason solely being that some of the fatalities contained that was “unsuitable for a minor to see or play” according to the National Classification Board.

RipTen Reader Andrew Burdusel took it to himself to create more ‘child’ friendly versions of the fatalities so that Mortal Kombat may rise and shine in this fair country… Well, fair if your game is kid friendly… Even if it should be MA15+ and out of the hands of children anyway.

Check out the new and improved Mortal Kombat below;

Do you think this version will get past the tough ratings board? Let us know in the comments below or tell me via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

Some of Andrew’s other work was featured on Kotaku (A Pictoral History of Australian’s in Video Games), so check it out and leave him a comment!

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 15

Bryce Wilson — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:18:53 +0000

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 15 is a busy busy show, but first and foremost what do you think of the new intro? We’ve replaced the traditional intro and instead opted to use a video-game related song, and that’s what we’re going to be doing weekly, so let us know your feedback in the comments below.

Episode 15 covers a number of latest news pieces including the announcement of the Gears of War 3 release date, the premiere gameplay trailer for Battlefield 3 and even the possible reveal of the Sony NGP models and prices. So click the play button and relax as we bring you some of the hottest news and discussion this side of the internet.

Don’t forget to answer our weekly question for your chance to win a Limited Edition Mafia II Artbook (Australia only). This weeks question is; “Will we see a GTA V announced at E3 2011?“.

All answers are read out during the show and the winner of the artbook will be announced at the same time by random.

Thanks to our podcast sponsors the Australian Cyber League. This weeks song was the Super Meat Boy v 2Pac mashup “Holla if Ya Meat Me” by Stuck in the Middle of Somewhere forum user ‘Tomato’.

Meet the Crew:

Bryce Wilson: Facebook – Twitter: @DrjftGaming.
Aaron Alexander: Facebook – Twitter: @iamaaronalex.
Shaun Hammond: Facebook – Twitter: @iisshaunhammond.

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 15
44 Minutes – 40MB

Click Here for Episode Notes.

Australian Cyber League 2011 – Melbourne Leg Announced

Bryce Wilson — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 09:14:44 +0000

RipTen Radio Down Under’s podcast sponsor the Australian Cyber League recently announced a bunch of details for the first stop in their 2011 national circuit.

The first stop in the 2011 national circuit is set to be Melbourne, with gamers from the country over converging in one spot to battle it out for huge cash prizes and bragging rights. Live in Australia and keen to attend? Well check the details out below.

Venue:

La Trobe University – Union Hall
Plenty Road
Bundoora, Melbourne
Victoria – 3086

The Melbourne leg has been locked in for the 9th and 10th of April. Further details are still to come including links to the registration pages, however Nick Vanzetti, the ACL owner and director, has confirmed that Halo: Reach, Call of Duty: Black Ops, FIFA 11 and Marvel v Capcom 3 will be the playable tournament games.

For those early birds who are intending on booking their flights and accommodation now, the best place to book is the Parkside Inn lcated only 5-10 minutes from the venue and a short 20 minute cab drive from Melbourne Airport.

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 3

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:24:53 +0000

Yes, it seemed like only yesterday that Episode 2 of RipTen Radio Down Under was released… Oh wait, shit, it was! Yes folks Episode 3 of the greatest show on earth has rolled off the production blocks and is here for you to hear. See what I did there?

Myself and Aaron Alexander are back for another entertaining slab of vocal beauty, with special guest Shaun Hammond. It’s also the first episode sponsored by Australian Cyber League, the premier console eSports league of Australia.

We discuss a number of things, including the announcement that Blizzard would be working on making a console adaptation of Diablo III, and we even got around to talking about Mau5craft. I mean Minecraft. Episode 3 is full of more life than an Australian shrimp barbie, and it’s just waiting for you to download it, or conveniently stream it below.

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 3
40 Minutes – 40MB

Xbox LIVE Australian FOXTEL Details Announced

Bryce Wilson — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:24:22 +0000

A recent post by Jinx, the Australian Xbox LIVE Community Manager has detailed a bunch of information on the now launched FOXTEL program on the Xbox 360. Customers will be able to stream FOXTEL directly through their Xbox 360, giving access to on-demand TV, movies and entertainment. The full FAQ is below;

I see FOXTEL in the Video Marketplace but it says “Coming Soon” and I can’t download it. Why?

We’ve obseerved a high demand for this service. In order to ensure a smooth user experience for those who have FOXTEL installed, we’re performing a gradual rollout of the service to all users across Australia. This may take a few days. Once your console has access to FOXTEL the text in the FOXTEL box will change and you will be able to download and launch the application.

Why don’t I get it now? Do you hate me?

If not already, then sometime this week. The rollout is determined automatically. We don’t hate you. We think you’re pretty cool, actually. In fact, we like you so much that we don’t want to give you a service that’s bogged down by hundreds of thousands of people dog-piling on it all at once. That would be worse than waiting and getting a smooth experience.

I live in an Austar area. Can I still get FOXTEL on my Xbox 360?

No, sorry. Due to content distribution agreements, FOXTEL can only be provided to users in FOXTEL-serviced areas.

How do you know I’m not in a FOXTEL area?

This is determined by the billing postcode when you sign up for your FOXTEL on Xbox 360 account. If you don’t live in a FOXTEL-serviced postcode you will not be eligible for this service.

How much does it cost?

The Get Started package is $19.50 and includes a bunch of great channels, like FOX8, Nickelodeon, FOX SPORTS News, MTV, and a ton more. There are additional packages available for Sports, Entertainment, and Movies so you can choose a programming set to meet your interests. Additional packages start from $10.

How much of my internet will this use?

We haven’t announced any unmetered plans for FOXTEL on Xbox 360, so before you install it and go crazy make sure your broadband internet can support your intended use. There are 3 different streaming qualities, and each will use a different amount of bandwidth. High quality streaming will use approximately 800mb/hr, medium quality will use approximately 540mb/hr, and low quality will use approximately 360mb/hr. Additionally, we recommend an internet connection speed of 1.5mbps for a smooth streaming experience.

Australia has recently seen some great improvements to most broadband plans so check yours. You may be due an upgrade in speed and/or bandwidth usage cap without it costing any more!

I’ll be checking this out, and posting back with my thoughts later on.

Australian Fallout: New Vegas Pre-Order Incentives

Bryce Wilson — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:18:02 +0000

On my adventures throughout the consumerist fun-fields, I stumbled across something quite interesting. It’s a poster detailing the Fallout: New Vegas Australian pre-order bonuses. The retailer displaying this is JB HiFi, a quite reliable and accurate retailer. Take a look at the image below and tell me what you think.

You get a “Mercenary Grenade Rifle” as well as “Lightweight Metal Armor”, and as a added bonus for pre-ordering you get three Super Stimpaks and three Doctors Bags.

Australian Fallout 3 Ban Lifted: Now with Less Psychedelics

Justin Arnold — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:51:10 +0000

The Australian government has reversed a ban on the forthcoming Fallout 3 due to gamer objections.

The Office of Film and Literature Classification originally had banned Fallout 3 due to its in-game drug use, rendering the game illegal for sale in Australia.

However, the game was resubmitted to the OFLC with changes in the game that allowed it to be reclassified to a MA +15 rating.

The ruling came as the game depicted the player receiving beneficial effects due to drug use, such as morphine, while in combat. The OFLC also cites the realistic depictions of drug paraphernalia led to its ban.

Australia, whose videogame rating system boarders on the antiquated, has similarly banned other games that conflict with their classification system such as Shellshock 2: Blood Trails and Dark Sector.

Dark Sector was modified and according to the OFLC will be released for mass market in the near future.

Source: gamespot.com

GTA IV Rated by Australian Classification Board – Not 18+

Patrick Steen — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:44:29 +0000

So Grand Theft Auto IV has now been rated by the Australian Classification Board. It is not as mature as we might have expected, but this is a good thing for Australia.

The game has been rated a 15+. That is, no-one under the age of 15 can play the game without adult supervision. The game is said to include strong violence, strong coarse language, drug and sexual references.

Expected a higher rating? I mean this is the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto. It’s also set in a faux New York, and has more realistic characters. However, if a game is rated higher than 15+ in Oz, then the game cannot be sold. The game would be banned.

This was the case with Grand Theft Auto III; pulled off of Australian shelves for three months. Moreover, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas were edited especially for Australia audiences.

So can we expect a tamer GTA experience? We don’t think so. Rockstar have just been conscious of the ratings boards, especially after the Manhunt 2 debacle.

Does this mean the game is now finished? Not necessarily. Often developers provide unfinished games to be rated, or even provide a “mix tape” of the typical content way before the end of development.

Via Neogaf