The Queensland Government has passed complimentary legislation allowing R18+ rated games to be legally sold in Queensland. The changes to the legislation were enacted at a federal level in January and were passed by all other states and territories at the same time. The delay means that Queensland was officially the last western territory to create an adult rating for video games. The first R18+ rated game expected to hit the shelves will be God of War: Ascension for the PS3.
A lawsuit filed against Activision by Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose has been thrown out of court. Rose filed the claim in 2010, stating that he licensed the song “Welcome To The Jungle” to Activision for use in the game Guitar Hero 3 on the condition that the game did not feature former Guns N Roses guitarist Slash, or his new band Velvet Revolver. When Guitar Hero 3 was released, not only was Slash in the game, he also appeared on the cover, and the soundtrack contained three Velvet Revolver songs. The judge dismissed the lawsuit because it was filed too late, almost three years after the release of the game.
Rayman Legends has been delayed for a second time. Originally slated to be a launch title for Nintendo’s Wii U late last year, the game was previously delayed until April but has now been pushed back again and is set for release in September this year. First announced as a Wii U exclusive, it’s been revealed that the cause for the delay is so that the game can be simultaneously released for the Wii U, the XBox 360 and the PS3.
Ron Gilbert, the creator of Monkey Island, will open the first ever Australian Penny Arcade Expo in July this year. Gilbert will deliver a keynote address on the first morning of the expo, which is commonly known as PAX and is being held in Melbourne. This year will mark the first time that PAX has been held outside of the United States.
Journey, the acclaimed PS3 exclusive, missed out on a Grammy award. It was nominated in the category of Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media but lost out to the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Journey is the only game to have ever received a Grammy nomination.
Candi’s Quickies:
Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hour films and X-Men 3, has signed on to produce a television series based on Farmville.
Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka, founders of Bioware (responsible for Dragon Age and Mass Effect) are set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers awards next month.
A Youtube app for the PS3 has been released in Europe and Australia. The app will allow users to view their subscriptions and control the app using a smartphone or tablet.