LittleBigPlanet PSP edition?

Yes apparently there's a cute rumor (we'd say vicious rumor, but it's really more cute than vicious) going around that a certain studio in Liverpool, England are working away on a PSP version of LittleBigPlanet for the PSP.

The PS3 version of LittleBigPlanet is due out later this year and this rumor brings up all manner of cool thoughts about just how the two games will interact with one another if this is true. It would be awesome to be able to take your PS3 created LittleBigPlanet character with you on the PSP, time will tell if this is the case, since no other details have emerged.

Euro RockBand pricing causes outrage

I almost imploded when I read the pricing structure on RockBand in the UK this morning. Gamers are furious over what they see to be definite price hiking by EA and Harmonix. Rob Kay of Harmonix has defended the position saying it's all down to VAT (a UK tax) and the general high price of games in the region.

Fair enough to a degree, but when you look at the figures they're awful nasty: RockBand complete in the US retails for around 85 UK pounds. The price it will cost you in the UK is 180 UK pounds, over double what US gamers are paying (US pricing $160 or so to the UK price of $355).

As for Aussie gamers, you'll have to wait and see. We'd lay a bet RockBand will launch here for $299 Aussie dollars (about $280 USD), at least that's what we're hoping. Chances are if it follows the massive pricing in the UK the RockBand price in Australia could be as insane as $350 ($325 USD / 165 UKP).

There's no Australian release date set for RockBand as of yet, but it finally launches in the UK May 23 for Xbox 360.

GTA IV 'softened' for Australia

Annoying, ridiculous and darn well frustrating!! Australia need to sort out there gaming classifications so they match the film classifications. Upcoming Rockstar release GTA IV has been censored in Australia in order for it to gain a 15+ certification in the ratings (because Australian games ratings presently have no 18+ like elsewhere).

GTA IV is not the first version of GTA to get cut, with GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas all suffering some form of cropping. Does this irritate the consumer, yes it does. As adults we should be able to play the same version of titles our fellow gamers across the pond are playing. We'll be importing it here at GirlGamers Australia and we imagine many other Aussie gamers will be doing the same thing, so as to experience the full game the developers worked on. Another recent title to get the censorship treatment here in Australia was No More Heroes for the Wii.

Puzzle Quest expansion named (XBLA)

D3Publisher recently held a competition to name the new XBLA Puzzle Quest expansion. The winner has been announced and the new expansion has landed the name: Revenge of the Plague Lord.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - Revenge of the Plague Lord includes new professions (Bard, Rogue, Warlock and Ranger), 50 new spells, 40 new items and even more monsters.

If you missed Puzzle Quest you can get it on XBLA, PSP, DS and Wii. It's a game that is loads of fun and extremely addictive. We can't wait for the new content to be released.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed new release dates

LucasArts has announced the new release date for upcoming Star Wars title Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The game unleashes here in Australia on 17 September! Other release dates include South East Asia - unsurprisingly the same as Australia, Europe 19 September and the US get it first (don't they usually) on 17 September.

Check out the official trailer below:

Will Wii Online Play Suck?

I'm kind of getting the feeling that Wii online play, when finally it's fully implemented properly is going to more than suck. Nintendo seem to be kind of skirting the issue a little, particularly with the upcoming release of Mario Kart Wii, which to the untrained ear, sounds like it perhaps couldn't handle online play and voice chat at the same time.

Nintendo fans seem to be suggesting this is because Nintendo are trying to protect young fans from verbal abuse, but that doesn't wash with me because if that's the case we'll never have full voice chat in games unless they're rated 18 (a rarity on Nintendo platforms) and as far as I'm aware Mario Kart Wii utilizes friend codes (annoying ones like on the DS), so it's not like you can play with random strangers anyway.

It doesn't sound good to me at all, I'm worried for Wii online play.

SEGA Bass Fishing in Aussie Stores

Where? It was supposed to be out last Thursday but all the stores I went into had no idea what happened to it (that's 4 different gaming outlets). One guy in GAME made an absolute ass of himself with his release date knowledge by stating SEGA Bass Fishing and House of the Dead 2&3 had been halted with no idea of a release date. Problem being I had just bought House of the Dead 2&3 in a different store moments earlier, so I pulled it out of the bag to show him and his response was "interesting".. that's what he said, then promptly ignored me like the conversation about SEGA Bass Fishing never happened.

Why do gaming stores sometimes lie rather than just telling you the delivery was delayed or whatever? Maybe this guy just didn't know. The guy in EB told me SEGA Bass Fishing would be out on the Friday... that being last Friday and it wasn't.

I'm hoping this Thursday coming so I can relive some Dreamcast fun. I think I'll try GameTraders as they seem to know what they're talking about at least. Shame it's so far away!