174w ago - Today VidZone's Head of Production Ben Creasey has announced that both Sony and VidZone wish to extend greetings of a Happy Australia Day to PS3 fans.

To quote: Australia has a day? Who would have thought? Nah, I'm joking... I knew that. Well we couldn't let this one slip by without contributing something to the party.

Now what do you think we could give to the Australian people to help them celebrate? Alcohol? Nope, BBQ food? fraid not. Party hats? don't be stupid!... Not got it yet... A PLAYLIST OF COURSE!!!

We have videos from everyone that is anyone in the Australian music scene. From Pendulum to Powderfinger, Hilltop Hoods to Hunters and Collectors.

This one is only available to Australian VidZone users (for obvious reasons) and will be available on Monday 25th of January which I know is a day early, but it gives you a day to check out the videos before the main event.

Hope you all have a "Bonza" day (sorry I had to put one in...) Let me know how it went!

191w ago - Earlier today we reported news of an upcoming Final Fantasy 13 PS3 Bundle that was announced at TGS 2009.

Now Sony has sent out two Press Releases (first is linked above) confirming a FIFA 10 and Need for Speed Shift 250GB PS3 bundle for Europe (and South Africa, at R4400), and also another confirming a SingStar Motown, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time and EyePet PS3 250GB bundles.

For those interested, the Press Releases are available below as well:

Press Release (EU): Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announces Bundles for PlayStation 3 with 250GB Hard Disk Drive

24/09/2009 10:17 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced a line-up of PlayStation®3 (PS3™) bundles for the holiday season, consisting of a PS3 with a 250GB hard disc drive (HDD) and one of a selection of software and content, including FIFA 10 and Need for Speed™ Shift. The bundles will be available throughout retail in Europe October 2009

Following the great success of the new, smaller, 120GB PS3, which sold over 1m units worldwide in its first three...

192w ago - While the Australian government dawdles on changes to the country's classification guidelines, games continue to be "refused classification" on the grounds they exceed the maximum rating of MA15+. The latest game on the chopping block? Left 4 Dead 2.

Yup, Valve's Zombie shooter has been refused classification, which means it can't be made commercially available in the country. Not quite the same as a banning, but it has the same effect.

To quote: We've contacted Valve for comment, and will update when/if we hear back. Previous games to have suffered this fate usually receive an MA15+ rating later down the line after edits have been made to the offending content.

Here's why it was "refused classification":

• The game contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play.

• It notes that this violence is "inflicted upon 'the Infected' who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently."

• The report singles out the use of melee weapons as those that "inflict the most damage" and cause "copious amounts of blood spray and splatter (sic), decapitations and limb dismemberment......

218w ago - The secretive Internet filter blacklist held by the communications watchdog ACMA has been leaked, revealing the government has understated the amount of banned Web pages by more than 1000.

Multiple legitimate businesses and Web sites have been banned including two bus companies, online poker sites, multiple Wikipedia entries, Google and Yahoo group pages, a dental surgery and a tour operator.

Betfair CEO Andrew Twaits was furious the government has potentially annexed tens of millions of dollars in revenue after its Betfair.com gambling site was blacklisted.

The blacklists were reportedly leaked by a Web filter operator to wikileaks which has published the full list of banned URLs.

Outraged privacy advocates say the government has effectively lied about the amount of URLs included in the blacklists, totalling more than 2300, and the type of content which it would ban.

Electronic Frontiers Association (EFA) spokesman Geordie Guy said the list, dated August last year, would now be far more extensive in both the amount of URLs banned and the type of content included.

"The list is quite a bit bigger than what we have been led to believe; we were told it contained about 1600 pages in its current incarnation, and ACMA reports have claimed as low...

239w ago - Just before the holiday season, Nintendo of Australia is cracking down on NDS gaming pirates.

The hand-held Nintendo DS is expected to be one of the biggest-selling toys this Christmas, with company officials predicting sales of 750,000 by the end of the year.

But with legitimate game cards costing up to $70, there are reports of a boom in parents buying pirated gaming software that allows users to play games that have been illegally downloaded from the Internet.

Greg Arthurton, director of marketing at Nintendo, said the company was taking steps to protect its intellectual property.

The company has sent cease and desist letters to backyard operators in Australia who are selling equipment that allows users to play pirated games.