Australia

That's right

No, not Pokémon Conquest — the Australian Board of Classification (who we love) has rated Nintendo's feudal Pokémon crossover under its original Japanese title Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition. The rating appeared earlier today and seems to guarantee a PAL territories release for the next Pok

And 3D Classics: Kid Icarus

Europe, your maniacal grip on 3D Classics: Kid Icarus and those Mario 3DS consoles is loosening. Nintendo of Australia just opened up its very own It's a Me, Mario competition with near-identical rules to Europe's: register two 3DS games with Club Nintendo and you get a free code for Kid Icarus, with entrants over the age of ten also able to enter to win a Mario, Peach..

Ripe for the plucking?

The Australian Classification board has turned up a rating for Harvest Moon 3D: The Tale of Two Towns. The official rating calls the publisher "RISING STARS", though undoubtedly this refers to Rising Star Games, the publisher responsible for the Harvest Moon brand outside of America and Japan. As HM is Rising Star's biggest series it's highly likely it'll bring the..

Get to it!

Lucky 3DS Ambassadors in Australia and New Zealand: your GBA games are waiting for you right now. Vooks.net reports the games are available early for those living Down Under. Here's how to download your games: 1 — Enter the eShop from the 3DS Home Menu. It's the icon with the bag on it. 2 — Scroll to the far left and select...

Things are looking up

Mega Man X2 is set to hit the Japanese Virtual Console next month, and while we can only speculate on when or if the game will see release outside of Japan, the Australian Classifications Board has given gamers a glimmer of hope. The site has rated the game for release in Australia, giving it a PG certificate and hopefully sending it on its way towards the Wii's download..

Ask and thy shall receive

Australia's release delay woes have been well documented, but retailer EBGames is doing its best to take the sting out of it by selling Super Mario 3D Land early. While the game is down for an official release in Australia this Thursday, Vooks reports that branches of the retailer will sell the game as soon as it arrives in store: indeed, several stores have already sold..

Hide the bananas

The reconfigured Wii console continues to spread its roots around the world, with Australia due to receive the blue machine on 3rd November. Whereas Europe gets the new colour with Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Australian bundle comes with Donkey Kong Country Returns instead, and all for $198 AUS. It's...

Straight to the point

Oddball 3DS eShop download Picture Lives! has been rechristened Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! in Australia. The Australian Board of Classification gave the game a G for General rating, you'll be pleased to know. You can check out a Freakyf

Everybody's happy

The Wii-without-GameCube-bits — still marginally shorter than its official title, "newly reconfigured Wii" — is coming to Europe in various colourful bundles, and a black Mario pack in North America. Australian shoppers who fancy getting in on the Wii action will also get chance to buy the console in the coming months, Nintendo Australia has confirmed. The console..

Three out of four ain't bad

Hironobu Sakaguchi's The Last Story will make its way to Europe and Australia next year, as the Australian Classification Board has granted the game an M certificate. That of course leaves North America as the only major English-speaking territory not to be looking forward to the game next year, but there's always hope that could change. No release date yet for PAL..

Just Europe left

Brace yourself Australia: you're getting a new 3DS colour in three weeks. The Flame Red machine heads Down Under on 22nd September, retailing for $AU249.95. It follows the red console's North American launch on 9th September and its Japanese appearance back in July. Europe is still waiting information from Nintendo but it seems likely we'll hear soon. Of course, as soon as we hear..

Slowly spreading out

Australian outlets of EB Games have started stocking eShop cards for the 3DS, with Mario and Zelda-themed cards now available. As with Nintendo Points, you can use these new cards on the Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop or 3DS eShop, though the points can't be distributed between the three: you must put the full value into one of those three shops. We're still investigating the..

For 3DS, we mean

Nintendo of Australia has released its tool to help you discover if you're in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador programme or not. All you need to take the test is your 3DS serial number, located underneath the console itself. Type it into the special webpage and Nintendo will do the rest. Note that this does not register you in the free game promotion, only checks to see if you are..

Free games for everyone!

So we know about the European 3DS price drop and cheaper North American 3DS too, and now we have the next big piece in the puzzle: Australia. Nintendo of Australia announced the 3DS will drop to AU $249.95 from 12th August, down from $349.95. New Zealanders, your price will be NZ $343.99. As with the other territories, those who've already bought their machine and register..

Maybe elsewhere too

Kotaku Australia is reporting that Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D has been pushed back from its expected late 2011 release date to next year. It's worth pointing out that this is based on a comment from an Australian Konami representative, and the most recent release schedule for Europe and North America pegged the game for a 2011 release. However, Konami's current..

EB Games allegedly making the move tomorrow

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has gathered some negative attention lately when it was revealed that gamers will not be able to delete their save data, leading some to believe it's Capcom's method of deterring consumers from buying pre-owned copies. The third-person action shooter has an Australian retail release date of 30th June, but reports were in..

Dial M for Mature

The Dead or Alive: Dimensions ratings saga hit Australia recently, when the game was pulled from sale as the Classifications Board revoked the game's PG certificate. Now the game has been re-rated and is cartwheeling towards stores across the territory. The game's received an M rating, with the consumer advice reading: Content may change online.; Violence and sexualised gameplay..

Club Nintendo members get ready

Not to miss out on the soundtrack promotion for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, gamers down under will also be able to register the 3DS title and get their hands on that special CD. The remake of Link's classic Nintendo 64 adventure is scheduled for release in Australia and New Zealand on 30th June. Club Nintendo members who register their copy of the game..

Game knocked out

So far Dead or Alive: Dimensions hasn't had the best luck: the game was banned in Scandinavia in a child pornography furore, the game has now had its classification revoked in Australia, effectively banning it from sale. The Australian Classification Board removed the game's PG rating after media reports focusing on the game's photographic Figurine mode, in which you can inspect..

Music to your ears

While a golden sleeve and poster is an acceptable way to celebrate the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, what every gamer really wants is an actual ocarina. If you live in Australia — or intend to import from Down Under — your prayers have been answered. EBGames is offering a bonus

The highly anticipated RPG is headed down under

The OFLC, Australia's ratings classification board, has just rated Xenoblade Chronicles, awarding the title an M for fantasy violence. With this news, it's likely that an announcement of a North American release will be next, and you can rest assured that we'll keep our eyes peeled on the ESRB's new ratings list in case their evaluation pops up before..

Launch games confirmed too

Oh Australia: in all the excitement about the 3DS European and North American launches, with their special guests and exciting giveaways, somehow you got forgotten about. Don't worry though: we still love you, so here's the 3DS launch events you could be attending next Wednesday night. The official event kicks off next Wednesday night at Melbourne's EB Games store on..

Titles vaguely announced

We now know the North American 3DS launch games and the European 3DS launch games, leaving just Australia of the major English-speaking territories to receive its launch games. Nintendo has announced its own titles that'll be available with the machine on 31st March, and it's a disappointing sight – European and North...

Last again...

The launch date calendar for 3DS is now complete, with the announcement that gamers in Australia will be able to buy the console from March 31st for AUS$349, around £220 / $356 USD. The system will be available in Cosmos Black and Aqua Blue, but Nintendo of Australia has not yet announced the official launch line-up for day one. However, it will likely be similar to Europe's 3DS..