Tagged: uk
Wii U price cut AGAIN by UK retailer
Highlighting what seems to be a major problem for Nintendo, UK supermarket Asda has cut the price of the Wii U for the second time in two months. Asda is a subsidiary of retail giant Walmart.
Asda, which has stores all over UK, is now selling the basic model of the console for £149; the premium pack is being sold for £199. This comes down from the previously reduced prices of £199 and £249. Interestingly, the device launched in November 2012 for £249 for the basic model, plus £50 more for the premium pack.
Nintendo appears to be having problems shifting the Wii U to customers since they believe that the device isn’t powerful enough. While it’s true that Wii U is faster than PS3 and Xbox 360, it remains to be seen how it’ll compare to PS4 and whatever Microsoft decides to name their new Xbox.
East London gets a Soul Calibur makeover
A video of Shoreditch, London being given a Soul Calibur V-themed makeover was released today. Namco hired Jim Rockwell to create a graffiti mural in East London to celebrate the game’s release. The following time-lapse video shows off the entire process.
The game is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 tomorrow in the US and Friday in the UK.
UK games prices to rise thanks to government
Bad news for gamers in the UK – games prices are going to rise in the coming year! This is due to the government increasing the VAT an extra 2.5 percentage points on all retail items, which includes videogames.
Games retailers are in a dilemma as they are reluctant to raise the price of games above the now-standard £39.99 price point. They fear that there will be a consumer outcry if the price is raised.
So, what are they going to do? Nothing’s decided as of yet, but if the retailers are a saint they will be absorbing the extra cost. Otherwise, games prices are going to rise in the land of the Queen.
Nintendo Increasing Wii Price in UK
Seeing as how the British Pound is facing severe depreciation, Nintendo has announced that it will begin charging UK retailers 18-20 GBP more for each Wii unit.
"The price that they then offer to consumers is, of course, up to the retailers," said the company. "This is a problem brought about by extreme currency fluctuations that are a symptom of the global economic situation."
The Wii currently sells for 179.99 GBP in the UK. Nintendo additionally warned that upcoming Wii and DS software may also see price increases at the trade level, though it does not expect increases for DS and DSi hardware.
BBFC Appeals Against Manhunt 2
It appears that the BBFC does NOT want Manhunt 2 to be released in the UK. The ratings board has applied for a judicial review of the recent VAC decision that allowed the game to be classified. Here’s the deal:
The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgement because in the Board’s view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgement, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board’s decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence. If the VAC’s decision is suspended, then the game will not be classified before the outcome of the Judicial Review.
British PM Turns to Democracy for Help
Apparently, Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, resorts to Democracy to make sure he’s making the right decisions. Or at least that’s what Ascaron, the game’s publisher, wants us to believe anyway.
The game is due out February 2008 and lets players take on the role of a country’s leader, running the country and choosing between policies to maintain the majority vote.
With mounting pressure from the back benchers to review unpopular policy, the PM needs to carefully assess political strategy to gain the largest share of the vote to stay in power. But you won’t be able to keep everyone happy all of the time, so tread cautiously as popular policy may not be in the best interests of the country.
With an unpopular war being waged in the East and financial meltdown coming from the sub prime markets in the West, the UK government needs to take a firm and steady stance to appeal to the mass vote and win through. Tough political decisions lie ahead…
Do you withdraw British troops from Iraq to gain approval from the masses back home but expose the world to the increasing threat of terrorism? Do you maintain the unpopular increase in interest rates to safe guard from recession or opt for the more popular cut in interest rates and risk increasing the level of consumer debt in the UK? Winter bird flu is back on the agenda – do health services need a boost?
Manhunt 2 Could be Released in UK Due to Loophole
Legal loopholes may allow the release of Manhunt 2 in the UK, where it has been denied classification twice now. According to MCV, the game could be released as a digital download without needing any BBFC rating, as the Video Recordings Act does not cover mediums of delivery like the Internet.
Neither Take-Two nor Rockstar have commented on the matter. The game has been re-rated M in North America and will be released in the region on October 31 for PS2, PSP and Wii.
Gamecock Hitting UK
Austin-based Gamecock plans on opening a new office in the UK. “It’s mostly about us trying to give our developers the best deal we can across the PAL territories too,” said company CEO Mike Wilson to Next-Gen. “When doing a co-publishing deal, it’s really hard to do that.”
The second office will make the company an international publisher and offer its enterprise of developers the opportunity to reach out to European gamers.
Rockstar To Appeal BBFC Rejection
Following up on the BBFC rejection, EuroGamer reports that Rockstar is appealing to the British ratings board and that they find the refusal “unacceptable”.
Apparently, the version they submitted is the same as the M-rated Manhunt 2 that will be released in North America on October 29. “We are continuing to appeal the British Board of Film Classification’s decision to deny the edited version of Manhunt 2 an 18-plus certificate and thereby ban its release in the United Kingdom,” the company said. “The changes necessary in order to publish the game in Britain are unacceptable to us and represent a setback for videogames.”
Revised Manhunt 2 Rejected by BBFC
The BBFC issued a statement announcing that they have rejected a revised version of Manhunt 2 that was submitted for approval from the ratings board. This follows the rejection of the original version which was last submitted in June.
Apparently, the changes weren’t enough. Says David Cooke, director of the BBFC: “We recognise that the distributor has made changes to the game, but we do not consider that these go far enough to address our concerns about the original version. The impact of the revisions on the bleakness and callousness of tone, or the essential nature of the gameplay, is clearly insufficient. There has been a reduction in the visual detail in some of the ‘execution kills’, but in others they retain their original visceral and casually sadistic nature.”
He also states that further changes were suggested to Rockstar for getting approval. As it stands, they have refused to change any more of the game, resulting in the rejection of the game from the board.
BDGamers 