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Foxconn offers additional 66 percent raise, pending mysterious performance review
Though working conditions at Hon Hai Precision Industry may or may not have improved since Foxconn CEO Terry Gou showed off the pool, pay most certainly has. Where workers once made 900 yuan (about $132) per month, Reuters reports that should workers pass a three-month review, they could pull in 2,000 yuan ($293) in the same period. However, Foxconn's not saying what would qualify an individual for the review. Even should they not pass, wages will be 30 percent higher than before the company's labor scandals were brought to light, and before a string of twelve laborers reportedly committed suicide.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Questions versus answers, no holds barred!
We interrupt your regularly-scheduled guide to playing a spider for a number of questions and answers, and possibly several comic book sound effects! (Okay, it's not exactly "interrupting" anything when I said that it would be here this week, but humor me.) As usual, the community has taken the opportunity to ask me a number of City of Heroes questions, and I have used my magical time-looker-forward tube to find the vast majority of the answers. So with that having been said, let's get into the down and dirty, shall we? Superfan asked: "Massively suspects the game has only 40,000 active subscibers right now?" No, the quick math done by one Massively writer suggested it as a possible figure, based on some generous margins and assuming everyone's subscription is on a one-month-recurring basis as opposed to the plethora of other subscription pricing plans available. The goal was to create a vague idea of how many subscribers on an active basis the game might have at the moment, since we no longer get actual subscription numbers for the game.
Foxconn raising wages, relocating 20 percent of Shenzhen workers closer to home (updated)
After a string of highly localized suicides at Foxconn's manufacturing campus captured the world's attention -- again -- the company has decided to increase worker wages by about 20 percent. Foxconn says that the pay raise had been planned for some time but did not say when it would be implemented. Mind you, a 20% bump in the third quarter is not unusual as Foxconn ramps up production for the holidays. In fact, Foxconn has given raises by as much as 50% in the past according to Vincent Chen, analyst at Yuanta Securities in Taipei. At the moment, Foxconn entry-level line workers are paid 900 yuan (about $131.80) per month -- remuneration that exceeds the local minimum wage in the area. And that's before bonuses and that oh-so tempting overtime pay are factored in. It's also worth noting that Foxconn is said by a factory worker surnamed Wang, to pay 100,000 yuan (about 10 times a worker's annual base salary) to families of suicide victims -- a sum he says has tempted some to their death. Update: CEO Terry Guo is being quoted as saying that Foxconn plans to relocate some facilities and about a fifth of its Shenzhen workforce (that's about 80,000 people based on the 400k estimates tossed around) to western parts of China so that the workers can be closer to their families. Meanwhile, Sony, Nokia, and Nintendo, all Foxconn customers, have joined Apple, Dell, and HP in expressing their public concern over the working conditions in Foxconn.
Pre-order Blur on Steam, get Geometry Wars Retro Evolved free
From what we've heard from folks who got in on the game's multiplayer beta, Bizarre Creations' Blur has some surprisingly potent addictive properties. That's why we find this Steam deal so unashamedly sinister: If you pre-order the PC version of the racing title on the popular digital distribution platform, you'll get an equally (if not more) addictive game for free: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Blur goes on sale this Tuesday, so if you're hoping to grab Bizarre's twin-stick time sink at no charge, you should probably pre-order the game ASAP. [Via Big Download]
Fantasy Earth Zero celebrates launch with special events
It's launch day for Fantasy Earth Zero, the PvP-oriented free-to-play game from Gamepot USA and Square-Enix. The official launch alone would be enough reason for fans to be excited, but there's better yet to come, as the game is running several events to celebrate. The most obvious one is a week of boosted experience and money -- from today until the 25th of May, all players will receive a bonus 50% to both experience and Rings gained. It helps ensure that your time spent leveling now will be on the faster side, allowing players to dive into the high end of the game even faster. Players are also being given five free enchantments to help boost their prowess in battle within the same timeframe. If all that weren't enough, Mission Maps will be updating at a higher clip during the week after launch -- the Mission Maps exist as an alternative to spending money in the cash shop, which makes a higher turnaround help speed up progress further. All players who took part in the second open beta will also receive a New Soldier Set as a present, containing potions as well as an experience-boosting ring. Take a look at our gallery below for some special launch-day screenshots, and if you're curious, take a closer look at Fantasy Earth Zero itself. %Gallery-93240%
LEGO Universe pre-orders coming soon
With the closed beta humming along very well, the team at NetDevil have finally given us a pre-order date for the upcoming family-friendly MMO of awesome, LEGO Universe! For those who want to jump on and get your orders in, you'll be able to do so starting this Friday, May 14th. While there's currently no information on pricing available, we do know it will be on a monthly subscription model. Of course, for LEGO maniacs, this is a no-brainer. Not only will everyone who pre-orders get to launch into this crazy fun MMO first, but they'll also be treated to a special limited-edition LEGO Universe astronaut to display proudly with their LEGO collections (or on their desks). There will also be an in-game code to unlock the accessories to match, so your character can flaunt their super-cool spaceman style. Players who are interested will want to point their browsers at the official LEGO online store on Friday to snap up a copy of the game when they go on sale. We'll let you know if we hear anything more on pricing.
Europeans get tutorial DVD with Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo really wants to make sure you know how to play Super Mario Galaxy 2, so in addition to the Cosmic Guide feature of the game (which will play for you past the hard parts, if you so choose), it'll also be releasing a bonus DVD in Europe with video tutorials of how to pull off some of the game's toughest tricks. We'll skip right over the irony of Nintendo releasing a bonus disc that can't be played on the Wii (since it's just a standard DVD), and tell you that we've contacted Nintendo of America to see if those of us in the States will have this same option. In the meantime, you might want to grab a copy of the first Galaxy and start practicing, because with all of this extra help that Nintendo is offering, SMG2 must be really, really hard.
Splinter Cell: Conviction's digital bonuses available for download
Ubisoft's chosen method for distributing the bonus materials in the Splinter Cell: Conviction collector's edition, didn't work out due to defective USB drives. Therefore, rather than hiding the bonuses inside a stealthy card-shaped disk, Ubisoft is taking the direct approach, allowing you to just download them yourself. Which means that those of you who bought the more expensive version saved $10 for the trouble of having to wait just a few days. Best of all, you don't even have to have the collector's edition to take part in this offer! Just click here. Now you're downloading screenshots, concept art, making-of video, and more! You're a collector! [Thanks, MLC!]
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands pre-order freebies detailed by Ubisoft
Ubisoft has announced a fairly comprehensive roundup of the free junk you'll get from pre-ordering Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands from various American retailers. We say "fairly comprehensive" because only the bonuses associated with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game have been covered. Pre-ordering Forgotten Sands from GameStop will earn you the previously revealed "Forgotten Arena" gameplay mode. An Amazon pre-order will be $5 off and come with a free Prince of Persia mobile game. And Best Buy pre-orders will include a downloadable "SandWraith" character skin based on the Prince's transformation in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Ubisoft appears to have mistimed its jump with this announcement, however, as these offers have yet to appear on the Amazon or Best Buy product pages. Luckily, the company has possession of the Dagger of Time. Any second now ... %Gallery-90434%
Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide
That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way. As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, "unique" visuals and more "exclusive archival material." Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks. Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free. %Gallery-87997%
PS3 Final Fantasy XIII includes 'XIV' bonus item, chance for beta access
Last night, during the -- super awkward -- Final Fantasy XIII launch party in San Fransisco, Sony's Rob Dyer took a big shot across the bow of any Microsoft representatives in the audience by promising a pending announcement of exclusive content for the PS3 version of the game. Today, on PlayStation Blog, Dyer revealed that the PS3 version includes a "secret in-game item" for Final Fantasy XIV -- a similar, or perhaps the same promotion offered in Japan. Additionally, PS3 players can enter for a chance to beta test Final Fantasy XIV, which has only been announced for PS3 and PC. The in-game item might be interesting (baby chocobo vanity pet, please), but we're not really enthralled by a "potential opportunity" to get in on the beta. A potential opportunity? So there's a chance that there's a chance we'll be able to get into the beta? Well that's slightly better than no chance of a chance, we suppose.
BioShock 2 special edition posters have hidden messages
[BioshockFan52] Those of us who have played BioShock 2 likely don't see anything out of the ordinary in the above image. Almost all of Rapture's propoganda has been smeared by Sophia Lamb and her followers in-game, so it only makes sense that 2K would do as much with the game's real world promotional items. And according to this thread on the 2K Games site, a black light is all you need to unlock this "hidden" feature in those neat posters you got with your Special Edition. The forums users in the thread aren't yanking The Great Chain here, folks. Our sister site Big Download confirms the Easter egg in its Special Edition poster, as well -- there's even a gallery showing off all of the hidden messages to be found. Remember: a man chooses to display his BioShock 2 posters under a black light, a parasite complains about the increased electric bill. [Thanks, Alex]
Lost Planet 2's Wesker no longer a GameStop exclusive
You knew about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but now you can add "shooting bugs with Albert Wesker's giant handgun" to the list of inalienable rights. Capcom has just announced that, due to fan upheaval, Wesker as a playable character in Lost Planet 2 will be a bonus for everyone who buys the game, rather than for just those that pre-order at GameStop, as was previously announced. It's not as if early birds are out of luck though. Pre-ordering at GameStop will now net you two multiplayer maps, "Helix" and "Back to the Island." The update from Capcom doesn't say as much, but we'd assume these maps will also be available for purchase as DLC, either on release day or soon after. %Gallery-78382%
Prince of Persia SNES included with The Forgotten Sands on Wii
Which Prince of Persia game features "superb graphic detail and incredibly fluid animation" and "more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans"? If you answered, "Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands," you'd ... well, you'd probably be right. But that text first appeared on the SNES box of 1992's Prince of Persia, an enhanced port of Jordan Mechner's original vizier vanquish-'em-up. Nintendo announced at its San Francisco media event today that the SNES game will be included in the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which is slated for release on May 18. Earlier this month, rumors suggested that Prince of Persia Classic -- a direct remake of the original game, initially released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network -- would be included in The Forgotten Sands. Instead, Wii owners get classic Prince of Persia exclusively. Don't fret too much about the platforms, though. You're probably in for more thrills than a saber duel with a thousand sultans no matter what. %Gallery-85713%
GameStop handing out giant Kratos poster with God of War III pre-order
Do your living quarters need more art installations featuring massive, ashen dudes wielding massive, angry blades? You're in luck -- a recent PlayStation.Blog post has revealed that folks who pre-order God of War III at GameStop will not only gain access to an exclusive "Phantom of Chaos" in-game costume, they'll also snag a 17 x 24 poster of Kratos, signed by the game's concept artist, Andy Park. To catch a glimpse of the poster, check out the full scan after the jump. It's going to look a lot like that, only without the words "FOR DISPLAY ONLY" plastered proudly across its midsection. (We hope!)
Yakuza 3 pitched with pre-order DLC
If you're willing to commit to purchasing Yakuza 3 next month, despite the fact that your pre-order bill already includes God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII, you'll be rewarded with extra content. In North America, a pre-order comes with four DLC bonuses, including a "Battle for Survival" boss-rush mode, two tournament modes and a "Haruka's Request" set of missions. Pre-ordering from GameStop will add an additional Challenge Pack, containing alternate costumes and two-player pool, bowling, darts, and golf minigames. In Europe, the Challenge Pack is the lone pre-order bonus, as Yakuza 3 will be released in "Premium Edition" format, which includes the other DLC mentioned above, a 31-track soundtrack and a "Yakuza Who's Who" guide to the characters -- useful for distinguishing the good gangsters from the bad gangsters!
Red Dead Redemption pre-order bonuses announced
Red Dead Redemption's many, many pre-order bonuses are now detailed on the game's official website, and we can't imagine anyone will be prepared for the barrage of options listed when you click that link. No less than eight different pre-order bonuses, split between ten different US and UK retailers have been dreamed up by marketing. In typical Rockstar fashion, the practice of "exclusive" bonus content has become excessive bonus content. Among the options listed are the "Golden Guns Weapon Pack" (more "Fame" per kill), from Amazon, which also comes with a $10 Amazon gift card; the "War Horse," a steed that Rockstar claims can't be bested by any other horse in the game, only available from Best Buy and HMV; and the "Deadly Assassin Outfit" from UK retailer Game (and maybe GameStop, if the getup wins the vote -- uh-huh, there's a pre-order vote). So yeah, we're going with the Amazon option, too. %Gallery-43816%
Just Cause 2 pre-order bonuses revealed in latest trailer
Listen, we're pretty sure we're only going to need two things to complete our first playthrough of Just Cause 2: A hookshot and an arm on which to attach it. Still, we admit that the bonus equipment that the game's pre-orderers will have access to looks pretty intriguing: A skull-emblazoned parachute? An outrageously powerful handgun? A hovering deathtank? Yes, please. (Check out the trailer above to see these bonuses in action.) Even if you're vehemently opposed to pre-ordering a game, you need to watch this trailer, if only for the last 20 seconds. It's a real -- wait for it -- drag. %Gallery-65577%
Bad Company 2 Limited Edition pre-order available (with bonuses!)
Finally, EA understands what it is we want out of our limited edition game bundles. Some extremely loseable keychains? Nope. A cat head-sized helmet which is awesome for roughly 23 minutes, then an eyesore shortly thereafter? Nope. In-game weapons and equipment which are useful as all-get-out, which also have the benefit of not taking up space in our real-life humble abodes? Ahh, now that's the ticket. That's exactly what the limited edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- which is now available to pre-order through Steam -- is bringing to the table. The bundle includes six pieces of equipment, ranging from improved armor on the player's vehicles, to a magnetic dart gun which helps the player track targets. We've contacted DICE to find out if these bonuses will be available during the game's multiplayer portion. We'd hate to have a repeat of the original Bad Company's boycott shenanigans. Update: The pre-order offer is also available from Direct2Drive!
'Heavy Rain Chronicles' DLC, Collector's Edition announced
Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain just got heavier, both in content and in physical package size. Sony has detailed the first of the DLC releases that we confirmed earlier this week, called Heavy Rain Chronicles. The first DLC episode is an expanded version of the "bonus" taxidermist scene shown in 2008 and will be available "after the launch of Heavy Rain early next year" for an unannounced price. More downloadable episodes will be revealed later. Sony Europe has also announced a Collector's Edition of the game (for Europe), which will include access to the expanded Taxidermist episode day-and-date with the retail release. The limited-edition box will include the DLC episode, along with a downloadable soundtrack and XMB theme, plus a cool "rain-effect" slipcase (pictured above). Sony didn't note a date for the Collector's Edition, so we'll just stick to our best guess: February 26. [Update: official release dates.] While there's no announcement about a Collector's Edition for North America, according to PlayStation Blog, if you pre-order the standard edition, you will gain early access to the first "Chronicle" (or DLC episode). As in Europe, the DLC will be available for non-pre-orderers at an unspecified post-launch date, though the North American episodes have been priced at $4.99 each. %Gallery-80291% Source – Introducing Heavy Rain Chronicles + The Special Edition Box [PlayStation.Blog.Europe] Source – Pre-order Heavy Rain and Get The Heavy Rain Chronicles [PlayStation.Blog]
