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  Apple Consultants Network available NOW in Australia and New Zealand

As of today, Apple customers in Australia and New Zealand will have access to a group of local, independent experts that can help them make the most of their technology investment. 

The Apple Consultant Network (ACN) members are certified professionals who deliver technology advice, innovative ideas and expert implementation over the phone or in your home or business. Although not employed by Apple, each member company is staffed with technical personnel who hold the latest Apple Certifications.

Offering technology services that span the entire spectrum – from basic set-up and configuration for a home-user with a new Mac, to advanced enterprise solution deployments – you can search for members with the capabilities you want in the location you need.

Members of the ACN community in Australia and New Zealand today include:

• Computers Now, 
• Digistor, 
• gizmo, 
• Key Options Technology, 
• Kytec Group, 
• Renaissance Limited, 
• Winthrop Australia, and 
• XciteLogic

Further details on ACN can be found at https://consultants.apple.com.au/ or https://consultants.apple.co.nz/

Ace Attorney Series (Wii Ware)
The WiiWare™ version of Phoenix Wright™ Ace Attorney™: JUSTICE FOR ALL will be available for download on February 19, 2010 and it’ll cost 1,000 Wii Points™.

In Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: JUSTICE FOR ALL, Phoenix Wright has had six months of experience and five court victories under his belt. None of that will do him any good against the ruthless new D.A. in town though. Franziska von Karma wants revenge and she’s ready to take Phoenix down at any cost.

Each game in the series presents twisting storylines and intriguing gameplay with comical anime stylings. Players will collect evidence, search through inconsistent testimonies and overcome corrupt agendas to ensure that justice prevails! Present evidence with the wave of the Wii remote or press suspicious testimonies by wiggling it. These games can be played via single-player and will also have multiple save slots for you and your friends.

The first WiiWare™ version in the Ace Attorney series – Phoenix Wright™ Ace Attorney™ is available to download now.

We at Halfbrick are very happy to announce Age of Zombies – Rated T for TEEN – for the PSP and PS3 minis. We know what you are thinking – “Great, another %@&$in zombie game!”

We thought about that too. After years of research at the Halfbrick Researchalogical Datafiler Department, our team discovered a unique formula which determined that:

(Proximity of gamers to zombies + stupidness and stuff) x Headblast Ratio 7.4 = Increased ability to spend money.

There’s no denying it. Zombie games make money. No one has anything against a good zombie game really, it’s just that there’s a lot of them. So we needed to try something different. We didn’t want to kill zombies in the usual way. We didn’t want to survive a deadly undead army in the ruins of some scary-ass town. We wanted to travel through time and shoot zombie dinosaurs and mummies and junk. So, we created Age of Zombies!

To conduct field research, the development team actually journeyed back in time to experience what it meant to really blast zombie faces with guns while standing around the Pyramids and Japanese villages and such.

Mr. Morowitz, the game’s lead programmer, found the entire experience fascinating:“I particularly enjoyed the artwork of the Ancient Egyptians and their ability to persevere under extreme environmental circumstances.”

Creative consultant Anthony Hansen on his adventure: “I learned how to make moonshine in the 1930s.”

And lead artist Murry Lancashire: “I liked shooting cavemen.”

Truly an enlightening experience for the entire team! Upon returning to 2010, Halfbrick set about creating Age of Zombies, where the hero Barry Steakfries employs the use of time portals to stop the evil zombie scheme of Professor Brains. Using a huge pile of weapons and explosives, Steakfries is the real deal for blood-splattering needs.

And yay, the game was. Age of Zombies, releasing on PSP and PS3 minis for $4.99 on February 25^th. We hope, in the future, you do try it!

Debut trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5hsCfMs90s

 About Halfbrick

Halfbrick is a professional game development studio based in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 2001, it has developed popular titles for the Game Boy Advance, PSP, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, with expansion into XBLA, PS3 and iPhone development. For further information, please visit www.halfbrick.com and follow on Twitter, Youtube and Facebook!

You can find the ‘Freedom and Chaos’ trailer on the official website at www.JustCause.com.

ModNation Racers™ goes handheld on PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable)

• Mod your characters, create your own tracks, and race with your friends wherever you are and however you like – ModNation Racers is going portable!

SYDNEY, 8 February 2010: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) has announced that ModNation Racers™, the eagerly-awaited creative karting game arriving this year for PlayStation®3 (PS3™) will also be available on PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) – letting you mod, drive and race with your pals wherever and whenever you like. A new type of racing game that puts you in the driving seat and lets you run riot with your creativity, ModNation Racers is fast, easy, funky, stylish – and downright fun. The PSP version will have all of the features of the PS3 version, with players able to create and upload their own racetracks to share with kart-racing lovers around the world, and race with up to six people in PSP’s Ad Hoc mode or online.

ModNation Racers isn’t just a world of fast, furious and fun kart racing – it’s your own personal playground with your dream tracks and dream racers. You get to build it all with easy tools that allow you to create the stars, the cars, and the tracks to race them on. The only limit is your imagination! Here’s how you get started:

Step one: Make your Mod:

First, you get to create your own racer from thousands of different options. Choose a face, eyes and hair – will you have a rough and tough Mod to intimidate the opposition or a quirky character who’ll wreak havoc on the track with crazy manoeuvres? Once you’ve got the basics together, you can get really creative with clothes, helmets, jewellery, masks and whatever else you like.

Step two: Create your kart:

Repeat the above to create a killer kart for your Mod. You can make anything from a sleek, sporty number to an anarchic banger covered in graffiti – just express yourself.

Step three: Make tracks and have some fun!

Once again, you’re spoilt for choice. You can choose to take your Mod out to tackle the twists and turns of the game’s pre-made tracks or create your ultimate race track on your own. It’s so easy that you can make one in a few minutes – just drive your Mod around the blank backdrop (think of it as your canvas). Then choose the scenery around it or allow the game to fill trees, mountains, houses and all of the details spring into life behind you. When you’re done, you can race your own track, ‘remix’ it with new props, weapon pickups and obstacles, invite friends to race on it and even upload it to PlayStation®Network for the world to play.

There are also a host of the games pre-made mods, karts and tracks for you to race and enjoy or go online and download other creations created by other players to play. You can choose to race with friends or online opponents, or to hone your skills on your own. Look out for those traps, weapons and maniac drivers – it’s going to be a wild ride!

It’s more than a driving game – it’s a driving game that keeps on giving and lets you share your creative talent with everyone. Now, you’ll be able to take part on the move with PSP. So – do you fancy a race? ModNation Racers for PSP is arriving alongside the PS3 version this year.

HUNTER EDITION NEARLY SOLD OUT

Due to extremely high demand, there are only a small number of Hunter Editions still available to pre-order on 360, PS3 and PC. Hurry into your local specialist retailer to secure your copy before they are gone for good!.

The Hunter Edition includes prestige packaging, the Survivor Edition (Steelbook + exclusive maps), a replica mouldable Facehugger, Weyland logo badge and a 3D lenticular card.

NEW “MARINE” TRAILER

The new “Marine” trailer can be downloaded from here – http://basket.sega-press.com/PVZSegafad0cd158272948058722783847.zip

DEMO MATCHMAKING

Some users would have experienced some small problems with the AvP demo as it was launched last Friday. Rebellion have released the following statement about these issues:

Unprecedented demand for Aliens vs Predator following the release of the cross-platform demo yesterday morning brought to light matchmaking issues on the PC platform resulting in players having  to wait to join games, or even not find games at all.

We’re pleased to say later in the day the issue was corrected and a small patch to the PC executable next time you launch it from Steam will have you finding and playing games using Quick Match as it was intended.

While this issue did not affect the Xbox 360, we are with SEGA’s assistance investigating reports of a similar nature on the PlayStation 3 and working flat out on a solution.

The full game features the ability to browse for and create games but for the purposes of simplicity the demo was limited to matchmaking, alongside the ability to set up groups with friends which mitigated yesterday’s issues for many.

We’re really sorry that this issue tainted a day in which we saw many people get hands on with AvP for the first time and we’re hugely gratified by the positive feedback to the game.

BLAZBLUE iPhone App announced

The highly acclaimed 2D fighting game releases its own iPhone App!

Gold Coast: 5^th February 2010. All Interactive Entertainment (AIE) together with N3V Games are pleased to announce an iPhone application for BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger that is now FREE to download from the iPhone App Store. 

The iPhone App includes a monster content pack for all the BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger fans to enjoy including access to loads of Blazblue artwork, characters, competitions, moves, reviews, video and more! Plus the App gives you the chance to WIN your very own copy of the game.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is gearing up to release across Australia and New Zealand on PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360® platforms on 18 March 2010.

About BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
BlazBlue is a new experience in 2D weapons based fighting games making exceptional use of the power behind the Next Gen consoles and online gameplay networks. The game is created by Arc Works Systems, the Japanese developers behind the critically acclaimed, long running Guilty Gears fighting franchise which began in 1998.

BlazBlue has been hailed as the “game that every self-respecting console fighting fan should play”. It has already enjoyed huge success in Japan and critical acclaim in North America with most reviews rating the game 90% or higher, three giving it a perfect 100%!

Features:

-        For those new to the fighting action genre, the game has been specifically designed so that it’s easy to pick up at the beginning, with an ever increasing depth which introduces new and more demanding skills.

-        The game features an all-original goth-anime cast with intricately detailed hand drawn high-Definition character sprites. And they are a unique bunch indeed.

-        A Plethora of Defensive and Offensive Options at Your Disposal – Take advantage of Barriers, Counter Assaults, Rapid Cancels, Barrier Bursts, Ukemi Tactics and Distortion Drives to turn the tide of battle.

-        Drive your way to victory! Use the unique “Drive Attacks” specific to each character to decimate your opponent.

-        Console-Exclusive Content – Brand new music, animations, backgrounds, and a fully fleshed-out story mode have been made exclusively for the console release.

-        Online Battle – Train your skills online through ranked and player battles.

www.blazblue.com.au

GRAB YOUR BOARD—YOUR Wii BALANCE BOARD— AND GET READY FOR THE ULTIMATE BEACH PARTY! 

Sydney, Australia – February 5, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Vacation Isle: Beach Party, a new videogame designed to let families and friends compete in activities by land or sea in a lush vacation paradise.  Developed by FarSight Studios, creator of the highly successful Game Party series keeps the party going with Vacation Isle: Beach Party, available for Wii™ in June 2010.

In Vacation Isle: Beach Party, up to four players can compete in unique vacation-style games, ranging from wakeboarding to surfing and even fire dancing.  Players can engage in these exciting sports challenges and other activities using either the Wii Balance Board accessory or the Wii Remote™.

“Vacation Isle: Beach Party is a great escape with its family-friendly party games utilizing the Wii Balance Board,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Players of all ages and experience can surf, water ski and enjoy several activities of an exotic summer vacation in their living room.”

Along the way players will collect hundreds of Sand Dollars that can be used to purchase a wide variety of sports accessories and beach gear from the Surf Shack to uniquely personalize their Vacation Islander avatar.

Vacation Isle: Beach Party delivers fun player customization; a wide variety difficulty settings and a multitude of course options.  Catering to the young or young-at-heart, Vacation Isle: Beach Party is the perfect destination for everyone from the casual to the most competitive beachgoers right in the comfort of their home.

# # #

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

Fujitsu opens the New Year with an entire Fujitsu LifeBook suite refreshed with the latest next generation Intel® CoreTM Processor technology to bring power computing to whole new levels.  Customers will be spoilt for choice with the wide range of notebooks available; each is infused with versatility, performance, user-friendly features and undeniable style.

Sydney, Australia: 5 February, 2010 – Fujitsu PC Australia today unveils its refreshed range of LifeBook models, promising added power and confidence.  This diverse collection of notebooks, all equipped with the latest Intel® CoreTM Processor technology arrives in time to usher in the New Year. Realising the differing preferences and needs of today’s consumers, these versatile notebooks are perfectly tuned to be at your disposal.

“Besides producing products that feature great performance, Fujitsu strives to offer computing solutions that fully encompasses our consumers’ needs. Although these notebooks are all-rounders suited for the diverse needs of consumers, each one is unique since they present fresh options to consumers be it for leisure or work,” commented Mr. Ivan Chan, Country Director, Fujitsu PC Australia

FEATURED MODEL: FUJITSU LIFEBOOK T900
The successor of the Fujitsu LifeBook T5010, the sleek and trendy LifeBook T900 boasts the Dual digitiser and comes with all enhanced features to kick off the New Year. Featuring a wider screen and enhanced usability, the Fujitsu LifeBook T900 boasts superior performance capabilities which are ideal for professional use at the workplace.

Always at the forefront of the latest PC technology, Fujitsu has equipped the LifeBook T900 with the new Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor. Other new upgrades include the emphasis on the Intel® vProTM technology support, featuring the Intel® vPROTM Chipset, and the Intel® wireless module. Weighing slightly above 2kg, consumers seeking great Tablet PC performance will be pleased with the LifeBook T900’s versatility since it supports a 320GB SATA 5400rpm HDD and features better photo taking capabilities with a 2.0 Mega Pixel camera.

Product Summary
Vendor: Fujitsu PC Australia
Model:  LifeBook T900
RRP:  From A$2,699
Website: http://au.fujitsu.com/pc
Customer Care Hotline: 1800 288 283
Distributors:  Bluechip Infotech and Multimedia Technology
Availability: Now

UPCOMING MODELS:

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK AH550
The Fujitsu LifeBook AH550 is the ideal solution for consumers who are seeking a notebook with similar capabilities to a desktop. Featuring the Intel® CoreTM i5-520M processor, the LifeBook AH550 features HD graphics, adding a new dimension to home entertainment. This desktop alternative also comes equipped with a discrete graphics card, featuring an NVIDIA® VRAM 512MB card. Now consumers can blast away with the latest adrenaline pumping video games or lay back and watch a high resolution movie on the LifeBook AH550’s 15.6-inch HD display which showcases 1366 X 768 pixels with HDMI output. Akin to a desktop, the user-friendly Fujitsu LifeBook AH550 also comes with a 10-key Number Pad, a 320GB SATA 5400rpm HDD , a 2GB DDR3 1,066MHz RAM and dual bit OS for customer to choose between 32-bit or 64-bit upon initial set up.

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK SH760 & SH560
Powered by the Intel® CoreTM i7-620M processor and the Intel® CoreTM i5-520M/i3-330M processor respectively, the Fujitsu LifeBook SH760 and SH560 possess great security and expandability functions, and also display engineering excellence that has become synonymous with the Fujitsu brand. Showcasing style at its finest, the uniquely-designed notebooks’ glossy application panel is gorgeously juxtaposed with a silver lining, exuding a premium feel suited for today’s savvy consumers. Discerning customers whose priorities are weight and mobility will appreciate that the SH760 has a sleeker outlook with its thinner and lighter magnesium alloy chassis at 1.6kg , as compared to the SH650 which weighs 1.8kg.

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK S710
Ultra-portable and savvy, the LifeBook S710 features the latest Windows 7® Professional operating system and is highly-functional, since it is a multimedia desktop replacement powered by the latest Intel® CoreTM i5-520M processor. The Fujitsu LifeBook S710 is unpretentious and promises to appeal to the needs of today’s busy executives without unnecessary complications with its simple and minimalistic design which showcases great ergonomics. Catering to the increasing need to stay connected with the rest of the world, the S710 is equipped with a 14.1-inch Anti-Glare HD Back-Light LED display and Instant Visual communication tools such as a 1.3 Mega Pixel camera, as well as a dual built-in stereo microphone. With the LifeBook S710, instantaneous communication with friends, colleagues and business partners via popular instant messaging applications such as MSN, Skype and Yahoo messaging has never been made easier.
FUJITSU LIFEBOOK LH700
Every inch of the Fujitsu LifeBook LH700 screams premium style that will make its owner beam with pride. The LH700 features the Intel® CoreTM i3-330M processor and the NVIDIA GeForce 310M graphics with 512MB VRAM and a 14.1-inch SuperFine HD Back-Light LED wide screen.
 The exterior is beautifully custom-finished with high-gloss in either pink or white.  What’s more, it comes with the latest colour-themed keyboards – a pearl white keyboard for the white LH700 and pink keyboard for the pink version. The premium look is further accentuated by a classy chrome themed infinity logo, chrome-ringed touch panel and a chrome-hinge design.

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK LH530
Newly initiated or casual PC users will have an easy time with the LifeBook LH530 as it fulfills basic operation tasks while being easy on the pockets. Equipped with Windows 7 operating system and the latest Intel® CoreTM i3-330M processor, the LH530 gives even a novice user a huge uplift in personal productivity and competency.

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK E780
With the Intel® CoreTM i7-620M processor powered-LifeBook E780, movie watchers can now have the perfect movie companion as it comes with full HD compatibility with a resolution of 1920×1080 on a 15.6-inch SuperFine HD display.  Built like a highly secured fortress, the LifeBook E780 features an Anti-theft Lock slot that will physically lock the LifeBook E780 whenever the user is away from the keyboard, a Fingerprint Sensor, a Trusted Platform Module, and BIOS and HDD password activation that ensure protection of sensitive information. An added bonus of the E780 is the Fujitsu 3D Shock Sensor that protects the machine by retracting the HDD head once significant impact is detected.

Fujitsu remains firmly committed to the promotion of a cleaner environment and complies with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive (RoHS) across its entire range of products. In addition, Fujitsu has established a set of commitments that goes beyond RoHS requirements, thus allowing it to stay keenly focused on its customers’ health and well-being as well as to embrace a healthier environment for all. By adopting a green factory concept and being committed to the cause of energy-efficient computing, Fujitsu also fights to sustain the Earth as a sponsor and a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 175,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

Previously teased as Project Needlemouse, the first Sonic the Hedgehog™ title developed exclusively for download is confirmed!

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (5^th February, 2010) – SEGA^® Europe Ltd. and SEGA^® of America, Inc. today announced the first game developed specifically for the download market from the world’s fastest hedgehog.  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will be available via download on Microsoft XBLA, Sony PSN and Nintendo WiiWare, bringing with it the addictive classic 2D side scrolling action that Sonic fans have been waiting for. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I offers sublime 2D gameplay through beautifully rendered HD environments. Fans will be able to speed through each level with the classic Spin Dash move, and destroy enemies using the Homing Attack. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I sees the return of the much-loved special stages and takes players through a variety of different Zones, all inspired by the Mega Drive era.

Each level from Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I is separately selectable from the main menu, making it easy for players to replay their favorite sections as they wish. Long time fans will not be disappointed as they rejoin the action and face all new intense boss battles against everyone’s favourite villain – the ever devious and evil – Dr. Eggman!

“Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I is a return to the classic game style of the original Sonic games” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director SEGA Europe Ltd.  “It’s great to be able to offer fans of the Sonic series the type of game they have been asking for in a high definition experience.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will be available in the Australian Winter 2010 for XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare. For more information about Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I please visit http://www.condemnedgame.com/ www.sega.com and for assets please visit www.sega-press.com.