And from Playhouse Disney the delightful Handy Manny: A Very Handy Holiday!

Available on Disney DVD from 3 November 2010!

Tis’ the season to be jolly and nothing will make you laugh harder than Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas, released to Disney DVD 3 November 2010! Brand new to the Disney DVD collection, this hilarious and quirky animated series is a one-of-a-kind holiday adventure filled with magical fun, extreme adventure and festive flare guaranteed to make the whole family smile.

When evil scientist Dr Heinz Doofenshmirtz threatens to cancel Christmas by telling Santa that everyone in the wacky suburban town of Danville is naughty and not nice, it’s up to step-brothers Phineas and Ferb to set things straight and restore Christmas cheer! With the help of their trusty pet platypus Perry, who doubles as “Agent P”, a secret operative working for the OWCA (Organisation Without a Cool Acronym), can these courageous do-gooders stop wicked Dr Doof in time to save Christmas?

Created by the writers of The Simpsons, Rocko’s Modern Life and long-time director of prime time series Family Guy, this DVD is certain to have the whole family laughing all the way to New Years Eve! The laughs continue with a string of fantastic bonus features including the Perry-oke Sing-Along, Phineas and Ferb Virtual Fireplace, Dr D’s Xmas Jukebox-inator and much more. Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas is the Perry-fect gift this festive season.

Meanwhile, the town of Sheetrock Hills is abuzz with Christmas cheer as Manny Garcia and his team of mismatched talking tools prepare to close up shop for Kelly’s Winter Holiday Party in Handy Manny: A Very Handy Holiday.

But when the Christmas lights in the town square suddenly go out, and a string of last-minute repairs are desperately needed, it looks as though our favourite handyman and his increasingly disgruntled tools will need a miracle to make it to the festivities in time!

With the Christmas lights still glowing and the mistletoe still on show, it’s now time for Manny and his team to celebrate New Year’s Eve. But when clumsy Mr Lopart takes on the task of coordinating the annual New Year’s Eve Ball, it leads to several accidents that require Manny and the tools’ help. Manny sets the gang to work quickly; but will it be enough to fix the damage in time to ring in the New Year with all their friends?

Join Manny as he teaches Pat, Turner and the whole gang about the true meaning of the holidays in this special festive edition of the Playhouse Disney favourite. With some handy teamwork, creative thinking and a “can do” attitude, the gang is about to discover that helping others is the greatest gift of all. Loaded with festive songs and bonus episodes including My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Many Thanks for Christopher Robin and My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Turtle’s Need for Speed, Handy Manny: A Very Handy Holiday is one DVD you’ll want to take home faster than you can say Feliz Navidad!

Give the gift of Disney this Christmas and enjoy these hilarious, heart-warming and soon-to-be family favourites, available to own on Disney DVD from 3 November, 2010.

Players Will Compete for Top Standings Against the Film’s Iconic Drivers and Take On Up to 11 Players Online

LOS ANGELES – 28th October 2010 – Paramount Digital Entertainment and Piranha Games today announced the development of Days of Thunder: Arcade, which will be available for download this winter on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Taking inspiration from Paramount Pictures’ iconic film “Days of Thunder,” video game Days of Thunder: Arcade is chock-full of pedal-to-the-metal, adrenaline-fueled arcade racing that lets players experience the thrills and chills of life behind the wheel of a stock car.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of ’Days of Thunder,’ and the film continues to be one of the most popular racing movies of all time,” said John Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “What better way to celebrate the film’s enduring impact on racing in popular culture than by putting its iconic drivers, Cole Trickle, Rowdy Burns and Russ Wheeler behind the wheel again in Days of Thunder: Arcade.”

Days of Thunder: Arcade teams players with Rowdy Burns as the latest recruit to hit the high-octane racing circuit. With Rowdy as their coach, players will learn to drop the hammer, hit the pit and trade paint with other cars. Rowdy Burns is voiced by Michael Rooker, known for his roles in “Mallrats,” “Eight Men Out,” “Cliffhanger,” and of course, “Days of Thunder.” As players advance, they’ll compete against the characters from the film, each with AI designed to match their driving style and personality seen in the film.

Continues…

Players will need to watch for Cole Trickle’s reckless, aggressive driving, Rowdy Burns’ ruthless, veteran skills and Russ Wheeler’s hot head. To steer clear of otherwise unavoidable crashes, gamers can take advantage of the focus feature, which temporarily puts surroundings into slow-motion. The adrenaline soon kicks back into gear as players drop the hammer by drafting behind other cars and whipping past them to get an extra burst of speed.

Days of Thunder: Arcade features road tracks for both single and multiplayer challenges. Road tracks allow players to race outside the speedway for an added challenge and variation in turning and car control. Up to twelve players can race online, pushing the limits to log the fastest times on the leader boards. There are four different modes – Quick Race, Time Trial, Career, with circuits of varying difficulty, and Derby Mode, where players are encouraged to deal as much damage as they can.

As players race to the top, they will unlock car customization options and tracks. Depending on how players place in races, take the lead in laps, and pick up new sponsors, they will win in-game currency necessary to refuel, make pit stops, and upgrade their cars. Additionally, as players outperform opponents and progress in the game, their achievements will be monitored using an in-game tracking system. Based on their driving style, players will be approached by a variety of sponsors.

Days of Thunder: Arcade will be available this winter on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360. For more information, including screenshots, please visit http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/.

Creator of Resident Evil Will Develop Titles for Bethesda Softworks Mikami’s Tango Gameworks acquired in latest deal for ZeniMax

Sydney, Australia, October 28, 2010 – ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of noted game publisher Bethesda Softworks, today announced acclaimed game designer and director, Shinji Mikami, has joined ZeniMax in a deal where ZeniMax acquired Tango Gameworks, the development shop founded and run by Mikami. Best known as the creator of the Resident Evil series, Mikami is a 20-year veteran of the industry who has developed numerous award-winning titles.

“It’s refreshing to find a publisher who understands, trusts, and supports the development of blockbuster games and works to make it a collaborative effort,” said Mikami. “The library of AAA franchise titles ZeniMax owns speaks for itself. We are very excited to be joining ZeniMax and working with a company that is dedicated to creating the best games ever made.”

Based in Tokyo, Mikami has an extraordinary track record as one of the world’s most successful game developers. Five of his projects, including Resident Evil, have scored 90 or above on Metacritic.com and Gamerankings.com.

The development studio Mikami founded, Tango Gameworks, is dedicated to AAA multi-platform game development and has attracted some of Japan’s most accomplished and experienced developers who served key roles on game franchises like Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Final Fantasy. Tango will continue to be run by Shinji Mikami, and he will serve as the creative lead for all future projects.

“Shinji Mikami has earned a stellar reputation as one of the industry’s finest game developers,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media. “He has repeatedly created hit titles that have earned praise from fans and critics around the world. We share his vision for innovative, genre-defining games and look forward to working with Shinji and his team at Tango.”

Tango joins a distinguished group of development studios at ZeniMax that includes Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, and Arkane Studios. This most recent acquisition reflects Bethesda Softworks’ unwavering commitment to delivering premier titles to gamers worldwide.

About ZeniMax Media Inc.

ZeniMax Media is a preeminent media organization which has brought together a team of world class game developers, artists and designers, programmers, producers, and leading executives and talent from traditional media. ZeniMax Media creates and publishes original interactive entertainment content for consoles, the PC, and handheld/wireless devices. ZeniMax Media divisions include Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, Arkane Studios, Vir2L Studios, ZeniMax Europe Ltd., ZeniMax Asia K.K. and ZeniMax Online Studios. For more information on ZeniMax Media, visit www.zenimax.com.

About Bethesda Softworks

Bethesda Softworks, part of the ZeniMax Media Inc. family of companies, is a premier developer and worldwide publisher of interactive entertainment software. Titles from some of the world’s top development studios – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, and Arkane Studios – are featured under the Bethesda Softworks label and include such blockbuster franchises as DOOM®, QUAKE®, The Elder Scrolls®, Fallout®, Wolfenstein™ and RAGE™. For more information on Bethesda Softworks’ products, visit www.bethsoft.com.

Get your hands on a world of entertainment with PSP™go and ten of the hottest games!

Sydney, 29 October: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today announced a new RRP for its pocket-sized entertainment device, PSP™go. From 1 November the recommended retail price of the sleek PSPgo will be just RRP$249.95 in Australia offering a world of entertainment on the go, at fantastic value for money. For a limited time only*, with every new PSPgo SCE Australia will continue to offer ten free games for download from PlayStation®Store. Packed with 16GB flash memory of inbuilt storage space, and with an ever-increasing range of services from the PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PlayStation®Store, to Digital Comics, Skype® and remote play access to your PlayStation®3 (PS3™) content; with ten free games and a great new recommended retail price, PSPgo is set to be high on gift lists this Christmas season.

PSPgo puts you in control, allowing you to download what you like to play, watch, or listen to, wherever you go. Get your collection started with ten pre-selected titles on offer, currently comprising:

• Assassins Creed: Bloodlines™ (Ubisoft)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar Games)
• Gran Turismo™ (Polyphony Digital, Inc. SCE)
• James Cameron’s AVATAR™: The Game (Ubisoft)
• LittleBigPlanet™ (Media Molecule, SCE)
• MotorStorm® Arctic Edge (Evolution Studios, SCE)
• NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT (EA)
• Pursuit Force™: Extreme Justice (BigBig, SCE)
• 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ (EA Sports)
• WipEout® Pure (SCE Worldwide Studios )

To get your ten free games, connect your new PSPgo to PlayStation Network and download the PSPgo theme from PlayStation Store by 31^st January 2011. You’ll then receive a PlayStation Network voucher code via email so you can start downloading your ten free games and enjoy!

Get your hands on a whole world of entertainment, wherever you are with PSPgo. To find out more, visit: www.au.playstation.com/pspgopromotion.

Invite your readers to become part of the Fellowship with an all new video for The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest video game featuring PlayStation Move support. The “Fellowship” vignette reveals the camaraderie between characters in the classic The Lord of the Rings saga as they fight back against the evil Sauron. Now, players can join the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest with easy drop-in, drop-out co-op play.

In The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest, players become the legendary Aragorn and embark upon a quest reliving the hero’s most valiant battles from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Wielding a sword, shield, bow and spear, players will battle enemies and journey through a colorful and fresh rendition of Middle-earth where they can switch between spear and sword on horseback, taking down evil foes in a truly action-packed gameplay experience. Two-player co-op gameplay featuring Gandalf allows kids, families and friends to work together in the heart of the action on the PS3 and Wii.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest for PlayStation 3 system is rated “T” for Teen and available for $59.99. The Wii™ version is rated “T” for Teen and available for $49.99. The Nintendo DS™, PlayStation 2 system and PSP system are rated “E10+” for Everyone 10 and older and available for $29.99.

MANCHESTER, UK – 29^th October 2010

Acclaimed Puzzler Go! Go! Island Rescue is now live on the Nintendo DSi worldwide. Connect2Media announced earlier this month the arrival of Go! Go! Island Rescue on the Nintendo DSi market and it now available to download from the Nintendo DSiWare Shop. 

The release will be Connect2Media’s first on Nintendo’s DSi Shop and sees the Go! Go! Rescue franchise appearing on a new platform after successful outings on mobile, iPhone/iPod touch and PC. This new version has been developed by the award winning studio Vivid Games. 

In Go! Go! Island Rescue you take the role of Robbie the firefighter whose job it is to protect the hapless “Darwins” from a number of disasters, including rampaging fire, beserking robots and deadly chemicals. How do you save them? By throwing them around, of course, and attempting to fling them in one of the fire exits to secure their escape. With over 50 levels, panic and bonus rooms, a cast of exciting characters and a volcano to deal with Go! Go! Island Rescue on the Nintendo DSi looks set to become a welcome addition to the Nintendo DSiWare Shop.

The first game in the series, Go! Go! Rescue Squad! Garnered much international acclaim including a Gold Award from PocketGamer and, the sequel, Go! Go! Island Rescue was also a critical and commercial success on mobile. The new Go! Go! Island Rescue has been designed, from the ground up, for the Nintendo DSi’s dual screens and Connect2Media are confident that it will build on the success of the series.  

 “Go! Go! Rescue Squad! on the Nintendo DSi is a genuine fun filled gaming experience,” said Connect2Media’s Product Manager, Michael Higham. “The controls are instinctive and before long you are happily ‘chucking’ Dweebs to safety. The game also delivers plenty of laughs and a genuine sense of fun. From a business perspective the release marks the franchises appearance on its fourth platform making it a truly multi-platform product.”

Go! Go! Island Rescue is now available on the Nintendo DSiWare Shop worldwide for 500 points.

Check out our trailer for the game here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCAyRxsdlNw

Press pack link: http://www.vividgames.com/press/Go!Go!IslandRescue.zip

A Perfect Balance of Advanced Technology and Premium Design

ASUS has today launched the ASUS-AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI Eee PC™ VX6 netbook. Stylish and uniquely crafted to honor the Lamborghini tradition, the new netbook fields powerful NVIDIA® ION™ graphics and dual-core Intel® Atom™ D525 processing, audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower®, and the super-fast USB 3.0 standard.

Technology Focus
The result of co-branding and cooperation between netbook leader ASUS and supercar maker Automobili Lamborghini, the new VX6 offers a 12 inch portable PC that brings to the fore superb multimedia capabilities, with graphics driven by the new, second generation discrete NVIDIA® ION™ engine. It also uses NVIDIA® Optimus™ technology, which can switch in real time between integrated and discrete graphics modes to ensure optimised performance and a longer battery life.

The VX6 uses the dual core Intel® Atom™ D525 processor, ensuring unprecedented multimedia performance for a 12 inch netbook. It renders graphics in sharp, vivid 1366 x 768, and can connect to any large screen HDTV via HDMI to enable 1080p visuals.

Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® technology produces deep and rich bass with an extended frequency response range for audio performance far ahead of that offered by other netbooks. The technology provides high definition surround audio, with crystal clear and powerful sound in music, movies and games.

Racing Outlook
The new VX6 takes its design cues from the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster. True to its heritage, it embodies luxury and performance, with a premium design that stands out among other portable PCs. It offers advanced ergonomics, including an isolated, quiet-action keyboard and soft touch palm rests. Exterior panels use durable and stylish brushed metal.

Focused on Speed
The VX6 uses USB 3.0, which operates at up to ten times the speed of USB 2.0. The new standard’s accelerated data handling is perfect for high definition content and media libraries. The VX6 also features Bluetooth 3.0, the latest iteration of the wireless standard, which delivers a bigger bandwidth and up to eight times the overall performance of Bluetooth 2.1. Wi-Fi connectivity takes the form of 802.11n, the fastest wireless currently available on netbooks.

Matching Mouse
Coinciding with the launch of the VX6, ASUS are releasing the WX- AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI wireless mouse to complement the new netbook. This high fidelity device (sold separately) features an attractive design reflecting the style of both the VX6 and Lamborghini cars. It operates at up to 2500 dpi, making for highly precise mouse input. The included USB nano dongle extends the range of operation up to 10 metres, while providing complete plug and play on any PC.

Bundled Extra Storage
Every purchase of the new ASUS-AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI Eee PC™ VX6 comes with a 500GB cloud storage allotment through ASUS WebStorage, dramatically increasing the overall space provided to consumers.

Specifications

Product features and specifications may change without prior notice. Please check www.asus.com for further details.

Microsoft will launch its television advertising campaign for Kinect for Xbox 360™® this Sunday, ahead of its much anticipated availability in-store on November 18.

The campaign, Australia Kinects, was created by Universal McCann, Ensemble and Studio33 and aims to encourage pre-orders of Kinect ahead of launch. The TVCs will run for eight weeks in the lead up to Christmas, making up a part of the wider marketing campaign, including online, social media, experiential and partnerships. 

The television commercial, designed to complement the global advertising campaign, shows natural footage of Australians playing Kinect for Xbox 360, demonstrating how easy and fun it is to play. The footage was captured during a series of Xbox events, including a family day and Kinect shopping centre tour earlier this year.

“This campaign presents real Australians enjoying themselves with Kinect. The reactions are unscripted, expressions are completely natural and everything you see is completely genuine. What we are showing is real responses as people play Kinect and the experience speaks for itself – it is very pure and powerful,” said Matthew Ball, Brand and Marketing Communications Manager, Xbox.

“When it comes to Kinect, seeing is believing –  we want as many people as possible to see Kinect in action so they can get a complete understanding of how it works. We wanted to communicate that you don’t need to be a gamer to play Kinect, so what better way to get that across than using regular Aussies rather than actors?”

Kinect for Xbox 360 is controller-free gaming whereby the player’s body becomes the controller. Kinect for Xbox 360 experiential events will continue to roll-out in shopping centres around the country, giving Australians an opportunity to try the technology for themselves. Kinect for Xbox 360 is in-stores on November 18 in Australia.