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Mass Effect 3 confirmed for March PlayStation Plus content

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) has confirmed that from 7th March, for one month only, PlayStation Plus subscribers will have the opportunity to download acclaimed action RPG Mass Effect 3 as part of their Instant Games Collection.

Developed by the very talented team at Bioware, this title completes the franchise in stunning form. The game plunges you into an all-out galactic war to take back earth from a terrifying enemy. In addition, SCE has teamed up with publisher EA to offer great discounts on both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 for both Plus members and standard users.

Also available to download from 7th March is the beautifully designed fighter Dead or Alive 5 from Tecmo Koei. Featuring a range of game modes, the game picks up two years after the destruction of the tri-tower – headquarters and symbol of DOATEC. Helena Douglas has begun the task of rebuilding DOATEC, this time with the aim of using its technology for peaceful ends. Now in the same position once held by her father, Helena has announced that she intends to hold the fifth Dead or Alive tournament.

Entering PS Plus in March:

·        7th March: Mass Effect 3
·        7th March: Dead or Alive 5
·        7th March: Joe Danger 2
·        14th March: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
·        21th March: Puddle

For more information on March’s PlayStation Plus content, click here to visit the PlayStation blog with all the details.

 
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MANIAPLANET® ARRIVES ON STEAM

ShootMania® Storm and TrackMania² Stadium Open Beta Live on Steam today, Pre-Orders Available 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – February 28, 2013 – Ubisoft® and Nadeo have announced that ManiaPlanet games and services, including the upcoming multiplayer first-person shooter, ShootMania Storm, will be accessible via Valve’s Steam service. With ManiaPlanet, it’s also TrackMania² Stadium, the racing game phenomenon with more than 12 million registered users that makes its debut on Steam. Both ShootMania Storm and TrackMania2 Stadium open betas can now be accessed via Steam. Steam users can also download the full TrackMania2 Canyon game via Valve’s platform.

ShootMania Storm is currently in open beta, inviting gamers of all levels from around the world to have a try the fast-paced competitive slugfest. The open beta will allow Nadeo to fine-tune and refine the experience thanks to the feedback of the open beta testers, as well as to test servers and progressively introduce additional features and possibilities. Several updates are already planned until ShootMania Storm reaches its final version on April 10, 2013.

This partnership with Steam’s worldwide publishing platform allows us to introduce ShootMania Storm and all of the ManiaPlanet games and services to an even wider audience of PC gamers in the world. As a matter of fact, it is key to us that as many players as possible join the actual growing community so that everybody gets maximum fun with the game” said Anne Blondel-Jouin, Nadeo Publishing Managing Director.

Through Steam, we’ll make “competition for everyone” a dream come true for more gamers and map-and-mod makers who all create the user-generated content and activity that make ShootMania Storm so attractive and innovative on the FPS PC competitive field,” Anne Blondel-Jouin added. “I want to take the opportunity to thank whole-heartedly the players who have already joined ShootMania Storm frenzy and to warmly welcome new comers: we’re looking forward to seeing all of them on the servers.

Both ShootMania Storm and TrackMania² Stadium are now available to pre-order on Steam with a 10% discount until release, as well as on the official website of the ManiaPlanet platform: ManiaPlanet.com.  The games can also be downloaded and played right away in their Open Beta versions on http://www.ManiaPlanet.com/download

Developed by Ubisoft’s Nadeo studio, ShootMania Storm is a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter designed from the ground up for online and eSports competition.  With multiple game modes and diverse play styles, ShootMania Storm is an innovative twist on familiar multiplayer game-play that focuses on skill, speed and strategy.  The game also offers stout community support and interaction, with an easy-to-use map-maker and sharing elements that to date have produced more than 15 player-made game modes as well as more than 20,000 player-made maps.

ShootMania Storm, TrackMania² Stadium and TrackMania² Canyon are part of the ManiaPlanet system and follow in the footsteps of TrackManiaTM, Nadeo’s successful arcade racing game.  ManiaPlanet is a flexible and robust development, gaming and community platform that pushes cutting-edge graphics, enables limitless game types, and encourages incredible community participation and user-made content.

 
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EA ANNOUNCES REAL RACING 3 IS NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS ANDROID AND IOS

Third Iteration of the Popular Real Racing Franchise Delivers the Ultimate Racing Experience on Mobile for Free

SYDNEY, 28 Feb, 2013 — Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that Real Racing™ 3 is now available on Google Play, in addition to the iPhone ®, iPad ®, iPod touch ®. Developed by the EA Firemonkeys studio in Melbourne the game delivers the most exhilarating handheld racing experience and features 46 licensed vehicles covering three classes, a 22 car grid across real world tracks, eight varied event types and over 900 events. Real Racing 3 is available as a free download, a first for the critically-acclaimed franchise, and was designed and developed from the ground up as a free-to-play experience.

Real Racing 3 features hundreds of hours of gameplay, making it one of the most robust mobile games available to date. All of the game’s content is available for free without players needing to pay to progress. In-game monetisation will enable players to accelerate their experience and speed up car servicing and upgrade wait times by spending virtual currency, which can either be purchased or earned through racing events, levelling-up, obtaining trophies and competing with friends.

“With Real Racing 3’s console-quality graphics, realistic gameplay and unparalleled depth of content, the Real Racing franchise is once again raising the bar for mobile games,” said Nick Earl, Senior Vice President & General Manager EA All Play Label. “By developing Real Racing 3 to be a freemium title, we’ve removed the barrier of entry, thereby expanding the game’s audience and making it easier to find multiplayer opponents, as well as giving players the freedom to enjoy the game when and how they want.”

The ability to play against friends whenever and wherever is key to one of Real Racing 3’s new features, Time Shifted Multiplayer™ (TSM). This new mode of competitive multiplayer allows players to race against their friends, even if they have different devices or if they’re offline.

Real Racing 3 is the best in the series, sporting some of the most advanced multiplayer technology in the industry today,” said Tony Lay, GM of the Firemonkeys. “Time Shifted Multiplayer adapts everyone’s racing styles to competing cars on the track using leaderboards and previous times to emulate how they’d drive those courses. Now everyone will be able to battle against each other for bragging rights on the track anytime, anywhere in a more realistic manner.”

Praised for its console-quality graphics, Real Racing 3 displays dynamic reflections, persistent car damage and fully functioning rear view mirrors in real time to enhance the realism of the race day experience. Game features include:

  • Real Cars – The largest ever roster of cars available in a Real Racing title from all-new manufacturers like Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti and Audi. Feel the intensity of an authentic race grid of 22 cars for the first time on mobile. 
  • Real Tracks – A first for the Real Racing series. Burn rubber around a full lineup of real tracks in multiple configurations from top locations around the world, including Mount Panorama, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone, Hockenheimring, Melbourne CBD, and many more. 
  • Real People – With Real Racing 3’s Time Shifted Multiplayer™ (TSM) you can race anyone, anytime, even if they’re offline. Every single career event is filled with the fully interactive AI-controlled time shift doubles of your Game Center or Facebook friends, as well as other players from around the world. 
  • More Choice Than Ever – Compete in 900+ events including cup races, elimination, endurance, and drag races. Upgrade a wide selection of different car parts to maximise car performance. See the action through a variety of camera angles and fine tune the controls to your personal preference. 
  • The Premier Racing Experience – Persistent car damage, fully functioning rear view mirrors, and dynamic reflections enhance the realism of the race day experience. Real Racing 3 delivers a rich, next-gen racing experience in the most advanced cross-platform social and competitive racing community ever. 

To download Real Racing 3 for free, please visit http://www.firemonkeys.com.au/downloadR3.

 
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Media Alert: Mars War Logs Combat Trailer

 
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Reach Into the Past to Catch a Killer: Cognition Adventure Game Series Debuts Today for iPad

Phoenix Online Studios’ Cognition Episode 1: The Hangman On Sale for $3.99 on the App Store

SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 28, 2013 – Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, a supernatural adventure game series from indie developer Phoenix Online Studios, debuts today for iPad with Cognition Episode 1: The Hangman. This gripping psychological thriller can be downloaded from the App Store for the sale price of $3.99, a 20% savings off its regular $4.99 price: https://itunes.apple.com/app/cognition-episode-1/id598738593

Erica Reed is no ordinary FBI agent. She has a secret weapon when it comes to tracking a killer, an uncanny sixth sense that reveals flashes of the past so she can piece together how a crime went down. She’s also grieving a devastating loss: the murder of her brother Scott, whom she tried and failed to save. Now a serial killer loose in Boston is leaving clues that only Erica, with her odd intuition, can decipher. As she struggles to control her increasingly erratic and frightening visions, how many more people must die before she can bring the killer to justice?

Each Cognition episode is a self-contained investigation into a unique serial killer that also advances Erica’s story and brings her closer to avenging Scott’s murder. With traditional “point and click” gameplay, stylized graphic novel artwork and cutscenes, and an intuitive interface optimized for iPad, this modern adventure is a must-have for fans of mystery games like Gabriel Knight, interactive narratives like Heavy Rain or The Walking Dead: The Game, supernatural serials like TV’s Fringe, CSI-style crime dramas, or all of the above.

Phoenix Online Studios, the independent team behind Cognition, are lifelong adventure fans who got their start with the ambitious King’s Quest spin-off The Silver Lining. Cognition also bears the mark of veteran adventure game designer Jane Jensen (creator of Gabriel Knight, Gray Matter, and the upcoming Moebius), who is serving as a story consultant on the series.

In addition to today’s iPad release, two episodes of Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller are available so far for PC and Mac. To learn more about the series, visit the official website at http://www.CognitionGame.com.

About Phoenix Online Studios

Phoenix Online Studios is a game development company dedicated to making compelling, cutting-edge, and generally awesome adventure games. Established in 2004, Phoenix began as a group of King’s Quest fans from around the world that came together to create an unofficial sequel to the series. The resulting project, The Silver Lining, earned widespread community support and withstood two cease-and-desist orders to become one of the most ambitious fan projects ever made. After completing four Silver Lining episodes, the team shifted their focus to commercial projects with Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller. Cognition debuted in October 2012 and is currently releasing episodically for PC, Mac, and iPad. More information about Phoenix Online Studios can be found on the company’s website, http://www.postudios.com.

 
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First episode of The Last of Us development series now live

Today, PlayStation and Naughty Dog unveiled the first episode of its behind-the-scenes series on the development process from The Last Of Us. These videos give everyone the chance to see the design, technology, and ideas from both Naughty Dog and PlayStation that shape The Last of Us, providing a straightforward look at the development process and the work that has gone into the upcoming, award-winning title. This series will unpack the many different aspects of the game and its development with a documentarian’s approach, giving fans more details on the game and the Infected. This first video gives a taste of upcoming content; extended cuts of these videos will be available via the game disc. More behind-the-scenes access and content will become available toward June 14 and the launch of The Last of Us.

 
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War Thunder has been approved on Steam Greenlight

Gaijin Entertainment, a developer and publisher of multi-platform video games and winner of numerous industry awards, reports that their MMO War Thunder has been approved for distribution by Steam after successfully navigating the Steam Greenlight process. This military MMO is dedicated to the aircraft, armored vehicles, and naval combat of the World War II period.

To thank everyone who helped Gaijin to get War Thunder approved, we are holding a day of +50% experience. From 19:00 Moscow time (GMT +0:400) on February 27 through 23:59 on February 28, all players will receive additional experience for your matches.

The game already has three game modes, each with unique benefits that new players as well as seasoned veterans will come to appreciate. You have over 100 weaponry units at your disposal, and that’s just a taste of what’s to come! You can see the list of major features of the game on our official website: http://warthunder.com/en/game/features

Note that War Thunder is currently in Open Beta and new exciting features are added regularly.  More than one million players have already played the game. Anyone wishing to test their skills in the thrilling aerial battles can register for free, download the game client, and start playing right away. Moreover, you can help the developers create the game of your dreams by providing valuable feedback during the Open Beta.

You can find War Thunder on Steam by following this link: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=115947344

Gaijin Entertainment is a successful, fast-growing game development company established in 2002. The company specializes in the creation of games for various platforms including PlayStation3, Xbox 360, iOS and PC. Gaijin also focuses on technology-related research that makes them a leading provider for solutions in changeable IT market conditions. To date, Gaijin’s team is represented by six departments and over sixty highly qualified employees. The company’s projects have received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such KRI Awards as Best Simulation Game, Best Technology, Best Sound, and many more. Today Gaijin Entertainment is the biggest independent PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 games developer in Russia. For more information take a look at Gaijin’s official website: http://www.gaijinent.com

 
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Intel Aims to Enrich Lives by Unlocking the Power of Big Data

New Intel® Distribution for Apache Hadoop* Software Features Best of Intel Computing Hardware, Software for Improved Performance, Security

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Intel® Distribution for Apache Hadoop* software is      built from the silicon up to deliver industry-leading performance and      security to better access and use big data.
  • New software offering now available with more than 20      partners supporting the launch.
  • Intel is committed to strengthening the Apache Hadoop*      framework by contributing  platform enhancements into open source in      collaboration with the developer community.
  • Intel is investing research and capital in disruptive      technologies to spur innovation and enable the industry to build analytic      solutions based on Apache Hadoop* software.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 26, 2013 – To ensure that more organisations and people can use of the vast amounts of data being generated, collected and stored everyday – also known as “big data” – Intel Corporation announced the availability of Intel® Distribution for Apache Hadoop* software (Intel® Distribution). The offering, which includes Intel® Manager for Apache Hadoop* software, is built from the silicon up to deliver industry-leading performance and improved security features.

The ability to analyse and make sense of big data has profound potential to transform society by enabling new scientific discoveries, business models and consumer experiences. Yet, only a small fraction of the world is able to extract meaning from all of this information because the technologies, techniques and skills available today are either too rigid for the data types or too expensive to deploy.

Hadoop* is an open source framework for storing and processing large volumes of diverse data on a scalable cluster of servers that has emerged as the preferred platform for managing big data. With even more information coming from billions of sensors and intelligent systems also on the horizon, the framework must remain open and scalable as well as deliver on the demanding requirements of enterprise-grade performance, security and manageability.

“People and machines are producing valuable information that could enrich our lives in so many ways, from pinpoint accuracy in predicting severe weather to developing customised treatments for terminal diseases,” said Boyd Davis, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Datacenter Software Division. “Intel is committed to contributing its enhancements made to use all of the computing horsepower available to the open source community to provide the industry with a better foundation from which it can push the limits of innovation and realise the transformational opportunity of big data.”

Performance and Security: The Intel Difference

Intel is delivering an innovative open platform built on Apache Hadoop* that can keep pace with the rapid evolution of big data analytics. The Intel Distribution is the first to provide complete encryption with support of Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) in the Intel® Xeon® processor. By incorporating silicon-based encryption support of the Hadoop Distributed File System*, organisations can now more securely analyse their data sets without compromising performance.

The optimisations made for the networking and IO technologies in the Intel Xeon processor platform also enable new levels of analytic performance. Analysing one terabyte of data, which would previously take more than 4 hours to fully process, can now be done in 7 minutes1 thanks to the data-crunching combination of Intel’s hardware and the Intel Distribution. Considering Intel estimates that the world generates 1 petabyte (1,000 terabytes) of data every 11 seconds or the equivalent of 13 years of HD video, the power of Intel technology opens up the world to even greater possibilities.

For example, in a hospital setting, the intelligence derived from this data could help improve patient care by helping caregivers make quicker and more accurate diagnoses, determine effectiveness of drugs, drug interactions, dosage recommendations and potential side effects through the analysis of millions of electronic medical records, public health data and claims records. Strict guidelines also exist globally for protecting health and payment information, making it imperative to maintain security and privacy while performing analytics.

The addition of the Intel® Manager for Apache Hadoop* software also simplifies the deployment, configuration and monitoring of the cluster for system administrators as they look to deploy new applications. Using the Intel® Active Tuner for Apache Hadoop* software optimal performance is automatically configured to take the guesswork out of performance tuning. Until now, this required a specialised understanding of each application’s use of system resources along with the Hadoop configuration and performance benchmarks.

Intel is working with strategic partners to integrate this software into a number of next-generation platforms and solutions, and to enable deployment in public and private cloud environments. Partners supporting the launch include 1degreenorth*, AMAX*, Cisco*, Colfax Corporation*, Cray*, Datameer*, Dell*, En Pointe*, Flytxt*, Hadapt*, HStreaming*, Infosys*, LucidWorks*, MarkLogic*, NextBio*, Pentaho*, Persistent Systems*, RainStor*, Red Hat*, Revolution Analytics*, SAP*, SAS*, Savvis, a CenturyLink company*, Silicon Mechanics*, SoftNet Solutions*, Super Micro Computer, Inc.*, Tableau Software*, Teradata*, T-Systems*, Wipro* and Zettaset*.

A Comprehensive Approach to Big Data   

The new software offering expands Intel’s extensive portfolio of datacentre computing, networking, storage and intelligent systems products. The recently introduced Intel® Intelligent Systems Framework, a set of interoperable solutions designed to enable connectivity, manageability and security across intelligent devices in a consistent and scalable manner, sets the foundation to help to gather, analyse and deliver valuable information for end-to-end analytics from the device to the datacentre.

Additionally, Intel continues to invest in research and capital to advance the big data ecosystem. Intel Labs is at the forefront of advanced analytics research which includes the development of Intel® Graph Builder for Apache Hadoop* software, a library to construct large data sets into graphs to help visualise relationships between data. Intel Graph Builder is optimised for the Intel Distribution to help reduce development time by eliminating the need to develop large amounts of custom code. Meanwhile, Intel Capital has been making major investments in disruptive big data analytics technologies including MongoDB company 10gen and big data analytics solution provider Guavus Analytics.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.

 
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“Gears of War: Judgment” VIP Season Pass Offers Big Savings and Exclusive Multiplayer Content

In addition to Season Pass details, Epic and Microsoft announce a special offer with MAXIM providing free access to Execution mode and two new multiplayer maps post-launch

The war for Sera ignites on March 19 with the highly anticipated release of “Gears of War: Judgment1.” The VIP Season Pass for “Judgment” will be available at launch for 1600 Microsoft points, providing players with a more than 20 percent discount across a broad range of content, including six multiplayer maps, two new modes and nine exclusive unlocks.

The VIP Season Pass is the only way you can score a permanent double XP boost as well as a cache of exclusive armor and weapon skins, and it is your only chance to get a jump on the competition with exclusive, early access to all Game Add-on multiplayer maps. With the VIP Season Pass you will get:

  • Two upcoming Game Add-on Packs that include six multiplayer maps, two new modes, and new weapon and armor skins
  • Early access to Game Add-on multiplayer maps so you can be the first to play
  • A permanent double XP boost to accelerate your ascent through the ranks
  • Five exclusive weapon skins and four exclusive armor skins

MAXIM Delivers Execution Mode and Two Multiplayer Maps Post-Launch for Free 

Microsoft, Epic Games and MAXIM are delivering even more adrenaline-fueled action to “Gears” fans with the upcoming post-launch release of two free, MAXIM-sponsored multiplayer maps – Haven and Capitol – as well as Execution Mode.

In Execution mode, the objective of each team is to kill all members of the enemy team before the time limit runs out. The catch? Unless hit with a one-shot kill weapon like the Booshka, players go into a “Down But Not Out” state and will revive at the end of the bleed-out timer instead of dying. To finish the job, perform an Execution on a downed enemy.

For more details including a first look at Haven, head over to Maxim Online at: www.maxim.com/gow-haven

Developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by Epic Games and People Can Fly, “Gears of War: Judgment” delivers a riveting campaign featuring new characters, weapons and enemies, and new multiplayer experiences. The “Gears of War” series is one of the most popular franchises in Xbox history, having sold more than 19 million games worldwide, and spawning New York Times-bestselling novels, toys, collectibles, graphic novels, and more. To learn more about “Gears of War: Judgment” and the “Gears of War” franchise, please visit: http://gearsofwar.xbox.com  “Gears of War: Judgment” will launch worldwide on March 19, 2013.

 
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Don’t Starve Origin Trailer Discovered