Check out the new trailer from the FIFA 13 team showcasing the new Skill Games

Sydney, Australia — August 13, 2012 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed^® III for PCs will be available on November 22, 2012.

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin’s Creed III introduces a new hero, Ratohnhaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Players become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylised and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date.

Assassin’s Creed III is set to release on October 31^st for the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and will be available for Wii U™ from Nintendo when the Wii U™ launches.

Assassin’s Creed III can be pre-ordered at UBIShop^® by visiting: http://shop.ubi.com/assassinscreed3

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH is continuing its celebration of 25 years of its seminal METAL GEAR series, with the creation of a dedicated online hub where fans can keep abreast of the various events and releases tied in to this special anniversary.

KONAMI has created a new portal – http://www.konami-europe.net/MG25th – which will be regularly updated with news and events surrounding the 25^th anniversary. Series creator Hideo Kojima has already announced a free update for his PlayStation®3 epic, METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Guns of the Patriots, which adds 34 Trophies to the classic title, and Mr Kojima is also mid-way through a busy year of touring the globe to discuss the success of the popular series, which has sold more than 31 million copies worldwide*.

All news of Mr Kojima’s movements and announcements will be released via the new site, and it will today reveal that the classic METAL GEAR SOLID title is now available for two weeks for just AUD$8.45 – a reduction of 50%, and allowing fans of the series to experience the ground-breaking PlayStation® title that saw the series move into the 3D realm. KONAMI is also launching a dedicated Twitter feed to keep fans abreast of events, and can be found at @MG25th.

SYDNEY (13TH AUGUST) – Codemasters today announced that F1 2012 will launch in Australia & New Zealand on the 20th September (UK 21st September) for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION ®3 computer entertainment system and PC. F1 2012 is the next game in the award-winning, multi-million selling FORMULA ONE series from Codemasters as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with Formula One World Championship Limited that takes players to the heart of the sport like never before.

A new developer diary, also released today, details several of F1 2012’s new features including the Young Driver Test, which will act as the game’s tutorial mode, teaching the player about the nuances of racing a FORMULA ONE car. Featuring the first glimpses of F1 2012 gameplay footage, the new developer diary can be viewed at www.youtube.com/formula1game.

Commenting on the inclusion of the Young Driver Test, F1 2012’s Creative Director, Stephen Hood said: “The aim for the 2012 game is to make more of a complete FORMULA ONE experience. [The Young Driver Test] gives those up and coming drivers track time to showcase their talents and it’s wonderful that we are able to copy the elements that happen on those real Young Driver Test sessions in the game.”

F1 2012 is set to deliver the most accessible and immersive FORMULA ONE game for fans of all abilities with improved control and feedback for players using a gamepad and tutorial Hot Lap videos for each circuit narrated by former FORMULA ONE driver and TV pundit Anthony Davidson. With more features yet to be revealed, F1 2012 is set to be the ultimate FORMULA ONE experience to date.

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a FORMULA ONE driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, including the debut of the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany’s famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.

F1 2012 is in development at Codemasters Birmingham for Xbox 360 , PLAYSTATION 3 and PC and is available for pre-order ahead of its September worldwide release. To get all the news straight from the studio, race over to www.facebook.com/formula1game or follow the team on twitter at www.twitter.com/formula1game.

Aug 9, 2012

New SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 launches Saturday 18th August for Nintendo 3DS, and what better way to celebrate than to head down to The Nintendo Experience in Melbourne for a golden afternoon of fun and games.

Where: The Nintendo Experience, EB Games, 67 Swanston St
When: Saturday 18th August, 12pm – 3pm
What: Gameplay, Trivia, Prizes, Competitions, StreetPass, Cosplay, Mario appearances, FUN!

There will be prizes to be won all throughout the afternoon with Mario trivia and give-aways, or perhaps put your skills to the test in the New SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 Coin Challenge.

Put on your best Mario-themed outfits and take part in the Mario Dress-Up Competition! With prizes for everyone who enters and the chance to live out the day as your favourite Mario character, it’s sure to be a blast.

Maybe you’d just like to pop in and say hello to Mario? The world famous plumber will be taking some time out from his adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom to drop by throughout the day and help celebrate the launch of his latest game.

It will also be your first chance to play New SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 on the new Nintendo 3DS XL which launches on the 23rd August – with screens 90% larger than the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL features the biggest screen ever on a Nintendo handheld console.

Best of all, if you purchase or bring along your copy on the day, you’ll be able to StreetPass with heaps of other Nintendo fans and Nintendo 3DS owners, and team up with others to play New SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 together via local wireless multiplayer!

New SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 on Nintendo 3DS launches 18th August 2012 and will be available as a digital download or boxed retail game.
For more information, Click Here.

Nintendo 3DS XL launches 23rd August, 2012.

For more information, Click Here.

Over Friday and Saturday, the WCS Australia Nationals’ intense competition saw many of Australia’s best StarCraft II players fall by the wayside. Returning StarCraft: Brood War veteran Peter ‘Legionnaire’ Neate’s run in the tournament was ended in deft fashion by fellow Protoss player Zi Ray ‘Light’ Wang, and Tim ‘MaFia’ He dispatched many opponents with his trademark poker face and calculated Zerg play.

Through the mid-bracket carnage, Jared ‘PiG’ Krensel’s disciplined approach and meticulous execution took him through to the final without dropping a match. Despite being bested by Krensel earlier in the tournament, Andrew ‘mOOnGLaDe’ Pender fought a determined battle back through the lower bracket to face his nemesis once more in the final. GLaDe’s relentless attacks tested PiG, taking the final to a second series, but in the end, it was superb positional strategy that allowed PiG to bring home the bacon in the Zerg v. Zerg final, and be crowned the Australian champion.

That said, the WCS Oceania Finals on Sunday were a whole new story, and aside from the top six Australian competitors from Saturday qualifying for the regional playoffs, the previous day’s results mattered for naught.

mOOnGLaDe was rocked in a first round game by a bombardment of more than a dozen nukes from the Terran-playing New Zealander Tilea ‘KnighT’ Flavall, but managed to come back to win the match, and maintained his momentum in the tournament through to the final, beating Australian champion PiG along the way. Though placing well in the Australia Nationals, MaFia stepped up another gear, and fended off a number of tough competitors to meet GLaDe in the final.

With two Zerg forces in a pitched battle for the title once more, mOOnGLaDe’s early aggression tested the defences of MaFia, and ultimately proved too much, with mOOnGLaDe wrapping up the final series in two games. While there could only be one champion for the Oceania Finals, both finalists will advance to the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Final at the Battle.net World Championship in Shanghai, China in November.

You can find the final bracket for both tournaments here, or watch the matches at http://www.twitch.tv/aclprosc2.

Intense head-to-head, turn-based deathmatch multiplayer lets players command squad of soldiers, aliens, or both

Sydney, Australia – 13^th August, 2012 – 2K Games announced today that XCOM^®: Enemy Unknown, the highly anticipated action-strategy game from Firaxis Games, will include a unique multiplayer game mode featuring a one-on-one deathmatch against another player for the first time in an XCOM game. Players will be able to pick a squad of soldiers, aliens or even combine a squad of both unit types to create the ultimate mixed squad to command in battle.

“Throughout the history of the XCOM series, players have acted as the world’s last hope against the alien invasion,” said Jake Solomon, lead designer of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. “With the multiplayer mode in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, gamers can finally find out what it’s like to command alien units and unleash extraterrestrial destruction on Planet Earth or defend it with a squad of XCOM soldiers and alien allies.”

Multiplayer in XCOM: Enemy Unknown draws on the gameplay, tactics and strategy of the single-player experience without making any direct ties to the narrative, offering a standalone opportunity for gamers to enjoy the XCOM universe. Players can mix and match both alien and soldier units to comprise their squad, outfitting soldiers with dozens of armor types, weapons, items and class-based abilities for thousands of possible loadout combinations. These dream squads of up to six units are built using a point cap that can be scaled for players to fight in small skirmishes all the way up to epic battles. Matches can be modified by point limit or time limit per turn. Just like the single-player experience, the fog of war will conceal your enemy’s units until you encounter them on the battlefield, creating the tense anticipation that is the hallmark of the XCOM series.

Gamers can get in on the action early by pre-ordering XCOM: Enemy Unknown from participating retailers to guarantee access to the Elite Soldier Pack, a launch bonus offering top-of-the-line soldier customization features. This limited-time bonus gives players the ultimate tool for soldier customization, including Soldier Deco packs, complete color customization and a classic XCOM soldier, flat top included. There will also be a special edition of XCOM: Enemy Unknown available exclusively for PC at retail locations that contains a copy of the game for PC and a number of unique XCOM items, including an art book; fold-out poster of the XCOM headquarters; XCOM insignia patch; and a collection of digital bonus assets such as desktop wallpaper, soundtrack and more. To pre-order now, visit http://www.xcom.com/enemyunknown/oz/preorder.html

XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be available for Windows PC, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in Australia and New Zealand on October 12, 2012. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is rated MA15+ in Australia and R13 in New Zealand. For more information, please visit www.xcom.com. For the latest news and information on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/XCOM.

2K Games is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Sydney, Australia, Monday 13 August 2012

As part of bringing Carrier Command to the modern age, Bohemia Interactive has announced NVIDIA 3D Vision® support for the Windows PC version of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. The enhanced perception of depth blends perfectly with the game’s futuristic setting.

Those who expect gaming to drive the consumer adoption of 3D will see their belief fueled by the cutting edge 3D implementation in Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. “Supporting 3D Vision reaffirms the philosophy behind our game’s ‘NVIDIA: The Way It’s Meant to be Played’ label. Although personal preference will always be a factor, I think for many it will be part of the optimal experience and draw them even deeper into our game”, said Executive Producer Jan Kunt.

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission will also be playable at Bohemia Interactive’s booth at Gamescom. Here enthusiasts are welcomed to try out the Windows PC and Xbox 360® version of the game.

For more information on NVIDIA 3D Vision®, head over to http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-main.html

Requires NVIDIA 3D Vision® (capable) hardware and NVIDIA 3D Vision® Photo Viewer. Samples were taken with depth amount set to maximum.

Carrier Command: Recruits

Carrier Command: Recruits is an episodic series of free mini-games preparing people for the Gaea Mission. By completing an episode and sharing their progress on Facebook or Twitter before Monday August 20th, players will be able to win 1 of 5 digital copies of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission. Episodes 1-3 are now available at www.carriercommand.com/recruits

To learn more about Carrier Command: Gaea Mission, be sure to check out our E3 2012 walkthrough trailer

Rocksmith is the ultra-cool video game from Ubisoft, where players get to use a real guitar to play some wicked tunes. That in itself is the beauty of it; players can plug in virtually any electric guitar and not only play, but learn techniques as well. The game at this time is available for both Xbox 360 and PS3, and soon the PC as well. Now also a Bass expansion is here, so rocking out with friends on Bass and Electric guitar for some tasty jam sessions is easy.

Our readers in the United States have been jamming with the game for several months now; soon our Australian readers will get their chance as Rocksmith will be available soon.

So far there have been a few theme packs and great support for new songs for Rocksmith. On the flip side, myself and a few other writers have agreed the song choices have been rather random feeling. There have been some solid band theme packs with a few songs per pack, but nothing really to bight your frets into other than the Queen Song pack which offers more than three songs from the group. It offers an unprecedented five songs. I think this is a step in the right direction and a way to keep Rocksmith alive and well for several years to come. Song packs with the incentive of getting the full pack for a slightly smaller price than individual songs is a great incentive. Five to Seven songs would be even better for this game which is in reality a Gateway to music.

Listening and trying to learn songs gives an introduction to new music, well new music to the person that may have never listened to a certain band. With Rocksmith it’s an ultimate cross marketing game that I am surprised has not been approached by the music industry or individual bands.

Like this song or this pack? Check out this album. Imagine whole special release albums of hits from one band for Rocksmith. I know several people that have been introduced to bands or even older bands that they never listened to, and after playing even one song of theirs on Rocksmith, they went and purchased the bands albums. Rocksmith is an ultimate cross marketing game, and that potential is not even being tapped. Like the groupie fan that follows the band from city to city and venue to venue It’s old enough, ready willing and able.

Now even more so with the Bass support it opens up Rocksmith as a gateway to music.

Here are our top picks for Band albums that should hit Rocksmith. Notice our love for some Oz rock.

Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall and John Oates
Styx
AC/DC
Silverchair
Powderfinger
Jet
Led Zeppelin
Fleetwood Mac
The Eagles
Aerosmith
Guns ‘N Roses
Motley Crue
Kiss
Ron Keel
Keel

What do you the reader think? Let’s hear it, what bands would be perfect for Rocksmith release, and why? Drop us a line on our Facebook page.

Have fun, play games and Rock on!
Edwin Millheim