Capcom announce appointment of THQ as Australia/NZ distributor

As you may have heard, last night, Capcom announced its appointment of THQ as the distributor of Capcom products in Australia/New Zealand.

The press release was made public through the Capcom Euro Press Extranet, and can be read here: http://www.capcomeuro-press.com/release.asp?i=143

If you are interested in running a news piece on this and would like to quote a response from THQ, please use the following:

“We are excited to be working with Capcom,” said Rodney Block, General Manager – THQ Australia/NZ.  “Capcom is renowned for great gaming experiences and have such incredible franchises as Street Fighter and Resident Evil. THQ are looking forward to bringing these highly-anticipated Capcom titles to gaming audiences across Australia and New Zealand.”

Important information for media/journalists

With confirmation of THQ as Capcom’s distribution partner, THQ can now confirm that all Capcom products will release without delay. The dates on the first few titles are as follows:

Street Fighter IV (X360, PS3): 19 February, 2009

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (Wii): 26 February, 2009.

Resident Evil 5 (X360, PS3): 12 March, 2009

In addition to the standard editions, I will be sending out emails over the next week or so outlining some of the incredible special and collectors editions that we will be producing for Australia/NZ.

In terms of PR, I will be managing the Capcom titles; please make me your first point of contact. If I am unavailable, please contact Paul Houlihan (Media Relations Manager, paul.houlihan@thq.com).

If you haven’t already signed up to the Capcom Euro Press Extranet, I strongly suggest you do. It’s a brilliant site and has instant access to all approved assets as they become available. The web site is: http://www.capcomeuro-press.com

Looking forward to working with you on these awesome games!

Wednesday 11th February 2009 – SEGA Australia Pty Ltd today can confirm the final amount raised from the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Vinyl Soundtrack auction on eBay. The ‘#1 Limited Edition Vinyl Soundtrack’ was listed for auction on eBay for a duration of 7 days and has sold for an impressive AU $500.00! All proceeds are to be donated to the Cancer Council of Australia. 

If you missed out on obtaining the #1 Vinyl Soundtrack you still have the opportunity to have your very own individually numbered Limited Edition Vinyl Soundtrack when you pre-order the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection game on either Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 available at JB Hi-Fi stores and www.jbhifionline.com.au. 

The Limited Edition Vinyl Soundtrack features six tracks from the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection compilation including: Golden Axe – “Turtle Village 1”, Phantasy Star II – “Overworld: Restoration”, Virtua Fighter 2 – “Burning”, Space Harrier – “Main Theme”, Outrun – “Passing Breeze”, Outrun – “Magical Sound Shower”. 

The SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection is an all-in-one package of over 40 classic titles from the golden era of the SEGA Mega Drive. This is the most complete collection to date of SEGA first party games ever offered. Featured games include; Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2 and 3, Columns, Alien Storm, Ecco the Dolphin, Space Harrier, and cult classic, Streets of Rage 1, 2 and 3. SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 is scheduled for release on 26th February 2009.

May Launch Confirmed For Epic Open Terrain Racer From Asobo Studio.

Wednesday 11th February 2009 – Showcasing FUEL’s all-action racing and introducing an astonishing game world that covers over 5,000 square miles (14,400+km) of dramatic and diverse terrain, Atari, one of Australia’s leading sources of interactive entertainment and Codemasters®  today revealed the first FUEL gameplay video, now available to view and download from www.fuel-game.com.

Coming this May, FUEL’s immense landscape will deliver the world’s largest racing environment, featuring more than 100,000 miles (161,000+km) of tarmac, tracks and trails. The video begins by exploring the stunning scale and diversity of FUEL’s landscapes before bikes, quads, roadsters and more go head-to-head in a series of breakneck races.

From the snow-capped mountains of Mount Rainier to the salt-plains of Utah and the Grand Canyon, FUEL’s unique environment, mapped using satellite data, is set to create the ultimate racing sandbox. Players will be able to take any route they choose at any time, on and off-road, across a game world that demands to be raced and explored.

Set in an alternate present, where the accelerated effects of global warming have wreaked destruction across huge swathes of America, a new breed of thrill-seeking racers have taken these dangerous, abandoned areas for their own and now explore and compete against each other, and the elements, in multi-vehicle events. A full day/night cycle and dynamic weather system that includes tornados, lightning strikes, blizzards, thunderstorms and sandstorms, will deliver a unique racing experience as players battle the elements in real-time.

Complete with free roam and a multitude of online multiplayer challenges, FUEL is set to revolutionise open world multi-terrain racing when it launches this May for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows® LIVE. Top up with FUEL and download the trailer video from www.fuel-game.com or www.atari.com.au.

Atari Australia is the exclusive distributor of Codemasters games in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on Atari’s entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.au  and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers and online screenshots.

The first title update for the top-selling Need for Speed Undercover is now available for download.  This update is primarily focused on improving Undercover’s overall performance including frame rate inconsistencies and enhancements to the adaptive difficulty logic to accelerate the difficulty curve for the expert players.

This is the first of several planned free and for purchase updates to Need for Speed Undercover.  Over the coming months, players will have access to new cars and modes to extend their Undercover experience. Stay tuned for upcoming DLC announcements.

Gamers on the Xbox 360 or PS3 will be notified of the new patch the next time they play the game. PC gamers can download the patch at www.needforspeed.com.

Experience RTS anew with a brand new control system designed specifically for consoles

Wednesday 11th February 2009 – SEGA Europe Ltd. and The Creative Assembly can today announce an innovative new control system on consoles for the upcoming post-apocalyptic real time strategy title Stormrise™, developed by The Creative Assembly.

The WHIP SELECT™ system for RTS Stormrise is a revolutionary HUD control for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system that allows easy unit selection, rapid navigation and precise deployment. Pushing and holding the right thumb stick in any direction brings up the WHIP control. This is a selection beam which allows you to quickly take control of any unit on the battlefield. Move the beam in the direction of a unit that you wish to control, ensure that the unit is highlighted, and then simply release the right stick to take control of that unit.

Players can also take advantage of the ‘Quick WHIP’ option by flicking the right thumb stick in the general direction of the unit that they wish to select, and control will move to the nearest unit in that direction. In this way the battlefield can be navigated very quickly and accurately, allowing players to jump from each unit to the next, and potentially leap across the whole battlefield in one flick so they never miss a second of the conflict.

“We spent a significant amount of time working on a control system that we felt would make real time strategy gaming on consoles more accessible,” said Ken Turner, Project Director at The Creative Assembly. “With WHIP SELECT, we feel that console gamers now have an intuitive control system that lets them control their units quickly and effectively, without the need to use a keyboard or a mouse.”
Stormrise is a real time strategy title set in a post-apocalyptic future where two warring factions have arise from the rubble: the Echelon, a technologically advanced race that endured the planet’s fallout by way of self-induced hibernation, and the Sai, a tribal society that adapted to the new apocalyptic environment and evolved over time.
Players can command units in the air, across rooftops, on the earth’s surface and even underground; this unique idea of ‘verticality’ introduces multiple layers of gameplay that must be mastered for strategic advantage on the battlefield.
Stormrise is set for release in March on Xbox 360®, PLAYSTATION®3 and PC Games For Windows. For more information please visit www.stormrisegame.com.

For assets please visit www.sega-press.com.
About SEGA Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

Xbox 360 is calling on Australia’s Guitar Heroes to battle for the chance to rock out at Xbox Sounds with Fall Out Boy

On February 22nd Fall Out Boy are set to play a once in a lifetime show for Xbox Sounds on the deck of  HMAS Tobruk, docked off Garden Island in Sydney Harbour.

As part of the Xbox Sounds festivities, Xbox 360 is giving a few lucky fans the chance to battle against a member of Fall Out Boy on Guitar Hero World Tour. Four winners will be invited to attend Xbox Sounds on February 22nd, meet the band backstage and rock out with their idols.

Fall Out Boy fans simply need to log-on to Xbox LIVE before February 16th, plug into Guitar Hero World Tour and rock out to the hit Michael Jackson song “Beat It”. The four individuals who have registered the highest score on guitar, bass guitar, vocals and drums respectively at the end of promotional period will win the prize.

The competition runs until February 16th, when the winners will be identified and invited along to the event.

About Xbox Sounds

Xbox Sounds connects people to new and unique music experiences in amazing locations just like Xbox 360 connects people to the most musical fun they can have in their living room with games like Guitar Hero World Tour® (GHWT) and Lips®, the ultimate singing game that is exclusive to Xbox 360.

Xbox Sounds is an invite only event, with tickets offered through competitions and promotions in the lead-up to each performance.

For more details on how to win tickets to the event please go to www.xbox.com.au/sounds . 

FALL OUT BOY TOURING FEBRUARY 2009

Sunday February 15 – Challenge Stadium, Perth

Tuesday February 17 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Wednesday February 18 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Friday February 20 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Saturday February 21 – Acer Arena, Sydney
For more information about Fall Out Boy’s February tour please go to:

http://www.frontiertouring.com.au/currenttours/Fall_Out_Boy__Australia_and_New_Zealand_2009 

For more information about Fall Out Boy please got to www.getmusic.com.au or www.falloutboyrock.com

Following this press release, the latest trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen can be viewed HERE . Alternatively ask Maria if you would like a copy of the trailer (SD or HD) as well as new screenshots which are now available.

The wait to experience the genre-defining strategy game “Halo Wars” has ended with the release of the “Halo Wars” demo on Xbox LIVE*. The demo introduces players to the game’s groundbreaking control scheme through two tutorials, gives a taste of the epic story with the first two campaign missions, and allows people to experience the intense, competitive action offered via one of the game’s 14 Skirmish maps. 

In addition to the launch of the “Halo Wars” demo on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Game Studios invites fans to experience the action and take a closer look at the strategies and decisions that lie ahead, in the riveting new “Call to Battle: ‘Halo Wars’ Trailer.” 

Featuring exciting new battle sequences between the UNSC and Covenant, weaved in with scenes from the beautiful in-game cinematics, the trailer showcases what fans can expect when they take command in “Halo Wars,” the action strategy game developed exclusively for Xbox 360. This new trailer is available for download on Xbox LIVE and www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/.

To make downloading easier, you can automatically add the “Halo Wars” game demo to your download queue on the Web by visiting marketplace.xbox.com.  Additionally, to help everyone get acquainted to the battlefield, your Leaders and all the units at your command, the game manual can now also be downloaded at www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/.

“Halo Wars” is rated PG and will be available starting February 26th in Australia. For more information, visit www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/ or HaloWars.com.

The wait to experience the genre-defining strategy game “Halo Wars” has ended with the release of the “Halo Wars” demo on Xbox LIVE*. The demo introduces players to the game’s groundbreaking control scheme through two tutorials, gives a taste of the epic story with the first two campaign missions, and allows people to experience the intense, competitive action offered via one of the game’s 14 Skirmish maps.  

In addition to the launch of the “Halo Wars” demo on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Game Studios invites fans to experience the action and take a closer look at the strategies and decisions that lie ahead, in the riveting new “Call to Battle: ‘Halo Wars’ Trailer.” 

Featuring exciting new battle sequences between the UNSC and Covenant, weaved in with scenes from the beautiful in-game cinematics, the trailer showcases what fans can expect when they take command in “Halo Wars,” the action strategy game developed exclusively for Xbox 360. This new trailer is available for download on Xbox LIVE and www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/.

To make downloading easier, you can automatically add the “Halo Wars” game demo to your download queue on the Web by visiting marketplace.xbox.com.  Additionally, to help everyone get acquainted to the battlefield, your Leaders and all the units at your command, the game manual can now also be downloaded at www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/.

“Halo Wars” is rated PG and will be available starting February 26th in Australia. For more information, visit www.xbox.com/en-AU/games/h/halowars/ or HaloWars.com.

Monday 9th February 2009 – Atari, one of Australia’s leading sources of interactive entertainment and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has confirmed the content of its latest free download for PES 2009 for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360 and PC-DVD.

Due for download at the end of February, the update will bring all club sides’ rosters in line with all the moves and transfers made before the end of the January 2009 transfer window. Hundreds of players have been updated and corrected in line with their moves, with approximately 200 new players added to the game for the first time. The stats of thousands of players have also been refined, in line with their performances so far this season.

The download demonstrates Konami’s commitment to continually updating PES 2009, with further exciting downloadable content set for release in the coming months.

Atari Australia is the exclusive distributor of Konami games in Australia and New Zealand.

For more information on PES 2009 and Atari’s entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.au and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers and online screenshots.