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TV BOX SETS FOR THIS CHRISTMAS

Available from 31st October 2012

Re-live all your favourite TV show classics this month with a wide range of complete box set collections available to take home. There is a series to suit everyone; from comedy lovers to sci-fi fanatics, these box sets are the ultimate entertainment fix for the best night in, a lazy rainy day, or the perfect gift this Christmas.

Will & Grace: The Complete Collection (brand new artwork)

Will & Grace is a hilarious sitcom about two best friends. More than friends, but less than lovers, the two share a special bond and their personalities easily balance one another’s. The show also features Will’s (Eric McCormack) flamboyantly gay friend Jack (Sean Patrick Hayes), and Grace’s (Debra Messing) sarcastic, spoiled and boozy assistant Karen (Megan Mullally). ?Throughout its eight year run, Will & Grace has been nominated for 83 Emmys©, 24 Golden Globes©, 14 SAG© Awards and six People’s Choice© Awards. Among its 12 Emmy© wins, the show won as Outstanding Comedy Series in 2000 and received more Emmy© nominations than any other comedy series in 2002-2003 and 2005-2006.

Exclusive DVD Bonus Features:

  • Gag reels
  • Interviews with cast
  • Deleted scenes

Cast: Debra Messing (Smash)

Megan Mullally (Parks and Recreation)

Eric McCormack (Alien Trespass)

Sean Patrick Hayes (The Three Stooges)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-8 / 32 discs / 3953 minutes

Genre: TV Comedy

Rating: M

Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series

Dawson’s Creek is a show that defined a generation. For six seasons, viewers followed the lives of Dawson (James Van Der Beek), Joey (Katie Holmes), Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Jen (Michelle Williams) as they made the transition from adolescents to young adults in the small coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts.

Exclusive DVD Bonus Features:

  • Audio commentary on selected episodes
  • Behind the scenes features

Cast: Katie Holmes (Batman Begins)

Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

Joshua Jackson (Fringe)

James Van Der Beek (The Rules of Attraction)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-6 / 28 discs / 5395 minutes

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: PG

I Dream Of Jeannie: The Complete Series

Astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) finds a beautiful, blonde, 2000-year-old genie in a bottle after a flight. Jeannie (Barbara Eden) turns out to be mischievous, a little innocent and very much in love with her master. The only other person who knows their secret is Roger Healey (Bill Daily), Tony’s best friend and fellow astronaut. The show was written, produced and created by Sidney Sheldon.

Cast: Larry Hagman (Dallas)

Barbara Eden (From the Terrace)

Bill Daily (The Bob Newhart Show)

Price: SRP $69.95

Configuration: Season 1-5 / 20 discs

Genre: TV Family

Rating: PG

McLeod’s Daughters: The Complete Saga

Two McLeod sisters, Claire (Lisa Chappell) and Tess (Bridie Carter) are reunited when they inherit a vast outback cattle property. Forced together after 20 years apart, they pull together an all-female workforce and, with an abundance of heart and humour, commit to an extraordinary life at Drovers Run, 180km from the nearest town and 400km from the city. The women of Drovers Run share the same dreams that all women share. They could be our friends or our sisters. They just happen to live in an extraordinary place, a place that will allow them to be who they are – heroines.

Cast: Bridie Carter (I Love You Too)

Lisa Chappell (Stingers)

Aaron Jeffery (Water Rats)

Price: SRP $149.95

Configuration: Season 1-8 / 52 discs / 9910 minutes

Genre: TV Australian Drama

Rating: M

Seinfeld: The Complete Series

One of the most watched television shows of the 1990s, Seinfeld is a true-to-life comedy series that follows the events of a group of friends. The group consists of Jerry Seinfeld – a stand-up comedian who questions every bizarre tidbit about life, George Costanza (Jason Alexander) a hard-luck member of the New York Yankees organization, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a flashy woman and book editor who is not afraid to speak her mind, and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) an extremely eccentric, lanky goofball. Another very notable member of the show is Newman (Wayne Knight) a chubby mailman, friend of Kramer, and, almost always, nemesis of Jerry.

Cast: Jerry Seinfeld (Bee Movie)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine)

Michael Richards (Coneheads)

Jason Alexander (Shallow Hall)

Wayne Knight (Jurassic Park)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-9 / 32 discs / 6240 minutes

Genre: TV Comedy

Rating: M

Northern Exposure: All The Seasons

Joel Fleishman (Rob Morrow) is fresh out of medical college, and fresh out of luck. Failing to read the fine print in his scholarship conditions, he finds he has no choice but to move to the remote and somewhat eccentric town of Cicely, in the wilds of Alaska. Once there, he is welcomed by the peculiar locals who are not keen to see him go, most especially Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin), the ex-NASA astronaut. Despite Joel’s adamant denials, he enjoys life in Cicely more than he admits.

Cast: Janine Turner (Strong Medicine)

Rob Morrow (Numbers)

Barry Corbin (No Country for old Men)

John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-6 / 28 discs / 4860 minutes

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: M

Las Vegas: The Complete Series

This fast-paced, sexy drama follows the elite Las Vegas surveillance team charged with maintaining the security of one of ‘Sin City’s’ largest resorts and casinos. Oscar© and Golden Globe© Award nominee James Caan stars as Big Ed Deline, the head of the surveillance team for the Montecito Resort & Casino. Together with Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel), an ex-U.S. Marine and Las Vegas native, they deal with card-counting cheaters, costly streaks of random luck and rival casinos stealing their big-money players.

Cast: James Caan (The Godfather)

Josh Duhamel (Life as We Know It)

Vanessa Marcil (The Rock)

Nikki Cox (Unhappily Ever After)

Milly Sims (Yes Man)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-5 / 28 discs / 4359 minutes

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: M

Battlestar Galactica & The Plan: The Complete Collection

When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurfaces and obliterates the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protects a small civilian fleet – the last of humanity – as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony of Earth.

Cast: Kate Sackhoff (24)

Tricia Helfer (The Firm)

Edward James Olmos (Miami Vice)

Grace Park (Hawaii Five-O)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-4 & The Plan / 24 discs / 755 minutes

Genre: TV Sci-Fi

Rating: MA

Heroes: The Complete Collection Seasons 1-4

Experience all the suspenseful action and shocking twists of Heroes, the phenomenal series that follows seemingly unconnected, ordinary people around the globe, who discover they have extraordinary abilities and must grapple with the astonishing responsibilities of their powers.

Exclusive DVD Bonus Features:

  • Alternative endings
  • Deleted scenes
  • Audio commentaries and more

Cast: Hayden Panettiere (Scream 4)

Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls)

Zachary Quinto (Star Trek)

Ali Larter (Resident Evil)

Kirsten Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-4 / 22 discs / 3230 minutes

Genre: TV Action

Rating: MA

Married With Children: Big Bundy Box 1-11

Spend some quality time with the family as you join hard-working husband Al (Ed O’Neill), house-work hating wife Peg (Katey Sagel), sexy daughter Kelly (Christina Applegate) and hopelessly horny son Bud in the landmark TV sitcom Married With Children. All 11 seasons are brilliantly tasteless, daringly raunchy and devilishly clever comedy that puts the ‘fun’ into ‘dysfunctional’.

Exclusive DVD Bonus Features:

  • Bonus disc – an hour of extra behind the scenes features

Cast: Christina Applegate (Up All Night)

Katey Sagel (8 Simple Rules)

Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)

David Faustino (RoboDoc)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-11 / 33 discs

Genre: TV Comedy

Rating: M

The Shield: The Complete Seasons 1-7

The Shield plays out in a tough, morally ambiguous world, in which the line between right and wrong is crossed everyday. The series focuses on the tension between a group of corrupt but effective cops and a captain torn between bringing them down and advancing his own political ambitions.

Cast: Michael Chiklis (Fantastic Four)

Walton Goggins (Justified)

Kenny Johnson (Saving Grace)

CCH Pounder (Avatar)

Catherine Dent (Phantom Below)

Price: SRP $99.95

Configuration: Season 1-7 / 28 discs

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: MA

The Tudors: The Complete Series

Golden Globe© winning Jonathan Rhys Meyers gives the performance of his lifetime as England’s most notorious king in the thrilling hit drama The Tudors. King Henry VIII’s fierce passion to secure England’s world prominence and his own legacy leads him through a string of six wives, an ill-advised war with France, and ultimately a place in history as one of the worlds most charismatic, most brutal, and most deeply moving human kings.

Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers (August Rush)

Natalie Dormer (Casanova)

Henry Cavill (Immortals)

Tamzin Merchant (Jane Eyre)

Sarah Bolger (The Spiderwick Chronicles)

Price: SRP $79.95

Configuration: Season 1-4 / 12 discs / 1893 minutes

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: MA

Spooks: The Complete Collection

Released as a complete collection for the very first time, Spooks is the outstanding, critically acclaimed BBC drama series set inside the inner sanctum of the MI5, the UK’s Secret Service. Energetic, original, sophisticated and sexy, Spooks will have you on the edge of your seat with every episode.

Exclusive DVD Bonus Features:

  • Interviews
  • Backstage Footage
  • Audio Commentary
  • Original Trailers
  • Deleted scenes

Cast: Richard Armitage (Robin Hood)

Matthew Macfadyen (The Three Musketeers)

Peter Firth (The Hunt for Red October)

Keeley Hawes (Ashes to Ashes)

Price: SRP $249.95

Configuration: Season 1-10 / 39 discs

Genre: TV Drama

Rating: MA

 
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See more of Skyfall in IMAX

IMAX moviegoers will see up to 26% more of the image on screen in Skyfall,  the first IMAX installment of the iconic Bond film franchise.

The IMAX presentation of Skyfall will be specially formatted to feature a larger aspect ratio than the conventional release for the entirety of the film. This aspect ratio, which is optimised to take advantage of the IMAX screen, will allow audiences to see more of the image and result in a full panorama of the action – further immersing them into the vast scale and scope of the film.

Through the use of the expanded aspect ratio, director Sam Mendes’ vision is bringing the iconic 007 character to life as never before, providing audiences everywhere an up-close, you-are-there experience that can’t be missed.

The IMAX release of Skyfall will feature a 1.90:1 presentation vs. a 2.40:1 presentation for the conventional release.

When: 22 November, 2012

Where: IMAX Melbourne Museum, Carlton Gardens. Discounted undercover parking available, $15 before 5pm, $5 after 5pm

Tickets: $25.50 Adult, $21.00 Concession, $18.00 Child

Enquires:03 9663 5454  

Bookings: www.imaxmelbourne.com.au or at the box office

 
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Rally Expansion Pack Officially Announced for Forza Horizon

“Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack” Coming to Xbox LIVE on December 18 

Microsoft, Playground Games, and Turn 10 Studios have announced the upcoming release of the “Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack.” Delivering immersive and authentic rally racing on the roughest, untamed roads of Colorado, the “Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack” will offer Horizon players an outstanding off-road racing experience with deeper ruts, higher jumps, and new surface types to explore. Players will experience authentic rally action behind the wheel of rally-tuned cars, complete with co-driver calls, and much more.

Look for further details on the “Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack” in the coming weeks, leading up to the release of the expansion pack on December 18.

“Forza Horizon” Season Pass Details: Full details of the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass have now been released, including newly announced content that makes the Season Pass an even more tremendous value to Forza Horizon fans. In addition to monthly DLC car packs and exclusive bonus cars, the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass includes automatic access to the “Forza Horizon Rally Expansion” pack at no additional cost.

Here’s the complete rundown of content available to “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners:

Month One Car Pack  

The Month One Car Pack for “Forza Horizon” will be available starting on October 23 and will include six cars for use in “Forza Horizon”:

  • 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione — It’s notable that Ferrari considers itself a racing team first and automaker second. Leaving no gaps in the realm of elite performance, the XX line was created to bridge between Formula One and production cars. The Evoluzione has only 30 more horsepower than the previous 599XX but is a full second faster on Ferrari’s exclusive Fiorano test track.
  • 2012 Lamborghini Aventador J — Sparing no expense, and designed in a total of six weeks for its one prospective customer, Lamborghini created the open-air Aventador J. In its cockpit you won’t find any climate control—for obvious reasons—or navigation; they would simply add weight. Powered by the standard Aventador’s 700 horsepower 6.5-liter V12, the roofless—and ruthless–J can easily achieve speeds north of 180 mph.
  • 2012 Gumpert   Apollo Enraged — One of the biggest and best-kept secrets of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the Gumpert Apollo Enraged dropped jaws at its unveiling. The ultra-exclusive three units of production are street legal, but realistically are ready-to-race track cars.
  • 2012 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider — In the tradition of the open-air Giulietta of the 1950’s, but with all the performance and technology of the 8C Competizione Coupe, the 8C Spider is as graceful as you’d expect from an Alfa. It is also ready to pounce given a little motivation. Its body lines are supple; its interior boasts exposed carbon fiber and aluminum.
  • 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 — Revamping a classic car to match its predecessor is a difficult trick in the car business. The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 does so in every way and then some. Pure fun mixed with nostalgia doesn’t get much better than this.
  • 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air — Before the terms “stanced” or “tuner” were even a thought in the mind of any car enthusiast, there was the ‘57 Chevy. The Bel Air was the most upscale of the bodies sporting the most chrome and a golden grill. Whether you keep it classic, flourish it in flames, or drop in a big block, it will always get looks.

The Month One Car Pack is included free for “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners, or available individually for 400 MS Points.

Six Monthly DLC Car Packs  

Beginning in November, “Forza Horizon” fans will enjoy a steady stream of monthly DLC cars and the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass will give you instant access to all these cars as they are released. Each monthly DLC pack will include six incredible cars bound for Horizon Festival greatness – from cutting edge supercars to eminently drivable classics and all points in between. Individual DLC car packs will cost 400 MS Points but Season Pass owners will have access to the first six monthly DLC packs, from November 2012 through April 2013, at no additional cost. As always, fans will be able to use their DLC cars in a variety of monthly DLC-focused community events, contests, and challenges, including photo contests, Rivals events, and more.

Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack 

The Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack will include new events, new cars, and new achievements and will cost 1,600 MS Points as a standalone purchase. The Rally Expansion Pack is included in the cost of the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass.  Look for more info on this exciting expansion pack in the weeks to come.

Five Exclusive Season Pack Bonus Cars 

In addition to the Month 1 Car Pack, the six Monthly DLC Packs and the Rally Expansion Pack, “Forza Horizon” Season Pass owners will also receive five exclusive Season Pass bonus cars, with one car delivered monthly for the next five months. Season Pass Bonus Cars will be available for download on the third Tuesday of each month from November 2012 through March 2013. The Season Pass Bonus Car for November is the 2006 Lamborghini Miura Concept. Look for more details on future Season Pass Bonus Cars in the coming weeks.

The “Forza Horizon” Season Pass will cost 4000 MS Points and represents savings of more than 15 percent over buying the individual content packs. Look for the “Forza Horizon” Season Pass, available for purchase on Xbox LIVE, beginning on October 23.

“Play and Win” Incentives: Players who purchase and play “Forza Horizon” during the first week of release will receive a free gift car – the Saleen S5S Raptor; a unicorn car typically only available from the “Forza Horizon” community team.

Forza Horizon: Where Cars Belong: “Forza Horizon” will be available starting on Oct. 23 in a Limited Collector’s Edition AUD $99.95 RRP and a Standard Edition AUD $79.95 RRP. The game is rated “PG” in Australia.

For more information Forza Horizon: 

Web site: www.forzamotorsport.net

Twitter: Twitter.com/Turn10Studios #ForzaHorizon

Facebook: Facebook.com/ForzaMotorsport

YouTube: Youtube.com/Turn10Studios

 
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Facebook partners with AVG to help keep social networkers safe

AMSTERDAM and MELBOURNE –17 October 2012 – AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG), the provider of Internet and mobile security to 128 million active users, announces its partnership with Facebook to help protect the world’s largest global online community from the latest security threats by providing data from AVG LinkScanner to help users avoid malicious web links posted by users on Facebook. There will also be the option to download the latest AVG AntiVirus FREE 2013 product, just launched last month from the Facebook AV Marketplace.

AVG AntiVirus FREE 2013 puts users in control of their Internet experience while offering great protection for social networking and other online activities.  In addition, AVG’s dynamic detection engine provides further protection by scanning links posted to Facebook in real-time to identify if any of the links are malicious.  AVG users are unable to post such links that could infect their Facebook friends.

Facebook CSO Joe Sullivan commented “With over one billion users, we are tireless in our commitment to keep both our users and their data safe. We are proud to announce our new partnership with AVG to better protect our users both on and off Facebook. Starting today, Facebook will be able to leverage AVG’s feed of malicious URLs to prevent users from navigating to harmful sites. Additionally, people can download AVG’s anti-virus software from the AV Marketplace to help secure their devices.”

In the AVG Technologies Q2 2012 Community Powered Threat Report, AVG revealed how Facebook, due to its huge popularity, is a target channel used by unscrupulous cybercriminals to scam users of the social network. Some of the threats AVG protects Facebook users against include spam messages and socially engineered tricks to try to get personal and financial data from unsuspecting individuals.

In August this year, AVG Threat Labs identified an explosion of attacks using the notorious Blackhole Exploit kit that targeted Facebook users who were unable to log-on to their accounts or access any games or applications.  Cybercriminals coordinated the attacks from multiple external advertising servers and used the social media channel Facebook to reach vulnerable users through malicious advertisements; these advertisements generated an exceptional increase from 250,000 attacks to over 1.6m recorded events within an eight hour period. AVG took swift action to protect its customers and ensure the malicious content was blocked.

JR Smith, CEO, AVG Technologies, commented: “This partnership with Facebook marks our continuing commitment to collaborating with major brands to help protect online communities from cybercrime. Social platforms are today a vital part of our modern communications networks, and it’s important that people do not feel worried about using them. We believe that consumers should have a choice of options they can use to secure their connected world, giving them peace of mind to enjoy their digital experiences whether through a computer, mobile device or tablet.”

 
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CAT EARS, MAID OUTFITS AND MORE ADORN THE STARS OF DEAD OR ALIVE 5 IN THREE NEW DOWNLOADABLE COSTUME PACKS FROM TEAM NINJA

Today Team NINJA released three new downloadable content packs for the new generation of DEAD OR ALIVE combat, DEAD OR ALIVE 5, which is now available at retailers worldwide on PlayStation® 3 and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Available now for download via the PlayStation®Store and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360, these three new packs offer an array of new getups for your favorite DOA fighters. The packs include:

Kitty Pack– Helena, Christie, Tina and Lisa all receive a set of delightful and playful cat ears and sexy outfits to go with them!

What a Character– Hitomi and Mila each dress up in maid outfits; Rig puts on his bartender britches; and Lisa has a ball in her masquerade gown!

Special Set– Kasumi slips into some comfy overalls; Leifang gets her signature panda shirt; Hayabusa appears as a fiend version of himself; and Lisa gets sultry in a revealing black dress.

Also available right now on Xbox LIVEMarketplace for Xbox 360: Round 2 Costumes – Full Set, which includes all three downloadable packs at a special discount rate. The Full Set will be available a week later via the PlayStation®Store.

DEAD OR ALIVE 5 incorporates a wealth of martial arts fighting techniques into its distinctive fighting style to create a captivating new generation of DEAD OR ALIVE combat. Players will once again take on the roles of the legendary cast of DOA fighters in an action-packed brawler set in visually striking locations from around the world. The famed DEAD OR ALIVE hand-to-hand combat unfolds in new 3D stages that dynamically change as the fight progresses. The game’s sterling cast includes not only stars from the DOA series but also select fighters from the iconic Virtua Fighter series.

DEAD OR ALIVE 5 was developed by Team NINJA and published by Tecmo Koei.

For more news about Team NINJA, visit www.teamninja-studio.com, and don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teamninjastudio and follow us on Twitter @TeamNINJAStudio.

Akira, Sarah, Pai characters © SEGA. Virtua Fighter is either a registered trademark or trademark of SEGA Corporation.

Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

 
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WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF HARRY POTTER™ FOR KINECT

Interact with Witches and Wizards at Hogwarts™ and Beyond in a Magical New Way Made Possible Only with Kinect for Xbox 360

SYDNEY, Australia – October 17, 2012 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Eurocom today announced the Australia release of Harry Potter™ for Kinect™.  Available exclusively on Kinect™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the game allows players to join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley™ and Hermione Granger™ on an extraordinary and magical adventure through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and beyond.

To watch the launch trailer click here!

Harry Potter for Kinect gives players the opportunity to play as some of their favourite characters from the Harry Potter series – and, utilising the face scanning technology available only through Kinect for Xbox 360, the ability to create a wizard or witch character in their likeness, allowing players themselves to become active participants in the game.

Using Kinect controller-free and voice recognition technology, players can cast spells at opponents, repel Dementors™, battle Death Eaters, duck to avoid the wild branches of the Whomping Willow™, swim alongside Grindylows in the lake, and dodge dangerous Bludgers during a Quidditch™ match.

Harry Potter for Kinect, which is based on all eight Harry Potter films, gives players the opportunity to relive some of the movies’ most memorable moments, from being Sorted at Hogwarts to confronting He Who Must Not Be Named in a climactic final battle. Additionally, players can take on their opponents in competitive mini-games, or join forces with family and friends in co-op gameplay.

Harry Potter for Kinect is now available for the suggested retail price of $69.95 and the game is rated PG.  For more information about Harry Potter for Kinect, visit harrypotterforkinect.com.

 
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Football Manager 2013 Video Blog – Misc 2

 
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DOOM 3 BFG Edition Launch Trailer Available!

Bethesda is pleased to announce that they’ve just released the launch trailer for DOOM 3 BFG Edition.

DOOM 3 BFG Edition features re-mastered versions of both DOOM 3 and the Resurrection of Evil add-on pack, as well eight new levels of content entitled ‘The Lost Mission.’ This edition will also include the original DOOM and DOOM 2 games, making it the definitive collection of the genre-defining games developed by id Software, the pioneers of the first-person shooter genre.

Re-mastered for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, DOOM 3 and its expansion pack offer enhanced visuals further immersing you in the demonic world like never before. DOOM 3, Resurrection of Evil, and ‘The Lost Mission’ have been optimized in 3D, featuring 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 trophies, improved rendering and lighting, and a new check point save system allowing for smoother progression through the game. id Software has fine-tuned the controls to bring the intensity of the DOOM single and multiplayer experience to the consoles, and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time.

DOOM 3 BFG Edition is slated for release in Australia and New Zealand on October 18th on PC,  Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. For more information please visit www.facebook.com/Doom.

 
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Symantec’s 2012 State of the Data Center Survey Reveals How Mobile Computing, Virtualisation and Cloud are Increasing Data Centre Complexity

SYDNEY, Australia – October 17, 2012 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced that 70 percent of organisations report increasing complexity in the data centre, according to the results of its 2012 State of the Data Center Survey. The survey, which provides insight into the top challenges organisations are grappling with as the data centre continues to transform, highlights the underlying drivers of data centre complexity, current impacts on the business, and the latest initiatives IT is adopting to mitigate the issues.

While the cause of data centre complexity stems from a variety of factors, respondents identify implementing an information governance strategy as the main initiative organisations are taking to address data centre growing pains. The State of the Data centre findings emphasise the importance of taking steps to intelligently manage organisational resources to rein in operational costs and control information growth.

Data Centre Complexity Pervasive
Organisations of all sizes, industries and regions report increasing complexity within the data centre. According to the survey, data centre complexity impacts all areas of computing, most notably security and infrastructure, as well as disaster recovery, storage and compliance.  Respondents rated complexity across all areas fairly evenly (6.6 or higher out of 10), with security topping the list at 7.1.  The average level of complexity for companies in Asia-Pacific/Japan, which included Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), rated lowest at 6.2, with the world-wide average level at 6.7. Organisations in the Americas rated complexity highest, at 7.8.

Effects of Data Centre Complexity are Diverse and Costly
Several factors are driving data centre complexity in Australia and New Zealand. First, respondents reported they are dealing with an increasing number of applications that they consider to be business-critical. Locally, 67 percent (65 percent globally) said the number of business-critical applications is increasing or increasing greatly.  Other key drivers of data centre complexity include the growth of strategic IT trends such as growth of data, cited by 43 percent of respondents, (51 percent globally), mobile computing and staffing issues, both at 37 percent (mobile computing at 44 percent globally, staffing issues at 40 percent), budget shortfalls at 36 percent (43 percent globally), and server virtualisation at 34 percent (43 percent globally).

The survey revealed that the effects of growing data centre complexity are far reaching. The most commonly mentioned impact is higher costs, with half of the organisations citing it as an effect of complexity.  Other impacts include more time spent finding information (37 percent), longer lead times for storage migration and provisioning storage (both at 36 percent), reduced agility (35 percent), and security breaches and downtime (both at 31 percent).

Globally the typical organisation experienced an average of 16 data centre outages in the past 12 months, at a total cost of US$5.1 million. In Australia and New Zealand 72 percent of organisations said that outages cost them US$250,000 or less.  The most common causes were systems failures, followed by human error, and natural disasters.

IT Taking Steps to Alleviate Complexity
According to the Australia and New Zealand data, organisations are implementing several measures to reduce complexity, including training, standardisation, centralisation, virtualisation, and increased budgets. In fact, 63 percent (same globally) of respondents considered increasing their budget to be somewhat or extremely important to dealing with data centre complexity. However, the single biggest initiative organisations are undertaking is to implement a comprehensive information governance strategy, defined as a formal program that allows organisations to proactively classify, retain and discover information in order to reduce information risk, reduce the cost of managing information, establish retention policies and streamline their eDiscovery process. Seventy-seven percent of ANZ organisations (90 percent globally) are either discussing information governance, or have implemented trials or actual programs.

The biggest drivers for information governance include security, rated somewhat or extremely important by 77 percent of ANZ respondents (75 percent globally), the availability of new technologies that make information governance easier at 70 percent (69 percent globally), regulatory and legal issues at 65 and 63 percent (globally 61 and 56 percent, respectively), increased data centre complexity at 57 percent (65 percent globally), and data growth at 56 percent (65 percent globally).

Organisations have several goals with information governance, including reducing the cost of information management, considered important by 74 percent (69 percent globally), reducing storage costs, 72 percent (68 percent globally), setting protection to match the value of information, 72 percent 69 percent globally), enhancing security, 70 percent (75 percent globally), reduced legal and compliance risks, 70 and 65 percent respectively (65 and 64 percent, respectively), and making it easier for find the right information in a timely fashion 63 percent (70 percent globally).

Supporting Quotes
“Australia and New Zealand are performing well against the world when it comes to data centre complexity, but that doesn’t mean the geography is without its challenges.  Companies need to take an in-depth look at what downtime, security breaches and poor information governance are truly costing them.” – Paul Lancaster, senior director, Systems Engineering, Pacific Region, Symantec

“Many IT managers are feeling the weight of their data and information, whether it’s information stored on premises, on virtualised servers, in the cloud or in applications.  But smart businesses are starting to understand how to manage, locate and provision the data explosion, and save costs while doing so.” – Paul Lancaster, senior director, Systems Engineering, Pacific Region, Symantec

“As today’s businesses generate more information and introduce new technologies into the data centre, these changes can either act as a sail to catch the wind and accelerate growth, or an anchor holding organisations back. The difference is up to organisations, which can meet the challenges head on by implementing controls such as standardization or establishing an information governance strategy to keep information from becoming a liability.” – Brian Dye, vice president, Information Intelligence Group, Symantec Corp.

Recommendations
Following are some recommendations that IT can try to mitigate the effects of data centre complexity.

  • Establish      C-level ownership of information governance. Start with high-ROI projects      like data loss prevention, archiving and eDiscovery to preserve critical      information, find what you need and delete the rest.
  • Get      visibility beyond platforms. Understand the business services that IT is      providing and all of the dependencies to reduce downtime and      miscommunications.
  • Understand      what IT assets you have, how they are being consumed, and by whom. This      will help cut costs and risk. The organisation won’t buy servers and      storage it doesn’t need, teams can be held accountable for what they use,      and the company can be sure it isn’t running out of capacity.
  • Reduce      the number of backup applications to meet recovery SLAs and reduce capital      expenses, operating expenses and training costs.
  • Deploy      deduplication everywhere to help address the information explosion and      reduce the rising costs associated with backing up data.
  • Use      appliances to simplify backup and recovery operations across physical and      virtual machines.


Symantec’s 2012 State of the Data Centre Survey

Symantec’s 2012 State of the Data centre Survey was conducted by ReRez Research in March 2012. The results are based on responses from 2,453 IT professionals at organisations in 34 countries. Within Australia and New Zealand, there were 100 organisations. Respondents included senior IT staff focused on operations and tactical functions, as well as staff members focused on planning and IT management.  The margin of error was +/- 9.8%

About Symantec
Symantec protects the world’s information, and is the global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our industry-leading expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia.

 
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Launch Trailer – Official Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Video

Dive into the near-future world of 2025, unravelling a generation-spanning story that has led to a global conflict unlike ever before. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 arrives 13 November 2012. Stay updated on all of the latest Black Ops 2 news by following us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/codblackops) and Twitter (@CallofDuty and @Treyarch).