Demo the All-New Swing Mechanic and Kinect for Xbox 360 Integration at Augusta National Golf Club and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort

March 8, 2012 – Kick off your golf season today by experiencing the all-new swing mechanic in the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 demo, now available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3! Once again gamers have the opportunity to walk the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club and get a sneak peak at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort, host of the 2012 PGA Championship.

Gamers get the opportunity to play holes 14, 15 and 16 at Augusta National Golf Club and the opening three holes from The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort. As gamers take on these championship courses, they also can experience the most comprehensive swing mechanic revamp in franchise history, giving fans unprecedented swing control with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 and allowing for more than 62 million shot combinations

Dual-analogue controls and 3G connectivity combine for a portable shooter without compromise

SYDNEY, 8^th March 2012 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today welcomes the release of Unit 13™, a third-person military shooter created exclusively for PlayStation_®Vita (PS Vita) by Zipper Interactive.

Players join the ranks of Unit 13, a counter-terrorism squad deployed with only one objective; complete the mission. Missions focus on contemporary scenarios creating an experience that is loaded with authenticity.

Unit 13 takes advantage of all the input and connectivity features PS Vita has to offer. Dual analogue sticks offer bona fide shooter controls on the go, and SIXAXIS™ combined with front and rear touch to offer an intuitive, immersive experience.

The 3G connectivity of PS Vita are at the core of Unit 13 and bring all-new challenges and ways of playing to the genre.

Missions are concise, intense, and non-linear, allowing for a huge variety of approaches depending on the player’s favoured style. Coupled with a five-star scoring system, each mission has huge replay value. 3G allows on-the-go online leaderboard access to check how performance rates against PSN friends, or any player in the local area or worldwide. If your friends overtake you in the leaderboards, 3G will alert you instantly.

An always on connection is also essential to acquiring High Value Target (HVT) missions. These are rare mission alerts that only appear for a limited time. Players use 3G connectivity to access these and once played, HVTs can be passed onto others via near or to PSN friends.

Each day players are briefed with a Mission of the Day delivered directly to their PS Vita wherever they are via 3G. As with the game’s standard missions these will challenge players to find the best way to complete the objective, ranking their performance via online leaderboards.

With a choice of connectivity options PS Vita offers completely connected, rich and immersive gaming experience. With 3G, Vodafone being PlayStation Australia’s preferred 3G partner, and Wi-Fi connectivity users can stay constantly connected to their PlayStation world and their gaming friends using PS Vita’s native gaming and social network applications.

Click here to take a look at the Unit 13 launch trailer.

Believable Post-Apocalyptic Adventure on Xbox LIVE Arcade has Begun 

SYDNEY – March 8, 2012 – Ubisoft announced that I Am Alive, a believable post-apocalyptic action-adventure game, is now available to download for Xbox LIVE Arcade House Party for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

I Am Alive follows an everyman’s journey to find his wife and daughter, who were lost during the “Event.” A year later, he finds Haventon, his hometown, in shambles. Buildings are destroyed, toxic ash fills the streets and society has been torn, causing inhabitants to take all necessary actions to survive.

In I Am Alive, players will be challenged by both the environment and the enemies. Stamina and resource management are key when being exposed to deadly atmospheres and scaling enormous buildings in search of supplies. The unique combat system requires players to utilise intimidation – cowards are easily swayed with an empty gun, while other enemies will put players to the test.

I Am Alive is now available  for 1200 Microsoft Points. For more information on I Am Alive, please visit: http://iamalive-game.ubi.com/

Also available is a free companion App, which can now be downloaded now: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/i-am-alive-companion/id501662368?mt=8

DAMIAN WALSHE-HOWLING AND ZOE CARIDES ON BOARD  

The highly anticipated webseries, Event Zero, by Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey (producers of The Tunnel) and winners of the 2011 MOVIE EXTRA WEBFEST 2.0 competition, will commence production on 19 March 2012.

Australian actors, Damian Walshe-Howling and Zoe Carides have both signed on to be a part of the series.

Australian Film Institute Award winner, Damian Walshe-Howling (Terra Nova, East West 101, Rescue Special Ops) will take on a lead role and broaden his behind-the-scenes career by taking on a directorial role for an episode.  Film and television actress and Australian Film Institute Award nominee, Zoe Carides (Crownies, Out of the Blue) will also step into a lead role in Event Zero.

The suspenseful web-series will see Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey collaborate once again with director, Carlo Ledesma – who directed the award winning, The Tunnel, last year.  Andrew Traucki (The Reef) and Shane Abbess (Gabriel) will also share directors billing on Event Zero. Other actors tied to the project include Harry Pavlidis (Gabriel, East West 101, All Saints) and Valentino del Toro (Gabriel, Underbelly: Infiltration). Event Zero will also feature two actors from Distracted Media’s internet film sensation, The Tunnel, Bel Delia and Steve Davis.

Set and filmed in Sydney, the seven part webseries is funded by Movie Network Channels and Screen Australia with a $100,000 production budget. Event Zero will premiere on the Movie Network Channels’ YouTube channel www.youtube.com/mnctv.

Commissioned especially for Movie Network Channels branded online video platforms, Event Zero tells the stories of seven people caught up in an event much bigger than they are. A report comes in of a train derailment near Circular Quay. Smoke billows from the wreckage and victims pour onto the streets. As the emergency workers arrive at the chaotic scene, they realise the biggest threat is only just emerging. People without a scratch are collapsing on the ground and dying – and it is spreading. Unless someone can work out what is going on the death toll will continue to rise. This moment is Event Zero.

Since the launch of the Movie Network Channels YouTube channel in November 2010, a raft of branded content has been posted including Movie News, entertainment and StarBios programming, repurposed from broadcast as well as web only content to actively engage our online audiences. Movie Network Channels YouTube channel now on average see’s over 1.5 million views per month worldwide.

To follow the webseries and for regular WEBFEST updates and announcements visit Facebook www.facebook.com/movieextrawebfest

From today, anime fans across Australia (and the world) will converge on www.madman.com.au/top20 to take part in an unprecedented online voting event – to give the voice to the people and determine, once and for all, the ‘Top 20 Anime’ titles of all time! 

For the next month, Madman will play host to the voting competition – which features 100 anime titles from the Madman catalogue, spanning decades of pedigree, popularity and performance – and includes the likes of AKIRA, EVANGELION, ASTRO BOY, DRAGON BALL Z and many more. There is also a ‘wild card’ entry for fans who feel strongly about something not included in the initial list of titles.

When polling closes on 5^th April, a countdown will begin, revealing a new anime each day until the coveted number one spot is revealed. Voting is simple and effortlessly integrated with Facebook. Madman will be giving away daily spot prizes for voters’ comments, and on day 20 of the countdown, one lucky voter will win all 20 titles from the final list.

The voting competition is now live at www.madman.com.au/top20.

Fan Favourite Flight Control Goes Intergalactic!

Flight Control Rocket is the next evolution of the genre-defining #1 hit Flight Control from local Melbourne developers, Firemint. Brought to you by the creators of worldwide hits Real Racing and SPY mouse, this highly anticipated sequel will be available this March on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and will deliver the quality and polish consumers have come to expect from Firemint titles.

Leave the terrestrial skies of Earth and venture into a whole new galaxy of adventure, action and addictive, path-drawing gameplay! This time, instead of landing planes onto charming little airstrips, players can guide spaceships of various sizes into their respective docks aboard a giant mothership. Similar to the classic game, each ship’s colour will show you – the flight control commander – where to land.

Relish in compelling yet intuitive touch screen controls that defined a genre. Soak in the retro Sci-Fi visuals and original music score. Complete with a cast of quirky robots that will help fans boost their score plus more of the retro-hip music and animations that made the original game so beloved, Flight Control Rocket promises a new galaxy of adventure, action, and addictive path-drawing gameplay.

New Apple TV Features iTunes Movies and TV Shows, Photos & More in HD

SYDNEY, Australia – 8 March, 2012 – Apple® today announced the new Apple TV® featuring 1080p programming including iTunes® movies and TV shows, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favourite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store® and watch them instantly on their HD TV. The new Apple TV features a simpler, more refined user interface making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match? right from iCloud®. With AirPlay®, users can stream or mirror their favourite content from their iPad® or iPhone® 4S to Apple TV.

“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”

Apple TV users can choose from an incredible selection of programming including movies and TV episodes on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers great content including live sports from MLB as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.*

With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your HD TV via Apple TV. iCloud provides an incredibly easy way to get instant access to all of your content, no matter which device is being used.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S or iPad users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.**

Apple TV makes it easy to enjoy iTunes video, music and photo libraries from your computer right on your HD TV—and with iCloud you can instantly enjoy content that was purchased on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as well. iTunes Match customers can now play their entire music library from iCloud—even songs they’ve imported from CDs. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store™ (www.itunes.com/appstore).

Pricing & Availability
Apple TV will be available on Friday, 16 March for a recommended retail price of AUD$109 inc GST through the Apple online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers. Apple TV requires iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and an HD TV capable of 1080p or 720p and an HDMI cable that is sold separately. Second generation Apple TV users can install the new Apple TV user interface via a free software update, available today. Third generation Apple TV hardware is required to play 1080p video.

*Content availability varies by country and may require account subscriptions.

**AirPlay requires an iOS device running iOS 4.2 or later. AirPlay Mirroring not supported on original iPad.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

SYDNEY, Australia – 8 March, 2012 – Apple® today introduced iPhoto® for iPad® and iPhone® and major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch™ features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud®.

iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video on your iPad and iPhone. GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. Each app takes full advantage of the stunning Retina display on the new iPad for incredibly sharp and realistic images and video. The new iPad also features a 5 megapixel iSight® camera so you can record, edit and watch 1080p HD video all on the device.

“With the introduction of iPhoto, we’ve brought the entire suite of iLife apps to iOS and users are going to love it,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Whether brushing an effect onto a photo, shooting a movie trailer or jamming with friends to record a song, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand let you make amazing creations on iPad and iPhone.”

iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over colour, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV® with AirPlay®; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.

iMovie now allows you to turn the HD video on your iPad and iPhone into beautiful Hollywood-style trailers, even as you’re recording. The new Theater view lets you preview and choose from nine templates in a range of genres including Fairy Tale, Superhero and Romance. Trailers feature gorgeous, customisable graphics with soundtracks written by legendary composers such as Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and performed by world class musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra. You can also share your movie trailers to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, and use AirPlay to stream them to Apple TV in high definition resolutions up to 1080p.

With the new Jam Session feature in GarageBand, you can invite up to three of your friends to get together and wirelessly connect your iOS devices to play and record as a group. Jam Session automatically synchronises the tempo, key and chords of your Touch Instruments so everyone sounds great. After jamming, everyone’s tracks are automatically collected on your iOS device for you to edit and mix. GarageBand also introduces Smart Strings, a new Touch Instrument that allows you to play an entire string orchestra with just one finger, and the new Note Editor allows you to fine tune a Touch Instrument recording instead of replaying it from scratch. Integration with iCloud keeps your GarageBand songs up to date across your iOS devices, and you can share your finished songs directly to Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Apple today also updated its iWork® for iOS apps to take advantage of the stunning Retina display of iPad and to offer 3D charts so you can create and view impressive 3D bar, line, area and pie charts. Pages now includes support for landscape orientation on iPhone and iPod touch®, and Keynote® gains new builds and transitions including Iris, Shimmer, Wipe, Flame, Swing and Fade Through Color.

Pricing & Availability
iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for AUD$5.49 each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available today for AUD$10.49 from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

iPhoto is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later and iPhone 4 or later. iMovie is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later, iPhone 4 or later and iPod touch (4th generation). GarageBand, Pages®, Keynote and Numbers® are universal apps that run on iPad (all models), iPhone 3GS or later, and iPod touch (3rd generation) or later. Some features require an iCloud account. Some features may not be available on all products. For more information please visit www.apple.com/au/ipad/from-the-app-store/apps-by-apple.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

SYDNEY, Australia – 8 March, 2012 – Apple® today introduced iPhoto® for iPad® and iPhone® and major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch™ features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud®.

iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video on your iPad and iPhone. GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. Each app takes full advantage of the stunning Retina display on the new iPad for incredibly sharp and realistic images and video. The new iPad also features a 5 megapixel iSight® camera so you can record, edit and watch 1080p HD video all on the device.

“With the introduction of iPhoto, we’ve brought the entire suite of iLife apps to iOS and users are going to love it,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Whether brushing an effect onto a photo, shooting a movie trailer or jamming with friends to record a song, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand let you make amazing creations on iPad and iPhone.”

iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over colour, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV® with AirPlay®; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.

iMovie now allows you to turn the HD video on your iPad and iPhone into beautiful Hollywood-style trailers, even as you’re recording. The new Theater view lets you preview and choose from nine templates in a range of genres including Fairy Tale, Superhero and Romance. Trailers feature gorgeous, customisable graphics with soundtracks written by legendary composers such as Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and performed by world class musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra. You can also share your movie trailers to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, and use AirPlay to stream them to Apple TV in high definition resolutions up to 1080p.

With the new Jam Session feature in GarageBand, you can invite up to three of your friends to get together and wirelessly connect your iOS devices to play and record as a group. Jam Session automatically synchronises the tempo, key and chords of your Touch Instruments so everyone sounds great. After jamming, everyone’s tracks are automatically collected on your iOS device for you to edit and mix. GarageBand also introduces Smart Strings, a new Touch Instrument that allows you to play an entire string orchestra with just one finger, and the new Note Editor allows you to fine tune a Touch Instrument recording instead of replaying it from scratch. Integration with iCloud keeps your GarageBand songs up to date across your iOS devices, and you can share your finished songs directly to Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Apple today also updated its iWork® for iOS apps to take advantage of the stunning Retina display of iPad and to offer 3D charts so you can create and view impressive 3D bar, line, area and pie charts. Pages now includes support for landscape orientation on iPhone and iPod touch®, and Keynote® gains new builds and transitions including Iris, Shimmer, Wipe, Flame, Swing and Fade Through Color.

Pricing & Availability
iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for AUD$5.49 each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote 1.6, Pages 1.6 and Numbers 1.6 are available today for AUD$10.49 from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

iPhoto is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later and iPhone 4 or later. iMovie is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later, iPhone 4 or later and iPod touch (4th generation). GarageBand, Pages®, Keynote and Numbers® are universal apps that run on iPad (all models), iPhone 3GS or later, and iPod touch (3rd generation) or later. Some features require an iCloud account. Some features may not be available on all products. For more information please visit www.apple.com/au/ipad/from-the-app-store/apps-by-apple.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.