MAX 2008 has kicked of this week where Adobe is showcasing the future of 21st Century digital experiences and innovations that are driving how people and businesses engage with information and ideas across multiple mediums and screens. Adobe will highlight innovations in cloud computing, devices and desktops, and social computing, including advancements to the Flash Platform. The Adobe Flash Platform is a complete system of integrated tools, frameworks, clients and servers to develop Web applications, content and video that runs consistently across operating systems and devices.

Adobe has announced the latest updates and product releases including advances of the Flash platform, the release of Adobe AIR 1.5 and an Alpha version of Flash Player 10.

If you would like further information or to talk to an Adobe spokesperson, please contact me on the details below.

Adobe Advances Flash Platform at MAX 2008

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200811/111708FlashPlatform.html

Melbourne, Australia, 14th November 2008. The 2008 eGames Expo opens with a blast and at exactly 1:00pm on the 15th of November 2008, the doors were opened to the public which featured a plethora of the latest games (including retro) and other technological devices such as TiVo. Running for three days, the eGames Expo @ iDEF ’08 promises gamers and fans of technology, a true interactive experience plus activities, special guests (Craig Lowndes, Jamie Winchup, Brian McFadden and the Gadget Guy) and competitions. Best of all, people of all ages are welcome.

Try your luck on the Nintendo DS

A sneak peak of Intel’s most powerful CPU

Before the expo was opened, the media were treated to a sneak peek of the world’s “fastest” CPU for the home user which is Intel’s Core i7 processor that contains 3 channels of DDR3, Intel QuickPath interconnect, 4 cores, 8 threads: Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, 8MB Intel SmartCache, Steaming SIMD Extensions-4.2 and Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

Add in Dolby Digital 7.1 and PCI Express 2.0 for discrete graphics and home users (especially gamers) are in for a true high resolution gaming experience. We even saw this powerful CPU run Farcry 2 at full detail which was silky smooth and was definitely one of the most realistic gaming experiences due to the attention to detail. The textures on the leaves were oustanding!

 
Reviewer Josh Wright has a hands on experience with Sony’s Little Big Planet

With a variety of game developers present that include Nintendo, Activision, Atari, EA Games, Funtastic, Nokia N-Gage and Alienware to name a few, visitors have the opportunity to play some of the latest titles such as Mirror’s Edge, Animal Crossing 2 and Disney ‘Sing IT’ Idol, ensuring that all genres are catered for.

A great photo opportunity as Josh sneaks in, our official face of Impulse Gamer for the expo with the girls of Sennheiser.

Get your dancing shoes on!

The TiVo Man

To truly enjoy the eGames experience, we recommend at least half a day so you can visit all the exhibitors. Whether you’re playing Buzz Quiz TV, Damnation, James Bond: Quantum of Solice or Spore, the hands on experiences truly allows you to enjoy this interactive expo. Feeling a bit stuck? Each exhibit has someone to help.

Princes Peach has a shot on the Nintendo Wii

Nokia N-Gage is back!

Fancy becoming a games developer? Well look no further as some of Australia’s most prestigous and modern universities now cater for this field. So bring your friends, family and foes and get to the eGames Expo @ iDEF ’08 in Melbourne.

Even a car… plus lots of promotional models

EA Sport’s Fifa with cheerleaders as well.

For more detail, please visit http://www.idef.com.au/egames_home.php and if you are interested in gaming, technology and the like, than this is the place to be.

The eGames Expo just gets better and better!

Other activities include:

Nokia will make an exclusive Australian announcement at the eGames expo on Friday afternoon regarding one of their key 2009 N-Gage titles – which was developed here in Melbourne! 

Tektime’s ‘Riff Wars’ – Guitar Hero Tournament, which will run throughout the three day event, with the Grand Final ‘guitar-off’ taking place on the Sunday.

Team Immunity will again host the ‘Team Immunity vs the Community’ competition which will involve game battles held throughout the show, with the chance to do game battle against a Team Immunity game professional.  With three of the Team Immunity players just back from ‘The World’ in Germany, the competition will be fierce!

Funtastic will be holding a ‘Disney Sing It’ Talent Quest in the new Kids Zone, featuring music from Camp Rock and Hannah Montana and High School Musical 3 – DANCE

Digital SmartHome will be at the Digital Lifestyle Show to show people how they can make their home smart and digital. Record your favourite TV shows, turn the lights or even the heater.

AUSTRALIA – November 11 – Today, Ubisoft announced a special pre-order bonus pack for Prince of Persia, the new chapter in the critically acclaimed franchise action/adventure for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC.

Exclusively at EB Games stores in Australia & New Zealand, customers who pre-order a copy of Prince of Persia will receive a free pre-order pack including:

–       A high quality collector box set featuring varnish & metallic blue arabesque finish

–       An exclusive 24 pages Comic book unveiling the back story of the Hunter, one of the key boss of the game.

–       20 Page Prima Mini-Guide

–       A scratch card with unique code to unlock exclusive in-game skins for the Prince (Prince “classic” skin) and Elika (“Farah” skin).

–       A bonus DVD including soundtrack, videos, e-goodies, widget and more!

Availability is limited so pre-order now to guarantee a copy! Prince of Persia is scheduled for release on December 4th 2008.

For more information, visit: http://www.ebgames.com.au  or www.princeofpersiagame.com

Sydney, Australia, Nov 11, 2008 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that it has acquired video game developer Budcat Creations. Based in Iowa City, Iowa, Budcat Creations is an award-winning development studio with expertise on the Wii™ home video game system and the Nintendo DS™.

Activision Publishing has worked with Budcat Creations on the development of multiple games in the Guitar Hero franchise including Guitar Hero®III: Legends of Rock™, Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith® and Guitar Hero® World Tour. The studio is currently in development on a new game in the Guitar Hero franchise.

“Budcat Creations is an outstanding developer with an experienced management team and a very talented group of programmers, designers and artists,” said Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “In addition to strengthening our development capabilities on the Nintendo platforms, this acquisition increases our Guitar Hero development resources as we continue to grow the franchise and expand our global leadership position in the music-based genre.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Activision and believe that this acquisition is a perfect fit for both companies,” said Jeremy Andersen, General Manager of Budcat Creations. “Their world class sales and marketing support coupled with best-in-class execution across all areas of their business means that we can focus our time and resources on what we love and do best — creating great games.”

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Budcat Creations has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Publishing and the company’s management team has signed multi-year employment contracts with Activision Publishing. The studio will continue to be based in Iowa City, Iowa. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc., a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision Publishing maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

More information about Activision Publishing and its products can be found on the company’s website, http://www.activision.com.

SYDNEY, Australia – November 11, 2008 — PopCap Games, the leading developer and
publisher of casual games, has introduced an irresistible innovation in its flagship
Bejeweled® franchise. Bejeweled Twist™, the first new Bejeweled title in almost four
years, puts a completely new spin on the top-selling puzzle game that PopCap pioneered
eight years ago. Featuring a revolutionary new style of play and production values
unrivalled by any other casual game, Bejeweled Twist will be distributed by Mindscape,
a leading Australian consumer software publisher and distributor, and due to hit retail
shelves in Australia in December 2008.

Bejeweled is the most popular casual game franchise of the 21st century, with more than
350 million copies downloaded and over 25 million units sold. And Bejeweled Twist is
already winning over fans of the original Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2: “There’s no doubt
this is the world’s greatest casual video game,” declared Cindy Robertson, who wrote,
published and sells a strategy guide for Bejeweled 2 under the pen name Julia Gemstone.
“PopCap has done it again…Bejeweled Twist provides thousands of hours of fun for
anyone. If Bejeweled is hot chocolate, Bejeweled Twist is a double mocha latte!”

“It took considerably more time, more money and more people than the original
Bejeweled, but we feel it was worth every ounce of that effort,” said Jason Kapalka, chief
creative officer and co-founder of PopCap, and co-creator of all three Bejeweled titles.
“We promised ourselves we’d come up with something really new for ‘the next
Bejeweled’ and we must have gone through at least a hundred ideas before settling on
the ‘twist mechanic’ in the new game.”

Bejeweled Twist removes the barriers of traditional match-3 games. Instead of swapping
adjacent jewels to make a set, players rotate an entire 2×2 block of gems clockwise in an
effort to create a line of three or more gems of the same type. Further, in Bejeweled Twist
players don’t have to make a match with every move – instead they can freely rotate
gems anywhere on the board, allowing far greater liberty of movement and vastly
increased strategic freedom to plan combinations, cascades and chains.

New Features of Bejeweled Twist:

Virtually every aspect of Bejeweled Twist is new and different from the previous
iterations of Bejeweled, including:
• Stunning visual and audio effects – the highest production values – highdefinition
imagery, subtle audio effects and a custom-composed soundtrack
• Endless rewards – instant replays, bonus multipliers, stats and rankings
• Deep play – the more you play, the more you’ll discover new ways to play
• All-new elements – new gem types, obstacles, challenges, and modes of play
New Special Gems:
• Flame gems are created by matching four gems of the same kind at once. When
matched with like-coloured gems, these fiery jewels explode.
• Lightning gems are created by matching five gems of the same kind. When
matched, they fire bolts of explosive destruction in four directions at once.
• Fruit gems are rare but powerful gems that can only be created by making lots of
consecutive matches to max out the chain meter. When the chain meter reaches its
zenith, one gem on the grid is transformed into a special Fruit gem, which, when
matched, vaporizes all like-coloured gems, among other powerful effects.
New Obstacles:
• Bomb gems: These appear in later stages of the game and count down with every
move you make. Eliminate them via matches or adjacent explosions from Flame
or Lightning gems before they reach zero; if you don’t, only the last-minute
disarm spinner can save you.
• Locked Gems: Locked gems can still be matched, but they can’t be moved.
Break free of them with like-colour matches and special gems.
• Coal: These inert rocks can hamper your ability to match gems, but they deliver a
sparkly surprise when you burst them open with Flame or Lightning gems!
PopCap Games Launches Bejeweled Twist – p.3
Four Game Modes:
Classic and Zen is available from the start – unlock the other modes as you progress:
• Classic: The essential version of the game, Classic features Bomb gems that tick
down to a deadly detonation. You need to clear them before they hit zero!
• Zen: More a relaxation exercise than a puzzle. Explore dozens of alien worlds as
you hone your gem-matching skills without the pressure of obstacles or time.
• Blitz: This timed mode is perfect for both hardcore arcade players and those who
only have a few minutes to spare.

• Challenge: Challenge mode offers a dozen separate puzzle worlds, each with
seven levels of difficulty and a final infinite stage. For the serious problem-solver.
From PCs and Macs, PlayStation and Xbox consoles to mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and
iPhones, Bejeweled is available for more than a dozen devices and platforms. More than
350 million copies of Bejeweled/Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded from the Web,
accounting for nearly a third of the 1 billion-plus downloads of all PopCap® titles. Tens
of millions of copies of Bejeweled have been installed on mobile phones worldwide, and
more than 25 million units of the game have been sold across all platforms, amounting to
over $300 million in consumer spending over the history of the game. The Bejeweled
franchise has been enjoyed for more than 6 billion hours by consumers worldwide.
Bejeweled Twist™ will be available for the PC in Australia in December 2008 retailing
for SRP of $19.95 inc GST.

AUSTRALIA – November 12, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced that it has acquired from Activision Blizzard the assets and all of the personnel of esteemed Malmö, Sweden- based studio Massive Entertainment®, as well as the real time strategy brand World In Conflict®. 

Created in 1997, Massive employs over 120 developers and was ranked as one of the top 50 best game studios in the world by Game Developers Research in 2008. The studio is world-renowned for its expertise in the RTS genre and for the quality of its innovative proprietary technologies. World in Conflict® was acclaimed by critics, receiving the Best Strategy Game of E3 2007 award, as well as being named Best Online Multiplayer Game of 2007 by IGN, and Most Innovative Game of 2007 by Gamespot, among many other awards.

“We are delighted to welcome the talented team of creators at Massive into the Ubisoft family,” said Christine Burgess-Quemard, executive director of worldwide production studios at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is growing at an intense pace and our strategy is to ensure the strength of our global creative teams. Massive has put together a group of some of the most confirmed and recognized creators in the industry and I know that their talent and innovation will allow them to seamlessly integrate into our worldwide network of production studios.”

“Massive’s development team places great importance on its freedom to innovate and create games of the highest quality,” stated Martin Walfisz, president and founder of Massive Entertainment®. “We are fortunate to have found in Ubisoft a publisher who shares the same values and understands our mindset.  I have no doubt that our future together will offer significant mutual benefit and synergy.”

Sydney, Australia – November 12, 2008 – Check your gear and get ready to move out to your nearest retailer, as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch, have shipped Call of Duty: World at War to retail stores nationwide. Available now, Call of Duty: World at War takes players to a grittier WWII than ever before – from facing down Imperial Japanese Banzai charges and guerrilla tactics in the Pacific – to exacting ruthless revenge as you beat back the enemy all the way to the steps of Berlin one bloody inch at a time.  In addition to introducing franchise-first four-person cooperative gameplay, Call of Duty: World at War serves up a host of new enemies/tactics and a cache of weapons, like the flamethrower.  The highly-anticipated title also delivers deep multiplayer action that features squad and vehicular combat, as well as a lush audio landscape set in 5.1 surround sound, accompanying cinematically-intense, high-definition graphics.  

“Our goal from Day 1 has been to make sure that Call of Duty: World at War re-defines players’ expectations of World War II first-person action,” said Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia.  “From cooperative gameplay to a multiplayer that combines vehicle and squad combat, along with a host of new weapons, settings and enemies, we’ve left no stone unturned to make this the best experience possible.”

For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra.  Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution.  The title also incorporates traditional multiplayer components such as challenges, rankings and online stats into the co-op campaign for deeper re-playability and advanced gameplay.

Following the U.S. Marines in the Pacific campaign, Call of Duty: World at War shows a side of World War II never seen previously in the series. Players will experience swamps, beach invasions and tropical undergrowth against as they go head to head with one of the most brutal enemies of the war. The European campaign will feature uncompromising and vicious battles as the Red Army pushes into the heart of Berlin. 

Multiplayer delivers squad-based interaction while expanding on the Party System feature with party privacy and match-making preferences. Combined infantry and vehicle missions add a new dimension to the online warfare. Players unlock a dozen new Perks while participating in epic battles ranging from massive wide open fields in the European theatre to the intimate courtyards of a Japanese castle.

Call of Duty: World at War is rated MA 15+ (Strong violence and coarse language) by the Classification Board and is available now on Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Windows® PC.  Call of Duty: World at War is also available for the Nintendo DS™, developed by n-Space, the title is rated PG (Mild Violence) and the Nintendo® Wii™ and will be available from November 19th 2008. 

For more information and exclusive updates about Call of Duty: World at War, visit www.callofduty.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.  

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

MELBOURNE – Wednesday 13 November, 2008 – Eager beaver computer enthusiasts can again try their ‘IT skills’ in the Scorptec PC Build Off Competition, which will be staged at this year’s eGames Expo, held at the Melbourne Exhibition Convention Centre, Friday 14 November to Sunday 16 November.

Held on the Intel eGames Stage on Sunday 16th November at 11:45am, the Scorptec PC Build-Off Competition will comprise four people competing to build a computer system as fast as they can. Each hard drive will be preloaded with a Windows Operating System and the winner of the event will be the first person to build their computer from scratch and have their system successfully POST correctly, as tested by the Scorptec Technical team.

The winner will get to keep the PC s/he builds, valued at over $2000.00.

iDEF, Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, 13 November 2008 – Today at the International Digital Entertainment Festival, Hybrid Television Services (ANZ)  Pty Ltd, the exclusive licensee of TiVo® products in Australia and New Zealand issued an invitation to anyone interested in building games and broadband applications for the media device to get involved with TiVo.

The Australian roadmap for the media device includes enhancements to the free Games and Services Packs in coming months. Today, local developers are invited to submit concepts for both games and services for distribution on the TiVo platform in Australia.

The media device’s open Home Media Engine (HME) platform uses Java programming, making it easy for developers to reach a growing audience of TiVo fans with their games and applications. Both amateur and professional developers who attend the breakout sessions at the eGames Expo (www.idef.com.au/egames _home.php) this week will be able to learn more about the product roadmap and revenue model in addition to understanding what is required to develop for the TiVo platform.

Hybrid TV CEO, Robbee Minicola, commented: “Every TiVo media device in Australia comes with a free Games Pack, with Sudoko joining the list in the coming weeks, and our Services Pack recently launched with the new Sunrise Weather application.”

“Our goal is to continue to add advertiser-funded services and games for our customers to enjoy without a pay-per-use or subscription cost. The games we have are traditional, low-to-mid skill based, nostalgic games that the whole family will enjoy. Australia has some of the most talented developers in the world and the opportunity to work with local talent and showcase their work through the TiVo media device will achieve the trifecta: great experiences for our customers; advertiser sponsorship in a viewer-engaged environment; and a revenue opportunity for our partner developers.”

Developers who are unable to attend the eGames breakout session can register their interest in developing for TiVo in Australia by emailing developers@tivo.com.au.

SEGA have today confirmed that activation servers for Football Manager 2009 will be turned on shortly before midnight on Thursday 13th November in time for the release date of Friday November 14th across Europe.

Despite the unprecedented anticipation for Football Manager 2009, SEGA would encourage retailers not to break the Friday 14th November street date so as not to disappoint customers who will be unable to play before the release date.

Buyers of the game can activate with one-time entry of the unique code on the back of the game manual by one of three methods

Register with STEAM and input the code during installation. This method has the benefit of automatically patching and updating the game. 

Activation without additional software installation is available direct with Uniloc.
For those without an internet connection a local telephone number will be available and presented within the installer for customers to call and register the code.  Where possible this will be a local toll free number. 

Once the game is registered through any of these three methods the game will be activated and available to play.  No further activations will be required unless the user specifically deactivates the machine it is installed on. 

Activation for the Australian market will taken place at 6.00am EDT (Sydney) 14th November.

Markets with later release dates such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia for Football Manager 2009 and Worldwide Soccer Manager in the USA will have servers turned active for midnight before their respective releases. 

About Football Manager 2009

Football Manager™ 2009 is set to feature a vast array of all new features including, for the first time ever, a full 3D view of the world famous Football Manager™ match engine. Football Manager Handheld™ 2009 for Sony PSP is also set for release on the same day and sees the debut of a 2D match engine for the handheld franchise. 

Football Managerä 2009 for PC and Apple Macintosh, and Football Manager Handheldä 2009 for Sony PSP are both set for release on November 14th. 

For further information please go to www.sigames.com or www.footballmanager.com.