Milton Keynes – July 1st 2009 – 505 Games and Bohemia Interactive, announced today the release of the first of a series of video diaries for ARMA II. Part one is focused on getting to grips with the games’ basic controls and is available to download from www.arma2.com now.

The eagerly anticipated sandbox PC military shooter smash hit of 2009, ARMA II, will be available throughout Australia on 16 July and New Zealand 17 July for all who want to visit the post-soviet republic of Chernarus and experience the many fantastic features of this monumental war simulator.

As part of the continuous commitment to ARMA II’s dedicated fan community, Bohemia Interactive have created a series of dev diaries to be published online, starting today. In the first installment Jan Pražák Bohemia’s PR manager explains the basic controls of ARMA II, shown using comprehensive video footage captured in game.

“There is a misconception by some gamers that our games are sometimes difficult to play in terms of game mechanics and control” introduces Jan Pražák and continues “our intention is to explain the default settings and introduce the more casual player to the game mechanics of ARMA II. The main goal of these videos is to reveal the depth of the game and describe in an easy-to-understand way how simple it really is to play ARMA II and enjoy one of the most sophisticated military simulators on the market.”

ARMA II offers the ultimate realistic combat simulation experience in a modern day setting. With unprecedented freedom of movement, actions and tactics, the game allows players to immerse themselves in battle as never seen before.

Keep checking back at www.arma2.com for more dev diaries and all the latest information.

– ENDS –
About 505 Games
505 Games, headquartered in Milton Keynes is dedicated to the publishing and international distribution of full price, mid-range and budget computer and videogames in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) markets and Australia. The current portfolio includes the best selling games Cooking Mama, ArmA: Armed Assault, Bust-a-Move and Armored Core and covers all gaming platforms, including next generation consoles like Sony PlayStation® 3, Nintendo Wii™ and Microsoft Xbox 360™. For More information on 505 Games and its products please visit www.505games.co.uk

About Bohemia Interactive
Bohemia Interactive is an independent game development company, with studios in Czech Republic and Australia, founded in 1999, that focuses on developing state of the art computer software and the research of advanced real time 3D graphics, artificial intelligence and physical simulation technologies for real-time interactive environments. Bohemia Interactive’s products include computer games ARMA: Armed Assault (ARMA Combat Operations in North America), Operation Flashpoint and military simulations VBS1 and VBS2.  Visit www.bistudio.com for more information.

About All Interactive Entertainment
Based in the Gold Coast of Australia, All Interactive Entertainment (AIE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of All Interactive Distribution (AID). All Interactive Distribution was established in 1994 and over the last 15 years has grown into one of the largest distributors of interactive entertainment product in Australia. AID also acts as a sub-distributor for all of the video games and DVD publishers in Australia and distributes, on behalf of Nintendo, into the New Zealand market.
www.allinteractive.com.au | www.aie.allinteractive.com.au

505 Games Announces Global Alliance with Paramount Digital Entertainment to Develop A Video Game Based on the Iconic “Grease” Film

LOS ANGELES – June 29th 2009 – 505 Games today announced it has secured the global publishing rights for a video game based on the original high school musical, Grease.  Working in collaboration with Paramount Digital Entertainment, 505 Games will oversee and publish a Grease video game for the Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™.

The Grease video game will allow players to sing and dance alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds.  The game will take full advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controls and microphone, and the DS’s touch screen to create exciting gameplay for casual and family gamers eager to experience “Grease” in a new medium.

“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time.  Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director 505 Games.

“Paramount Digital Entertainment is pleased to be working with 505 Games to develop Grease,” said John Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment.  “Grease is the ideal opportunity to reach a broad gaming audience who love to sing, dance and have fun with a party-style game.”

Grease will be released on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS and co-published by 505 Games and Paramount Digital Entertainment.

First in computing line of products inspires productivity at just a fraction of the footprint

Sydney, Australia, July 3, 2009 – ViewSonic, worldwide leader in visual display products, today announced its first foray into the PC arena with the VPC100 All-in-One PC. With this initial introduction, ViewSonic is laying the foundation for a fresh, new line of personal computing devices to its product family.

The VPC100 All-in-One PC is a clever computing choice for the home or small business. Incorporating the comprehensive capabilities of a desktop PC in a slim and slender form factor, the VPC100 includes present day essentials while saving precious desk space.

William Tse, Country Manager at ViewSonic Australia, said, “We are excited to provide a new line of products that offers consumers computing options to fit their lifestyle. Backed by 20 years of display experience and with strong PC partners to deliver computing demands, this powerful combination positions ViewSonic to supply affordable products at excellent quality.”

Presenting a 19” (18.5” viewable) vivid LCD display, the VPC100 All-in-One PC has packed in its petite 35mm profile an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive and Microsoft Windows XP Home, as well as offering connectivity through wireless WiFi 802.11b/g or hardwired LAN networking. A smooth operator, the VPC100 All-in-One PC provides all the computing power needed for simple PC operations such as web browsing, social networking, email, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, even accounting software. Easily transfer and share files, photos and more through the 4 x USB 2.0 ports or 4-in-1 card reader – and backing up is a breeze with the built-in DVD R/W burner.

Furthermore, ViewSonic offers a green choice with the VPC100 All-in-One PC – users save on energy with up to 50% less energy consumed, as well as acquiring 50% less plastic in comparison to purchasing a PC and display separately.

With its miniature figure and massive functionality, the ViewSonic VPC100 All-in-One PC is a smart computing solution that is space-saving and energy-efficient, ideal for home or business. Available now at Clive Peeters in Australia (Rick Hart in Western Australia), RRP: AU$899 inc GST. Specifications attached.

About ViewSonic

ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of visual display products. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including All-in-One PCs, LCD monitors, LCD TVs, projectors, digital photo frames and digital signage displays including LCD monitors, LCD TVs, projectors, digital signage displays, digital photo frames and other display solutions. For more information, visit www.viewsonic.com.au.

As no other parties placed bids, Warner Bros. has purchased most of the beleaguered game company’s assets for $33 million, which includes the Mortal Kombat franchise, Spy Hunter, and Joust, among others.

According to the Variety report, Warners purchased the rights to Wheelman, a videogame “starring” Vin Diesel which the company had pinned its financial hopes on, but did not purchase the Newcastle and San Diego game studios. Both studios will be shut down if no buyers are found.

As seen by some pundits, Warner Bros. got a deal on the assets, but it is unclear where in the Warner Bros. family of companies the Mortal Kombat franchise and other characters will land for exploitation. Obviously, one of the easisest landing pads for the Mortal Kombat franchise (in part) would be DC Comics to expand teh franchise and build the world for later exploitation and exploration.

According to Variety, another Mortal Kombat/DC crossover is planned, along with possible re-imaginings of classic Midway titles.

Australia – July 2nd, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced the launch of 3 new games for young girls. Imagine® Teacher School Trip and Imagine© Party Planner are developed for the Nintendo DSTM. Imagine© Journalist will be released for the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DSiTM. All titles will hit the shelves at the end of the year and as in previous Imagine games, each title will give young girls from 7 to 12 years old the possibility to live their dreams and aspirations through fun and positive simulation experiences.

Following the outstanding success of the first title which sold more than 450,000 units in Europe, the Middle East and Asian regions, Imagine Teacher returns this year with a brand new title. In Imagine Teacher School Trip, developed by Magic Pockets, the player embodies a young dynamic teacher who takes her class on an unforgettable one-month field trip. Each morning, she will have to teach traditional lessons – setting nature quizzes, marking work and making sure her pupils behave and that the classroom is in perfect order. In the afternoons, she will introduce the pupils to camping, climbing and fishing, help them build magnificent tree houses and lead them on fun treasure hunts. She will get to know each of the students by finding out their likes and dislikes, then at night, will have to check their rooms to make sure they are sleeping soundly.

Imagine Journalist, developed by Visual Impact, allows the player to make her way up from a local newspaper reporter to being an anchor on her own national TV Show. To get the latest scoops, she will have to keep her eyes and ears open. By tracking information out in the field, recording interviews and taking pictures, she will then collect the information to write articles and reveal the latest information to her audience.

Imagine Party Planner is all about organising the best parties in town. The player embodies a party planner working in an agency to create the coolest parties around. She will meet clients with their own specific desires and who will ask her for an assortment of requests, from a simple wedding cake to a spaceship for a great party among the stars. These tasks will be accomplished by visiting different stores in Love City and playing mini-games; and as she progresses, new places will open, increasing the kinds of parties she can throw!

For more information about the Imagine range visit: www.imaginegame.com.au

No time to recharge your player at home when you are rushing out. Then, why don’t you get this car charger and charge your player when you are on the road. Fully use your time in the car to make sure that your music is ready to go. Simply plug this car charger into your car’s cigarette lighter and then charge your phone while you’re driving.

Sydney, Australia – July 1st, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced that it will develop a video game based on the adventures of the legendary “Asterix™” cartoon.  Created specifically for the Nintendo DS™, the game will be released across EMEA territories in October 2009. 

This new title will be based on the original storyline of the famous series of comic strips, “The Adventures of Asterix.” Gamers will be able to relive the adventures of Asterix and his band of invincible Gauls, taking the role of one of their favorite characters in 20 mini-games. Four different locations will be available: the village, the forest, the Roman camp, and the seaside, each counting five mini-games where players will need to protect their village from the Romans.

“Asterix™” will include a two player mode and is sure to be a hit with every fan of the beloved comic book hero.

 Fizzy.com celebrates its second birthday –

– Company releases international gaming survey showing gamer trends against activities including sex, watching television and playing sport   –

SYDNEY, Australia – 1 July, 2009 – 3RD Sense, Australia’s leading independent casual games developer today celebrates its second birthday and announces the results of its ‘Fizzy Global Gaming Survey’.

When 3RD Sense set out two years ago to create the world’s most vibrant online games community for anyone who is passionate about play, little did they realise how quickly Fizzy.com would take off. Now an ‘online toddler’, the site holds over 535 casual games and attracts a monthly global audience of over 1 million visitors.

Colin Cardwell, CEO of 3RD Sense comments, “To better understand the audience and celebrate Fizzy’s birthday we surveyed over 1,200 of our members to determine trends amongst the Fizzy faithful.

“We thought it would be fun to explore the favourite past times of our international gaming community. There were some surprising findings to say the least.”

Key Findings:

A Game With Appeal

The findings revealed that participants in the survey seemed more excited about stroking their key board and spending some intimate time with their PC rather than indulging in any hanky panky, with 75 per cent of respondents deciding to spend more time playing games than having sex.

The Move Away From TV And Sport Towards Online Entertainment

As you might expect, the idiot box is losing ground to new forms of interactive entertainment with 84 per cent of respondents deciding to spend more time playing games than watching TV.

Playing games also proved more appealing than participating in sport with 72 per cent of people deciding to spend more time playing games than sport.

Casual Gaming Becoming Key Leisure Time Activity For Young Women

Women under 24 proved to be big fans of casual game entertainment with 64 per cent of the female audience falling into the 9 – 24 age bracket. Interestingly, this contradicted the usual trend that casual gaming is more popular with women over 35.

Scoring A High Priority

In a real turn for the books, the survey revealed that the ‘most satisfying activity’ for males under 16 was going on a date (49%) followed by ‘Getting the high score on your favourite computer game’. While women under 16 would rather achieve a high score with their PC (51%), turning the stereotype of boys being the ones obsessed with games upside-down.

Cardwell, says, “There is clearly a demographic shift occurring when it comes to online behaviour. Many people are spending more time online discovering they are passionate about play and really enjoying themselves. The under 16’s in particular prefer games to traditional activities such as watching television as they can challenge their brains, their friends and their coordination skills. There is even recent evidence to show that casual games provide good stress relief.”

To share these benefits and celebrate its second birthday Fizzy will be offering members the chance to download any game at 20 percent off. The offer will be available from today until July 31.

New products enhance creative capabilities and workflows for digital entertainment creation and design visualisation

Sydney July 01, 2009-Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) Sparks members have released more than 70 companion products for Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 and Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010 modelling, animation and rendering software. ADN Sparks developers provide tools for artists, designers and engineers that enhance creative capabilities and workflows for digital entertainment creation and design visualisation. Their flexible and intuitive solutions address various production needs – including render farm management, shading and particle effects and 3D visualisation and simulation.

ADN Sparks members that have recently released products compatible with both the 32- and 64-bit versions of 3ds Max 2010 and 3ds Max Design 2010 include:

3am Solutions Ltd. (www.3am-solutions.com): Dynamite VSP 4.0 – coming soon
3Daliens Ltd. (www.3daliens.com): glu3d
ArchVision, Inc. (www.archvision.com): ArchVision RPC Plug-in
Axceleon Inc. (www.axceleon.com): EnFuzion3D
CaptiveMotion (www.captivemotion.com): Embody
cebas VISUAL TECHNOLOGY Inc. (www.cebas.com): finalF/X Bundle – coming soon
CG Academy (www.cg-academy.net): CG Academy Box Sets training tutorials
Chaos Software Ltd. (www.chaosgroup.com): V-Ray Renderer
Craft Animations & Entertainment AB (www.craftanimations.com): Craft Director Tools
David Lanier 3D, LLC (www.davidlanier3d.com): DL3D Physical Ocean shader, XToon shader
Di-O-Matic Inc. (www.di-o-matic.com): Voice-O-Matic, Cluster-O-Matic, Morph-O-Matic
DX Studio (www.dxstudio.com): DX Studio 3.0
GHOST 3D, LLC (www.ghost3d.com): Scribe-iT
Itoo Software (www.itoosoft.com): Forest Pack Pro
nPower Software (www.npowersoftware.com): Power Solids
Okino Computer Graphics, Inc. (www.okino.com): PolyTrans-for-MAX
PipelineFX, LLC (www.pipelinefx.com): QUBE!
Sitni Sati d.o.o (www.afterworks.com): Afterburn, FumeFX, Dreamscape
Stoehr+Sauer (www.stoehr-sauer.de): Sauberwerk
ThinkKinetic (www.pulldownit.com): Pull Down it! Pro
Tree C Technology B.V. (www.tree-c.nl): VR4MAX
Trinigy (www.trinigy.net): Vision 3D Game Engine
TurboSquid Inc. (www.turbosquid.com): Tentacles asset publisher
Unity (unity3d.com ): Unity
Virtual Vertex (www.vvertex.com): Muster
Z Corporation (www.zcorp.com): ZEdit Pro, ZPrint

For more information, or to purchase Autodesk Developer Network Sparks applications for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design, visit partnerproductsme.autodesk.com.

Mosaic Workshop with David Jack
The theme that often occurs in early Roman works is a mosaic that is a public warning at the entrance of a house. David Jack, Australian mural and mosaic artist, will show you the mosaics of Pompeii and provide a short history of Australia’s mosaics.  David will give participants an understanding of the steps involved in creating a mosaic, recreating an image from Pompeii and material handling and traditional methods.
Date: Thursday 16 July, 5.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday 18 July, 2pm to 5.30pm

Garden Workshop with John Patrick
Decorative and functional water features formed the gardens of Pompeii with elements of air-conditioning and sustainability. The gardens embraced pleasure and purpose with decorative and functional water features such as ponds and fountains. Voluptuous sculptures, ornamental plants, perfumed flowers, herbs, hedges and vegetables were characteristic of gardens both then and today. John Patrick’s illustrated lecture will be followed by a project whereby participants can create their own garden in the style of the Pompeian villa. John will discuss colour, texture, size, position, water-wise plants and types of water features. There will be an opportunity for individual and group discussion.
Date: Thursday 23 July, 5.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday 25 July, 2pm to 5.30pm

Fresco Painting Workshops with Sarah Tomasetti
Learn about the history of frescos and try your hand at making and decorating your own piece. Experienced fresco painter Sarah Tomasetti will present an illustrated lecture looking at examples of frescoes from Roman Times to the Renaissance. This will be followed by a hands-on demonstration showing how a fresco is constructed as well as a discussion about how the wall paintings of Pompeii were made. Sarah is a practising artist who over the past 12 years has developed a unique way of working with traditional fresco plasters.
Date: Thursday 30 July, 5.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday 8 August, 2pm to 5.30pm

Stone Carving Workshops with James Charlwood
Learn about Pompeii stone work and create your own stone sculpture. James Charlwood will present an illustrated lecture about Pompeii stone work. This will cover materials used to create these works including architectural elements, statues, seats, columns and water features as well as carving techniques and the tools used to work the stone. Participants will be given a brief for carving their own sculpture as well as the opportunity for individual and group discussion on this topic.
Date: Thursday 6 August, 5.30pm to 8.30pm and Saturday 29 August, 2pm to 5.30pm

Casting Workshop with James Charlwood and Sandor Matos
Hear about the casts found at Pompeii and learn about the technique of making casts from voids. James Charlwood will present an illustrated lecture covering forms captured in the volcanic ash of Pompeii and the discovery of a technique by archaeologists that led to the reproduction of these forms. Sandor Matos will lead the practical component of the workshop where you will be given your own captive ‘void’. Sandor will then take you through a casting process to reveal the secret form within
Date: Saturday 15 August 2009, 2pm to 5.30pm

 A Day in Pompeii is presented in association with the Soprintendenza Speciale per I Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (SANP). Adults $20, concession $14, children $12, family $54 (all tickets include entry to Melbourne Museum).  
 
A Day in Pompeii Workshops
Cost: $75 (includes entry to the exhibition)
Bookings: International Specialised Skills Institute: 9882 0055