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EBLAST: de Blob scoops five GDAA awards, including Best Game of 2008

On Saturday 22 November, the Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA) announced their 2008 awards. And we’re very proud to say that the Wii title, de Blob–developed by THQ’s Blue Tongue studio in Melbourne–scooped the pool, winning 5 of the 8 professional awards.

The accolades include: 

Best Game

Best Console Game

Best Graphics

Best Gameplay

Best Audio

 

About de Blob:

 

When the evil INKT corporation invades de Blob’s homeworld, sucking the colour and fun out of Chroma city, it’s up to de Blob to lead a ‘colour revolution’ and set things right…

 

Unique in its concept, and featuring a hybrid of influences, de Blob is a creative, freeform platformer: simultaneously a 3D colouring book, an action platformer and a music mixing game all rolled into one.

 

Title: de Blob

Platform: Wii

Genre: Freeform/creative platformer

Rated: PG

Players: 1-4

Developer: Blue Tongue

Publisher: THQ

Release date: September 25 2008

Official website: www.deblob.com

 
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OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD BOX OFFICE FAVOURITE WALL•E FROM DISNEY-PIXAR

The year’s most acclaimed and original film is set to find its way into people’s hearts and homes when Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment releases WALL•E on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on 14 January 2009.   

The intergalactic adventure of a determined and lovable robot, WALL•E is filled with heart and humour as an extraordinary cast of characters take flight on a fantastic journey across the universe.  Disney-Pixar’s latest charming comedy is set in a visually astonishing galaxy made even more compelling by the out-of-this-world bonus features sure to take families on an exciting cosmic voyage.  

Oscar®-winning director Andrew Stanton’s whimsical and beautiful story of WALL•E has created a love letter to the Golden Age of sci-fi films. WALL•E’s cast of exciting new characters will enthrall families while once again showcasing Pixar’s amazing abilities to create entire new worlds.  The top-notch voice cast includes Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Elissa Knight (Cars), Sigourney Weaver (Alien), John Ratzenberger (Toy Story), Kathy Najimy (King of the Hill) and Fred Willard (Chicken Little). Academy Award®-winning sound designer Ben Burtt (the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises) provides the endearing voice of WALL•E, the little robot who never quits.  

PLOT SYNOPSIS:

After hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for, WALL•E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE.  EVE comes to realise that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home).  Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL•E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

DIRECTOR:                         Andrew Stanton

 

PRODUCER:                        Jim Morris

 

WRITTEN BY:                     Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon (Screenplay)

                                                Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter (Story)

 

GENRE:                                Animation / Children / Family / Adventure

 

VOICE TALENT:                Ben Burtt (WALL•E, and Voice Designer)

                                                Elissa Knight (EVE)

                                                Sigourney Weaver (Ship’s Computer)

                                                Jeff Garlin (Captain)

                                                Fred Willard (Shelby Forthright)

John Ratzenberger (John)

Kathy Najimy (Mary)

 

RELEASE DATE:                14 January 2009

 

FORMAT & RRP:                Single-Disc DVD ($39.95)

                                                – Double-Disc DVD Collector’s Edition ($42.95)

                                                – Double-Disc Blu-ray™ ($49.95)

 

 

BONUS FEATURES:

 

Single Disc DVD – 

·        Presto – A Pixar Animation Studios original theatrical short about a star magician’s ego that provokes some clever revenge from his neglected rabbit costar. 

·        Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from The Sound Up – Ben Burtt, an Oscar-winning sound designer, introduces viewers to the art of sound design using examples from WALL•E and historic footage of the early Disney sound effects masters at work.

·        Geek-o-Rama – Pixar artists (some of the biggest geeks in the universe!) confess how their science fiction, fantasy and comic book influences inspired and drove the creation of WALL•E.

·        Audio Commentary by WALL•E director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo).

·        Deleted Scenes

·        Easter Eggs

 

 

Blu-ray™ Bonus Features

·        Robots – Find out everything about the film’s robot heroes, including hilarious web vignettes, the names and functions of all of WALL•E’s malfunctioning misfit robot friends and an interactive storybook packed with child-friendly challenges. 

·        Behind the Scenes – Six exclusive featurettes give fans an insider’s view of the making of WALL•E, including the film’s visual design, character development and musical score, plus the story behind the special effects challenges and a look at building the robot characters that populate the film. 

·        Buy’n’Large Shorts – Straight from the BnL archives, five revealing short films provide insight into the inner workings of the company, from its humble beginnings to the intergalactic plan that launched EVE into space.  Learn how to operate the Axiom, find out about the company’s line of “robotsfor every need” and hear the story behind the Earth Exit Plan. 

·        The Pixar Story by Leslie Iwerks An award-winning, fascinating documentary account of the founding and early success of one of the most revolutionary animation company in the world featuring John Lasseter, Steve Jobs and many other groundbreaking Pixar innovators from the beginning to the present.

·        Early WALL•E development test

·        Cine-Explore A fascinating viewing option in which filmmakers comment on WALL•E, accompanied by behind-the-scenes visuals, in sync with the movie.

·        Geek Track – An additional commentary full of obscure references, little known trivia and lively sci-fi discussion, this pop-up silhouette in-movie feature gives viewers a peek inside the minds of some of the more passionate geeks at Pixar.

·        The Axiom Arcade – A retro suite of video games with a Wall•E twist, including Eve’s Bot Blaster, Wall•E’s Dodge & Dock, M-O’s Mop-up Madness and Burn•E’s Break Through.

·        3D Set Fly-Throughs Cutaway illustrations of the Axiom and Earth sets provides viewer access to HD set fly-throughs from ten of the film’s most detailed locations.

 
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2008 GDAA Industry Awards dominated by ‘de Blob’

MELBOURNE – Tuesday 25 November, 2008 – The winners of the annual GDAA Industry awards were announced last Friday night at the GDAA Industry Awards dinner, held at Brisbane’s Hilton Hotel as part of Game Connect Asia Pacific 2008.

With nine awards up for grabs, all agreed that it was an impressive feat for de Blob, created for Nintendo consoles, to dominate the evening by taking home five of the evening’s ‘gongs’.

 
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Ubisoft ANNOUNCES new downloadable conTent AVAILABLE before the end of November for far cry® 2 – the Fortune’s pack bringS you even more tools of mayhEm

November 25, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced it will release exciting new downloadable content (DLC) for Far Cry® 2. The Fortune’s Pack DLC will bring new vehicles and new weapons to both the single-player game and the multiplayer game, giving gamers even more diverse means of destruction. Be the silent stalker armed with your silent shotgun or jump on your new quad and blast through the dunes of Africa. The Fortune’s Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 will be available for download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 800 Microsoft Points and from PlayStation®Network for US$9.99.

 

The Fortune’s Pack DLC for Far Cry 2 includes:

 

Single-Player Mode

Three brand-new weapons 

          Silenced shotgun

          Sawed-off shotgun

          Crossbow

 

Two new vehicles

          Unimog

          Quad

 

Multiplayer Mode

 

          Four new exciting maps

1.    Cheap Labor

2.    Last Resort

3.    Lake Smear

4.    Fort Fury

          New single-player weapons and vehicles also available in multiplayer

 

 

About Far Cry 2

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Far Cry 2 will be the newest innovation from Ubisoft in the world of next-gen first-person shooters. More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry 2 immerses players in an entirely new kind of gaming experience. Running on a new tailor-made gaming engine, Far Cry 2 features non-scripted enemy Artificial Intelligence, entirely destructible environments, dynamic fire and storm effects and multiplayer gameplay, all in 50 square kilometres of a completely open world environment. Players will find themselves immersed in a war-torn African state, where they will be forced to make deals with corrupt warlords on both sides of the conflict in order to survive and move ever closer to their primary objective – The Jackal. Players must identify and exploit their enemies’ weaknesses, neutralizing their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force.

 
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GULLIVER’S TRAVELS On Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and DVD May 4

An hilarious zero-to-hero story about a larger-than-life Average Joe, the international box office hit GULLIVER’S TRAVELS sails on to Blu-ray, DVD and 3-D Blu-ray from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on May 4, 2011. This family-friendly misadventure features side-splitting moments with Lilliputian foosball, a square-off duel with a robot and hysterical theatrical productions of Gulliver’s ‘life story’ including his vanquishing of Darth Vader!

Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda, School of Rock) brings his irreverent humour to this adventure-comedy based on the classic tale. To impress the pretty newspaper travel editor Darcy (Amanda Peet, 2012), an underachieving mailroom clerk named Gulliver (Black) takes a writing assignment travelling to Bermuda. When a shipwreck lands him on the fantastical island of Lilliput, he transforms into a giant — in size and ego! Gulliver’s tall tales and heroic deeds win the hearts of the tiny Lilliputians, but when he loses it all and puts his newfound friends in peril, Gulliver must find a way to undo the damage. Through it all, Gulliver may just learn that it’s how big you are on the inside that counts.

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS also stars Jason Segel (I Love You, Man), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Billy Connolly (The X-Files: I Want to Believe) and Chris O’Dowd (Dinner for Schmucks).

In a format first for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, fans can now enjoy the hilarious GULLIVER’S TRAVELS at its larger than life best with a special Blu-ray 3D combo pack which contains a 2D and 3D copy of the movie on Blu-ray, a DVD with digital copy, plus loads of laugh out loud special features.

Also available is a 2 disc Blu-ray combo pack containing the movie on Blu-ray with special features and a second disc with the DVD and digital copy, so it really can be played everywhere.

The DVD also comes in a 2 disc pack with the DVD with digital copy, and a bonus content disc.

Gulliver’s Travels DVD Clip – I Come In Peace

Gulliver’s Travels DVD Clip – Gulliver’s Life

Gulliver’s Travels Featurette – Down Time

Gulliver’s Travels DVD Clip – President The Awesome

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

 
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AVG SEES UPHILL BATTLE FOR MICROSOFT IN ITS LAUNCH OF FREE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Sydney and Czech Republic, 24 November 2008 – AVG Technologies, a global anti-virus and Internet security software provider with over 85 million users in 167 countries, today responded to Microsoft’s announcement of a free anti-virus software product slated to appear in mid-2009.

AVG, which for eight years has offered free anti-virus software to users worldwide, noted the multiple challenges Microsoft faces in supporting a free anti-virus software product – chief among them the enormous overhead costs it will incur for customer service and support issues, as well as for ongoing product management and upgrades.

Microsoft will also likely contend with a severe backlash from dissatisfied channel partners, whose margins and unit sales will be negatively impacted as a result of the free product offering, AVG believes.

“For over eight years, AVG has recognized and responded to the growing global threat of malware by offering a free and comprehensive tool to combat computer viruses, spyware, malware and online threats,” said J.R. Smith, the company’s CEO. “Microsoft is clearly following our lead, which will certainly help combat basic and less sophisticated threats. But the real threat in this scenario is to Microsoft’s own profitability and channel partner relations.”

AVG also highlighted the challenges facing Microsoft to keep pace with the growing proliferation of new and increasingly onerous online threats. Microsoft often relies on its monthly “patch Tuesday” updates to refresh its current anti-virus product, leaving computer users vulnerable to botnets and other malicious attacks. Importantly, the free Microsoft anti-virus software will have even less protective features than its current OneCare offering – further heightening computer users’ vulnerability to fast-spreading viruses and other threats.

Statistics highlight the escalating problem. Computer infections from malware are increasing exponentially. AVG’s in-house research team notes that 50,000 variants are being issued every day – further pointing up the need for real-time protection.

AVG’s LinkScanner feature provides up-to-the-minute protection against the very latest threats. What’s more, AVG’s award-winning anti-virus products have long been recognized for providing maximum computer security and online protection with minimal resource strain.

From a global protection perspective, AVG has a strong presence in established and emerging markets. The company’s strategic growth plan includes the introduction of several new native-language versions of its anti-virus programs in the coming weeks. Moreover, the company’s worldwide user-support community – with people and small businesses from 167 countries – continues to grow as the industry’s only truly “self-help” network.

“The exceptional ease of use and simplicity of AVG’s products have long been a strong sell for the channel, providing more security strength and functionality at a much lower cost than Microsoft’s anti-virus offerings,” added Mr. Smith. “Given these tough economic times, our resellers appreciate the robust product margins we offer and the vitality of our end-user community to help drive future sales.”

About AVG Technologies
AVG is a global security solutions leader protecting more than 85 million consumers and small business computer users in 167 countries from the ever-growing incidence of web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the world. Its free online, downloadable software model allows entry-level users to gain basic anti-virus protection and then to easily and inexpensively upgrade to greater levels of safety and defense in both single and multi-user environments

 
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The Missing Link: Iomega Debuts New ScreenPlay TV Link

Sydney, Aust., November 24, 2008 – Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection and security, today announced the new Iomega® ScreenPlay™ TV Link, making it convenient and affordable to access multimedia content on any high-definition television or home theatre system. Complete with full-function remote control, the new ScreenPlay TV Link features an easy-to-use USB port for attaching compatible storage devices and enjoying high quality movies, music and photos from the best seat in the house.

Smaller than a deck of playing cards, the new Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link is based on the same display technology as Iomega’s ScreenPlay HD Multimedia drive, introduced in August 2008, and offers the same audio and video quality with upscaling to high definition. While the ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive features a fully-integrated 500GB hard drive solution, this latest addition to the ScreenPlay product family gives users the flexibility to connect their own USB external storage devices to the ScreenPlay TV Link and play back the media content on an attached TV. The result is an affordable, easy-to-use multimedia solution that can utilise different storage devices when friends, family or co-workers drop by with a media file to share. Compatible USB devices with the new ScreenPlay TV Link include flash drives, hard drives, and Iomega’s REV drives.

“The ScreenPlay TV Link is an ultra-portable device that gives everyone a seamless way to share family photos, play music and enjoy videos,” said Loren Bryner, global product manager, Iomega Corporation. “The ScreenPlay TV Link turns any TV or home theatre into party central for computer-based media content. There’s no easier way to enjoy photos, music, or downloadable movies.”

The portable ScreenPlay TV Link includes a remote control for easy navigation as well as a full complement of advanced video outputs for displaying high-resolution digital photos and video.

“We’ve created a product that’s fun, functional and so affordable that it should be a ‘must have’ for anyone enjoying digital content today,” said Bryner. “Using the ScreenPlay TV link to bridge the computer world of digital media files with the home theatre world of high definition television is a natural evolution of the family room and a great new option in home entertainment.”

Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link Technical Description

The ScreenPlay TV Link plays stored media content from USB storage media such as flash drives, hard drives (NTFS or FAT32), and Iomega REV drives.

Video connection options include HDMI, component and composite video, and a SCART adapter for use in international markets. Audio connection options include composite RCA and coaxial S/PDIF. Using the HDMI or component outputs, the user can choose video settings from 480p/720p/1080i (720p and1080i are achieved through upscaling). Supported media formats include MP3, AC3 (Dolby® Digital Encoding), WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI/DiVX 3.11, 4.x, 5.x/XViD) and JPEG.

The ScreenPlay TV Link measures just 3.26″x3.07″x0.78″ and weighs less than four ounces, giving this multimedia powerhouse roughly the same dimensions as a drink coaster.

System Requirements

The Iomega ® ScreenPlay™ TV Link is compatible with standard televisions and with high-definition televisions (720p and 1080i playback is achieved through upscaling).

Availability

The Iomega® ScreenPlay™ TV Link is now available in Australia for an SRP of AU $149.

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organisations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information. Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.

About Iomega

Iomega Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC Corporation headquartered in San Diego, is a worldwide leader in innovative storage and network security solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, consumers and others. The Company has sold more than 400 million digital storage drives and disks since its inception in 1980. Today, Iomega’s product portfolio includes industry leading network attached storage products, external hard drives, and our award-winning removable storage technology, the REV® Backup Drive. OfficeScreen®, Iomega’s managed security services, available in the U.S. and select markets in Europe, provides enterprise quality perimeter security and secure remote network access for SMBs, which help protect small enterprises from data theft and liability. To learn about all of Iomega’s digital storage products and managed services solutions, please go to the Web at www.iomega.com.au . Resellers can visit Iomega at www.ioclub.net.

NOTE: This release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (iv) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (v) fluctuations in VMware, Inc.’s operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware stock; (vi) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (vii) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (viii) component and product quality and availability; (ix) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xi) war or acts of terrorism; (xii) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (xiii) fluctuating currency exchange rates; and (xiv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

 
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Intel Launches Fastest Processor on the Planet

SYDNEY, Australia, Nov. 18, 2008 – Intel Corporation introduced its most advanced desktop processor ever, the Intel® Core™ i7 processor. The Core i7 processor is the first member of a new family of Nehalem processor designs and is the most sophisticated ever built, with new technologies that boost performance on demand and maximise data throughput. The Core i7 processor speeds video editing, immersive games and other popular Internet and computer activities by up to 40 per cent without increasing power consumption.

 

Broadly heralded by the computing industry as a technical marvel, the Intel® Core™ i7 processor holds a new world record of 117 for the SPECint_base_rate2006* benchmark test that measures the performance of a processor. This is the first time ever for any single processor to exceed a score of 100 points.

 

“Intel has delivered the fastest desktop processor on Earth to the most demanding users on Earth, the ones who are using their PCs for video, gaming and music,” said Patrick Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group. “When you couple what is Intel’s biggest leap in chip design with other incredible innovations like Intel’s solid state drives, the Core i7 processor has redefined the computer of tomorrow.” 

 

Intel’s unique Turbo Boost Technology accelerates performance to match a computer user’s needs and workloads. Through a sophisticated on-die power control unit and using new “power gate” transistors based on Intel’s advanced 45 nanometer, high-k metal gate manufacturing process, Turbo Boost automatically adjusts the clock speed of one or more of the four individual processing cores for single- and multi-threaded applications to boost performance, without increasing power consumption. The Core i7 also has the latest Intel power-saving technologies, allowing desktops to go into sleep states formerly reserved for Intel-based notebooks.

 

The Core i7 processor more than doubles the memory bandwidth of previous Intel “Extreme” platforms, speeding the transfer of computer bits and bites in and out of the processor with Intel® Quickpath Technology. Designed with Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology, the processor also allows multiple computing threads to run simultaneously, effectively enabling it to do two things at once. As a result, the Core i7 quad-core processor delivers 8-threaded performance.

 

 

The Intel Core i7 processor also offers unrivalled performance for immersive 3-D games – over 40 per cent faster than previous Intel high-performance processors on both the 3DMark Vantage CPU* physics and AI tests, popular industry computer benchmarks that measure gaming performance. The Extreme Edition uses 8 threads to run games with advanced artificial intelligence and physics to make games act and feel real.  

 

The Intel® Core™ i7 processors and Intel® X58 Express Chipset-based Intel® Desktop Board DX58SO Extreme Series are for sale immediately from several computer manufacturers online and in retail stores, as well as a boxed retail product via channel online sales.

 

The Core i7 processor is the first member of the Intel Nehalem microarchitecture family; server and mobile product versions will be in production later. Each Core i7 processor features an 8 MB level 3 cache and three channels of DDR3 1066 memory to deliver the best memory performance of any desktop platform. Intel’s top performance processor, the Intel® Core™ i7 Extreme Edition, also removes overspeed protection, allowing Intel’s knowledgeable customers or hobbyists to further increase the chip’s speed.

 

Product Information and Pricing:

Processor

Clock Speed

(GHz)

 

Price

QPI Speed (GT/sec)

Cache

Memory Speed Support

TDP

Processor Generation

Intel® Core™ i7-965 Extreme Edition

3.20

 

US$999

6.4

8 MB

DDR3-1066

130W

New Intel® Core™ Microarchitecture  (Nehalem) 45nm

Intel® Core™ i7- 940

2.93

US$562

4.8

Intel® Core™ i7- 920

2.66

US$284

4.8

 

 

 Intel [NASDAQ: INTC], the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

 
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LUCASARTS RELEASES COSTUME PACK FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED

LucasArts today released a new costume pack for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  Available today for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners through Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PLAYSTATION Network, the costume pack allows gamers to play through the game disguised as several new characters.

 

Costumes in the pack include:

  • Hooded Combat Gear
  • General Starkiller
  • Sith Assassin
  • Imperial Commando
  • Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker
  • Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker
  • Darth Sion
  • Ki-Adi-Mundi
  • Kit Fisto

 

In addition, new themes and picture packs are available for download.

 

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released on September 17, and since then has become a worldwide hit.  The game completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force and casts players as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice,” unveiling new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy seen through the eyes of this mysterious new character, who is armed with unprecedented powers. 

 

More information about the game can be found at the official website, www.theforceunleashed.com.

 
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A New Dawn in Home Entertainment Begins Today

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — November 19, 2008 — A new era of entertainment begins today. Millions of Xbox 360 consoles worldwide will be transformed through the power of software, offering a bold new future for the Xbox 360, where experiences are shared with friends and families, in the same room or around the world.

By the end of this month, Xbox 360 is scheduled to reach another industry defining milestone; 25 million Xbox 360 consoles sold worldwide.  It has taken the leading next generation game and entertainment console just three years to eclipse the total lifetime number of original Xbox (version 1) consoles sold.

“Xbox 360 is getting a whole new look,” said Andrew Jenkins, Xbox 360 Product Marketing Manager for games and LIVE. “From today Xbox owners are able to download a new user interface for their consoles, effectively updating their Xbox through Xbox LIVE. Xbox 360 now boasts a more user-friendly  look and allows users to create online parties, chat with friends, share pictures, create avatars of themselves and much more,” added Jenkins.

 

Entertain friends and enjoy your favourite entertainment

With today’s update Xbox 360 owners will enjoy a highly interactive world ready to share with friends across the globe through Xbox LIVE:

·         Xbox LIVE Party: Allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With Xbox LIVE Party, finding and interacting with friends via voice chat while you play games, as well as sharing photos in real time and entertaining friends all over the world has never been easier.

·         Personality plus: Create a customisable virtual representation of yourself (avatar) and literally jump into the world of Xbox LIVE. Your avatar is your game-face and represents your personality — whether you are a LIVE Party host, playing a game of “Scene It? Box Office Smash” or chatting with a friend. 

·         Your Personal Games Room: Revive gaming classics like “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” and “Galaga Legions” alongside games that literally put your avatars in the action like “Bomberman LIVE,” “Hardwood Hearts” and ”UNO,” exclusively for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade. Xbox LIVE members will also be able to access all of Xbox LIVE Marketplace, including Xbox LIVE Arcade, and even queue content to download straight from Xbox.com.

 

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.