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BLACKLIGHT: RETRIBUTION NOW AVAILABLE

Anticipated Free First-Person Shooter Launches

(Redwood City, CA) April 3, 2012 – Perfect World Entertainment Inc. today announced the official release of Blacklight: Retribution. The premiere first-person shooter has completed its extremely successful beta testing and is now a live free-to-play game.

Building upon Zombie Studios’ predecessor, Tango Down, Blacklight: Retribution provides FPS enthusiasts with a new standard for free-to-play games by fully utilizing Unreal 3 technology and implementing Direct X 11 to provide cutting-edge graphics and gameplay. Anyone can download and begin playing Blacklight: Retribution by visiting: www.playblacklight.com

Perfect World has also released an infographic detailing various in-game achievements made throughout the beta period. Some fun statistics from the infographic include:
•    14 Million Minutes Played
•    280 Million Shots Fired
•    13 Million Agents K.I.A.
•    494 Million Combat Points Spent
•    21 Million GP Earned
•    1.3 Million Headshots
•    300,000 Melee Kills
•    255639 Flags Capped
•    40 Countries Represented
 

“The Blacklight launch is a great achievement and testament to all the hard work from the passionate and talented people at Zombie Studios and Perfect World Entertainment,” said Kelly Dickinson, Product Manager, Perfect World Entertainment. “Even though it’s free, Blacklight is a technologically advanced, polished, fast-paced first-person shooter with production values that compete with the best the genre has to offer and we are very proud of it.”

Blacklight: Retribution fans can expect to strap on their combat helmets tighter than ever before with two upcoming game modes and supporting maps going live shortly after launch. Capture, control and hold areas of a highly hazardous oil rig and pilot a Scorpion Tank through a twisting path of carnage in an experimental weapons facility. Both the new game modes, Netwar and Siege, blend acute team strategy and crafty combat prowess in a heart-pounding race to annihilate or be annihilated.

For more information about Blacklight: Retribution, please visit: www.playblacklight.com

ABOUT PERFECT WORLD ENTERTAINMENT INC.
Perfect World Entertainment is a leading North American online games publisher specializing in immersive free-to-play MMORPGs. Founded in 2008, Perfect World Entertainment has published 10 popular titles, including Blacklight Retribution, Forsaken World, Perfect World International and Star Trek Online. The company works closely with its American development teams and partners such as Cryptic Studios, developer of the highly anticipated MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter, and Runic Games, developer of the hit Torchlight series, to provide unparalleled quality of service and game experiences to its players. A subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), Perfect World Entertainment is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: www.perfectworld.com

 
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Battlefield 3: Console Rent a Server Features Trailer

 
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KEEP ON LAUGHING AT HOME – MADMAN COMEDY ON DVD.

KEEP ON LAUGHING AT HOME – MADMAN COMEDY ON DVD. 

To celebrate the launch of the 2012 comedy festival season, Madman presents a range of comedy DVDs from your favourite festival regulars! 

WAREHOUSE COMEDY FESTIVAL ON DVD

Available Now – $24.95srp ea. 

Launched in 2011, the Warehouse Comedy Festival turned an old sawtooth warehouse in Melbourne’s Collingwood into a pop-up comedy venue, featured a who’s-who of Australia’s award-winning comedic talent, and major mainstay comedy festival attractions. 

–        CHARLIE PICKERING – LIVE AT THE TIME OF RECORDING

–        JOSH THOMAS – SURPRISE

–        TOM BALLARD – IS WHAT HE IS

–        TOM GLEESON – GET IT INTO YA!

–        SAM SIMMONS – FAIL

–        SAMMY J – 58 KILOGRAMS OF PURE ENTERTAINMENT

–        DENISE SCOTT – NUMBER 26

–        DAVE THORNTON – A DIFFERENT TYPE OF NORMAL

–        HANNAH GADSBY – KISS ME QUICK, I’M FULL OF JUBES

–        FELICITY WARD – TEXTBOOK IDIOT 

DANNY BHOY: LIVE AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE / DANNY BHOY: LIVE AT THE ATHENAEUM

Available Now – $19.95 / $24.95srp 

Appearing at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival, Danny Bhoy is one of Australia’s most beloved regular visiting comedians. These two DVDs capture him at his best, performing to sell out crowds at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s historic Athenaeum Theatre. Both releases also feature a wealth a bonus materials – including festival Gala TV performances, bonus footage, hidden features and more. 

TIM MINCHIN – SO LIVE / TIM MINCHIN – READY FOR THIS?

Available Now – $19.95 / $24.95srp 

Festival regular, rockstar son of Western Australia and world-renowned multi award-winning comedian, Tim Minchin unleashes his very special brand of irreverent, hilarious and mildly affronting piano-drive pop-comedy-cabaret in these two essential DVDs, featuring all the best bits from his acclaimed ‘Dark Side’, ‘So Rock’ and ‘Ready For This?’ shows, plus a heap of bonus materials. 

MISANTHROPOLOGY – EDDIE PERFECT

Available Now – $29.95srp

Filmed live at his sell-out Spiegletent show, MISANTHROPOLOGY captures the Helpmann Award-winning comedian, composer and performer at his best in a darkly satirical musical work, executed as a kind of twisted social autopsy, examining the stranger cultural rituals we find ourselves performing. The DVD includes a bonus songbook and three tracks from Eddie’s first show in 2005. 

FEAR OF A BROWN PLANET

Available Now – $24.95srp 

Leave your prejudice at the door. Comedians Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain, AKA Fear Of A Brown Planet are not afraid to tackle the difficult topics of immigration, race relations, and the War on Terror head on. Uncompromising, ruthless and cheeky – this DVD is guaranteed to be more fun than a night in Guantanamo. 

TRIPOD: LIVE AT WOODFORD

Available Now – $29.95srp 

Scod, Yon and Gatesy are Tripod – one of the most popular and prolific comedy acts working in Australia today  filmed their show at the. This performance captured live at the Woodford Folk Festival captures many of Tripod’s favourite songs and routines, with the boys in fine fettle. In addition to this great show, the DVD includes the hit of the Melbourne and Adelaide Comedy Festivals – ‘How To Train An Attack Dog From Scratch’ – offering nearly 2.5 hours of trademark Tripod laughs and tunes.

 
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Razer announces plans to unveil left-handed Naga

Community’s voice heard as Razer reveals left-handed MMO gaming mouse 

Sydney, Australia, 2April 2012 – Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, is receiving an overwhelming response from its devoted community, and has decided to move forward with plans to release a left-handed version of its award-winning Naga MMO gaming mouse. 

Razer CEO and Chief Gamer Min-Liang Tan promised left-handed users that the company would make a left-handed Naga if his post on Facebook reached 10,000 “Likes” before April 21. The community responded by hitting that lofty total on March 29, more than three weeks before the deadline. 

“That Facebook post generated more buzz than we could’ve ever imagined, which proves that there have been a number of gamers that have had their needs ignored for some time,” said Tan. “We pride ourselves on being gamers ourselves, and we all know that there is no substitute for gaming with your dominant hand.” 

Razer became the first company to offer a left-handed gaming mouse two years ago, when the company announced its DeathAdder Left-Hand Edition. Proving that it’s still serious about serving the need of its legions of left-handed users, Razer’s latest Naga is only the second professional-grade gaming mouse designed specifically for left-handed users – and Razer makes both of them. 

The community is a huge part of Razer, and that’s why we have a dedicated team of community specialists that monitor and interact with fans all over the world. Razer encourages any and all of its fans to connect with the company via Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/razer) and Twitter(http://www.twitter.com/cultofrazer), and share their ideas on what could be the next big announcement. We’re always listening. 

17 MMO-optimised buttons
Program up to thousands of different in-game commands. 

Maximum Comfort for Long Gaming Sessions
Game for days with the Razer Naga’s ergonomic design, optimised for easy access to every button. 

Custom Interface AddOns for MMO Games
Organise your skills and eliminate visual clutter with the Razer Naga’s in-game custom interface AddOns (available for World of WarcraftTM and Warhammer Online: Age of ReckoningTM, and more). 

Product Features:

  • 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
  • 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response time
  • 200 inches per second max tracking speed
  • Zero-acoustic Ultraslick™ mouse feet
  • 17 MMO-optimised buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
  • Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
  • Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
  • Approximate Size : 116mm (Length) x 70mm (Width) x 46mm (Height)
  • Approximate Weight: 134g

About the Razer Group:
Razer is the world leader in high performance gaming hardware. Founded in 1998, with its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, the company has offices in nine cities around the globe.  Used by the most demanding professional gamers who compete in global tournaments, Razer provides gamers with the unfair advantage of cutting-edge technology and award-winning design. We live by our motto: For Gamers. By Gamers.™

Learn more at www.razerzone.com.

 
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THE WORLD’S LARGEST FOOTBALL GAMING TOURNAMENT COMES TO SYDNEY

WHO WILL BE THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION OF THIS GLOBAL PHENEMENON? 

On Wednesday 4th April, 2012, the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), the virtual football tournament loved by football fans across the globe will be staging the Australian Live Event Grand Finale in Sydney hosted by FIFA, EA SPORTSand PlayStation®.   The evening tournament will determine who will be Australian Champion and go on to represent Australia at the worldwide Grand Final later this year.  The world champion will walk away with US$20,000 and share the stage with football luminaries such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tim Cahill and many more.

 
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Flight simulator of the new age is coming

Russian game developer gives an answer to the eternal question “Why do spaceships have wings?”

Gaijin Entertainment, developer and publisher of the combat MMO game War Thunder: World of Planes and official publisher of Star Conflict multiplayer online action has revealed first details about studio’s work on their next MMO game. The project with the working title “Star Thunder” has been announced today, on April 1st, 2012.

“Huge experience in developing flight simulation games and high technological potential of our primary title War Thunder inspired us to actually reach for the stars together with our partners from Star gem, Inc” Anton Yudintsev, the President of Gaijin Entertainment says. “Even at this early stage of development we are 100% sure we have both unique setting and innovative gameplay system”.

Star Thunder’s genre is defined as space-and-air combat MMO action. The game will feature several competitive PvP-modes, original co-op mode missions and also a singleplayer story mode that’s designed to introduce players to the universe of Star Thunder. This campaign, working title of which is “The Trinity Chronicles” starts in 1945 when a nuclear bomb test caused a resonating distortion of space-time continuum that instantly moved the whole solar system to a remote galaxy and into the distant future, the 48th century.

Desperately suffering from lack of essential resources the Precursors – the dominant race in the world of the future – without hesitation decide to conquer all the surprisingly appeared planets and start their advance with invasion to the third planet from the Sun. Meanwhile the fire of the World War 2 is still hot on the Earth; military sciences as well as combat readiness are at their peak, and the League of Nations unites powers to fight the new global enemy.

Avoiding risk of destroying the whole planet with main caliber, the Precursors start their invasion with smaller units. They send their cruisers to the largest metropolises of Europe, America and Asia knowing quite few about how their engines will work in terrestrial conditions and what a rousing welcome they will meet…

First screenshots taken in the alpha-version of Star Thunder are already available on the Gaijin’s official website (http://gaijinent.com/en/games/starthunder), and the official teaser of our up-coming MMO is featured on our YouTube channel. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0IlfY94Pwc&hd=1)

About Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment specializes in the development of games for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The company also conducts technology-related research, allowing it to remain responsive to and on the cutting edge of the rapidly changing IT market. The company’s projects have received numerous media and game industry awards, including KRI awards for “Best Game for Consoles” (“Birds of Steel” for the PS3 and Xbox 360), “Best Technologies” (Dagor EngineTM), “Best Sound” and more. Learn more at www.gaijinent.com

 
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EA SPORTS and NHL.com LAUNCH NHL 13 COVER VOTE

SYDNEY, Australia. – March 30, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced that starting today, fans around the world have the opportunity to shape the face of the EA SPORTS™ NHL® franchise, by participating in the first ever EA SPORTS NHL®Cover VoteCampaign – sponsored by BlackBerry®and hosted on NHL.com.The voting process will consist of two preliminary rounds, followed by a 16-player bracket as a field of 60 NHL players is narrowed down to one. The winning player will be unveiled as the EA SPORTS NHL® 13 Cover Athlete at the 2012 NHL Awards™ on June 20 at the Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas.

The first round of competition pits teammate against teammate and starts today and runs until April 11, the first day of the 2012 Stanley Cup® Playoffs. Fans can vote for their favorite player to represent their team in the next round.

NHL 13 Cover Athlete Voting Schedule:

· March 29 – April 11: Round of 60: one representative from each team plus two wild card selections advance*

· April 12 – April 22: 32-Player Leaderboard: fans vote for their favorite 16 candidates; top 16 vote-getters advance

· April 24 – June 4: Round of 16: single-elimination playoff bracket decides NHL 13 cover athlete

Fans worldwide are able to vote an unlimited number of times and are encouraged to vote as often as possible at NHL.com/CoverVote to ensure their favorite player advances through the rounds. Fans can also show their support by tweeting their picks using #NHL13Cover on Twitter. Visit the EA SPORTS NHL Facebook page for insider updates and additional content.

“The EA SPORTS NHL Franchise has had a rich tradition of outstanding cover athletes including Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup Winners, NHL All-Stars and Hall of Fame Members,” said David Le, Marketing Director, EA SPORTS. “With fans selecting the cover athlete for NHL 13 they now control who gets to join that prestigious club.”

“Being the EA SPORTS NHL cover athlete is an honor that is coveted by many NHL players,” said Adam Larry, NHLPA Director of Licensing. “With the EA SPORTS NHL 13 cover athlete being selected by the fans, the honor is now even greater. This vote campaign will be exciting for both the players and the fans, as they will be engaging online, and through social media, while the bracket narrows towards the fans’ selection for the cover of NHL 13.”

The star-studded list of candidates participating in the campaign features NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin, 2011 Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry, NHL All-Stars and some of the most popular players in the NHL. The complete list of matchups can be found below:

Eastern Conference
Bruins Tuukka Rask vs. Tyler Seguin Lightning Steven Stamkos vs. Victor Hedman
Canadiens P.K. Subban vs. Tomas Plekanec Maple Leafs Phil Kessel vs. Tyler Bozak
Capitals John Carlson vs. Brooks Laich Panthers Stephen Weiss vs. Tomas Fleischmann
Devils Ilya Kovalchuk vs. Adam Larsson Penguins Evgeni Malkin vs. Marc-Andre Fleury
Flyers Claude Giroux vs. Scott Hartnell Rangers Henrik Lundqvist vs. Brad Richards
Hurricanes Eric Staal vs. Jeff Skinner Sabres Derek Roy vs. Thomas Vanek
Islanders John Tavares vs. Michael Grabner Senators Erik Karlsson vs. Jason Spezza
Jets Evander Kane vs. Andrew Ladd  

 

Western Conference
Avalanche Matt Duchene vs. Gabriel Landeskog Kings Anze Kopitar vs. Drew Doughty
Blackhawks Patrick Sharp vs. Duncan Keith Oilers Jordan Eberle vs. Taylor Hall
Blue Jackets R.J. Umberger vs. Ryan Johansen Predators David Legwand vs. Pekka Rinne
Blues T.J. Oshie vs. David Perron Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk vs. Jimmy Howard
Canucks Henrik Sedin vs. Alex Burrows Sharks Logan Couture vs. Brent Burns
Coyotes Shane Doan vs. Keith Yandle Stars Loui Eriksson vs. Jamie Benn
Ducks Corey Perry vs. Jonas Hiller Wild Mikko Koivu vs. Niklas Backstrom
Flames Mikael Backlund vs. Matt Stajan  

“The announcement of the cover athlete has become an event unto itself, and every year we look to grow the platform and innovate around the launch,” said Keith Wachtel, Senior Vice President Integrated Sales, NHL. “The creation of the NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign, sponsored by BlackBerry, does just that by building an exciting new platform for players to connect with fans while bringing together two of our valued partners.”

NHL 13 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and has not yet been rated by the Australian Classification Board. Become a fan of EA SPORTS NHL on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsnhl and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsnhl.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX, and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.

*Wild card selections will be made by EA.

 
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New Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance Screenshots!

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of the first KINGDOM HEARTS release in Japan, SQUARE ENIX is pleased to announce that new screenshots from KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] are now available!

These screenshots are taken from the game’s spectacular introduction movie, which was created especially for KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] by Square Enix’s world leading Visual Works studio in Japan. 

KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] will be available on Nintendo 3DS™ in 2012.

 
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STRAP IT ON SOME MORE. THQ UNVEILS SAINTS ROW®: THE THIRDTM – ENTER THE DOMINATRIX

All science, just a little fiction.

The real world is a lie… 

For centuries, alien warlord Zinyak and his malevolent race (to be named later) have eyed Earth and its precious natural resources and females with a watchful eye.  As he prepares an armada for invasion, he has only one worry: the Third Street Saints. 

Once a simple street gang from Stilwater, the Saints have evolved into a global empire, replete with bombastic TV advertising and tasteful consumer products, the kind of TV advertising and consumer products that would give any alien warlord pause. Clearly, the Saints are the biggest badasses on Earth.  

Now, in order to prepare his forces for domination, Zinyak captures the leader of the Saints and imprisons him in an elaborate virtual reality simulation. This simulation program looks and feels like Steelport, but it is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. Here, you are a slave. Welcome… to the Dominatrix. 

Inside the Dominatrix, Zinyak trains legions of his forces, including a giant mutated can of Saints Flow energy drink named Paul, to complete his nefarious mission – defeat the Saints, conquer Earth, love our women. But as in the real world, there are rules inside the Dominatrix. Some can be bent; others, broken… 

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI – News) and Volition, Inc. are proud to announce the development of Saints Row®: The ThirdTM – Enter The Dominatrix, the groundbreaking standalone expansion to Saints Row: The Third 

Features of Enter The Dominatrix include: 

–  The Dominatrix Has You

And it feels so good. Bend the Dominatrix to your will and harness an arsenal of super powers including Mind-Bending Telekinesis, Really Really High Jump, Really Really Fast Sprint, Shiny Blue Force Shield, and Shiny Blue Fireball Projectile-of-Doom

–  Wondrous Alien Technology

Use Dominatrix weapons as your own, such as the Floppy Alien Tentacle Bat, the Fire-In-The-Sky Alien Abduction Ray, and the sphincter-stretching Alien Anal Probe, as well as a touch-screen telephonic device with email and map functionality. Reach out and f$%# someone. 

–  Go Three Levels Deep

Enter the Dominatrix within the Dominatrix within the Dominatrix to recruit former Saints from the depths of your own memory to fight Zinyak. It’s all science, with just a little fiction.

Will you defeat Zinyak and his invasion armada? Will you escape from virtual reality to rule Steelport once more? Will any of this make any sense? The answers you seek can only be found inside the Dominatrix. So enter it.

 
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ESCAPE HATCH ENTERTAINMENT REVEALS STARLIGHT INCEPTION™

Kickstarter Campaign Begins This Week

MARCH 31, 2012 AUSTIN – Escape Hatch Entertainment, LLC today announced the development of Starlight Inception™, a space combat game with modern elements of strategy and tactics, planned for PC and Playstation® Vita.

In Starlight Inception, players will explore our star system a hundred years from tomorrow, where World War IV has erupted. And the future is a dangerous place. You are a young space pilot deep in the midst of a giant battle struggling to protect what remains of humanity.

Starlight Inception is the new game from Garry Gaber, twenty year game industry veteran and formerly of LucasArts, where he acted as the project leader of Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds and Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns.
“I’m really passionate about the space combat genre and am very excited to be putting together a game that is the natural descendant of beloved titles like Wing Commander and X-wing vs. TIE Fighter, but with a modern spin,” said Garry Gaber, the President and Chief

Creative Officer of Escape Hatch Entertainment. “We have a robust storyline, and different single player and multiplayer modes to keep players excited and enthralled.”

“Kickstarter allows us to go directly to the fans of this kind of game, deliver our message and get them involved in a way that was previously impossible through traditional publishing channels.”

Added Melissa Gaber, Vice President of Escape Hatch Entertainment, “Starlight Inception is a realistic free-roaming game that will have high quality voice actors, great sound, richly detailed art and an involving storyline. It will have great production value from beginning to end.”

Starlight Inception is planned for a Q3 2013 release, and will be launching a campaign on Kickstarter.com on Tuesday, April 3rd at 9:00 AM CST.

About Escape Hatch Entertainment
Escape Hatch Entertainment is an independent electronic entertainment studio that develops handheld, computer and console video games focused on great gameplay and compelling stories. Based in Austin, Texas, as well as on the Internet at www.eschatch.com, Escape Hatch Entertainment was created in 2004 to create both entertainment and learning games.

Starlight and Starlight Inception are trademarks of Escape Hatch Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Escape Hatch Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

Website: http://www.starlightinception.com

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/starlightinception

Follow us on twitter: @escapehatchent