Nintendo Direct Looks Ahead at the Future of Nintendo 3DS
14th February 2013 – Nintendo today announced a new edition of Nintendo Direct. The ‘Nintendo 3DS Direct’ will be streamed from the Nintendo Direct website on 14th February from 24:00 (Australia Eastern Standard Time).
Fans can look forward to updates on Nintendo 3DS games coming soon as well as in the future.
Check the following link at 24:00 (Australia Eastern Standard Time) tonight, 14th February: http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendodirect
Local Nintendo Direct Broadcast Times:
22:00, 14th February (WST) – Western Australia
23:30, 14th February (ACST) – Northern Territory
24:00, 14th February (AEST) – Queensland
00:30, 15th February (ACDT) – South Australia
01:00, 15th February (ADST) – Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, ACT
03:00, 15th February (NZDT) – New Zealand
For further details:
Nintendo Direct website – http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendodirect
Nintendo 3DS Website – http://www.nintendo3ds.com.au/
Nintendo Australia on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/NintendoAU
THE FINAL HOURS: THE END OF THE BEGINNING, PART 1
Sydney – 14th February: While closing out a game is usually the beginning of the end, the days leading to Tomb Raider’s launch are the exact opposite. This episode of The Final Hours of Tomb Raider sees host Zachary Levi return to Crystal Dynamics and tracks the team as they put the final touches on Lara’s origin story.
The End of the Beginning features Crystal Dynamics staffers on the home stretch; long days and long nights start coming to an end as the team finishes optimizing and polishing the game for release, ready for weight to be lifted after a long and difficult crunch period.
Sit tight for the final Final hours, coming soon.
Related Links
Official Homepage: www.TOMBRAIDER.com
Official Twitter: @TOMBRAIDER
Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/TOMBRAIDER
Official Tumblr: http://officialTOMBRAIDERblog.tumblr.com/
Official YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/TOMBRAIDER
Pokémon Character Download Event at Hoyts AU & NZ Cinemas
In partnership with Nintendo, Hoyts Cinemas are offering Pokémon fans the chance to be among the first in Australia and New Zealand to receive the much-anticipated Mythical Pokémon Meloetta at special Hoyts distribution events.
Players can download the character almost two weeks before the official release to stores in March by attending a screening of Pokémon Movie 15: Kyurem Vs The Sword of Justice at participating Hoyts cinemas in Australia and New Zealand and only on the 23rd and 24th February.
HOYTS CINEMAS PARTICIPATING IN CHARACTER DOWNLOAD EVENT
AUSTRALIA
NSW – Broadway
VIC – Chadstone
ACT – Woden
WA – Carousel
SA – Tea Tree Plaza
QLD – Stafford
NEW ZEALAND
Auckland – Wairau Pak
Christchurch – Riccarton
For more information visit Nintendo Australia: http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=news&nid=2777&pageID=6
For Hoyts session times, event information, participating cinemas, and online tickets visit:
- Australia: hoyts.com.au
- New Zealand: hoyts.co.nz
Australians will spend $46.9m on their pets this Valentine’s Day
Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day… puppy love, that is! 3.4 million Australians will give their pet a gift this February 14, spending a staggering $46.9m.
A new survey by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) finds that more than 1 in 3 pet owners are planning on giving their beloved pet a gift this Valentine’s Day.
Of these, dog owners will spend the most on their canine companions, shelling out $23.3m (an average of $6.82 per dog), while cat owners will spend $7.9m (an average of $4.11 per cat) nationwide.
The survey found that although Australians are more likely to own a dog (39% of pet owners) or a cat (28% of pet owners), bird owners are more likely to give a gift on February 14.
WSPA Australia Head of Communications, Rafi Cooper, says “It’s wonderful to see how much Australians care for their pets. We truly are a nation that has a deep love of animals. However, while some Aussie pets will be lucky enough to receive a gift on Valentine’s Day, there are animals around the world that aren’t as fortunate. That’s why this Valentine’s Day I’ll be giving a gift from WSPA’s Really Wild Gifts online store”.
WSPA’s gift-giving website, Really Wild Gifts, is the gift site by animal lovers, for animal lovers. Really Wild Gifts supports WSPA’s work with a variety of animals:
- $10 will help overworked donkeys in Palestine
- Buy a ‘disaster pack’ for $20 to help treat injured animals
- For $99 you can feed a bear in a sanctuary for two months
Each gift supports WSPA’s programs working to help the animal of choice and comes with a beautiful card that can be emailed, sent by post or printed straight away.
Really Wild Gifts can be purchased online at www.reallywildgifts.org.au or by calling WSPA Australia on 1300 139 772.
Other results:
- Almost two thirds (63%) of Australians own a pet.
- The average Australian owns 1.9 pets.
- Those aged 18-24 are likely to own more pets (average of 2.8 pets).
- Of all pet owners, women (42%) are more likely to own a dog than men (36%).
- Out of 3.4 million Australians who will give a gift to their pet, 2.4 million will purchase a gift.
- 33% of pet owners will give a gift to their pet, while 23% of pet owners will purchase a gift.
- 40% of bird owners will give a gift, followed by 36% of dog owners; 34% of cat owners; 28% of fish owners; and 43% of ‘Other’ pet owners.
- Male cat owners are plenning to spend more per cat ($6.40) than female cat owners ($2.05).
- Total spend nationwide this Valentine’s Day:
- Dogs – $23.3m
- Fish – $8.8m
- Cats – $7.9m
- Birds – $4.8m
- Other – $2.0m
TEAM NINJA SHARES NEW NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2 PLUS STORY, GAMEPLAY & CHARACTER DETAILS
SYDNEY, Feb 13–Team NINJA and Mindscape Asia Pacific today revealed new information for NINJA GAIDEN® SIGMA 2 PLUS, the highly anticipated sequel to its PlayStation®Vita launch title that will be available on March 1st, 2013. Faster, bloodier, and more beautiful than ever, NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2 PLUS brings the legendary action franchise to new heights with a deep cast, new costumes and weapons, exciting boss battles, and the introduction of the Hero play style that will give Ryu Hayabusa an edge in every fight. While gamers eagerly await the game’s arrival in stores, Team NINJA is sharing new images and information on characters, bosses, costumes, weapons, and gameplay to take players deeper into the ultimate ninja experience.
The addition of the popular “Hero” play-style first featured in NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA PLUS gives every player a chance to play like a hero. With this mode selected, Hayabusa will get temporary advantages when his health runs low, including auto-block, auto-evade, increased damage, and a higher chance to dismember enemies, allowing gamers the chance to turn around a tough situation without interrupting the fast-paced action.
NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2 PLUS features a strong cast of characters, led by Ryu Hayabusa:
- Ryu Hayabusa: A young ninja of the Hayabusa Clan, Hayabusa is forced to face off with his long-standing rivals, the Black Spider Ninja Clan to prevent the resurrection of the Archfiend.
- Momiji: The last Dragon Shrine Maiden and an elder sister figure to the children of Hayabusa Village. In addition to her ceremonial duties, she has trained to the rank of a full-fledged kunoichi.
- Sonia: The alias of a CIA secret agent who attempts to track down Hayabusa to warn him of the plot to resurrect the Archfiend.
- Muramasa: A legendary master swordsmith and the owner of Muramasa’s Weapons and Tools, Muramasa also owns an antique shop in Sky City Tokyo.
- Elizébet, Ruler of Blood: The Queen of the Greater Fiends is deeply connected to the Black Spider Ninja Clan and works with Genshin on his schemes.
- Dagra Dai: This evil priest was originally a human philosopher who underwent a horrific transformation to become the Archfiend’s Infernal High Priest.
Players can look forward to a variety of memorable boss battles in the game. Team NINJA today unveiled images of the following pantheon of villainous bosses:
- Genshin: The enemy of the Hayabusa clan has joined causes with Elizébet, Queen of the Greater Fiends, in his quest to take out Hayabusa and his father.
- Alexei, Ruler of Lightning: One of the Four Greater Fiend Lords, he smites enemies with lightning-fast shocks and charges. Players should focus on evading his attacks before counterattacking.
- Volf, Ruler of Storms: Another Greater Fiend Lord, this lycanthrope werewolf’s immense strength means most of his attacks cannot be blocked. Players should jump or evade attacks and go in for damage as he recovers.
- Zedonius, Ruler of Flame: This Greater Fiend Lord attacks Hayabusa with high-damage hellfire and relentless close-range attacks. The key to beating him is reading his next move carefully.
- Black Dragon: After losing to Hayabusa once before, the massive Black Dragon is summoned by Elizébet to exact its vengeance with a devastating variety of attacks.
To face this murderous array of bosses, Hayabusa will employ an arsenal of deadly weapons. The legendary Dragon Sword is his most trusted weapon, providing deadly attacks and combos even at Level 1. The nunchuck-like Vigoorian Flail mercilessly assaults all enemies within reach, the Kusari-gama gives players a far-reaching weapon, and the Eclipse Scythe can slice through surrounding enemies with immense swings. The other playable characters are also well equipped, from Ayane’s Fuma Kodachi short swords to Momiji’s Heavenly Dragon Naginata and Rachel’s Inferno Hammer.
NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2 PLUS brings the most intense, action-packed ninja adventure to PS Vita with stunning graphics, new modes, and plenty of blood. In the game, iconic super ninja Ryu Hayabusa returns to the Sigma series to battle from Tokyo to New York as players encounters vicious enemies while building an awesome arsenal of ninja weaponry. The action lights up the Vita’s impressive OLED screen with upgraded graphics and the game features an all-star cast with signature characters from previous installments. An intuitive control system uses the PS Vita’s front and rear touch screens and motion controls to give players full control, and the game features all the costumes from the PlayStation 3 version of the game as well as new outfits.
PlayStation®3 dominates 2012 sales in Australia
Sydney, Australia, 13 February 2013 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) has today confirmed that PlayStation®3 (PS3™) established sales leadership position for the 2012 calendar year.
Citing official retail scan data from NPD Group Australia, and following the release today of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA) 2012 market overview, PlayStation 3 achieved a trifecta of wins across platform, hardware and software sales within the $1.161 billion dollar games retail industry in Australia.
- PlayStation 3 total platform performance – which aggregates platform hardware, software and peripherals – led the interactive entertainment market in Australia by achieving the number 1 industry platform position across both unit sales (25.3%) and driving the highest dollar value share (31.3%) for the industry.
- PlayStation 3 hardware performed impressively, with PS3 ranking number 1 for both hardware unit sales (27% share), and again driving the greatest value share for the industry (32% share). Sales were buoyed by the release of a new form factor in 2012.
- PlayStation 3 platform software also achieved the number 1 unit sales position for the year (28.9% share).
According to Michael Ephraim, Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, “PlayStation 3 continues to power in Australia. Our sales leadership strength continues despite factors such as economic downturn, aggressive industry pricing and new competitor consoles being launched. PlayStation 3 sales continue to perform because it remains a great value, high definition entertainment solution for all Australian families that offers exceptional games, movies, TV and music experiences.”
“Moving into 2013, with AAA blockbusters on the horizon such as God of War®: Ascension, the critically acclaimed The Last of Us™, BEYOND: Two Souls™, plus more for the family with new titles for Wonderbook™, we plan to continue the PlayStation momentum and magic for our Australian customers.”
He concluded, “We are also seeing accelerated growth in our online sales driven by an increased range of digital content and subscription products such as the PlayStation®Plus program in Australia.”
BOSE® SOUNDDOCK® SERIES III DIGITAL MUSIC SYSTEM
First Bose SoundDock System for new iPhone 5 and iPod models
February 12th, 2013 –- Today, Bose introduces the SoundDock® Series III system into Australia and New Zealand, its first SoundDock digital music system designed for use with the iPhone 5, iPod touch (5th generation) and iPod nano (7th generation).
Now, owners can enjoy the iconic Bose SoundDock combination of small size and full-range audio performance from any iPod or iPhone model with a Lightning connector. An included remote control operates the system and the basic functions of the iPod or iPhone, and can switch back and forth between playlists. For flexibility and convenience, the SoundDock III system features an auxiliary input to connect other audio devices, and charges the iPod or iPhone while docked.
The Bose SoundDock III system incorporates a proprietary acoustic design and digital signal processing. The result is accurate, detailed, room-filling sound without increasing the system’s width or depth. The SoundDock III system’s industrial design is signature Bose, maintaining clean, modern lines, and a sleek, slim profile.
The Bose® SoundDock® Digital Music System Story
Originally introduced in 2004, Bose SoundDock systems changed the way people listen to their iPod and iPhone, making it easier than ever to enjoy digital music out loud from a one-piece system.
Today, SoundDock systems enjoy a global following, with a level of performance and simplicity that continue to define the category.
Availability
The new SoundDock Series III system will be available from Bose beginning February 12th, 2013 in Gloss Black for AU$349 (NZ$449). It will be sold at authorised Bose dealers, Bose retail stores, online at www.Bose.com.au and www.bose.co.nz and toll-free at 1800 173 371 (Australia) and 0800 501 511 (New Zealand).
Call of Duty®: Black Ops II Revolution DLC Map Pack will be available for PlayStation®3 and Windows PC fans on March 1.
Call of Duty®: Black Ops II players on PlayStation®3 and Windows PC will have access to the game’s first DLC Map Pack – Revolution – on March 1. Revolution delivers an unparalleled amount of variety and content for all types of Call of Duty: Black Ops II players, featuring four all-new multiplayer maps set around the globe:
– Hydro: Located in Pakistan, this hydro-electric plant comes complete with a lethal spillway that floods with very little warning.
– Grind: Set in a skate park in Venice Beach (the birthplace of skateboarding!), quarter-pipes and curved surfaces drive players away from easy cover and into intense firefights.
– Downhill: A ski resort in the French Alps, this snowy map is complete with a moving gondola system that can both offer cover and crush you to death.
– Mirage: Located in China’s Gobi Desert, this luxury resort has been ravaged by a sandstorm.
Zombies fans get a terrifying double-dose of undead action in Revolution. First, the new map, “Die Rise,” drops players inside a maze of crumbling skyscrapers amidst a ravaged Chinese city, where all-new Wonder Weaponry will play a crucial role as they make a valiant stand against the impending zombie hoard. Additionally, Revolution’s new Zombies mode, “Turned,” flips this new fan-favourite mode around, allowing players to become the undead and play as a zombie, offering an entirely new style of bragging rights.
Check out the Call of Duty: Black Ops II “The Replacer” trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZwdpXgPbKc&list=PL7CD8C2AABB7A0532&index=3
Call of Duty: Black Ops II game sold separately, and is required to play this Map Pack.