From Telltale Games and Skybound Entertainment based on Robert Kirkman’s best-selling comic book series and graphic novels

The Critically Acclaimed Episode ‘A New Day’ is Now Available on the App Store as a Universal App!

Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/walking-dead-the-game/id524731580?mt=8

The Walking Dead is a five-part episodic game series set in the same universe as Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic books featuring Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes.  Episode one, and the following four episodes deliver an experience tailored by the decisions that each player makes, leading to multiple paths through the story. Players take on the role of Lee Everett, a man convicted of murder, now given newfound freedom and a chance at redemption in a world devastated by the undead.  Intense life or death situations will force the player to explore the darker sides of human nature, and they will meet familiar characters and visit locations from the world created by Robert Kirkman, foreshadowing the story of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead comics.

‘Episode 1: A New Day’ is available now on the App Store for $4.99; Episodes 2-5 will be released periodically and available via in-app purchase. Pre-order the remaining episodes in  The Walking Dead game series by purchasing the Multi-Pack [Episode 2-5 Bundle] for $14.99 via in-app purchase and save 25%!

Episode List:
•Episode 1: A New Day *AVAILABLE NOW*
•Episode 2: Starved For Help *COMING SOON TO iOS*
•Episode 3: Long Road Ahead *COMING SOON TO iOS*
•Episode 4: Around Every Corner *COMING SOON TO iOS*
•Episode 5: No Time Left *COMING SOON TO iOS*

For more information on the game, visit the official website,  Facebook and follow us on  Twitter. For more information on  The Walking Dead  comic books, visit  www.skybound.com.

Play To Win Serious Prizes With Your Friends!

Seoul, Korea, July 27, 2012— Joymax, leading online game developer and publisher, launched today a new set of summer festival events for the wildly popular online massive multiplayer title, Digimon Masters. Digimon Masters continues the story and heightened sense of urgency found in the Digimon anime, a fantastic universe where our world and the Digital World are closer than anyone would have imagined continues to evolve and expand the story of the Digimon universe.  With prizes including coveted Mercenary Digi-Eggs, it’s the perfect time to bring a friend and register together at http://www.joymax.com/portal

It’s time to hit the field in a number of Digimon-flavored sporting events!  Head over to the NPC MudFrigimon in the Data Center to start your sports career, then trade in bronze, silver and gold medals for amazing prizes including costumes, avatar boxes, and more.  Will you be the sports MVP?  80 players will win one of the coveted MVP awards, which include prize packs of Evoluters and Reinforced Digi-Eggs.  Support your favorite tamer or sports team in-game and be entered into a draw for extra “cheer” gifts.  All of this is in addition to a 100% EXP bonus, with a whopping 200% bonus during the weekends now until the end of August.

Players both veteran and new can bring their friends to Digimon Masters for bonuses that are out of this world and the Digital World too!  At level 5, 10, and 20 both the new player and their sponsor will receive gifts.  In-game prizes for recruiting include a variety of items like Digi-Eggs, EXP Boosters, Evoluters, and many more.  The full list of prizes can be found, along with other amazing Digimon news, on the official Digimon Masters Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/digimonmasters

Two new mercenary Digimon are also joining the summertime festivities, just in time for the Mercenary Eggs gained via the mini-sports spectacular.  The extremely popular Betamon, first available in Digimon Battle, is now joining the Digimon Masters team.  New owners of Betamon will receive a limited time care package including medals to turn in for MudFrigimon.  The first 5 players to level Betamon will receive extra bonuses, including the extremely rare reinforced Kudamon egg.  Joining this fan favorite is Ornis Wing which brings Piyomon’s Ultimate form.  All of these games and festivities run from now until August 21^st, so finishing training these new Digimon is your summer homework.  Get studying!

To get the latest information and regular contests for amazing prizes, players are encouraged to follow the official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/digimonmasters Players can also check out more details at http://twitter.com/officialdmo/

Fourth expansion brings tides of war to the shores of a long-lost continent 

Digital Deluxe and Retail Collector’s Editions revealed 

Presales NOW LIVE  

IRVINE, Calif. – July 25, 2012 – Land, ho! Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft^®: Mists of Pandaria™, the fourth expansion set for the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, will be available in stores and online starting from September 25, 2012.

Upon the expansion’s release, intrepid explorers of the Alliance and the Horde will be able to set foot upon the shores of the long-lost continent of Pandaria and embark on a perilous journey to uncover its ancient mysteries.

Mists of Pandaria will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows^® XP/Windows Vista^®/Windows^® 7 and Macintosh^® at a suggested retail price of $59.95 AUD. The expansion will also be available digitally directly from Blizzard’s World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com).

A special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $99.95 AUD. In addition, for the first time, World of Warcraft players have the option to purchase a special Digital Deluxe version of the expansion containing the in-game bonus items from the Collector’s Edition. The Digital Deluxe version is available to download directly from Blizzard via www.WorldofWarcraft.com. Players who purchase the standard edition digitally or at retail will have the option to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe version at any time (for as long as the standalone Digital Deluxe version remains available).

Presales for the standard digital and Digital Deluxe versions of Mists of Pandaria are now live. Players who would like to purchase either version and be ready to play the moment the expansion launches can do so now by visiting www.WorldofWarcraft.com. The expansion content will automatically be digitally delivered to pre-purchasers via World of Warcraft’s streaming launcher prior to the release of Mists of Pandaria. Players who would like to preorder the standard box or the retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition can do so by visiting their local retailer.

“Mists of Pandaria contains the biggest variety of new content we’ve ever created for a World of Warcraft expansion, with features that will appeal to new players, veterans, and everyone in between,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’ve received a lot of great feedback from players during our most extensive beta test yet, and we hope they enjoy exploring everything Pandaria has to offer when the expansion comes out in September.”

The Digital Deluxe version of Mists of Pandaria includes a full digital copy of the expansion along with the following exclusive in-game bonus items:

–        World of Warcraft In-Game Mount: Take to the skies of Azeroth astride the mystical Imperial Quilen flying mount.

–        World of Warcraft In-Game Pet: Journey across Pandaria with the Lucky Quilen Cub at your side.

–        StarCraft^® II Battle.net^® Portraits: Bring the Horde and Alliance rivalry to the far reaches of the Koprulu sector with exclusive Infested Orc and Night Elf Templar Battle.net portraits.

–        Diablo^® III Banner Sigil and Accent: Display your status as a hero of Pandaria with the iconic markings of World of Warcraft’s newest playable race, the pandaren.

The Collector’s Edition of Mists of Pandaria includes the full version of the game on DVD-ROM and contains the following exclusive bonus items, in addition to the in-game content from the Digital Deluxe version:

–        Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray: Learn about the creation of Pandaria with this two-disc set featuring over an hour of commentary, insider interviews, and developer roundtables.

–        Collector’s Edition Soundtrack CD: Experience 20 orchestral pieces from Mists of Pandaria.

–        The Art of Mists of Pandaria Book: Explore this 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen pieces from the expansion, from early concepts to final 3D renderings.

–        Chen Stormstout Mouse Pad: Equip your desk with this special-edition mouse pad featuring the legendary pandaren brewmaster.

In World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, warships of the Alliance and Horde clash off the coast of a long-lost continent, signaling the start of a new era of discovery and conquest in the history of Azeroth. As players storm the shores of this exotic new frontier and begin to explore its mysteries, they’ll encounter brave new allies, unearth ancient secrets, and play their part in reigniting the long-brewing conflict between the Horde and Alliance on a strange battlefield far from home.

Mists of Pandaria offers a wide variety of content for new and returning World of Warcraft players. Features include a new playable race (the pandaren) with its own starting zone and quests, a new character class (the monk), and an expansive new continent for players to explore as they adventure to the new level cap of 90. The expansion also includes a host of new gameplay elements designed to give players even more ways to enjoy the game, including scenarios — a flexible new kind of cooperative PvE trial; challenge modes, which offer high-prestige rewards for mastering Mists of Pandaria’s 5-player dungeons; and an all-new pet battle system.

Mists of Pandaria has received a M rating from the Australian Classification Board.  In addition to the English version, Mists of Pandaria will be fully localized into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and for the first time with a World of Warcraft expansion launch, Italian. Availability of Mists of Pandaria in mainland China will be announced at a later date.

To learn more about World of Warcraft and Mists of Pandaria, please visit the official website at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com. To set up a Battle.net account and to opt-in to Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, please visit the official Battle.net website at http://www.battle.net. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available — visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

Massively Multiplayer Online Adventure Rebuilt from the Ground Up

SYDNEY (July 27^th 2012) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, announced today the fully-redesigned massively multiplayer online adventure FINAL FANTASY® XIV title.  Rebranded FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn™, and previously referenced as “version 2.0,” this  adventure has been rebuilt from the ground up, and centers on the core concept of rebirth, featuring a new world to explore and storyline to experience.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn offers visually-stunning graphics and game design that appeal to both Windows PC and PlayStation®3 players. Watch the new trailer ‘The Fate of Eorzea’ now at http://youtu.be/yFKvvlPF5Qc?hd=1

“Since announcing our plans for the future of the title last October, we have been working tirelessly to include all of the elements that we have promised in FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn, which we announced today. This new title not only becomes a symbol of a completely new FINAL FANTASY XIV, but also marks the beginning of a new stage as the latest title in the FINAL FANTASY series. I hope you’re looking forward to it!” said Naoki Yoshida, Producer/Director of FINAL FANTASY XIV.

A new website dedicated to FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn (http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/) also went live today, which offers background information on the realm of Eorzea, its inhabitants and the much larger world of Hydaelyn.  The website will also serve as the central location for regular updates and news about the game.

Players are invited to visit the official Facebook™ page (https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV) and participate in the official forum at http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com

Bethesda is pleased to announce that they’ve just released a new gameplay video for Dishonored – ‘Daring Escapes’. In Dishonored, you can choose from a number of different methods to face any situation. In this video, Corvo is detected by the guards at the Boyle Mansion and must find a way to escape. The video showcases three possible routes using Blink, Bend Time and Possession – three of the many supernatural abilities you’ll gain access to as you play through the game.

You can check out the interactive version of the video on our YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlqwfVDboY. 

Dishonored, the first person action game from Arkane studios, casts you as a supernatural assassin driven by revenge. Creatively eliminate your targets with the flexible combat system as you combine supernatural abilities with weapons and gadgets at your disposal. Pursue your targets under the cover of darkness or ruthlessly attack them head on with weapons drawn. The outcome of each mission plays out based on the choices you make.

Dishonored will be available in Australia and New Zealand on October 11, 2012, throughout Europe on October 12, 2012, and is slated for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For more information on Dishonored visit www.Dishonored.com.

SYDNEY – (July 27^th, 2012) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products is pleased to release the ANZ Limited Edition Bonus Content Trailer for the upcoming open world cop drama Sleeping Dogs™.

With just three weeks left until Sleeping Dogs releases, time is running out to secure the ANZ Limited Edition of the game, that includes all three bonus content packs in the box for free, across leading Australian & New Zealand retailers.

The ANZ Limited Edition pack of Sleeping Dogs contains the following additional content, across all three formats of the game:

‘Georges St. Pierre (GSP)’ content:

• GSP’s signature “flying punch”
• Exclusive GSP outfit including T-shirts, headband and shorts
• The GSP outfit unlocks the “flying punch” and increases grappling and throwing damage

‘Police Protection’ content:

• “High Speed” Mission
• HK Police SWAT Outfit
• SWAT assault rifle
• SWAT Police Vehicle

‘Martial Arts’ content:

• Shaolin Showdown Mission
• Shaolin Warrior outfit (with increased striking damage)
• Bonus Triad XP points
• Wing Chun decoration for safehouse (with temporary combat buff)

In addition to this, all players with a Just Cause 2 save on their hard-drive, will also find an exclusive Rico Rodriguez clothes set and hijack ability boost for when they first step foot into the streets of Hong Kong.

Sleeping Dogs will go on sale across Australia & New Zealand on August 16^th 2012, on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

Sydney, Australia, Tuesday 27^th July, 2012

Induction – After leaking an obscure teaser last week, Bohemia Interactive has revealed Carrier Command: Recruits – an episodic series of free mini-games connected by an overarching storyline. It lets players sample the Carrier Command vibe while enabling them to win a digital copy of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission.

Spread over four episodes, Carrier Command: Recruits follows the player as he or she obtains the position of Technical Analyst for the UEC – the protagonist’s faction. The story is set right before the events in Carrier Command: Gaea Mission and requires players to unravel a mysterious plot by completing a diverse set of challenges. The first episode, Head Hunting, has been released today and invites players to an UEC recruitment session.

Korneel van ‘t Land, Brand & PR Manager at Bohemia Interactive, elaborates:

“While we’re gearing up for Gamescom, where many people will get to go hands-on with Carrier Command: Gaea Mission for the first time, this mini-games-series jumps in as an entertaining and free initiative to give people an early taste of the main game’s atmosphere”.

As they puzzle and sneak their way towards the series’ conclusion, people will come a across a variety of familiar and unfamiliar game concepts – each taking about 15 minutes to complete.  After today’s release of episode 1, the second and third episode will be made available over the course of the next two weeks. The final chapter is scheduled for August 9 – and will require an extra dose of willpower to beat.

Last but not least, those who complete an episode, and share their progress on Facebook or Twitter before August 20th, will be able to win 1 of the 5 available digital copies of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission for Windows PC (including access to the beta).

The first episode of Carrier Command: Recruits – Head Hunting – is now available at www.carriercommand.com/recruits

Carrier Command: Recruits – Features:

• Join the United Earth      Coalition as their top Technical Analyst and help them to uncover an      elusive plot to sabotage the UEC’s Gaea Mission

• Test your abilities in a      series of Carrier Command themed mini-games – featuring an entertaining      variety of familiar and unfamiliar game-concepts

• Seize the opportunity to      win 1 out of 5 digital copies of Carrier Command: Gaea Mission (including      beta-access) by completing and sharing any of the Carrier Command:      Recruits episodes before August 20th

Carrier Command: Gaea Mission – ‘Recruits’ Teaser:

http://youtu.be/qM_0Vo9ryPQ

To learn more about Carrier Command: Gaea Mission, be sure to check out the E3 2012 presentation video.

For more information, please visit www.carriercommand.com or track us via our social channels:

Facebook.com/CarrierCommand
Twitter.com/CarrierCommand
YouTube.com/CarrierCommand

Recipes were created to celebrate Downton Abbey: Season 2 releasing on DVD and Blu-ray 

DAINTY AFTERNOON TEA SANDWICHES

Traditionally come tea-time, the Brits nibbled bite-sized triangles of brown bread filled with classic cucumber or egg and cress. We’ve taken our cue from venerable London department store and tea sellers, Fortum & Mason: they suggest adding zest to cucumber sandwiches with vinegar and white pepper. Don’t forget to cut the crusts off! 

Ingredients:

1 sliced brown loaf

Good quality salted butter 

Filling 1:

2 cucumbers from your garden

Cream cheese

Fresh dill

White pepper

White wine vinegar

6 eggs

A generous handful of mustard cress (* you can grow this quite easily from seeds in a window box)

Method:

Filling 1

Combine cream cheese and chopped dill in a bowl, season with white pepper. Peel and finely slice cucumbers, splash with a little vinegar.

Filling 2

Hard boil the eggs (8 minutes please, in salted water, from cold). Peel, then set aside. When cool, mash gently with a fork, adding 3 tbsp mayonnaise. Season to taste.

Assemble your sandwiches carefully, remembering that less is more! Aim for pretty and neat – not giant messy mouthfuls. Cut each one into 4 triangles, and arrange delightfully on a bone china plate

MRS PRESS’S YORKSHIRE SCONES

Like Lady Mary, I’m from Yorkshire (though alas I’ve never been to tea at Downton Abbey). Not that I don’t know my way around a scone. These are best served warm, fresh from the oven (by your maid if you’re lucky). And remember your manners – spoon on your jam, then add a ladylike dollop of cream, don’t be greedy and never mix the spoons.

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

Milk or egg yolk for glazing

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 220C and grease scone tray.

Sift flour and salt together.

Cut butter into flour, and rub in lightly using your fingers. Turn onto a floured surface and knead slightly. Remember, the less you handle the dough, the lighter your scones will be.

Flatten out the dough with the heel of your hand to approx 1/2 inch thickness. Stamp out with a scone cutter

– or a glass dipped in flour works just as well. Place scones touching each other on a tray, glaze tops and bake

8-10 minutes.

PEAR UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Bothersome wartime rationing couldn’t stop the pears growing in the orchard. This simple sponge is elevated by the wonderful addition of syrupy seasonal fruit. Serve on a crystal cake stand. 

Ingredients:

125g butter

125g sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

250g self-raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Topping:

60g brown sugar

60g unsalted butter

2-3 pears poached and thinly sliced

(425g can sliced pear drained is also an option)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Sift the flour and salt and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the beaten eggs gradually. Now add flour and salt, alternating with milk and vanilla and mix.

For the topping, soften the butter and mix with the brown sugar.

Press into the base of an 8-inch cake tin and arrange pear slices on top.

Layer the cake mix on top of the fruit, and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Stand for 5 minutes before inverting onto your finest cake platter.

Serve warm and enjoy oohs and ahs!

AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd today released AVG Technologies’ Q2 2012 Community Powered Threat Report. This quarter’s report investigates how cybercriminals have combined social engineering with more complex malware authoring for PC and mobile to increase impact, and that many of these are emerging from China.

Android smartphone users remain a lucrative target as the platform currently has 59 percent global market share[1] and is on track to stay the most shipped mobile operating system until 2016[2]. Much of this new malware has also been identified as originating from China and targeting users there and in neighbouring markets, reflecting the fact that this is now the world’s top smartphone market with over one million mobile web users[3].

The China connection

This quarter saw the introduction of the first Android bootkit, ‘DKFbootkit’, which masquerades as a fake version of a legitimate application and damages the smartphone’s Linux kernel code by replacing it with malicious code. Users are tricked into clicking ‘OK’ to the notifications the malware provides, giving it permission to add itself to the boot sequence and spring into life once the device is activated. In rooting the device, this attack turns the smartphone into a zombie that is fully under the cybercriminal’s control, which makes it a serious threat to Android users. This attack is spread over the third party applications market – and not the official Google Play – in China.

Malware authors also spammed China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States with Trojan-infected email messages related to political issues around Tibet.  These were released on the back of a Microsoft ‘Patch Tuesday’ security bulletin[4] with the authors rushing to take advantage of the ‘window of opportunity’ time lag between the patch release and when users were able to implement it. The email attachment contains an embedded encrypted executable file which collects sensitive user information such as passwords, and is able to download additional malware for key logger facility or to get a new Trojan configuration.

Michael McKinnon, Security Advisor at AVG (AU/NZ), said: “In AVG’s experience, an operating system attracts attention from cybercriminals once it secures five percent market share; once it reaches ten percent, it will be actively attacked.  It’s no surprise therefore that our investigations uncovered a further upsurge in malware targeting Android smartphones given its sustained popularity, with new attacks focused on rooting the devices to give cybercriminals full control. What’s new this quarter is the significant upsurge in these threats originating from China.”

The end of antivirus?

For all of the sensationalism around the discovery of Stuxnet in 2010 and its 2012 equivalent, Flame, the average consumer was never actually a target for either malware. While rumours of cyber-attacks were circulated about both, Flame was actually not a patch on the sophistication of Stuxnet in terms of malware authoring and in particular, the techniques used in the payload were not very impressive. The security industry has already adapted to the unexpected nature of threats with traditional signature detection being just one layer within a multi-faceted security solution.

Consumer scams

The latest version of the LizaMoon mass injection SQL attack this quarter deceives users into downloading a Trojan or some rogue software by exploiting human interest and hiding inside non-existent celebrity sex videos or fake antivirus websites. Injecting malicious code into legitimate but vulnerable websites, this attack targeted Mozilla’s Firefox browser and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer with two attack vectors. In Firefox, users are lured by raunchy videos of socialite Paris Hilton and actress Emma Watson and asked to update their Flash installation in order to view them. Users never get to see the video as the malware installed is a Trojan disguised as a Flash update.

In Internet Explorer, users receive a prompt seemingly from an antivirus website which would claim to have found malware on their computer. They are encouraged to download the malware and, once installed, to ‘purchase it’ which would then simply remove the malware in return for payment. Should the victim decide not to purchase, nag screens would pop up until the rogue was cleaned from the machine. In the most recent version, the malware was updated to enable ‘drive-by downloads’ where victims need only visit the website to become infected and it is no longer enough to close the web page to be safe.

Rovio’s ‘Angry Birds Space’ application was also frontline for consumer scams this quarter. Using the same graphics as the legitimate version, a fully functional Trojan-infected version was uploaded to unofficial Android application stores. It uses the GingerBreak exploit to root the device, gaining Command and Control functionality to communicate with the remote server to download and install additional malware, botnet functionality, and to enable the modification of files and launch of URLs.

To download the full Q2 2012 Community Powered Threat Report, please visit:http://mediacenter.avg.com/en/press-tools/avg-threat-reports/avg-community-powered-threat-report-q2-2012.html