GT Academy 2010 online Time Trial goes live

• The time for talking is over – do you have what it takes to go from Gran Turismo® gamer to real life racing driver?
• GT Academy 2010 online Time Trial from 17 December GMT to 24 January, 2010 GMT

SYDNEY, 18^th December 2009: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today throws down the challenge to aspiring professional drivers as GT Academy 2010 goes ‘live’ in Australia. The opportunity to have a preview of the hotly anticipated Gran Turismo®5 game is already a huge incentive for gamers to enter the time trial phase of GT Academy 2010. But with the ultimate racing prize at stake – including an intensive driver training program to qualify for an international race licence and a full race season in the European GT4 Cup driving a race-spec Nissan 370Z – this is an opportunity no Gran Turismo® fan will want to miss.

Anyone from a participating country who is aged over 18, holds a full driving licence and is eligible under the terms and conditions of the competition can enter the Time Trial stage of GT Academy 2010. All you need is access to a PlayStation®3 (PS3™) connected to the internet. Download the Gran Turismo time trial from PlayStation®Store via PlayStation®Network and you’re ready to go! Lap times will be recorded on the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course driving the Gran Turismo versions of both a standard, road version of Nissan’s stunning 370Z as well as a tuned version of the same car. Combined lap times will give each player a place on their country leaderboard and participants are invited to post as many times as they like.

On a related note, at the time of distribution, an Aussie competitor has worked their way to the top of the time trial leaderboards, clocking a better time than any other drivers participating.

Game Informer Launches Australian Magazine Edition

World’s leading gaming magazine continues worldwide expansion

BRISBANE, Queensland–Dec. 16, 2009—Game Informer, the 12^th largest consumer magazine in the U.S., announces the expansion of its monthly magazine into Australia beginning with its January 2010 issue which is on sale from today.

With existing magazine distribution in Canada, Ireland and Italy, Game Informer’s Australian edition marks the third continent where the leading gaming magazine is flexing its brand power as a part of a multiphase rollout.

“Video games are universal and so, too, is the content of Game Informer,” said Cathy Preston, publisher of Game Informer. “Our expansion into Italy’s competitive magazine market last year proved to be a success, since Game Informer is now the largest circulated gaming magazine in Italy. Australia is a natural fit for our worldwide expansion, and we are excited to reach Australian gamers with exclusive editorial content that will help them gain more enjoyment from their interest in gaming.”

Chris Stead, former editor at Australian GamePro and gameplayer.com.au, will serve as the editor of Australian Game Informer, which will adapt the U.S. version of Game Informer each month to include local content. The Australian edition of the magazine will be published by Citrus Media.

“This is a landmark event for Australian gaming media and the local industry as a whole,” said Stead. “We will continue the Game Informer tradition by bringing Australian readers the biggest and best gaming news first, and we also will give a voice to the local gaming scene.”

Beginning with Game Informer’s January 2010 issue, EB Games Australia will begin selling both single copy issues and one-year subscriptions to its gaming customers.

“EB Games is delighted to help bring Game Informer to Australia,” said Shane Stockwell, Merchandising Director of EB Games Australia. “This is a game changer, as Game Informer surpasses any gaming magazine in the Australian market. We know our customers will appreciate having access to the top video game magazine in the world.”

Game Informer Australia will also be available for purchase from newsagents for only $4.95 per issue and one-year subscriptions online at www.magshop.com.au

About Game Informer

An 18-year veteran to publishing, Game Informer magazine and http://gameinformer.com continue to shape the video game industry by expanding perspectives and providing in-depth knowledge and insight into the gaming market. Game Informer magazine is the industry’s leading magazine and has now become the 12^th largest overall consumer magazine in the U.S. with more than 3.6 million subscribers (June 2009, Audit Bureau of Circulations).

Manic Monkey Mayhem set to peel onto other gaming platforms

Hull, UK / Yorkshire based Independent development studio, The Code Monkeys are to fling their pick-up-and-play party game, Manic Monkey Mayhem on to other gaming platforms in 2010. 

Following a successful launch on Nintendo’s WiiWare platform, Manic Monkey Mayhem is set to ape the fur-spitting fun of its party game onto Apple’s iPhone/iPod touch with a mini version for Sony’s new portable download console, PSPgo in Q1 2010.

“Our fury monkey friends have been well received by the press and players alike so we have kept them well stocked up with bananas. Manic Monkey Mayhem was submitted to Apple recently and we are giggling like apes at the prospect of the game being released on the iPhone, as well as other gaming platforms in the New Year” commented Janet Smith, Administrative Director at The Code Monkeys.

Free Manic Monkey Mayhem wallpapers are available to download for the iPhone via the app store. Chose your favourite monkey character or screen shot.

Manic Monkey Mayhem is vibrant looking, pick-up-and-play, evening of fun with more bananas than the produce section in Morrison’s. It’s also compatible with the Balance Board which offers a perfect way to peel off a few layers after the festive season indulgence.

With a range of games types to unlock, Manic Monkey Mayhem should definitely be enjoyed as one of the recommended 5-a-day.

Follow banana-smoking Clint and seething Furious George (Furious George is furious), 2 of the adorable characters from the game on Twitter @manicmonkeygame and find out what the monkeys want for Christmas on the Facebook group

Visit the official website at www.manicmonkeymayhem.com

Australians get ready for a Hangover…on demand

Aussie families set for bumper holiday season with Xbox LIVE Movies on Demand and no late fees!

This Christmas Aussies are gearing up for a Hangover, a Half Blood Prince and a battle with the Romulans, as Xbox LIVE Movies on Demand streams to over 400,000 homes around the country.

As work and school winds down for the year and families gather to share festive cheer, Xbox announces the latest titles to come direct to the lounge room on its high definition streaming, Movies on Demand service. From Star Trek to Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, there’s a title for all tastes, including the latest blockbusters and old favourites from leading studios including Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers and MGM. 

In addition to the huge number of titles announced at launch, new movies available over the festive season include:

• Monty Python’s ‘Meaning of Life’            M                            (15/12/09)
• Liar, Liar                                                                M                            (15/12/09)
• The Mummy; The Mummy Returns         M                            (15/12/09)
• Ray                                                                         M                            (15/12/09)
• Land of the Lost                                                M                            (20/12/09)
• Star Trek                                                              M                            (23/12/09)
• Transformers 2                                                 M                            (30/12/09)
• Public Enemies                                                  MA 15+                (01/01/10)
• Battlestar Galactica                                         MA15+                 (08/01/10)
• Bruno                                                                    MA15+                 (10/01/09)

Launched in November this year, Xbox now delivers Movies on Demand with no discs, no downloads and no delays¹. Anyone that owns an Xbox 360 can connect to Xbox LIVE and access the innovative service², bringing streamed HD and SD movies into their lounge room this Christmas.

“With over 100 titles at the tip of your fingers and more being added every week, Xbox LIVE Movies on Demand is the perfect relief for a full Christmas belly,” said Andrew Jenkins, senior product manager for Xbox LIVE. “Christmas day television is traditionally pretty hit and miss.  However, with Xbox Movies on Demand you can sit back on the couch, let out your belt and relax then flick through, choose the movie you want to watch and settle in for a fun evening with the family.”

Xbox LIVE can deliver instant-on 1080p HD streaming video on your Xbox 360. It delivers a large selection of movies in high clarity³ and with the convenience of cable. Watch the movies you want, when you want them, with instant-on 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound⁴. You can even find your favourite film from the Movies on Demand catalogue at the touch of a button using new, enhanced search functions. Movies start from 240 Microsoft points ($4 AUD).

– ends –

¹ Applies to streaming only, broadband speed dependent

² Movies, game downloads and add-ons sold separately; Streaming and download charges may apply as set by your ISP; Microsoft® Points (sold separately) required for purchase. Available content subject to change

³ HD videos are provided in 1080p. 1080p-capable HDTV and HDMI cable required to achieve this performance. Instant 1080p HD feature also requires adequate broadband speed, and video and audio quality will vary based on speed.

⁴ Additional hardware is required for 5.1 surround sound. Costs apply.

Should you have any questions or comments please contact:

Alice Coulthard, Pulse Communications: (02) 8281 3818 / alice@pulsecom.com.au

Daniel Wong, Pulse Communications: (02) 8281 3826/ daniel@pulsecom.com.au

About Xbox 360

The powerful Xbox 360 video game and entertainment experience delivers amazing games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online social network, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 now boasts a catalogue of over 500 high-definition games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.au/.

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 26 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favourite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.au/live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 logo, Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Character animation middleware helps to enable complex flying, swimming and climbing moves
Sydney, December 18, 2009 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has announced that Autodesk HumanIK character animation middleware was tightly integrated into Ubisoft’s proprietary game engine for the development of Assassin’s Creed II. Released November 17, the title sold over 1.6 million units worldwide in its first week on the shelf.

HumanIK animation middleware is a runtime solution for creating believable, interactive character animation for games. Ubisoft first used the software on the original Assassin’s Creed title. As an integrated part of Ubisoft’s game engine on Assassin’s Creed II, HumanIK contributed to the realisation of enticing game-play innovations such as climbing, flying and interactions with dynamic non-player characters (NPCs).

James Therien, lead programmer, Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft, said, “One of the most important aspects of the Assassin’s Creed II game play is the ability for characters to climb. HumanIK allowed us to build new climbing moves into the game and iterate them very quickly without ever having to worry about the quality of the IK solving. Having a package like HumanIK allowed us to address our IK problems quickly without sacrificing results or performance.

In creating a sequel to its award-winning Assassin’s Creed franchise, Ubisoft sought unique ways to improve and build upon the original. Having more interesting and diverse characters, greater interaction with NPCs and a broader range of moves, including flying and complex climbing for NPCs were core differentiators facilitated in part by the integration of HumanIK middleware.

Ubisoft has been a longtime user of Autodesk solutions, tapping Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk MotionBuilder software, in addition to HumanIK, as key creative tools for its titles.

Therien said, “3ds Max is our main content creation package. MotionBuilder was used to clean up all of the motion-capture performance data that was used extensively in cut scenes and fight sequences.”

About Assassin’s Creed II
Assassin’s Creed II invites players to become Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who has been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy. Ezio’s quest for vengeance plunges players into a captivating and epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new game play elements, diverse weapons, incredible depth and a profound character progression that appeals to fans of the original game, and entices players new to the brand.

About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies – as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects – use Autodesk software tools to design, visualise and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.au

Aliens vs Predator banning reversed with no content changed or removed 

SEGA Australia today confirmed that the Classification Review Board has overturned the original decision to Refuse Classification for Aliens vs Predator and has given it an MA15+ rating.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are particularly proud that the game will be released in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed whatsoever. This is a big win for Australian gamers. We applaud the Classification Review Board on making a decision that clearly considers the context of the game, and is in line with the modern expectations of reasonable Australians”, Darren Macbeth,  Managing Director, SEGA Australia.

Please stay tuned for details on local Special Edition offers.

Hull, UK / UK based games software publisher, The Gamer Creators are celebrating their 10 year anniversary by offering DarkBASIC Professional language and FPS Creator as free downloads to games development enthusiasts.

Over a period of ten years, The Game Creators have garnered a worldwide reputation for creating affordable, cutting edge game creation tools which enable anyone to create their own computer games. Their flagship product is DarkBASIC Professional, one of the most advanced games development packages on the marketplace.

To commemorate their ten year milestone, The Game Creators are offering DarkBASIC Professional as a free download from their site – www.darkbasicpro.com DarkBASIC Professional makes it possible to create innovative 2D or 3D games which feature all the benefits of Microsofts DirectX 9 technology. DarkBASIC Professional is at the core of commercially successful titles.

In addition to DarkBASIC Professional, games development enthusiasts can also download a free version of FPS Creator, software which enables the creation of rich, engaging 3D First Person Shooter games by people with no previous programming or 3D modelling experience. By offering the software for free, The Game Creators are confident it will empower and inspire the next generation of game developers.

“By lowering the barrier to entry even further, we hope to encourage even more people to discover the joy of creating games whilst offering the same wealth of features” commented Financial Director, Rick Vanner.

Users can download a free version of FPS Creator, which comes with some restrictions. You will get the same editor and design features that are built in to the full version. Multiplayer and the ability to build a standalone game are disabled, although the option to upgrade at any time is available through The Game Creator Store, directly accessible through the editor.

“If you have yet to take the plunge into coding, now is a great time to start. You can download the online ad-supported version of DarkBASIC Professional right now and gain instant access to a language previously priced at seventy dollars” added Vanner.

Link to download DBPro FREE
http://files.thegamecreators.com/darkbasicprofessional/free/DarkBasicProOnlineFree.zip

Link to download FPSC FREE  version
http://www.fpscreator.com/free_download.html

CAPCOM® UNVEILS MEGA MANTM 10 FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD 

The Amazing Cybernetic Dynamo Returns to the Downloadable Space for WiiWareTM, Xbox LIVE® and PlayStation®Store
LONDON — December 17, 2009 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Mega Man™ 10 is coming to Nintendo’s WiiWare™ service, Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network, and PlayStation®Store in March 2010. Mega Man 10, the latest entry in Capcom’s long-running series, will return gamers to the nostalgic perfection of classic 2D Mega Man gameplay, embracing retro platform action and NES-inspired old-school graphics

LucasArts Announces Star Wars^®: The Force Unleashed^™ II 

Sydney, Australia. – December 14, 2009 – The Star Wars^® Saga continues in 2010 with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, a sequel to the blockbuster videogame developed by LucasArts.

Released in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed remains the fastest-selling Star Wars game ever, with sales of nearly seven million units worldwide. The action game garnered numerous accolades including the WGA Award for outstanding achievement in writing for videogames. 

With Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the epic story continues as players once again assume the role of the devastatingly powerful Starkiller – Darth Vader’s secret apprentice set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.

“Executive Producer Haden Blackman and his team have been able to build on the core foundation of the award-winning original and create a powerful combination of engrossing story-telling and intense action. The Force Unleashed II gives fans an opportunity to wreak havoc on an even greater scale in the Star Wars universe,” said LucasArts’ President Darrell Rodriguez.  

More information about the game can be found at the official website, www.unleashed2010.com, which will continue to release details throughout the year.

About LucasArts

LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) invites you to take a journey to the ultimate online destination for the upcoming videogame, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest.  Go to http://aragornsquest.com/ today and join the heroic adventure by exploring new screen shots and uncovering the stories behind each character.  

Take a first-hand look into the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time through the newly released action-packed trailer that drops you into the heart of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Middle-earth. Send your readers on their own epic quest by posting the new trailer for your readers to enjoy and spreading the word about http://aragornsquest.com/.  The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame launches in autumn 2010 for Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP and Nintendo DS.

You can view the trailer here