Alienware continues to rollout its Australia-wide tour of its Alienware: Area-52 mobile gaming hub, with the next scheduled stop planned for 29-31 March at World Square, Sydney.  Fitted with the latest in PC gaming and entertainment technology, the Alienware Area-52 Tour enables gamers to get hands on with the latest Alienware laptops and desktops and show off their skills. 

This week only, anyone that visits the Airstream at World Square and signs up for Alienware Arena – the online gaming community – will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win the latest Alienware X51 gaming pc. 

Gamers worldwide can join the Alienware Arena community and learn more about current and future activities at www.alienwarearena.com . In Australia, Alienware is available online through www.dell.com.au and www.alienware.com.au, as well as at JB Hi-Fi stores nationwide. 

Follow @AlienwareOz for further info about this and future events.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) today announced the creator of popular videogame titles Psychonauts and Brütal Legend is Australia-bound this June for the opening of the centre’s Game Masters exhibition as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces.  

Tim Schafer, acclaimed videogame designer and founder of Double Fine Productions, is the second international guest to be announced for the opening week of the exhibition. Schafer will appear alongside Peter Molyneux OBE (Populous, Black & White, Dungeon Keeper and Fable series’) and will take part in public programs, including education and industry programs. 

To coincide with the announcement of Schafer’s visit, ACMI today released an extract from a newly commissioned video interview with the game designer which will be shown within the exhibition. 

Schafer’s career began at LucasArts working on adventure games, directing classics such as Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (1991), Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (1993), Full Throttle (1995) and Grim Fandango (1998). He left in 2000 and founded his own studio, Double Fine Productions. Double Fine’s first release was the cult classic Psychonauts (2005). In 2009, Schafer revisited his passion for cars and rock music when working with actor-comedian Jack Black on the heavy metal themed action adventure Brütal Legend (2009). In recent years, Double Fine has shifted development to smaller, downloadable titles, releasing critically acclaimed games including Costume Quest (2010), Stacking (2011) and Iron Brigade (2011). Schafer most recently made the playful Double Fine Happy Action Theatre (2012) for Kinect, and his open-source funding approach to a new game that’s about to start development gained an unprecedented degree of attention and donations through the kickstarter.com website. 

Game Masters will showcase the work of leading local and international videogame designers with over 125 playable games from the arcade era through to the latest console and mobile game technology. Schafer will feature alongside leading contemporary designers, including the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers, The Sims, Rock Band and The Legend of Zelda. Schafer’s own exhibit will include playable versions of his games, concept art and the newly commissioned video interview. 

ACMI will provide opportunities for fans to hear from Schafer. Event details will be announced in the coming months. 

Curated by ACMI, Game Masters is the first entirely home-grown exhibition for the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces initiative and will open at ACMI on 28 June and run through to 28 October 2012. For more in

Renowned director Martin Scorsese’s ground-breaking and original adventure HUGO makes its highly-anticipated debut on DVD, Triple Play and Superset on May 23, 2012 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Recipient of five Academy Awards^®† and winning Martin Scorsese the Golden Globe for Best Director, HUGO “is a wondrous visual spectacle” (Tom Ryan, Sydney Morning Herald). Ben Kingsley “creates a complex and fascinating character” (Tim Martain, The Mercury), starring as pioneer filmmaker George Méliès, and leads an outstanding cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings), Chloë Moritz and young actor Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas).

Bursting with dynamic action, sumptuous imagery and a heartwarming and magical story, audiences of all ages can enjoy the magic that is HUGO.

HUGO will be available in a two disc Triple Play pack (DVD & Blu-ray –with digital download), a three disc Superset pack (DVD, Blu-Ray & Blu-Ray 3D – with digital download) and a single-disc DVD, each with special features.

HUGO Synopsis

Clock keeper and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together…in the intricate, tender and spell-binding mystery. Ben Kingsley leads an all-star cast including Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Chloë Moritz and young actor Asa Butterfield.

Paramount Pictures and GK Films present a GK Films/Infinitum Nihil Production of A Martin Scorsese Picture: “Hugo,” directed by Martin Scorsese, with a screenplay by John Logan, based upon the book entitled The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is produced by Graham King, Tim Headington, Scorsese and Johnny Depp. The executive producers are Emma Tillinger Koskoff, David Crockett, Georgia Kacandes and Christi Dembrowski. The music supervisor is Randall Poster; casting is by Ellen Lewis.

DVD TECHNICAL DETAILS

TRIPLE PLAY TECHNICAL DETAILS

SUPERSET TECHNICAL DETAILS

– AVG putting control over online privacy back in the hands of users – 

MELBOURNE and AMSTERDAM 28 March, 2012 – AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG Internet and mobile security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, today announces an active “Do Not Track” feature to the mainstream Internet security marketplace. 

Michael McKinnon, Security Advisor at AVG (AU/NZ), said: “This new feature is all about putting control of online privacy in the consumer’s hands. AVG helps provide Internet users with peace of mind—and today, making users aware of issues with online privacy is a logical extension of its community-centric platform. We believe all Internet users are entitled to know how their online data is collected and used—and they should have possible solutions available. AVG Technologies continues to work on innovative technologies focused at supporting Internet users to protect and stay in control of their own online privacy.” 

Today, it is commonplace for websites to collect data about users. While not inherently bad, some sites share user data with third parties, and consumers – as well as policy makers – are growing increasingly concerned about this practice. For example, some forms of tracking allow advertisers to follow users around the Internet and deliver targeted advertising across multiple websites in ways consumers are unaware. 

AVG Technologies (NYSE:AVG) CEO JR Smith said: “We continue to listen to our approximately 108 million-strong community and we are constantly focused on driving our research and development to the creation of innovative technologies. Today we deliver another important milestone with an active Do Not Track feature available in the latest version of AVG 2012 and through our latest product update for existing customers. This feature is available free because we believe all consumers have the right to take back control of their online privacy.” 

Last month, the Obama administration proposed a “Consumer Bill of Rights” for privacy and the EU has previously proposed similar initiatives. AVG’s Chief Policy Officer, Siobhan MacDermott, added: “AVG is assuming a leadership role in the future of consumer privacy, and is involved in policy discussions on both sides of the Atlantic.” 

Passive “Do Not Track” was introduced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and relies on users’ voluntary adherence to this feature notification. This W3C Service Pack adds passive Do Not Track and is on by default. However, because compliance is voluntary, it doesn’t give the consumer real control over data collection. By contrast, AVG’s additional new and active “Do Not Track” feature brings online privacy control to mainstream consumers by informing them and offering the choice to block tracking directly or turn it on and off as desired. 

New customers who purchase AVG’s 2012 product and current customers who update AVG’s free and paid 2012 consumer security products with the new Service Pack will be automatically protected from sites and networks that invade their online privacy. At the same time, users can modify this default setting from within the user interface —putting control firmly in the hands of consumers. 

Another new Service Pack feature is WiFi Guard—offering protection from unknown WiFi access points. Laptops that are set to automatically connect to any available WiFi network are convenient when roaming, but can expose users to security risks. For example, cybercriminals can set up rogue WiFi access points using the name of a popular coffee shop chain, hotel or public WiFi provider, and then eavesdrop and breach consumer security. Now, after installing AVG’s 2012 Service Pack, a pop-up window automatically warns users if their device attempts to connect to a never-before-used public WiFi access point. 

The Service Pack for AVG 2012 is available free from www.avg.com.au for the following products:

• AVG Internet Security 2012 – Ultimate protection for everything you do online.
• AVG Anti-Virus 2012 – Exceptional protection that won’t get in your way.
• AVG Anti-Virus FREE – The original FREE virus protection.

For more information on tracking, Do Not Track, WiFi Guard and other changes in the AVG 2012 Service Pack, please visit the AVG blog: resources.avg.com.au.

Today Logitech announced the Logitech® UE™ Air Speaker with Apple’s AirPlay®. The device allows the user to stream uncompressed music from iTunes or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch connected to the home’s Wi-Fi® network to a Logitech UE speaker that delivers high-quality audio with a big sound stage boosted by dual tweeters and woofers. 

Setup is easy: just dock your iPad®, iPhone®, or iPod touch®, follow the on-screen instructions to download the Logitech UE Air app, enter your Wi-Fi® network password and the user is ready to go.

Compatible with iPhone 4s, iPhone4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (2nd, 3rd or 4th generation), iPad, iPad 2, or iPad (3rd generation)  with iOS 4.2 or later, or any Mac or PC on your network with iTunes 10.1 or later is instantly connected. Plus with the Apple Dock Connector, the device can also be charged.

We won’t see the device locally just yet but in about 5-6 weeks, stock should start hitting Australian shelves and will have a recommended retail price of $499. For the time being though, check out this product video.

Mini Melbourne

Celebrate this magnificent city that we live in these autumn school holidays by taking part in activities to build a mini Melbourne, learn about Melbourne’s infamous soapbox corner and discover Melbourne’s rich history in The Melbourne Story exhibition.

Date: Daily, 31 March to 15 April
Time: 11am to 3pm 

Top Designs

See designers of the future! Now in its 11th year at Melbourne Museum Top Designs is part of the VCE Season of Excellence. Works are created by a selection of exemplary design students who completed VCE in 2011 and include furniture, garments using fibre, yarn and fabric, graphic and product design, short films, interactive media, print layout, photography, food product planning, mechanical and electronic projects.

Date: 24 March until 15 July 2012 

agIdeas New Star
A long-standing scholarship and exhibition program for young designers. Students from around Australia and across the globe are invited to submit examples of their best work in 2D, 3D and multimedia. The submissions are short-listed by celebrated Australian and New Zealand designers and the top 30 ‘new stars’ are selected. The works of these talented young designers are showcased in a combined exhibition at Melbourne Museum.

Date: 26 April until 21 June 

The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia
The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia is a magnificent exhibition exploring an ancient era of extraordinary invention and innovation. The region of Mesopotamia played an extraordinary role in the development of human civilisation, from which emerged many of the fundamentals of the modern world, including the invention of writing, the 60-second minutes and systems of law and government. Visitors to the exhibition will see more than 170 artefacts that reveal many aspects of Mesopotamian culture, from massive carved stone reliefs depicting scenes of battles and hunting to gold jewellery.

Date: 4 May until 7 Oct 

River Woman

Explore exquisite artworks, including carefully crafted embossed line work, lino prints, acrylic painting and sketching, by Muthi Muthi Elder and artist Aunty Barb Egan. This exhibition embodies Aunty Barb’s life and culture as she shares her journey and connection to the Murray River of North West Victoria and Lake Mungo, country that holds a deep place within her heart.
Date: Until 24 June 2012

Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton. Open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm. For further details phone 13 11 02 or visit museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum

Enjoy the unique 3D puzzle gameplay of SpeedThru: Potzol’s Puzzle which will be available to download from the Nintendo eShop from 5th April 2012

27th March 2012

Lovers of puzzle games need look no further, as SpeedThru: Potzol’s Puzzle is sure to offer plenty of 3D-enhanced entertainment on your Nintendo 3DS when it becomes available to download from the Nintendo eShop on 5th April 2012. The game offers a unique gameplay mechanic in an immersive 3D world where your skills of spatial awareness are put to the test across more than 90 stages, three multiplayer modes, and three different lands. You can also take a sneak peek of the game ahead of its launch, as the 3D trailer is now available on the Nintendo eShop.

SpeedThru: Potzol’s Puzzle is themed around a mystic world, where Kaotl, the evil god of destruction is your foe. In an act of malice, Kaotl has stolen the heart of Creatl, the god of creation, and divided the world into three lands. Guided by Creatl’s loyal servant Potzol, you must aim to restore the spirit world, destroyed by the wicked god Kaotl, by collecting hearts hidden away in each stage.

The game will test your puzzle solving abilities as you control guardians – 3D blocks – which journey along long corridor-like levels blocked with walls. You must sneak guardians through the small holes hidden in the walls, rotating these blocks to squeeze them through the tightest of spots and collect the hearts waiting there for you. The faster you do it and the more effectively aligned, the higher your score.

SpeedThru: Potzol’s Puzzle offers plenty of entertainment, with over 90 stages available to play and an adventure mode spread over three different lands. It also offers exciting two-player gameplay, allowing gamers to play against each-other on one Nintendo 3DS or challenge each other over Local Wireless play.

Put your puzzle skills to the test when SpeedThru: Potzol’s Puzzle becomes available to download from the Nintendo eShop on 5th April 2012, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS, and be sure to check out the 3D trailer which is available now on the Nintendo eShop.

Help Raphael navigate the 3D Parisian streets and foil the resurrected Napoleon’s sinister plot

27 March 2012 –

Prepare to hone your sleuthing skills and tap out some rocking rhythms as Nintendo and SEGA launch the latest rhythm action-adventure, Rhythm Thief™ & the Emperor’s Treasure, on 12th April 2012, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS™. This funky, up-tempo adventure is packed full of over 50 rhythm-based challenges set against the background of a 3D anime style Paris that is waiting to be explored. If you just can’t wait until the game launches, then make sure you check out the playable Nintendo 3DS Demo, available to download from the Nintendo eShop today.

In Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure we meet Raphael, a young Parisian boy who leads a secret double life. He seems just like any other boy, living in the French capital with his trusty dog Fondue. But he assumes the new persona of a virtuous thief, breaking into some of Paris’s most famous museums to steal priceless works of art; only to return them a couple of days later. On his adventure he meets Marie, a violinist with a mysterious past, and clashes with Vergier, the superintendent at the Paris constabulary; all the while hoping to find his missing father.

Help Raphael avoid the museum guards and police by completing rhythm-based challenges and exploring the anime-styled Paris. A range of features on Nintendo 3DS are at your disposal to conquer these challenges. Tap the Touch Screen, push the buttons, work the stylus and control the gyro in time to the music. If you lose the beat, you could empty out your Groove Gauge and it’s game over! But if you complete the challenge you will be rewarded with medals that can be traded for items that make future rhythm games easier to complete, or bonuses such as music or more games to play.

If you’re feeling competitive, then you’ll also be able to challenge your friends in a variety of multiplayer levels through either Local Wireless or Download Play. When you encounter another Rhythm Thief player via StreetPass, a new character appears on the streets of each player’s map. Their character will only stay on your map as a fan if you can beat their high score in a rhythm game battle! You can have up to 90 fans on your map at any one time, and as you begin to accumulate fans, a range of special characters become available.

Check out the playable Nintendo 3DS Demo of the Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure available to download from the Nintendo eShop today, allowing you a taster of the game ahead of its debut on 12th April 2012.

For further information, please visit: http://gamesites.nintendo.com.au/rhythm-thief-and-the-emperors-treasure/

Sydney, Australia — March 27, 2012 — Ubisoft has announced details of the Assassin’s Creed III Collector’s Editions, available exclusively in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia) territories for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC versions of the game. 

The Freedom Edition

This prestigious edition includes everything an experienced Assassin needs to become a freedom fighter. It includes:

–      Assassin’s Creed III retail game

–      A 24-cm high-quality figurine of Connor

–      A steel book case art drawn by awards-winning comic artist Alex Ross

–      George Washington’s notebook revealing all the truth & secrets about the Assassins and the Templars during the American Revolution

–      One exclusive Lithograph

–      2 in-game Single Player Missions:

• Lost Mayan Ruins: Connor’s mission leads him in an old Mayan pyramid, full of mysteries and revelations. Players will be able to unlock Captain Kidd’s fabled cutlass, a deadly, brutal and beautiful piece of steel.
• Ghost of War: The tide of the Revolution turns into the Templars favour. Defeat your enemies and unlock The Pontiac’s War Club, a powerful Native American weapon.

–      1 in-game Multiplayer Package:

• The Sharpshooter package: Unleash the Sharpshooter fury in multiplayer with 1 new character, the Sharpshooter, 1 Relic, 1 Emblem, 1 special Picture and the Title of “The Jester”. 

The Join or Die Edition

“Join or Die” a single call to action which will determine if players are ready to fight for freedom. It includes:

–      Assassin’s Creed III retail game

–      The medallion of the Assassins

–      George Washington’s notebook revealing all the truth & secrets about the Assassins and the Templars during the American Revolution

–      1 in-game Single Player Mission:

• Ghost of War: The tide of the Revolution turns into the Templars favour. Defeat your enemies and unlock The Pontiac’s War Club, a powerful Native American weapon.

–      1 in-game Multiplayer Package:

• The Sharpshooter package: Unleash the Sharpshooter fury in multiplayer with 1 new character, the Sharpshooter, 1 Relic, 1 Emblem, 1 special Picture and the Title of “The Jester”. 

The Special Edition

The Special Edition features a special packaging, the retail copy of the game and an exclusive single player mission (see below) and more:

• A Dangerous Secret: Fight against a secret that could jeopardise the funding of the revolution. In case of success, you’ll be rewarded with an exclusive weapon: a Flintlock Musket. 

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin’s Creed III introduces a new hero, Ratohnhaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Players become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylised and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date. Assassin’s Creed III spans the Revolutionary War, taking gamers from the vibrant, untamed frontier to bustling colonial towns and the intense, chaotic battlefields where George Washington’s Continental Army clashed with the imposing British Army. 

Assassin’s Creed III is set to release on October 31, 2012 on the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Assassin’s Creed III is also in development for Wii U™ from Nintendo. 

All Assassin’s Creed III Collector’s Editions can be pre-ordered at UBIShop^® by visiting: http://shop.ubi.com/assassinscreed3 

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit the Assassin’s Creed Official Website: (www.assassinscreed.com) and facebook.com/assassinscreed