Gametraders has observed a significant spike in sales amongst those over 60 years in the Hidden Object gaming genre to increase mental acuity. “Gametraders noticed this trend mid last year and began to monitor it,” said Mr Rob Jenkins, National Marketing Manager Gametraders. “We were surprised at the number of older people coming in to our stores and discussing this particular gaming format with our owners and staff.

“When this age group of people have this discussion, with our staff, they often state the mental and health benefits they observe when they play,” he said. Jenkins finished saying “We have observed a 20% market from our stores with this type of gaming with this age group.”

Fact File: Hidden object gaming

A hidden object game (sometimes called hidden picture) is a genre of puzzle video game in which the player must find items from a list that are hidden within a picture. Hidden object games are a popular trend in casual gaming, and are comparatively inexpensive to buy. Time-limited trial versions of these games are usually available for download.

Publishers of hidden object games include Sandlot Games, Big Fish Games, Awem Studio, SpinTop Games, Codeminion and many more. Examples of hidden object game series include Dream Chronicles (PlayFirst), Mortimer Beckett (RealArcade/GameHouse), Hidden Expedition and Mystery Case Files (both by Big Fish Games).

Science just got weird, thanks to Third Street Saints super fan and cloning enthusiast Jimmy Torbitson. Refusing to believe that his hero Johnny Gat died fighting the Syndicate, Torbitson meticulously acquired Gat’s DNA in order to clone the Saints chief lieutenant and bring him back to life. But this is Saints Row, and as always, something goes horribly, horribly wrong. It doesn’t help that Torbitson got a C in high school chemistry. 

Now Gat’s twisted clone is on the loose, terrorizing Steelport and its well-heeled citizenry. But just as science unleashed an abomination upon Steelport, it will also be its savior. The new formula of the Saints Flow energy drink, part ginseng root, part caffeine, and part secret sauce now endows you with super powers that just happen to be super enough to take down a giant evil clone. Saints Flow remains illegal in most countries. 

So drink up, bear down, and strap it on. 

The Trouble With Clones pack is available now on XBL, PSN. This pack is included for free to all Season Pass holders.

We’re pleased to confirm that owners of Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City will be able to experience the horror of the t-Virus outbreak through the eyes of the good guys with the release of a completely free of charge US Spec Ops DLC mission. Available to download from April 11th across Europe for both PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE users, players can take on the role of one of the following US Spec Ops members; Tweed, Dee-ay, Harley, Willow, Shona and Party Girl.

Deployed to Raccoon City to establish the truth behind what led to the deadly virus outbreak, the Spec Ops squad will meet a familiar face on their journey. Fans of the series will be able to re-visit the moment when Jill Valentine encounters the Nemesis, sent by Umbrella to eliminate all S.T.A.R.S members. On a battle field that can only exist within the terrifying Resident Evil universe, players will need to fight off the opposing team members from the Umbrella Security Service as well as zombies and B.O.W.’s to succeed in their mission.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City will be available in Australia on March 22nd for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The PC version will be available on May 18th.

The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), the virtual football tournament loved by football fans across the globe, has surpassed one million players participating in the annual tournament. Following the first ever FIWC in 2004, the tournament has grown significantly and in 2011 secured its place in the Guinness World Records as the largest online gaming tournament in the world. This year’s FIWC has already attracted over 130,000 more players than last year’s event, tipping it over the 1 million player mark for the first time in the tournament’s history.

As part of the celebrations, FIFA has surveyed more than 10,000 registered players in the tournament throughout the world, and discovered that gamers believe the virtual skills learnt playing EA SPORTS FIFA 12 on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system may even translate onto the real pitch. According to the survey, an astonishing 58% of players believe that the hours they spend playing in the tournamentwill actually improve their football skills and make them better football players in real life.

The study found that when it comes to honing technique, a match on FIFA 12 can prove just as effective as an actual training session. The survey revealed that 46% believe that participating in the FIFA Interactive World Cup has improved their understanding of football tactics when it came to the real game. 23% of players credit the FIWC with improving their skill and 17% were convinced it gave them better awareness of other players on the pitch. While transferring football skills from the screen to the pitch, it is unsurprising to learn that 43% of participants claimed that they had even dreamt about playing FIFA 12.

The FIFA Interactive World Cup is a virtual football tournament organised by FIFA and its presenting partners EA SPORTS ™ and PlayStation®. It is an official FIFA tournament that gives football fans the chance to live out their passion for football and to interact with other fans around the world.

Players compete against each other either online or offline to qualify for the Grand Final, the final tournament where the FIWC World Champion is crowned and receives the prize money of USD 20,000 as well as an invitation to the FIFA Ballon d’Or to meet the biggest football stars in the world.

Contestants can still participate in this year’s FIWC through an online tournament played on the PlayStation®Network, by registering ‘in-game’ in FIFA 12 on their PS3™. For more information on the FIWC, go to: www.fifa.com/fiwc.

• In 2010 the FIWC was officially designated by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest gaming tournament in the world.

Two New Highly Anticipated Pokémon Video Games Coming To Australia and New Zealand Spring 2012

21 March 2012 –

Pokémon™ Black Version and Pokémon™ White Version video games hit Australian stores in March 2011 and within one week sales combined sales exceeded 77,000* units – smashing all previous records for week one sales of a Nintendo game in Australia. To date, combined sales are now at more than 251,000 units.** Coming off the record-breaking popularity of these games Nintendo Australia announces today that two new Pokémon titles, Pokémon™ Black Version 2 and Pokémon™ White Version 2, are coming to Australia and New Zealand Spring 2012. Fans can anticipate plenty of new surprises when the games launch later this year.

Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 will be available for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems. The games can also be played on Nintendo 3DS™ in 2D. More game details will be announced throughout the year.

I AM ALIVE COMPANION APP AVAILABLE ON IPHONE 

Sydney, Australia – Wednesday March 21, 2012 –  Ubisoft has announced that I Am Alive, a believable post-apocalyptic action-adventure game, will be available to download on PlaystationNetwork, on April 4^th, 2012.

I Am Alive follows an everyman’s journey to find his wife and daughter, who were lost during the “Event.” A year later, he finds Haventon, his hometown, in shambles. Buildings are destroyed, toxic ash fills the streets and society has been torn, causing inhabitants to take all necessary actions to survive.

In I Am Alive, players will be challenged by both the environment and the enemies. Stamina and resource management are key when being exposed to deadly atmospheres and scaling enormous buildings in search of supplies. The unique combat system requires players to utilise intimidation – cowards are easily swayed with an empty gun, while other enemies will put players to the test.

Also available is a FREE iOS companion App, which features:

• A ‘photo mode’ that let you create your own I Am Alive-themed photos;
• Original game soundtrack, including 6 tracks exclusively composed for the App;
• A Street map of the main game area with exclusive hints from the developers;
• List of all resources from the game detailing the level of rarity and effects on health, stamina and stamina capacity;
• List of all Achievements and Trophies with check/uncheck tracking feature;
• 5 videos including a trailer, a making and the 3 “survivor tapes”;
• Over 50 production concept arts, promotional artworks and screenshots. 

To download the App, please visit: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/i-am-alive-companion/id501662368?mt=8&uo=4

For more information on I Am Alive, please visit: http://iamalivegame.com/survivalkit/anz/

SYDNEY, Australia. – Mar. 21, 2012 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Nukona, Inc., a privately-held provider of mobile application management (MAM). The acquisition extends Symantec’s enterprise mobility portfolio to include a cross-platform mobile application protection solution to help IT organisations protect and isolate corporate data and applications across both corporate owned and personally owned devices.  The transaction is expected to close in April and is subject to customary closing conditions. The financial terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

Read more detailed blog post:

• Major Mobility Milestone for Symantec

The acquisition of Nukona complements Symantec’s acquisition earlier this month of Odyssey Software , a leading provider of mobile device management (MDM). Odyssey provides the MDM foundation to enroll and manage all necessary device settings across a broad range of platforms, while Nukona provides an innovative approach to help enterprises seamlessly distribute, secure and control applications and data without requiring them to manage the devices. By offering both MDM and MAM across multiple platforms, Symantec will enable CIOs to say “yes” to the onslaught of digital natives – people born in a world of connectivity – demanding to use devices and apps of their choice. Symantec will help customers secure enterprise critical mobile apps and data while managing and protecting them with policies, including authenticating users, encrypting sensitive files, preventing data leakage and selectively wiping corporate data. These acquisitions further advance Symantec’s enterprise mobility leadership by enhancing capabilities for mobile device, application and data protection.

“As the adoption of mobile devices and apps continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, one of the biggest challenges for customers is to protect and manage the native apps, data and environments of these devices,” said CJ Desai, senior vice president, Endpoint and Mobility Group, Symantec. “The acquisition of Nukona helps us further address the ‘Consumerisation of IT’ and ‘Bring Your Own Device’ trends by helping organisations protect and isolate corporate data and applications across both corporate owned and personally owned devices.”

With Nukona’s ability to natively protect and control iOS, Android and HTML5 apps, Symantec will address the core problem of corporate and personal data separation without limiting the end-user experience or application adoption. By securely distributing and managing mobile applications and content, Symantec customers will be able to address corporate data security concerns around data leakage, encryption and authentication on a per-application basis, for both BYOD and corporate owned devices.

Unlike traditional proprietary sandbox solutions, Symantec’s approach will extend application protection that “wraps” both native and web-based apps with a management layer that allows IT to apply security policies without requiring any changes to the applications, leaving personal apps and activities untouched. In addition, the flexibility of cloud-based and on-prem enterprise app stores helps provide a seamless and scalable way to enable mobile application deployments. Nukona’s secure content library also allows for the protection and synchronisation of documents without risk of data loss.

According to Symantec’s recent State of Mobility Survey , the average annual cost of mobile incidents for enterprises, including data loss, damage to the brand, productivity loss and loss of customer trust, was USD$429,000. However, despite the risks, an uptick in mobile applications across organisations is taking place with 71 percent of enterprises at least discussing deploying custom mobile applications and one-third currently implementing or having already implemented custom mobile applications. In addition, 59 percent of enterprises are making line-of-business applications accessible from mobile devices, representing a dramatic shift in the nature of mobility from an email extension to a core business enabler.

For more information, go to http://go.symantec.com/Nukona_Odyssey.

Related

• Blog: Major Mobility Milestone for Symantec
• Blog: Advancing Symantec’s Enterprise Mobility Strategy: New Innovations Unveiled
• Symantec Mobile Solutions
• Research: 2012 State of Mobility Survey
• Research: A Window Into Mobile Device Security
• Research: Motivations of Recent Android Malware

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About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organisations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

Delivering On The “Not Just Maps Anymore” Promise Made Last Fall At Call Of Duty® XP, Content Collection #1 Offers Two New White-Knuckle Special Ops Missions In Addition To Four New, High-Octane Multiplayer Maps 

Massive DLC Release Featuring Wide-Array Of Six Pieces Of Playable Content Delivers Great Value To Gamers With Most Content Ever For Call Of Duty  

Sydney, Australia – March 20, 2012 – Hailed as “exhilarating” and a “standout” upon their debut days ago to Call of Duty® Elite Premium members, the new Special Ops Missions “Black Ice” and “Negotiator” are now poised for play for all Call of Duty® fans on Xbox LIVE® everywhere as they lead the biggest and deepest content offering in Call of Duty history with today’s release of the Modern Warfare® 3 Collection Content #1. The content rich collection features the two new epic Special Ops missions and four new, adrenaline-fueled multiplayer maps, including “Black Box,” already heralded in the media as “ingenious” and “awesome.” 

Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today the availability of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection #1. Fans of the world’s most popular FPS were promised a wider variety of content at last fall’s inaugural Call of Duty® XP fan celebration, and Content Collection #1 delivers. For the first time ever, two intense Special Ops missions, “Black Ice” and “Negotiator,” are riding shotgun alongside four new multiplayer maps—Liberation, Piazza, Overwatch and Black Box. Collection #1 is available first on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1,200 Microsoft Points. The Collection is open to all; a premium Call of Duty® Elite membership is not required. The DLC pack will be rolled out to other platforms at a later date. 

“Call of Duty® MW3 Content Collection #1 is the biggest DLC pack ever for Call of Duty,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “We’re serious about delivering the best value to our fans and just as we promised last year, it’s not just maps anymore.  With six pieces of playable content, that’s more content and bigger variety than we’ve ever been able to include before in a Call of Duty DLC for the same price.” 

Content Collection #1 sets the bar for variety, value and fan-service in the FPS DLC marketplace, featuring six fully-fledged Call of Duty experiences. The full loadout includes: 

• Black Ice: This Special Ops mission plunges combatants deep into a frozen diamond mine via snowmobile in order to infiltrate a secret weapons plant and initiate the self-destruct sequence to take the facility offline for good.
• Negotiator: India is the backdrop for a Special Ops hostage extraction, where gamers must execute flawless breach-and-clears and negotiate a maze of surface streets to ensure the safety of rescued civilians.
• Liberation: Players take up positions in a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, a sprawling deathscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills.
• Piazza: An idyllic seaside village, an Italian getaway gone rogue, where blind corners and a complex warren of branching pathways pose danger at every turn.
• Overwatch: A compact, sky-high battle arena set in a construction site atop a New York City office tower.
• Black Box: Players seek tactical advantage in multi-level hillside homes overlooking a downed Air Force One, as a luxe SoCal neighborhood turns into a warzone.

Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection #1 is published by Activision and co-developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated “MA15+” (Strong Violence) by the Australian Classification Board.  For more information on the Call of Duty: MW3 content drops, season of content, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty Elite visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite.