The “New” Impulse Gamer
Check out the "NEW" Impulse Gamer at www.impulsegamer.com
PREORDER NOW TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE IN-GAME MISSION ‘THE BANK HEIST’
LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII – “The Savior Arrives” Opening CGI Movie
Batman: Arkham Origins Deathstroke Challenge Pack Gameplay Trailer
Kogan shakes up the market with its 30″ Cinema Display IPS LED Monitor
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Sneak Peek
Prepare to Hero Up this spring, when LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes™ puts players in control of their favourite Super Heroes from the Marvel Universe. With more than 100 memorable characters to choose from, each with their own unique powers and abilities, players are in for a brick-smashing adventure. In a new video released today, you’ll get a sneak peek at a few members of the Amazing, Mighty and Uncanny (hint) team who join forces to stop an array of Marvel villains.
Watch the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Sneak Peek Video here
MORTAL KOMBAT KOMPLETE EDITION NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA
Australian Adult Gamers Continue the Fight in Expanded Version of Award-Winning Fighting Game
On Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3
Sydney, Australia – May 1, 2013 – Australian Mortal Kombat fans can finally rejoice, as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition is now available at retailers in Australia on PlayStation®3 and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition offers a content-rich version of 2011’s acclaimed Mortal Kombat, which has sold more than four million units worldwide and was named 2011’s Fighting Game of the Year by Game Informer Magazine, Spike TV Video Game Awards and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition brings all the award-winning content together for the ultimate experience, delivering the original, critically acclaimed game along with all previously released downloadable content (DLC). The DLC includes fan-favourite warriors Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain, as well as the infamous dream stalker Freddy Krueger. The game also provides 15 Klassic Skins and three Klassic Fatalities (Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile).
“The team at NetherRealm is thrilled to have the Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition launch in Australia,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “The inclusive experience in the Komplete Edition delivers the adrenaline-pumping, action-packed fighting that sets the Mortal Kombat franchise apart.”
The 2011 release of Mortal Kombat reinvented classic 2D fighting mechanics, winning Fighting Game of the Year awards from The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and Spike TV’s 2011 Video Game Awards, among others. In addition to adding new gameplay features including tag team and King of the Hill modes, the game also delivers a deeper story mode and nostalgic arcade battle online and offline.
Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition is now available in Australia for $39.99 on PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360. The game is rated R18+ for ‘High Impact Blood and Violence’ by the Classification Board.
For more information about Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, please visit www.mortalkombat.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mortalkombat or on Twitter @MK_Mortalkombat
Forget about Backup – Protect Files Automatically to PC and Cloud in a Few Easy Clicks
Sydney, 30 April 2013 – Acronis, a pioneer of advanced home user data protection software, has today announced a new era for anyone wanting the convenience of local PC backup coupled with the added assurance of secure cloud storage. Available today, True Image™ Lite 2013 by Acronis® is optimised to provide continuous and easy file backup for any user, ensuring that important files, photos and video are protected automatically. Not only are the files protected through local backup to the PC or other storage devices, but users also have an option to automatically store their files in the reliable and secure Acronis cloud – trusted by home users and businesses worldwide.
With a simple interface and only essential features, True Image Lite 2013 is designed to meet the needs of today’s on-the-go mobile consumer. By storing data to the Acronis cloud, users can access their information everywhere, every time through a browser or free mobile app on a tablet or smartphone.
True Image Lite 2013 is extremely easy to use, and leverages patented local and cloud backup technology to deliver business-class file protection to the home user. With True Image Lite, in just a few easy clicks even novice users can get their photos, music and valuable files back after common disruptions such as PC failure, theft, virus attack or human error.
Andy Purvis, General Manager ANZ for Acronis, said: “Data is at the heart of the digital life experience, and the reality is, without an adequate backup solution in place, consumers risk losing valuable and often irreplaceable information. This is why Acronis now provides home users with a radically simple, yet hugely reliable, data protection solution. With just a few clicks to set up anyone can protect their precious files – and slices of digital life – automatically.”
True Image Lite by Acronis uses a simple interface or via a free mobile application for access on iOS and Android devices. Users can store data to any local device, such as an external USB or hard drive, and online via Acronis cloud storage for optimal data protection, availability and accessibility. This “set -and-forget” approach to at-home backup automatically updates changes made to pre-selected files and folders. The incremental backups that happen behind the scenes provide users with the ability to go back in time to retrieve lost or deleted files, regardless of whether it was the last version saved.
True Image Lite is available online for A$28.99. Users can add-on 250 GB of Acronis cloud storage for an additional A$4.99 per month, or A$48.99 per year. Try True Image Lite free for 30 days with 250 GB of cloud storage included.
For complete backup and recovery of your entire Microsoft® Windows™ based system, to enable the restoration of operating system configuration, email folders, desktop short cuts, settings and browsing history, please visit our website for details about True Image™ 2013 by Acronis, available at an RRP of A$69.99.
DIABLO® III FOR PS3™ NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER
Legendary action-RPG series gears up for its PlayStation®3 debut
Bonus in-game item with every copy preordered; additional limited-edition physical items at select retailers
IRVINE, Calif.—April 29, 2013—PlayStation® gamers, the time has come to prepare for your confrontation with the Lord of Terror. Select retailers around the world have now begun taking preorders for the upcoming PlayStation®3 system version of Diablo® III—see the official website for a list of participating retailers. Fully reimagined for couch-based gaming, Diablo III for PS3™ will go on sale later this year for a suggested retail price of $89.95 AUD. Further release details, including region-specific availability, will be announced at a later date.
Players who preorder the PS3 version of Diablo III will receive an exclusive in-game item: the Infernal Helm, which grants an experience point boost to any character who wears it, accelerating their progression as they rise in power. Certain retailers will also offer limited-edition preorder bonuses—check with your local retailer for further information. The PS3 version of Diablo III will be available fully localized in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
“We’ve poured blood, sweat, and hellfire into creating an epic Diablo III experience for PlayStation gamers,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to including all the improvements from the PC version over the past year, we’ve made several updates to Diablo III for play on the PS3. We got a ton of positive feedback from players who tried the game at PAX East, and we can’t wait to get it into everyone’s hands later this year.”
TECMO KOEI ANNOUNCES NEW CHARACTERS FOR THE WU KINGDOM IN DYNASTY WARRIORS 8
Sydney, April 30th 2013- Tecmo Koei Europe and Mindscape is pleased to welcome two new warriors from the Wu kingdom to the roster of Dynasty Warriors 8 as playable characters.
Lu Su is a majestic governor-general who enjoys the trust of the people who surround him and acts as a capable diplomat seeking to put an end to the bloodshed of the war. He is a very reliable man, comfortable in his role as a successor to the teachings of Zhou Yu and Lu Meng and he always lends his excess resources to the needy in an attempt to fulfil his goal of surviving the turbulent times he lives in.
Alongside Lu Shu the skilled veteran Han Dang joins the forces of Wu. Although sometimes jealous of his overachieving fellow officers he is a gently humble and dependable leader and a quick and fearsome warrior.
Dynasty Warriors 8, the next instalment of the fan-favourite tactical action, will be available in stores on the 12th of July 2013 on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.
As with previous titles of the series, Dynasty Warriors 8 follows the stories of the kingdoms of Wei, Wu, Shu and Jin through the actions of historical military and political figures of the time as they fight to gain control over the Three Kingdoms of China
COMPANY OF HEROES™2 UNVEILS THEATRE OF WAR MODE
Fight the Eastern Front’s most iconic battles alone or co-operatively with your friends
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – April 30, 2013 – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that Company of Heroes™ 2, will ship with an all-new mode called Theatre of War on top of its gripping cinematic campaign and critically acclaimed competitive multiplayer.
Theatre of War allows Relic Entertainment to tell different stories from the conflict in the form of new playable single player and co-operative content. The mode includes solo challenges where players are pitted against overwhelming odds, AI battles against an enemy commander with a unique play style and co-operative scenarios for fans to enjoy with their friends.
At the launch of COH2, the Theatre of War mode will include missions from key battles in 1941. Choosing either the Soviet Red Army or the Germans, players will visit different locations across the Eastern Front and take part in some of the most famous battles that occurred that year. Each faction has 9 unique missions included. More Theatre of War missions will be added to the game at a later date, including the previously announced mini-pack for all eligible pre-order customers.
Greg Wilson, Producer of Company of Heroes 2, commented, “We get a lot of requests from fans to showcase specific conflicts from the war and it isn’t always possible to fit these into the campaign. Theatre of War gives us the opportunity to deliver these new gameplay experiences to our fans.”
Quinn Duffy, Game Director commented, “Theatre of War acts as a perfect bridge between the game’s single and multiplayer content providing a high level of re-playability and helping to introduce traditionally solo players to the online elements of the game.”
Underpinned by the cutting-edge Essence 3.0 Engine™, Company of Heroes 2 brings tactical strategy to life like never before, thanks to the realistic ColdTech™ weather system, the revolutionary dynamic line of sight system TrueSight™, and realistic destructibility.
The original Company of Heroes™ was released on the PC in 2006 to critical acclaim and is currently the highest rated strategy title on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews), with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.
Company of Heroes™ 2 will be available for PC on June 25th 2013. For more information check www.companyofheroes.com, and to download SEGA game assets, please visit www.sega-press.com.
About Company of Heroes™ 2
It is 1941 and the beginning of what will become the most brutal conflict of World War II, as Germany launches a full-scale invasion of the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union which would result in over 14 million military casualties. Take command of the iconic Soviet Red Army in brutal frontline warfare to free Mother Russia from the invading Nazis. Your strategic skills and tactical expertise hold the power to tip the very balance of this conflict in the sequel to the critically acclaimed and multi award-winning Company of Heroes. Engage in visceral tactical combat that will define you as a military leader and challenge you to wield the might of the Soviet Empire as you smash your way to Berlin.
About SEGA® of America, Inc.
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including Windows PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment. SEGA® of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.
About SEGA® Europe Ltd.:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including Windows PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA® Europe’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.
Sherpa, Superior Intelligent Personal Assistant, Now Available in the Australian Market
Sydney – April 30, 2013 – Sherpa, the number one virtual personal assistant for the Spanish speaking world, is now available in beta for the Australian market. Starting today, Android smartphone users will be able to enjoy the platform’s many features – including searching for information, completing transactions, managing schedules and operating the device itself.
Sherpa arrives to the Australian market with a broader knowledge base and more proactive and predictive capabilities than current market offerings and includes transactional capabilities that are unique in the virtual personal assistant category. Furthermore, Sherpa has a lively and fun “personality” that makes it easy for consumers to integrate the platform into their digital lives – whether they are updating social networks, requesting and playing music, navigating to desired destinations or interacting with a broad set of informational sources. Sherpa’s combined capabilities give users the impression that there is a team of personal assistants, or “Sherpas,” at the ready to help them accomplish tasks and save time.
“Sherpa has been designed to be the interface to our digital lives,” commented Xabier Uribe-Etxebarria, founder and CEO of Sherpa. “The perfect personal assistant has vast knowledge, can predict your needs and learns about you over time, almost as if by magic. With Sherpa, we are building a platform that delivers unlimited possibilities to make people’s lives easier. Sherpa’s capabilities will only continue to expand; we have developed less than 0.01 percent of our vision and what our amazing technology is capable of.”
Technology Overview:
Sherpa is the result of 10 years of research and development by Uribe-Etxebarria in advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) and semantics technologies. Sherpa users can interact with the application through instructions given via voice, type or touch for a richer user experience. Sherpa has been designed to be truly multilingual; its unprecedented technology uses an intermediate language of meanings, making it scalable for any language in the world.
Sherpa’s capabilities were recently analysed in a Gartner research note titled “Sherpa: The End of Search as You Know It for CRM,” by Johan Jacobs, research director.
Sherpa is able to deliver highly accurate results in response to consumer queries and requests due to its sophisticated Natural Language Processing and advanced semantic technology. Sherpa relies on five levels of linguistic analysis which include morphological, syntactic semantic, pragmatic and functional analysis. Building on Sherpa’s strong linguistic foundation, the platform algorithms further enhance the user experience, interactivity and capabilities.
Today, the beta version of Sherpa incorporates the following technology capabilities to deliver a highly functional personal assistant platform:
- MultiKnowledge System: Draws information from several sources to deliver relevant and targeted content, minimizing dependency on search engines. Instead of simply providing search results, Sherpa takes users directly to the information requested, removing a step in the information-gathering process. Sherpa searches across many sources and finds relevant results that are displayed beautifully to the user. The MultiKnowledge system can also retrieve information such as sports results, Yelp-based searches, LinkedIn profiles, translations and dictionary definitions.
- Interactive Information Card: The platform delivers the right information based on Sherpa’s ability to contextualize the topic at hand, delivering a rich, natural user experience. For example if the user asks, “Who is President Obama?” Sherpa will know that this is a person and will provide relevant, deep information gathered from LinkedIn profiles, photos, informational pages and websites. If the user simply says “Chicago,” Sherpa will present the user with information about the city of Chicago, including directions, maps and Wikipedia results.
- Transactional: Sherpa’s sophisticated transactional capabilities enable users to conduct searches and complete related transactions. For example, the user can ask Sherpa, “What concerts are taking place in San Francisco today?” After getting the results, Sherpa helps navigate the user to purchase tickets for the selected option. Users can also search for airline tickets and complete full PayPal transactions. These functions are completely unique to Sherpa and not available through any other personal assistant application on the market today.
- Proactive: Sherpa learns from user habits and provides timely alerts. Sherpa’s proactive knowledge is not based on what the user tells it to do, it is based on the history of what the user does. Sherpa’s proactive capabilities will continue to expand to anticipate additional user needs with future releases.
- Operations and Device Interaction: Sherpa allows users to perform simple tasks and interact with the mobile device itself. Users can turn the ringer volume up or down, set alarms, make calendar appointments, update their Facebook or Twitter status or retrieve Twitter mentions – all from the Sherpa app by voice command.
Xabier Uribe-Etxebarria is a serial entrepreneur now on his third venture. He is the recipient of TR35 Spain. His previous venture, Anboto, was named the world’s best start-up at Innovate!100. Xabier is a member of the World Wide Web Consortium and is the president of the organising committee for the Bilbao Web Summit, a global event that attracts leading business decision makers and industry thought leaders to Bilbao to discuss the future of the internet.
The beta version of the English platform is being introduced today in Australia, and is free and available through Google Play.
Video link
Ubisoft Announces Watch Dogs Release Date Along with Collector’s Editions Details
Sydney, Australia — April 30, 2013 —Ubisoft has announced that its highly anticipated title Watch_Dogs will hit store shelves in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand territories on November 21, 2013 on PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the WiiU™ system from Nintendo and Windows PC, as well as at the launch of PlayStation®4. The game is also planned for other next generation consoles.
Players will be able to choose from a selection of different editions, offering a variety of digital and physical content allowing for a deeper immersion in the Watch_Dogs universe.
Details of each of the four Watch_Dogs collector’s editions available at launch in EMEA territories:
The Dedsec Edition
This premium edition is ideal for Watch_Dogs fans wishing to immerse themselves in the hacker fantasy. It includes:
- Physical content:
– A 23cm Aiden Pearce Figurine
– Steelbook™
– DedSec Collector box
– Watch_Dogs Artbook: artworks and illustrations that inspired the game
– Original soundtrack of the game
– Watch_Dogs map of Chicago
– Set of 4 collectible cards: discover Watch_Dogs iconic characters through augmented reality
– Set of 3 exclusive badges
- Digital content: 3 single player missions with up to almost 60 minutes of additional gameplay:
– Palace Pack: A police raid is planned on the luxury palace of an Internet mogul. His impressive databanks have intimate details on thousands of people…including Aiden Pearce. Break inside, wipe those hard drives and escape before the raid begins.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: investigation bonus allows gamers to unlock more investigative opportunities inside the network databanks, and ATM hack boost which boost the cash rewards when hacking bank accounts.
– Signature Shot: A biometrics weapon has been smuggled into Chicago for a captain of the Black Viceroys gang. The weapon only works for the first person who holds the gun. Breach a stronghold, steal the package and be the first to hold the weapon.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: black viceroys gang colours outfit and biometric assault rifle.
– Breakthrough Pack: A secret gathering is underway. The Chicago Club is negotiating power with Corporate CEOs. The Club has hired scramblers to block surveillance devices. Drive around the city to find the scramblers and take them out. Retrieve all names from the meeting and upload their images to the world.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: vehicle expert perk allowing players to get free vehicles from underground car contact and earn discounts on select cars.
The Vigilante Edition
This edition is for gamers who want to embody a real life hacker vigilante with the iconic mask and cap of Aiden Pierce. It includes all they need to become a modern day hero:
- Physical content:
– Vigilante Collector box
– Aiden Pearce’s iconic cap
– Aiden Pearce’s mask
– Original soundtrack of the game
- Digital content: 1 single player mission:
– Palace Pack: A police raid is planned on the luxury palace of an Internet mogul. His impressive databanks have intimate details on thousands of people…including Aiden Pearce. Break inside, wipe those hard drives and escape before the raid begins.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: investigation bonus allows gamers to unlock more investigative opportunities inside the network databanks, and ATM hack boost which boost the cash rewards when hacking bank accounts.
The Uplay Exclusive Edition
This exclusive edition available only on Uplay website addresses to gamers who wish to improve their hacking skills through 3 single player missions. It includes:
- Physical content:
– Exclusive Steelbook™
- Digital content: 3 single player missions with up to almost 60 minutes of additional game play:
– Palace Pack: A police raid is planned on the luxury palace of an Internet mogul. His impressive databanks have intimate details on thousands of people…including Aiden Pearce. Break inside, wipe those hard drives and escape before the raid begins.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: investigation bonus allows gamers to unlock more investigative opportunities inside the network databanks, and ATM hack boost which boost the cash rewards when hacking bank accounts.
– Signature Shot: A biometrics weapon has been smuggled into Chicago for a captain of the Black Viceroys gang. The weapon only works for the first person who holds the gun. Breach a stronghold, steal the package and be the first to hold the weapon.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: black viceroys gang colours outfit and biometric assault rifle.
– Breakthrough Pack: A secret gathering is underway. The Chicago Club is negotiating power with Corporate CEOs. The Club has hired scramblers to block surveillance devices. Drive around the city to find the scramblers and take them out. Retrieve all names from the meeting and upload their images to the world.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: vehicle expert perk allowing players to get free vehicles from underground car contact and earn discounts on select cars.
The ANZ Special Edition
This Special edition features the retail copy of the game and a single player mission for gamers who want to step into the action right away. In addition to this, ANZ customers will get 2 unlockable bonus packs:
- Digital content: 1 single player mission:
– Breakthrough Pack: A secret gathering is underway. The Chicago Club is negotiating power with Corporate CEOs. The Club has hired scramblers to block surveillance devices. Drive around the city to find the scramblers and take them out. Retrieve all names from the meeting and upload their images to the world.
Rewards unlocked upon completion of the ULC mission: vehicle expert perk allowing players to get free vehicles from underground car contact and earn discounts on select cars.
- Single Player unlockable bonus pack:
– Untouchables Single Player Pack: A nod to Chicago’s infamous 1920s criminal world.
Rewards: Tommy Gun + 1920s Chicago Outfit.
- Multiplayer unlockable bonus pack:
– Multiplayer Pack: The visual incarnation of 2 multiplayer factions.
Rewards: Skins of these 2 multiplayer factions + Double $$$ rewards for the contracts of these 2 multiplayer factions + 2 faction tags.
The ANZ Special Edition will be included as part of the DedSec, Vigilante and Uplay Editions.
All Watch_Dogs editions can be pre-ordered at retail and at UBIShop® by visiting: http://shop.ubi.com/WatchDogs.
In Watch_Dogs, players will assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a new type of vigilante who, with the help of his smart phone, will use his ability to hack into Chicago’s central operating system (ctOS) and control almost every element of the city. Aiden will be able to tap into the city’s omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control systems such as traffic lights or public transportation to stop a chase, and more. The city of Chicago is now the ultimate weapon.
Stay connected to Watch_Dogs by visiting the official website, Facebook page and Twitter account.
WORLD WAR Z FIRST LOOK FEATURETTE
Release date: June 20th, 2013.
FIRST LOOK FEATURETTE
INTERNATIONAL TRAILER
Synopsis: The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale and Matthew Fox.