GAME TV Respawns Into A Brand New Comedy Series 

Sydney, Australia, October 20, 2011 – To mark the third series of retailer GAME’s online videogame web series, GAME TV, the series has undergone a transformation. The new direction of GAME TV will focus on the comedic side of games, gaming and gamers, answering important questions such as: 

• What if Sonic the Hedgehog had a ring addiction?
• What if ‘Console Wars’ were played out literally? 
• What happens if you don’t take a toilet break when playing Gears of War?

Helmed by series stalwarts Phil and Ed, the series will push the physical and cerebral boundaries of what we’ve come to expect from a videogame show. To quote Ed: “Fuck it. Sometimes you just wanna slam-dunk a PlayStation 3 through a basketball hoop.”  

The new series launches today with two comedy sketches. Watch future episodes of GAME TV every Tuesday and Thursday at:  

www.gametv.com.au

NAMCO BANDAI Games Announces Production Underway for Spring Release

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 20th October 2011 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe today announced that Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi has been approved for production for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, releasing in Australia & New Zealand on October 27th 2011.

With Earth-shaking combat, massive character selection, faithful manga-style graphics and exciting new features, Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is the newest fighting game in the Dragon Ball series. Developed by Spike Co. Ltd., the title features upgraded battle environmental and character graphics, with designs from the original manga series. Destructible battle fields, including massive craters and ki energy blasts cutting across the sky deliver a more dynamic experience and immediate sense of urgency to the exhilarating fights. An accessible battle system allows gamers of all ages to enjoy the fast-paced battles while still retaining tactical depth for hardcore fans.

An enhanced story mode puts players into the rich Dragon Ball Z universe, filled with beloved characters and powerful enemies. Closely mirroring the animation series, fight presentations include battles with giant bosses. Bonus levels and fighters from the movies and Dragon Ball GT series are also included. Additional fan-favorite feature includes complete character creation and customization. Appearance and attributes can be customized such as model body, hair, attire, fighting style, special moves and more.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi will be available throughout Europe on 27 October 2011. For More information on the game please visit http://www.namcobandaipartners.com.au and http://www.facebook.com/DBZ.videogames

Australians get their PlayStation®Move on to launch a new dance game sensation

Sydney, Australia 20th October, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) and international megastar Cat Deeley, presenter of So You Think You Can Dance US, today celebrated the global launch of DanceStar™ Party – a new dance game from the creators of smash hit sensation SingStar®, exclusive to PlayStation®3 (PS3™) – by hosting a public dance-off.

Australians of all ages danced up a storm on PlayStation 3 at First Fleet Park in Circular Quay today. Cat Deeley was at her hosting best as dancers, gamers and punters alike battled it out for the title of Australia’s DanceStar. The lucky winner, 14 year old Bianca Calarco, from Cecil Hills (NSW) who heard about the competition on Facebook, impressed the judges with her moves and will jet off to the US in 2012 to watch So You Think You Can Dance live filming and also take home a year’s supply of PlayStation® games.

“Today’s search for Australia’s PlayStation DanceStar really captured the true spirit of dance, and that is to just get up on your feet and have loads of fun!” Cat Deeley said. “I see so many talented dancers on the show, but the cool thing is you don’t have to be a pro to play DanceStar Party. In true PlayStation style this game brings you experiences that no other game can – it’s got a killer 40 song track list set to original music video clips, and a whopping 160 choreographed dance routines. Plus, it’s even got the ability to create your own moves – so one thing is for sure, you’ll not only get fit, you’ll also never get bored! It’s going to be a massive hit this Christmas,” she said.

Cat continued: “Using the PlayStation Move motion controller, you can virtually step into the shoes of artists like Basement Jaxx, Usher and Willow Smith and become a dance diva in the comfort of your own living room. It’s from the makers of the smash hit SingStar franchise so you can even grab the mic and sing along!”

DanceStar Party will get every Aussie home into the party mood this year. For uber- keen dancers, DanceStar Party also offers the opportunity to devise your own routines using the pinpoint precision of the PlayStation Move. DanceStar Party also allows you to share your experiences with friends and family via Twitter and Facebook and also has also a calorie counter feature.

DanceStar Party for PlayStation 3 launches in stores nationally from today for RRP$49.95. Find out more at au.playstation.com

Visit the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/user/PlayStationAustralia#p/u/19/TJGRmgh76j8

View the new TVC here: http://www.youtube.com/user/PlayStationAustralia#p/u/13/W_6daOrs-mI

Check out the House of the Dead: Overkill Carnival Trailer…

Australia, 20 October, 2011 –  

Nintendo announces that exciting new titles for both Wii and Nintendo DS will be available in the coming months. Coming soon for Wii will be the fun family game, Go Vacation. Soon to be released on Nintendo DS will be Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, as well as the fourth instalment in the Professor Layton series. 

Available 17 November will be Go Vacation on Wii – break out the beach wear and head to a tropical location with 50 unlockable action packed activities for serious family fun. Set on the vast tropical Kawawii Island, you can unlock various activities ranging in category from sports simulations to dance-based challenges in single player or multiplayer mode, with up to four players. SRP AU $69.95* 

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter will arrive on Nintendo DS 24 November, and allows you to enter a world of epic fantasy action in a high octane RPG. You take on the story of Red Savarin, a 17 year old anthropomorphic dog, and his robot, Dahak, as he battles with a giant robotic “mecha” and other enemies on his journey through the Shepherd Republic. After a chance encounter with the mysterious Elh, he gets inadvertently entangled in an epic adventure to save the world from destruction at the claws of the ancient evil being, Lares. SRP AU $49.95* 

Professor Layton and the Last Specter, also on Nintendo DS will be available 1 December. Professor Layton and the Last Specter is the fourth instalment in the Professor Layton puzzle adventure series, and begins as a new trilogy that is a prequel to the original games. Included is an unlockable bonus role-playing game called Professor Layton’s London Life that contains 100 hours of additional content. Professor Layton and The Last Specter is bursting to the brim with brand new puzzles to challenge and delight both seasoned Professor Layton fans and those new to the series. SRP AU $59.95*

Including Two New Maps, New Halloween Weapons, Items, and Events!

Toronto, CANADA – October 20th, 2011 – G4BOX Inc., a North American publisher and distributor of interactive online entertainment media, released today a Halloween update for its free-to-play military shooter, Cross Fire. The free update features Halloween-themed weapons and equipment, a Halloween map, a new Search and Destroy map, a new display resolution, and more! For current players, the Halloween update will download automatically upon launching Cross Fire. New players can download and play the game for free from: http://crossfire.z8games.com.

Deck out your mercenary for a night of trick-or-treating with new weaponry including a Halloween-themed Gatling Gun, Jackhammer Shotgun, and Melee Shovel, or blend in amongst Cross Fire’s hordes of Zombies and Mutants with ghoulish new gear including a Pumpkin Mask, Skull Helmet, Vampire Mask, and Witch’s Hat. All Halloween items and equipment are available for a limited time only! The update also includes the new Search and Destroy Map “Ankara”, a Kriss Super V Liquid Metal SMG, a Bushmaster ACR Rifle, and a new 1680×1050 display resolution.

In honor of All Hallow’s Eve, Z8Games is also hosting a slew of events and challenges. Are you a Ghost Mode ninja? Perhaps you’re more of a Zombie hunter or Mutant-murdering machine? Play Ghost Mode, Zombie Mode, and Mutation Mode this weekend and earn free Halloween items! For a full summary of all the events and new content included in the Halloween Update, visit: http://crossfire.z8games.com/new_content.aspx.

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for the PC platform. It includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, deep character customization options and social media integration via the Cross Fire website. More MAPS. More GUNS. More MODES. More HEADSHOTS. Join millions of players online today in the ultimate military FPS experience.

Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Cross Fire is free-to-download-and-play. Visit the Cross Fire homepage at: http://crossfire.z8games.com

For more information about G4BOX visit www.g4box.com. For more information about the Z8Games lineup of games please visit www.z8games.com.

The Fowl Revolution is Now Underway, in Albatropolis so Join the Fowl Revolution in the Artistically, Innovative and Bloody Cinematic Platform

Adventure Game 

Europe – October 19th, 2011 – Ratloop Asia, an Independent Publisher and Developer of high quality, innovative games for the hardcore audience, are pleased to announce that its cinematic platform adventure game Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken has strapped on a jet pack and landed exclusively on PlayStation®Network. 

So what are you waiting for? Join the fowl revolution, assassinate the evil penguin leader, Putzki and bring calm back to Albatropolis.

 Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken Features Include:

· 15 Chapters in Solo Campaign – Assume the role of Hardboiled Chicken, kick ass, kill penguins and take names on a mission to assassinate the evil penguin leader.

· 10 Chapters in Co-Op Campaign – Select a pair from the dirty half-dozen Budgie commando characters and set out on a mission to save the general’s daughter.

· Puzzles: Your birdie-brain must think quickly to use your environment and solve a variety of puzzles to move on to each level.

· Stereoscopic 3D: Fantastic, non-dizzying Stereoscopic 3D support, running at 60fps/720p enhance the visuals wherever available.

· Mini-stories: The plot thickens as you unlock cut-scenes and music videos at each level that uncover the truth about the totalitarian regime and Hardboiled’s mysterious past.

· Weapons: Kill penguins with a cache of guns you’ll find along the way from pistols, shotguns and Uzis to MP5s, M60s and AK-47s. Bring down the regime with grenades and other explosives. Unlock the ultimate weapon – Brain Bugs!
 
On Sale right now on the PlayStations®Network, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken retails for 8.99€ / £7.19.

MERCURY Hg DLC PACKS – PACK 1 out today 

Mercury Hg Now Available for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation®Network

Two DLC Packs, ‘Heavy Elements’ and ‘Rare Earth Elements’ Announced 

London — October 19, 2011 – Prepare to navigate through all new tumultuous trenches and moving platforms as Mercury Hg, the latest mind-bending adventure in the Mercury franchise, is now available on PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  To mark the occasion, UTV Ignition Games today released a brand new gameplay video and announced two upcoming DLC packs for the brain-busting title. 

Featuring modernised graphics, Mercury Hg’s arrival brings fans 60 new levels and customisable music features, delivering an enhanced gaming experience for fans and newcomers to the Mercury franchise. 

Gamers can also look forward to new downloadable content for Mercury Hg, which will provide 60 all-new puzzling, science-themed levels! 

Heavy Elements (30 new levels)

–  Available for  PSN in the  UK, EU and Australia on October 19, priced at  £1.59/1.99€/3.45 AUD
– Available for XBLA  in the  UK, EU and Australia on October 19, priced at  240 Microsoft Points 

Rare Earth Elements (30 new levels)

– Available for PSN in the UK, EU and Australia on November 30, priced at £1.59/1.99€/3.45 AUD
– Available for  XBLA in the UK, EU and Australia on November 30, priced at  240 Microsoft  points

In-game features for Mercury Hg include:

• 60 all new levels, with an additional 60 levels obtained through two new DLC packs.
• Devious new tile types: conveyors, doors, and moving platforms.
• Level sections offering ultra-slippery or ultra-sticky, spinners and switches, and teleporters and magnets add to the unique arcade puzzle action for which Mercury is famous.
• New level objects, such as Smartfloor, which only forms as you move towards it.
• Three bonus challenges per level that gauge your abilities: The amount of mercury to finish, the time to complete, AND the number of bonuses collected all come into play.
• Sixaxis™ controller support (accelerometer only).
• Animated reactive backgrounds and floors responding to music—perfect for custom soundtracks
• New “Re-merge” button help feature reforms the blob with a magnet, but beware: there will be penalties for its use!
• Online leaderboard support. Replay sharing between friends and downloadable replays from the leaderboards, including ghosts of your friend’s best times. 

Mercury Hg is Pegi Rated 3 and is now available priced at  UK – £3.99 / EU – 4.99€ / Australia –  8.45  AUD on the PlayStation® Network and 400 Microsoft Points on XBLA.

Tomorrow we see the launch of The Sims 3 Pets in Australia and Friday 21st Oct in New Zealand. To help celebrate our own local New Zealand girl – Kimbra, has been announced as the ambassador for the hotly anticipated title. Kimbra, who has experienced huge success in the Australian and New Zealand charts with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and her own debut album “Vows,” has recorded her latest track “Good Intent” in Simlish (official language of The Sims) for the game. The track can be found in The Sims 3 Pets by having your Sim selecting the radio and going to Song Writer.

“Recording my song in Simlish was a really great experience because it was a challenge for me to record it in a whole new language. I had a lot of fun making this song in Simlish,” she comments.

“The beauty of The Sims is that you can create this whole world and design it the way you would like it to be, which is a really interesting concept. It’s creative, open ended and leaves the decisions up to the player,” Kimbra adds.

In The Sims 3 Pets players can create a wide variety of unique dogs and cats, with over 100 breeds to choose from and can experience the world from the perspective of a dog, cat or for the first time on the PC/Mac expansion pack – horses.

From all the animals available in The Sims 3 Pets, Kimbra notes she is most looking forward to the Cats, Unicorns, Dingoes and Horses.

The Sims™ franchise, the groundbreaking game series that allows players to create and live a virtual, simulated life on a computer, celebrated its ten year anniversary in 2010 with an impressive (more than) 125 million units sold since its launch in February 2000.

Kimbra joins an impressive list of artists who have recorded their songs in Simlish for the franchise include Paramore, Barenaked Ladies, Natasha Bedingfield, Lily Allen, Katy Perry, and fellow Australians The Veronicas and Jessica Mauboy.