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Exploring PAYDAY 2’s ever-changing heist gameplay

David Goldfarb, Game Director on PAYDAY 2, takes us through the game’s new dynamics system and explains how ever-changing security patrols, camera placement and even level geometry make every play through different from the last.

Winner of 4 E3 2013 Awards, PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, 4-player co-op shooter that once again lets you don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew – Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains – as they descend on Washington D.C. for an epic crime spree.

 
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Wookieerotica – A Star Wars Parody Magazine

Have you ever asked the question what if a 1970’s Mens magazine crossed paths with the original Star Wars trilogy? Well ask no longer… Wookieerotica is here. Sydney based production company Tenderloins took up the challenge for fanboys everywhere to produce the magazine that no one asked for, but everyone deserves.

Over the past two years Tenderloins have worked extreamly hard to finish their sci-fi soft core porn masterpiece. Standing at an impressive 116 pages, recreating all the glory that is Star Wars and a long lost format that was 1970’s men’s magazines.

 “I wanted to make something for all those people who loved star wars as kids playing with their action figures. Now I’ve just replaced the action figure part with naked women” said creative director, Russall S. Beattie.

Readers can expect a collection of all their favorite characters in all their glory, and some very ….. Imaginative reinventions of the George Lucas universe.

“Fan service is the main point, and as fans we kept asking the question – would we want to own this? I think we’ve hit the mark pretty close” – Russall S. Beattie

The WOOKIEEROTICA magazine is a one off production with limited numbers

What: WOOKIEEROTICA A Star Wars Parody Magazine
Where: www.wookieerotica.com
Price: $60

 
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PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND SKYDANCE PRODUCTIONS TAP CHRISTOPHER McQUARRIE TO DIRECT THE NEXT MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 5, 2013) – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that Christopher McQuarrie will direct the next “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” film.

McQuarrie will direct from a screenplay by Drew Pearce, with Tom Cruise reprising the iconic role of Ethan Hunt, who was first introduced to moviegoers in 1996.  The project will be produced by Cruise through Tom Cruise Productions, Paramount and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, who served as producers on previous films in the hit series.  Skydance Productions, who served as co-financers and executive producers of the last installment, will work closely with the team in the development and production process.

“I am thrilled to reunite with Chris for the latest installment in the Mission series,” said Cruise. “I began producing the films with the goal that a different director with his own vision would make each one.  Chris is an extraordinary filmmaker who will deliver the heart-pounding action and thrills that audiences around the world have come to expect from the Mission: Impossible franchise.”

Added Adam Goodman, President of Paramount Film Group: “The Mission series is special for its signature directors; Chris McQuarrie keeps this tradition thriving.”

McQuarrie recently wrote and directed “JACK REACHER” for Paramount and Skydance, with Cruise in the title role, based on the novels by New York Times bestselling author Lee Child.  His screenwriting credits include the upcoming “EDGE OF TOMORROW” and 2008’s “VALKYRIE,” both starring Cruise, as well as “THE USUAL SUSPECTS,” for which he earned an Academy Award® for best screenplay in 1995.

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL,” the 4th installment in the globally successful franchise, earned nearly $700M around the world and became Cruise’s highest grossing film to date in his storied career.

The “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise has earned more than $2B at the worldwide box office, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history.

 
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TIM CAHILL RETURNS AS AUSTRALIA’S FIFA 14 COVER STAR

Socceroo star Tim Cahill celebrates his 5th anniversary as Australia’s cover player on the world’s greatest sports game – FIFA 14, launching September 26.

Sydney, Australia – August 6, 2013 – Electronic Arts Inc. today confirmed that Australia’s Socceroo star Tim Cahill will return as the local featured player to appear on the Australian and New Zealand cover of the greatest sports game on the planet, world’s greatest sporting game, FIFA 14. Marking his fifth year as the game’s cover star, the move confirms Cahill’s continued football success both in overseas competition, and as a key member of Australia’s World Cup team set to compete in the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil next year.

Tim Cahill is a long-time international professional football player and currently plays for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer and Australia’s Socceroos national team. Prior to joining New York, he played his club football in England for Everton. Cahill plays as an attacking midfielder, but has also played as a forward on several occasions.

“With Tim Cahill on our team again this year, we’re excited to have one of Australia’s most loved and respected athletes appearing on the FIFA 14 cover” says Arbie Artinian, EA SPORTS Label Manager, Asia Pacific. “Tim continues to be a huge supporter and great friend of EA SPORTS, bringing his passion and talent to help bring FIFA to life for its biggest fans and a new generation of players.”

“The FIFA franchise is such an ingrained part of in football culture for so many millions of fans worldwide“ says Tim Cahill, FIFA 14 ambassador and Australian Socceroos team member “I’m thrilled to be working with the EA SPORTS team again for the launch of FIFA 14. Every year they deliver new innovations that make the game more authentic and more fun to play. It leads the pack with the best technology and realism that delivers the most authentic sports gameplay experience. Bring on September 26!”

This partnership will see Tim continue his role as Australia’s leading EA SPORTS™ Football Ambassador. He will be the cornerstone of marketing and advertising campaigns in Australia, featuring on packaging, and collaborating with EA SPORTS on social media activities. Tim will appear on the Australian and New Zealand cover of FIFA 14 on the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system with Kinect™ from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system with PlayStation Move support, Windows® PC, Nintendo Wii™, Nintendo 3DS™, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system when the game launches on September 26.

FIFA 14 is available for pre-order now at https://www.origin.com/  and other retailers. The game is developed at EA Canada and has been rated “G” by the OFLC. Join the EA SPORTS community at http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifalatam. Follow us on Twitter @easportsfifa and use the hash tag #FIFA14.

 
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Dragons Crown Coming 17th October

Sydney, 6th August – Namco Bandai Games and NIS America are partnering with ATLUS, a brand of Index Digital Media, Inc., to release Dragon’s Crown™ across Australia & New Zealand on the 17th October for both the PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®Vita consoles. Developed by Vanillaware and directed by George Kamitani, Dragon’s Crown is a multiplayer action beat ‘em up from the developers of Princess Crown and Odin Sphere. Dragon’s Crown features breathtaking visuals that bring the fantastic characters and monsters to life with fluid artistry. Players can engage in local or online co-op play for dozens of hours of intense, dragon-slaying action.

A Word About Dragon’s Crown:

“The paths that lead people into this land are manifold and varied, but they share a single goal. Now you have journeyed here to brave the dangers of the monster-ridden dungeons. Daring adventurers from far and wide have come to face the labyrinths on the outskirts of town, and you are joining their ranks. You must first gather a strong party. No one adventurer will be able to overcome these trials alone. Let us begin your journey…I wish you good luck.” 

Key Features:

Unparalleled HD visual design: From the maker of Odin Sphere, Vanillaware painstakingly hand-paints every detail—creating a lush, vibrant storybook aesthetic where everything is animated in gorgeous full 1080p HD. 

Play as 6 distinct and unique character classes: Choose from six fantastical characters—each possessing different abilities and strengths that will aid you as you traverse through the darkest of dungeons.

Up to four person multiplayer action: Play cooperatively to overcome your foes with up to 3 of your friends locally or via PlayStation®Network on the PS3 or PS Vita.  Each time players adventure together, they can expect a different experience and

hours of satisfying adventuring. Cross-platform play is not supported, but players can engage in any ratio of local and online multiplayer.

Loot galore: Dungeons aren’t only just about the fighting! Unseen treasures are hidden inside locked chests, and they can be appraised to determine their strength. See if you can find rare treasures!

Customize your journey: Earn Skill Points by completing quests or leveling up, and use them to enhance your character’s abilities with common and class-specific skills!

Dungeon variety: Monsters won’t be the only obstacles on your journey. Dungeons also contain traps and hidden rooms! Explore the dungeons and conquer them all!

For more information, visit http://www.atlus.com/dragonscrown

 
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PlayStation® Australia to hire Ultimate Recruit for Killzone®: Mercenary

Sydney, 6 August, 2013: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) has this week kicked off a search to find the Ultimate Recruit for its highly anticipated PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) exclusive title Killzone™: Mercenary.

Now open to applicants, the recruitment drive asks candidates to design their own ‘contract’, detailing what they would do and how far they would go for the AUD$10,000 reward. The successful entrant will be required to carry out the terms of their contract.

Just like the mercenary featured in the new Killzone™ franchise game, the Ultimate Recruit is challenged to give up all their allegiances for the money. Applications will be judged on creativity, originality, skill and passion for the Killzone franchise and PlayStation Vita.

Applications close on 16th August. Once the winner is chosen, SCE Aust. will fly the recruit to Sydney to carry out an approved contract under strict supervision before they take home the AUD$10,000 cash reward.

Scheduled for release in Australia on 4th September 2013, with a recommended retail price of AUD$54.95, Killzone: Mercenary for PlayStation Vita is the fifth title in the franchise and sees you take on the role of veteran UCN soldier, Arran Danner, now a battle hardened mercenary-for-hire. Killzone: Mercenary throws you into a deadly fire fight as part of a ruthless mercenary faction. There is no good. There is no evil. There is only the mission. This hardened mercenary is forced to question whether the price of victory can sometimes be too high, no matter how big the pay cheque.

Candidates can sign up for the Ultimate Recruit competition here – http://bit.ly/GetTheJobDone (case sensitive)

Follow the conversation and get involved by using #getthejobdone and by visiting the PlayStation Australia Facebook and Twitter pages.

Click here to see the Killzone: Mercenary gameplay trailer.

 
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BANGARRA’S YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS RECOGNISED IN A WEEK OF AWARDS

Over the past week, the Australian arts industry has recognised the outstanding artistic achievements of Bangarra Dance  Theatre and its artists, with four awards across the Helpmanns, Australian Arts in Asia Awards and last night’s Australian Dance Awards.

On Monday July 29 2013, Bangarra Dance Theatre received two Helpmann Awards at the prestigious Sydney Opera House  ceremony. Dancer Deborah Brown was awarded the Helpmann for Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre  Work for her performance in the 2012 work Terrain. Terrain choreographed by Frances Rings also received the Helpmann  Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work. Artist in residence David Page was also nominated for Best Original Score for  Terrain.

On Thursday August 1 2013, the inaugural Australian Arts in Asia Awards took place at Luna Park in Sydney, recognising  Australian artists who have engaged with Asia and who have contributed to strengthening cultural links between Australia  and Asia. Bangarra Dance Theatre performed at the ceremony and received the inaugural Australian Art in Asia Award in the  Dance category for their production Spirit and its recent tours to Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangarra shared this  award with Annalouise Paul for Game On.

Bangarra’s Artistic Director Stephen Page said, “These awards are a wonderful affirmation for the company that we are  achieving artistic excellence while we pursue the equally important role of building connections. Whether Bangarra is  performing on stage at the Sydney Opera House or a theatre in regional Victoria, running an indigenous youth workshop in  remote New South Wales or presenting a performance for brand new audiences in Vietnam, the high quality of our work is  what helps create meaningful engagement. During our recent South Asian tour of Spirit, audiences were fascinated by  Bangarra’s fusion of traditional culture with modern dance theatre. There was an instant connection with the spiritual,  grounded nature of Bangarra’s work and they understood the story-telling that strongly influences our productions.’

Last night the annual Australian Dance Awards took place in Canberra. Shane Carroll one of Australia’s most outstanding  contributors to dance received the Services to Dance Award. Over the last two years Shane Carroll has overseen the  development and implementation of Bangarra’s new youth program Rekindling, designed to connect Aboriginal young people  with their culture through story-telling and dance. Rekindling has been successfully established in four communities across NSW during 2013 and planning is underway for further communities in NSW as well as Queensland next year. Ms Carroll’s  expertise has also been felt by independent Aboriginal artists working with an important sector capacity building program  supported by Bangarra and the NSW Government Birrang – expanding Aboriginal dance horizons in NSW.

CEO Catherine Baldwin says, “Bangarra recognises the valuable insights and knowledge Ms Carroll brings to these  innovative initiatives, working with artists to deliver significant benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Both Birrang and Rekindling programs provide opportunities for dancers to build resilience that supports their professional career development.” Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia’s premier national Indigenous performing arts company. Under the brilliant and  inspirational artistic direction of Stephen Page, Bangarra has strived to maintain the cultural integrity and spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tradition, combining it with contemporary expressions of stories, dance and music to create unique theatrical experiences, and to deliver these experiences to audiences across Australia and around the world.

 
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TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT™ PHYSICAL GAME CARDS AVAILABLE IN STORES NOW

– Collect All 191 Physical Cards, Scan QR Codes to Unlock Valuable In-game Bonuses, and Unleash the Awesome Might of Heihachi In-game and in Augmented Reality –

Sydney, Aug 5, 2013 – Following the successful launch – more than 4 million downloads – of the free-to-play TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT game on smartphones, tablets and web browsers in April, NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe today announced the launch of the physical Game Cards at EB Games stores across Australia.

Sold in booster packs of five cards each, the 191 collectible cards bring a wealth of bonus in-game features including valuable power ups, collectible art, new cards via the card fusion system, augmented reality characters, plus extra chances to get super rare powers for Heihachi.

Check out the new trailer for the launch of the TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT Game Cards here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlWzUj9PGoc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUETrNUjuH4EoRdZNFx9EI-A

“The support of the Tekken fans for Tekken Card Tournament has been incredible, and with the launch of the physical cards we’re giving them even more exciting possibilities to enjoy the game,” said Olivier Comte, Senior Vice President, NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe. “These cards bring so many extra features, not least of all is the ability to take the mighty Heihachi and its rare powers into battle.”

Decorated with Heihachi artwork, the booster packs contain five different cards with each card carrying a unique QR code to unlock specific in-game bonuses and power-ups. Scanning character cards using the augmented reality feature of the app lets players superimpose their favourite characters in 3D on the environment around them, with the ability to take photos and share them with friends.

Some cards are easier to find than others, and it will take dedication to collect all 191. Once players have acquired various character cards they can scan the QR code to unlock the card in the game and using the app’s card fusion system, players can also combine two scanned cards to create brand new cards in-game and gain valuable advantages.

In addition, players can collect sets of 9 art cards featuring exclusive designs such as the Japanese woodblock style artwork and the Lili bikini poster. Collectors also have the ability to play a streamlined standalone game with friends using the cards only.

Offering explosive PvP play across different devices, the visually stunning turn-based battler is available now as a free downloadable app from the following stores: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id596424376

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.namcobandaigames.tekkencard

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4FS5E2

The game is also available for instant free play in web browsers at http://www.card-tournament.com/tekken.

In TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT, customize your deck, create new cards, train, then chain Focus, Strike and Block moves to take down opponents worldwide with blistering KO combos. Have you got what it takes to become world champion?

Watch the new trailer for Tekken Card Tournament on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlWzUj9PGoc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUETrNUjuH4EoRdZNFx9EI-A

 
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SIMCITY FOR MAC IS AVAILABLE ON AUGUST 30

SimCity will be available for Mac exclusively as a digital release on August 30, 2013. SimCity is cross-platform compatible, so all players, whether on Mac or PC, will be able to play SimCity together in the online connected world and will be able to jump back and forth into their cities regardless of the platform.

Those players who have previously purchased digital and boxed copies of SimCity for PC will receive an automatic entitlement for SimCity for Mac via Origin.

SimCity for Mac and PC allows players to create and destroy the cities of their imaginations, and has been rated G by the OFLC for both PC and Mac.

To purchase SimCity for Mac and PC, please visit: http://store.origin.com/store/ea/html/pbPage.SimcityNA

 
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Return to the wild with Disney’s classic The Jungle Book.

Coming to cinemas in August and available on Blu-ray and DVD October 2, 2013.

Rediscover the magic of the jungle this year as Disney’s favourite wild characters come to life in the all new digitally restored release of The Jungle Book, playing exclusively at Event, Greater Union, Birch Carroll and Coyle & Village cinemas throughout August.

The Jungle Book is a timeless classic from the golden age of animation, The Jungle Book follows the journey of Mowgli, a baby ‘man cub’ who is abandoned and discovered in the depths of the jungle. When the terrifying tiger Shere Khan sets out to capture some fresh prey Mowgli is banished to a human tribe for safety, but he won’t give up his jungle life without a fight!

Along with his laid-back sloth bear buddy Baloo, Mowgli outsmarts the wicked python Kaa and befriends all sorts of jungle creatures, learning a song or two along the way! Ultimately however he must decide, does he really belong in the wild?

Social Media:
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Synopsis:

The Jungle Book is based on the adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic novel. Experience the song-filled celebration of friendship, fun and adventure that was the last animated film to receive Walt Disney’s personal touch.

Embark on a thrilling, adventure-filled journey with the boy Mowgli as he makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther.

Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli “The Bare Necessities” of life and the true meaning of friendship.