Tactics meets touch-screen in the mobile strategy game of the year

Monday 23^rd April 2012 – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe, Ltd. today announced that Total War Battles: Shogun™ is now available on the Apple App Store. The latest addition to the award-winning Total War strategy series from The Creative Assembly, Total War Battles: Shogun™ is a re-imagining of Total War, not a PC port, and is a strategy game designed specifically for mobile platforms with a multi-touch interface.

Total War Battles: Shogun™ puts players in the role of a hot-headed young samurai who vows to avenge the death of his father. He embarks upon on a journey of conquest across medieval Japan, through over 15 hours of thrilling and unique tactical challenges.

Players will construct bases, train armies of Samurai, Warrior Monks and stealthy Ninja, marching them into battle against their foes. Alongside 27 core missions, there are also 18 challenging side-quests which generate extra experience points. Players can use these to upgrade their buildings and units, and gain the edge in future battles.

Total War Battles: Shogun™ also offers simultaneous multiplayer on the same device, pitting gamers against each other in fast-paced real-time battles which rely on bold moves and swift counter-strategies. Designed specifically for touch-screen devices, the game scales its appearance to provide the best experience on every supported device, and takes full advantage of iPad 3’s high-resolution Retina display.

Total War Battles: Shogun™ for iPhone and iPad is available on the iTunes App Store now at AUD $7.49. Android version coming soon.

For further information please go to http://www.totalwar.com/totalwarbattles/shogun

2K Games has released a new trailer for Spec Ops: The Line, the upcoming third-person military shooter set to hit store shelves on June 29^th, 2012. This trailer highlights the online multiplayer in Spec Ops: The Line, featuring a look at the intimate and intense 4-on-4 class based combat set in the sandstorm ravaged city of Dubai. The online multiplayer in Spec Ops: The Line also features a deep ranking system, allowing players to unlock perks and other unique customizations as their character progresses.

Starring the legendary Jackie Chan, who also co-directs along with Li Zhang (Red Cliff), this epic war film details the end of the Qing Dynasty and the violent rebellion that brought it down. With China split into warring factions and the starving citizens beginning to revolt, the ruling Qings are building a powerful army to quash any rebellion. But revolutionary leader Huang Xing (Chan) decides he must act before the Qing army becomes too powerful, leading an increasingly desperate series of uprisings.

Available on DVD 11th May 2012

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) today announced that Warren Spector, the creator of popular videogame titles Deus Ex and Disney Epic Mickey, will visit Australia in June for the opening of the centre’s Game Masters exhibition as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces. 

Warren Spector is the third international guest to be announced who will be attending the opening week of the exhibition. He will appear alongside Peter Molyneux OBE (Populous, Dungeon Keeper and Fable series’) and Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend) and will take part in public programs, including education and industry programs.

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

Spector’s most famous and best-loved games marry role-playing game elements and immersive 3D combat, with a special focus on player choices and the in-game consequences that follow from those choices. From the cyberpunk action of System Shock (1994) to the broad, dynamic conspiracy-theorist paranoia of Deus Ex (2000), Spector’s games have always prized freedom, establishing a few concrete rules and tools and allowing players to employ their own ingenuity in overcoming the game’s challenges.

Spector gained a Masters degree from the University of Texas with a thesis on the history of Warner Bros. cartoons with the intention of becoming a film critic, but soon began developing board and role-playing games for Steve Jackson Games. He made the move to videogame development in the late 80s, working on games including Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990), Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (1992), Ultima VII: Serpent Isle (1992), and System Shock. In 1997, Spector founded the studio Ion Storm Austin where he worked on the seminal and immersive Deus Ex, widely considered one of the finest PC games ever created.  In 2004, he created a new studio, Junction Point, which was later acquired by The Walt Disney Company and resulted in the creation of Disney Epic Mickey (2010), a video game that paid tribute to 80 years of rich Disney history and the world’s most popular cartoon star, Mickey Mouse.

The Game Masters exhibition 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. Spector’s games will be exhibited alongside those of leading contemporary designers, including the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers, The Sims, Rock Band and The Legend of Zelda. The portion of the exhibit dedicated to Spector’s career will include playable versions of his games, concept art and the newly commissioned video interview.

ACMI will provide opportunities for fans to hear from Spector. The details of these live events will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans are encouraged to sign up to the Game Masters e-newsletter to receive notification when tickets go on sale. These events are expected to sell out.

Tickets to the Game Masters exhibition go on sale Monday 23 April via the ACMI website. 

Curated by Conrad Bodman and Emma McRae, 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 information, visit acmi.net.au  

For the first time in Australia, a 4,500 year-old gold drinking cup discovered in the death pit of an ancient queen was unveiled at Melbourne Museum today in the lead up to the international exhibition The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia.   

“This exquisite gold cup is one of the most ornate objects found in the royal graves of Ur,” said Ms Sarah Collins, Curator, Early Mesopotamia, the British Museum.

“It is beautiful, unique and can tell us so much about the wealth, craftsmanship and ritual of this early civilisation.”

“The long spout would have been used like a drinking straw, probably for drinking beer, and the gold would have been imported from Iran or Turkey,” added Ms Collins.

The cup was found in the grave of Queen Puabi during one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries of last century.  The discovery of the ‘Royal Cemetery’ of Ur, in modern day Iraq, led by British archaeologist Leonard Woolley from 1922 to 1934 revealed a wealth of precious and significant artefacts and evidence of human sacrifice.

In The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, Melbourne Museum presents a magnificent exhibition exploring an era of extraordinary invention and innovation, the impact of which is still shaping our lives thousands of years later.

“The story of Mesopotamia is central to the story of human development and how we live our modern lives – from the invention of writing, to the measurement of time itself,” said Dr Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria.

Major archaeological discoveries were made in the cities of Mesopotamia from the mid-19^th century and into the 20^th century. “The excavation of the ancient cities of Ur, Nineveh and Nimrud were rivalled in significance only by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb,” said Dr Greene.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with the British Museum to bring this extraordinary exhibition to Australia.”

Visitors to The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia will see more than 170 artefacts, revealing many aspects of Mesopotamian culture.

The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia focuses on three of the great centres of ancient civilisation – Sumer, Assyria and Babylon – bringing their rich history to life through objects and multimedia. Themes in the exhibition include palaces and royal power, religious beliefs and rituals, burial practices and royal tombs, and the myths and legends that surround ancient Mesopotamia.

The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia is presented in collaboration with the British Museum. Tickets are on sale now. Adults $24, concession $16, children $14, school groups, $10 per student (all tickets include entry to Melbourne Museum).

The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia will show at Melbourne Museum from 4 May until 7 October 2012.

For further information follow Melbourne Museum on Facebook | Twitter

April 20, 2012 – IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, is pleased to reveal the first edition of the “HOPE NEWS TIMES.” The local newspaper for Hope, South Dakota, HOPE NEWS TIMES is a weekly publication reporting the latest news from the town, and revealing a brand new chapter in HITMAN: ABSOLUTION.

Hope and its citizens are heavily influenced by local legend Blake Dexter and his company Dexter Industries. Coincidentally, with the arrival of Agent 47, the otherwise quiet town has become a bedlam of strange accidents and occurrences.

Are these odd events really linked to the Original Assassin? Fans will soon find out, as new stories will run in the HOPE NEWS TIMES each Friday, and an accompanying screenshot from the game following shortly after.

To catch the latest edition of the HOPE NEWS TIMES, please visit:

www.facebook.com/Hitman

www.barcode-society.com

The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 – the new generation of Parrot’s renowned high-tech quadricopter that can be controlled by Wi-Fi using a smartphone or tablet List of compatible smartphones and touchscreen tablets available at www.parrot.com, will land in Australia in June 2012.
The AR.Drone 2.0 offers an experience like no other with a new high-definition camera, video and photo recording and sharing, a new piloting mode, increased stability and a brand-new look!

A flying HD camera
While in flight, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0‘’s front camera transmits in real-time what the quadricopter sees onto the pilot’s device screen.
For the first time the AR.Drone 2.0 camera, with a 1280×720 resolution, shows a view from the sky in high definition with smoother and unbelievably clearer images. The pilot enjoys an experience like never before, as if he or she were on board!
For gaming purposes, this camera also can recognise specific shapes and colours to show augmented-reality elements on the smartphone’s screen.

Record and share flying experiences
Thanks to the new AR.FreeFlight 2.0 piloting application, players can record their own HD flight videos and pictures on their piloting Smartphone’s or tablet’s memory and share them with the AR.Drone community using YouTube or Picasa.
The pilot can also save images or videos onto a USB stick (not included) using the dedicated USB port hidden under the hull, situated close to the battery.

AR.FreeFlight 2.0, a new piloting and sharing platform
In addition to flying the AR.Drone, the new application AR.FreeFlight 2.0 – available to download for free from the AppStore^SM and Google Play – offers players a new interface and several options.

§        FreeFlight: Access to the piloting application.
Record HD pictures and videos from flights in the piloting device or onto a USB key.

§        Photos/Videos: Directly access your own videos and photos. Watch or upload to YouTube or Picasa for the community to enjoy.
§        AR.Drone Update: Access free software updates for the AR.Drone 2.0.
§        Parrot AR.Drone Games: Access applications/games available for the AR.Drone.
§        Get Your AR.Drone: See an overview of the AR.Drone 2.0, videos and practical information.
§        Coming soon – AR.Drone Academy: A place to meet and share content with the AR.Drone community. Obtain the geolocation data of the best flight zones, watch other pilots’ videos and access their shared flight data (such as height, speed, duration, geolocation…).

‘Absolute Flight’, a revolutionary ultra-intuitive flight mode
The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 connects to the device via Wi-Fi after the AR.FreeFlight 2.0 pilot application has been loaded onto an iOS or Android^TM smartphone or tablet. Upon connection, all on-board instruments appear on screen with a cockpit view.
Briefly pressing the take off button turns on the four brushless motors and causes the AR.Drone 2.0 to take off.

Flying is very simple. With your thumbs placed on either side of the screen, a control button automatically forms beneath:
·        Press and hold the left button and the AR.Drone 2.0 follows the movement of the pilot’s device: it moves forward, backwards or sideways when you tilt the tablet forward, towards you or to the left or to the right.
·        Slide your finger over the right button, and the quadricopter rises, descends or rotates right or left.

Thanks to Parrot’s patented new ‘Absolute Control’ mode, the player now has an even more intuitive piloting system.
With a 3D magnetometer, the AR.Drone 2.0 knows its precise orientation with respect to the smartphone, which becomes the reference point. The pilot no longer needs to care about the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0‘s front camera, which will accurately track the smartphone’s motion and tilt.
Experienced players can select ‘Relative Flight’ mode, the alternative flight mode. This disables Parrot AR.Drone 2.0‘s magnetometer. The pilot manages the quadricopter’s orientation with no assistance.

AR.Drone 2.0 stunts
For more enjoyable and exciting flights, the AR.Drone 2.0 is equipped, for the first time ever, with a ‘Flip’ feature.
Double tap on the button placed on the right side of the piloting device screen and the AR.Drone 2.0 will perform a loop. Both experts and new players can fly like a stunt pilot!

Surprising stability at any altitude
The heart of the AR.Drone 2.0 contains
MEMS (microelectromechanical systems).
A 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor give the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 surprising stability, complete with:

§        2 ultrasound sensors, which can analyse flight altitude up to 6 meters. A pressure sensor completes the device and provides great vertical stability.
§        4 blades, specially designed for the AR.Drone 2.0, make it possible to carry out smooth flights.
§        A second camera, placed beneath the quadricopter and connected to the central inertial unit, measures the craft’s speed using an image comparison system.

2 hulls made for both types of flight
The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 comes with 2 hulls with specially designed contours. Made from EPP (a material used in designing car bumpers), they are light, highly resistant and can protect the quadricopter from damage.

For outdoor flight, the contoured hull, available in three colors (orange/yellow; orange/green; orange/blue), reduces wind resistance and preserves the AR.Drone 2.0‘s handling and stability.

When flying indoors, a second hull protects the blades from any impact.
The black-and-white cockpit, underlined with a red stripe, reinforces the quadricopter’s mysterious, thrilling appearance.
Finally, light-emitting diodes (green in front, red in rear), positioned on the landing gear, help the pilot track the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0 for easier flying.

An Open Development Platform
In order to expand the use of the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 and its compatibility with other operating systems, and to develop new flying games and applications, Parrot is providing developers and members of the Apple^® and Android^TM communities with a software development kit. By logging in at https://projects.ardrone.org and accepting the terms of the license, developers can access the source code used to fly the AR.Drone 2.0. A wiki and a tutorial are also available. A forum is available to discuss new developments and share feedback with Parrot engineers.

Sydney, Australia – April 20, 2012 – To celebrate the James Bond franchise’s 50^th anniversary, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), will launch gamers back through time to relive a selection of Bond’s most iconic and intense undercover missions from the popular Bond film franchise with 007™ Legends.

A first-of-its-kind Bond video game, 007 Legends features an original, overarching storyline tying together six classic Bond movies, concluding with this year’s highly-anticipated 23^rd instalment – SKYFALL – to offer the most diverse Bond gaming experience yet!  As with the feature films, 007 Legends equips players with state-of-the-art spy gadgets, an arsenal of weapons, including Bond’s signature Walther PPK, and sleek vehicles as they jet off to exotic locations and utilize Bond’s quick wits, class and style to take down notorious villains and their brutal henchmen, perform impressive stunts, and of course…mingle with gorgeous Bond women.

“To honour 50 years of the world’s top secret agent, 007 Legends offers a collection of his most famed moments in the smartest and most treacherous Bond game yet,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing, Inc.  “Creating a video game storyline that ties together six popular, yet very different, Bond movie narratives can be challenging, but together with EON Productions, our developer Eurocom, has pulled it off to create an homage that we think will be a unique and highly entertaining Bond video game.”

In addition to 007 Legends’ main story, the game will feature the return of fan-favourite single-player Mi6 Ops Missions, which debuted in GoldenEye 007: Reloaded and challenges players to complete extra missions ranging from all-out action to stealth and gadget-based gameplay and compete for the highest online leader board scores.  For the first time ever, players will be able to participate as one of Bond’s cohorts or villainous foes, reliving the missions through their eyes, as well as 007’s.  The robust James Bond multiplayer experience includes local four-player split-screen game modes and online competitive gameplay with new maps, weapons and characters derived from Bond’s 50 year legacy.  With more gadgets, deeper stealth and spy investigation gameplay, gamers will have every opportunity to truly feel like the world’s favourite spy.

Planned to launch this fall, 007 Legends is being developed by Eurocom, under license from EON Productions Ltd. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (MGM) for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system.  Stay tuned for more information on the game’s official Web site and Facebook page.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries, is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise.  The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles.  Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Domestic Networks LLC, MGM Distribution Co, MGM International Television Distribution In, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Worldwide Digital Media, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive.  In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 120 countries.  MGM ownership is as follows:  Providence Equity Partners (29%), TPG (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%).  For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About EON Productions/Danjaq, LLC

EON Productions Limited and Danjaq LLC are wholly owned and controlled by the Broccoli/Wilson family.   Danjaq is the US based company that co-owns, with MGM, the copyright in the existing James Bond films and controls the right to produce future James Bond films as well as all worldwide merchandising.   EON Productions, an affiliate of Danjaq, is the UK based production company which makes the James Bond films.   The 007 franchise is the longest running in film history with twenty-two films produced since 1962.  Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli succeeded Albert R ‘Cubby’ Broccoli in 1995 and have produced some of the most successful Bond films ever including CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE. They are currently producing the 23^rd film, SKYFALL.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

A note from Bethesda:

Development of Prey 2 has not been cancelled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned. The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans. We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want. We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule.