This is the first official Australian announcement from Disney Interactive Media Group about Marvel: Avengers Alliance – the new Facebook game developed by Playdom and the first Marvel title for Facebook.

Today, Playdom has revealed the next group of playable heroes in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. These members of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be ready to help players keep the world safe from the clutches of super villainy.

Announced today:

Human Torch
The Invisible Woman
Mr. Fantastic
The Thing
Colossus
Cyclops
Kitty Pryde
Nightcrawler
Phoenix
Storm

This group joins previously announced Avengers:

Black Widow
Captain America
Hawkeye
Hulk
Iron Man
Ms. Marvel
Spider-Man
Thor
Wolverine

The announcement trailer can be found here: http://youtu.be/VEJNyljlqok

For new screen shots and character art, please follow this link: http://bit.ly/wg1JNO

Additional art can be found here: http://bit.ly/AvengersAlliance 

Marvel: Avengers Alliance provides a combat role playing game experience with dozens of familiar Marvel superheroes and villains, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Black Widow and many more. Once a hero is added to the Avengers team, players can begin training them to unlock unique abilities and attacks, as well as using “ISO-8” to further customize each character’s stats. Players will also be able to face-off against each other, challenging their social graph in super-powered asynchronous PvP battles. 

Marvel: Avengers Alliance takes place in the wake of a galaxy-wide disaster, known as “the Pulse,” exposing Manhattan to attack from Marvel’s most formidable villains.  Players are recruited as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., the secret espionage and peace-keeping organization of the Marvel Universe, to assemble and lead teams of superheroes with a mission to keep New York City safe from the clutches of villains. 

Marvel: Avengers Alliance will be live on Facebook in Q1 of this year.

The 608 Bull weapon widget from the new Max Payne 3 official site. See this veritable hand cannon with 8 rounds of high velocity stopping power in action, explore screens and a 360-degree view of the fully rendered weapon – including a view of it broken down by its individually modeled components.

New Mode Pits Aliens against Commandos with Players Deciding the Outcome

Toronto, CANADA – February 2nd, 2012 –G4BOX Inc., a North American publisher and distributor of interactive online entertainment media, released today an update for its free-to-play military shooter, Cross Fire. The free update features the new Hero Mode X, which puts players in control of one of two new playable characters: the electricity-equipped alien “Xeno”, or the dual kukri-wielding Commando. The update also packs 6 new weapons and 3 new ribbons to earn for your player profile, in addition to a variety of new equipment items.  To mark the release of this exciting new mode, Z8Games will be hosting events through February 5^th in which players can earn new weapons and items, just for playing. For current players, the update will download automatically upon launching Cross Fire. New players can download and play the game for free from: http://crossfire.z8games.com.

The electricity-infused alien, Xeno, has landed. Under its leadership, Mutants everywhere are now united towards the goal of conquering Earth!  To combat the alien threat, an elite squad of super Commandos armed with dual Kukri’s and a no fear attitude has risen up. Play as either Xeno or Commando in the new Hero Mode X and earn three new ribbons to show off on your profile as a symbol of your participation in Earth’s final battle! Hero Mode X debuts with two maps: the multi-level “Mansion”, and the gritty, suburban “Rooftops”.

The Hero Mode X update also includes six new weapons: a Remington 870 shotgun, an RX4 Storm assault rifle, a tiger-striped AWM sniper rifle, a camo-skinned QBZ95, and an MG3 machine gun with an alternate gold-skin variant. These weapons are available via the in-game Store and Black Market.

For a full rundown of the new Hero Mode X, including patch events and ribbons, visit the official update page here: http://crossfire.z8games.com/hero_mode_x_update.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.

Melbourne, Australia, 2 February 2012 – StudioProper just made using the iPad that little bit more versatile today with the launch of their newest Wallee accessory, the Headrest.

The Headrest turns any car into an entertainment hub by attaching the mount to a car seat with a simple turn and click movement. The Headrest, crafted from anodized aluminium, can swing out to a central position between the two front seats, and be switched between landscape and portrait, for versatile viewing.

Product designer, entrepreneur, and founder of StudioProper, Alon Tamir and his creative team are leading the accessory market with fresh and innovative designs. The Wallee system has created new and simple ways to make the most of the iPad’s functionality and extend its usability.

Founder of StudioProper, Alon Tamir has a lot in store for iPad lovers:
“Instead of uncomfortably holding the iPad in your lap in the back-seat of the car, we’ve created a perfect mount that lets you lock it into your car’s headrest. You can multitask or just sit back and enjoy the ride.

“The headrest is made of extremely durable materials, to withstand any speed-bump or pot hole.

“The great thing about the iPad, is that it can transform into so many things. You can use it for a wide range of entertainment and productivity uses.

“We found that the iPad accessory market is filled with copy-cat designs, so we wanted to create something new, which has never been done before. Our designs exist to make the iPad experience more enjoyable.

“We were thrilled with the response we received internationally for Pix and Stix and other Wallee designs, we can’t wait until iPad lovers get their hands on the Headrest.”

This innovative Australian-designed product is available for just $39.95 with free shipping around the world: http://www.thewallee.com/products/headrest-mount

Sydney, Australia, 3 February 2012 – Let the sweet, sweet revenge begin. Fly with Me! is a casual title where players will need to keep their cool and tap the screen to eat bees and maintain a steady flap. Help the birds avoid hurdles, catch bees and stay in flight or they could end up with a mouthful of dirt instead of delicious bugs!

Fly with Me! features three different challenge modes of fields, trees and tropical backgrounds with a variety of enemy creatures including spiders, fish and Venus Fly Traps. This title also introduces several different kinds of birds including a Pink Cockatoo, a Robot Bird and a Kid Mode for a variety of gameplay.

Robot Bird
To get ample revenge on the bees, the Sparrow realised he needed some extra help and built the Robot Bird. Players seeking an extra challenge will find gears hidden in each of the 45 game levels to build the dominating Robot. This bird is immune to fire, geysers, poisonous enemies and additional dangerous obstacles that have kept others from finally conquering the bees. Players must still beware! The Sparrow learned that there isn’t a magic answer when it comes to defeating the evil bees. While Robot Bird is strong, not even he can survive a thump into a solid tree.

Kid Mode
Kid Mode introduces a happy yellow canary who loves to fly for fun! Featuring 30 brand new levels exclusively designed for Kid Bird, the custom animations and friendly difficulty level allows users to be less competitive and play for enjoyment. Since Kid Bird isn’t out for revenge, this mode features Infinity Flap which lets birds fly without needing to eat bees to maintain altitude. Players can build their skills to find the right gust of wind adjusted for fast speed and watch Kid Bird soar through the sky sending him on an exciting rollercoaster ride.

Stay tuned for new enemy characters and birds to come.

For more information please visit www.eamobile.com.

Bethesda Softworks are pleased to announce that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Creation Kit, the content creation mod tool, will be available soon as a free download via Steam.

With the Creation Kit’s upcoming release, which is available in English only, we have just posted a new developer diary by Production Director, Ashley Cheng as well as a video highlighting some of the new features that will be made available to our modding community through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. The Skyrim Workshop will allow users to easily upload, download, and install their mods, making sharing custom content easier than ever before.

To check out the latest developer diary and video visit elderscrolls.com/community.

Free introductory version launches today with Rift™ 1.7: Carnival of the Ascended

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – Feb. 1, 2012 – Trion Worlds, the leading publisher and developer of premium games for the connected era, continues to increase accessibility to their hit MMORPG Rift™ by introducing Rift Lite, a version that allows anyone with a Trion account to experience the game’s first 20 levels at no cost and with no playtime restrictions. Rift Lite debuts today with the latest patch, Carnival of the Ascended, which features Ascended Weddings, PvP improvements, the new River of Souls Chronicle, and much more.

“In the past ten months, Rift has evolved at a breakneck pace, through seven massive updates that set new expectations for live MMOs, in features, in content, and in service,” said Scott Hartsman, Executive Producer of Rift and Trion’s CCO. “We think a Lite edition with no time limit is the best way for players to see what an amazing experience Rift continues to be.”

Rift Lite is accessible across all servers to anyone with a Trion account, giving potential Ascended a risk-free opportunity to play the game IGN called the “Best MMO Game” of 2011. Players can create a character and experience the first 20 levels in the plane-besieged world of Telara, working their way through the zones of Terminus, Mathosia, Freemarch, Silverwood, and visiting their faction’s capital cities.

In addition to the new trial, Rift 1.7 features many quality of life improvements, including:
• PvP Improvements – Smoother advancement and better rewards
• Ascended Weddings – Share eternity with your soulmate, Telara-style
• River of Souls Chronicle – Undead adventure for two
• New Master Mode Dungeon – Caduceus Rise
• Expert Dungeon Overhaul – More options, better loot!
• Better Endgame Equipment – Improved loot for your endgame Ascended

Today’s update marks the initial stage of the Carnival of the Ascended. In a few weeks, the largest and most spectacular World Event Telara has ever witnessed will kick off, celebrating the heroic feats of the Ascended. Amazing in-game events, special loot, and prizes will make the Carnival World Event something that won’t be soon forgotten.

Dive into Rift now risk-free by clicking here: http://www.riftgame.com/trial