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Brawl Busters & MicroVolts are big hit at Gamescom 2011

Tournaments drawing the attention of tens of thousands of visitors

Markham, Canada August 25, 2011Rock Hippo Productions is pleased to announce that their appearance at this year’s Gamescom gaming exhibition in Cologne, Germany, has been a tremendous success.

Tens of thousands of fans visited the Rock Hippo booth and jumped at the opportunity to meet the Rock Hippo team in person and to take part in the MicroVolts and Brawl Busters tournaments that have been held at the booth every day. These tournaments also drew the attention of countless passersby who wanted to try out the games and have a shot at the prizes. A ton of gaming swag has been given out to all booth visitors.

Rock Hippo has released the photos of the daily tournaments’ winners. The winners of the Brawl Busters tournaments received an Alienware gaming keyboard each. The winners of the MicroVolts tournaments each received an Alienware gaming mouse.

For more information on both titles, please visit the official websites:

http://www.MicroVolts.com

http://www.BrawlBusters.com

 
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Wargaming.net Rolls onto the Beaches of the Puget Sound

World of Tanks Comes to PAX

London, UK, Paris, FR and San Francisco, CA (25th August, 2011) — Wargaming.net, the award-winning videogame publisher and developer, is attending Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, Washington from August 26–28th 2011.

Wargaming.net will be bringing the award winning, highly acclaimed game World of Tanks to the attendees of PAX. World of Tanks will be available to play at the show on computers provided by Origin PC (www.originpc.com) and peripherals provided by SteelSeries (www.steelseries.com), Wargaming.net will also be having a tournament for teams of 4 players Friday through Sunday in the World of Tanks booth. For a bigger challenge, World of Tanks will be participating in the Penny Arcade Tournament Area on Friday August 26th.

World of Tanks is the first and only team-based massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with other steel cowboys all over the world. Your arsenal includes more than 150 armored vehicles from America, Germany, and the Soviet Union, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

A flexible system of authentic vehicle upgrade and development allows you to try any of the vehicles and weapons in the game. Whether you prefer to exhaust your foes with fast and maneuverable light tanks, make deep breaches in enemy lines with all-purpose medium tanks, use the force of giant tanks to eliminate opposing armored forces, or become a heavy sniper with long-range howitzers, each unit type has its own advantages and can be extremely effective when operated by a true tank ace.

But being a great tank commander alone isn’t enough to win! In World of Tanks, it’s all about teamwork. Victory is achieved by combining your combat skills with those of the other members of your team, each playing their own role on the battlefield. Just add your favorite strategy to build your own steel empire and manifest the indisputable authority of the tank power!

Join World of Tanks:

About Wargaming.net®

Wargaming.net® is an award-winning online game developer and publisher, incorporated in the UK. Its 270-strong development team is located in Minsk, Belarus. Since 1998, the company has shipped 13 titles, including acclaimed Massive Assault series, Order of War RTS published by Square Enix, and three add-ons for Blitzkrieg II. At the Russian Game Developers Conference (KRI) in 2009 and 2010, Wargaming.net® was named The Best Developer Company from ex-USSR. At KRI 2011 the company was awarded Industry Prize and World of Tanks® won the Best Game Award. The company’s headliner project, World of Tanks®, gained the Guinness World Record for the Most Players on One Server Simultaneously. Currently, Wargaming.net® is developing the next action MMO, World of Warplanes and a new unannounced project.

Official web site: www.wargaming.net

 
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Gaijin Entertainment and Industry Veterans Form Star Gem, a New Video Game Company

New development studio will focus on high-quality multiplayer online games 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – August 25, 2011 – Gaijin Entertainment, an award-winning developer of multiplatform video games, is announcing the formation of Star Gem, Inc. Based in Virginia, the new company is comprised game industry veterans and will focus on developing high-quality, massively multiplayer online games for players around the globe. 

“We created Star Gem with one goal in mind: to develop the best multiplayer games,” says Stanislav Skorb, Star Gem’s CEO. “The new company will better suit the needs of the ever-changing MMO market by developing games that satisfy experienced and new players alike.”

“The skilled developers at Star Gem are devoted to their work and have a lot of experience making games for PC and consoles,” says Anton Yudintsev, CEO of Gaijin Entertainment. “I know their upcoming projects are going to make online gamers very happy.”

To learn more about Star Gem’s mission and future plans, keep an eye on the company’s official website: http://www.stargem-games.com

About Gaijin Entertainment

Gaijin Entertainment is a successful, fast-growing game development company established in 2002. The company specializes in the creation of games for various platforms including PlayStation3, Xbox 360, iOS and PC. Gaijin also focuses on technology-related research that makes them a leading provider of solutions in changeable IT market conditions. To date, Gaijin’s team is represented by six departments and over sixty highly qualified employees. The company’s projects have received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such KRI Awards as «Best simulation game», «Best technology», «Best sound» and many more. Today’s Gaijin Entertainment is the biggest independent PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 games developer in Russia. Learn more at Gaijin’s official website: http://www.gaijinent.com

 
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RUSTY HEARTS KICKS OFF CLOSED BETA PHASE 2 TODAY

August 25, 2011 – Foster City, Calif. – Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), is pleased to begin the second phase of closed beta testing for its hack and slash, dungeon crawling MORPG Rusty Hearts today. All players that log into Rusty Hearts within the first twelve hours of the Phase 2 launch will automatically be granted a free costume item that will be permanent throughout the open beta. 

Followed by a fresh patch installation, the second phase will allow players to keep their characters and achievement levels from Phase 1 and offer even more variety to the game’s features.

“We are ecstatic that Rusty Hearts has attracted thousands of gamers during the closed beta,” said Mark Hill, Game Producer for Rusty Hearts . “We’d like to thank the dedicated community of players for their enthusiasm and the incredible amount of feedback we’ve received.”

Based solely on player feedback, Phase 2 will include these new updates and enhancements:
•    Complete Town Restructure – Removal of portal “gates” allows for easier and more efficient travel through the game’s outer hub worlds with less waiting in loading screens.
•    PvP System Adjustments – While experiencing an overall balanced PvP system, Intermediate and Advanced PvP arenas are now open for higher level players to face off against similarly ranked opponents.
•    Player Comparison Information – Compare your stats to other players and opponents, as well as help new players find the best way to manage their characters.
•    New Side Quest System – Track down ever-changing enemies and their locations with a wide array of quests displayed on Wanted Boards
•    Revamped Skill Tree System – Effectively manage your skill points to build upon previous skills and acquire new abilities
•    Advanced Crafting System – Dismantle unique items to obtain valuable materials that can be used for crafting advanced items including special weapons.
•    Deeper Item Quality System – A wider range of ranks have been added to weapons and gear in order to show their level of quality in greater detail.
•    Enhanced Looks for Weaponry – Get a completely new look for weapons that you have crafted compared to weapons that are picked up as loot drops.

Join the beta at http://rh.perfectworld.com/closedbeta/.
For more information on Rusty Hearts, visit http://rustyhearts.perfectworld.com/.

About Rusty Hearts
Rusty Hearts is a multiplayer online game with fast-paced and highly-stylized brawling combat combined with a solo or team-based dungeon exploration experience. In this gothic inspired world of vampires, half-vampires, and humans, players will be able to unleash devastating combo attacks, engage in a wide variety of epic monster battles, collect valuable loot, and become a unique hero.

About Perfect World Entertainment, Inc.
Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), primarily publishes online games and provides online services in North America. Aiming to provide the best game services to North American players with the highest level of commitment in localization, quality assurance, and user-friendly publishing infrastructure, Perfect World Entertainment has achieved great success and published a number of MMORPGs, including “Forsaken World,” “Legend of Martial Arts,” “Heroes of Three Kingdoms,” “Battle of the Immortals,” “Ether Saga Odyssey,” “Jade Dynasty” and “Perfect World International,” a free-to-play MMORPG which is currently played by millions of people worldwide; and a single-player action-RPG “Torchlight.”

 
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NEXT ROLE FOR UNDERBELLY STAR IS A DRAG!

While Underbelly: Razor premiered last Sunday to over 2 million viewers, one of its stars is busy preparing for his next role. Guy Edmonds is taking on both a producing and starring role in the drag action caper, The Silver Stiletto.

But moving from Greg “the Gunman” Gaffney to a drag queen vigilante has not been an easy transition “The two characters can’t be further from each other, although they both have a degree of blood lust” says Guy Edmonds.

Guy is rapidly gaining a reputation for his ability to give extremely intense and physical performances. His rough edge was first evident in Home and Away when he played Riverboy, Brodie Upton. But Guy has also played paramedic, Stuart Mapleton, in All Saints and a variety of comedy characters in skit show, Double Take. In fact, Guy’s comedy talent has recently been recognized internationally with the acceptance of his short film, It’s a Treat, into the Burbank and NYC Film Festival which he produced alongside Stiletto Director, Luke Mayze,.

“I don’t think being versatile as an actor is necessarily what I aim to be, it’s just that I am interested in good parts, learning new skills, and pushing the skills I have in new directions”, says Guy.

And The Silver Stiletto promises to do just that. When friend and collaborator, Luke Mayze, sent Guy the script of the short film, he knew right away he had to do it. “It was just such a powerful idea, well written, and the characters so intriguing”, he says.

The role of a cross-dressing anti-hero, however, carries some unique challenges. Apart from elaborate make-up, wigs, hairdressing and costume changes, the script calls for a musical fight scene.

“There were elaborate fights scenes required in Underbelly and the skills I honed in that role have been useful for The Silver Stiletto, but there are some things it couldn’t prepare me for.” says Guy. Firstly, the Silver Stiletto comes from a martial arts discipline while Underbelly tended to use street fighting. And then of course, there is fighting in a dress and in high heels.

In order to prepare for the role Guy has undertaken 13 weeks of fight training, with the last 6 weeks being done in his stilettos. “The heels wreak havoc with your balance and there’s a greater chance of injury, for me and I guess for the other actors” Guy relates with a grimace.

In addition to playing the main role in the film, Guy has also came on board as a producer.

“I’ve been in front of the camera enough times now that I have a fairly good idea about how a good set is managed. But I am one of three producers, so the workload is pretty evenly spread. As I said, it’s all about finding good roles and sometimes producing can be a good role too”. Guy’s last producing (and acting) project, It’s a Treat, has been accepted in the NYC Film Festival, Burbank International Film Festival, and also the Brisbane International Film Festival.

A part of the producer’s role is to raise the production budget and the producers have registered the Silver Stiletto project with the Australian Cultural Fund and has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status. This makes any donation over $2 tax deductible. Anyone interested in donating can do so at www.silverstilettomovie.com

 
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Ghostlight Finalise ‘Trails in the Sky’ Collector’s Edition

BRAINTREE, UK – 25/08/2011

Ghostlight are delighted to announce that they have finalised the Collector’s Edition of Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.

This fantastic package includes:

UMD box
5 art cards (art from the Japanese telephone cards)
Soundtrack featuring a CD busting 33 tracks
The Collector’s Edition box

And anyone who orders through the Ghostlight store will receive an
A1 poster which will be sent separately rolled in a tube – NOT FOLDED!!

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was released in the USA earlier this year to critical acclaim, drawing praise for its excellent dialogue, fantastic sound track and fascinating battle system. It’s Metarating on Metacritic currently stands at 80.

Established in 2004, Ghostlight specialise in bringing the best in Japanese gaming to the PAL region. We have released JRPGs such as Agarest: Generations of War, Shadowhearts: From the New World and multiple entries in the Shin Megami Tensei series, including Digital Devil Saga, Digital Devil Saga 2, Lucifer’s Call and Persona 3 Portable. We are currently working on Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky and Persona 2 Portable (both on PSP) and will soon be releasing Agarest: Generations of War Zero for PS3.

 
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METAL SONIC! AMY-ROSE! ROBOTS! IT CAN ONLY BE SONIC CD

Friday 26th August 2011 —SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Sonic CD™ will debut on mobile phones and consoles everywhere. Originally released for the MEGA CD™ system in 1993 and with Metal Sonic and Amy Rose making their introduction, Sonic CD is coming to digital platforms with music from the original Japanese soundtrack. The beloved prequel to Sonic The Hedgehog 4 ™ Episode I is coming to iPhone® and iPod® touch, iPad®,  Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation® Network, PC Digital Download, Android and Windows Phone 7 and will be available for download this summer. 

“Ask any Sonic fan to name their favourite games, and Sonic CD always ranks near the top of their lists,” said Haruki Satomi, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “Sonic CD marks an important chapter in Sonic’s history, bridging the gap between his oldest adventures and his new digital exploits like Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I. We’ve made sure the re-mastered edition has everything that Sonic fans want to see with all of the original colourful classic zones.”

Following the classic story of the original, Sonic CD sees Dr Eggman plan to cause chaos and take control of the future by stealing Times Stones from the Little Planet. Sonic must speed through levels and travel through time whilst fending off Eggman’s robots to recover the Time Stones, and save Amy Rose from his mechanical twin, Metal Sonic! This fast-paced game will return with brand new features including enhanced widescreen graphics, iOS features, Xbox LIVE Achievements, PSN Trophies, PC Achievements and more.

For more information on Sonic CD, please visit http://www.sega.com/

 
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CALL OF DUTY® XP GETS LUCKY: CELT ROCKERS DROPKICK MURPHYS TO PERFORM LIVE OPENING NIGHT

Boston-Based Punk Veterans Take The Stage At 8pm; All Attendees Guaranteed Admission

Sydney, Australia – August 26, 2011 – Activision Publishing (Nasdaq: ATVI) has tapped “green-collar” punk revelers Dropkick Murphys to perform opening night at 8pm, Sept. 2nd,at the first ever Call of Duty® XP, the destination for Call of Duty® gamers worldwide. The critically-acclaimed Dropkick Murphys–known for their complex distillation of classic punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock ‘n’ roll will deliver a knockout live performance. The two day Call of Duty fan event features the global premiere of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 multiplayer, a $1 Million Tournament presented by Xbox 360® and other landmark experiences including these live musical performances. Call of Duty XP will take place September 2nd and 3rd, 2011, in Los Angeles, Calif.

“With an unbeatable lineup of real-world and in-game experiences, Call of Duty XP was already poised to be an historic event for fans of the franchise,” said Eric Hirshberg, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing. “The addition of Dropkick Murphys just makes XP that much more memorable. Few bands fit the bill better—we’re thrilled to have them performing on opening day.”

Now in their 16th year, Dropkick Murphys have slingshot from their Irish punk roots in Quincy, Mass., to become one of the world’s best known rock acts, routinely packing houses for their phenomenal live shows. The band’s countless EPs, singles, compilations and seven studio albums—including 1997’s Do or Die, 1999’s The Gang’s All Here, 2001’s Sing Loud Sing Proud, 2003’s Blackout, 2005’s The Warrior’s Code, 2007’s The Meanest Of Times and the 2011 release Going Out In Style—have earned the septet mainstream success and the adoration of fans around the globe.

For more information about Call of Duty XP, please visit www.callofduty.com/xp.

About Activision Publishing
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.

About Dropkick Murphys
Known for their complex distillation of classic punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock ‘n roll, critically-acclaimed Dropkick Murphys have released 7 full-length studio albums and sold over 4 million copies worldwide since hitting the scene in 1996. Their 2011 Going Out In Style CD, released via the group’s own Born & Bred Records, debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200–the group’s highest chart debut to date. Going Out In Style has received overwhelming praise, with USA Today declaring it “funny, moving, inspiring and, above all, entertaining.” The video for “Going Out In Style” was featured at #1 on Rolling Stone’s “Hot List,” while the CD landed the #1 spot on the magazine’s Local Favorite’s chart in the March 31, 2011 issue. 2007’s The Meanest Of Times has sold over 300,000 copies sold worldwide. The Meanest Of Times was #40 on Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums Of The Year and “The State Of Massachusetts” came in at #83 on their Top 100 Singles of the year. The group’s single “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”–from 2005’s The Warrior’s Code CD–has sold over 1.25 million copies. “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” a song with lyrics penned by Woody Guthrie, gained mainstream notoriety after being prominently featured in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-winning film The Departed. It can be commonly heard at sporting events and on television as a theme song for many sports teams (even outside of Boston). The Boston Garden plays it at pivotal moments throughout Bruins and Celtics games and Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon uses it as his entrance music when he comes out of the bullpen. The band has sold out shows worldwide and cultivated one of the most fervent fan bases in rock music. They’re an integral part of Boston’s cultural identity and even penned the theme song to the first Red Sox World Series win in 86 years. www.dropkickmurphys.com

 
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THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL™ – EXTENDED CUT REFUSED CLASSIFICATION

No extended cut granted for House of the Dead: Overkill

Wednesday 24th August 2011 – SEGA®Australia Pty Ltd would like to confirm that the much anticipated The House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut has been refused classification by the Classification Operations Branch of Australia. House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut was set to release in Australia exclusively for the Playstation®Move for the Playstation®3 computer entertainment system on October 27th 2011.

SEGA Australia are determined to appeal the decision immediately and hope to have the classification overturned without making any changes or amends to the final game. Managing Director Darren Macbeth believes the Board’s decision to refuse classification is indicative of the current inconsistencies of the system for video game classifications in Australia, “There are far worse titles currently available in the marketplace which involve more than shooting down mutants in humorous circumstances. We will do everything we can to prove that House of the Dead: Overkill is worthy of an MA15+ rating in Australia.”

The House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut offers players a gruesome shooter experience with all seven stages of the original remastered and two brand new scenarios added as well as Move and 3D support exclusive to Playsation®3. For more information please visit www.sega.com/overkill/

 
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Lenovo’s New ThinkCentre M71e to Deliver Productivity and Security Features for Big Business

Sydney, Australia – August 24, 2011: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced a new entry-level desktop, the ThinkCentre M71e, designed for enterprise business. Equipped with 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i processors, rapid boot-up and security authentication settings, the M71e is aimed at providing larger businesses with the productivity, security, manageability and reliability features required to run any successful organisation.

“With nearly 30 years experience in building leading desktop PC’s, Lenovo has considered what is most important for enterprise business. With security, manageability, deployment, ease of use, stability and productivity front of mind, the features built into the M71e cater specifically to the needs of this audience,” said David Heyworth, Commercial Product Group Manager, Lenovo Australia and New Zealand.

The ThinkCentre M71e is equipped with Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience 2.0 capability, with optional SSD, providing users with a start-up time of less than 15 seconds meaning office professionals can begin their working day more efficiently. The desktop features an Intel® Core™ i7 processor for enhanced productivity, to provide multi-tasking capabilities such as working with several applications at once. It supports up to four individual monitors, six external USB ports and provides users with the reliability that Lenovo’s ThinkCentres are renowned for.

“The M71e, like every Lenovo desktop, has to pass rigorous testing including vibration, heat, freeze, shock tests and even drop tests. It’s this intense level of testing across our desktop range that has helped make Lenovo the choice of global commercial customers, for dependable and reliable desktops,” said Heyworth.

The ThinkCentre M71e features advanced security settings including ThinkVantage View Management Utility, and Password Manager Software to manage passwords for encrypted drives. The maximised security and manageability features provide larger businesses and professionals with the confidence that their desktops are secure and protected at all times.

Pricing and Availability2
Models of the ThinkCentre M71e desktop start at AU$689, and will be available in August through business partners and www.lenovo.com.au. Prices quoted include GST.[1]

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