Today Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment releases a new gameplay vignette, focusing on the recently revealed character Beleram, the Great Eagle, from their upcoming video game, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. This vignette illustrates Beleram’s critical role as strategic component for players of this 3 player co-op action RPG. In the war brewing in Northern Middle-earth, the strategic alliance with Beleram cannot be underestimated.

Ripping enemies limb from limb, grabbing foes in his talons and flinging them off cliffs, destroying enemy structures and taking to the air in defence of the Fellowship; whilst Beleram cannot be tamed or owned, his strength can be called upon to save the North of Middle-earth. Closing with a final image of the eagle smiting a foul Fell Beast, Beleram is one of a handful of heroes that stand in Sauron’s path in the North.

ROGUE GADDA BY NICOLE MURPHY

‘a rollicking romp’ – Courier Mail

The much anticipated third book in Nicole Murphy’s trilogy, Rogue Gadda continues the magic, romance and family feuds of Secret Ones and Power Unbound.

Hampton Rourke has always lived under his father’s shadow and he’s not convinced he’s the right man to be leading the search for Asarlai and the Forbidden Texts. When the clues lead to Boston and he stumbles upon one of the fabled lost families, Hampton faces challenges that will test his faith in himself.

Charlotte Haraldson has been taught to hate the bardria, so the fact that the man of her dreams isn’t just from Sclossin, but is the most powerful of them all, means that it is impossible for her to be with him. Then she learns that everything she’s been taught is lies and she has to find new meaning for her and the gadda.

With Asarlai setting loose one of the most dangerous gadda who has ever lived and then gaining a powerful ally, the pressure builds to stop her and retrieve the texts before she can finalise her terrible plan and change the world forever.

About the author

Nicole Murphy has been a teacher and journalist, but is now concentrating on her writing. She has had many short stories published, and has edited speculative fiction magazines. She lives in Queanbeyan with her husband, Tim.

Don’t fall for emails or phone calls offering quick tax refunds or asking to confirm your personal details.

Melbourne, 23 June 2011 — AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG anti-virus and Internet security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, is alerting Australians to the threat to personal identity of the latest scams being created for the tax return season starting on 1 July.

With 2.4 million individuals, or nearly 20 percent of tax payers, using the Australian Tax Office’s e-Tax electronic tax return service, cyber criminals have discovered a vast new audience for their activities. While the filing of tax returns directly via the e-Tax service is secure, other communications are opening Australians to risk.

AVG (AU/NZ) is seeing that, just as paper tax filings can be subject to mischief, Australians are now falling prey to fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls purporting to be from tax officials.

“Today, electronic communication is the norm, but it’s important not to let your guard down,” Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist at AVG (AU/NZ), warns. “In upcoming months, when the prospect of tax refunds is on everyone’s mind, be alert to emails and phone calls about money owed to you by the ATO or the need to recalculate your tax.”

While the ATO uses emails and SMS for service alerts, it will never request the confirmation, update or disclosure of confidential personal details.

Borrett said: “Think about all the information included in your return – your tax file number, details of investments, retirement accounts, employment, property you own, even your children’s childcare. In the hands of cyber criminals, your identity and more could be at risk.”

AVG (AU/NZ) offers the following tips for individuals filing their returns online. To stay protected and keep personal data exactly where it should be – between you and the ATO:

Always open your e-Tax filing directly from the ATO’s site www.ato.gov.au, never click through from an email invitation.

Always use a trusted Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection – While you could file your taxes using your smartphone or laptop from the neighbourhood coffee shop or the airport, simply don’t. File from home or the office where you have a firewall in place and Internet security installed.

Update your computer’s anti-virus software – New online threats are discovered every day. The first line of defence against these attacks is an up-to-date anti-virus program on your computer or smartphone. Before you start compiling your documentation, run an update on both your PC and phone’s security software to ensure you’re fully protected, or download free protection from trusted sites such as www.avgfree.com.au

Email over fax – If you’re compiling information with your tax agent or family members from multiple locations, think twice before faxing sensitive materials. Email is far more secure, especially if sent and received via a secure Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection and a computer with up-to-date antivirus software. Also ensure you delete those files from your email server once you’ve filed your return.

If you receive suspect communication from “the ATO”, do not click on any links in an email or answer phone questions. You can report unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Tax Office by forwarding the entire email to ReportEmailFraud@ato.gov.au. Keep an eye on the ATO’s security page and the Government’s Stay Smart Online Alert Service for the latest tax related scams.

“With layers of protection, including a secure network, protected computer or mobile device and cautious use of email and third-party websites, filing online can be safe and efficient for everyone,” Borrett said.

e-Tax Essentials from the ATO site are at: www.ato.gov.au/content/39979.htm, while information about ATO-specific scams is at: www.ato.gov.au/onlineservices/content.aspx?doc=/content/62347.htm&mnu=41675&mfp=001/002

AVG (AU/NZ) has a comprehensive range of security tips on its web site at http://www.avg.com.au/resources/security-tips/. For video tips from AVG (AU/NZ), see http://www.youtube.com/user/avgaunz.

Keep in touch with AVG (AU/NZ)

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Join our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/avgaunz

Price Drop for Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL

Australia and New Zealand, 23 June, 2011

Nintendo announces that from 30 June 2011, Nintendo DSi™ will be available for only SRP AU $199.95* and Nintendo DSi™ XL for SRP AU $249.95. Previously Nintendo DSi was SRP AU $249.95 and Nintendo DSi XL was SRP AU $299.95.

The popular handheld consoles have sold more than 3.1 million units* (includes Nintendo DS® and Nintendo DS® Lite) since the original Nintendo DS launch in 2005. Nintendo DS has sold the highest number of all video game consoles in Australia for six consecutive years.

Nintendo DSi launched in 2009 and was an upgrade to the Nintendo DS Lite. Nintendo DSi’s features include: the Nintendo DSi Camera, two cameras with 11 different lenses; Nintendo DSi Sound – you can store, play and manipulate your music; SD memory card slot for additional storage space, ideal for your photos and music. Nintendo DSi is also a slimmer unit than the previous model, with increased sound quality, larger LCD screens and the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Nintendo DSi XL launched in 2010 and contains all the features of Nintendo DSi, but the screens are 93 per cent bigger than the Nintendo DS Lite screen. The wide-angle visibility of the larger screens makes Nintendo DSi XL perfect for sharing. Nintendo DSi XL also comes with preinstalled software, including: Nintendo DSi Browser – so you can browse the internet; Clubhouse Games™ – play classic card games such as Blackjack and Five Card Draw; A Little Bit of… Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training™: Arts Edition – a fun brain training game that you can play for just a few minutes every day; Photo Clock – turns your Nintendo DSi XL into a photo frame with a clock and alarm function, choose from a range of clock styles and alarms; and Flipnote Studio™ – an application that can be used as a notepad to create animated sequences with the stylus. No matter what your artistic experience, it’s easy to create, upload, and share your own animations with friends and family members.

A great range of software is available to play on both consoles, including Art Academy™, Brain Training, Mario Kart™ DS, the Professor Layton series, New Super Mario Bros.™ and nintendogs™, offering something for everyone, no matter what your age or gaming experience.

*NZ SRP – based on currency conversion rates as at 15 June 2011 Nintendo DSi as at 30 June $274.51; Nintendo DSi XL as at 30 June $343.99
Nintendo DSi previously $343.99; Nintendo DSi XL previously 30 June $411.73

**All sell through and market share information courtesy of internal tracking

R.I.P. IT UP!  GHOST HARVEST LAUNCHES ON iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH  

Get ready to dig in with the launch of Ghost Harvest on the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch.

• HARVEST TONNES OF SOULS – Plant, grow and harvest souls to earn you big karma points and coins! With zombie, grumpy bird and pirate ghosts, who needs crops?
• PROTECT YOUR ENTERPRISE – Grow poltergeists to stop reporters, education channel ghost hunters and the Paranormal Patrol from ruining your altruistic enterprise in a tower defense style mini-game.
• DECK OUT YOUR CEMETERY – Customize your cemetery by adding cool and unique decorations: Cerberus Scarecrows, mausoleums, haunted mansions and more!
• GROW YOUR KARAMA AND PROFITS – Increase the size of your graveyard by leveling up so you can get cool new items and scare off bigger, craftier invaders!

More information about Battleship for iPad and Ghost Harvest for iPhone and iPod touch can be found at www.eamobile.com

Get ready to take to the water and sink the competition with today’s launch of BATTLESHIP for iPad on the App Store!

• EXPERIENCE MORE FIREPOWER! The intense graphic performance of your iPad brings the strategic action of BATTLESHIP to life–launch strikes with tactical precision on the large Multi-Touch display, witness big guns blazing and smoke-billowing carriers sinking to their dooms, and escalate the intensity with new ships, more powerful weapons, and wider-scale battle environments including 3D scenes in fog, storms, and balmy sunshine.

• BATTLE IN 2 PLAYER MULTIPLAYER MODE – AN iPAD EXCLUSIVE! Challenge a friend and recreate the classic board game experience on your iPad in the innovative 2-Player Mode. Also, go iPad to iPad (or iPhone/iPod touch) with Local Multiplayer over Bluetooth and Wifi.

• ENGAGE ENEMIES IN ADDITIONAL SINGLE-PLAYER MODES! Take on seaborne enemies in the authentic Classic Mode, fire at will in the intense Salvo Mode, or employ an array of lethal power in Super Weapons Mode. 

Radical Entertainment is extremely proud to announce the launch of //Blacknet, a free and exciting new fan-focused Facebook application located at www.facebook.com/Prototype .

Modeled after PROTOTYPE® 2’s //Blacknet in-game interface, Facebook fans will be able to work together as a community to “hack” into Blackwatch’s encrypted network and uncover new exclusive content, including behind-the-scenes file access, gameplay videos, screenshots, wallpapers, interviews, commentaries and a whole lot more!

With awesome new content unlocking every week, Radical intends to continue giving back to the PROTOTYPE fan community all the way up to and beyond PROTOTYPE 2’s launch in 2012.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, – June 21, 2011 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and legendary Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture today announced that Shadows of the Damned™ is now available at retail stores across Australia and New Zealand.

Created by renowned developers Suda51 (director of No More Heroes), Shinji Mikami (director of Resident Evil) and music composer Akira Yamaoka (sound director of Silent Hill), Shadows of the Damned combines visceral, grindhouse-style action with a psychologically twisted setting to provide a truly one-of-a-kind vision of hell, and is already receiving worldwide critical acclaim, with Game Informer giving it 9.25 out and 10, stating “Shadows of the Damned is a road trip to Hell well worth taking.”

Heavily influenced by grindhouse-style projects, Shadows of the Damned takes gamers on a demented journey through a tortured underworld where death and destruction are around every corner. Playing as professional demon hunter Garcia Hotspur, gamers must harness the power of the light to save Paula – the love of his life – from the Lord of Demons. Manipulating this balance of light versus dark gameplay in different settings and scenarios, gamers can discover new ways to defeat vicious enemies and solve mind-boggling puzzles. Along this hellish adventure, players will be aided by Johnson, a former demon with the ability to transform into an arsenal of upgradeable, supernatural weapons, giving Garcia the power to rip apart the forces of the damned and ultimately protect what he loves most.

Developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, Shadows of the Damned is now available in Australia and New Zealand for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. For more information on Shadows of the Damned, please visit: http://www.ea.com/au/shadows-of-the-damned

Massive open game world for car racing MMOG Level R

Hamburg, June 22, 2011 – The latest expansion for gamigo’s car racing MMOG Level R is sure to get racing enthusiasts’ adrenaline pumping. Instead of waiting in a boring online lobby for someone to race against, players can now explore a huge city and challenge other racers or play a variety of minigames such as taxi runs and puzzle missions.

Another highlight from this expansion is a brand new supercar: the VW Nardo. Volkswagen broke a number of world records with this exclusive machine. Now players can get behind the wheel and experience the adrenaline rush of 600 horsepower in Level R.

Features and improvements made with “Leila” at a glance:

• Open game world in which all players can cruise around the city together, challenge each other and play minigames
• Eleven challenging new tracks
• The event calendar allows players to set up their own tournaments or spontaneous race events. Other players can use the calendar to sign up for these events.
• New car: Supercar VW Nardo
• Numerous bug fixes

More information about Level R can be found on the game’s official website.