HE FANCY PANTS ADVENTURES ON CONSOLE TODAY

Join Fancy Pants Man in the most pants-filled game you’ll play all year! The Fancy Pants AdventuresTM is available for download today on the PlayStation® Network for $9.95 in Australia and $11.50 in New Zealand and on XboxLIVE® Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points. The Fancy Pants Adventures is a whimsical, side-scrolling platformer with a charming and distinctive hand-drawn art style.

The adventures of Fancy Pants Man gained popularity as a browser-based flash series that has been played over 100 million times with over 50 million unique visitors. Now on console, gamers can experience all of the exciting and addicting levels from the original game along with an entirely new world, new story and never-before-seen modes designed exclusively for the new release.

The Fancy Pants Adventures casts players in the role of the game’s hero – a hand-drawn stick figure named Fancy Pants Man who embarks on a mission to rescue his kidnapped sister, Cutie Pants. Sporting his trademark orange pants, Fancy Pants Man begins his journey in Squiggleville, racing through more than 20 unique open levels filled with challenges and bonus rooms where he must defeat comical enemies and overcome clever obstacles. Along the way, gamers can unlock over 140 unique customizations including 40 weapons to help Fancy Pants Man in his quest to defeat the Pirates.

An exciting new element has been added to The Fancy Pants Adventures to round out its console experience and make gameplay unforgettable. Up to four-players can now have the opportunity to slide, roll and jump together as they boost teammates to higher levels with cooperative gameplay or duel each other with weapons in an attempt to fight for first place in competitive gameplay. The multiplayer modes include Co-op Story Mode, Races, King of the Hill and even Tournaments, all of which support both local and online multiplayer.

The Fancy Pants Adventures is developed by Over the Top Games in conjunction with Borne Games and EA 2D, a dedicated team inside of EA focused on creating high-quality games within the direct-to-consumer market. To learn more about The Fancy Pants Adventures, please visit the game’s official web site at http://fancypantsadventures.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/runfastrunfancy, or “like” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thefancypantsadventures.

AFA Interactive in conjunction with City Interactive, one of the fastest growing, worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment has today confirmed that the best selling first-person shooter; Sniper: Ghost Warrior, will be released in Australia for the PlayStation 3 system on Thursday the 5th of May.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior is set on the fictitious South American island of Isla Trueno, which is in turmoil following a military coup by the despotic General Vasquez. Vasquez and his mercenary army have taken control of the island, and the player is charged with joining forces with a group of covert commandos and infiltrating his base. However, whereas most first-person shooter titles focus on up-close firefights, Sniper: Ghost Warrior has won a legion of fans with its mix of stealth and realistic use of sniping.

Players are thus given total control as they pick their targets and take them out using their sniping skills. Wind direction, the movement of your target and precision aiming are essential to taking out Vasquez and his men, elevating Sniper: Ghost Warrior above its peers.

The release of Sniper: Ghost Warrior for PlayStation 3 comes after the Xbox 360 and PC versions which have amassed sales of over one million units within just seven months. The PlayStation 3 game retains the realism of the existing versions, but adds new features and improvements to the game.

Revamped game play and graphics, and ‘Hard Core’ mode for elite players
All-new enemy AI
Exclusive single player missions for PlayStation 3
All-new multi-player modes including Capture the Flag and bonus multi-player maps
New sniper rifles including the L96 and the M200 Intervention

“We are delighted to confirm the May 5th release date for the highly anticipated Playstation 3 version of Sniper: Ghost Warrior” commented Robert Allford, Managing Director of AFA Interactive. “Rather than just port the original over, City Interactive have tweaked, revamped and enhanced the game in a number of ways, making it a much stronger title. This is indicative of City Interactive’ commitment to producing the very best titles and using lessons they have learnt in the past to benefit gamers. As such, we have high hopes that the PlayStation 3 game will equal or better the amazing success of its XBOX360 and PC counterparts.”

Sniper: Ghost Warrior for the PlayStation 3 system is scheduled to be released in Australia on May 5th. More information can be found online at http://www.sniperghostwarrior.com/ and http://www.afainteractive.com.au

About Sniper: Ghost Warrior

When the democratic government of Isla Trueno is overthrown, an aggressive and hostile military command rises to power. A highly trained special ops unit is sent in to help the rebels accomplish objectives that only a sniper can handle. In addition to intense sniper missions, players will also take part in a variety of assault scenarios where their prowess with weapons will be a huge help to the undermanned rebels.

About City Interactive

City Interactive is an international video game publisher and developer. With a broad range of high-quality products for PC, handhelds and next-gen consoles, City Interactive aims to offer affordable games for casual and special-interest gamers. With a presence in more than 40 markets, City Interactive is one of the world’s fastest-growing interactive entertainment companies. Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, the company operates through offices in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Since November 2007, City Interactive has been publicly listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

About AFA Interactive

AFA Interactive, established in 1999 is one of Australia’s fastest growing video games distributor supplying games and accessories to the Australian and New Zealand markets. With exclusive distribution rights for Lace Mamba Global, City Interactive, Kalypso Media, Black Bean Games and others, AFA offers a quality broad range of titles across all video games formats. In addition AFA Interactive markets its own brand of games accessories and is the license holder for Ben 10 gaming accessories for numerous territories including the United States, South Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom. www.afainteractive.com.au

DOUBLE SONIC SPEED, DOUBLE FUN

Celebrate 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog with Sonic Generations™

Tuesday 19^th April 2011 – SEGA® Europe Ltd. & SEGA® America, Inc., today announced details of Sonic Generations™, the highly anticipated video game title in development to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20^th Anniversary.  Delivering the definitive gaming experience for Sonic fans old and new, Sonic Generations™ sees Sonic the Hedgehog playable as both the much loved classic 1991 character, and the modern day video game hero he has become in this exciting new fast paced adventure.  Sonic Generations™ will speed into stores for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system later this year.

Set across three defining eras from 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog video game history, the instantly recognisable environments of Sonic Generations™ have been re-built in stunning HD and are now playable in both classic side scrolling 2D from 1991, as well as modern 3D style found in Sonic’s most recent adventures.  Each incarnation of Sonic in Sonic Generations™ comes complete with his trademark special move, Spin Dash and Spin Attack for Classic Sonic, and Homing Attack and Sonic Boost for Modern Sonic.  An innovative new interactive menu system allows for complete immersion in Sonic’s universe with favourite characters and hidden treasures gradually being revealed throughout the game. 

“Sonic Generations will certainly be a fitting celebration for Sonic’s 20^th Anniversary” commented David Corless, Global Brand Director for Sonic.  “By having the classic 1991 Sonic that many fans know and love team up with his modern day incarnation, we are bringing back the nostalgia of the early days of Sonic and combining it with the innovation and stunning HD technology of the modern gaming era.  Sonic Generations will bring to life the last twenty years of Sonic’s universe in a truly unique and imaginative way”

Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power creates ‘time holes’ which pull him and his friends back through time.  As a result he encounters some surprises from his past history including Classic Sonic, Sonic as he appeared in 1991.  Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic must defeat this strange new enemy, save their friends, and find out who really is behind this diabolical deed… 

For more information about the game, please visit www.sega.com/sonicgenerations

Adrenaline-Filled Play4Free Racing Game Need for Speed World Expands with New Game Modes

Experience the white-hot intensity of illicit street racing in the all-new Team Escape mode in Need for SpeedTM World, the Play4Free online PC action racing game from EA. Available now, players can team up with three friends to win the race while battling a determined police force. This is a race to the finish line using any means necessary including roadblocks, spike strips and deadly rhino SUVs. Players can also fight back with two brand new power-ups; Team Emergency Evade, which can be used to save friends from getting busted with a more powerful blast than regular evade, and Team Slingshot which gives one team a huge burst of speed.

Sydney, Australia. – April 20, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games today announced that LEGO® Ninjago: The Video Game for the Nintendo DS™ family of handheld systems is now spinning into retail stores across Australia. The game, inspired by the recently launched LEGO Ninjago product line, will also be available in North America, and Europe and other PAL territories.

Produced by critically acclaimed TT Games and developed by Hellbent Games, LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game continues the highly-successful LEGO Battles video game brand and introduces kids and the young at heart to an epic tale of good versus evil, exciting battles and quirky LEGO humor. Along the journey, fans will master the art of Spinjitzu – a frenetic, tornado-like spinning combat technique – to battle enemies both new and recognizable to the LEGO world.

“We are very pleased to launch LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game  based on the new LEGO Ninjago toy line, as the game creates an entirely new adventure building upon what players appreciated in the first game,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games Publishing. “This real time strategy adventure gives kids of all ages a seamless interactive gaming experience complete with epic battles, Ninjas and classic LEGO charm that our audience has come to expect.”

True to the LEGO build-and-play video game experience, LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game allows gamers to build and customize their Spinjitzu armies, deploy ninjas on missions and use magical spells to unleash special attacks on enemies.  Lone warriors can test their skills in a story line that allows them to play as “good” and “evil” single-player campaigns, as well as test their skills in a variety of Battle Mode challenges. 

Gamers can also enjoy additional hours of fun by challenging friends in local wireless DS multiplayer showdowns by battling as either heroic Ninjas, villainous Skulkins, or as one of the bonus hidden hero characters.

LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game is rated PG for Parental Guidance and is available for the Nintendo DS system for $49.95. For more information please visit: www.videogames.lego.com/Ninjago.

GfK Industry Award ranks Canon as ‘No 1 Camera Brand in Australia’ in 2010, as World of EOS achieves 50,000 members 

Sydney, 20 April 2011: Canon has been ranked the No. 1 brand in Australia for the total digital camera market in 2010, owing to the popularity of its IXUS and PowerShot compact camera and EOS digital SLR (DSLR) camera brands. Canon has claimed the No.1 camera market position for the fourth straight year, holding the lead with 19% volume (units) share and 31% value share for 2010, according to GfK retail audit data.*¹

GfK data ranks Canon at the top of the DSLR market in 2010 with 56% volume share and 59% value share, 6-point increase in units and 5-point increase in value compared to 2009.*² Canon also held the No. 1 position in the fixed lens market (compact cameras) with 16% volume and 21% value share.*³

The award coincides with Canon’s achievement this month of its 50,000^th member of the ground-breaking World of EOS photographic website. Designed to inspire, develop and challenge photographers of all levels around creative photography, the website has received 5.97 million unique visitors in 2010 alone.

“We’re very pleased that in a year that brought some challenging business conditions and fierce competition, Canon’s Digital SLR and compact cameras continue to remain the people’s choice in Australia,” said Jason McLean, Director – Canon Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “In value terms, almost one in every three dollars spent on a camera in Australia in 2010 was spent buying a Canon, which is a significant achievement.”*⁴

“Canon’s heavy global investment in developing the highest-quality products coupled with our locally driven programs to add value to the retail and consumer experience have delivered enduring growth for our camera business,” added McLean.

Canon’s General Manager of Sales and Customer Leadership Brydie York says that the potential for future growth is strong: “While the compact market is a mature one, there’s healthy growth with consumers upgrading more quickly than ever before. Expectations around high image quality, creative expression and capturing true-to-life images effortlessly continue to influence consumers to upgrade to the latest technology, and this is where Canon stands out in the buyer’s mind.”

“Our retail partners play a crucial role in Canon’s continued success and the recent ‘Jet with Canon’ in-store promotion contributed to increasing Canon’s market share of the total digital camera category by 4 percentage points in value terms during the key selling period of December.*⁵

“While achieving number No.1 is a great result, we see market share as an outcome of everything else we do and not a strategic driver,” said York. “We’re focused on making meaningful contributions to the categories we participate in and take our leadership role very seriously. The challenge for us is to continue to innovate and build engaging programs that enhance the retail experience and drive consumer loyalty.”

*1             GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, retail sales units and value Jan to Dec 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

*2             GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras – With Changeable lens – DSLR, retail sales units and value Jan to Dec 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

*3             GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras – Fixed Lens, retail sales units and value Jan to Dec 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

*4             GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, retail sales value Jan to Dec 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

*5             GfK Retail and Technology Australia, Digital Still Cameras, retail sales value Dec 2009 vs. Dec 2010 (excludes internet and online channels)

Related links:

• Learn more about Canon’s TruCapture technology, PowerShot and IXUS
• Explore The World of EOS and Canon’s EOS DSLR range

Universal Pictures Australia, in conjunction with ABC1 are pleased to announce the DVD release of the new documentary series, Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life, available to own from June 29th 2011.

Meet Chris Humfrey, a zoologist who lives with his young family and their REALLY big dog in an idyllic bush haven. But the Humfreys also share their home with a few other pets – more than 2000 and each one of them needs care and attention 24/7. In Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life, viewers can expect an unscripted half-hour ‘docu-soap’ animal series located in the sprawling bush-land zoo the Humfreys call home in Macedon in Victoria.

But family life, work life and wild life don’t always fit neatly together… New sagas unfold every day at the zoo. In between training staff and taking calls, Chris figures out what to do with a giant python with a back problem or cares for baby owl masked chicks. He struggles to breed new animals and always delights in seeing new life – even if it means bottle-feeding baby wallabies in the middle of the night. Just when Chris and Nicole think that things are running smoothly, something wildly unpredictable always surprises them. One of his presenters loses a large snake in an inner city residential area; a door carelessly left open results in the office being over run by thousands of stick insects; tragedy strikes when feral foxes attack in the middle of the night.

Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life will delight the whole family, taking viewers on a journey while educating kids on the intriguing and wonderful world of Australia’s native fauna. Follow Chris, Nicole and their two daughters in this chaotic, 13-episode animal-crazy series that captures the drama, the danger, the animal antics and the sheer exhilaration of Chris Humfrey’s Wild Life.

CHRIS HUMFREY’S WILD LIFE DVD
Price: Volume 1 SRP$19.95 (Contains Episodes 1 to 7, 15 minutes of Bonus Features and sticker sheet)
Volume 2 SRP$19.95 (Contains Episodes 8 to 13, 21 minutes of Bonus Features and sticker sheet)
Boxset SRP$29.95 (Contains Volumes 1 and 2 together)
Configuration: 13 episodes – approx. 25 minutes in length
Genre: TV Documentary
Rating : PG

BONUS CONTENT
Volume 1 Volume 2
• Chiropractor Treats Koalas
• Chris Feeds Pinky Joey
• Chris Does A Wild Action Show
• Delivery Of New Insects
• Dingo Test
• Force Feeding A Woma Python
• Nymboida Spotlighting
• Sexing A Bettong
• Staff Night
• Velvet Geckos Hatched
• Zoo At Night
– ENDS –

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today released a new batch of screenshots from the highly-anticipated survival horror game, Silent Hill: Downpour. The new assets illustrate even more spine-tingling moments from Silent Hill: Downpour that are sure to haunt players as KONAMI continues to unveil the deep and dark storyline of this latest Silent Hill thriller. 

Making its return to “next generation” consoles this spring, Silent Hill: Downpour brings a completely original storyline, and all-new soundtrack as players find themselves stranded in the foggy, malevolent world of Silent Hill. Silent Hill: Downpour starts as Murphy Pendleton, the game’s main character, finds himself lost and alone in the woods after his prison transport bus crashes near the town of Silent Hill. What happens after is up to the player as they traverse an all-new environment that is expansive, yet unsettlingly claustrophobic. Though the sleepy town may feel desolate and lonely, players must keep in mind that they are never truly alone in Silent Hill.  

Silent Hill: Downpour is scheduled to release in spring 2011 on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

Madman and XYZnetworks are proud to announce a new home entertainment partnership, beginning June, 2011, which will see selected, locally produced The LifeStyle Channel, LifeStyle FOOD, LifeStyle HOME and LifeStyle YOU programs released for the first time on DVD.

Some of the most popular subscription TV destinations, the four LifeStyle Channels are inspirational, informative and always entertaining with an emphasis on contemporary lifestyle interests. Investment in local production has been key to the LifeStyle Channels’ success – of which, to date, it has produced over 1,000 hours in content.

Launching to market on June 15, the LifeStyle Channels’ DVD range will kick off with four releases – including the first series of the top rating audience favourite ‘property’ show, SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA; the complete gardening guide presented by a trio of well known and eminently qualified horticulturalists that are the GARDEN ANGELS; Rockpool owner and celebrity chef Neil Perry takes us through simple, quick and fresh recipes in NEIL PERRY FRESH & FAST; and iconic Sydney restaurateur Bill Granger (Bills) provides laid-back insight into his approach to delicious, no-fuss recipes using easy to find ingredients in BILLS FOOD.

Paul Wiegard, Managing Director, Madman Entertainment comments: “The LifeStyle Channel is a well established destination on pay TV in Australia, and Madman is very excited to be working with the team there to bring a key selection of the locally produced programming to the home entertainment market. The move into this category is a logical extension of the channels’ brands and we expect the various offerings on DVD to further broaden the strong connection LifeStyle already has with Australian audiences.”

Nicole Sheffield, General Manager, LifeStyle Channels said: “Our local productions have been key to the channels’ success and we are excited to bring our viewers a collection of them on DVD. We’re pleased to be working with Madman on the releases and look forward to many more to come.”

Select future releases for the LifeStyle Channels on DVD include MOAR GARDENING, the gardening series from landscape architect Brendan Moar; and TOBIE & MATT (ASIA & EUROPE), a travel/cooking series featuring Tobie Puttock (Restaurant Fifteen Melbourne, Jamie’s Kitchen Australia) and his best mate Matt Skinner (Head of wine operations for the Restaurant Fifteen Group and author of The Juice) as they travel across Europe and Asia to their favourite food and wine destinations.

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