Coca-Cola Zero™ Story of the Finals To Deliver Crucial Moments From 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Free Online 
 
1 April 2010, Australia – What if you could kick the winning goal that gives your favourite team a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Finals?  What if you could change the outcome of the final match?  Now you can.  Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Coca-Cola Zero™ are teaming up to launch a free* online service called The Coca-Cola Zero Story of the Finals for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ videogame from EA SPORTS™.
 
The feature will enable gamers to relive crucial moments from the actual tournament hours after games have been played. The free service from EA SPORTS will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system.
 
“This is an ambitious and completely unique feature that has never before been attempted for football videogames,” said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. “The hopes and dreams of nations will rise and fall throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final and within hours after the real matches have occurred our development team will re-create the storylines in our game and provide fans the opportunity to replay and, perhaps, change the outcome – virtually.”
 
The Coca-Cola Zero Story of the Finals will enable gamers connected online to play real matches from the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final and face the same challenges their heroes experienced throughout the tournament.
 
The free service complements an existing game mode called The Coca-Cola Zero Story of Qualifying, which enables gamers to relive moments from the 2010 qualifying campaign and the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Finals through over 50 scenario-based challenges.
 
“Just like Coke Zero made the impossible possible by offering real Coke taste with zero calories, the Coca-Cola Zero Story of the Finals empowers people to become part of the game and virtually rewrite sports history,” said Scott Cuppari, Manager, Media and Interactive, Coca-Cola North America.  
 
“Through our partnership with EA SPORTS and their 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa game, we’re offering new, innovative videogame content that delivers a rich experience to gamers and soccer enthusiasts.”  
 
The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will available on the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, Wii™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and iPhone® on 29 April 2010. Visit http://www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM for more information about features. The game is rated G by the OFLC.
 
Screenshots can be downloaded at http://info.ea.com.
 
EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences.  EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogame franchises, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf.  
 
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

* 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and an internet connection are required for play.

# ENDS
 
For more information please contact:
Lisa Knox / Liberty Lee
DEC for EA Play
lisa@deccommunications.com.au / liberty@deccommunications.com.au
(02) 8014 5036 / (02) 8014 5032

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. © The Official Emblem and Official Mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and the FIFA World Cup Trophy are copyrights and trademarks of FIFA. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. Player names and likenesses used under license from FIFA, International Federation of Professional Footballers “(FIFPro)” and national teams.  John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission.   Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Together with Coca-Cola, recognised as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 14 billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

Sydney, AUSTRALIA. April 1^st 2010 – Activision Publishing, Inc.  (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) have released the first details of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions™, the newest entry of non-stop heroic action to star the iconic wall-crawler.  The video game is scheduled for release in September 2010 and will allow players to travel through four different worlds as distinctly different versions of Spider-Man from four universes across Marvel lore, two of which are announced today: The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man Noir.

As Spider-Man, players will experience a wide variety of gameplay and dramatic environments.  The Amazing Spider-Man experience delivers innovative web combat and visuals in a world that pays tribute to the classic era of the legendary Super Hero.  In contrast, Spider-Man Noir features a cunning and covert depiction of Spider-Man, who utilises shadows to perform stealth takedowns in a 1930’s-influenced, black-and-white cinematic environment.

“Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions delivers an original storyline that bridges four unique worlds,” said Rob Kostich, Head of Marketing, Activision Publishing, Inc.    “Each action-packed universe will have its own detailed art design and thrilling missions, challenging gamers to use new skill sets to defeat enemies as they unlock powerful new moves and progress through the game.”

Penned by acclaimed Marvel comic book writer Dan Slott, the story takes players on a mission to capture the magical energy of the Tablet of Order and Chaos, which has been shattered and scattered across parallel universes. Gamers are challenged to battle fan-favorite villains such as the lethal Kraven and a custom, never-before-seen Noir version of Hammerhead, in a quest to restore the fabric of reality.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is developed by Beenox and not yet rated. Fans can learn more about Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and the next worlds to be revealed by visiting www.SpiderManDimensions.com.

Modern Warfare 2 Double XP Weekend

The stimulus package for MW2 (details below) is now available and below is a short list of info on what the community can expect to jump on and experience this week on Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer for Xbox Live:

–       The new maps are available in all playlists, including two dedicated playlists that allow you to play exclusively on those maps.

–       Every playlist in Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer is enabled with Double XP until Monday April 5^th.

–       While the new maps have dedicated playlists, we’ve also weighted them in normal playlist rotation so they show up more often.

–       We’ll be adding the Ranger faction maps (Highrise, Invasion, Skidrow, Terminal) to Hardcore Headquarters Pro

Modern Warfare 2 DLC

The first new multiplayer map pack from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now available worldwide on Xbox LIVE®.   Released by Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package adds five adrenaline-pumping multiplayer arenas to the best-selling title ever on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The Modern Warfare® 2 Stimulus Package can now be downloaded on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system for 1,200 Microsoft Points. 

“Thanks to our community and fans around the world for their continuous feedback and dedication to Modern Warfare 2,” said Robert Bowling, Creative Strategist, Infinity Ward.   “The Stimulus Package introduces several all-new locations to the multiplayer, as well as a few of our favourite classics from Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare® that can now be experienced in a completely unique new way thanks to the additional perks and gametypes Modern Warfare 2 has to offer. As a whole, this DLC package has something for everyone, so we’re excited to see all the new gameplay tactics this brings on Xbox LIVE!”

After launching worldwide on November 10, 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 quickly became a cultural phenomenon making history for the largest one-day entertainment opening ever on its way to topping US$1 billion in retail sales by January according to internal estimates. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package is rated “MA” by the Australian Classification Board for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language.  For more information, visit www.modernwarfare2.com.

First WW2 SUBMARINE ACTION TITLE for X360^® TO BE RELEASED THIS SUMMER 

Gold Coast, Australia, 1 April 2010 – Global video game publisher 505 Games and developer Artech Studios today announced arcade style, submarine action title Naval Assault: The Killing Tide, the first game of its kind for next-gen platforms. Exclusively for Xbox 360™, the game offers players the chance to command their own WWII submarine through multiple combat zones in the North Atlantic in this exciting release.

Getting underway from New York harbor, Naval Assault: The Killing Tide tells the story of the Allied submariner effort against Axis forces across the key naval warzones of World War II. Players will captain an arsenal of faithfully recreated U.S. Naval submarines against enemy warship assaults both above and below the water’s surface. In Naval Assault: The Killing Tide, players will need a healthy dose of stealth and cunning as well as sharp-shooting deck gun and torpedo skills to successfully destroy the enemy fleets in the 30 missions throughout the game.

“It’s intense submarine warfare on the next generation gaming platforms for the first time,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games U.S. “The arcade-style action, dramatic historical settings, and relentless air and sea assaults provides hours of action-packed gameplay.”

Naval Assault: The Killing Tide will support single player and up to four player online multiplayer modes. The title will be published by 505 Games and distributed in Australia and New Zealand exclusively for Xbox 360™ on 17 June 2010.

Activision and Bizarre Creations are announcing that the Blur™ multiplayer beta program has been a tremendous success and would like to thank all those who have been playing and providing feedback by extending the experience and increasing the current multiplayer rank cap from 10 to 15 on Thursday, March 25, 2010.  With this increase, players will now have the ability to unlock new cars, additional mods and a new challenge pack. 

Additional Cars Unlocked:

– Corvette ZR1 (Class B)

– Koenigsegg CCX-R (Class A) 

Additional Mods Unlocked:

– Iron Fist (Increases damage of a Power-up hit)

– Last Gasp (Player fires a Barge when Wrecked) 

Additional Challenges Unlocked:

– Demolition Challenge Pack (16 new challenges) 

For more information on how you can get a Blur™ MP Beta Code and gain access to Ultimate Powered-Up Racing Experience, visit: http://www.blurgame.com.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and join the Powered-Up Blur™ Community. 

About Blur:  

Blur™ is the ultimate powered-up racing experience, dropping players into heart-pumping, electrified action with up to 20 cars trading paint as they charge towards the finish line.  Drivers careen through real-world track locations packed with fast curves, sneaky alternate routes and hair-raising jumps in over 50 licensed cars as they collect and tactically utilise intense Power-ups, including the ability to blast other cars out of the way with huge bursts of energy, boost their speed, and more. For the ultimate multiplayer racing gameplay experience, Blur offers a first in the racing genre with up to 20 players online at the same time, a progressive ranking system that rewards gamers the more they play, objective based race events, and if that weren’t enough, Blur brings back a fan favorite with 4-player split-screen gameplay. Blur will be available this Autumn for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Hard-Hitting Reboot of Gritty Crime-Action Series Shipping in Australia and New Zealand on April 23

SYDNEY, 30^th March 2010 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S, announced today that Dead to Rights™: Retribution has gone gold for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. A reimagining of the multi-million unit selling crime-action series, Dead to Rights: Retribution puts players in control of two playable characters, vice cop Jack Slate and his canine companion Shadow, as they fight to uncover a conspiracy that threatens to destroy Grant City. Deadly on their own, Jack and Shadow are even more formidable as they team up in this no-holds-barred neo-noir journey.

Gameplay in Dead to Rights: Retribution is brutal and relentless, with a seamless combat system that allows players to fluidly transition between third-person shooting, hand-to-hand combat and AI partner control. Jack has a myriad of tools available to him that can be used in any combination, offering a wide variety of choice in how he can dispatch enemies in any combat situation. Players will also have the ability to play as a ferocious canine, Shadow. At various points in the story, the gameplay switches up as players take control of Shadow, interjecting a completely different style of combat than Jack’s. Shadow utilizes his heightened senses to stalk enemies with his stealth abilities and tears enemies apart with his visceral attacks.   

Developed by Volatile Games, Dead to Rights: Retribution will be available on the 23^rd of April. For more information, please visit http://www.deadtorights.com/

The company once more spoils avid gamers for choice with the first graphics cards based on the latest technology from NVIDIA—the eagerly anticipated ENGTX400 series. 

Sydney Australia, 30 March 2010 – The new graphics cards from ASUS deliver all the benefits of the debuting 40nm NVIDIA GPUs, possessing considerable power improvements compared to their predecessors. They come in two varieties in the initial launch. The flagship ENGTX480 uses the GTX480 core with 1401 stream processors and a 384-bit memory interface. This is a frontline extreme performance board with a 700MHz core clock and 1536MB of 3696MHz GDDR5 memory.

It’s accompanied by ASUS’ powerful mainline ENGTX470, which is a 1215 stream processor version of the NVIDIA GTX470 chip. It packs a 607MHz core and 1280MB of GDDR5 RAM at 3348MHz with a 320-bit interface.

Both new graphics boards feature the usual ASUS panache for exceeding reference designs with generous features and add-ons that lead to giant performance gains. 

ASUS unlocks the real potential of this all-new and exciting technology by paving the way for unadulterated overclocking. The company includes exclusive Voltage Tweak functionality via the Smart Doctor application, covering every possible overclocking and overvolting scenario. Beginners to veterans, gamers can make the most of the new GPUs using detailed tweaking options that can easily boost performance by up to 50%. With added cooling solutions, even more radical speeds and improvements can be attained.

Users can even put their efforts to immediate test and gauge success rates with included advanced and entertaining benchmark interface Supersonic Sled. Another powerful software tool that’s in the package is Design Garage, a luxury car-themed creative utility that demonstrates the capabilities of DX11 in a very interactive and impressive manner.

The quality build and thermal properties of ASUS graphics cards have won repeated acclaim over the years, and the new ENGTX480 and ENGTX470 are no exception. They are constructed to withstand punishing duty as pillars of serious gaming and overclocking with extreme cooling solutions and thermally-efficient board materials.

One of the greatest advantages of the new graphics cards is that they are 100% DX11 ready. This means new graphics features such as advanced tessellation for detailed objects, interactive ray tracing in real time and the latest version of NVIDIA’s PhysX can be put to full use as intended.

The two cards further offer NVIDIA CUDA and DirectCompute parallel processing, whereby their great power can be harnessed in general computing – boosting the overall performance of the entire system even in non-graphics applications.

Also on board is the exciting NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ technology, part of the new move towards genuine 3D gaming at the home. Hundreds of game titles already support this technology, with more coming out constantly.

Enthusiasts have waited a long time for the new 400 series of GPUs from NVIDIA, which promises at least three times the performance levels of the previous mainstream desktop 200 series.

Specifications

–       ends –

About ASUS

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with a broad product portfolio that includes notebooks, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, displays, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s home and office users. ASUS won 3,268 awards in 2009, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2009 was US$7.5 billion. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

Marston on his way to earning the “Bearly Legal” Achievement/Trophy. 

Earlier, we revealed a few of the Achievements & Trophies in Red Dead Redemption via new exclusive screens.  Here is a more complete list of all the public in-game accomplishments that can be unlocked and added to your Achievement & Trophy collections (There are also 13 Secret Achievements & Trophies that you’ll need to wait until May 21^st to try to figure out and unlock).  

***

Austin Overpowered
Complete Twin Rocks, Pike’s Basin, and Gaptooth Breach Hideouts in Single Player.

Bearly Legal
Kill and skin 18 grizzly bears.

Buckin’ Awesome
Break the Kentucky Saddler, the American Standardbred, and the Hungarian Half-bred.

Bullseye
Get 250 headshots in any game mode.

Clemency Pays
Capture a bounty alive.

Evil Spirits
Complete Tumbeweed and Tesoro Azul Hideouts in Single Player.

Exquisite Taste
Purchase a rare weapon from a gunsmith.

Fightin’ Around the World
Knock someone out in melee in every saloon in the game in Single Player.

Friends in High Places
Use a Pardon Letter with more than $5,000 Bounty in Single Player.

Frontiersman
Obtain Legendary rank in any Single Player Ambient Challenge.

Go Team
Be on the winning team for four consecutive victories in any team based game in public matches

Gold Medal
Earn a Gold Medal Rank for a combat mission in Single Player.

Have Gun Will Travel
Complete all Hideouts in a single public Free Roam session

He Cleans Up Well!
Obtain the Elegant Suit.

High Roller
Win over 2,000 chips in a hand of Poker or Blackjack.

Hit the Trail
Get from Blackwater to Escalera before sundown in a public Free Roam session

How the West Was Won
Reach the top rank for multiplayer experience.

In a Hail of Bullets
Kill 500 enemies with any pistol or revolver in any game mode.

Instinto Asesino
Complete Fort Mercer and Nosalida Hideouts in Single Player.

Long Arm of Marston
Kill 500 enemies with any rifle, repeater, or shotgun in any game mode.

Man of Honor / Chivalry’s Dead
Attain highest Fame rank and either highest Honor rank or lowest Honor rank.

More than a Fistful
Earn $10,000 in Single Player.

Most Wanted
Maintain a max wanted level for 10 minutes and escape alive in a public Free Roam session.

Mowing Them Down
Kill 500 enemies with a mounted weapon in any game mode.

No Dice
Complete a game of Liar’s Dice without losing a single die.

People are Still Strange
Complete 15 tasks for Strangers.

Posse Up!
Create a posse and get the maximum number of members

Red Dead Rockstar
Kill a Rockstar or someone with this achievement in a public multiplayer match.

Redeemed
Attain 100% in the Single Player Game Completion stat.

Slow on the Draw
Get 10 assists in a single Hideout in a public Free Roam session

Strange Things are Afoot
Complete a task for a Stranger.

The Gunslinger
Get a headshot while in Expert Mode in Single Player.

The Quick and everyone else…
Be the top scoring player in any three consecutive FFA games in public matches

Unnatural Selection
Kill one of every animal species in the game in any game mode.

What About Hand Grenades?
Get a ringer in a game of Horseshoes in any game mode

Optus launches unlimited text messaging to your five best friends

Optus today launched another breakthrough service for its mobile customers — ‘Optus Turbo Text’ – a unique prepaid mobile offer that provides unlimited text messaging to five nominated friends on any Australian mobile network. 
 
Michael Smith, Managing Director, Optus Consumer said “With the largest prepaid customer base in Australia, Optus is in an ideal position to see new customer trends and react to them before anyone else.  An example of this is the ever increasing level of SMS messages that customers send to a small group of friends.  
 
“Today, Optus launches a new rate plan that allows customers to keep in touch with their five best friends as often as they like with the launch of Optus Turbo Text.   
 
“For a low $30 recharge, our ‘Turbo Text’ will provide customers with unlimited Standard SMS to five friends on any mobile network across Australia, plus $30 worth of credit for everything else. 
 
“Customers simply nominate the mobile numbers of their friends via the Optus Zoo web site to get things up and running.  If friends change, customers can change the numbers up to twice between each recharge. 
 
“With SMS being a key feature for our customers, ‘Turbo Text’ is a tailored offer that brings enormous value to our customers and importantly lets them do things (like SMS) the way they want to without limits! 
 
“I guess the only difficult decision for our customers will be deciding who their five best friends are.
 
“We are also making it easier for new customers to switch to Optus by providing 100 free SMS after they activate their service and while they are setting up their “Turbo Text Friends List” in Optus Zoo. 
  
“Optus is continuing to ensure value and freedom for its customers by developing great plans that are easy to understand and represent the best value available. With Turbo Text we are proving once again that when you think of competition and great value for all Australians, you think Optus,” Mr Smith said.