That’s right boys and girls, Grand Slam Tennis 2 has officially hit Aussie shelves as of today so go out and grab your copy ahead of both North America and Europe.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is available for Xbox 360 and PS3 and also utilises the PlayStation Move controller. The game features a star-studded lineup including current legends in the making: Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, and Serena Williams as well as past greats such as John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova.

The game also boasts the official licensing to all four Grand Slams, and implements an all new Total Racquet Control system for a truly realistic experience.

Don’t forget to keep your eyes open for our review which will be on the site very soon.

Bandai Visual have confirmed that the Japanese Blu-Ray and DVD releases of the first volume of The New Prince of Tennis will include special original video animation episodes.

No details on what each OVA episode will entail has come to light unfortunately. The New Prince of Tennis series has been airing for the past five weeks in Japan and streaming for Western viewers through the Crunchyroll anime streaming service.

The series itself is adapted from the manga series of the same name which is a sequel of the manga The Prince of Tennis. New Prince of Tennis takes place several months following the first series.

Stay tuned as more details on The New Prince of Tennis OVA episodes come to light.

EA Sports’ Grand Slam Tennis sequel is set for release Febrary 9th on Xbox 360 and PS3 – that’s this Thursday, people! And to big up the hype surrounding the announcement, they’ve even released a new, dramatic trailer focusing on the US Open. The graphics look sweet, and the name drops in the trailer promises all the greats will be in the game!

As well as the US Open, the game will also include Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Australian Open tournaments. Utilize the new and revolutionary Total Racquet Control and challenge the best of the best, including Federer, Nadal, Borg, and McEnroe.

Download the demo now, or read more on EA’s site.

Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. is excited to announce the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 3D on the 3DS, allowing fans to experience the game like never before.

Gamers will have full control over every pass, tackle and shot through either the analog stick and buttons or by a new touch-screen control system, enabling players to use the stylus to direct their players.

“With 3D imaging capability, Pro Evolution Soccer fans will have the most authentic soccer experience short of actually stepping onto the field and scoring a goal,” said Tomoyuki Tsuboi, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We’re thrilled to offer this new version to Pro Evolution Soccer with enhanced images to fans around the world.”

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 3D focuses on the skills on show via a number of new, intelligent camera views that pan and swoop to cover the on-pitch action and show off the 3D powers of the Nintendo handheld. Players are also invited to hone their skills in a number of game modes.

In addition, gamers can now play against a friend in one-on-one games through both the wireless and Wi-Fi settings, while KONAMI has implemented a new take on the StreetPass system of data exchange. The Master League team data can be exchanged with other users, and fans can play against with the exchanged team. In this case, the exchanged team is to be played by CPU.

PES 2012 3D is available at all retailers now!

Are you ready for Super Bowl Sunday? Did your fantasy football team do so poorly this year you were the laughing stock of all your friends? You have a chance for redemption! AccuScore has released a special Facebook app called the Sport SKL Super Bowl Challenge. Pit your prediction skills against your friends and answer 10 questions with your predictions for this year’s Super Bowl that range from simple questions like the result of the coin toss to more difficult predictions such as how many touchdowns will be scored.

The Super Bowl Challenge will be the launch point for their new Sport SKL app that allows players to pit their predictions and knowledge in college football, the English Premier League, and the NFL. AccuScore has plans to expand the app to the NBA in the near future.

Here we are again, MasterAbbott is back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed out on last week’s suggestions, click on the links below and check what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS along with the introduction and disclaimer on how my suggestions work, as I’m not going through the same old intro every week. (suggestions 1 has the disclaimer)

What i’ve also introduced is video game play footage (if it’s possible) on some of the iOS games I’ve suggested, you can check this out at the bottom of the article. Currently video game play footage for this week’s suggestions is One Epic Game, check back in a few days there will be some more added. For now, if you jump into week 2 suggestions there are a few videos to check out.

MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #1
MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #2
MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #3
MasterAbbott’s iOS Game Suggestions #4

Once again it’s been a great week on iTunes, so many amazing games were released, this week I’ve suggested well over my normal amount with a total of 24 great quality titles. As always for this week’s suggestions I’ve added a few old games into the mix as they certainly deserve a mention. But of course the focus is still on the newer titles that you should also take a look at to spend your hard earned iTunes cash / time on.

This week I’ve focused on both free games and titles over 99c as there were some awesome and unique games released. These titles are all well worth taking a look at. Now lets get down to business shall we.

For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES

	MASTERABBOTT’s FREE GAME Pick Of The Week Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective - Price : FREE (with option to purchase more chapters) – Publisher – Capcom (In an obscure corner of the city, a single bullet takes your life, but that’s not all it takes. When you awaken as a spirit, you realize you have no recollection of who you are. Thus begins your search for the answers to these questions: “Who am I?”, “Who killed me?”, and “Why was I killed?”) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Half Breed - Price : FREE – Publisher - Tricasa (Half Breed is an action-packed game with awesome visuals, loads of unique weapons, a bunch of aliens, and epic boss fights! Your character is a man who seeks revenge on the people that created him as a military experiment. Half-man and half-alien, a Half Breed, use special powers to defeat enemy aliens and their bosses. Similar in theory to games like Prototype & inFamous.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Namco Arcade - Price : FREE – Publisher – NamcoBandai Games Inc. (Those gems of gaming that were so much fun back in the day are back, and are now available in the App Store! Namco’s arcade games, which turned the arcades of the eighties into centers of fun and thrills, have been completely restored for you to enjoy on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad! Whether you’re an old school pro or a beginner, be sure to take this opportunity to play these classic titles, packed with a unique charm that seems both nostalgic and new at the same time!) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Call Of Mini: Double Shot - Price : FREE – Publisher - Trinit Interactive Ltd (The small town of Lakeside is suffering from something even scarier than economic crisis: Zombies. You are an unwitting truck driver stranded in the middle of it all, forced to kill for your survival. In the face of deadly new breeds of bioengineered zombies, you and one buddy are the only two left to hunt down the source of the infection. With super high-tech weapons and totally unique armor, how long can you hold off the zombie hordes?.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Stop Those Fish - Price : FREE – Publisher - Eye Intertactive (Why should you Stop Those Fish? A league of hyper-intelligent fish is plotting our destruction from their secret lair at the bottom of the sea. You are the leader of a small band of bears fighting for the survival of all land dwellers. In this epic battle that pits bear against fish, do you have what it takes to drown the fish uprising before it’s too late?.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Pluto Learns Piano - Price : FREE – Publisher – Pluto Games Inc. (You’ll find tons of notes and fascinating animals as you guide Pluto through the ocean in your adventure to master the songs. Play all the correct notes, avoid the incorrect ones, and definitely stay away from the obstacles! Great game for kids, play songs and learn musinc along the way.  13 great songs included with options to purchase more.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Tires Of Fury - Price : FREE – Publisher – Ignotus Games. (Welcome to Tires of Fury Island! Here, you’ll race across a wide variety of environments against a rag-tag group of unique racing machines and drivers. Head to the garage and pick your ride from a line-up of monster trucks like you’ve never seen: Including pirate ships, laser tanks, space ships, and more! Each one has a unique balance of attributes that you can upgrade according to your preferences using your racing prizes. Also, three unique drivers each offer an additional boost to your stats.) runs on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	The Nightworld - Price : FREE - Publisher – Glu Games (Welcome to a world where sunlight is nothing but a memory, where resources are scarce, and only the cunning will survive. Emerge from the shadows and walk the wastelands as one of the last humans fighting for resources, to stay strong and most importantly to stay alive.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Snoopy’s Street Fair - Price : FREE - Publisher – Beeline Europe. (Help Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the entire PEANUTS gang build and organize a street fair! In this taptastic adventure you’ll decorate Charlie Brown’s neighborhood and fill it with a wealth of wonderful stalls and attractions. Recruit your favorite PEANUTS characters including Sally, Linus and Lucy, just to name a few.While the rest of the gang is busy with the fair, Snoopy brings his own brand of mischief to the game.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Battle Bears Royal - Price : FREE - Publisher - SKYVU Pictures Inc. (Equip your character with a massive array of powerful and hilarious primary/secondary weapons, melee weapons and amazing power-ups as you pwn your friends across 4 distinct multi-level maps including the HUGGABLE FACTORY! Produced in partnership with Recharge Studios, BBR is SkyVu’s most epic game ever.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Terapets - Price : FREE - Publisher – TikTak Games (Teraland is a fantastic world where humans live together with some creatures called Terapets. They have always lived happily in harmony with nature and the inhabitants of Teraland. But, for some reason, not long ago, the Terapets have lost their melody and, therefore, their light and happiness… What’s the reason for this tragedy? They need somebody whose bravery and spirit will make possible the return of the melody to the Terapets. Could it be you? .) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
	Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming - Price : FREE - Publisher - Everplay Interactive (Relive the older school gaming days in this retro-inspired platformer reinvisioned for your mobile device! Run, Jump, and Solve Puzzles on your way to the goal! Battle devious baddies and collect many goodies across 4 epic worlds!.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE

For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games

	MASTERABBOTT’s 99c Game Pick Of The Week Paper Monsters - Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Crescent Moon Games. (Dive into the world of Paper Monsters and watch a living world made out of paper, cardboard, and a few cotton balls unfold right before your eyes. Paper Monsters takes all of the classic 2d platforming elements, combines them with cutting edge graphics and then packs it onto your iPhone or iPad!) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	One Epic Game - Price : $0.99 – Publisher - Chillingo Ltd (There’s only one hero who can save us all. Unfortunately, he’s busy, so it’s up to you instead. So now it’s time to protect the world from an alien invasion right in the middle of a zombie outbreak in a post-apocalyptic wasteland…full of all your favorite bad guys! ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Legendary Wars - Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Liv Games. (Legendary Wars. Take command of your heroes. Build up massive armies to destroy the undead forces of the Netherworld! It’s time to fight back! Legendary Wars Campaign mode features 5 lands and over 50 levels each with unique gameplay and secret unlockable modes and Features a variety of gameplay styles including; castle defense, castle siege, ambush, side-scrolling, free build, and Hero control. ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Desert Zombies Last Stand - Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Eighth Wonder Studios. (Arm yourself to the teeth and dive head-first into Desert Zombie: Last Stand, a high-octane, high-explosive action game powered by Unreal Engine 3! Desert Zombie delivers an immersive, action-packed warfare experience unlike any other! Fight to survive battling hordes of armed and dreadfully cunning zombies. Experience thrilling combat carnage and undead bloodshed complete with a full arsenal of modern weaponry, unlockable player perks, characters and achievements. ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99

	MASTERABBOTT’S Over 99c PICK OF THE WEEK Warm Gun - Price : $1.99 (Publisher - Emotional Robots (World War III has been fought to the tipping point and ecologists long unheeded cries have been silenced by the grim truth of their predictions. To the last drop of oil have the worlds resources been depleted, and only sporadic traces of modern structure can be sifted in the dust. Time ticks forward, but humans must retrace their advancement back; through a history that has already been lived and to the Wild West for the second time. We have trampled ahead to the past in muddy boots, to the United States of late 19th century.) – runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
	Pocket League Story. – Price : $2.99 – Publisher - Kairosoft Co. Ltd ( From the same guys that brought us the highly addictive Game Dev Story, they are back and this time you can strap on those soccer boots and handpick players, train, and battle your way to the top of every league in this sensational soccer team simulation!  SHOOT… GOAAAALLLL!!) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
	Super Monkey Ball 2 – Sakura Edition - Price : $2.99 – Publisher - SEGA America ( Super Monkey Ball is back. Everyone’s favorite monkeys keep the ball rolling with this exclusive version of the arcade to console classic for iOS. Roll around the Far East, as you tilt and steer one of four adorable monkeys through 125 themed mazes and a beautiful world of cherry blossoms. Just grab your bananas along the way to earn extra lives before time runs out. It’s so easy to play, even a monkey could do it!!) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
	Call Of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land - Price : $4.99 – Publisher - Red Wasp Design (Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land is a turn-based strategy/role-playing game based on the award winning Call of Cthulhu RPG. Set in the midst of World War One, the game pits your team of investigators and soldiers against an ancient enemy, one older than humanity itself… Can your team of investigators keep their grip on sanity long enough to stop these diabolical plans? The fate of humanity is in your hands..) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
	Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials - Price : $6.99 – Publisher - MumboJumbo (A storm is brewing in Salem!!! Can you solve this Midnight Mystery? Explore 10 adventurous missions in stunning HD in this intriguing hidden-object adventure game. The famed writer Nathaniel Hawthorne has died during a freak snow storm, and his ghost has come to you, asking for help. There’s more to this case than first appears, and only you can help free his spirit..) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Awesome Land - Price : $1.99 - Publisher - Freakzone (Remember when console games were AWESOME? When the challenge was in conquering fearsome obstacle courses rather than getting through needless tutorials? Awesome Land will restore your faith in true gaming and whether you spent your childhood jumping on mushrooms, rolling around loops or even whipping skeletons, this game will give your nostalgia muscles a good workout without having to fork out big bucks in some dusty vintage game store..) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
	Hamlet! – Price : $4.99 Free with in App purchase option – Publisher – Big Fish Games (Mayhem and hilarity ensue when a scientist travels back in time and gets mixed up with characters from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet! Guide the man from the future as he embarks on a mind-bending mission to save Hamlet’s girlfriend, Ophelia, from the clutches of the evil Claudius. Solve a variety of cunning puzzles and advance from one sidesplitting scene to the next as you defeat bosses and overcome mental obstacles in this fun Adventure game. .) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
	Bean’s Quest – Final - Price : $2.99 - Publisher - Kumobuis (Emilio has been cursed and his girlfriend kidnapped! Transformed by dark magic into a jumping bean, you must bounce your way to victory through 50 levels spread over 5 worlds. Can you rescue your one true love and find your missing pet axolotls? Bean’s Quest brings back retro platforming to your iPhone or iPad with super intuitive controls; touch left or touch right – it’s so simple!.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW

There you have it folks, these games should keep you busy for quite some time. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if anyone would also like to suggest their own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below, or join the discussion in the forums. Check out the link below :

Remember kids, Play Hard Or Don’t Play At All!

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Video Game Play

 One Epic Game

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Join the forum discussion on this post

This week EA teamed up with Red Bull to host a media-exclusive SSX preview event at the Red Bull Sydney Headquarters. To promote the game and to help convey the awesomeness of extreme sports such as snowboarding, two Australian extreme sport superstars attended the event: BMX racing legend Luke Madill and FMX Superstar Josh Sheehan.

We took a break from all the cool snowboarding action to have a quick chat with Josh about what it’s like being a professional extreme sports competitor and EA’s latest SSX title. Josh talks about not only his personal experiences with competing as an FMX rider, but how the game emulates the adrenaline rush and danger seen in extreme sports. Check out the interview yourself in the video below!

Check out pictures from the event as well as our hands-on preview here!

Just like in past years, Electronic Arts is using their football simulation game to predict the Super Bowl Winner.  So far, the Madden Series has predicted a few winners and a few losers, so it may be just as accurate as your own prediction.  Nevertheless, if you trust electronic machinations, then this video might help you figure out who to root for on Sunday.

Spoiler Alert to follow:

The video predicted that the Giants would win.  However, as many Youtube comments point out, EA’s Madden predicted that the Patriots would win in ’08, and we see how well that worked out.  However, if you take a look at some of the 2012 Championship Games that Madden 12 predicted, it seems as though this years game may be more accurate than in past years.

Kuroko no Basuke (otherwise known as Kuroko’s Basketball) is a manga series by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, that focuses on a high school basketball team looking to making it to Nationals. It was announced last year that the manga would be receiving an anime adaptation in the Spring 2012 season.

We now have a solid premiere date for the Kuroko no Basuke anime thanks to details revealed in Weekly Jump magazine. Kuroko no Basuke will begin airing in Japan on the 7th of April, 2012.

So there you have it sports anime fans, mark your calenders, shoot some hoops or whatever it is you people do, because Kuroko no Basuke now has an official premiere date. Will you be slam dunking with Kuroko on April 7th? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.

Thanks to EA and Red Bull, a small group of gaming journalisms elite had an opportunity to play through the latest instalment to the SSX series, SSX. For those that don’t know, SSX is EA’s snowboarding series of games that involve going down slopes at incredible speeds and performing stunts to achieve victory.The game is set to be launched on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on the first of March.

Fundamentally, SSX is similar to the previous entries in the series, but also enhances the game graphically and makes some improvements to the overall control of the game. One of the features that I really loved about the game was the ability to rewind sections of gameplay, similar to the Prince of Persia games. Basically, should you miss a jump, or screw up a trick, you can rewind the game to the point before the screw-up and take over from that point – forever altering the way you undertook an event. What was even better about this feature was that you could rewind the same section multiple times so if you keep on screwing it up, you can go back as much as you need.

However, rewinds do have a cost in both the amounts you are able to do the rewind and in points. Essentially you get a small amount of rewinds per map, however you can use that same rewind multiple times at the cost of points. However, if you move too far out from that rewind, it is considered spent and you can no longer use that rewind. Think of it as extra lives, but are player activated.

There was this one level that I found this rewind feature to be essential to completing it, and that was this level where you have to navigate a series of crevices that would lead to certain death if you fell down them. This level was so tricky that it took me multiple attempts on different consoles to finish, and even then that was right at the end of the event.

While playing the game, I found that the game was pretty easy to pick up and play, but was pretty difficult to master. Thankfully, you do not have to achieve first place in every event to advance through the game, but you can go back later if you like. However, I felt that it was necessary to achieve first place in every event, so I ended up restarting a lot of the levels.

Whilst doing tricks, I found that it was best to link tricks together and build up a multiplier that gives out increased points based on the amount of tricks strung together. If you build up enough tricks, you can unlock the Tricky meter, which fills as you do more tricks until it fills out completely. I’m not entirely sure what the meter does, but you get an orange effect around the hands of your character when you get it, I also noticed that your speed increases greatly when this occurs.

I have to admit that I had a great amount of fun playing through this game, it tickles all of my interests in games. Raw speed, awesome tricks and excellent fun. I would definitely suggest playing this game when it is released, especially if you are into the extreme side of sports. Make sure you keep an eye on us in the future for more news on SSX.

Check out our gallery of the event below and be sure to check out the official site for more info.