PlayStation and Naughty Dog Join Forces to Auction Rare Signed 20^th Anniversary Console In Aid of Youth Cancer

22^nd October, 2015 – Sydney, Australia: Today, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia announced its intention to auction a very rare 20^th anniversary console signed by the top ‘dogs’ of critically acclaimed software developer, Naughty Dog in aid of You Can, Sony Foundation’s youth cancer project.

The announcement was made at the Sony Foundation gala lunch Wharf4Ward in Sydney by Channel Nine host, Karl Stefanovic. Money raised will go towards Sony Foundation’s national youth cancer project, You Can. Through You Can, Sony Foundation is building much needed, specialised youth cancer centers across Australia which aim to improve survival rates of young cancer patients by facilitating the collaboration of medical experts, development of specialised treatments and the opportunity for young people to be amongst peers in an age appropriate environment.

About the 20^th Anniversary Naughty Dog PS4 Console

With only 12,300 consoles in existence, and one of only 150 in Australia, this very special edition grey 20^th anniversary PS4 is made even more collectible as it bares signatures from video game royalty:

Christophe Balestra – Co President Naughty Dog

Evan Wells – Co President Naughty Dog

Neil Druckmann – Creative Director (The Last of Us, UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End)
Bruce Straley – Game Director  (The Last of Us, UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End).

The critically acclaimed studio responsible for creating and developing seminal titles including the Crash Bandicoot franchise, the UNCHARTED franchise, The Last of Us and most recently UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection.

The UNCHARTED Franchise which is due for its next installment (UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End – released March 2016), has received critical acclaim for its deeply engaging storylines, compelling visuals and rich characters.

UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves released globally in October 2009, went on to be the most critically acclaimed video game of 2009 receiving 41 perfect review scores and over 200 Game of the Year awards globally including multiple BAFTA awards and the overall game of the year award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

In June 2013 Naughty Dog launched The Last of Us, a genre-defining experience blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. It has garnered over 200 Game of the Year awards, 10 awards at the 17th Annual AIAS/DICE Awards, 40 perfect scores, and has been hailed as a “masterpiece.” The story chapter prequel The Last of Us: Left Behind released February 2014 is currently the highest rated DLC for PlayStation this generation. The Last of Us Remastered released in July for PS4 and has received widespread critical and commercial acclaim.

Console features include:

Signed by Christophe Ballestra, Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley
The original coloured PlayStation® family logo
A unique, individually numbered, etched aluminium plate
An exclusive 20^th anniversary design – featuring the iconic PlayStation® symbols
A PS4® system in original PlayStation® grey
Exclusive 20th anniversary presentation packaging

The auction will open in February 2016 in the lead up to the launch of UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End – the next instalment of Nathan Drake’s epic adventures. Set three years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Nathan Drake has presumably left the world of fortune hunting behind. However, it doesn’t take long for fate to come calling when Drake’s brother, Sam, resurfaces seeking his help to save his own life and offering an adventure Drake can’t resist.

SHADOWS OF EVIL DESCENDS UPON AUSTRALIA

Call of Duty: Black Ops III brings the first ever immersive Zombies Escape Room to Federation Square 

To celebrate the upcoming release of the highly anticipated game Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the ultimate zombies experience will infect Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square from October 30^th until the game’s launch, at 12:01am on November 6^th. Paying homage to the fan favourite zombies mode, the Zombies Escape Room brings to life Shadows of Evil, the film-noir-inspired horror story from Black Ops III. Taking place in the 1940’s in Morg City, this compelling narrative centres around 4 troubled individuals – the femme fatale, the cop, the boxer, and the magician.

Escape Room participants will be transported into the private chamber of Nero the Magician where they will encounter a number of challenges which they must overcome in order to escape.

Activision have partnered with Secret Squirrel, the creative team behind the hugely successful Underground Cinema, to bring a truly authentic immersive experience to fans. Complete with intricate set designs and staging, participants will feel as though they have stepped directly into the game.

“People are craving more authentic experiences today, meaning immersive, experiential design continues to grow in popularity.  The Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Escape room is a unique opportunity for fans to experience a living, breathing narrative,” said Tamasein Holyman, Creative Director, Secret Squirrel Productions.

Think you’ve got what it takes to Escape Morg City? For more information or to register for FREE tickets visit https://blackops3zombies.eventbrite.com  – Be quick as places are limited!

What is an Escape Room?

Escape Rooms are a physical, live puzzle game where participants face a series of brainteasers, which they must solve to unravel the mystery storyline and escape the room within a set time limit.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is in development at Treyarch for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC.

You can download assets HERE.

UBISOFT^® AND DISNEY INTERACTIVE LAUNCH GRAVITY FALLS: LEGEND OF THE GNOME GEMULETS

Click here to watch the launch trailer 

Sydney, Australia — October 22, 2015 — Today, Ubisoft^® and Disney Interactive announced action-adventure platformer Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets will be available on October 22^nd in Australia exclusively on Nintendo 3DS.

Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets is adapted from Disney XD’s #1 series, “Gravity Falls” and takes players on a new and original adventure. Players must help Jeff the Gnome retrieve the stolen ancient Gnome Gemulets. Equipped with enchanted gnome weapons, players will fight off supernatural creatures, defeat monstrous villains and traverse elaborate landscapes during their quest. Meet popular characters from the show, like Soos, Grunkle Stan, Old Man McGucket and more.

• Made in collaboration with the show’s creator, Alex Hirsch: Hirsch consulted on game script and artwork.

• Play as both Dipper and Mabel: Help the siblings work together, with dual-character gameplay. Switch between characters at any time, and use their unique powers and abilities to complement one another.
  • Dipper is bestowed with Gnome Battle Cuffs which deliver powerful punches at close range, and keeps his trusty flashlight by his side to shed light on the many mysteries in Gravity Falls.
  • Mabel wields the Fleece of Bezazzlement that lets her whip her sweater sleeves to attack monsters from afar, and her grappling hook is at the ready to help access areas otherwise out of reach.

• Solve an all-new mystery: Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets features a new, original adventure. Unravel the mystery to learn new lore about the inhabitants of Gravity Falls and unlock secrets of the town’s past.
• Enter the world of Gravity Falls: The acclaimed UbiArt Framework game engine brings the look and feel of the show to Nintendo 3DS. Lush backgrounds and beautiful graphics allow players to explore their favourite places from the show, such as the Mystery Shack and the Gnome Forest, like never before.

For more information about Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets, please visit ubisoft.com/en-US/game/gravity-falls.

About Disney Interactive

Disney Interactive is the digital entertainment part of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS). As one of the world’s largest creators of high-quality digital experiences, Disney Interactive produces interactive entertainment for the whole family, including multi-platform video games, online short form video, mobile and social games and digital destinations across all current and emerging media platforms.

Entertaining guests of all ages, Disney Interactive’s key products include the video game platform Disney Infinity, top virtual world for kids Club Penguin, popular mobile franchises like Frozen Free Fall and LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum, top online destinations for kids, parents and fans including Disney.com, Oh My Disney, and Babble.com and the Disney social network reaching more than 1.5 billion guests on Facebook.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2014–15 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,464 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2015 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Disney elements ©Disney. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo.

Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut Brings The Godfather Of Post-Apocalyptic RPG To The New Generation

Remastered and enhanced versions for Xbox One and PS4 in stores now!

Deep Silver and inXile today announced that Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut is available in retail store across Australia and New Zealand. With overhauled graphics, expanded voice-overs, gameplay enhancements & tweaks as well as some brand-new features, this is the definitive edition of Wasteland 2.

Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut takes last year’s critically acclaimed PC release and offers a complete visual overhaul; including a more sophisticated lighting system, upgraded environments and improved textures as well as brand new, higher quality character models. On the audio side all major speaking parts and NPCs have also received new voice-overs and weapon sounds have been revisited in order to provide more variety and punch. This comes along with new features and gameplay advances such as improvements to combat encounters,  additional passes to balancing, enhanced cutscenes plus all-new “Precision Strike” and “Perk & Traits” systems. In addition, the game’s UI and control scheme have been completely reworked and optimized for consoles.

Key Features:

•        The Director’s Cut: Overhauled graphics with fully redone character and level art, voice-over expanded with tens of thousands of lines, and new features make this the definitive version of Wasteland 2.
•        Turn-Based Tactical Combat: Tackle explosive and deadly squad-based combat encounters against the wasteland’s raiders, mutants, robots and more that will test the limits of your planning and tactics.
•        Your Squad Your Way: Don’t feel like finding the key for a door? Pick the lock, bash it down with your boot, or just blow it open with a rocket launcher!
•        A Huge Reactive Story: With hundreds of choices and consequences at your disposal, with both short and long term reactivity to the players choices and 80-100 hours of gameplay, no two players will have the same experience.
•        Huge & Customizable: Dozens of hours of game. Hundreds of characters. Thousands of variations on your Rangers’ appearance. Over 150 weapons. Dozens of skills!
•        Enhanced Classic RPG Game Play: Classic RPG game play ideas updated with modern design philosophies.

View the launch trailer on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjD_hWivesM

Please respond to this email if you would like a review copy of Wasteland 2
About Wasteland 2
Wasteland 2 is the direct sequel to 1988’s Wasteland, the first-ever post-apocalyptic computer RPG and the inspiration behind the Fallout series. Until Wasteland, no other CRPG had ever allowed players to control and command individual party members for tactical purposes or given them the chance to make moral choices that would directly affect the world around them. Wasteland was a pioneer in multi-path problem solving, dripping in choice and consequence and eschewing the typical one-key-per-lock puzzle solving methods of its peers, in favor of putting the power into players’ hands to advance based on their own particular play style.

The Wasteland series’ impressive and innovative lineage has been preserved at its very core, but modernized for the fans of today with Wasteland 2. Immerse yourself in turn-based tactical combat that will test the very limits of your strategy skills as you fight to survive a desolate world where brute strength alone isn’t enough to save you. Deck out your Ranger squad with the most devastating weaponry this side of the fallout zone and get ready for maximum destruction with the RPG-style character advancement and customization that made the first Wasteland so brutal. Save an ally from certain death or let them perish – the choice is yours, but so are the consequences.

The Wasteland’s hellish landscape has been waiting for you to make your mark… or die trying.
© Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media GmbH, Austria

GRAB YOUR SMARTPHONE AND PLAY JUST DANCE^® 2016 

The Just Dance Controller App Opens Up the Dancefloor for All New-Gen Consoles 

Sydney, Australia – OCTOBER 22, 2015 – Today, Ubisoft^® announced Just Dance^® 2016, the latest installment of the top-selling music game franchise is now available*, on all motion-control gaming platforms, including Wii™, Wii U™, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation^® 4 computer entertainment system. Just Dance 2016 opens up the dance floor to millions of players who will now be able to utilise their smartphone as the controller.

The free Just Dance Controller App enables players on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U to use their Apple, Android or Windows Phone devices** to play the game, without any peripherals or added console cameras, and also lets players navigate through the game via the phone itself.

“With Just Dance 2016, we’re back and better than ever in so many ways,” said Jason Altman, Executive Producer, at Ubisoft Paris. “The accessibility of the Just Dance Controller App allows many more people to play the game, enjoy the eclectic track-list and dance along with new visuals that will have everyone in the family excited.”

Launching alongside the game itself is the all-new Just Dance Unlimited subscription streaming service, available for new-gen owners, that allows players on Just Dance 2016 to access exclusive songs such as Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) by OMI along with alternate choreographies, and the best tracks from previous Just Dance games. By subscribing to Just Dance Unlimited, players will enjoy more than 150 songs at launch and more throughout the year. Also, players will access one month trial of Just Dance unlimited, in all games for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Nintendo Wii U™ system.

As each year, the Just dance 2016 track-list ranges from Billboard hits to classic throwback favourites to songs of the summer, literally something for everyone. The entire family will have a favourite track to dance to. The full track-list includes:

• “Want to Want Me” by Jason Derulo
• “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson Ft. Bruno Mars
• “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
• “Hey Mama” by David Guetta Ft. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
• “Blame” by Calvin Harris Ft. John Newman
• “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga
• “This Is How We Do” by Katy Perry
• “Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson
• “You’re The One That I Want” by From the Movie Grease
• “No Control” by One Direction
• “Rabiosa” by Shakira Ft. El Cata
• “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea Ft. Charli XCX
• “Same Old Love” by Selena Gomez
• “Cool For The Summer” by Demi Lovato

For the latest information on Just Dance 2016 and the Just Dance Controller app free demo, please visit: www.justdancegame.com. Follow Just Dance on Twitter @JustDanceGame and use hashtag #JustDance2016.

* Data from NPD Institute in NCSA and from GfK Institute in EMEA – April 2015
**Windows Phone app, available at launch, will only be compatible with the Xbox One version of Just Dance 2016.

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2014–15 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,464 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2015 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Just Dance, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MULTIPLAYER SURVIVAL HORROR ‘NOCT’ EMERGES ONTO STEAM EARLY ACCESS

– Noct’s Haunting Soundtrack From NIN’s Guitarist Robin Finck and musician WordClock Now Available on iTunes, Steam, Spotify and more –

The Wasteland – Independent developer C3SK and night-worshipping game label Devolver Digital have released online multiplayer survival horror thriller Noct on Steam Early Access for PC, Mac, and Linux [http://store.steampowered.com/app/330570/].

Originally planned as a 1.0 release, Noct has shifted to Steam Early Access after a successful closed beta that included a community-led drive to expand the narrative aspects of the world with new content, secondary missions, and additional play modes requested by the beta testing community. Additionally, Noct will be localized into more languages in territories like Russia, Brazil, and Poland so they, too, can poop their pants in their preferred languages. The final version of Noct is expected to release in January 2016.

“The Noct community has been incredible during our recent beta and fans have been vocal on areas of the narrative they want to see expanded and test features that need to be fully realized for a final release,” said Noct designer Chris Eskins. “Steam Early Access allows us to bring Noct to a larger audience while adding and tuning it a bit more to complete the game alongside the community.”

Noct is a 2D top-down multiplayer survival horror game that blends arcade combat with RPG survival elements. You are a survivor of the apocalyptic purge that formed the desolate wasteland now known as Noct and your experience in this catastrophic new world is viewed through a thermal image satellite system high above the Earth. Players will be tasked with exploring a hostile wasteland alone or with other survivors they run into online to uncover the mysterious downfall of their world or clash with one another over food, ammunition, and safety from the unfathomable dangers lurking in the perpetual night. The haunting soundtrack was composed and performed by Nine Inch Nail’s Robin Finck and musician  Wordclock and is now available on Steam, iTunes, Spotify and other digital music platforms for $9.99.

Survivors can visit noctgame.com and follow @NoctGame on Twitter for more information and updates on Noct during Early Access. That’s if you aren’t torn to shreds while scavenging for water, which is probably already the case.