AUCKLAND, Tuesday, 20 April 2010 – Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand (SCENZ) announced today that a TV Ondemand service is now available on the PlayStation®3 console via partnership with TVNZ. PlayStation®3 (PS3™) owners in New Zealand can now watch TVNZ Ondemand programmes when they want and how they want from the comfort of their lounge on a big screen TV.

The TVNZ Ondemand icon will now appear on the PS3™ Xross Media Bar (XMB) to enable PS3™ owners to access the online, streamed catch up TV services.

SCENZ’s Director of Sales and Marketing, David Hine says “The PlayStation®3 is already a leader in home entertainment.  The addition of catch up TV services with TVNZ Ondemand further enhances this position.  It is one more reason why the PS3™ is far more than a gaming console. We are very proud to be associated with TVNZ as they are clearly a leader in their field and are continually looking to develop their offering.”

“With the new TVNZ Ondemand service we now offer Kiwis even more choice, which really underpins the PS3™ as the best value home entertainment solution; Featuring games, Blu-ray movies, surfing the net, music, photos the PlayStation®Network and now TV, there is something for the whole family.  The game is just the start!”

TVNZ Ondemand

With over 105,000 PS3™ consoles in homes across the country PlayStation® offers TVNZ greater exposure to viewers for its Ondemand TV services. PS3™ brings the convenience of ‘catch up TV’, traditionally enjoyed through a PC, to the comfort and convenience of the living room TV, for a more immersive entertainment experience.

TVNZ Ondemand is the first catch up TV service to be optimised for viewing on the living room TV through PS3™. A free internet broadcasting service that offers a range of TVNZ programmes to be streamed in high resolution, it features premium local and international shows like Go Girls, Shortland Street, MasterChef, The Apprentice, Lost, The Pacific, Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy. TVNZ Ondemand currently has around 150 series available on demand and last month delivered more than 1.5 million episodes to 316,000 visitors.

Rick Ellis, CEO, TVNZ says, “This is a huge leap forward for us in our ambition to see TVNZ content ‘Inspiring New Zealanders on every screen’, which has been our vision for the company for the last four years.”

Wishful thinking

The Next Month page of the latest issue of UK magazine says a ‘gaming classic’ is set to return.

“It’s a very substantial franchise and it’s going to be a very big surprise. A good one, though – we’re really looking forward to it.”

A ‘very big surprise’? . But what could it be, do you reckon?
What about a Duke Nukem or KOTOR or if my prayers are answered an Oddworld game

Please please and Oddworld game

Explosive finale to the landmark “Gears of War” trilogy available exclusively on Xbox 360 in April 2011

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 14 APRIL 2010 – The spectacular conclusion to one of the game industry’s most memorable and celebrated sagas, “Gears of War 3”, is poised to take the world by storm next autumn.  At this time next year, fans around the world will experience the epic story finale to the “Gears of War” trilogy when the third instalment in one of the biggest franchises in Xbox history arrives in New Zealand stores on April 7,2011.

“When we released ‘Gears of War’ more than three years ago, we set out to tell the world an unforgettable story of bravery and sacrifice in the face of insurmountable odds. A year from now, players will get the chance to experience the final chapter in the story of Marcus Fenix and his companions in Delta Squad,” said Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games. “This is definitely the biggest and most dramatic chapter yet in the ‘Gears of War’ saga, and we can’t wait to deliver it.”

Developed by acclaimed studio Epic Games and available only on Xbox 360, “Gears of War 3” plunges players into a harrowing tale of hope, survival and brotherhood that will conclude the current story arc for “Gears of War”. With the last human city destroyed and the remaining survivors stranded, time is running out for Marcus and his comrades as they fight to save the human race from the jaws of extinction.

“Gears of War” is a blockbuster entertainment franchise that has inspired a full line of toys and collectibles, apparel, an upcoming film, graphic novels and a book series by New York Times best-selling author Karen Traviss. The award-winning video games have sold more than 12 million units worldwide, and due to their riveting multiplayer action, are some of the most popular games ever played on Xbox LIVE.

To accompany today’s announcement, Microsoft and Epic Games unveiled Ashes to Ashes, the first trailer for “Gears of War 3”. Created in Unreal Engine 3 by the same team behind the iconic “Gears of War” video spots (Mad World, Rendezvous, and Last Day), the video captures a desperate three-way battle between Delta Squad, the Locust Horde, and the fearsome new Lambent.

Additionally, fans who want to share their excitement on Xbox LIVE will be able to choose from new Avatar items now available on Avatar Marketplace starting April 20*, including the new COG armour introduced in “Gears of War 3”.

For the latest developments on “Gears of War 3” and a video stream of the Ashes to Ashes trailer, visit www.gearsofwar.xbox.com or share updates with your friends on Twitter with #gears3.

“The iPad is the fourth step in the gaming evolution,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice-president of publishing at Gameloft.

“The first being the microcomputer, the second being the game console and the third being smartphones. Each of these platforms revolutionized gaming in its own way.”

Neil Young, founder and CEO of the largest iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad game developer, ngmoco says “I think people are going to be blown away by iPad when they actually have the opportunity to interact with it. When you play games on the large format, multi-touch fields using two hands it’s much more ‘Minority Report’ than even the iPhone is.”

With its large screen, game makers can offer multiplayer options on a single iPad.

Some publishers offer lower-priced iPod Touch/iPhone ports as well as slightly more expensive iPad versions that take advantage of the new functionality.

“By taking an existing iPhone game and modifying it for iPad we believe that it will not only bring a new experience to an existing title, but basically create a new game,” said de Vallois.

For example, Gameloft’s iPad shooter “N.O.V.A Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance” allows players to use two fingers to curve a grenade toss and offers multi-targeting capabilities with a hand-drawn grid that eliminates all enemies on the screen with a rocket. The game originated on iPhone and iPod Touch.

“I think Apple learned their lesson about the importance of gaming from the iPhone and the iPod Touch,” said Young. “It was really that first holiday season for the iPod Touch where Apple recognized and realized gaming was such a huge part of the business and the iPod Touch had found its home as a game machine

So despite all that the news is that Epic have re configured the cover system so that the Locust or some now have tentacles that can reach over cover to slap you silly or fatally…the actual wording on the tentacles is ‘tentacle – like appendages’

Gears 3, Marcus and the lads gotta fight again

Also the term ‘mech suit’ can be a good or bad one but is also mentioned in the gossip for Gears 3. As well as ‘underwater sections’ , there was flooding in Gears 2 so that sounds kind of right. Anyway until Epic and Cliffy B informs the fans and media we are just guessing but expectsome sort of press release next week

Turn up the music, raise your voices and join the celebration! Electronic Arts today reveal the 28 artists across 20 countries who will usher in the EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with an international soundtrack that celebrates the cultural vibrancy of the first FIFA World Cup™ to be held in Africa.

EA SPORTS 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ captures the sounds and history of the musical landscape in Africa with a rhythmic, tribal blend of 28 songs that, through mass exposure to football, videogame and music fans, will become synonymous with the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ worldwide. Somali-born poet, musician and rapper, K’NAAN, headlines the soundtrack with his song “Wavin’ Flag Coca-Cola Celebration Mix”.

A full playable demo of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system will be available for downloadable at the PLAYSTATION Store, and for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system on Xbox Live Marketplace, beginning 9 April in Australia.

Choose to play and represent your country and discover a football experience that brings to life the passion and emotion of the actual tournament.

New players to the FIFA franchise will be able to choose to play the demo utilising new Two-Button controls designed to enable new gamers to pass, shoot and compete for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM with an accessible control scheme using only two-buttons.

In addition to playing a match football fans and gamers will be able to upload their replays from the demo to EA Football World (www.eafootballworld.com) for other fans to watch.

“2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is a landmark project in the evolution of world music and its African heritage,” says Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at Electronic Arts. “We’ve brought together such legendary African artists as Nigerian drummer/activist Babatunde Olatunji, Senegal icon Baaba Maal, and ‘The Bob Marley of Ghana’ Rocky Dawuni, with global superstars like Sergio Mendes and Nas & Damian Marley. But we’re perhaps most proud of K’NAAN, the unsigned Somali artist we discovered in 2004 whose music has now appeared in five different EA SPORTS video games.”

To listen to streaming music clips from this EA SPORTS one-of-a-kind mix of music, learn more about the bands and get details about features in the 2010 FIFA World Cup videogame, visit http://www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will also be available on the Wii™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and iPhone® on 29 April 2010.

AUCKLAND – April 1, 2010 – Coming exclusively to Xbox 360, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, hits stores on April 15 and to celebrate Xbox is releasing a limited edition console. The bundle, available at EB Games, features an Xbox 360 Elite, two black wireless controllers, a 250GB hard drive, headset, a copy of Splinter Cell Conviction and a bonus copy of the game, Splinter Cell Double Agent.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction is the highly anticipated sequel in the multimillion-selling Splinter Cell series and one of the most critically acclaimed Xbox franchises of all time.

An investigation into his daughter’s death unwittingly leads former agent Sam Fisher to discover he’s been betrayed by his former agency, the Third Echelon. Now a renegade, Fisher finds himself in a race against time to thwart a deadly terrorist plot that threatens millions.

Uniting revolutionary gameplay enhancements with a high-octane, no-holds-barred storyline, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction arms you to the teeth with all the high-tech weaponry and lethal skills of an elite operative and invites you to enter a dangerous world where justice means making your own rules. The game also features:

• New level of action: A full arsenal of cutting-edge innovations enable you to outflank foes with the Last Known Position™ system, tag and eliminate enemies using the Mark and Execute™ feature, and much more.
• Blockbuster experience: A unique storytelling style keeps you on the edge of your seat as you navigate the explosive world of a renegade agent where trust is impossible and justice requires you to go above the law.
• A new level of immersion: A revolutionary new graphic direction delivers an utterly seamless gameplay experience that’ll keep you totally engrossed in the story of Sam Fisher.
• Explosive Xbox LIVE play: Brand-new addictive multiplayer modes amp up the dramatic intensity like never before.

Auckland, NZ – March 31, 2010 – What if you could kick the winning goal that gives your favorite 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.” (Sounds a little April 1 jokey)

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 April 30, 2010 in New Zealand. Visit http://www.FIFA-WORLD-CUP.EASPORTS.COM for more information about features. The game is rated “G” in New Zealand.

Screenshots can be downloaded at http://info.ea.com.

Freeing God of War 3 from all of the hyperbole and anticipation is a difficult thing. But hype and reality can coexist if a game delivers, and God of War 3 does, it delivers on a scale that few games can. Breathtaking, epic, huge, overpowering, emotional and powerful, and this is just the opening ten minutes of God of War 3. And that is merely the beginning. The 10-12 hours that God of War 3 delivers to the average gamer exceeds almost every expectation levelled at Santa Monica Studios. Bombastic set pieces, huge impressive enemies and an expanded brawling system take God of War 3 to a place that no pure action game has ever reached.

Kratos as the archetype anti-hero over the three games of the franchise. A mortal who takes on the dominance and dominion of the Gods. Here he starts precisely where he left off in God of War 2, riding on the back of the Titan Gaia as she ascends Mount Olympus to confront the father of the Gods Zeus. Newcomers to the series are caught up on the story of Kratos’ vengeance through a beautifully crafted opening sequence that pays homage and updates the path of the fallen God of War. From these opening credits gamers are thrown into the best opening ten minutes in gaming history.

Make no mistake for that bold statement, the start of God of War 3 can rightly sit alongside the entrance in Final Fantasy VII as the preeminent starts to video gaming. Battling on an enormous, moving landscape; Kratos is pitched against the God Poseidon and his minors as Gaia is attacked approaching the summit of the God’s cradle in the sky. The folks at Santa Monica Studios make a statement in that breathtaking opening sequence, throwing down the gauntlet not only to the rest of the gaming industry but the entertainment industry as a whole. This is the power and potential of gaming in this generation, it has just taken this long to realise it.

While graphically God of War 3 pushes the limits of what we’ve seen before, taking the mantle from Uncharted 2 and sharing it with Final Fantasy XIII as best looking game on PS3, it is the way it uses those graphics to progress both the storyline and the action that puts it to the head of the class. With its fixed camera forcing the gamer’s eyes in certain directions and to certain moments, God of War 3 sets up moments of pure magic as Kratos emerges into a golden temple or surveys the destruction he has rout. Kratos himself has been given a makeover, becoming even more otherworldly and pale, like the death dealing demon that he is. His foes also move with more purpose and are more realistic than ever before.

The God of War series has always been renowned for its boundary pushing sequences (the silhouette sequence in God of War 2 gave the game an avant-garde artistic angle), and God of War 3 follows suit with stunning boss battles each of which take gamers in a different direction. Half puzzle, half frantic escapism, the God of War 3 boss battles are pure gaming bliss. Difficult but not frustrating, each requires different strategies and plans to overcome, but each fight is hugely rewarding upon its completion.

And it’s violent. Very violent. How Sony managed to fool the NZ classification board into giving God of War 3 an R16 instead of an R18 is beyond me. God of War 3 is head-ripping, body-dismembering, eye-gouging gold. Kratos is one of the angriest characters in gaming history; he feels no remorse or pity for anyone who stands in his way to killing Zeus. Within the first hour he is bathed in the blood of his enemies as he rips them limb from limb throughout the ancient world. New weapons (acquired from slain Gods) and battle moves make battles toward the end of the game works of art. Your fingers blur across the DualShock 3 inputting ever more complicated battle routines’ and throwing together hundred hit combos. With much-improved alternative weapons from God of War 2, especially ranged weapons, this third iteration makes for the most satisfying yet.

God of War 3 was a game that few thought could actually live up to the huge expectations that were thrown at it for years. But the reality of the game is something so much more. Nothing that I could say could truly convey the feeling and the joy of watching a masterpiece unfold before you.

So with all that’s going on in the war game genre we come to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. That’s a war game set in a contemporary setting. And it’s a sequel! Despite this and for all the congested library of poor, okay, good and great war games where does Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sit?

To answer that let me make this statement. Currently there are online gaming forums in full assault mode with gamers defending which is the better war game Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or Modern Warfare 2. That in a nutshell should give an indication on the quality of the title. For my part I’m solidly in the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 camp primarily because it’s a much more coherent and ultimately more enjoyable game to play. It also pokes sly fun at MW2 if you listen to the dialogue of the soldiers in the game carefully enough.

okay you go first...

So what’s it all about? Killin’ folks!

Seriously though it’s a quality realistic styled shooter. It follows a pretty clear linear formula of trying to stop the bad guys with a bunch of carefree Special Operations or Covert group soldiers who laugh in the face of impossible odds and death itself. Yes it sounds awfully familiar but the thing that this game does better than others is…well…the intangibles.

For one there is less hype surrounding this game like the other recent title so the expectations are one of mild hope for a good game and they are well met. It’s fun because the team you are in don’t take themselves or the game too seriously.

Let's blow s**** up!!

The weapons available are just as good and well designed as ever but more readily usable. Targetting is never too finicky or too loose as to be annoying in fact it seems the developers have almost purposely designed the game to be kinda middle of the road between hardcore and casual. This works very well with a mixture of challenging levels and missions to easier ones. The vehicle missions tend to fall into the easy side while the fire fight ones go the other way.

Moreover is the reasonably coherent nature of the story, which actually follows on from what has gone before in a logical well thought out plan. Essentially it’s a story about a super weapon and the attempts to stop the bad guys getting it and using it whilst also being a bit unsure about you own command’s motive.

The characters from your squad to the hippy peace loving chopper pilot are just eminently more likable and the baddies are clever enough and deviant enough and they don’t cross that fine line from satisfying evil baddies to annoying cloying villains and all this makes the game a big heap of fun.

Controls wise there are issues around the default button map that causes you to toss a grenade unwittingly when the pressure is on and the D-pad function, used for accessing addition weapon options, feels like it could have been better used. But they are relatively minor things fixed by not having clumsy fingers.

The onscreen map is too small and not that well thought out as unless you have a very big screen the direction arrow of yourself appears a bit blunt so that to confuse the player which way they are facing and the colour indicators on the map appear jumbled. Still minor though. Lastly for the criticism is I’d have really liked a squad command option instead of me having to lead the way many times.

Ultimately this is a fairly admirable and decidedly upmarket take on the war genre. You have to love a game that pokes fun at its gaming rival, listen out for the snow mobile crack its really funny. The production values are high the graphics and the whole theatre of war thing is well done and is best seen in the aftermath of battle as the combat smoke sits and both protects you and at times stops you from venturing too much before it clears. You also go from jungles to deserts to the Arctic regions (my fav) in a varied array of missions that are well designed and well rendered.

Combat is well designed and is never repetitive and for gamers like me who always prefer the sniper option the kill shots are awesome. Melee battles are like most in games, frantic but at least if you hit a guy in the chest he is gonna be hurt and multiple shots to you are needed before you die which is good. Just like recent war titles charging in all guns blazing will get you killed and although you can take cover behind anything be aware everything is destructible…everything; like building fall on you. The destructible environment is a very big plus in the game use it to your advantage.

And then we get to the real star of the game the online warfare. I always find it hard to define how good the online component of a game is especially a squad based online experience because it does depend on whom your squad is and how consistent your internet connection is.

But with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 online you can act alone but it’s better with a group of players. And let me just say that again my vote goes Battlefield: Bad Company 2 over recent rivals mainly cause there are fewer glitches and drop outs and no all powerful God mode glitch that lets you kill everything and of course the fun factor.

Final verdict then is in on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for me and it sits up there as a more enjoyable game than its recently released rival. Its production values are probably in all honesty not as high but it does not take away from the good time romp you will have. Some may be slightly aggrieved at the climatic mission and they have some justification but on the whole, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sits high up on the echelon of war games and should be celebrated as well as recommended.