Archive - 2012/04/11

Hitman: Absolution Professional Edition Announced

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

LOS ANGELES (APRIL 11, 2012) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced the HITMAN®: ABSOLUTION™ PROFESSIONAL EDITION is now available for pre-order. The professional edition includes a premium hardcover art book with a foreword from Game Director Tore Blystad, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes “making of” video. All packaged up in a clamshell box that looks as sharp as Agent 47™ in his suit, the Professional Edition is the ultimate way to experience the living, breathing world of HITMAN: ABSOLUTION.

The Professional Edition also includes advanced access to a range of in-game Agency weapons, giving the original assassin a deadly edge over his enemies from the outset. The Agency Jagd P22G pistol will suit silent assassins, while the Agency HX UMP submachine gun and the Agency SPS 12 semi-automatic shotgun will give Agent 47 the power to fight his foes head on.

Customers can also pre-order HITMAN: ABSOLUTION at the following retailers and receive exclusive in-game weapons:

  • Amazon®
    • · Bartoli Custom Pistol – An engineered precision weapon, complete with sight and silencer.
  • Best Buy®
    • · Bronson 1928M SMG – A classic submachine gun with high fire rate and deadly stopping power.
  • GameStop®
    • · Sniper Rifle: Agency Kazo TRG – The modern agency rifle with upgradable scope and silencer.
  • Walmart®
    • · Krugermeier 2-2 Pistol – An accurate, reliable stealth weapon with a built-in silencer.

Additional pre-order items will be announced in May.

Pre-Order Item Screenshots

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Available in September

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, (April 11, 2012) – NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today delivered a knockout blow with the announcement that TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT™ 2 will be coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system this September.

With the largest player roster in TEKKEN history, TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 will feature more than 50 characters with expanded fight arsenals and move sets to do battle in new stages set in different countries from around the world. In addition to the tag-based battle that TEKKEN pioneered, TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 will feature both one-on-one fighting and solo fighter vs. a tag-team battle, upending the current fighting game standards and making the game accessible for fans and newcomers alike.

In Pair Play mode, up to four players can each control a character in the ultimate team battle, while in the all new Fight Lab mode, players can customize the moves and appearance of new training character, Combot. Players that clear the innovative Fight Lab will have mastered the complexities of TEKKEN and own their own customized Combot.

“TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT is one of the most beloved entries in the TEKKEN series – not just among fans but also for myself and the entire development team, so crafting the sequel has been a labour of love for everyone here,” said Katsuhiro Harada, TEKKEN Project Director at NAMCO BANDAI GAMES Inc.  “To truly make this game stand up to the high benchmark set by the original, we have injected some exciting features and modes that will revolutionize the online fighting game community and allow new players to enjoy and master the game – so there will be something for everyone.”

The original TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT created the entire tag-based fighting genre when it released in arcades in 1999, and the highly-anticipated sequel will bring unique features to the fighting game community with innovative online functionality that will be revealed in greater detail during E3 in June.

“There is so much packed into TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 that we can’t wait to reveal to fans of both fighting games and fans of all games,” said Carlson Choi, vice president of marketing, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. The latest entry into the iconic series will have the level of depth expected of the highest-selling fighting game franchise of all time, but also the accessibility for new fans and gaming noobs alike.”

For more information on the TEKKEN® universe, please visit: www.namcobandaigames.com     www.tekken.com http://www.facebook.com/Tekken; http://www.twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN; or http://www.twitter.com/FilthieRich.

Namco Bandai Announces Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition for PC

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 11, 2012) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today announced that, by popular demand, Dark Souls™: Prepare to Die™ Edition will be releasing for the PC platform in North America on August 24th.  This special, content-enhanced edition of the critically acclaimed Action-RPG developed by FromSoftware will be finely-tuned to cater to the PC gaming audience while retaining all of the deep challenge, rich atmosphere, and compelling gameplay that made the game a worldwide phenomenon. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on the PC platform will also include an enhanced PVP mode allowing players to more closely assemble battles against one another online in an all-out fight to the death that fans have demanded.

In addition, the development team at FromSoftware has revealed an untold chapter in the world of Lordran created specifically to help further expand upon the lore of the game. ‘Artorias of the Abyss’ will include all-new areas to explore, enemies to encounter, and bosses to take down one by one as players are treated to an unseen side of Lordan where players must stop the spread of darkness at all costs by facing and defeating the Dark Knight Artorias.

“Our fans demanded to see this game brought to the PC, and the noise they have made was simply too loud and too passionate to ignore,” said Hidetaka Miyazaki, Creative Director for Dark Souls at FromSoftware, Inc., “This also allowed us to dive back into the world of Dark Souls, offering a special edition of the game that offers more ways to die over and over again than ever before.  Adding a whole new chapter to tell the tale of the Dark Knight Artorias was an opportunity we’re also proud to have taken, as we’ve managed to expand the experience for our biggest fans without compromising the balance of the core game that we worked so hard to create. This edition of the game is our gift to the fans.”

Heralded by critics worldwide, IGN referred to the original Dark Souls™ release as, “One of the most thrilling, most fascinating and most completely absorbing experiences in gaming,” while GameSpot called it, “Extraordinary… an awesome and menacing world you may never forget.”

With tense dungeon crawling and fearsome enemy encounters, the seamlessly intertwined world of Dark Souls is full of extreme battles, rewarding challenges, nuanced weaponry and magic, and the flexibility to customize each character to suit any desired play style.  The innovative online component allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the Dark Souls community as they either help or sabotage each other on the journey through the world of Lordran to save the land from darkness.  With a massive, seamless open world design, Dark Souls encourages deep exploration and an adaptable gameplay experience.

Dark Souls™: Prepare to Die™ Edition will be available for digital download on the PC platform in North America on Augist 24th.  For more information on the game, please be sure to visit www.PrepareToDie.com and www.facebook.com/DarkSouls.

New Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Screenshots

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today unveiled new screenshots for METAL GEAR SOLID HD Collection for the Playstation®Vita system. From the critically acclaimed director, Hideo Kojima, METAL GEAR SOLID HD Collection includes two beloved classics, METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty and METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater. Both titles feature stunning, upgraded graphics, optimized controls designed to take full advantage of the PlayStation®Vita system touchscreen capabilities, and trophies that are shared via TRANSFARRING (save data sharing) with the PlayStation®3 title of the same name.

Screenshots

Georges St-Pierre Collaborating on Sleeping Dogs

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

LONDON – (April 11, 2012) – Square Enix London Studios, a part of Square Enix Europe, today announced its partnership with highly acclaimed mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Georges St-Pierre to collaborate on the development of Sleeping Dogs. St-Pierre, known to his legion of fans as “GSP”, has been working with Square Enix and United Front Games on multiple elements – including combat – in Sleeping Dogs, a gritty open world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong.

“Working with Square Enix has been an incredible opportunity,” said St-Pierre. “I’m really impressed to see how the hand-to-hand combat in the game is shaping up – it’s been a great experience being involved.”

In the stylized, high-action Hong Kong setting of Sleeping Dogs, every street corner, market stall, harbor dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat as players take on the role of undercover cop Wei Shen. Featuring an intuitive and imaginative combat system, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, single-handedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone-crushing kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

St-Pierre is working on an ongoing basis with Sleeping Dogs, consulting on elements in the game as well as sharing insights with the public on the game’s progress. Stay tuned for more detail.

“When it comes to professional fighting, names don’t get much bigger than GSP,” said Square Enix London Studios general manager Lee Singleton. “We are thrilled with the expertise that GSP brings to Sleeping Dogs”

Sleeping Dogs will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PCs.

Related Links

  • Sleeping Dogs Official Homepage: www.sleepingdogs.net
  • Sleeping Dogs Official Facebook® page: www.facebook.com/SleepingDogsGame
  • Follow Sleeping Dogs on Twitter®: @SleepingDogs

Nexuiz Beta Now Underway

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.- THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Machinima today announced the immediate launch of a public PC Beta for Nexuiz, the CryENGINE® 3 powered Arena FPS from Illfonic.

“PC is the home of the arena shooter”

Places are limited, and access keys can be claimed on a first come, first served basis via Alienware’s website at AlienwareArena.com/Nexuiz.

After a successful launch on Xbox 360, Nexuiz is now scheduled for release on PC on May 3, with a suggested retail price of $9.99 and substantial PC-specific enhancements.

“PC is the home of the arena shooter,” said Kedhrin Gonzalez, creative director at Illfonic. “We’ve been working hard to make the PC version of Nexuiz the best we can, and add the features and support that the discerning PC audience expects. This Beta will help us fine tune our online service, and we hope players will have a blast with it.”

The PC version of Nexuiz will include a number of enhancements and changes over the console version including:

  • Dedicated server support and game browser
  • Enhanced, CryENGINE 3 powered graphics with DX11 support
  • Advanced custom controls, new HUD and a 15 percent increase to player speed for ultimate twitch-shooter experience — and Immersive feedback utilizing Alien FX by Alienware!

More details can be found on the Nexuiz community forums at Forums.Nexuiz.com.

Nexuiz for PC is now available to pre-order from Steam at Store.Steampowered.com/app/96800 with a 10 percent discount applied to all pre-orders.

Western Digital Begins Shipping Scorpio Blue Ultrabook Drives

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

IRVINE, Calif., April 11, 2012 – Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), a worldwide storage leader, today announced it is shipping the WD Scorpio® Blue™ 7 mm hard drive, the latest addition to its mobile hard drive family and the 2.5-inch drive with the lowest power consumption on the market today. Specified to a best-in-class 400Gs shock tolerance, the new single-platter WD Scorpio Blue small form factor hard drives are available in 500 GB and 320 GB capacities and the drives’ compatibility with industry-standard 9.5 mm slots make them ideal storage options for mainstream notebooks as well as slimmer notebook and Ultrabook™ devices that require a 7 mm drive height.

“Consumers want thin and light personal computers, but the limited storage capacity of SSD-based notebooks forces them to pick and choose what files to bring from their library,” said Matt Rutledge, vice president and general manager for WD client storage products. “With the release of the new WD Scorpio Blue 7 mm mobile hard drives, WD is able to offer capacity, reliability and data-protection features combined with excellent power management all in a slim form factor perfect for thin and light notebooks.”

Features of the new WD Scorpio Blue 7 mm hard drives include:

  • Low power consumption – Advanced power management features and algorithms optimize the way the drive seeks data, which significantly improves power consumption.
  • Shock Tolerance – WD’s ShockGuard™ technology, now increased to a best-in-market 400Gs shock specification, protects the drive mechanics and platter surfaces from shocks.
  • Cool and quiet – In a notebook drive, silence is golden. WD’s exclusive WhisperDrive™ technology enables quiet performance.
  • Reliable – WD’s SecurePark™ parks the recording heads off the disk surface during spin up, spin down, and when the drive is off. This ensures the recording head never touches the disk surface resulting in improved long term reliability due to less head wear, and improved non-operational shock tolerance.
  • Compatibility Tested – WD performs tests on hundreds of systems and a multitude of platforms in its FIT Lab™ and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give customers confidence that drives will work in specific systems.

KRATER Gets A Release Date

2012/04/11
Jerry Paxton
News

STOCKHOLM, Sweden. April 11, 2012. Fatshark today announced a release date for their upcoming adventure roll-playing game KRATER. PC gamers can join the adventure on June 12, 2012 via Steam. A Mac version will be available in July.

“We are very happy to announce a rock solid – oh well – release date for KRATER. A game with enormous depth, it really has, it takes place in a very deep crater.” says Martin Wahlund, CEO and Executive Producer, Fatshark. “KRATER brings a rich experience for anyone that likes the post apocalyptic roll-playing genre, and I’m looking forward play coop with other adventurers.”

KRATER is a lush post-apocalyptic top down RPG and the base pillars are crafting, exploration and consequence. Consequence brings not only the ability for the characters to level up and improve themselves, but also permanent injuries and death. The grim reaper never been so grim!

“During the winter and spring, we’ve had over 20 000 pre-alpha/alpha testers and the feedback has been great,” says Victor Magnuson, Game Designer, Fatshark. “Before we release the game, there will be a beta available for everybody that has pre-ordered KRATER.”

If you want to get your KRATER on, and save a few “whatever currency you have” while you’re at it, visit http://store.fatshark.se and pick up the game today!

To get the latest info on all Fatshark activities; follow us www.twitter.com/fatsharkgames, like us www.facebook.com/fatsharkgames, visit us www.fatshark.se.