Archive - 2013

Bungie Unveils Destiny

Destiny_Tsr_Keyart

Santa Monica, CA – February 18, 2013 – A new generation of gaming is upon us.  Today, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), together with critically-acclaimed developer Bungie, revealed the first sneak peak of their partnership.  The game, called Destiny, is an ambitious evolution of the first-person action genre that brings gamers together in a shared, persistent world.  The result of a large-scale collaboration between Activision, the publisher of such mega franchises as Call of DutySkylanders Spyro’s AdventureTM and Skylanders GiantsTM, and Bungie, the creators of Halo®Destiny is poised to become the next advancement in interactive entertainment by melding first-person action gaming with a persistent, dynamic online world.

Destiny combines Bungie’s trademark grand scope, sci-fi storytelling and adventures with visceral first-person action gaming that takes place in an unfolding, cinematic universe. Additionally, Destiny delivers a unique social gaming experience to consoles by offering players a connected, living world that they can explore, combined with vibrant social spaces where they can congregate and celebrate achievements, and share remarkable adventures grouped with friends or solo.

“Bungie defined first-person action games over a decade ago with Halo, and with Destinythey will evolve the genre once again,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.  “Destiny is a world that evolves.  It is a world with wide boundaries that allows you to roam and explore. It is a world where, even in story mode, you could encounter other players on their own adventures.  And of course, it is a world that brings all of this together with the visceral, heart pounding immediacy of an expertly crafted first-person action title.  We are very excited to bring this ambitious, innovative and creative game to players around the world.”

“Activision focuses on doing a few things, exceptionally well.  And Bungie has had the same ethos,” Hirshberg continued.  “Together we are focusing the considerable resources, creativity and energy of both organizations to do something new, something ambitious, but most importantly, something fun.”

Set in the distant future, Destiny casts players as Guardians of the last city on Earth, who will traverse the ancient ruins of our solar system from the red dunes of Mars to the lush jungles of Venus.  Able to wield incredible power, players must battle humanity’s enemies and reclaim all that was lost during the collapse of mankind’s Golden Age.  In a story-driven universe, Destiny’s saga unfolds through grand talesand sweepingadventures by immersing gamers in a bold new world filled with cooperative, competitive, public, and social activities, all seamlessly connected. Bungie’s new next-generation game engine will allowDestiny to come to life on both the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, as well as other future console platforms.

“Destiny is the game that we’ve been dreaming of building for years.  We couldn’t be more pleased about our extraordinary collaboration with Activision.  We finally have the right partner, team and technology to bring the experience to millions of players worldwide,” said Harold Ryan, Bungie president.  “Destiny will draw players into a world filled with mystery, action, and adventure, but most importantly, Destiny is more than a disc in a drive, it is a living social universe filled with other players.”

“Not only does Destiny look amazing, but its new living world will change the way players think of co-operative online gaming,” said global retailer GameStop president Tony Bartel.  “This is just the type of innovation the game industry has been waiting for and I’m anxious for players to experience the vast universe of Destiny.”

For more information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com.  For exclusive updates, follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter, and interact directly with the developers atwww.Bungie.net.  Pre-order the game now at select retailers around the world.  Activision reiterated that although Bungie’s amazing new world was revealed today, Activision has not included the launch in its 2013 outlook and there should be no speculation or expectation of a different result.

Concept Art

ViDoc

Star Citizen Hits 8 Million Dollars in Funding

wc_dogfight_cockpit000659

AUSTIN, Texas, February 15, 2013 — Star Citizen™, the highly anticipated space sim from legendary game developer Chris Roberts, continues to set new records for a crowd funded game. Today Roberts’ company, Cloud Imperium Games™, announced that Star Citizen has reached the eight million dollar mark in money collected from backers. The latest total is more than $1.75 million beyond the amount raised when the original campaign (including Kickstarter) ended on November 19 of last year.

As of midday on February 15, the funding campaign for Star Citizen had reached $8.08 million with more than 142,000 pledges. More than 3,400 new accounts have been created and more than $500,000 has been raised since the beginning of February.

“The amount of support we are seeing from our fans is nothing short of amazing,” said Chris Roberts, CEO and creative director at Cloud Imperium Games. “Our backers are totally connecting with the development team and it just gets them so excited to come in to the office every day and work to make the next great space sim.

“Star Citizen will breathe new life into PC Games and the space sim genre and we encourage anyone out there who hasn’t registered for the game to visit our web sitewww.robertsspaceindustries.com and join the great community that we engage with daily while pursuing our goal of creating the best space sim on the market.”

Roberts is making his return to gaming after spending 10 years in the Hollywood film industry. He made his mark in computer games in the 1990s with such highly successful titles asWing CommanderPrivateer and Freelancer. Star Citizen, will be launched on the PC and will include all the Chris Roberts hallmarks that fans of his games have come to expect over the years: high quality cutting-edge visuals and technology, a virtual world that is immersive and detailed, a sophisticated storyline that is wide in scope and visceral, heart-pounding space combat.

More information about Star Citizen, including videos and trailers of the game, regular communications from Roberts to fans, community forums, game fiction and art can be found atwww.robertsspaceindustries.com.

BF3: End Game Capture the Flag Details and Screens

5_End_Game_Dirtbike-CTF_Jump_Water

Electronic Arts has released two new screenshots as well as some details regarding the “high-speed capture the flag” mode in their upcoming Battlefield 3: End Game. This version of the popular CtF game mode utilizes in-game dirt bikes. Checkout all the info below!

New Screens

About Battlefield 3: End Game’s Capture the Flag mode:

For seasoned first person shooter players, Capture the Flag is a classic game mode. Two teams fight for control over the enemy’s flag and need to capture it to score a point. Now, we are very happy to present our Battlefield take on this exciting mode in Battlefield 3: End Game – further broadening our range of available gameplay experiences.

The all-new End Game dirt bike is without a doubt the star of this game mode. It’s the perfect getaway vehicle for when you’ve snatched the enemy flag and need to wheelie back to your home base. The addition of a passenger seat means you can have some protection while boosting away from your pursuers.

The mission in Capture the Flag might sound deceptively simple: Hike from your starting base to the enemy base and capture their flag, then bring it home to score a point. The only problem is the enemy is trying to do the same to you – and if your own flag is no longer at your base, you are not allowed to score. This calls for a well-balanced mix of defense and lightning quick offense if you are to have a chance at scoring at all.

Capturing a flag is instantaneous. Just run over it to snatch it, then make it back home to score. Recovering your own flag that an enemy has dropped is not so simple, though. Rather, it is similar to how you would capture a base in Conquest. There’s a timer ticking down once you are within capture radius, and the time it takes to recover the flag is directly affected by how many friendly soldiers you have in the flag’s capture radius. Once it’s recovered, it will be automatically placed back home in your base again.

Once you’ve captured the enemy flag, it’s carried on the back of your infantry soldier or attached to your vehicle. While we love the fast and agile dirt bike, you will always have to weigh its speed against its low safety against enemy fire. If you would prefer a slower but more armored ride home, we’d recommend a jeep or tank instead – but whatever ride you choose, you will always be asked to make that judgment call whether speed or armor is your top priority at any given time.

Gameplay-wise, Capture the Flag  is highly dynamic with exactly two hot spots that can change at any time: The position of your home flag and the position of the enemy flag. For example, there’s no reason at all to hang back at your base if your own flag isn’t there anymore. You either protect your flag, snatch it back, or grab the enemy flag. Those are the only strategically sound actions you can take in a round of Capture the Flag. Coupled with the mobile nature of both flags, this means that firefights can suddenly erupt anywhere across the map and then suddenly change location again.

We hope you will enjoy this new addition to the available Battlefield 3 game modes come March (If you’re an old-time Battlefield fan you might remember we also had Capture the Flag already in Battlefield 1942, available as a free download from Origin). Stay tuned for more in-depth blog posts on End Game in the weeks leading up to launch.

Barenaked Ladies, Collective Soul, and Fall Out Boy Heading to Rock Band

120403-barenaked-ladies

Cambridge, Mass. – February 15th, 2013 – Harmonix today announced that tracks from Barenaked Ladies, Collective Soul, and Fall Out Boy are headed to the Rock Band™ Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii.

Rock Band provides the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums through the Rock Band music platform, which features more than 1,400 artists and more than 4,000* tracks via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks atwww.rockband.com/songs). Rock Band’s gigantic music library dwarfs that of any other rhythm video game on the market. More than 100 million songs have been sold through the Rock Band Music Store since its launch on Nov. 20, 2007.

Tracks downloaded from the Rock Band Music Store are compatible with the award-winning full-band Rock Band 3 experience, as well as the controller-based rhythm-action title, Rock Band Blitz, available now on PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Arcade!

Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system and Wii

On February 19th, tracks previously available as part of Rock Band Blitz will be made available for download as singles in the Rock Band Music Store! These tracks include Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week,” a re-record of Collective Soul’s “Shine,” and Fall Out Boy’s “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More ‘Touch Me’”.

Players can still pick up the controller-based arcade rhythm action of Rock Band Blitz on PlayStation®Network  for $14.99 and Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points™.Rock Band Blitz comes with the above songs, along with 23 more hit tracks, all fully compatible with a full band and instruments in Rock Band 3!

Available on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation®3 system (February 19th, 2013): 

  • Barenaked Ladies – “One Week” O 1
  • Collective Soul – “Shine”
  • Fall Out Boy – “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More ‘Touch Me’”

(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation®3 system February 20th)

Price:
$1.99 USD, £1.19 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points ™, 200 Wii Points) per song

Tracks marked with “O” feature support for keyboards.

** Dates and pricing for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **
 
*Available on-disc, via download and disc export. Internet connection and export key purchase required. Wii™ Shop Channel has more than 1,500 song tracks available for purchase on the Rock Band platform on-disc, via song import, and download. Not applicable to Nintendo DS™.1Previously released on Wii™ on August 28, 2012Website Links:
For more information, please visit:Rock Band Website

GameStick Pre-Order Program Now Live

gamestick

Santa Clara, CA, Las Vegas, NV and London. UK – Friday 15th February, 2013. Hot off the back of its recent Kickstarter success, PlayJam, the company behind GameStick – the world´s most portable TV games console – today launched a pre-order service via its website www.gamestick.tv.

Powered by Amazon, the service enables anyone who missed out on the opportunity to get their hands on a GameStick during the Kickstarter campaign to jump the queue ahead of a global retail launch in a few months time. Pre-ordered devices will ship immediately after fulfilment of the initial Kickstarter run in April and will maintain the $79 price point.

“January was a pivotal month for GameStick with the success of the campaign ensuring that we could bring the device to life.” Said Anthony Johnson, CMO PlayJam, “Since the campaign closed, we have received thousands of e-mails from individuals keen to ensure they remain one of the first to receive the product. By continuing to offer GameStick on pre-order, we will be able to maintain momentum ahead of our planned retail activity”.

The standard GameStick bundle is listed at $79 with a case and dock supporting a wide range of peripheral devices are listed at $9.99 and $24.99 respectively.

To pre-order GameStick please visit: www.gamestick.tv

To continue to follow GameStick news, join the conversation and give your opinion on Facebook or Twitter please go: www.facebook.com/GameStickNews and www.twitter.com/Game_Stick / @Game_Stick

To see new videos published on YouTube please subscribe to: www.youtube.com/GameStickVideos

Wargame AirLand Battle Site Launch and Screens

wargame_airland_battle-16

Focus Home Interactive has just announced the launch of the Wargame AirLand Battle official website as well as sent out some new screenshots from the upcoming RTS.

Screenshots

Pyle Unveils Retro Belt-Drive Turntable

pyle

NEW YORK – February 14, 2013 – Pyle®, manufacturers of home, car and pro audio equipment, unveils its latest in turntable innovation with the Retro Belt-Drive Turntable (PVTT2U). This classic briefcase-styled USB turntable is designed with form and function in mind. The sleek and stream-lined fold-away unit is portable and made with two built-in anti-magnetic speakers. Updated with cutting edge technology combined with nostalgic design, the PVTT2U offers the ultimate fusion of sound and style.

Not only can you play your favorite vinyl records, but you can also connect to your PC directly via USB port, allowing for easy conversion of classic vinyl’s to MP3s. The PVTT2U comes with everything you need to get connected and edit your music collection, all starting with a simple plug in. Take advantage of all the PVTT2U’s features by editing actual music files and creating playlists for any occasion with the included software. Combine the best of digital and analog technologies when you turn your bulky stack of vinyl records into a compact digital music library.

The PVTT2U delivers high quality performance for every audio need imaginable, including wireless playing capability. The rechargeable battery and briefcase-style allows for music on-the-go, making the PVTT2U ready when you are! Charge the turntable by connecting to your computer via the USB cable or by plugging into a wall outlet using the included AC-USB adapter.

This unique turntable will fill any room with incredible audio and can even provide your home theater system with a richer sound by connecting to the RCA line. This modern musical powerhouse arranged into an elegant vintage package will take care of all your music needs at home or on the go.

“We pride ourselves on providing the most unique music technologies. We found a way to reach our retro lovers and bring them to the best of the modern age and technology that the music world has to offer,” says Abe Brach president of Pyle Audio.

Pyle’s Retro Belt-Drive Turntable Features Include:

  • Three Turntable Speeds: 33, 45, 78 RPM
  • Belt-Driven Automatic Turntable
  • Ceramic Stereo Cartridge
  • 45 RPM Adapter
  • Two Built-in Stereo Anti-Magnetic Speakers
  • USB Port For Connection to PC to Convert Vinyl to MP3
  • Stereo RCA Output
  • Rechargeable Battery
  • Free Audacity Software Included For Vinyl-to-MP3 Conversion
  • Dimensions: 10.63” x 13.78” x 4.33”

Is This the PlayStation 4 SplitShock Controller? [RUMOR]

SplitShock08

Some new information has surfaced about the controller for SONY’s soon-to-be announced PlayStation 4/Codename Orbis console. If true, this is a HUGE leak! If false, it is another rumor in a sea of rumor/fervor surrounding the upcoming console, which is reportedly going to be announced at a February 20th event in New York City. I find it strange that this rumored controller does not feature analog sticks – usually, a mainstay in controllers of today. Perhaps SONY is breaking away from the usual sticks to virtual ones?

These images and details supposedly come from a source at a N.Y. PR agency who took on SONY as a client recently. This source leaked the images and information to VGrevolution.

Rumored “SplitShock” Controller Images

The Rumored Release Sent by SONY to the agency, confirming the console’s name WILL be the “PlayStation 4” as well as several other details.

Rumored Letter from SONY

Welcome to the Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC family. The following information is for your employees to initiate your print and web advertising campaign.

With the upcoming release of the PlayStation 4 console, we have redesigned the DualShock 3 controller to remain on the forefront of innovation. With this in mind we have created the SplitShock controller. There are three major changes from the DualShock 3 controller that will give our consumers an edge over our competition.

The first and most immediate change when a consumer looks at the SplitShock is the removal of the analogue sticks and the inclusion of touchpads in their place. The touchpads serve the same function as the analogue sticks.

When a consumer is not playing a game, the SplitShock touchpads function as a track pad with both halves making a larger area to swipe and select items. The touchpads are also fully programmable by developers. This gives them the freedom to use the touchpads as they see fit. For example, if the game doesn’t require analogue controls, the touchpads can be used as an alternate input device. This allows games ported from IOS or Android the ability to retain their original control scheme.

Because of the need to have a comfortable experience when using the track pad function or a dual touchpad controls, the width of the SplitShock is one inch wider when compared to the DualShock 3.

The second innovation on the SplitShock is the “SHARE” button. The SplitShock contains an internal 4 GB memory chip. This allows consumers to store any pictures, music, or movies on their SplitShock controller. It will also synch with their PSN account and stay updated with their profile.

When a consumer presses the “SHARE” button, any files on the SplitShock can be used on another PlayStation 4. If they are a PlayStation Plus subscriber, they can also share full games that are registered to their PSN account. The limit to this is that the files can only be shared within 15 meters of a Playstation 4 console.

For the time being, this function is only enabled between a SplitShock controller and a PlayStation 4 console. In the future this function will be enabled across all of Sony’s product line.

The final innovation is how we came up with the SplitShock name. Because of the improvements made to the Sony Duel Eye, the PlayStation Move sensors have reduced in size and have been integrated into the SplitShock controller.

With a press of a button, the SplitShock separates into two halves. This opens up yet another way for developers to customize whatever control system they desire. While the SplitShock is in split mode users can experience a full motion control setup that consumers have become accustomed to with the Move and Navigation controller combination. Another benefit is that since both halves of the SplitShock are Mirrored, even left handed players will have no issues.

With these innovations for the SplitShock controller, we are giving our loyal consumers a chance to interact with the PlayStation brand in ways they have never imagined before.