Archive - 2013

NCAA Football Cover Vote Down to 8 Players

2013/02/05
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Xbox 360 News

ncaa-vote

EA Sports has announced the eight athletes up for the cover of the next NCAA Football title. From Texas A&M, we have Ryan Swope and from Notre Dame we have Tyler Eifert. Checkout the six others below for more info. Best part is that fans are voting on these athletes, so get over to the official site and cast your ballot on who you think should be the cover star.

Official Press Release

February 5, 2013 – EA SPORTS has officially announced the eight athletes who will represent their universities in the final rounds of the NCAA Football Cover Vote.  With their schools making it to the semifinal round after ten weeks of voting, the athletes listed below will spend the next few weeks vying for the right to be the cover athlete of the next NCAA Football game.

School

Athlete
Alabama Eddie Lacy
Florida State E.J. Manuel
Georgia Jarvis Jones
Michigan Denard Robinson
Notre Dame Tyler Eifert
Ohio State John Simon
Oregon Kenjon Barner
Texas A&M Ryan Swope

With the addition of players to the Cover Vote, there are now new ways for fans to show their support. For the duration of this round a series of posts showcasing the athletes and their schools will appear on the NCAA Football Facebook page. In order to vote for the player, fans must “like” the image, which in turn registers one vote for the athlete. Fans can also continue to vote for their favorite university through the school polls that are posted on theNCAA Football Facebook page.

Quarterfinal round voting is now open, and will continue through Monday, February 18th when EA SPORTS announces the athletes and schools that have advanced to the semifinal round. The Cover Vote is being conducted exclusively on the NCAA Football Facebook page and fans are encouraged to “like” the page in order to vote for their favorite potential cover athlete.

For updates on the NCAA Football cover vote, fans can follow along at the NCAA Football Facebook or Twitter pages or visit the NCAA Football page at EASPORTS.com. For team-specific assets for the NCAA Football Cover Vote, please visit http://ncaafootballcovervote.newslinevine.com/.

NCAA Football is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon, with trademarks licensed by IMG College’s The Collegiate Licensing Company on behalf of its partner institutions. For more information about NCAA Football, please visit http://www.easports.com/ncaa-football.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football,Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX, and Fight Night boxing.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit http://www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Borderlands 2: Add-On Content Pack Release Date

2013/02/05
Jerry Paxton
PlayStation 3 News, Xbox 360 News

borderlands-2-5

2K Games has announced that the Borderlands 2: Add-On Content Pack will be available on February 26th, 2013. The pack features the first two add-on campaigns as well as some pre-order bonuses.

Official Press Release

New York, NY – February 5, 2013 – 2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that Borderlands® 2 players can expand their gameplay experience and return to Pandora with the retail Borderlands 2: Add-On Content Pack* which bundles into a single packaged product all of the digital content previously released on the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network and PlayStation®Network up to the second add-on campaign. The pack will be available in stores worldwide on February 26, 2013 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and will feature $40 of additional content for $29.99. To date, the critically acclaimed shooter Borderlands 2 has won more than 55 end-of-year awards worldwide, including “Best Shooter” and “Best Multiplayer” at Spike’s 2012 Video Game Awards and “Game of the Year” from G4TV.

The Borderlands 2: Add-On Content Pack is a must have for Borderlands fans who did not download the content previously, adding hours of additional gameplay with the first two add-on campaigns, Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty and Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, as well as the following extra features:

  • Play as a fifth character: Gaige, the Mechromancer;
  • Fight challenging enemies in the Creature Slaughter Dome battle arena and earn Mad Moxxi’s rare rocket launcher;
  • Unlock unique weapons including the Gearbox Gun Pack and Skyrocket Grenade;
  • Customize each character with additional heads and skins;
  • Receive a Golden Key to unlock rare loot from the golden chest in Sanctuary.

Borderlands 2 is rated M for Mature by the ESRB and is available now on Xbox 360, PS3™ and Windows PC. For the latest Borderlands 2 news and information, please visit the official Borderlands 2 web site, and follow onTwitter and Facebook.

2K Games is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

*Borderlands 2 is not included in this pack, but is required to play all of the included content. Does not require online connectivity to play.

Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

This video game is fictional and depicts invented events, persons, locations, and entities. The inclusion of any brand, weapon, location, vehicle, person or thing does not imply sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of this game. The makers and publishers of this game do not endorse, condone or encourage engaging in conduct depicted in this product.

Impire Release Date and New Trailer

2013/02/05
Jerry Paxton
News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

impire_pdxcon13_4

NEW YORK — February 5, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and meddler in impish affairs, has announced the release date for Impire, the upcoming dungeon strategy game from suitably deadly developer Cyanide Studio Montreal. Impire, which traps players in the not-so-intimidating form of a scheming imp and then tasks them with overtaking an entire kingdom, will be launching on February 14 for $19.99. Paradox is now taking pre-orders for Impire atwww.impiregame.com/buy, and will impart impressive impetuses for those impatient to impale their foes. (That means there are pre-order bonuses, you mortal buffoons.)

Two pieces of bonus DLC will be granted to players who pre-order Impire, including the “Creatures of the Night” pack, adding new fearsome monsters to their underground armies. Vicious Victorian Vampires will stalk the dungeon halls, walking their undead poodles, and nasty Medusas will stop enemies in their tracks. Plus, pre-orderers will be able to raise the demon of their choice with the “Black and White” pack, granting new in-game skins to their Imp – a sinister, pale white, or the darkest shade of black.

The first-ever playthrough for Impire , dubbed “Imps Exposed”, has been unveiled today, showing several minutes of raw, uncut footage from the first scenario of the dungeon management title. Within the playthrough, players will get a glimpse at some of the base-management options and cutscenes, as well as a preview on how to dispatch troublesome humans who venture into theImpire.

Just but be warned – the sight of a demon worker scratching itself cannot be unseen. Click here, if you dare:

Heroes Of Newerth 3.0 Review (PC)

2013/02/04
Ripper71
News, Reviews, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

heroes_of_newerth

A little over a week ago, I gave Heroes of Newerth a play.  Well, actually, quite a few plays because I went in cold not quite knowing what to expect and I hit a noob-hostile environment and I pride myself on thick skin (and vengeance which could only be served if I overcame the learning curve) so I kept going until they had to lay the heat on somebody else and I did my best to help that person.  The concern was that, at first, you really don’t know what to do unless you read up on the community boards or played one of the games that inspired it.  I had done neither (okay, I played one of the games it was based off of, but a LONG time ago in “gaming years”). So, I ran around having fun and driving my team absolutely crazy.  I felt I was helping, just not the way they wanted so why all the heat?  I realized after study that the only way you win was working as a team not as a damage dealing headless chicken.  Damage is only the beginning of this game, strategy is really key.  Thanks to patch 3.0 you all can learn it the easy way, through tutorials and walkthroughs and they added lore and heroes to boot!

Storyline:

They tell the new lore better…

3.0 Features:

• Enhanced New Player Experience – The game’s walkthrough has been completely revamped with an indepth guide to better prepare first time players for the world of Heroes of Newerth. RAP 3.0, an all-new Report-A-Player system, gives the community the power to clean up and police itself while impacting the behavior of negative players.
• Reworked & Enhanced UI – Including friends list notifications, options menu, in-game chat, and more.
• Experience the Learning Center – This new feature will provide players with a series of videos that reinforce and explain in great detail some of the game’s basic and more complex concepts/techniques.
• Improved Referral Program – The new referral system will have both in-game and web-based options.  Players can recruit friends for in-game currency and other tangible prizes using both systems.
• Learn Your Hero’s Backstory – One of the key features of the 3.0 update is the inclusion of lore within the world of HoN. Discover the story behind all your favorite heroes as each one has a unique tale to tell concerning their involvement in Newerth.
• An All-New Caldavar – The Forests of Caldavar map has received a complete overhaul in terms of its appearance and layout.  The environment is now more dynamic and includes stunning new aesthetics, tower designs, fountains, buildings and more!
• 30 New HD Hero Models – Valkyrie, Deadwood, Magebane and 27 other heroes now look better than ever as they have been redesigned with spectacular high definition graphics.
• Bots Welcome – AI-controlled Bots are now available as an integral part of the Heroes of Newerth experience.  The new walkthrough will also include bots so that beginners can test and develop their skills before venturing into more competitive play.

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Gameplay:

The game’s play really didn’t change that much with the patch, what changed was the player’s gameplay.  One of the maps was seriously revamped and all the atmospheres were improved with AAA graphics which is unheard of in a free to play, free to win game.  Yes you read that right, you can spend money on this game but it is cosmetic and supportive of the game itself rather than a pay to win system designed to rake in money.  This game was a labor of love when it began and it is still a labor of love now, more so as extra effort was put into making the experience more enjoyable for more players.  Sometimes patches really don’t change much and when it comes to game model it hasn’t, but the additional heroes and abilities that come with them and the additional aid to new players is a game changer and should be recognized.  The developers even show their belief in the community by creating the Report-A-Player system in which they show they trust the community to help police itself and keep making the game the best it can be.

The first time I played before the patch it was pretty painful, jumping right in was not the best idea.  I struggled to improve my game while at the same time taking scathing noob aggro to the point that had I not been committed to the game I probably would have not played on.  I read tutorials and tips on the forums and that helped a lot and got so that I could play without getting hated on.  With the release of the 3.0 patch and it’s New Player Learnatorium and walkthroughs the game not only becomes much more accessible to new players but enables them to be competitive right from their first game.  I went from a so-so player at best before the patch to a competitive one running middle or better in the pack afterwards.  I cannot stress enough how much more accessible the developers made this game.

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Last Call:

This was a very solid, very good game that was a bit hard to get the hang of if you weren’t very familiar with the genre and didn’t do your homework.  They changed maps, added lore, added hero content and they put in a whole system designed to make the game more accessible to a wider audience and bring an end to noob aggro.  Then they said thank you to the community by giving it the ability to help police itself with Report-A-Player.  It was a fun game that was going to keep me coming back before but it is going to bring me in even more now.  Kudos S2 Games for making a great game better and bringing your community along with you.  With the graphics and quality of the game content and the addition of all the tips and walkthroughs I could easily see Heroes Of Newerth becoming the new game to emulate in this genre for years to come.  You gotta love that it is truly free to play too.

[easyreview title=”Heroes Of Newerth Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″] Our Rating Scores Explained

Trailer:

Gallery:

Pantheon The Legends Review (iOS)

2013/02/04
Ripper71
Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

479737_300411140070980_601513306_n

I can appreciate a long term play iOS game, especially ones with daily check-ins since my back is bad enough that I have to rest it in bed on a daily basis.  If I am having a hard time getting up or going to sleep, I open up my phone and jump onto the handful of daily plays to pass the time.  Until recently, I only had one of each kind so I didn’t burn out: zombie survival, base strategy, real time mission strategy and a TCG game.  Then another TCG came up with a bit of questioning on whether or not we were going to cover it.  Since it was free so I added it to my rotation so I might as well let you know what I am up to.

Storyline:

The realm of the gods is in turmoil! Now is your chance to replace the diabolical Zeus! Interact with other players to build an invincible army of gods and mythical creatures to crush all who resist. Battle other players from around the world on your own, or join a guild to team up with others and dominate the rankings.  Greece stands shattered from the turmoil. It is up to you to restore order and peace to the Pantheon!

The storyline doesn’t take itself near as serious as this with instances involving a minotaur mini-mart and card descriptions and abilities named simply to be silly.

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Graphics And Sound:

Graphics are cartoonish and fun, the music is classical with cartoonish sound effects when sound effects are called for.  The game is definitely designed to be fun and not to be taken too seriously, though there are people who always will.

Gameplay:

Questing consists of a room description with a picture above it and a listing of how much stamina the turn will require.  The player clicks on “Go” if you have enough stamina and a wheel appears with a marker at the top and it is a wheel of fortune where you can win a experience, coins, treasure chest or Zzz.  The Zzz is basically a lose a turn, the coins and exp are pretty obvious then the treasure chest is a random card, usually a piece of a treasure or a common character card.  The pieces of treasure are collected until you have all of them needed for the particular treasure (pan pipes are three pieces, the caduceus staff requires five pieces).  While collecting and assembling the pieces, they can be stolen in PvP battle by another player (you can put a truce in place for a price to prevent theft during assembling), and this is the main purpose of PvP: To get the pieces of treasure so you can equip your army with the stat improving equipment or sacrifice them to enhance the stats on another piece of treasure.  You need to make sure you don’t get too tense about the PvP situation, very high levels can attack very low levels and take their pieces.  Bullying doesn’t just happen it is common practice so expect it and stay relaxed about it, it will be your turn eventually.

This is also how you improve your army. You collect maiden, griffins and satyr cards by spinning the quest wheel and then sacrifice them to make your main characters level.  I chose Phobos (as in phobia) as my main and I have been sacrificing one star cards in his name for days, probably enough to fill the Colosseum. Luckily the cards and beasties are virtual.  It has been a bloodbath but he has gotten stronger and made my army stronger as a result.  Once his level is maxed out I pick my second best teammate (or favorite, Leonidas For Sparta!) and start throwing sacrificial cards at its feet by spinning the wheel of fortune.  There are also the occasional boss battles which usually pay a common or slightly uncommon card and instances which aren’t based on your stamina but rather on real time, so the first rounds of the instance you might get to spin the wheel every 20 seconds then the rounds right before the instance boss the turns may take two hours a spin.

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Half The Battle:

The rare cards are gotten by opening the silver and gold card packs and that is how you get the real heavy hitter characters of the game.  How heavy?  I don’t know, I don’t have the money to spend on free to play/pay to win,  but I can tell you what it is like to play free and whether or not it is still a good game without spending a dime.

Last Call:

The game is fun as a time killer, collecting the different cards, and the game tries to not take things too seriously.  There isn’t much action when you think about it, the game is basically Wheel of Fortune with card collecting and enhancing. If you want to spend money, you can win some buff cards and, if you don’t want to spend money, you can have fun with lesser known gods and deities. Just don’t expect Zeus to join your team anytime soon.

[easyreview title=”Panteon The Legends Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”2″] Our Rating Scores Explained

Trailer:

EA Sports Madden NFL Correctly Picks Super Bowl Winner

2013/02/04
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Xbox 360 News

flacco-patriots-afc-championship_656x369

February 4, 2013 – With the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, the official Madden NFL Super Bowl prediction correctly predicted the exact point difference in the game and has now correctly predicted the winner of eight of the last 10 Super Bowls. The Madden NFL Super Bowl prediction, which was run using Madden NFL 13, also correctly forecasted Joe Flacco as MVP of the game.

The Madden NFL XLVII Super Bowl prediction also was correct in predicting touchdowns for Anquan Boldin and Frank Gore and was nearly perfect in predicting Colin Kaepernick’s stat line, with the prediction forecasting 18 completions, 29 attempts, a TD and interception; with Kaepernick falling two completions and one attempt short of that exact total. In addition, the Madden NFL prediction also correctly forecasted an Ed Reed interception of Kaepernick as the only interception in the game.

Madden NFL Super Bowl predictions are incredibly accurate due to the game’s authentic gameplay, the development team’s unparalleled access to NFL resources and its prominent place in NFL culture. Because of these factors, over the past 25 years, Madden NFL has become known as the 33rd franchise.

On Friday, Electronic Arts officially announced Madden NFL 25, launching on August 27. This year’s game will feature the Madden NFL 25 name when it launches in August, plus a new fan Cover Vote in partnership with ESPN that will pit the NFL’s greatest legends against today’s biggest stars. For more information on the announcement and the Madden NFL 25 cover vote, please click here.

To learn more about the Madden NFL franchise or Madden NFL 25, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl. Fans are also invited to become a Madden Insider for exclusive information on Facebook including the latest news, original content and more for Madden NFL 25.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football,Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX, and Fight Night boxing.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit http://www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Evil Geniuses Joins Team Razer

2013/02/04
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Special Interest News

evil-gen

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Feb. 4, 2013 – Razer, one of the world’s pioneering supporters of e-Sports, and Evil Geniuses, the Western world’s premier professional gaming team, have formed a partnership to reinforce Razer’s support of e-Sports globally.

Team Evil Geniuses is one of the longest-running organizations in North American e-Sports, and it houses arguably the most prestigious roster of professional gamers in the region. EG makes for a fantastic addition to the elite ranks of Team Razer: From their Dota 2 division, which features fan favorites like DeMoN, Maelk and Fear, to their broad roster of StarCraft 2 talent, including superstars like Jaedong, Stephano and IdrA, to Justin Wong, Ricky Ortiz and their deep Fighting Game line-up, to Snoopeh and their newly-acquired League of Legends team.

“Evil Geniuses is one of the best gaming organizations to have ever existed,” said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “Their roster reads as a Who’s Who of e-Sports and I am looking forward to partnering with them in 2013 and beyond. We’ve always been huge supporters of e-Sports and the community, and this partnership with EG will take us even further.”

Evil Geniuses teamed up with fellow Team Razer member Team Liquid to compete in this year’s Starcraft 2 Proleague, and are now the first non-Korean-based team to compete in the most prestigious professional league televised globally. Marcus “ThorZaIN” Eklöf,” Evil Geniuses’ Swedish Terran player, who in December became the first non-Korean player to win a Proleague match in more than seven-and-a-half years, was recently awarded Proleague’s MVP award in consideration of his outstanding play and positive mentality.

“We are honored to welcome Razer as our official partner for mice, keyboards and mousepads,” remarked Evil Geniuses CEO Alexander Garfield. “We have been lucky enough over the years to have received great support from companies that share our passion and enthusiasm for e-Sports, and we are grateful to see Razer join that group. With their support, we’ll not only continue to support our players better than any other team in the world, but we’ll also be able to introduce a number of great custom products – something we’ve wanted to offer or fans for a long time.”

The Evil Geniuses partnership further solidifies Razer’s already-established dominance within e-Sports and reinforces Razer’s commitment to the ever-growing e-Sports industry. Look for Evil Geniuses players to be sporting their brand-new Razer gear in upcoming major tournaments, such as IEM Katowice, League of Legends Season 3 and IPL6.

Phosphor Games Launches Project Awakened on Kickstarter

2013/02/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

ProjectAwakened_186

CHICAGO, IL – February 4, 2013 – What if you could completely customize every detail of your character and have those attributes impact the entire way the game responds to your character?  That is exactly what Phosphor Games Studio hopes to offer gamers with Project Awakened, their genre-defying PC video game debuting today as a new Kickstarter campaign.

Originally conceived at Midway Games as an ambitious next gen game called “Hero,” Project Awakened and its core gameplay tenets were saved by a group of its most talented developers who then started Phosphor Games Studio, the critically acclaimed video game developer who has received back-to-back Mobile Game of the Year nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for Horn (2012) and The Dark Meadow (2011).

Developed using the state-of-the-art Unreal Engine 4, Project Awakened — for the first time in a modern triple A action title — gives each player the opportunity to wholly define their dream video game character and put them into immersive action-packed environments which then respond to each person’s personal gameplay style and character creation.

Perhaps the most exceptional thing about Project Awakened is the potential to craft gameplay experiences and challenges that never existed before:

  • Create a Batman-like hero with a giant samurai sword and incredible strength and power for combat;
  • Imagine a non-violent femme fatale with amazing speed, agility and no weapons who can race around enemies;
  • Or a character that absorbs and reflects enemy abilities and bullets.

The possibilities are endless and allow each player to generate one-of-a-kind gameplay experience unlike anything before.

“Project Awakened is without a doubt the game we’ve always dreamed of making as developers and playing as gamers,” said Chip Sineni, Phosphor Games Studio Director.  “We realize how challenging this game is to make, but we have the ability and technology with the Unreal Engine 4 to deliver it.  Project Awakened is a game that virtually every publisher loved, but was afraid to make, so we are taking our idea to core gamers through Kickstarter and asking the community to become our publisher.”

The Kickstarter campaign kicks off today and runs through March 6, with Phosphor Games looking to raise a minimum of $500,000 from backers.  Although the game has been in development for a few years, the money generated from the Kickstarter campaign will allow Phosphor Games to have a dedicated team help finish the title, as well as add a number of exciting features to the game.

To learn more about the various ways and options to support Project Awakened via its Kickstarter campaign, and to become a backer for Phosphor Games’ Project Awakened, visit their Kickstarter Page here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1312036782/project-awakened

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