Archive - 2014

The 2015 D23 Expo Dates Announced

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PORTLAND, Ore. – March 18, 2014 – All the magic and excitement of the past, present, and future of Disney entertainment will come together once again under one roof when D23: The Official Disney Fan Club presents theD23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center the weekend of Aug. 14–16, 2015. Each of Disney’s wonderful worlds will unite to celebrate what’s new and what’s on the horizon from theme parks, television, music, games, and films, including Pixar, the Muppets, Star Wars, and Marvel.

“The D23 Expo is the ultimate Disney fan event, created to honor and celebrate your love of all things Disney,” Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger told shareholders and D23 Members at the Company’s Annual Meeting today in Portland, Oregon. “And we hope to see you there.”

The fourth event promises to be the biggest ever, following the success of D23 Expo 2013, which drew more than 65,000 Disney fans for three star-studded days and nights. Fans were treated to appearances by such superstars as Angelina Jolie, Chris Evans, Billy Crystal, Natalie Portman, and Tom Hiddleston; watched performances by Idina Menzel, and R5 featuring Ross Lynch; enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime concert from Disney Legends Alan Menken and Richard M. Sherman; explored the inner workings of Walt Disney Imagineering; looked back at Disney’s rich history through extraordinary panels, presentations, and exhibits; and discovered the newest entertainment, technology, and products from The Walt Disney Company.

Highlights planned for D23 Expo 2015 include the 2015 Disney Legends Ceremony, which honors the talented men and women who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy; Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives, a collection of one-of-a-kind assets, props, and costumes curated by the Walt Disney Archives; and the Collectors Forum, where Disney fans can buy, sell, and trade Disney collectibles, memorabilia, and merchandise. Once again the event will feature a massive show floor full of special opportunities to see what’s on the horizon for Disney around the world—and guests may run into their favorite Disney stars, characters, Imagineers, animators, and filmmakers. Plus, the event will once again feature StagePass, the popular ticket distribution system that allows attendees to obtain a guaranteed seat for some of the Expo’s most popular presentations.

Advance tickets for D23 Expo 2015 will go on sale at D23Expo.com beginning August 14, 2014. D23 Members will receive special pricing on both one- and three-day tickets to the event, which is open to the general public. D23 Gold and Silver Members will also be entitled to early admission to the Expo show floor. D23 Charter Members will enjoy access to the Expo’s Charter Member Lounge. Members will also have an opportunity to purchase the Sorcerer Package, which provides a host of special benefits and amenities.

New Child of Light Behind the Scenes Trailer

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March 18, 2014 — Today, Ubisoft releases a brand new trailer for the upcoming 2D RPG, Child of Light. Inspired by watercolor artwork from the Golden Age of Illustration, Child of Light takes players on an extraordinary journey through the mystical world of Lemuria. Check out the trailer for a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration for the art of Child of Light.

Child of Light will be available to download for $14.99 on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U on April 30th and is rated E10 for “Everyone 10+.”

For more information on Child of Light, please visit: http://www.childoflight.ubi.com

For the latest on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: www.ubiblog.com

Wargaming Releases Grand Finals Tournament Information

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March 18, 2014 — Wargaming today shared additional information regarding the Wargaming.net Grand Finals, taking place April 46 at the Multikino Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw, Poland, including details on the $300,000 prize pool up for grabs by the competitors.

“Events like this help build the popularity of cybersports by not only providing players with incentive to participate but also quality entertainment for the spectators,” said Jonghyuk Baak, Global eSports Director at Wargaming. “We want to thank all of the players, teams, and partners involved in the Grand Finals for their generosity in assisting us in organizing a world class event that will turn Warsaw into the eSports capital of the world this April.”

The seeding ceremony will be held on March 24, 2014 at ESL studio in Cologne, Germany. To maximize geographic separation, 14 teams will be drawn into two groups using a “controlled random” system. On March 25, ESL will broadcast the video on the Wargaming.net League EU twitch channel at 19:00 CET. Then, the video will be uploaded on YouTube, news portals, and to social networks.

Following the festive Opening Ceremony, set to take place at 12:00 CET on April 4, these 14 best performing tank squads from all over the globe will play a series of matches, spread over three days. Except for the first day, tournaments will start at 9:00 CET and end at around 19:00 CET, with the Winners Ceremony slated to take place at 19:00 CET on April 6. All games will be streamed live on the Wargaming.net League Twitch channels:

The international eSports celebration will be free to the public, with a variety of prizes for spectators including stage giveaways, invite and bonus codes for World of Tanks, as well as exclusive goodie bags for the most avid spectators. Live stream viewers will be able to win invite and bonus codes as well, during the many hours of match streaming.

The World of Tanks player community will be able to partake in a creative “Cheerleading Madness Contest” by creating a short video that shows their support for one of the eSports teams participating in the Grand Finals.

The sponsors of the tournament are Razer, PayPal, Alienware and the City of Warsaw.

“PayPal is proud to be associated with World of Tanks, Wargaming.net League Grand Finals and Wargaming in general to help them reach out to millions of consumers globally,” said Gaël Jouaillec, Head of Digital Goods at PayPal. “Supporting the Grand Finals in this amazing town of Warsaw demonstrates our willingness to be close to gamers thanks to our fundamental ability of making payments simple, easy and secure. May the best team win!”

“eSports are among fastest-growing trends in gaming, and Poland boasts one of Europe’s largest World of Tanks communities, with lots of players from Warsaw,” said vice president of Warsaw Michal Olszewski. “We are delighted to host this year’s Grand Finals and show our city to the international guests.”

For more information on the Wargaming.net League Grand Finals, please visit:

Stronghold Kingdoms Reaches Three Million Players

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London, UK – 18th March 2014 – Firefly Studios has just announced that their popular MMORTS Stronghold Kingdoms has attracted more than three million players since launch. For more than two years Kingdoms has ranked in the top 10 most popular free-to-play games on Steam and in the top 50 games overall by current player count:

http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

With more than 3000 games available on Steam, the enduring popularity of Stronghold Kingdoms is a remarkable achievement for the independent developer. Supporting Firefly Studios’ transition to digital self-publishing, the free-to-play model of Stronghold Kingdoms has allowed the company to stay healthy and keep growing. With the help of Steam Kingdoms has become one of the most actively played games on the platform, with more daily concurrent users than other MMOs with the backing of heavyweight IPs such as Marvel Heroes and Star Trek Online.

Stronghold Kingdoms has also thrived thanks to its passionate players, all of whom have input on the game’s monthly content updates. This worldwide audience hails from over 100 different countries, with more than 200,000 monthly active users sharing 22 game worlds. They have played a pivotal role in the continued growth of the game, with hundreds of thousands of players signing up to play Stronghold Kingdoms as a direct result of friend invites.

Stronghold Kingdoms allows players to enjoy classic Stronghold gameplay in a highly interactive and competitive MMORTS environment. Set across a number of different medieval countries, players build their thriving empires on game worlds that feature actual villages, towns and cities. Last month Firefly added a ‘Europe’ world, where more than 30,000 players are currently forming alliances and fighting for control of 33 countries in one huge game world.

Stronghold Kingdoms can be downloaded and played for free at www.strongholdkingdoms.com

ARES Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR Airsoft Gun Review (Airsoft)

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The folks at AirSplat and Tac City North in Irwindale, CA allowed us access to their indoor CQB field to review the new AREA Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR airsoft gun. Being one of ARES new, pistol style M4 airsoft guns, the Amoeba CCR is, as you would guess, pretty compact. In fact, it only has a 4 inch barrel on it! Featuring all-black styling and nylon polymer receivers, the airsoft gun is also exceptionally light weight. Unlike the Amoeba CCP, this model has a folding rear stock, which allows you to wield it around like a sub-machine gun. Furthering this end, ARES includes a short vertical foregrip to enhance your control of its small frame.

The battery compartment is actually located inside the top rail on the upper receiver. However, take note as we were only able to fit an 8.4v stick type battery inside of it. There may be some 7.6v LiPo batteries that fit, but none of ours did during our testing.  With an 8.6v battery connected to it, we received chronograph values of about 280 FPS on average. The chronograph readings you are seeing in the video are literally the first time the gun had been fired out of the box. So, that’s why it takes a few shots for it to loosen up to spec. In burst fire, we read a chronograph value of 857 rounds per minute, which is fine for a stock gun. I would not recommend running anything higher than a 9.6v battery in the gun.

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*The ARES Amoeba, seen below the Magpul PTS Masada

In actual play, I loved how easy it was to maneuver through the tight corners of Tac City North’s indoor arena. After returning from a few games with it, I was nothing but grins, and am very interested in obtaining one for my own airsoft gun collection. In outdoor play, I would not recommend using the Amoeba unless it were your backup gun. To that end, I would probably recommend the Amoeba CCP variant, as it has much more of a pistol form factor. Retailing at a reasonable $199.99 the ARES Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR airsoft gun won’t break your budget either and uses standard M4 style magazines.

Video Review

*Please note, this is the first video review ever for this player – welcome aboard, Henry!

[ezcol_1half]Pros

  • Small form factor
  • STANAG type M4/M16 magazines
  • Good FPS for CQB fields

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Cons

  • Uses an increasingly rare short stick type battery

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Overall, the ARES Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR airsoft gun is an excellent, budget-friendly choice for your indoor, CQB style airsoft games. It performs well, is easy to operate, and is a heck of a lot of fun to shoot. The ARES Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR airsoft gun retails for $199.99 and is available now. It also comes in three varieties based on your needs – a pistol type, collapsible stock, and fixed stock type. Just be sure you have a battery that will fit its small battery compartment.

Product Link

[easyreview title=”ARES Amoeba S-Class M4 CCR Airsoft Gun Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Magpul PTS Masada ACR CQB Airsoft Gun Review (Airsoft)

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At our recent outing to AirSplat and Tac City’s Irwindale CQB airsoft field, we got the chance to review the Magpul PTS Masada ACR CQB airsoft gun that AirsoftExtreme was nice enough to lend us. The real steel Masada was Magpul’s attempt at creating a modular, advanced carbine platform. The Masada later was turned into the ACR platform by Bushmaster. Magpul PTS’ Masada ACR CQB features the Masada/ACR looks and style coupled with a shorter, CQB length barrel. Magpul PTS did make, although it is becoming increasingly rare these days, a full-length barrel version of this airsoft rifle, but the performance specs are the same.

This particular version of the Masada ACR CQB featured dark earth coloring and a functional bolt catch, replicating the real firearm’s. Once the charging handle is pulled back, it reveals the hop up unit within. The unit was fairly easy to adjust and I was very easily able to find a correct amount of hop for the arena I was playing in. Also included are a rear MBUS2 pop up sight and a front flip up sight that is part of the top rail. The Masada ACR CQB’s stock is a thing of beauty, with seven positions of length, an adjustable cheek riser, and the ability to fold down if you are riding in a vehicle, etc.

The biggest issue I had with the Magpul PTS ACR CQB was in changing and fitting a battery to the rifle. Taking the front hand guard off requires the use of a tool to pop out a pin. Once done, you have to make sure your battery is not too big as the quick change barrel lever is also located within the hand guard.

Video Review

Before entering the airsoft arena, the referees chronographed the rifle and it shot reliably at about 340 FPS, well within the indoor field limit. I would, however, recommend upgrading the spring if you are going to take it into outdoor play – while velocity is not everything in airsoft, it definitely helps. For indoor fields requiring a max of 350 FPS, this airsoft rifle is just perfect. One particularly cool feature of this gun is the micro-switch trigger assembly. It has a nice, short trigger pull and is said to have a lot more longevity than standard airsoft gun triggers.

[ezcol_1half]Pros

  • Excellent recreation of the real steel firearm
  • Lightweight
  • Excellent CQB performance
  • Quick change barrel system

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Cons

  • Quick change barrel handle can get in the way of batteries

[/ezcol_1half_end]

Overall, the Magpul PTS Masada ACR CQB airsoft rifle is a faithful recreation of the real steel firearm with excellent performance – especially for indoor, CQB style airsoft arenas. The price is not cheap at about $510 dollars, but you are definitely getting a whole lot of quality inside this airsoft gun.

Product Link

[easyreview title=”Magpul PTS Masada ACR CQB Airsoft Gun Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist to Premier All Episodes on Machinima

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Los Angeles, CA, March 14, 2014 – Machinima, Assassin’s Fist Limited, and Capcom U.S.A., Inc. announce today, in partnership with Producer Jacqueline Quella, and Director Joey Ansah, that STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST will debut in its entirety on Machinima, the number-one global video entertainment network for young males. The exact air date will be announced soon. The live-action series, which is distributed by Content Media, is the brainchild of Ansah (The Bourne Ultimatum, Snow White and the Huntsman), a member of the creative team behind the hugely successful fan film Street Fighter: Legacy—which has received almost 5,000,000 views to date. Ansah, who also stars in the series (Akuma), wrote the script with Christian Howard, who reprises his role as Ken Masters from the original fan film. The series also stars Mike Moh as Ryu, Togo Igawa (47 RoninMemoirs of a Geisha, The Last Samurai) as Gōtetsu, Akira Koieyama as Gōken, Gaku Space as Gōki, Mark Killeen (300: Rise of an EmpireThe Dark Knight Rises) as Mr. Masters, and Hal Yamanouchi as Senzo. Through the coming of age story of Ken & Ryu, we are shown the back story of some of the game’s most iconic characters, and over the course of the series we will see how the past, present, and future of all of those characters are intertwined, as the battle to become Ansatsuken Master threatens to tear apart another generation of brothers.

A first look at the new series can be found below:

“This series was meant for Machinima,” said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman, Co-Founder and CEO of Machinima. “We have successfully launched popular game-inspired web series in the past, and Street Fighter is about as iconic as they come. We couldn’t be more excited about working with the incredible production team behind the series and the folks over at Capcom to launch not only a compelling and action-packed series in its own right, but also one that stays true to the Street Fighterlore.” DeBevoise continued, “After the success of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, we will once again provide all of the episodes on the day of launch to our fans to ensure they get exactly what they want—the entire series from start to finish!”

“We can’t wait for our fans to get the opportunity to experience Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist,” said Matt Dahlgren, Senior Product Manager at Capcom. “Working with filmmakers who are so passionate about the brand was an extremely rewarding process and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Their work embodies the heart and soul of what Street Fighter is and we’re thrilled that Machinima will be able to deliver the epic series to those who care about the celebrated franchise as much as we do.”

STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is Machinima’s latest live-action series based on one of the world’s best-selling video game franchises, and is one which will very much stay true to the game, featuring fight moves and action performed by the cast with stunning attention to detail. It follows on the heels of last year’s highly successful airing of Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2, the successor to, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, as well as Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. Combined, the three series have garnered more than 130,000,000 views on Machinima.

A thrilling, multilayered series, STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST takes the audience back to the formative years of iconic characters Ryu and Ken as they live a traditional warrior’s life in secluded Japan. The boys are, unknowingly, the last practitioners of the ancient fighting style known as “Ansatsuken” (Assassin’s Fist). The series follows them as they learn about the mysterious past of their master, Gōken, and the tragic, dark legacy of the Ansatsuken style. Can their destiny be changed, or will history repeat itself?

STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST is what a live-action Street Fighter should be,” said Ansah when he announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. “This takes the story right back to the start: the origins and motivations of Ryu, Ken, Gōken and Akuma. This will become the definitive back-story from which further epic adventures will follow.”

“Our priority is to stay true to the appearance, fighting techniques, and canon of the Street Fighter game,” Quella added. “At the same time, we’ve managed to make this an emotion- and character-driven story, which will surprise viewers who might just be expecting a super-faithful fight fest!”

The series is produced by Assassin’s Fist Limited (a UK based company) in association with Lonely Rock Productions, Gloucester Place Films, Capcom U.S.A., Inc. and Evropa Film.

Bound by Flame Release Date and Screenshots

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March 14, 2014 — Bound by Flame, the new RPG developed by Spiders studios, will be released on May 9th on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC. Today, the game offers a new glimpse of what’s in store with a new series of exclusive images of some of the ferocious creatures you’ll have to face in your numerous quests!

The bestiary you will confront in Bound by Flame is impressive, rich and varied. Conceived and brought to life by the talented teams at Spiders studios, these creatures are as terrifying as they are deadly, and will do their utmost to make your life hell in spectacular, real-time and highly tactical battles. And just how they do that is revealed in the six new screenshots we urge you to check out now!

The strategic depth of the combat system in Bound by Flame has been made possible mainly through the variety and originality of the game bestiary. Each creature has its specific attacks, special skills and, in particular, individual behavior that will force the player to adapt his tactics and combat style depending on the composition of the groups of enemies he encounters. This, combined with the awesome range of strikes available to the player, the use of magic and the incredible combat animations, contributes to make the battles in Bound by Flame both tactically complex and visually stunning.

A video dedicated to the combat system in Bound by Flame will also be unveiled in the coming weeks!

Published by Focus Home Interactive, Bound by Flame, the new RPG developed by Spiders studios, will be released on May 9th on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC. The game will be distributed in North America by American publisher Majesco.

Screenshots

Satellite Reign Pre-Alpha Gameplay Footage

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MARCH 14 — 2014 — On behalf of developer 5 Lives Studios we are really excited to share a first glimpse of Satellite Reign today running in glorious 1080p.

But first the disclaimer, from Mike Diskett himself: “It’s very much a pre-alpha build being demoed, nothing here is really final, the UI, audio, weapons and effects are 100% placeholder, in fact it’s so early we weren’t going to show any combat or civilians, but…

“The video was originally meant  to demonstrate the agents’ coats reacting to wind from the cars zooming by, but before we knew it we were showing crowds of civilians, CCTV cameras, cover usage, x ray camera mode and even a couple of enemies.

“The video was recorded at 1920×1080 @ 60 fps on a 2nd Generation i5 PC with a Radeon 5970 using Fraps.”

Trailer

Rubicon Live-Action Prequel Now on Machinima

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March 13, 2014 — When Mark Long and Chris McQuarrie launched the graphic novel Rubicon in 2012, they brought people right into the middle of a re-imagining of Seven Samurai, set during the War in Afghanistan. The novel focuses on five paramilitary Navy SEAL operators who are defending the residents of a remote mountain farming village from attacks by marauding Taliban.

But what led up to the events of the graphic novel?

Long (Hawken) and McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects, Jack Reacher) joined forces with director Christian Johnston for a live-action prequel that is now live on Machinima Prime.
The digital series pilot is now live, and the link can be found below.

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The pilot follows the journey of operator, Mike, and his handler, Smash, as they disrupt the dealings of a diverse set of dangerous groups. Mike is one of the good guys with a fair amount of bad guy to make him effective.