Archive - 2014

Mad Catz Reveals M.M.O.TE Gaming Mouse

2014/08/12
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Peripherals News

MCB43714-MMO-TE-MB-003-lg

San Diego – August 13, 2014 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT/TSX: MCZ) announced today the M.M.O.TE Gaming Mouse.  Designed in conjunction with e-sports professionals, the M.M.O.TE is a tournament-focused addition to the Company’s award-winning R.A.T. ™ range of gaming mice, and has been created to service the needs of the competitive MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming community.

Joining the already released R.A.T.TE, the M.M.O.TE is an evolution of the Company’s award-winning M.M.O.7 Gaming Mouse, and has been created to appeal directly to the e-sports professional.  Unlike the R.A.T. TE, the M.M.O.TEtargets MMO gamers specifically, delivering a finely-tuned specialty mouse with an ultra-lightweight chassis and high-precision performance.  In addition, a new ergonomic design places up to 60 programmable commands at the fingertips of the gamer, all instinctively available via intelligent button placement.

The M.M.O.TE utilizes lightweight materials to reduce inertia, while speed and accuracy is enhanced with a new, fully-adjustable 8200 DPI sensor. Customizable attributes such as ‘lift-off’ height calibration and dynamic surface detection provide gamers an edge through the ability to tailor their mouse to their personal playing style.

“MMO games are a staple of competitive gaming, and Mad Catz is dedicated to providing the tournament gamer with specialty hardware,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz.  “We believe the launch of our M.M.O.TE Gaming Mouse will allow us to continue growing our market share in PC gaming through products designed specifically for the professional gaming community.”

For additional information and to pre-order your own M.M.O.TE, please visit: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/mice-category/Mad-Catz-M-M-O-TE-Gaming-Mouse-for-PC-Mac.html

Mad Catz Announces S.T.R.I.K.E.TE Tournament Edition Keyboard

2014/08/12
Jerry Paxton
News, Peripherals News

MCB43113_STRIKE_TE_RD_003_lg

San Diego – August 13, 2014 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT/TSX: MCZ) announced today the S.T.R.I.K.E.TE Tournament Edition Keyboard.  Designed in conjunction with e-sports professionals, the S.T.R.I.K.E.TEis a tournament-focused addition to the Company’s S.T.R.I.K.E. ™ keyboard range, and created to service the needs of the competitive gaming community.

Incorporating a strong aluminum chassis and no fewer than 109 ‘brown profile’ mechanical keys, the S.T.R.I.K.E.TE is the only keyboard in the S.T.R.I.K.E. range to feature a unique ‘tournament grade’ design which offers ultra-quick key response and 30-key rollover anti-ghosting functionality.  Favored by the worlds’ leading e-sport athletes, the Brown Profile mechanical keys are renowned for their reliability, having a life extending beyond 50 million keystrokes.  TheS.T.R.I.K.E.TE features multi-zone illuminated backlighting, dedicated macro buttons and advanced programming software capable of calibrating multiple keystroke macros to within 1/1000th of a second.

“Our S.T.R.I.K.E. keyboards are designed to lift the bar in performance.  The S.T.R.I.K.E.TE complements the range perfectly and services the ever-growing community of e-sports professional gamers,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz.  “The growth in competitive gaming shows no sign of abating, and we’re confident that our range of Tournament Edition hardware will contribute positively to sales in FY15.”

The S.T.R.I.K.E.TE will be available in matte black, gloss black, gloss white, and gloss red colors.

For additional information and to pre-order your own S.T.R.I.K.E.TE, please visit: http://store.madcatz.com/categories/keyboards-category/Mad-Catz-S-T-R-I-K-E-TE-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard-for-PC.html

Activision Blizzard Brings Sierra Brand Back

2014/08/12
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Industry News, Mobile News, News

sierra

Köln, Germany – August 12, 2014 – With a renowned history that’s served as the origin for many nostalgic video game characters, worlds and experiences, Sierra™ continues on today in a return to form that fans of great games will love. A part of Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), Sierra’s focus is on indie studios developing innovative, edgy and graphically unique games, including new IPs and contemporary reimaginings of beloved Sierra classics. Headlining Sierra’s slate of indie games is an all-new King’s Quest™ experience in 2015, and a new Geometry Wars™ game planned to launch this holiday season. Additionally, the Sierra team is well underway exploring other indie projects to potentially launch later this year, and in 2015 and beyond.

In development by the beloved and quirky studio The Odd Gentlemen (The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom), King’s Quest is a fully reimagined version of the fan-favorite Sierra game fit for both the old and new generation of King’s Quest players. Huge fans of the original King’s Quest series, The Odd Gentlemen are crafting a charming new adventure with an awe-inspiring art style, engaging puzzles, and a wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor. In the new story, King Graham – revered as the greatest adventurer to ever live – shares his life’s adventures with his curious granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is through these tales that Gwendolyn discovers the true greatness of her grandfather. King’s Quest is expected to make its heralded return in 2015.

Today’s news about the future of Sierra was met with excitement from its original founder, Ken Williams. “We’re very proud of what we created all those years ago with Sierra Online, and today’s news about carrying Sierra forward as an indie-specific brand is very encouraging,” said Williams. “We look forward to seeing Sierra’s independent spirit live on, and are especially excited to see what The Odd Gentlemen will do with King’s Quest.”

Sierra began in 1979 with a single 8-bit Apple II microcomputer, and founders Roberta and Ken Williams’ love for storytelling and new technology that drove a revolution in the adventure game genre, and forever changed the industry. Today, a new wave of independent artists and entrepreneurs are using the same inventive attitude and latest tech to create amazing gaming experiences, and that’s where Sierra comes into play. With the popularity of digital platforms like Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Steam, the new Sierra will cater to the unique needs of each indie studio, ranging from aiding in game development and first party relations, to PR, marketing and digital/retail distribution. Sierra will help foster today’s talent to create amazing video games as it has so many times before.

“Sierra’s goal is to find and work with talented indie developers working on their own amazing projects, or passionate about working on great Sierra IP, and leverage our expertise to aid them in bring these fun and exciting experiences to gamers with the level of visibility and awareness they deserve,” said Bob Loya, Sr. Director of External Development. “In addition to Lucid Games and The Odd Gentlemen, we’re in talks with a large number of other indie devs, and can’t wait to share more details with fans in the near future.”

The first title set to launch under Sierra is Geometry Wars3: Dimensions from the team at Lucid Games. Geometry Wars3: Dimensions is an exciting new evolution of the fast-paced, freneticGeometry Wars gameplay fans love, and will introduce full 3D action and both cooperative and competitive multiplayer for the first time in the franchise.  In addition to a full single-player campaign with 50 unique challenges and over 10 battle modes – five of which are brand new to the series – Geometry Wars3: Dimensions features dynamic and persistent progression, offering players a consistently new experience each time they play. Geometry Wars3: Dimensions is planned to launch later this year.

“Thanks to Sierra, we’re planning to release Geometry Wars3: Dimensions on more platforms than ever before,” said Pete Wallace, Studio Head, Lucid Games. “We’re thrilled to work with the indie team at Sierra to bring the next generation of Geo Wars gameplay to our passionate and loyal fans, and look forward to seeing you all online!”

For the latest information on Sierra, including additional details on King’s Quest and Geometry Wars3: Dimensions, be sure to check out the official Sierra website at www.sierra.com.

Risen 3 – Three Factions Trailer

2014/08/12
Jerry Paxton
News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Risen3-Screenshot_1

August 12, 2014 – Cologne, Germany – Deep Silver announced the release of Risen 3: Titan Lords for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system as well as Windows PC today in North America and on August 15th in Europe and the rest of the world. With Risen 3: Titan Lords, Piranha Bytes, the creators of Gothic and Risen, return to their origins with a new, classic RPG that pulls the player in to a hand-crafted role-playing world full of rugged charm where every decision changes the course of the story.

In their “Factions” gameplay video, Piranha Bytes introduce the three factions of Risen 3: Titan Lords and takes you on an unforgettable, visually stunning journey. In Risen 3: Titan Lords, every faction comes with its own unique skills and tasks and offers a very unique style of play.

Trailer

Alienware Alpha Launches in November, Pre-Order Now

2014/08/12
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Tech News, Windows PC News

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Austin, TX, Aug 12, 2014 – Alienware, a leader in high-performance gaming systems, has announced the pre-order availability of the Alienware Alpha gaming console. Starting August 12, 2014, gamers will have the opportunity to ensure they are among the first to own the Alienware Alpha.  Fans that are eager to get their hands on the Alienware Alpha gaming console will be able to secure their system from select retailers like Amazon and Walmart, or direct from Dell, with configurations starting at $549.

Gamers can now secure their gateway to the entire Steam library on a system that was engineered to provide an immersive PC gaming experience, custom-tailored for the living room. The Alienware Alpha merges the open ecosystem and flexibility of PC gaming with the ease-of-use and intuitive interface of consoles. This enables gamers to choose what and how they want to play, whether it’s a competitive online FPS with the bundled Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless controller for Windows, or having their friends bring their controllers of choice for a fragfest in the newest indie side scroller.

Alienware developed the Alpha’s hardware, design and price to satisfy the demands of gamers everywhere and can be configured with Intel Quad-Core i7 processors, 8GBs of RAM, 1TB of storage, blazing 802.11 AC wireless adapter, an NVIDIA’s Maxwell-based GPU and bundled with a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller to give gamers the edge they need to game victorious in any room of the house.

To give gamers a great experience right out of the box, the Alienware Alpha will include added content so gamers can start gaming as soon as they get home. Stay tuned as we reveal more but here’s a sneak peak at some of the bonus content that will be bundled with the Alienware Alpha.

  • PAYDAY 2: An action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew – Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains – as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.
  • Magicka: A satirical action-adventure game set in a rich fantasy world based on Norse mythology. The player assumes the role of a wizard from a sacred order tasked with stopping an evil sorcerer who has thrown the world into turmoil, his foul creations besieging the forces of good.
  • Magicka: Dungeons and Daemons DLC – Something stirs beneath Castle Aldrheim… Deep in the sub-dungeons, long forgotten by the Wizards, the demented ancestors of the Aldrheim Order have awoken an ancient evil. The fate of the world has yet again fallen on the shoulders of our haphazard and colorful wizards. Will the Wizards survive as they stumble upon Aldrheim’s most secret of secrets?
  • Gauntlet Helm – Exclusive In-game: Champion’s Casque – The classic Gauntlet 4-player co-op action gameplay returns in a completely new experience! Battle the endless hordes of foes as you and your friends fight for treasure and glory via both local and online co-op multiplayer. Gauntlet is developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Alienware also revealed details about the exclusive Alpha UI developed specifically for the Alienware Alpha that gives users an intuitive interface ideal for navigating the Alienware Alpha console with a controller. The Alienware Alpha is set to boot straight into the customizable Alpha UI, giving gamers the control they need to get into their titles and featuring full integration with Steam Big Picture Mode while providing rapid access to configuration options and common settings all without ever having to reach for a keyboard or mouse.

This gives gamers the absolute best interface for navigating their Alienware Alpha from the comfort of their couch with their choice of controller in hand and offers gamers an experience that blends the intuitive interface of a console and all of the power and flexibility of a PC.

Availability

The Alienware Alpha gaming console is available for pre-order on August 12th and will be shipping November of this year in the US with global pre-order availability beginning this holiday season.

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.@Alienware announces pre-order availability of the Alpha #gaming console at Alienware.com/Alpha

About Dell

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

Dell and Alienware are trademarks of Dell Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc., is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all platforms, including console, handheld, mobile and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About Arrowhead Game Studios

Based out of Stockholm, Sweden, Arrowhead Game Studios is an award winning game development company focusing on developing games that are innovative and challenging, targeting primarily creative gamers. The company philosophy is based on three guiding principles – entertainment, innovation and quality. Arrowhead was named one of Game Developer Magazine’s “Top 30 Developers”.

An American Werewolf in London Coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

2014/08/11
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, News

HHN USH 2014 American Werewolf with txt

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA (August 11, 2014) – Universal Pictures’ Academy Award®-winning and genre-defining film, An American Werewolf in London, written and directed by John Landis, will be unleashed upon guests at Universal Studios Hollywood in an all-new“Halloween Horror Nights” maze beginning Friday, September 19, 2014.  The experience will recreate legendary scenes from the cult favorite using gruesomely convincing props, chillingly authentic music and mind-blowing special effects that will re-awaken the terrorizing shape shifting creature with superhuman strength:  the Werewolf.

Guests will begin their horrifying journey as they enter “The Slaughtered Lamb,” the English countryside pub movie fans will instantly recognize, and experience first-hand what the tavern patrons in the film meant when they cautioned, “Stay on the road, keep clear of the Moors and beware the moon.” After stumbling upon the overgrown wasteland known as the “Moors,” maze-goers will be forced to traverse through dense fog amidst sounds of savage growls and unknown peril ahead.

“We are extremely excited to bring ‘An American Werewolf in London’ to Universal Studios Hollywood’s ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ for the first time,” said John Murdy, Universal Studios Hollywood Creative Director and Executive Producer of “Halloween Horror Nights.” “John Landis’ iconic horror film and the groundbreaking makeup effects by Academy Award-winner Rick Baker have influenced generations of horror filmmakers and fans, and remains a classic of the genre. Turning such a celebrated film, which has been characterized as one of the greatest films of all time, into a ‘living horror movie’ can be daunting.  As the movie studio that invented the horror film genre, we have the expertise to deliver a realistically compelling experience and are up to the challenge.”

Along with “The Slaughtered Lamb” pub and the Yorkshire Moors, guests will recognize other memorable scenes and characters from the film – including the London Underground and gun-wielding demon soldiers. The famous “transformation scene” that inspired the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to create an Oscar® for achievement in makeup will also be featured in the remarkable maze experience.

“The team at Universal Studios Hollywood has gone to great lengths to recreate the mood and details of the movie,” said John Landis.  “The true test for guests will be to see if they are able to endure the scares lurking throughout the maze – rather than screaming from room to room. I want them to really absorb the elaborate sets, make-up and special effects custom designed for this experience.”

An American Werewolf in London not only captured the Academy Award® for “Best Makeup” in 1982 for renowned makeup artist Rick Baker, but was also named Best Horror Film by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films the same year. The film is available on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

To learn more about this all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” maze, click here:  “An American Werewolf in London.”

“Halloween Horror Nights” 2014 at Universal Studios Hollywood will be “More Dead Than Ever,” as it brings together the sickest minds in horror to immerse guests in the living, breathing, three-dimensional world of the most notorious and terrifying creatures in existence. This year’s event will feature a slate of unrivaled film production quality mazes, terror-filled scare zones and a fully re-imagined “Terror Tram” experience, uniquely themed to today’s most definitive horror properties, including, “The Walking Dead:  The End of the Line,” based on AMC’s critically-acclaimed, Golden Globe®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning television series; “From Dusk Till Dawn,” inspired by Robert Rodriguez’s cult film and El Rey network’s TV series, “Dracula Untold: Reign of Blood,” based on Universal Pictures’ upcoming epic action-adventure; “AVP:  Alien vs. Predator,” based on the Twentieth Century Fox film franchise; “Face Off:  In the Flesh,” based on Syfy’s hit TV series, and “The Purge: Anarchy,” a new scare zone inspired by Universal Pictures’ blockbuster thriller.

Updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood are available online at HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Hollywood and on Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood,” on Instagram at @HorrorNights and Twitter at @HorrorNights as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information. Watch videos on Halloween Horror Nights YouTube and join the conversation using #UniversalHHN.

Tropico 5 Gets Xbox 360 Release Date

2014/08/11
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Xbox 360 News

Tropico5_Screens_April_2nd_2014_12 copy

Ridgewood, NJ – Aug 11, 2014 – Citizens of Tropico rejoice! El Presidente has declared that November 2014 to be the global release month of Tropico 5 on Xbox 360! That’s right, the wait is almost over and fans of the highly acclaimed dictator sim Tropico 5 will be able to finally get their hands on the latest installment for their Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. What’s more, as an added bonus and thank you from El Presidente, the console version will include the first DLC pack, ‘The Big Cheese’ for free! Don’t forget that the Limited Special Edition version is available to pre-order now and includes your very own Tropico Passport, a postcard from the beautiful island, the ‘Bayo del Olfato’ DLC (which includes a new costume and map) and the bonus DLC ‘The Big Cheese.’

You, as El Presidente, will first take control of the infamous island of Tropico during early colonial times and then guide it through the centuries as the world changes and moves ever forward. You must tackle the changing needs of your people, as well as opposing governments and factions, and thus lay the foundations for your own dynasty. As you move through your years in office you can promote members of your extended family on the island to positions of power: such as ambassador, commanding general or even Supreme Ruler, to ensure your legacy thrives through the eras.

As well as a wealth of other new features, including advanced trading mechanics, technology, scientific research trees and island exploration, Tropico 5 will add cooperative and competitive multiplayer for up to four players for the first time in the series’ history! Viva El Presidente!

The ‘Big Cheese’ DLC challenges players to create and promote an artisan cheese brand by introducing a new production chain with the Creamery: a new building that enables you to make the most of Tropico’s local goats and llamas. Face international competition in an epic quest to create the best cheese in the world and put on the chef’s hat! This add-on includes an all-new sandbox map and task, a standalone scenario, building, avatar accessory and music track!

Tropico 5 will be available for Xbox 360 globally in November, the PC version is available now via digital distribution and retail boxed versions. For more information on Tropico 5 don’t forget to visit the official Tropico 5 website at www.tropico5.com.

Dead Island 2 Gamescom 2014 Gameplay Trailer

2014/08/11
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Screenshots / Photos, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

20140811_DI2_Gamescom_Screen_05 copy

Deep Silver has released an official gameplay trailer for its upcoming Dead Island 2 at this year’s Gamescom gaming expo in Germany. Dead Island 2 is due out in the Spring of 2015.

Trailer

Screenshots