From PAX East comes info on the next Firaxis game, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth, which takes gamers to new worlds to conquer. The game will feature a number of new features to the series – including a “tech web” approach to new technologies as opposed to the more traditional, linear progression system in past Civilization titles. Check out the trailer and some screenshots below.
Via Polygon
Boston, MA – April 12, 2014 – In front of a sellout crowd at PAX East 2014, ReedPOP, the world’s leading producer of pop culture events, and Penny Arcade, one of the largest gaming communities on the Internet, announced the addition of a new PAX event to the calendar – PAX South. Slated to debut in San Antonio, Texas in early 2015, the southern addition marks the fourth PAX show and third to occur in the U.S., continuing the tradition of proving the most authentic celebration of game culture in the world.
PAX South expands an event calendar that includes shows in Seattle, Boston, and Melbourne, Australia.
The new show will build on the foundation of the PAX format giving fans a healthy mix of the latest and greatest in video games, tabletop games, game inspired music, competitive gameplay, and insight from leaders in the world of gaming. The annual events give gamers a PAX show for every season throughout the year.
“The love of gaming in all its many forms, whether that be on a TV, a computer, a phone, or even a tabletop, is hitting an all-time high. PAX gives gaming fans one place to get a glimpse of emerging trends and does it in a truly fun and interactive way,” said Lance Fensterman, Global Vice President of ReedPOP.
Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade President, added, “Since its launch in 2004, PAX events have doubled in size almost every year, and our Seattle and Boston events represent the two largest gaming festivals in North America. We’ve been hearing for years that those in the south had a tough time making it to the northern corners of the country; PAX South has always been a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if.'”
The addition of PAX South continues ReedPOP’s recent expansion in the live events space as the company further solidifies its place as the world’s number one provider of pop-culture events. Since the beginning of 2014 the company has announced the creation of a new consumer book event, BookCon, a targeted comic book convention in New York City, Special Edition: NYC, and the oversight of the largest comic convention in Australia, Oz Comic-Con.
April 11, 2014 — Wargaming today unveiled its plans to join with its long-term partner, the Russian Kubinka Tank Museum, to reconstruct and put back in running condition the only remaining Panzer VIII Maus tank.
“Wargaming closely cooperates with military museums around the world,” said Andrei Yarantsau, VP of Publishing at Wargaming. “We are excited to contribute to the Kubinka’s initiative and plan on supporting the museum in future. We’ll help it put together an exclusive collection of armored warfare, assisting it in lifting and reconstruction of legendary military vehicles and enriching its exhibition with renowned machines from private collections from across the world. A unique selection of legendary warfare will attract military enthusiasts from Russia and abroad, sparking interest towards military history and inspiring younger generations to learn more about their country’s past.”
Regarded as the epitome of excellent tank design, the colossal Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus is the heaviest, fully enclosed armored fighting vehicle to see completion during World War II. Weighing 188 tonnes, only two prototypes were ever completed. The sole surviving tank is housed at the Kubinka Museum with an empty hull.
The museum and Wargaming intend to re-build its interior from scratch based on authentic diagrams. Missing parts will be restored in single quantities at a number of tank-building plants, with the entire process supervised by experienced warfare instaurators. The conserved Maus will be stored at the Kubinka Museum so that people from all over the world may come see the renowned vehicle with their own eyes.
Wargaming is involved in a number of socially significant projects that aid in the preservation of historic heritage. The company has launched a global campaign to assist in the search for and conservation of military warfare worldwide, including the support of the Soviet T-34-76 tank restoration in Belarus and the lifting and reconstruction of the KV-1 USSR tank in Voronezh, Russia. Other activities include the recovery of the world’s last remaining Dornier Do 17, now on display at the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford, United Kingdom, the Wargaming Education Center at the Tank Museum at Bovington, United Kingdom, and the on-going sponsorship of the USS Iowa, docked in the Port of Los Angeles, California
Focus Home Interactive has released a new trailer for its upcoming Bound By Flame, showing off the game’s combat systems.
One of the products that Creative Labs had been touting for a while was their Roar wireless speaker system. I missed the chance to take a loot at it during CES back in January, so I was very happy to receive one in the mail a little while ago. The Roar was intended to bring as much audio power and clarity as possible to the wireless speaker market – which is now flooded with cheap Bluetooth sets featuring glorified headphone driver units in them.
Weighing in at about 2.5 lbs and measuring about 8 inches by 4.5 inches by 2.2 inches, the Sound Blaster Roar is a stout competitor in the category. It features a dark gray body with silver, chromed accents and light colored typography, giving it a very classy appearance. Intriguingly, much of the Roar’s body is made up of speaker grating, raising the question of just how many speakers reside within its housing. The solution to getting a lot of space-filling sound out of the small Roar was to allow the bass and sound to not only funnel out through the front of the unit but also out the sides of the Roar as well. This helps create the volume of sound that Creative touted so much. The system works exceptionally well to that end – if you are hosting a party and need to fill the room with your favorite jams, the Roar will do so in spades.
This is also due, in part, to the fact that Creative Labs as stuffed not one but two amplifiers into the Rorar. One amplifier is connected to the bass driver while the other is connected to the mid-high drivers. Some might call this overkill, but you have to hear just how loud and clear the Roar comes in to fully-appreciate this design choice. In addition to playing music, Creative has integrated a speakerphone function into the unit so that you won’t miss out on calls while your phone is linked with it. The speakerphone features are great and work as one expects. I don’t generally use Bluetooth speakers for this purpose but the fact that it is there is a nicety.
The best use we found for the Creative Sound Blaster Roar wireless speaker was to connect it up to our theater system. I use an iPad Mini w/Retina to send video to an HD projector via an HDMI / Lightning adapter. The iPad Mini is also connected to the Sound Blaster Roar via Bluetooth and, in comparison to some other speakers I have used for this purposes, works incredibly-well. The sheer amount of sound coming from the Roar filled the room and no one in our audience missed any of the action. We have tried several other Bluetooth speakers for this role, but most fall short of putting out enough sound for everyone to hear clearly. The Roar is now my speaker of choice for room-filling sound.
Going a step further, Creative has added what they call the “Roar Button” to the unit that, when pressed, instantly amplifies the volume of the sound by a large factor. If you need to fill a banquet hall with sound, I suggest you press this button. It was too much for a small office or home environment – seriously. Additional features include the ability to insert a Micro SD memory card which allows you to play music and record audio (even phone calls) and the incredibly-cool “Creative Multipoint” technology.
Creative Multipoint allows you to link two different Bluetooth devices to the Roar at the same time. A toggle switch allows you to go back and forth, playing audio from either source. I love having my iPhone and iPad Mini with Retina linked to the speaker and, usually, that is not a possibility. This makes it so easy to have both and I am unsure as to how they have pulled this feat off – maybe there are two Bluetooth transmitters inside, or it is somehow accomplished with the Bluetooth 3.0 standard, etc. I don’t know – but I do know it works and is pretty darn cool. Other connectivity options include NFC as well as a 3.5mm input jack in case you go “old school”. The Roar’s internal, rechargeable battery can even be used as a portable charger for your USB devices, making it very hand when out on the road for a spell.
The Creative Sound Blaster Roar retails for $199 dollars and, while not a cheap speaker system, is more than capable of going head-to-head with wireless speakers from the likes of Bose. The Roar has plenty of audio oomph while at the same time providing clarity at the mid and high ranges. The Roar will be available soon over at Creative Labs’ official web store.
[easyreview title=”Creative Sound Blaster Roar Wireless Speaker Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]
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April 10, 2014 — Wargaming is thrilled to announce that Friday April 11, 2014, marks the 3-year Anniversary for World of Tanks release in North America! To celebrate the 3 year anniversary of World of Tanks, Wargaming America is offering players an assortment of in-game specials and discounts, community events, and hosting an anniversary livestream with a variety of prize giveaways.
Starting Friday April 11, 2014, World of Tanks players will enjoy the following in-game specials:
For a full list of Anniversary in-game specials, please visit http://worldoftanks.com/en/
Join the Wargaming “On the Line” special anniversary livestream festivities Friday April 11, from 4-5pm PST on Twitch. TV attwitch.tv/Wargaming – Our hosts Pico Mause, Tzar_Ivan, and GunLion will be engaging fans with a live Q&A during the livestream and giving away LogitechG gear including G430 Headset and G602 Mouse, J!NX t-shirts, and codes for in game gold! To join the conversation, create a Twitch.TV account here.
April 10th, 2014 – Console gamers rejoice! There is now even more hope for Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn to make its way to consoles. If the $450,000 goal is reached for Shaq Fu: Legend Reborn on Indiegogo, it will launch on current and next gen consoles including Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Wii U in addition to PC, which will be available regardless of the goal being met. Additionally, In a quest to continuously offer fans new and exciting ways to get involved in the creation of Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, Shaq and Big Deez Productions have offered two new perks: Shaq to DJ your personal party as well as a Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn tournament where the winner takes home $25,000 and serious bragging rights.
Have Shaq DJ Your Bar Mitzvah (or other event)
Have a graduation party or a company event where you want to impress pretty much everyone? This perk will bring music to your ears! Shaq will personally DJ a party anywhere in the United States. The cost of the perk is currently set at $35,000.
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn Tournament
A contribution of $20 will guarantee entry into an international tournament which will culminate in Los Angeles, CA where the winner will face off against Shaq and take home $25,000. The tournament will only happen if the $450,000 goal is met. If the goal isn’t met all funders who contributed can elect to have their money refunded.
These two perks join the host of incredible contribution rewards that grant unprecedented access to Shaq and his life. A few of these perks include: getting your name and likeness in the game, playing basketball with Shaq on his own court at this house, signed original size 22 Shaq Attack sneakers, a personalized voicemail recorded by Shaq, lunch or dinner with Shaq, the ability to participate in the taping of a TNT NBA show and much more.
The game is a modern day twist on the classic beat ‘em up. Play as Shaquille O’Neal as he kicks butt and take names on his quest to defeat the mysterious and deadly Black Star Ninja and his immeasurable horde of deadly ninja assassins. Players will be able to learn and unlock hundreds of classic and unique moves, strategic battle techniques and brutal finishing moves to keep the game rooted in traditional brawlers while also providing an over the top, in-your-face, slam dunk experience fans have come to know and love with Shaq.
Hurry, as there are only 25 days left on the campaign to make it happen! Help the team make sure to not Fu it up! Contribute now here: https://www.indiegogo.com/
Perfect World Entertainment has announced that Star Trek Online Season Nine will launch on April 22, 2014. In celebration, they have released a new trailer, recapping the events of the previous season.
NEW YORK – (April 10, 2014) – Pyle Audio®, manufacturers of outdoor recreational sports gear and home, car and pro audio equipment, announces the Personal Golf GPS Watch. Pyle’s Golf GPS watch conveniently comes pre-loaded with over 20,000 golf courses information and uses space-based GPS technology to easily detect golf courses near it, making it ready to go from the point it is purchased. Some of the courses that are included are Pebble Beach, Augusta National, Pine Valley and Merion. The Golf GPS Watch automatically calculates shot distance, while clearly displaying hole number, par score and stroke information. Personal Golf GPS Watch is now available for $149.99 at pyleaudio.com.
Aside from its navigational features, Pyle Audio’s Personal Golf GPS Watch detects and records golfers’ information and score. It gives users the option to input stroke totals to save and track their progress, and the ability to constantly view their round cards.
The stylish and comfortable watch comes in black, blue, silver or white and is packaged with a cable and USB charger. When updates for the watch are available, users can easily download them by plugging the included USB charger into any computer.
Pyle Audio’s Personal Golf GPS Watch is now available for $149.99 at www.pyleaudio.com.
April 10, 2014 — Call of Duty®: Ghosts players on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC will have access to Devastation, the game’s second of four massive DLC Packs planned for this year, on May 8, 2014. Devastation delivers four small-to-medium sized multiplayer maps, the all-new tactical 2-in-1 “Ripper” SMG/Assault Rifle, and “Episode 2: Mayday” – the next chapter in Extinction’s four-part episodic narrative. Devastation is available a la carte for a suggested retail price of $14.99, or as part of the discounted* Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Season Pass**.
Devastation’s new multiplayer maps include:
Additionally, Call of Duty: Ghosts Devastation brings fans the next chapter in the ongoing episodic Extinction story with “Episode 2: Mayday.” In the aftermath of the events at the Nightfall Program facility in the Alaskan wilderness, the Quick Reaction Force boards a mysteriously abandoned Chinese research vessel adrift in the South Pacific Ocean. Armed with multiple, mod-able versions of the Venom-X weapons that harness the power of Cryptid technology, players will pursue Captain Archer in an attempt to uncover what’s become of Dr. Cross, all while battling against a new Cryptid enemy called the “Seeder,” and culminating with players facing-off against a massive, 400-foot tall Cryptid beast from the deep – the “Kraken.”
Finally, Devastation arms players with the all-new tactical 2-in-1 “Ripper,” a hybrid SMG/Assault Rifle. The “Ripper” is the perfect complement to Devastation’s new multiplayer maps, providing two different configurations – medium to short-range capability as an SMG, and medium to long-range as an Assault Rifle. Additionally, Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC Season Pass holders get instant access to the “Ripper” weapon and can use it in all Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer maps now.
Call of Duty: Ghosts game sold separately and is required to play the Devastation DLC Pack.
