Archive - 2017

LA Ghost Train 2017 Review

2017/10/16

Geek News, Halloween, Haunted Attraction Review, News, Reviews

After a turbulent, one year hiatus, the LA Ghost Train has returned to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum in Griffith Park! The LA Ghost Train allows guests to ride on 7½” gauge model trains around spooky sets and scenes. We parked at the public park right next to the LA Ghost Train gate one hour before the attraction opened. It is important to get there early as the parking lots are small and the line gets very long very quickly. At 7:00 PM, the LA Ghost Train opened and creator Gary Baker welcomed us onto our model train. The trains are a big part of the LA Ghost Train experience and, even though it is rather dark during the evening experience, you can make out a lot of the detail to be found on the trains – the amount of work building and maintaining them has to be appreciated.

Our ride around the LA Ghost Train track was so much fun – the sets and scenes that have been constructed this year are great. Unfortunately, some of the sets had been destroyed after the event was temporarily canceled, so they had to be rebuilt. What’s even more amazing is that the LA Ghost Train crew had a VERY short amount of time to get the attraction ready after the LA Live Steamers board gave the event the green light for 2017. You would never know they only had 6 weeks to get it all together as everything looks amazing. The ride lasts for around 2o minutes and, during your ride, you’ll see a ton of spooky fun stuff.

The best part about the LA Ghost Train is not just that it is unique – I can’t think of another haunted train experience in SoCal – but that it’s family-friendly! The sets are spooky and have some startling elements, but it is all very tame in comparison to most haunted houses, which try to one up each other in the gore factor. Most of the sets at the LA Ghost Train are activated by the train passing by sensors and are of the animatronic variety, but the event does have some impressive pyrotechnic effects – there are no scare actors at the LA Ghost Train. This combination of spooky fun and family-friendliness makes the LA Ghost Train a Halloween time tradition for many families.

A ticket to ride on the LA Ghost Train costs $20 dollars and is well worth the cost of admission. In fact, the LA Ghost Train is the Los Angeles Live Steamers only annual fundraiser. Operating the trains and maintaining the trains and tracks costs a lot of money throughout the year and the ticket sales go to help keep the machinery working.

Overall, the 2017 LA Ghost Train is an amazing experience that offers fun for all ages and is one of the best family-friendly haunted attractions in Southern California. The LA Ghost Train runs various days throughout October – check out their official website for dates, ticket information, and more.

Inmates Review

2017/10/14

Ripper71

Geek News, News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Inmates starts with you at the bottom of a very high flight of spiraling stairs with no hand rails that look exceptionally creepy. They just keep on spiraling upward while unknown people hang in the center of the structure via chains and cages. During the player’s ascent, you also get treated to game developer credits. Interestingly, the people hanging in those cages aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary, just looking downtrodden and defeated. I got to the top of the stars and found this place is some sort of prison, but there aren’t many prisoners left. You find matches that help illuminate your way in darker parts but need to be used somewhat conservatively, you only get a couple each time you find a box. As you go you find a picture of wife and yourself torn in half, you find blocked off corridors as if during a riot desks and tables had been used as barricades. Periodically, you find notes in a cell and on rarer occasion you’ll encounter someone locked in a cell, just shaking their head ultra-fast like you see in horror movies such as Jacob’s Ladder. It’s a creepy effect, to be sure.

After a while, you find clues to talk to people, warnings to avoid some people, and puzzles to open locks which will further travel you into what you realize is your psyche. Saying anything more about the game’s story would be a spoiler since the game average playtime is only 3 or 4 hours depending how fast you are with puzzles. This time would have been decreased considerably if the player had the ability to run. Not being able to move fast made me feel like I was dragging an iron ball and chain on my ankle, constantly slowing me down. When I discovered the run-time and had experienced the game I decided to check into things, thinking maybe it had funding issues or something but found it was actually the fact that it was written and developed by one solitary person! This really explained a lot and made the game feel more ambitious but also made me wish that he had asked for a hand from a friend to give us a bit more game to enjoy.

Inmates uses the Unreal Engine 4 and when you consider it’s not a high-action game, all that power is getting put into an extremely detailed and claustrophobic environment. The deeper you get, the more things make sense but that depth has to be reached through puzzles, puzzles, and more puzzles.

Final Thoughts on The Game’s Final Thoughts:

It’s always interesting when a game creator tries to capture metaphysical concepts in the form of a puzzle game. Inmates captured a dark horror feeling but didn’t seem able to quite keep hold of it. The atmosphere was beautifully rendered and immediately filled the player with dread, maybe the game should have been held back to make sure that feeling could be maintained.

Inmates Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star-o” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star-o” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] (3 out of 5 stars)

Baja Edge of Control HD Review

2017/10/14

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review, Xbox One News

Fans of racing games may recall the 2008 title, Baja: Edge of Control. It was released to generally positive reviews and was even one of the nominees for “best racing game of 2008” by GameSpot. Unfortunately, the game was not released on PC at the time. Now, almost ten years later, the game has been remastered for the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 platforms as Baja: Edge of Control HD.

At its core, Baja: Edge of Control HD puts gamers in the cockpit of over 160 sponsored vehicles from multiple classes. There are go-karts, buggies, 4×4’s, and a lot more. This is because Baja: Edhe of Control HD allows you to compete in a variety of game modes, including hill-climbs and endurance races. There is enough to keep any racing gamer occupied for a while as they learn the various events and the quirks of operating each vehicle. I spent most of my time in the game’s career mode, where you rise in the ranks throughout a huge number of races. In this mode, you earn credits to buy new vehicles and vehicle upgrades, and this in and of itself is a lot of fun.

The most impressive mode that will definitely appeal to the hardcore racers out there are the lengthy “Baja” race modes. These races take place over huge plots of land and can, in the longest race, take you a few hours to complete. I thought the game was a lot of fun, but that is too much for this writer! Good luck to those of you with the fortitude and racing skill to complete it, I salute you.

The controller support seemed good, and my Logitech racing wheel gave me some decent force feedback effects during my races. I would NOT recommend this game for those PC players wanting to just use their keyboards. You really need at least a game pad for this one.

Truth be told, I am usually a horrible racing game player – I just never find the right amount of throttle to not go flying off the corners of the track. I did not suffer this fate in Baja: Edge of Control HD, however, as the game is sort of in the middle of difficulty spectrum. The vehicles handle in what feels like a realistic fashion, but it is not unforgiving like many racers I have suffered through. This balance allowed me to really get into each race and enjoy the experience of flying through the hills and valleys at high speed. According to the developers, the game has had some updating in its physics system, but I did not play the original to compare the two. Whatever they did, though, was positive as I had a lot of fun with the racing component of this game.

While there is a multiplayer mode, it looks like the server populations are not that great right now, so I spent my time mainly in single player. According to the game synopsis, the developers updated the vehicle AI for greater challenger and flexibility. I felt that my AI racing opponents were skilled and usually gave a me a run for my money.

Visually, Baja: Edge of Control HD is no beauty queen. It’s a decent game on the graphical front but, despite the up-to 4K face-lift, there are still a lot of textures that just don’t look very detailed. The good news is that, because of not needing a blisteringly-fast GPU to run, the game is very accessible for a variety of PC configurations and should allow you to see some nice frame rates. Baja: Edge of Control HD features good audio design and plenty of ambient, real-world sounds to make the racing experience sound believable.

Overall, Baja: Edge of Control HD is a fun racing game that is accessible enough for the layperson but not so “dumbed down” that the racing game purists will be turned off. Another huge thing going for it is its very reasonable price point of $29.99. At this price point, it is well worth the purchase for your PC racing setup.

Baja: Edge of Control HD Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star-o” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] (4 out of 5 Stars)

South Park: The Fractured But Whole Season Pass Details

2017/10/14

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

October 14, 2017 – UBISOFT^® reveals more details on South Park™: The Fractured But Whole Season Pass. The Season Pass adds Stick of Truth costumes and perks, Towelie game tips, new combat challenges, two new story missions, including new combat buddies, new superhero costumes and perks.

Season Pass owners will be able to enjoy three DLCs:

“Danger Deck”, where players will have to face the ultimate combat challenge in Doctor Timothy’s Danger Deck . They will be able to unlock exclusive costumes and artifacts. “Danger Deck” will be available for $5.99 on December 2017.
“From Dusk till Casa Bonita”, a new story where players will team up with The Coon and Mysterion to defeat a demonic presence at Casa Bonita. This content will be available for $11.99 in 2018.
“Bring the Crunch”, which will introduce a new story, including an all new superhero class. It will be available for $11.99 in 2018.

In addition, the Season Pass will also include free Day One content:

“Relics of Zaron” (costume and perks pack), available for $4.99 on October 17^th
“Towelie: Your Gaming Bud” (in game buddy giving tips), available for $1.99 on October 24^th

The Season Pass will be available on October 17th for Xbox One, PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC at a price of $29.99.The Season Pass is also part of the Gold Edition, already available for pre-order at southpark.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/buy/index.aspx

Hunt: Showdown Coming to Steam Early Access

2017/10/14

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

FRANKFURT, Germany – Oct. 13, 2017 – Crytek has announced that Hunt: Showdown will have an early access release on Steam. Hunt is a competitive first-person bounty hunting game with heavy PvE elements. It packs the most thrilling moments from survival games into a match-based format and sets the action in dark and forgotten corners of the world. A new trailer is now available on the game’s Steam page, where players can add Hunt: Showdown to their wishlists.

“We believe strongly that community-driven development is crucial to creating a great online multiplayer experience. An early access release will allow us to get Hunt out to players as quickly as possible, to collect feedback and to work closely with the community to continue to shape the direction of the game,” says Hunt producer Fatih Özbayram of the decision.

Of what players can expect, creative director Magnus Larbrant explains, “We will be adding more gear, more monsters, more hunters, more game modes, more traits, crafting and further map variations throughout early access. We want to take the time to make Hunt the game we’ve always wanted to play.”

Hunt’s match-based gameplay mixes PvP and PvE elements to create a uniquely tense experience where your life, your character and your gear are always on the line. At the beginning of each match, teams set out to track their monstrous targets. Once they’ve found and defeated one of these they will receive a bounty—and instantly become a target for every other hunter left on the map as they try to get off of the map with the prize. The higher the risk, the higher the reward–but a single mistake could cost you everything.

More information and the trailer are available on the Hunt Steam page, YouTube, or at https://www.huntshowdown.com/.

KWA Unveils Ronin M-Series Airsoft Guns

2017/10/14

Jerry Paxton

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Articles, Geek News, News

City of Industry, CA (October 14, 2017) – KWA Performance Industries Inc. unveils the new Ronin M-Series, its new line of modular AEG rifles, as the first airsoft rifles to hit the market specifically designed to provide an interchangeable family of products. The Ronin M-Series will have multiple variations for specific player needs and tastes, and is engineered with KWA’s latest AEG 2.5 & AEG 3 gear boxes to combine the industry’s most reliable systems with more aggressive designs. This release proves to be the largest in KWA’s history as it makes two models available globally starting on October 14, 2017, and a third model just before Black Friday.

“KWA made a concerted effort to listen to feedback from the marketplace to deliver a line of rifles that would satisfy all types of play without sacrificing quality and performance and we’re very excited to introduce the new Ronin line to the world,” said Vice President of Sales and Marketing Albert Villalta.“ We understand where the market is going and want to provide our fans and new airsoft players alike with the ultimate platform as it pertains to modularity, personal preference and performance – without the trial and error of DIY mods.”

Custom rails designed for weight-reduction and comfort dress up 6”, 10” and 16” lengths that provide a truly modular experience across current and future KWA AEG rifles. Available in PDW (AEG 2.5 with adjustable FPS; $299 MAP), SBR (AEG 2.5 with adjustable FPS; $339 MAP) and Carbine (AEG 3 with recoil; $399 MAP) lengths to start, the full line of Ronin M-Series offerings will provide a platform that can be adaptable to any style of play or taste.

The Ronin M-Series AEG rifles feature:

Upper Receiver highlights
- Modular upper receivers that can be swapped among all Ronin models and across other AEG 2.5 and AEG rifles in as little as 20-seconds
Monolithic-style receiver
Custom, lightweight rails with a smaller diameter for speed and comfort
Ronin PDW and Ronin SBR feature KeyMod compatibility
Ronin Recon ML features M-LOK compatibility with picatinny rail attachments
Custom mock suppressor
Front & rear PTS® flip up sights
One piece rotary hop up
Lower Receiver highlights
- An enlarged trigger guard for comfort
- Tanker-style stock (Ronin PDW only)
- PTS® Enhanced polymer stock (Ronin SBR & Ronin Recon ML only)
- Ambidextrous controls
- Adjustable FPS is available on Ronin PDW and Ronin SBR only
- Switch life extender to prevent burnout of trigger contacts
- PTS® Enhanced Polymer grip and stock

For full specifications, pricing, features and more visit store.kwausa.com.

KWA is the world’s leading airsoft brand that features a full line of Automatic Electric Guns (AEG) and Gas Blow Back (GBB) products. The Southern California-based company has been designing and manufacturing high-quality airsoft products for over 28 years, including 1:1 scale, Mil-Spec, replica products for consumer and law enforcement/military training. KWA’s long-standing tradition of craftsmanship and innovation is met with a commitment to deliver superior performance and ultimate reliability. The company works with a variety of military, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and training centers.

For more information on the full line of KWA products please visit store.kwausa.com

Dungeons 3 Now Available on Windows PC

2017/10/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

October 13, 2017 – Unicorns, valiant knights and other benevolent fantasy creatures beware! Kalypso Media and the Absolute Evil are cackling to themselves in wicked anticipation as gloriously evil dungeon sim sequel Dungeons 3 is out now worldwide on Steam for Windows and Linux. The North American physical and digital console release will launch on October 17^th for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One. Console physical retail versions of Dungeons 3 will arrive as an Extremely Evil Edition, containing a Throne Room DLC, digital soundtrack and special Dungeons 3 ‘Snotweiser’ drinks coaster, while the Steam release includes a Throne Room DLC and digital soundtrack.Dungeons 3 is available for consoles with both digital and physical versions across EU and export territories today.

The Dungeon Lord has returned once more, and this time has is bringing all of his dark forces together to bring gamers everywhere the biggest and best Dungeons experience yet. With a huge roster of units and rooms to build in your underground lair, co-op support for all game modes, re-worked overworld mechanics and a range of improvements to the multiplayer experience, Dungeons 3 has everything an evil heart could desire as gamers across PC and console platforms begin ‘evilfying’ the sickeningly colourful and fluffy fantasy overworld.

To celebrate the release of Dungeons 3 and the Dungeon Lord’s inevitable victory over the forces of good, the busy Snots at Kalypso Media are pleased to reveal the game’s slap-happy launch trailer, which they hope will encourage gamers everywhere to employ some casual violence towards their minions in their quest for infamy. And that’s not all – to mark the occasion Kalypso has also confirmed a full livestream on its official Twitch channel, where gamers will be able to see the game played by the developers, ask any questions they have about the game, and let us know which adorable fantasy creature they’d like the team to stomp into oblivion. The fun starts today at 12:00 pm – don’t miss it!

Helo Combat Game Heliborne Launches

2017/10/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

October 12th, Warsaw, Poland — Fans of helicopter action games have plenty of reasons to celebrate. After a year and a half of work, numerous improvements based on players’ feedback, and 27,000 copies sold, Heliborne leaves Early Access and lands on Steam! Thanks to Klabater, the game will be published globally as a digital edition as well as locally in the Polish market as a physical boxed edition.

The Heliborne digital edition is available on Steam: for only $24.99 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/433530/Heliborne/). The boxed edition includes the base game as well as digital extras (Polish Air Force camo and paint set), a double-sided poster documenting all of the in-game aircraft, collectible stickers, and a pilot’s manual. All these goodies are packed in a stylish case and available in Poland at a recommended retail price of 99.99 PLN.

Publishing the game is only just the beginning. The developers are working alongside the publisher and are already planning the game’s post-launch support and further development. Players can count on free updates and paid DLC. Even now, the community can modify the game through Steam Workshop.

By cooperating with real-life military pilots, the devs have made sure that Heliborne combines a realistic flight model with arcade gameplay, offering maximum fun and simultaneously keeping things realistic and close to physics – with over 70 different factors influencing the aircraft during flight.

You can check how the machines perform in combat situations by engaging in air battles on six fully open maps:

Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam)
Operation Nguyen Hue (Vietnam)
Khost Region (Afghanistan)
Badakhshan Province (Afghanistan)
Kosovo
Training Map

These maps offer several possibilities: players can compete in the cornerstone multiplayer mode (up to 16 players), take part in co-op mode (up to 4 players), and play the single player historical missions.

Utilize one of the 50 legendary helicopter models from various historical periods – from the 1950s to modern times. The available aircrafts have been divided into three types – combat, scout, and transport – so that every air combat enthusiast can find an appropriate machine.

Have you ever dreamed of shooting down an enemy machine and sending it crashing into the ocean’s waves? In that case, the Bell AH-1Z Viper, with its 70 mm, anti-tank, and air-to-air missiles is right up your alley. Do you think that proper recon can turn the tides of war? Then the fast and nimble OH-58A Kiowa will allow you to sneak up on the enemy position, mark it, and transmit its location to your squadmates. You’re sure that the frontline fighters don’t stand a chance without proper support? The mighty ACH-47 Chinook will let you transport troops to critical spots, right where the frontlines seem to crumble. These are only 3 of the total 27 NATO machines available in‑game, and you’ll also have access to a further 23 helicopters from the Eastern Bloc. Victory depends on your tactical thinking, your ability to make decisions in the heat of the battle, and the experience of your teammates.

Heliborne – main features:

50 legendary helicopters, ranging from the 1950s to modern times!
Modify your aircraft with more than 100 available payload variants.
Battle it out on 6 open, varied maps: Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam), Operation Nguyen Hue (Vietnam), Khost Region (Afghanistan), Badakhshan Province (Afghanistan), Kosovo, and the Training Map.
Check out 3 gameplay modes: single player, co-op (up to 4 players), and competitive multiplayer (up to 16 players).
Ground units: tanks, APCs, self-propelled AA guns, and infantry (armed with AA weaponry and mortars).
Support for Steam trading cards!
Test your skills in historical missions and on sandbox maps.
Play how you like! Heliborne offers full support for gamepads, joysticks (flightsticks), and mouse and keyboard.

More information about Heliborne can be found on the official website (http://helibornegame.com/), and on Facebook and Twitter.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor Martyr Announced for PS4 and Xbox One

2017/10/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Xbox One News

Lesquin, October 12th, 2017 – Bigben and NeocoreGames are pleased to announce that they will be working together on the publishing and worldwide distribution of Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr on Xbox One and PlayStation®4.

The game, which is currently available on early access on Steam and has received positive reviews from the community, is being developed by NeocoreGames, a Budapest-based studio with established expertise in Action-RPG games on PC and consoles with the licence “The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing”.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr is an Action-RPG that takes place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The player is an Inquisitor in the Caligari sector, a region infested by heretics, mutants, treacherous Xenos and the daemons of the Chaos Gods. The game is playable in single player as well as in co-op, and lets you develop in a persistent world through a large number of missions with various objectives. You play as one of three complementary classes in destructible environments that provide cover to help you survive combat that is both tactical and brutal.

“Playing as an Inquisitor in a supercharged Action-RPG developed by one of the most talented studios in the genre is a dream come true for all fans of Warhammer 40,000! The success of the early access on Steam has confirmed the quality of the game, and we are delighted to give console players the chance to discover this landmark title” stated Benoît Clerc, Head of Publishing at Bigben.

« We are huge fans of the world of Warhammer 40,000 so we will take care of this game with passion. This world is intense, brutal and visceral: it’s a perfect material for an Action RPG” said Zoltán Pozsonyi, producer at NeocoreGames.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr will be available in Q1 of 2018 on PC, PlayStation®4and Xbox One.

Free Knott’s Admission for Current and Retired US Military

2017/10/12

boothby

Geek News, News

October 11, 2017 – Knott’s Berry Farm pays tribute to U.S. veterans, both retired and current personnel, with free park admission during its Military Tribute Days. This offer is valid to all past and present armed forces personnel and one guest. Six additional tickets may be purchased at a discounted rate of $35 each from November 1 – November 16 and for $40 each from November 27 – December 15. U.S veterans and active military can also take advantage of discounted rates at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel with a special rate of $99 per night. For information and promotion details, please visit knotts.com.

WHO: Current U.S or retired military personnel
WHEN: November 1 – November 16, 2017 & November 27 – December 15, 2017
TIME: Available during park operating hours.
WHERE: Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park CA 90620