Archive - 2019

Narcos: Rise of the Cartels Release Date

LONDON, England, October 24, 2019 – Curve Digital and Kuju are proud to announce that Narcos: Rise of the Cartels, a brutal tactical turn-based game based on Narcos, the multi-award-winning Netflix series produced by Gaumont, will launch digitally on November 19th for PC and PlayStation 4, November 21st on Nintendo Switch, and November 22nd on Xbox One. The deal was brokered by Evolution USA, Gaumont’s global licensing agent for the series.

Narcos: Rise of the Cartels enables players to relive the events of the first season of the Netflix series, taking the side of either the Medellin Cartel or the DEA in two distinct campaigns. In 1980’s Colombia El Patrón’s influence is rapidly expanding, with drugs, corruption and crime spreading out from the Colombian town of Medellin. America is now starting to take notice and it is up to the players to choose their side. They can help the Narcos’ drug empire rise to the top under the watchful eye of El Patrón, or topple the growing criminal enterprise alongside Steve Murphy as the DEA.

Based on the hit Netflix series from Gaumont, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels features iconic locations and characters from the show, offering players the chance to step into the criminal underworld alongside characters such as El Mexicano, Murphy, Peña, Primo and more – each with their own unique gameplay abilities and perks to help turn the tide of battle. Players will explore familiar scenery from the show and take a pivotal role in world-altering events that will define and shift the war on drugs. The series’ stylish visuals and immersive storylines provide the perfect backdrop to a vivid strategic experience.

Fans of tactical turn-based games will experience an exhilarating new take on the genre, with units on both sides moving one after the other or multiple times within one turn and the opportunity to counteract by taking direct control of the units at critical moments. Players will be able to form their own team from a variety of class-specific roles, upgrade their skills and join leading characters on the path to dominance. Players must plan their moves wisely as each action will have lasting consequences.

Key Features

  • BASED ON THE HIT NETFLIX SERIES – Authenticity is at the core of the Narcos: Rise of the Cartels experience and highly recognisable and iconic characters from the TV show are available to control and play, each offering unique gameplay opportunities.
  • EVERY WAR HAS TWO SIDES – Featuring two unique campaigns Narcos: RIse of the Cartels enables you to see the war from both sides. Choose to side with the DEA and fight alongside Steve Murphy to bring down the drug empire, or choose to side with the Narcos in order to help fund, grow and expand the empire of El Patrón.
  • FAST-PACED TACTICAL COMBAT – Narcos: Rise of the Cartels takes tactical combat to a whole new level with units possessing the ability to move individually one after another or multiple times in one turn, meaning the pace is always ramped up. Players will have to plan their actions cautiously as they will face lasting consequences.
  • COUNTERACT AND KILL-SHOT – Innovative gameplay mechanics keep the turn-based combat fresh by allowing the player to take third-person control of units in order to engage enemies directly, providing the opportunity to deal critical damage at optimal moments.

Romance of The Three Kingdoms 14 Buildings and Obstacles Trailer

Burlingame, Calif. – October 24, 2019 – KOEI TECMO America revealed diverse new domestic and battle tactics for their much-anticipated strategy game, Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV (RTK14). The return of the iconic franchise is set to launch across the West on February 28, 2020 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and digitally on Windows PC via Steam®.

The entire map of China becomes a grand battlefield in RTK14, with no boundaries to where fights can take place. Warfare includes everything from siege – such as battering rams and catapults, to battles on water with a variety of different assault boats. Players will even find famous landmarks from the period of The Three Kingdoms; including the Yangtze River and Yellow River, with the chance to claim them as part of their domain.

In RTK14, claiming land is vital to overthrowing enemy forces and uniting The Three Kingdoms. Once an area is controlled by ally forces an officer can be appointed the role of ‘Area Overseer’, tasked with advancing the land’s development to increase its income; in commerce, agriculture, etc. During each turn this overseer will supervise the area they have been assigned and increase the territory of their forces – this simplifies territorial expansion and can be used tactically to cut off local supply lines. Carefully choosing an officer with appropriate abilities and characteristics can ensure the developments they make will lead to a strong and prosperous domain. For example: Those with a high charm statistic or the fame characteristic, and who are proficient in domestics, can become a force to reckoned with.

Some domains envelop Cities and Gates, which are extremely important locations on the map. Cities are bases for armies that can grow in scale and raise durability, if the right conditions are met. This growth brings increased gold and supplies, as well as unique tactics to defend these locations from enemy units. Gates such as Hulao Gate – which guards Luoyang on the East – and Yangping Gate – which guards Hanzhong from invasion from the North – are just two points on the map which are crucial to control. These sturdy locations can be occupied by military units and, like some of the cities, can have tactics activated to swiftly repel enemies.

While it is pivotal for players to develop areas within domain, it is also important to use ally land to construct an assortment of buildings and obstacles to defend and attack from incoming foes. Faculties such as ‘Arrow Towers’, which attack enemy units in the area automatically, ‘Camps’, allowing allied forces to consume less supplies on long campaigns, and ‘Stone Soldiers’, lowering enemy morale and causing great disorder through their ranks, are just a few of the unique strategies players can use to their advantage to protect their land. Combined with Obstacles, which play both an offensive and defensive role, these structures can have a great impact on the flow of battle. Strategic construction can allow players to re-create famous moments from The Three Kingdoms – set-up a long string of fire trap obstacles and carry out a large-scale fire attack like Lu Xun did at the Battle of Yiling.

Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV is available for pre-order now. Those who purchase any version of the game within the first two weeks of launch will be able to download the additional scenario ‘Battle of Yiling’ for free.

For more information on Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV, please visit the official site, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/koeitecmous and Follow us on Twitter @koeitecmoUS.

Bethesda Acquires Mobile Dev Alpha Dog Games

Oct. 24, 2019 — (ROCKVILLE, Md.) – Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced that it has acquired Alpha Dog Games, located in Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 2012 by industry veterans Shawn Woods and Jeff Cameron, Alpha Dog Games is known for creating fun and engaging products for iOS and Android.

“We are impressed by the team at Alpha Dog’s commitment to quality and depth of experience in mobile,” said Todd Vaughn, Senior Vice President of Development at Bethesda. “We’re excited to have them join the Bethesda family.”

Alpha Dog will support Bethesda’s growing mobile game initiative, developing new and exciting titles for iOS and Android devices.

Borderlands 3 Bloody Harvest Event Launches

October 24, 2019 – It’s a big day, Vault Hunter – the biggest since launch! Today, Borderlands 3 will receive a substantial update containing both the free seasonal event Bloody Harvest and a major patch that addresses a number of reported concerns, including support for both Photo Mode and the ECHOcast Twitch Extension on consoles. This update will be live for all players by or before 3 p.m. Pacific Time today.

If you’re not already familiar with all the unique challenges and rewards associated with Bloody Harvest, you can read all about the event right here – or you can catch the seriously spooky trailer here. Once it unlocks later today, Bloody Harvest will continue to run through December 5.

In addition to Bloody Harvest, today’s update also includes weekly hotfixes and a substantial new patch. The team at Gearbox has also shared an update roadmap, revealing plans for new features and other upcoming updates for the first time anywhere. For a complete list of changes implemented in today’s patch and hotfix, plus an outline of what’s coming, we encourage you to check out this extensive blog.

For more Borderlands 3 assets and additional information about the game, please visit newsroom.2k.com.

Monolith Productions Celebrates 25 Years

October 23, 2019 – Monolith Productions, a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment studio, is proudly celebrating the company’s 25-year anniversary, marking more than two decades of creating critically and culturally relevant videogames. This Friday (Oct. 25) at 1 p.m. PDT, Monolith will officially celebrate the milestone and host a livestream question-and-answer (Q&A) session with current and founding team members, discussing the studio’s 25-year history in games. The livestream will be available on the Monolith Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/monolithlive.

Founded in 1994 and based in Kirkland, Wash., Monolith is known for developing a variety of innovative games and fan-favorite titles, most recently including Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014), which introduced and expanded upon the award-winning Nemesis System, raising the bar for personal, player driven stories within the open world genre.

Earlier titles showcased Monolith’s commitment to providing players with unique game experiences as seen in the frenetic action of Blood (1997), visceral melee combat of Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005) and Condemned 2: Bloodshot (2008) and the innovative combat A.I. introduced in F.E.A.R. a.k.a. First Encounter Assault Recon (2005) and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (2009), which informed numerous first-person shooter (FPS) games to follow. The team at Monolith has also shared a passion for storytelling and humor, displayed prominently in The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2000) and No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way (2002), both of which feature witty narratives that continue to be favorites among fans.

A full list of Monolith’s games can be found at https://www.lith.com/. The studio is currently seeking high-quality talent to join the team across various disciplines. Interested candidates can apply at https://www.lith.com/careers or view at @MonolithDev.

Rebel Cops Gets New Game Mode

Minsk, Belarus/Vienna, Austria, October 23rd, 2019: The players cried for more, more, more – and therefore THQ Nordic and Weappy Studios are happy to confirm that a new survival mode titled “Rebel Yell” has made its way to PC, PlayStation® 4, Xbox® One and Nintendo Switch™ versions of Rebel Cops, a tactical stealth game set in This Is the Police universe. The update also contains a much-requested option – infinite savegames.

About “Rebel Yell” survival mode

Take four cops with random perks and skills, and hold out for as long as you can against endless waves of scum and vermin. You’ll start out with trusty knives, and everything else you’ll have to scavenge from the battlefield. But that’s not gonna stop you, right?

“Rebel Yell” is available now as a free update on PC, Xbox® One, PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch™.

Reign of Terror Haunted House Review 2019

We LOVE the Reign of Terror (or RoT) haunted house at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, CA. It consistently rings in as one of the best haunted houses in Southern California each year and 2019 is no exception. We arrived to the Reign of Terror early in their season and got the chance to tour its 25,000 square feet of space. This year, the Reign of Terror has added more rooms to its attraction, bringing the total number to 115! Something most people don’t realize is that Reign of Terror is actually made up of nine unique haunted houses that connect, Voltron-style, to form one giant one. Each of these haunted house areas has its own theme and style.

This is a shot of the cue area.

The line of Reign of Terror gets VERY long, so I highly recommend arriving an hour early – even if you purchase a VIP express ticket. While this ticket option does decrease the amount of line-waiting, it will still take a while to get in on a busy night (and they all seem to be busy nights). Once you get up the stairs and into the haunted house area, you are treated to a cue unlike I have ever seen. The inner line is decorated so much it might as well be a haunted house all its own! Parking at the Janss Marketplace is free, which makes RoT an outstanding deal given the length of time it takes guests to venture through its winding attraction. On our visit, we took about 25 minutes to walk through the entire thing – a staggering amount of time when compared to most haunted houses.

So, is Reign of Terror scary? Sure! If you get scared at haunted houses, you will definitely get scared at Reign of Terror. If you go to haunted houses as a haunter yourself, in order to judge them or admire and learn from them, you will learn a ton. The set design and overall effects work at Reign of Terror is top notch and puts even the most well-funded, big budget theme park haunted houses to shame. The best part is that, while Reign of Terror is scary and beautiful in its own way, it is NOT an extreme haunt. No one will touch you or torture you in any way, shape, or form. RoT is a classic haunted house taken to the nth degree and worth every penny.

At the end of the gigantic haunted house, you’ll find a photo opportunity and small gift shop where you can get hats, shirts, etc. After your visit to the Reign of Terror, you can enjoy some of the food options that the Janss Marketplace has to offer. Overall, Reign of Terror has become even better for 2019. Its new rooms are scary and make for a perfect Halloweentime evening out. You can find ticket information, hours of operation, and more at their official website.

LucidSound LS1 and LS10 Available Now

SAN DIEGO, CA – OCTOBER 23, 2019 – LucidSound, the fastest growing gaming headset brand, announced today its all new gaming headsets, the LS1 and LS10, are now available at Target stores nationwide. Staying true to the LucidSound design legacy, both headsets feature LucidSound signature controls, high performance audio, and best-in-class functionality at a price that can’t be beat.

Perfectly aligned with the LucidSound product lineup, the LS1 and LS10 are designed for the gaming lifestyle. The LS1 is a chat focused gaming headset, compatible with Xbox One and PlayStation®4, while the LS10 is a stereo gaming headset compatible with Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Switch and mobile devices.

“At LucidSound we strive to create headsets for specific gamers needs and were eager to create two new headsets that meet our quality and design standards with mass market appeal,” said Chris Von Huben CEO and co-founder of LucidSound. “We are thrilled to offer two more premium headsets at a great VALUE.”

LS10 Headset Info:
LS10X | LS10P (Stereo Gaming Headset):  

  • Premium Audio: Custom tuned 50mm speakers with state-of-the-art neodymium magnets provide deep bass and clear highs.
  • Surround Sound Ready: Optimized to deliver immersive Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos Surround sound from Xbox One devices.
  • Crystal-Clear Chat with Dual Mics: Dual microphone design offers a flexible boom mic for intense online gameplay. Remove the boom mic to use the integrated mic for mobile.
  • LucidSound’s Signature Controls: Easily adjust volume and mute the microphone with the intuitive and accessible over-ear control dial and LED mic mute indicator.
  • Designed for Comfort: Plush earcups, light-weight frame and over-ear design for comfort during long play sessions.
  • Compatibility: LS10X: Xbox One | Mobile LS10P: PS4 | Mobile | Nintendo Switch
  • Price: $59.99

LS1 Headset Info:
LS1X | LS1P (Chat Gaming Headset):  

  • Premium Chat: Wired communicator with 50mm driver for enhanced clarity.
  • Open Back Design: Unique earcup design enhances the experience by allowing you to hear external game audio, surround system or what those around you are saying.
  • Clear Audio: Flexible noise-canceling boom microphone.
  • Easy to Use Controls: Adjust volume and mute the microphone with the intuitive and accessible over-ear control dial and LED mic mute indicator.
  • Designed for Comfort: Plush earcup, light-weight frame and over-ear design for comfort during long play sessions.
  • Compatibility: LS1X: Xbox One | PC | Mobile | Switch LS1P: PS4
  • Price: $24.99

The LS1 and LS10 are available now at Target stores nationwide along with other major retailers.

The Surge 2 Gets Future Shock Weapon Pack

October 23, 2019 – Deck13’s acclaimed Action-RPG The Surge 2 today brings more content to the game and expands the collection of high-tech killing utensils with the free Future Shock Weapon Pack. This pack addsfour new vicious weapons on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Get a glimpse of them in all their deadly splendor with the two new screenshots.

This free Weapon Pack includes the deadly Golden Twin Blades, the devastating “EFH” Heavy Duty Weapon, the brutal Mangled Articulators Punching Gloves, and the versatile Golden Harvest Double Duty Weapon. Find the enemies wielding them and execute them to claim the weapons for yourself!

But that is only the beginning. Stay tuned as next week will see the full reveal of The Surge 2’s Season Pass, with more weapons, more implants, more gear sets, and a brand-new storyline DLC with hours of content in a new environment to be released down the line.

The Future Shock Weapon Pack is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. From new weapons to new armor sets, plenty of content is still on the way. More details to come next week as we announce the details of The Surge 2’s Season Pass!

The Surge 2 is out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Visit http://thesurge-game.com/shop for more information.

The Long Dark Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy Launch Trailer

VANCOUVER, BC – October 22, 2019 – Hinterland today launched The Long Dark® Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. Continuing the wildly popular survival storyline of the WINTERMUTE™ series, Episode Three: Crossroad Elegy spins the storytelling focus from Will Mackenzie who was featured in the earlier episodes, and drops players into the boots of Dr. Astrid Greenwood as she takes on the unforgiving wild and tells her own unique story of survival and exploration. To watch the new The Long Dark Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy launch trailer, please visit YouTube.

To open this new instalment of the WINTERMUTE™ story to existing and new fans alike, Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy is unlocked for all players, regardless of whether they have played the first two episodes or not.

In continued support of the community, players new to The Long Dark purchase one game at one price and receive all previous episodes, updates and content, while 3.3 million existing purchasers automatically receive Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy for free. Both new and long-time players alike will receive all future updates and content for free as part of their game purchase.

“We’re thrilled to finally be able to share part of Astrid’s story with our players,” said Hinterland founder and creative director, Raphael van Lierop. “Episode Three introduces new characters, new gameplay systems, and new plot arcs that reveal more about the nature of our Quiet Apocalypse. We can’t wait to hear what players think about our latest work on The Long Dark.”