September 25, 2019 – Based on the epic novels of Dav Pilkey (over 80 million copies in print!) comes the Captain Underpants Halloween special, DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween premiering on Netflix Tuesday, October 8th! When mean Principal Krupp and evil boy-genius Melvin make Halloween illegal and institute“Hall-no-Ween,” George and Harold team up with their friends to hack their favorite holiday, creating Hack-A-Ween. The kids wear disguises instead of costumes, carve cabbages instead of pumpkins, and get snacks instead of candy. The hacked holiday is a huge hit, so when Krupp and Melvin make even more trouble, the kids realize that in order to really save Halloween they will have to negotiate with the enemy. DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween tra-la-la’s its way to Netflix October 8.
From Executive Producer Peter Hastings (Animaniacs; Pinky and the Brain), DreamWorks The Spooky Tales of Captain Underpants: Hack-A-Ween features the voices of Academy Award-winner Nat Faxon (Life of The Party; Disenchantment; Married) as Mr. Krupp and Captain Underpants, Ramone Hamilton (The Grinch) as Harold, Jay Gragnani (Bubble Guppies) as George, Jorge Diaz (Jane the Virgin) as Melvin, Sean Astin (Stranger Things) as Narrator, Erica Luttrell (Magic School Bus; Steven Universe) as Erica, Evan Kishiyama (Mickey and the Roadster Racers) as Gooch, and Stephen Tobolowsky (Spaceballs, Groundhog Day) as Creepy Rattlechains.
In celebration of the upcoming special, we have the trailer to share with you!
September 25, 2019 – The Planet Zoo Beta has begun and will run from 8:00am PDT on September 24 to 9:00am PDT on October 8.
Planet Zoo’s beta begins with the new narrative-driven Career mode that sees players begin their journey in the Temperate Biome as they learn to manage and expand an existing zoo, building habitats, adopting animals and tackling a range of Bronze, Silver and Gold objectives. Franchise mode visits the Savannah biome for a deeper simulation with an open sandbox map and the full economy, as well as online connectivity with the Planet Zoo community. The beta Community Goal will be announced soon.
The Planet Zoo beta features a range of wildlife from around the world across both modes, including the West African Lion, Reticulated Giraffe, Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard and Galapagos Giant Tortoise, with over 30 animals total, each with unique traits and personalities.
Sept. 24, 2019 – Modern Warfare’s campaign trailer gives players a glimpse into the roles of lethal Tier One operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power. With its raw and gritty narrative, the visceral story brings unrivaled intensity and pushes boundaries and breaks rules the way only Modern Warfare can. Also announced alongside the campaign trailer is the XRK Weapons Pack. Those who purchase Modern Warfare digitally will receive the XRK Weapons Pack for day one launch use.
FREMONT, CA, September 24th, 2019 – Elgato, the leading provider of hardware and software for content creators, today announced the launch of HD60 S+, an external video capture card that lets content creators play high-fidelity console games in stunning 4K60 HDR10 while simultaneously streaming or recording gameplay in 1080p60 HDR10. It’s easy to get set up and streaming with HD60 S+ thanks to a simple USB 3.0 connection and full compatibility with today’s most prominent streaming applications including OBS Studio, Streamlabs OBS, and XSplit. Accompanied by powerful Elgato 4KCU recording software, HD60 S+ is ideal for content creators looking to grow audiences on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer.
Building upon the original hugely popular HD60 S, HD60 S+ allows 4K60 HDR10 zero-lag passthrough, with onboard video downscaling to enable streaming to any platform in industry standard full HD 1080p60 quality and recording unlimited 1080p60 HDR10 footage to your hard drive. HD60 S+ also benefits from ultra-low latency Instant Gameview technology, keeping gameplay, mic, webcam, and other sources perfectly synched.
Elgato’s 4KCU software powers HD60 S+, offering exclusive features to help you get the most out of it. Take advantage of Flashback Recording to save your gameplay retroactively with convenient DVR-like controls, and Live Commentary to record microphone audio as a separate track. These tools allow you to adjust gameplay, game audio, and microphone audio independently in post-production with ease, creating better, polished, more professional content. Record the superior color depth of HDR10 that would be lost using other software, and leverage advanced file formats that let you easily arrange gameplay footage, gameplay audio, and microphone audio independently in your favorite video editor.
An external capture solution that produces high quality footage without compromising high-fidelity gameplay, HD60 S+ empowers beginners and experienced content creators alike.
Availability, Warranty and Pricing
Elgato HD60 S+ is available immediately from the Elgato worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors.
Elgato HD60 S+ is backed by a two-year warranty and the CORSAIR & Elgato worldwide customer service and technical support network.
For up-to-date pricing of all newly released Elgato products, please refer to the Elgato website or contact your local CORSAIR/Elgato sales or PR representative.
Sept. 24, 2019 –Jaws of Oblivion, the latest expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends, takes players to Mehrunes Dagon’s Daedric plane of Oblivion on October 8 for PC, iOS, and Android devices. With 75+ brand new cards inspired by Bethesda Game Studios’ beloved The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Jaws of Oblivion will pull devastating Deadra through the fiery gates of Oblivion and onto the playmat.
Check out the Jaws of Oblivion trailer here:
Alongside 75+ new cards, Jaws of Oblivion introduces players to:
• A fiery new playmat
• Two new premade Theme Decks – Mankar’s Paradise and Martin Septim’s Ascendance
• Four new card backs
• New music and visual effects
• New Invade mechanic that summons otherworldly Oblivion Gates, giving your Daedric creatures more power the more you Invade
Prepare for the Gates to open by preordering Jaws of Oblivion today for $49.99. You will receive 50 Jaws of Oblivion card packs when the set releases, plus a premium card back and epic “The Herald” title to use as soon as you complete your purchase.
Will you close shut the Jaws of Oblivion or let chaos run rampant? Choose for yourself when the next expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Legends launches October 8.
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 24, 2019 — ROCCAT, Turtle Beach’s (Nasdaq: HEAR) Hamburg, Germany-based PC division today announced two new versions of its acclaimed Vulcan series mechanical PC gaming keyboard are now available for PC enthusiasts looking to up their keyboard game. The Vulcan 121 AIMO features a sleek Ash Black aluminum plate and debuts a new, speed-optimized version of ROCCAT’s proprietary Titan mechanical switches. Named Titan Switch Speed, these new switches register key strokes up to 30% faster than standard switches. Additionally, the Vulcan 122 AIMO is the new Arctic White version of the original award-winning Vulcan 120 AIMO – named Best Gaming Keyboard of 2019 by WIRED. Featuring an anodized aluminum plate and Titan Switch Tactile mechanical switches that register key strokes up to 20% faster than standard switches, while giving gamers a key stroke that is swift, precise, and tactile. Both the Vulcan 121 AIMO with Titan Switch Speed switches and Vulcan 122 AIMO are available now at participating retailers across Europe and Asia and will be available in the U.S. in October for a MSRP of $159.99.
“ROCCAT’s Vulcan series keyboards look and feel fantastic and give PC gamers an edge over the competition because they are faster, which is why we believe they are the best gaming keyboards available,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach. “Since its debut the Vulcan has already become one of the top three best-selling gaming keyboards in Germany and a best-selling product in its price tier, and has received numerous awards, including the 2019 iF Design Award for its product category, as well as the latest ‘Best Gaming Keyboard’ accolade from WIRED.”
René Korte, General Manager of PC Products at Turtle Beach added, “We introduced the original Vulcan 120 AIMO at Computex 2018, and the immediate praise it earned from attendees and reviewers alike was a powerful testament to the great product it is. Our Vulcan series keyboards are sleek, precise, and beautiful gaming tools designed to give you an edge over the competition. Adding the new, even faster Vulcan 121 AIMO and Vulcan 122 AIMO variants was the answer to what fans have been asking for, and now they have more options to find the right Vulcan to fit their style.”
Following the success of the Titan Switch Tactile introduced with the original Vulcan 120 AIMO, ROCCAT now offers a new, even faster option with the Vulcan 121 AIMO. Built for speed, the Titan Switch Speed boasts a shortened 1.4mm actuation point (3.6mm travel distance), which helps it react over 30% faster than standard switches, pushing the boundaries of speed without sacrificing precision. The switches are actuated with a hefty 45g of force to minimize accidental key presses, making the keyboard perfect for gaming. Additionally, completing its current Ash Black and Artic White theme, ROCCAT’s Vulcan 122 AIMO is the Arctic White version of the award-winning Vulcan 120 AIMO. Like its predecessor, the Vulcan 122 AIMO features ROCCAT’s own Titan Switch Tactile mechanical switches with an actuation point of 1.8mm for a total travel distance of 3.6mm. It is well balanced between crispness and speed – 20% faster than standard – and is silent, yet with a noticeable bump.
The Vulcan 121 AIMO and Vulcan 122 AIMO also feature a magnetic detachable palm rest and low-profile design for improved ergonomics, making them suitable for long periods of game time, and serve as the best platform for ROCCAT’s unique AIMO lighting engine. Each Vulcan keyboard switch features an individually configurable, long-life LED capable of displaying 16.8M colors in a variety of special effects, and its functionality grows based on the number of AIMO-enabled connected devices. The AIMO lighting reacts organically based on usage, presenting state-of-the-art illumination scenarios without the need for configuration.
For more information on ROCCAT’s lineup of high-quality, German-engineered PC gaming accessories, visit https://roccat.org. For the latest information on Turtle Beach products, accessories, and stories, visit the Turtle Beach website at www.turtlebeach.com and the Turtle Beach Blog at https://blog.turtlebeach.com. Fans can also follow Turtle Beach on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 24, 2019) – Today, SQUARE ENIX® revealed the North American package art for FINAL FANTASY® VII REMAKE alongside a number of new screenshots and character renders, providing a deeper look at how players can explore the city of Midgar and battle the tyrannical Shinra Corporation.
The package art, reminiscent of the North American cover of the original FINAL FANTASY VII, features protagonist Cloud Strife with his iconic buster sword, staring down the headquarters of the shadowy enemy he has agreed to help take down.
Additionally, new screenshots were released today, bringing more of the Sector 7 Slums and the Seventh Heaven bar to life. Cloud, Tifa, Barrett and Aerith are also showcased in action-packed battles, providing an in-depth look at magic and summons, the materia system, powerful limit breaks, and more.
Furthermore, a new gameplay video is now available, in which Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith go head to head with a ferocious beast, Abzu. The exhilarating fight highlighting each characters’ unique battle style can be viewed here:
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a reimagining of the iconic original game that re-defined the RPG genre, diving deeper into the world and its characters than ever before. The first game in the project will be set in the eclectic city of Midgar and presents a fully standalone gaming experience that provides a great starting point to the series.
Along with unforgettable characters and a powerful story, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE features a hybrid battle system that merges real-time action with strategic, command-based combat. For players who wish to focus purely on battle strategy, a menu-focused ‘Classic Mode’ provides a gameplay style more similar to the original game. More information regarding the newly revealed Classic Mode can be found on the Square Enix Blog: https://t.co/wvnRTN82RK.
The Deluxe Edition, available to pre-order now, contains a hardback art book featuring stunning concept art, a soundtrack selection CD, Summon Materia DLC allowing players to summon Cactuar in game, and a Sephiroth SteelBook® Case. The Digital Deluxe Edition contains a digital art book, a digital soundtrack selection, and Summon Materia DLC allowing players to summon Carbuncle and Cactuar in game.
Those who pre-order any version of the game will also receive the Chocobo™ Chick Summon Materia DLC at launch. Those who pre-order any digital edition from the PlayStation®Store will also receive the Cloud & Sephiroth Dynamic Theme for the PlayStation®4 system.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be available for the PlayStation®4 system from March 3, 2020 with English, Japanese, French and German voiceover and English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. For more information, visit: http://ffvii-remake.com.
The title is not yet rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.
September 24, 2019 – Modiphius Entertainment is proud to announce a host of partnerships that will bring Vampire: The Masquerade Fifth Edition into the hands of fans around the world who’ve been waiting on this new edition to release in their language.
Arkhane Asylum, Need Games!, and Nosolorol have already brought us V5 in French, Italian, and Spanish respectively this summer. Now, the list of languages Vampire is going to be translated into includes German, thanks to Ulisses Spiele, Portuguese, thanks to Galápagos Jogos, and Russian, thanks to Studio 101!
Sign up on the partner’s websites below for more information about product releases and availability. Further partners will be advanced in the near future.
Each partner is part of our global organised play programme and will translate existing and planned core products as well as devising their own contributions in the form of ‘By Night books and Chronicles’.
The spooky season is upon us and it is time once again to review Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. Located in beautiful Hollywood, CA the Halloween Horror Nights event has long been lauded as a must-see haunted attraction in Southern California. How does 2019 stack up to previous years? Read on to find out more!
Universal Studios is, as the name suggests, a studio. So, it is no surprise that once again that the haunted houses (or “maze”) offerings at Halloween Horror Nights are based on a movie or television program. The top maze of 2019 is, hands-down, Ghostbusters. Based on the 1984 Ivan Reitman film of the same name, Ghostbusters takes guests through various scenes from the film. From the fire station all the way to Dana Barrett’s Central Park apartment building. This haunted house isn’t scary in the traditional sense but does an outstanding job of bringing the laughs and scares of the movie to life (or unlife). I especially loved the use of projection mapping to create proton pack beams along the walls of various scenes.
The next best haunted house in the bunch has to be Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Taking various scenes from the cult-classic film, Killer Klowns is scary and fun, with lots of carnival fog scents to go around. It was such a good maze that it made me want to rush home and watch the movie again – it’s been way too long since I got the chance to view it.
Unfortunately, instead of taking the Terror Tram in a new direction this year – or – just running evening studio tour trams, the event designers have opted for it to be entirely dark. I would have rather seen them utilize the tour trams as transport to take guests the quarter of a mile (one way) journey from the lower lot to the back lot. Speaking of the quarter mile walk to the backlot, the park needs to do something with The Toxic Tunnel. It’s like a psychedelic nightmare from which you can’t escape – and not in a good way. I walked out of the tunnel feeling overstimulated and not-scared at all. It’s simply headache-inducing and it needs to go.
Also, it seems like Halloween Horror Nights designers still just can’t get enough of empty black hallways, empty black switchbacks, and “boo boxes”. With the budget and design power of Horror Nights, I expect more creativity from them and this has become a trope of their own making. I fondly remember the days when these tropes were nowhere to be found at Halloween Horror Nights mazes and I hope they move away from them in 2020.
Over in the backlot, you can walk though All Hallow’s Evil, an outstanding maze/street zone hybrid (with no roof allowing ample air flow) with amazing characters and props. This was probably my second favorite thing to experience in my entire evening at Horror Nights. There is so much breathing room that I wish Universal would consider adding more of these maze/street zone hybrids.
My third favorite maze in the Horror Nights lineup is Creepshow. Taking scenes from the 1982 George A. Romero/Stephen King film, the maze integrated some elements from the upcoming Shudder streaming service TV series. Seeing Tom Savini’s “Fluffy” creature from Creepshow segment “The Crate” come to life before my eyes was an absolute treat.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man left me with an interesting mix of feelings. On one hand, I LOVE classic Universal Monsters and the 1943 film this maze is based on. However, the narrative of the Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man haunted house seems to go in different directions. The maze introduces Frankenstein very quickly while, in the film, he doesn’t present himself until chipped out of a frozen cellar by the Wolf Man. Also, because many guests have not seen this film, some of the people we spoke with outside the maze seemed ambivalent about the whole thing.
Jordan Peele’s Us does an outstanding job of taking guests through some of the scenes from the acclaimed film. It is creepy, visceral, and has some terrific music and audio cues. Also, the “Red” masks worn by some of the actors are super creepy with their bulging eyes.
House of 1000 Corpses has returned to Halloween Horror Nights and, in honor of the late Sid Haig, I wanted to be sure and mention it in this piece. Universal Studios has done a great job with the maze and fans of the franchise will be sure to notice a ton of easter eggs scattered throughout. The maze starts out with guests entering The Museum of Monsters & Madmen and then into the Firefly house (and eventually below it). The costumes are terrific and the masks featuring character’s faces from the film are very realistic. It’s also a real treat to hear Haig’s laugh throughout the maze. Rest in Peace, Sid.
Stranger Things is back, unfortunately, with an afterthought of a maze from event designers. The maze covers various scenes from both season 2 and 3 of the Netflix series. However, it doesn’t cover them very well, leaving me confused as to why they didn’t focus more on the kids or Eleven and her battle with the Mind Flayer or even the epic chase between the Mind Flayer and the kids or the Russian connection with Hopper and Joyce. The maze misses so many beats and feels like a rehash of last year’s maze without the cohesive narrative and most of the actors. Couple this with an over-reliance on the Horror Nights boo boxes and I would not recommend bending over backwards to wait a long time in line for this one.
Universal Studios is offering various ticket packages for Horror Nights – including their R.I.P. Tour package. We did not get to experience this high end ticket, but hear it features special dining and a private tour. As far as dining goes, the event does have numerous snack kiosks setup around the studio as well as the regular theme park food stops. I still think Universal Studios needs an in-park, full restaurant – perhaps one built on a second floor, allowing guests to overlook the scares below, but I digress…
Here’s part one of our Horror Nights vLog series (you can find the others on our YouTube channel):
Overall, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2019 is a fun, energetic haunted attraction with average to very good haunted houses. Losing the studio tour tram (as a haunted attraction or evening tour) is a big loss to the event. However, there is still a lot of production value in most of the new mazes for 2019 and they are well worth the price of admission. The wait times can get pretty long if you don’t upgrade your ticket to the express/front of the line option, so just keep that in mind.
