Archive - 2019

Re-Imagined LA Haunted Hayride to be Revealed at Midsummer Scream Panel

2019/07/11

LONG BEACH, CA – Midsummer Scream, the world’s largest Halloween and horror fan convention, is thrilled to announce a panel presentation from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which owns multiple haunted attractions and events across the nation.

In 2018, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group acquired the assets of Ten Thirty One Productions, which owned the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (LAHH). Guests will experience a completely re-imagined LA Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park this Halloween season, which will be unveiled at Midsummer Scream by the event’s new Creative Director, Jon Cooke, of Plague Productions.

The presentation will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center on Sunday, August 4, and will feature Chris Stafford, CEO/Founding Partner of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group; Warren Conard, Director of Operations/Founding Partner of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group; Jon Cooke, Owner/Creative Director of Plague Productions; and Melissa Carbone, Founder of Ten Thirty One Productions and Producer of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. The presentation will be hosted by Ted Dougherty, Writer/Director at Plague Productions.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have the Thirteenth Floor team with us this year,” says Midsummer Scream Creative Director, Rick West. “This group of talented, driven individuals has literally created a haunt empire across the nation by purchasing and plussing well-known attractions, and making them their own. For years, thousands of fans have attended the LA Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park; it’s a known attraction that is now part of the Thirteenth Floor arsenal. Bringing Jon Cooke on as the attraction’s Creative Director is an exciting new chapter for the Hayride, and we couldn’t be more curious to see what he and his team have in store for us as they give Midsummer fans an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the mysterious town of Midnight Falls, and the strange characters that dwell there!”

In addition to their exciting panel presentation, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group/LA Haunted Hayride will have a large show floor presence this year at Midsummer Scream, where guests will get their first in-person look at part of the town, Midnight Falls, and some of its infamous locals.

Midsummer Scream continues to be a beacon within the Halloween, horror, and haunt community, drawing fans from across America and beyond to Long Beach each summer. The participation of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group bolsters the mission of Midsummer Scream in becoming a world stage for the haunt industry, where companies not just local to Southern California step into the spotlight and are celebrated by fans and peers of all walks, from all corners of the globe.

Tickets are on sale now at MidsummerScream.org.

Earth Defense Force 5 PC Launch Trailer

2019/07/11

boothby

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Oakland, CA — July 11, 2019 — D3PUBLISHER Inc., a leading Japanese games publisher, is excited to announce today’s global launch of EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 for Windows PC on Steam. To celebrate the global PC launch, D3PUBLISHER is excited to announce that EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 will be available for a generous discount of 20% off the usual $59.99 / €49.99 for the first week following its PC release beginning today.

Since the last EDF game in the core series, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair, currently rated as overwhelmingly positive with over 3,000 user reviews and launched on PC via Steam almost three years ago, EDF has been a fan favorite on PC. With EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5’s recent Western release on December 11th, 2018 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, it has received critical praise from reviewers and consumers alike, and currently has a MetaCritic score of 72 for PlayStation®4.

Developed by SANDLOT, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 continues traditions set by the wildly popular series. Since it first launched in 2003 for the PlayStation®2 console, the EDF series has earned a reputation for its relentless third-person wave shooter gameplay with tons of enemies on-screen, its wide array of unique classes, weapons, loadout combinations, and its charming B-movie dialogue and settings with cities under siege by giant, out of the world creatures.

This focus on delivering an overwhelming scale of enemies and a sense of exhilaration continues with EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5, featuring the most detailed enemy models featured in the series to-date with breakable limbs and body parts and more advanced AI behavior.

Packed with tons of content and high replay value, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 delivers over 100 missions with five levels of difficulties to choose from for each mission. Including more than 1,000 weapons and armaments to unlock, it also offers players four unique classes to master, allowing players to approach mission goals and objectives in a variety of ways. Classes include the Ranger, a well-rounded infantry soldier, the Wing Diver, a highly mobile air unit, the Fencer, a heavy weapons unit with thick armor, and the Air Raider, a support focused class with the ability to call in various air support types like vehicles, orbital air strikes, and missile barrages. With multiple options for multiplayer, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 also offers up to four-player online co-op as well as offline couch co-op, supporting up to two players via split-screen.

To stay up to date on the latest regarding EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5, please visit the official website, official YouTube channel, and follow the EDF team on Twitter @EDF_OFFICIAL_EN.

Lucasfilm Announces Art Pavilion and The Mandalorian Sneak Peek for D23

2019/07/11

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Movie News, News

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (July 11, 2019) — For the first time at D23 Expo, Lucasfilm will host a pavilion on the show floor from August 23-25 with an impressive display showcasing the evolution of the Star Wars stormtrooper. The exhibit will include several of the screen-used costumes seen throughout the iconic movie series. From the classic stormtrooper to the new design featured in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, this stunning display is a rare opportunity to examine these production costumes up close and study the many unique styles deployed throughout a galaxy far, far away.

Also featured in the Lucasfilm pavilion will be a special section for young Padawans that will include Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures video shorts along with multiple interactive activities for kids.

Plus, as part of the Disney+ panel on Friday, August 23, at 3:30 p.m. in Hall D23, fans will get a sneak peek at Jon Favreau’s action-packed bounty hunter series, The Mandalorian. The Mandalorian (played by Pedro Pascal) is a bounty hunter who travels the outer reaches of the lawless galaxy, surviving as a mercenary-for-hire. Dave Filoni (supervising director on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and writer/director on The Mandalorian), along with special guests, will join Favreau for the on-stage presentation. The highly anticipated program for Disney+ represents the first-ever Star Wars live-action series.

Single-day tickets for Friday and Sunday of D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69 for children 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $77 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. Single-day Saturday tickets and three-day passes are sold out. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.

Laura Bailey and Jennifer Hale Headline The Endless Mission Voice Cast

2019/07/11

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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

(Phoenix, AZ – July 11, 2019) – E-Line Media is excited to introduce the voice actors for The Endless Mission, a sandbox style creation game where a rich narrative leads players through a world unlike any other. Having previously made their mark on iconic franchises like Mass Effect, Halo, Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed, Diablo, and Fallout, the talents of Laura Bailey, Jennifer Hale, Alix Wilton Regan, Sara Amini, and Courtenay Taylor will all now be setting off on The Endless Mission later this year.

Get your first taste of The Endless Mission’s story and talented VO team:

The Endless Mission invites you to become a part of The Academy, an organization dedicated to helping the world use the technology that is around them – instead of being used by it. Explore a digital world where you have the power to fundamentally alter the framework around you, reshaping and creating as you see fit. This all happens while a colorful cast of characters stand by your side as you begin to pull back the curtain on a story that draws you behind the scenes of some of video gaming’s most iconic genres. From crafting your own spells and changing enemy behavior, to completely reshaping the surrounding landscape, The Endless Mission empowers players to rethink how games are built.

Set to arrive on Steam Early Access this summer, The Endless Mission offers up something for everyone. Want to get lost in a deep story that takes you behind the scenes of your favorite game genres? No problem. Want to begin making your own games for the world to play using The Endless Mission’s powerful creation tools? We’ve got you covered.

For more information, wishlist and follow the game on Steam, download the press kit, sign up for the newsletter, and be sure to follow the journey on Twitter and Facebook.

New French Battleships Steaming Towards World of Warships Blitz

2019/07/11

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Mobile News, News, Trailers / Videos

July 11, 2019 — Joining the cruisers in the French tech tree, a group of battleships are set sail for battle in World of Warships Blitz. The premier French battleship is the Turenne, sitting at Tier III, is researchable from Friant, the Tier III cruiser. The new additions are:

Turenne, Tier III
Courbet, Tier IV
Bretagne, Tier V
Normandie, Tier VI
Lyon, Tier VII
Gascogne, Tier VIII
Alsace, Tier IX
République, Tier X

At lower tiers, these battleships are much like those in other nations: good armor with hard-hitting guns. When progressing up the tech tree, these vessels eventually morph and become much like battle cruisers that are quite speedy. From Tier VII and up, these battleships start to really show their class; the high-tier battleships boast strong AA armament and their turrets now have 4 guns. The only downside of having more guns is that they are of a smaller caliber.

Overall, these battleships are fast and agile—a not-so-common trail for this class—which can go even faster with the Engine Accelerator skill. In addition to their pace, these French ships have pretty accurate guns, which is a perfect counter for their biggest weakness—their weak armor.

All the new French vessels are locked and loaded, eager to take to battle in World of Warships Blitz.

Dual Universe Alpha 2 Features Trailer

2019/07/11

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

PARIS, FRANCE – July 11, 2019 – Today, Novaquark is excited to launch the second playable Alpha phase for its civilization-building sci-fi MMO, Dual Universe. Continuing to deliver on its roadmap promises, the Alpha 2 unleashes upon its passionate community a freighter full of new content focused on expanding the game’s player-driven economy.

See Dual Universe’s Alpha 2 in action with a video overview of its features:

In November 2018, the Alpha 1 introduced the foundations of the game’s emergent gameplay, with the ability to mine ore, reshape the world and build just about anything players can imagine. On top of the existing market tools, the release of the Alpha 2 takes the game’s economy to a whole new level, with the ability to mass-produce and barter goods. Combined with a fully editable world, this bolstered economy fuels the promise of a game in which all content is created by the players, from ships to outposts to cities and, soon, space stations.

With the introduction of this Industry gameplay, players are now able to build their own fully-functioning factories to mass-produce goods. Just like in the real world, this empowers them to build complex production lines and optimize their efficiency in order to increase their profit.

Go in-depth with Dual Universe’s Industry feature in the latest dev diary:

Industry isn’t where Alpha 2 ends, though. Dual Universe now offers an in-depth Talent system, which allows players to develop their character as they acquire new skills. Furthermore, the Virtual Projector opens up even more creation options and makes it easier than ever for players to build from a template, importing existing 3D models as holograms to act as visual support. Couple this with graphical improvements – including luscious, volumetric clouds and a revamped water system – plus much more and you have one of the biggest Dual Universe updates yet!

“Alpha 2 is a major milestone for us and one we’re really excited to get into player hands,“ said Novaquark founder and Creative Director Jean-Christophe Baillie. “I’m consistently blown away by the ingenuity of the community, so empowering them to run and expand the game’s economy will take Novaquark one step closer to creating the first Metaverse.“

The Alpha 2 release comes hot on the heels of Novaquark’s expansion into Canada with a Montreal office, and the recent news that total project funding for Dual Universe has surpassed $22.6M USD. Alpha 3 is already in the works and planned to launch later this year, with the beta planned for 2020.

The Alpha 2 of Dual Universe is available now at the reduced price of $60 USD / 60 Euros. Pledge packs and more information can be found on the game’s website.

Comedy Central Unveils Comic Con 2019 Lineup

2019/07/10

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Movie News, News, SDCC

NEW YORK, July 10, 2019 – Comedy Central will descend upon San Diego Comic-Con with an awesome array of events from South Park and Crank Yankers. The festivities kick-off on Thursday, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. with a no-badge-required, free and open to the public South Park activation at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center (200 Harbor Dr. #120) located directly across from the Convention Center, and a Crank Yankers immersive fan experience on Thursday, July 18 inside the Convention Center at Booth #3729.The #1 brand in comedy will also present a Crank Yankers panel on Thursday, July 18 at the Hilton Bayfront in the Indigo Ballroom at 6:45 p.m.

The South Park Bigger Longer Uncut Mini-Golf activation will be revealed to fans on Thursday, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. The 9-hole golf course is an homage to the iconic movie with each hole themed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of South Park: Bigger Longer Uncut. The activation will also feature four limited-edition South Park t-shirts, with a different shirt available each day for fans to purchase during a limited window. The South Park fan activation is free and open to the public from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21.

For the return of the beloved comedy series Crank Yankers, Comedy Central is hosting a Crank Yankers panel in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront on Thursday, July 18, featuring executive producer and showrunner Jonathan Kimmel, voice talent David Alan Grier, Chelsea Peretti and Bobby Moynihan, and production designer Gary Kordan with moderator Brian Posehn from 6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. The panel will offer fans never-before-seen clips from the new season as well as behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the making of the series.

Comedy Central is also bringing a slice of Yankerville to the Convention Center. Located at Booth #3729, this immersive experience will give fans an exclusive first listen to crank calls from the new season. Additionally, fans can pose and take photos with some of the Crank Yankers puppets. This activation will be open to all badge holders throughout the weekend, Thursday, July 18 – Sunday, July 21 during convention hours (Thursday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.).

Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary Celebrates 10th Anniversary for 2019

2019/07/10

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Geek News, Halloween, News

Long Beach, CA – Wednesday, July 10 – The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Southern California’s most authentically terrifying haunt, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of terrors by once again resurrecting the legendary ghost stories from the infamously haunted ship. Rising from the depths with a decade of freakish-fun and one-of-a-kind frights, Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary will return for its most outrageous season yet for select nights September 26 – November 2, 2019. Tickets are on sale now at queenmary.com.

Celebrating ten-years of living out nightmares, the world-famous haunt is offering a terrifyingly-good ticket special for one day only. Available today at 10:00am till July 11 at 10:00am, thrill-seekers can purchase a ticket to Dark Harbor for $10 each. Use promo code DH10 for general admission to the 10th annual event on select nights, including opening night.

Confusion and fear reign supreme at Dark Harbor 2019 with ALL hands-on deck for 23 select nights as the Captain, Scary Mary and over 200 monsters haunt six terrifying mazes, nightly live entertainment, secret bars and exhilarating rides. Dubbed the most outrageous season yet, the creative minds and producers of Dark Harbor will announce their devilish plans and all that’s NEW for the 10-year anniversary of the infamous haunt on Sunday, August 4th at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA.

The 10th Annual Dark Harbor opens its gates on September 26 and continues to scare those who dare on select nights through November 2. General admission ticket prices start at just $20 online, with Fast Fright, Evil Express, Ultimate Scream Experience, Creepy Cabanas, and lodging packages available. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.queenmary.com/dark-harbor.

Blood Bowl: Death Zone Out Now

2019/07/10

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Geek News, News, Windows PC News

Paris, France, July 10, 2019 – After a promising Early Access phase, Cyanide and Bigben proudly announce the official release of Blood Bowl: Death Zone on Steam.

Blood Bowl: Death Zone is a fast-paced game of football and violence, based on Games Workshop’s cult board game. Two opponents each take control of a 4-player team and battle it out in real-time matches that last for five minutes.

All the Old World races are allowed to play: Orcs, Dwarfs, High Elves, Chaos, Undead, Lizardmen and even Humans. Contrary to other, mundane, sports Blood Bowl: Death Zone means more than just passing and running with the (wandering squig) ball; it also includes punching opponents in the face and blasting them with a variety of spells.

During the 11 month Early Access phase, Cyanide was able to update and improve the game thanks to feedback from the community: new teams, new skills, a single player campaign as well as many key changes to gameplay were added.

To celebrate its official release, the game is available at a 50% discount for a limited period.

Blood Bowl: Death Zone offers:

14 teams built from the most popular races in the Blood Bowl universe
14 Star Players, each with their unique style, strengths and weaknesses
20+ unique player skills
Single player mode with 6 leagues to unlock and complete
Multiplayer league and one-off matches

First GRID Gameplay Trailer

2019/07/10

Jerry Paxton

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

Larkspur, Calif. – July 10, 2019 – Sparks fly, cars spin-out and rivalries are formed in the first GRID gameplay trailer released by Codemasters®. As the lights turn green, cars jostle for the lead in the long-awaited return of the much-loved racing franchise, which comes to PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X, on Oct. 11, 2019.

Players who pre-order GRID or GRID: Ultimate Edition will get the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 as bonus content.

The action builds as the chasing pack bears down on the leaders to display some new race locations. From the heat of the Havana streets to the track circuit of Brands Hatch, the Race for Glory trailer showcases theexciting, unpredictable, and dramatic racing experience players will have when they take the wheel this October. The stunning visuals of San Francisco and Zhejiang Circuit insert the player at the heart of the action and give a true sense of speed, as they look for the smallest window of opportunity to take the lead either by conventional means or by slamming their rival into a wall.

The race culminates with the Pontiac Firebird Modified and Chevrolet Camaro SSX Concept going head–to–head on the final corners and long straight of San Francisco. One mistake could be the difference between the sweet taste of victory or the bitter regret of what might have been. Played out to the backdrop of the anthemic ‘The Light’ by Sophie and the Giants, the trailer demonstrates both the risks and the rewards of pushing some of the most iconic racing cars to their absolute limits.

GRID is a racing experience like no other. Taking inspiration from the original franchise, GRID is a fresh take on the genre with new content, new experiences and stories waiting to be written by you, the player. GRID is about unpredictable racing where anything can happen when the lights turn green. It’s a brand-new chapter of the GRID franchise; a game that not only resets expectations, but exceeds them.

“The response to the GRID announcement has been incredible and there is genuine excitement for us to reveal much more of the game,” said Chris Smith, GRID Game Director at Codemasters. “We set out to create an exhilarating racing experience which is like no other and the new trailer gives our fans a glimpse of what to expect. Players will encounter challenging and combative racing from all the AI drivers and this creates a living, breathing world where anything is possible and finishing positions must be earned. Whether it’s competing in the middle of the pack or going wheel-to-wheel for victory, there are no easy wins and our players will both enjoy and marvel at our most competitive GRID to date.”

For the latest GRID news go to the website (http://www.gridgame.com/) and social channels on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gridgame), Twitter (https://twitter.com/gridgame) and Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/gridgame).