Author - Jerry Paxton

Final Fantasy XIV Online Exceeds 10 Million Players

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 8, 2017) – The FINAL FANTASY® XIV community continues to expand globally, with more than 10 million cumulative players* as of today. This continued success is largely due to the title’s robust updates that consistently provide players with new content.

Today’s announcement follows the release of the most recent expansion, FINAL FANTASY XIV:Stormblood™, which expands in-game content with two new playable jobs, an increased level cap, and an entrancing storyline that takes players to previously unexplored lands. Content patches following launch also brought the inclusion of high-level raids, enhancements to player jobs, and a number of other new features.

Additionally, this milestone coincides with the release of Patch 4.06 and the start of the annual Moonfire Faire seasonal event. Players can take part in an all-new series of quests, including facing off against Ultros and his uncontrollable tentacles. Triumphant adventurers can obtain event items to ring in the celebrations, including a dyeable Faire version of a popular set of equipment.

The FINAL FANTASY XIV Free Trial beckons new players to join the millions of adventurers in the realm of Eorzea™. The free trial allows anyone to access all available content up to level 35, create up to eight playable characters, and experience the different playable races, classes, and jobs with no restrictions on playtime. New players who wish to experience the free trial may register here: http://sqex.to/FFXIVFreeTrial

All editions of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, including the FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood expansion, may be purchased through the Square Enix® Online Store here: http://sqex.to/FFXIVStore

Related Links
Official Stormblood Site: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/stormblood/ 
Free Trial Site: http://freetrial.finalfantasyxiv.com/
The Lodestone®: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIV/
Official Twitter: @FF_XIV_EN
Official Instagram: @ffxiv

Surf World Series Tricks Trailer and Release Date

Portsmouth, UK, 7th August 2017 – UK-based independent developer Climax Studios today announced that their upcoming surf game Surf World Series will be releasing on PlayStation 4 on August 29th, and Xbox One and PC (Steam) on 30th August, priced at £11.99 / 14.99€ / $14.99. A free demo version of Surf World Series is also launching today, and will be available to download on all platforms. is launching today on PS4 and Xbox One, and will be available to download on Steam later this week.

Surf World Series celebrates the thrill of pure arcade-style surfing, where players will be able to:

  • Ride monster waves at 5 of the world’s most iconic shorelines, from the infamous Bell’s Beach, Australia, to the extreme waves at Waimea Bay, Hawaii.
  • Become masters of the waves, learning increasingly difficult tricks along the way, from nailing kickflips and cutbacks, to landing massive aerials and navigating treacherous tubes.
  • Trick their way through 44 single player challenges, or carve up the competition online against 15 other players across 3 different online game modes.
  • Rank up and unlock thousands of customization options to stamp their own style on their journey to become a surf legend.

For more information visit Surf World Series website, follow the game on Twitter or like it on Facebook.

About Climax Studios

Climax Studios is an independent games developer based in Portsmouth, UK, with a mission to create games with guts that blow away gamers and reviewers alike. Throughout their 25 year history they have consistently delivered great games, from original IP to conversions and ports, across all genres and platforms, working on franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Silent Hill, Resogun, Serious Sam, Dirt Rally, Castlevania and Diablo.

 

Surf World Series will be published by Vision Games Publishing Ltd.

Midsummer Scream 2017 Post-Mortem

Midsummer Scream 2017 has come and, unfortunately, gone for another year. This year’s event completely blew away their 2016 offering, which was already an amazing horror/Halloween convention. This year, the event saw even more panels, exhibitors, and mini-haunt experiences for guests to enjoy. Additionally, the screening room featured a number of horror shorts to view over the course of the weekend.

Knott’s Scary Farm announced the last year for Elvira to perform in the park as well as a revised Trick or Treat maze. Universal Studios went into more detail on their upcoming maze based on The Shining and some of their street zone areas. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor crew hosted a panel where they announced a new maze and featured “Chef” character. Also of note was the panel for Into the Black, an upcoming four-part haunted attraction experience from Larry Bones, owner of Boneyard Effects. The Hall of Shadows was back, bigger and better with way more haunted experiences to take in. Also of note was the sliding group known as the Decayed Brigade. Made up of former and current scare actors, the group performs cool acrobatic stunts by throwing their bodies against a smooth runway and sliding along the ground.

I also want to give a shout out to the Long Beach Convention Center which has, hands down, the best convention center food in Southern California. I have eaten at most of the big convention centers in this area and Long Beach sells custom sandwiches, gourmet coffee, and a lot more. We preferred to eat at their cafe instead of walking across the street to outside restaurants.

The biggest issue we experienced during our visit to Midsummer Scream was getting from the convention center to the main stage, which was located at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. The walk in between was a bit of a chore, having attendees cross a narrow pedestrian bridge in a construction zone. The upside, of course, was getting to utilize the large house space of the Performing Arts Center, so it’s a trade-off. However, it is a shame there isn’t an internal walkway connecting the buildings.

Overall, Midsummer Scream was even better than last year’s offering, and it now marks the official start of the Halloween journalism season. The next upcoming event is ScareLA and then we begin preview events for the big haunted attractions out there. Stay-tuned for more!

Gallery

Halloween Horror Nights Announces Titans of Terror Maze and Tram Experience

Universal City, CA, August 7, 2017 – Universal Studios Hollywood unites four slasher film legends—Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface and Chucky—in two all-new terrifying “Titans of Terror” experiences as part of this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” event which kicks off Friday, September 15, 2017.

In the new “Titans of Terror” maze, guests will fall victim to the silver screen’s most deplorable killers whose affinity for bladed weapons redefined the horror movie genre as slasher films: Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) wielding his iconic chainsaw, Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) brandishing his relentless machete, and Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) swiping his trademark glove armed with razor blades. The new maze will be an assault on guests’ sensibilities as they descend into the forbidden realms of these horror icons.

Taking terror to an unspeakable level of bloodcurdling screams, the “Titans of Terror Tram Hosted by Chucky” will transport guests into a nightmare of carnage pitting guests against these four modern horror icons, this time led by infamous serial killer doll Chucky (Child’s Play franchise). With his faithful army of degenerate chainsaw-wielding Good Guy Dolls, Chucky will unleash havoc upon guests as they navigate a portion of the world-famous backlot.

Further “Terror Tram” encounters will include Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) at the Crystal Lake Motel where he slaughters newly arrived camp counselors; an ominous confrontation with Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) who takes his ultimate revenge on the town of Springwood; and a final foray through the barn from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where Leatherface and the Sawyer family butcher victims for their cannibal cuisine.

Unique to Universal Studios Hollywood, the “Terror Tram” enables “Halloween Horror Nights” guests to walk along an area of the famed movie and television studio, where such sets as the Psycho House and the Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, and Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, are located.

“Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood brings together the sickest minds in horror to immerse guests in a living, breathing, three-dimensional world of terror. Featuring an all-new slate of unrivaled film production quality mazes and frightful scare zones, “Halloween Horror Nights” will taunt, terrorize and torment guests with spine-chilling haunted attractions as part of Southern California’s most extreme Halloween experience.

Updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood are available online at HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Hollywood and on Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood,” Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter at @HorrorNights as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information. Watch videos on Halloween Horror Nights YouTube and join the conversation using #UniversalHHN.

Release Date Announced for Hearthstone’s Knights of the Frozen Throne

August 4, 2017 – Exciting news today – we are announcing the release date for Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion – August 10, 2017! I’ve included a brief recap of what players can expect in the upcoming expansion at the bottom of this email.

We’re also unveiling the next episode of the Lich King at Blizzard videos, which continues the story of the Lord of the Scourge’s plans to assert dominance over the Hearthstone Team. So far, he has interviewed for a job at Blizzard’s HQ, then started an esports team – The Frozen Pwn, and opened an Ice Cream Citadel. Today, he begins his first indomitable steps at Blizzard. Let’s see how well he fares:

In case you’re not caught up on the cards we’ve revealed for Knights of the Frozen Throne, you can check out the gallery here (more to come): http://blizz.ly/2feXfvS

Bloody Zombies Launch Date and Pre-Order Details

(Farnborough, United Kingdom) August 4, 2017 — nDreams, the UK’s leading publisher and developer of VR content, and Paw Print Games have announced the E3 award-winning co-op brawler Bloody Zombies will launch September 12th for £10.99/€13.49/$14.99 on VR headsets (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation®VR) and gaming platforms (PlayStation®4 (PS4™), Xbox One, and PC’s. Beginning today, brawlers who pre-order Bloody Zombies through PlayStation®Store (PlayStation®Plus members only) or Steam will receive a 10% discount.

Bloody Zombies is a one-to-four player co-op brawler designed to be played with any combination of TV and VR players, online or on the couch. Set in a London wasteland, bloody zombies have taken over the city and four rough-and-tough cockney misfits must work together to beat back the rotting hordes.

Bloody Zombies features easily accessible moves, deep freeform combat, and brutal chainable combos. Players can also unlock special moves and discover melee weapons to expand their zombie-slaying abilities. The enhanced VR viewpoint means VR players can also find in-game secrets, provide tactical support, and conquer obstacles using a unique diorama view.

David Corless, VP of Publishing, nDreams, said:

“Bloody Zombies is a classic co-op brawler but with a new twist where VR players and non-VR players can battle the undead together, either online or couch co-op. Think Streets of Rage and Castle Crashers on amphetamines, throw in some friends, add in the unique viewpoint when playing in VR and Bloody Zombies is like no other game out there!”

Anthony White, Co-Founder and Director at Paw Print Games, said:

“We’re massive fans of brawler games and have spent countless hours analyzing the genre, crafting Bloody Zombies in to a modern interpretation of the classics. VR adds a new twist to what is already a great TV experience; enhancing the gameplay and visuals and adding a wow factor. We can’t wait for people to get their hands on Bloody Zombies…”

Bloody Zombies Worldwide Pre-Order Pages:

PlayStation®Store Page

Steam Page

War Tech Fighters Launch Trailer

Deep Space, The Outer Regions, 4th August 2017 – Green Man Gaming Publishing and Drakkar Dev are unleashing the rapid-fire, mecha-in-space, fury of ‘War Tech Fighters’ upon the Universe on August 16th. This love letter to Japanese anime and blockbuster action is launching onto Steam Early Access with the explosive force of a shoulder mounted, ten tonne, missile barrage.

Become your mecha and fully customize its appearance and loadout in some of the most over the top action this side of the galaxy in what could be described as the love child between Michael Bay and Evangelion. You’ll lead the assault on Zatros with fists of iron and lazer sword in hand, as you pilot your fully equipped, spaceship shredding War Tech, built to fight for the rebel colonies of Hebos and Ares and reclaim your homeland.

Designed for mecha enthusiasts and fans of intense space combat action, War Tech Fighters early access launch will provide the chance for its robo-battling community to help balance the game’s deep upgrade system and flow of gameplay styles. War Tech Fighters brings mecha destroying fans the chance to play in all out action, stealth and puzzle sections while taking on single player missions, simulator challenges and survival arenas.

Key Features in Early Access

  • Control A Fully Equipped War Tech – Destroy your enemies in long-range combat with guns and missiles, or get up close and personal with swords and shields.

  • Customization – Hundreds and thousands of combinations of mecha parts, weapons and colors to truly stand out on the battlefield.

  • Upgrades – Three base robot sets, each with specific bonuses, and over 150 upgradable robot parts.

  • Research & Development – Research new upgrade projects to enhance your War Tech, and develop weapons ranging from missile launchers to anti-matter cannons.

  • Level Up – Gain experience through combat to level up your War Tech pilot to gain improved attack/defence bonuses.

  • Intense Single Player Missions – Experience the first 12 missions of Captain Nathan Romanis’ battle across the galaxy.

  • Simulator Bridge – Train your War Tech by replaying missions, or take on special Challenges to gain experience and add-ons to improve your machine.

  • Survival Mode – Test yourself to the limit in an infinite survival mode arena, and walk away with special rewards.

Conan Exiles The Frozen North Update

Oslo, Norway – August 3rd, 2017 – The second stage of Conan Exiles’ Early Access adventure is about to begin! On August 16th, Conan Exiles not only goes live on Xbox One for the first time ever; Funcom will also release its first expansion update for the game for both PC and Xbox One players. Previously teased at E3 this year, Funcom today revealed both the title and all the juicy details players will want to hear about the expansion update.

A new web page is now available on www.conanexiles.com/thefrozennorth, where players can learn all the details about The Frozen North. Funcom today also released a brand-new video where Creative Director Joel Bylos provides a unique glimpse into the expansion update.

The Frozen North, which will be completely free to all players on PC and Xbox One, adds a whole new landmass and makes the world of Conan Exiles 70% bigger. It also brings the game out of the desert and into the snowy north, introducing an entirely new climate and a weather system that will require players to dress according to the temperature – or face certain death. The Frozen North also introduces entirely new gameplay mechanics such as fish traps, beekeeping, and cooking. Brewing, a new crafting system, will allow players to make alcohol which will also keep them warm in cold environments. Players will also get to dedicate themselves to a new religion, giving them the ability to summon the avatar of Ymir, the Lord of Storm and War, and wreak havoc on enemy players and crush their cities under his feet.

“This expansion update does not just mean more content and more features,” says Creative Director Joel Bylos. “The team has also worked extremely hard to make sure this release brings with it significant improvements to core aspects of the game such as combat, artificial intelligence, and more. These improvements, in addition to the twenty-eight updates we have already introduced to the game over its six months in PC Early Access, mean this version of Conan Exiles is bigger, and even more importantly, better than ever before.”

Since launching into PC Early Access on January 31st 2017, the development team has been working tirelessly to introduce new content, improve mechanics, and eradicate bugs and exploits. The team has added siege weapons, a new dungeon, a dye system, new armor and weapons, new decorations, avatar defenses, new building pieces, and much more. The game will leave Early Access and release in full on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in Q1 2018. Conan Exiles quickly became a smash hit with the open-world survival audience, selling almost half a million units in the first month. In this online survival game players get to build anything from small homes to entire cities, explore a huge open world, team up with other players, or seek to dominate their enemies through brutal player vs. player combat.

You can learn more about Conan Exiles and see the latest updates from the developers on www.conanexiles.com. For an overview of all the updates Funcom has done to Conan Exiles so far in Early Access, head over to www.conanexiles.com/updates.

Crashday: Redline Edition Launch Date Set

Are you hungry for some old-school, explosive destruction racing, complete with blazing gun chains, blasting rockets and high speed collisions that are so hot they’d make James Spader blush? YOU BETTER BE! Crashday: Redline Edition — the newly overhauled edition of the action arcade racer Crashday — returns to Steam on August 10, 2017!

Today, original Crashday developer Moonbyte Games’ founder Robert Clements has released a vlog highlighting the game’s incredible history and what’s new in Crashday: Redline Edition. Check out the video here:

If your idea of a good time includes ramming opposing cars off track while you race the clock to the tune of a rockin’ heavy metal soundtrack, Crashday: Redline Edition has got you covered. This addictive and unique arcade racer stays true to the original classic while adding tons of compelling new features. With full Steam Workshop integration, improved multiplayer capabilities, enhanced modding support and a fresh UI, Crashday: Redline Edition is guaranteed to deliver adrenaline-loaded fun!

Crashday: Redline Edition key features: 

  • All of the original game’s content including 7 modes of over-the-top gameplay
  • Full Steam Workshop support, including shareable custom cars and tracks, Steam Achievements and Trading Cards
  • A rockin’ heavy metal soundtrack
  • 100+ bug fixes and gameplay improvements
  • Fully remastered graphics
  • New cars and tracks!

Halloween Horror Nights R.I.P. Experience Returns

Halloween Horror Nights has announced the return of its R.I.P. Experience! After taking a brief hiatus, the return of the program allows small groups of guests to get special access and a lot more. Here are the list of perks included with the R.I.P. Experience:

TOUR INCLUDES:

  • Gourmet buffet dinner with drinks* at exclusive VIP Dining Room
  • UNLIMITED Front of Line entry to all mazes and rides
  • Reserved VIP seating at the Jabbawockeez live show
  • Complimentary valet parking (one vehicle)
  • Exclusive VIP entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood™ for the Halloween Horror Nights event

DURATION:

  • Approximately 4 to 4 ½ hours long, including dinner

TOUR SIZE:

  • Each tour consists of multiple parties mixed together up to 14 guests per tour

TOUR TIMES:

  • Select a Check-in Time and your evening will begin with dinner, followed by a tour

You can buy your R.I.P. Experience tickets and find out more details over at their official website!