Author - Jerry Paxton

RES Plus Retro Console Available for Pre-Order

2017/08/01

POMONA, CA, August 1, 2017 – With demand at an all-time high for classic video games, Retro-Bit®, a leading retro-gaming brand announced its new RES™ Plus console for $39.99 will be available August 10. A premium top-loading video game console for all your favorite 8-bit games, the RES Plus boasts a crisp 720p resolution with new HDMI® compatibility to play your NES® games like never before.

Innex Inc®, an exclusive distributor of Retro-Bit®, is excited to unveil the brands latest console. “With many of today’s consoles being compatible with HDMI® televisions creating a high demand among the gaming community, it was the logical next step for Retro-Bit to enhance their already impressive lineup of consoles,” Ron Pang, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Innex Inc. “The RES Plus is giving all the classics a big upgrade, and I believe fans are going to be amazed at receiving a high-quality gaming experience at a reasonable price of $39.99.”

Easy to set-up right out of the box thanks to both the standard AV and HDMI® ports, the black and red RES™ Plus comes with a 6-foot HDMI® cable and two 6-foot wired classic controllers that are compatible with the original NES®, as well as most Retro-Bit® consoles. A new micro USB® charging port helps power the console and adds yet another sensible modern upgrade.

The RES™ Plus will be released on August 10 for $39.99 and pre orders are now available at Amazon. For detailed information on Retro-Bit’s complete lineup of classic products, please visit http://retro-bit.com/.

Valnir Rok Announcement Trailer

2017/08/01

Jerry Paxton

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

TWAIN HARTE, CA – August 1, 2017 – Independent game developer Encurio GmbH and indie games partner Reverb Triple XP officially announced today that Valnir Rok, an epic online Viking survival roleplaying adventure, will launch on Steam’s Early Access program this September. Set on a mystical Nordic island, gamers will fight for their life in the harsh, hostile environment where dangerous beasts of legend dwell, ruins of forgotten deities hold untold riches, and thriving villages of great clans can be joined or conquered.

Valnir Rok will make its playable debut at gamescom 2017.

“It’s the dream of every passionate gamer to make games and we take our first big step in making the dream into reality with the announcement of Valnir Rok,” states Sebastian Rahmel, Game Director at Encurio GmbH. “We love Vikings and survival games so it was natural for us to pursue our vision of a Viking survival roleplaying game. Our development team is very passionate about the project and we’re all looking forward to debuting the game at gamescom 2017.”

Valnir Rok is an online sandbox survival roleplaying game inspired by Norse mythology. Players will awaken to find themselves on Valnir Island and must do whatever it takes to survive in a land of wild animals, mythical beasts, and violent men. As a hardened Viking warrior, butcher your enemies in bloody combat, build and improve village structures, and form a clan to expand your power and reputation. Battle against opposing clans, place bounties on hated enemies, and discover ruin artifacts to gain favor with the gods with great deeds and holy sacrifices. Might makes right in the Viking world of Valnir Rok.

Valnir Rok will be launching on Steam Early Access in September 2017. Join the adventure filled with heroic deeds and legendary battles – follow the game development on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and visit the official site, www.valnir.net.

LA Haunted Hayride Announces ‘CLOWN’ for 2017

2017/08/01

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Halloween, News

August 1, 2017 – Ten Thirty One Productions (TTO) is excited to announce the highly anticipated return of the most popular Halloween attraction in the country, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride coming September 29th to Griffith Park with limited pre-sale tickets available now. TTO will allow guests to come face-to-face with their biggest, darkest fears for the scariest Halloween immersion experience on the West Coast.

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (@LAHauntedHayride) returns with the most thrilling ride yet as guests become completely absorbed within the experience. Clown will feature four zones guaranteed to make your skin crawl: Haunted Hayride, House Of Shadows, Trick Or Treat, and Purgatory. Take a seat on our Haunted Hayride as we slither through the genuinely haunted woods of Griffith Park’s Old Zoo. Meet a legion of vicious clowns waiting with more psychopathic fun than any wagon can handle. And if you think you know clowns…you don’t know our clowns. The evolution of demonic apparitions that live within these trees have created a darkness that will leave with you and infiltrate your dreams. Clown – will literally have you on the edge of your seat and then forced out of those seats as you become immersed within your darkest fears escaping on foot to experience the winding, weaving Corn Maze smack dab in the middle of the ride! This year’s hayride will be your favorite hayride to date. We are sure of it.

“Hayride fans have been asking us to bring back the Clown Tent Finale for years. We just couldn’t escape it. Once we started we got so sucked into this rabbit hole of incredible clown content that we couldn’t just do one finale scene. So we decided to take the number one fan favorite experience of our entire history and make it the entire 30 acre attraction. I don’t think I’ve been this excited for the hayride since year one ” explains TTO CEO and Haunted Hayride Founder and author of the upcoming book “READY FIRE AIM: How I Turned a Hobby into an Empire”, Melissa Carbone (@MelCarbs).

Our legendary fan favorite scare zone, House of Shadows, will leave you completely blinded in total darkness, as the shadows of the most vicious, ugliest and depraved souls chase you through the re-imagined, colossally possessed demonic house – Southern California’s only true dark maze! At Trick Or Treat, it’s Halloween every night. Go get candy from strangers! The interactive neighborhood has doubled in size and has tripled the mischief. The suburb of Hell welcomes trick-or-treaters to go door to door and come face to face with its freakish occupants. You’ve always known your neighbors were a little off, so tonight let’s pull back the curtain. “Ding Dong!”

An ALL NEW layout may just make Purgatory the best part of the entire attraction. The charm and magic of our old world ‘haunted village’ invokes the nostalgia of Halloweens past; smell the freshly cut hay, feel the chill of cold fog, and see the deep, rich orange glow of jack o’ lanterns as you pass through our gates. Become a part of the show at Theatre Macabre, ride the Scary-Go-Round, enjoy food & drink at the Grub Shack, shop in the Bootique, visit a psychic, and get ready to see Purgatory like you’ve never seen it before from a seat around our 20-foot Living Bonfire that will send your jaws to the ground. Get ready for this never before seen spectacle.

If you’ve ever thought about going to Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, this is the year to do it.

The terror of Los Angeles Haunted Hayride begins on September 29th, 2017 and will be open select nights until October 31st, 2017. Operating hours are Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7pm-10:30 pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm-12am. General Admission is $44 and VIP passes that surpass the line are $62. There are also a limited number of Hayride Only Passes $35, all expected to sell out during the pre-sale. Pre-sale for tickets will begin August 1st. Visit www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com for exact nights of operation and other details.

Daybreak Games Unveils Third Annual H1Z1 Invitational Details

2017/07/31

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

SAN DIEGO – July 31, 2017 – Daybreak Games has revealed the first major details for this October’s third annual H1Z1 Invitational, the premier esports event at Twitch’s TwitchCon 2017. This year’s extravaganza raises the stakes with three unique tournaments of the massive arena shooter H1Z1®: King of the Kill® with a combined prize pool of $500,000.

The 2017 H1Z1 Invitational will take place at the “H1Z1 Arena” and feature three tournaments: All-Stars, Legends, and Challengers, each featuring a different group of players and prizing. The All-Stars tournament aims to celebrate the streamers and content creators who helped make H1Z1 into the success it is today and will feature some of the internet’s most popular personalities, including I AM WILDCAT, CDNThe3rd, Trick2g, Miniladd, and KYRSP33DY. The Legends tournament is focused on H1Z1’s growing professional scene and includes past Invitational winners Reed “inboxes” Tucker, Radek “Radek” Pozler, and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, as well as Casey “Flamehopper” Pitel and Chris “sweetdreams” Sexton, who were top finishers at the Elite Series solo and team tournaments at DreamHack Atlanta earlier this month. The third and final tournament will feature players selected through on-site qualifiers. Attendees will be able to participate in qualifiers throughout the weekend, with the 60 best-performing players earning a spot in the finals and their chance to compete for their share of the prize pool.

“H1Z1 has pioneered the massive arena shooter genre and proved that large-scale esports is possible,” said Anthony Castoro, H1Z1 General Manager. “The H1Z1 Invitational has grown and evolved over the years. As H1Z1’s popularity has increased, so has demand for this type of programming, and this new three-tournament format allows us to be inclusive of more players and provide a weekend full of content to viewers at home.”

In addition to the H1Z1 Invitational tournaments, Daybreak will host a variety of events, discussions and more at the H1Z1 Arena throughout all three days of TwitchCon 2017. Additional details and a full schedule of events will be posted on the website as the event approaches.

Daybreak will be celebrating its Road to TwitchCon with stops at gamescom, PAX West and Tokyo Game Show. For more information on the H1Z1 Invitational, including the Road to TwitchCon, schedule of events, competitors, and prize pool, please visit H1Z1.com/Invitational.

The H1Z1 Invitational has been the most-watched event at TwitchCon since its debut in 2015. Last year, more than 118,000 concurrent viewers tuned in to the finals to watch inboxes and Radek take the crown.

TwitchCon is Twitch’s annual convention that celebrates the platform’s entire community. This includes the content creators, viewers and the brands that cater to them. TwitchCon 2017 is being held onOct. 20-22 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. For tickets, visit Twitchcon.com and for the best hotel selection and price, use Twitch’s online booking system.

FEAST Coming to Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor

2017/07/31

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Halloween, News

LONG BEACH, Calif., (July 31, 2017) – A new voracious resident spirit has risen from the depths of the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Southern California’s most authentically terrifying haunt, opening September 28. Chef and his long-forgotten legend have resurfaced and will be brought to life through FEAST, the new horrific maze onboard the ship venturing into previously unrevealed areas of the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. Chef and his carnivorous kitchen staff have resumed their deadly duties, collecting new victims for Chef’s latest recipes. All who dare will swelter with fear as they crawl their way out of Chef’s scorching oven to reach their final destination…Are YOU ready to be served?

For the first time in Dark Harbor history, FEAST will be the 4^th maze onboard the legendary vessel. FEAST tells the tale of Chef, a legendary spirit of the historic R.M.S. Queen Mary. As the tale goes, During WWII when the Queen Mary was in service as a troop transport ship, an enlisted military man serving in the ship’s kitchen quickly moved up the ranks to become a highly-decorated Chef.

Unbeknownst to the soldiers traveling aboard, Chef had a dark side. Quietly he would sedate soldiers in the middle of the night to prepare them as ingredients for his latest dishes. Eventually caught, the Chef was thrown into one of his own ovens and cooked alive.

Loyal to their leader Chef’s dutiful kitchen staff sacrificed their lives to become his evil henchmen, burning themselves in the same oven. The spirits of Chef and his evil crew went into hiding aboard the ship for many years. Now, these long-time stowaways have resurfaced to resume their deadly duties of collecting and preparing victims for Chef’s latest concoctions.

FEAST and Chef will make their horrific debut as Dark Harbor returns to the Queen Mary on September 28. Southern California’s most haunted Halloween event will welcome MORE monsters, MORE nights, and MORE mazes than ever before. Offering the most authentically frightening experience available, Dark Harbor tells the truly haunted, historic tales of the Queen Mary. The infamous spirits of Chef, Iron Master, Captain, Samuel the Savage, Graceful Gale, Half-Hatch Henry, Scary Mary, Voodoo Priestess, Ringmaster, plus hundreds of their bloodcurdling henchmen await to tempt your fate.

Live your nightmares aboard the Queen Mary with returning mazes Soulmate and B340. Mazes Circus, Intrepid, Deadrise, and Lullaby also return newly intensified, darker than imaginable, and evermore twisted. With 7 mazes and 13 bars, fire shows, aerialists, sliders, Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch’s Sinister Swings, monster DJs, Voodoo House Bar & Tasting Room, R.I.P. Lounge, and much more, Dark Harbor is a freakishly fun time.

The annual haunt opens its gates on September 28 and continues to scare those who dare on select nights through November 1. General admission ticket prices start at just $20 online, with Fast Fright, VIP Passes, Creepy Cabanas and lodging packages available. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.queenmary.com/dark-harbor.

Knott’s Scary Farm Midsummer Scream Panel Video

2017/07/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Halloween, News, Trailers / Videos

July 30, 2017 – Knott’s Scary Farm, the largest most haunting Halloween experience in Southern California, unveiled hair-raising news and details about its 45^th season at the Midsummer Scream Halloween festival. Knott’s held an exclusive panel for fans featuring Scary Farm maze designer, Jon Cooke. Here’s what’s coming to Knott’s Scary Farm this season:

· The lineup for this year will return with 13 haunted attractions and over 1,000 monsters lurking in the fog

· For the first time in Scary Farm history, Fright Lane will also include Fast lane which will give guest priority access to all mazes and select rides

· Elvira, the legendary Mistress of the Dark, returns for her final appearance at Knott’s Scary Farm in an all-new spellbinding nightly show

· Returning darker and more twisted than ever step inside the Green Witch’s home by venturing through the blacked out building in Trick or Treat: Lights Out. Armed with only a faulty flashlight, face the terror of the Green Witch’s house completely in the dark. Featuring new state-of-the-art effects, unexpected scares and other eerie surprises, Trick-Or-Treat is back to terrorize like never before.

Knott’s Scary Farm will return from September 21 – October 31^st. Tickets are now on sale at: https://www.knotts.com/tickets-passes/scary-farm

Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620

San Diego Comic-Con 2017 Photo Gallery

2017/07/29

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, SDCC

Here is our photo gallery from the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con – arguably the biggest comic book and pop culture convention in the world. Here are some of our images from in and around the San Diego Convention Center.

Photo Gallery

Mech_Con 2017 Tickets On Sale Now with MechWarrior 5 Bonus

2017/07/28

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

VANCOUVER – July 28^th, 2017 – Eager pilots from around the world are converging on Vancouver on December 9^th to play, compete or witness the MechWarrior Online World Championships at this year’s Mech_Con, and today Piranha Games revealed fans at Mech_Con will get the first crack at the upcoming and highly-anticipated MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. The long-awaited and first standalone single player MechWarrior title will be playable for the first time in public at the event. The just-launched Mech_Con 2017 website is live as of today https://mechwarrior.com/mechcon and fans can grab tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mech-con-2017-vancouver-bc-tickets-34484216219.

Mech_Con is a special one-day event dedicated to the celebration of BattleTech and MechWarrior and is hosted by Piranha Games. The event features fellow MechWarrior and BattleTech creators and developers Harebrained Schemes and Catalyst Game Labs, and attendees can participate in panels, Q&A’s, 1v1 MechWarrior Online matches, win prizes and giveaways throughout the day, and more. This year’s event will be held at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel and Ballroom in Vancouver, and the just-launched Mech_Con website hosts the event’s schedule, travel and booking details and more.

Also home of the MechWarrior Online World Championships, fans attending Mech_Con in person and watching on Twitch from around the world have a chance to see which team will be crowned World Champions as they compete for the lion’s share of a cash prize pool. Last year’s inaugural tournament saw EmpyreaL, the North American MechWarrior Online team, lay waste to the competition and take home the title. More than 1,224 pilots from around the world entered the MechWarrior Online World Championship tournament, and the Regional Qualifying phase for 2017 is already underway.

This year, attending fans can also get the jump on the first impressions for the upcoming MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and be among the first to hear announcements and reveals in store for the title. MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will feature intense PvE ‘Mech combat in an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice. Featuring an advancing timeline starting in the year 3015, players will adopt the role of a green MechWarrior mercenary thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere, the vast region of colonized space surrounding Earth. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield, but in the maintenance and enhancement of your BattleMechs.

Set for release in 2018, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is under development by a dedicated and separate development team at Piranha Games using Unreal Engine 4. MechWarrior Online, Piranha’s existing F2P multiplayer-focused tactical ‘Mech combat game (built with CryEngine) will continue its ongoing live development by the MWO team at Piranha.

For more information about MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, and to keep up to date with Piranha Games and MechWarrior Online, make sure to visit the www.mwomercs.com, or follow Piranha Games on Twitter through @PiranhaGames and @MechWarriorF2P.

Official Shadow of War – Kumail Nanjiani as The Agonizer – Video

2017/07/28

Jerry Paxton

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

July 28, 2017 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today released a new video for Middle-earth: Shadow of War featuring Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley), who portrays The Agonizer, a spirited yet deadly Orc enemy, who is just one of the numerous personalities players may encounter through the Nemesis System in the upcoming open-world action video game.

First revealed at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the video provides a first look at Nanjiani’s Orc character delivering a variety of humorous one-liners that players may come across throughout their game experience. Viewers are also treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Nanjiani’s voice recording session, where he provides additional insight on his preparation for the role.

Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an open-world action RPG that continues the original narrative of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Players will be engrossed in a richer, more personal and expansive world full of epic heroes and villains, iconic locations, original enemy types, more personalities and a new cast of characters with untold stories, all brought to life by the award-winning Nemesis System.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be available for Xbox One X, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC (Windows Store and Steam), PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro beginning October 10, 2017.

Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey – SDCC 2017 Exclusive Review

2017/07/27

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Misc Review, News, Reviews, SDCC

One of the coolest things about the San Diego Comic-Con is that exhibitors like Hasbro bring out some really neat exclusive toys for attendees to purchase. We got the chance to purchase a couple items while there, and wanted to bring you a quick rundown of them – starting with the Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey boxed set. This made a big splash at the convention as it is technically the first Star Wars The Last Jedi toy. Now, while Hasbro and Disney have announced that September 1, 2017 will see a huge release of Star Wars toys for the upcoming films, these exclusives were just for conventioneers to purchase and not available at retail yet.

Design / Sculpt

This character two-pack features Rey and Luke as they appear at the end of The Force Awakens and, if rumors are correct, right at the beginning of The Last Jedi. Both action figures feature detailed costumes and Luke even comes with a fabric cloak which, while being somewhat of a pain to tie around the character, is pretty nifty. One thing that I was hoping would be on the Luke figure was a lightsaber hook or holster. His belt has a non-functional pouch but nothing else of note. The Rey figure is a little more dynamic, featuring a holster for the pistol that the late smuggler Han Solo gave to her in The Force Awakens. Both character faces don’t look all that much like the actors who play them in the films, but the general idea of who they are is apparent. Rey’s hands are very detailed down to individual fingers, so be careful when making her grip the included accessories to not accidentally bend or tear them off. Each character features a large number of articulation points, so posing them into whatever scene you wish should not be too difficult.

Accessories

This is where the Luke Skywalker figure comes up a little short (and not just in the Stormtrooper sense of the adjective). Luke doesn’t come with any accessories other than his cloak. No weapon, nothing. Now, I would imagine that part of this is due to secrecy – if Luke wields a Jedi weapon (or any other implement) in the new film, it is a big movie moment and one they would not want spoiled in action figure form. Rey, on the other hand, comes with numerous accessories. She has her staff, Anakin’s/Luke’s/Rey’s lightsaber, and her pistol.

Rey’s staff comes with a loop that you can utilize to have the figure wear it around her torso, and the pistol is a very decent representation of the one in the movie – especially on such a small scale. Her lightsaber his also well-detailed, I just wish the blade was removable so that it was a bit more flexible in terms of designing a scene for the figures. Of course, this is great news for the kiddies out there as it is one less thing they can accidentally swallow or lose, so I definitely understand.

Overall

Hasbro’s Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey boxed set is a very cool collector’s piece for the upcoming Star Wars The Last Jedi. Both characters are present and come with some nice accessories. They are not perfect likenesses of the actors, but close enough for action figures in The Black Series lineup. They are currently available for various prices on places like eBay, but stay-tuned as the rumor mill is stating there will be new versions of these figures released on Star Wars toy day in September.