Author - Jerry Paxton

Ghost Town Mine Ride Gets New Level and Hardcore Mode

2017/02/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Windows PC News

February 2, 2017 – With our most recent update, we have two new enhancements to our game: A new bonus level and Hardcore Mode are now included in Ghost Town Mine Ride!

First, we have the Miniature Railway bonus level. Just outside the main entrance of Ghost Town Mine Ride, near the parking lot, is the “other” train ride at Black Rock Mines, The “Children’s Storybook Mine Train”. You know… for kids! The marketing for the attraction once described it as “A scenic excursion through beloved children’s tales, set in the beautiful forest of Black Rock Hills.” It’s definitely not for kids now, but you can ride this short seated experience yourself by shooting at the “miniature railway” board in the main menu area.

Also, for those that want more of a challenge, you can now choose “Hardcore” mode in the main menu area. With this option enabled you only have one chance to make it out alive!

We hope you try out our new features and have enjoyed Ghost Town Mine Ride!

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award Nominees for 2017

2017/02/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

Burbank, Calif.,–Feb. 2, 2017—Nickelodeon today announced the nominees for the 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards, the only live event where kids’ votes count and the biggest stars of the day line up to get slimed. Celebrating kids’ favorites from across the worlds of film, television, music and pop culture, this year’s all-star list of nominations include: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Daya, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Megan Fox, Lukas Graham, Kevin Hart, Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Felicity Jones, Leslie Jones, Anna Kendrick, Bruno Mars, Melissa McCarthy, JoJo Siwa, The Chainsmokers, Justin Timberlake, Twenty One Pilots and more.

Highly regarded as an unpredictable, celebrity-filled mess-fest, Kids’ Choice Awards this year features nine new categories guaranteed to be unique to this awards season, like “Favorite Frenemies,” “Most Wanted Pet” and  “#Squad.” Hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena, Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards airs live on Saturday, March 11, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), from USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Beginning today, kids can cast their votes across 28 categories with a brand-new voting experience on Nickelodeon’s digital platforms including Nick.com and the Nick app on iPad, iPhone, Kindle, and Android devices. Users will also be able to vote through Twitter and Facebook using special KCA hashtags and the hashtag of their favorite nominee. Fans also can join in on the slime-fest by going to Nick.com/kca17, the official destination for everything Kids’ Choice Awards, for hilarious videos, the KCA Creator game, quizzes and pictures, and to get the latest KCA news on this year’s show, nominees and attendees.

In television, kids will have the opportunity to vote for first-time nominees, Black-ish, Fuller House, Supergirl, Paradise Run and The Loud House, along with their choice between America’s Got Talent, Shark Tank, The Voice, America’s Funniest Home Videos and American Ninja Warrior for “Favorite Reality Show.” Nickelodeon’s Jace Norman was nominated for “Favorite Male TV Star” in Henry Danger and Breanna Yde is up for “Favorite Female TV Star” in School of Rock. Additionally, in the “Favorite Cartoon” category, kids will choose between ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teen Titans Go!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Amazing World of Gumball and The Loud House.

Stars will vie for the blimp across ten music categories, with Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Twenty One Pilots topping the list with four nominations each. After ruling the Billboard and iTunes charts, The Chainsmokers make their Kids’ Choice Awards nominee debut with two nods for “Favorite Music Group” and “Favorite New Artist.”  Adele, Beyoncé, Meghan Trainor and Fifth Harmony also garnered two nominations each, while internet sensations Carson Lueders, Jacob Sartorius, Johnny Orlando, JoJo Siwa, Matty B and Tiffany Alvord battle it out in the new category of “Favorite Viral Music Artist.” For the first time ever, the KCAs will also feature a new music category for “Favorite Global Music Star,” which features six artists from around the world battling it out for the honor of a blimp.

Superheroes, trolls and turtles dominated the movie categories with Captain America: Civil War, conjuring up top affirmations with eight nominations. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice followed closely behind with seven, whileGhostbusters and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story garnered five each.  Stars receiving first time nods in the film category include, Justin Timberlake for “Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie” in Trolls (bringing his total nominations to seven), Kristen Wiig for “Favorite Movie Actress” in Ghostbusters, and Felicity Jones for “Favorite Butt-Kicker” in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Kevin Hart makes a double appearance in the new category “BFF’s (Best Friends Forever),” nominated for Central Intelligence and Ride Along 2 — bringing his total 2017 KCA nominations to six.

While this will be Cena’s first time hosting the global show, he is beloved worldwide by the Nickelodeon family, having previously hosted Australia’s Kids’ Choice Awards in 2008, as well as undergoing a sliming at the first UK Kids’ Choice Awards in 2007.

Sponsors of Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards include Cinnamon Toast Crunch™, Crest®, Hot Wheels®, Nintendo, Skechers®, Toyota and Walmart.

Stay up-to-date on all Kids’ Choice Awards news by Liking Nickelodeon on Facebook and following @Nickelodeon on Twitter and Instagram

The nominees and categories for Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards are (*new categories):

TELEVISION:

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Favorite TV Show – Kids’ Show

  • Game Shakers
  • Girl Meets World
  • Henry Danger
  • Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn
  • The Thundermans

Favorite TV Show – Family Show

  • Big Bang Theory
  • Black-ish
  • Fuller House
  • Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Supergirl
  • The Flash

Favorite Reality Show

  • America’s Funniest Home Videos
  • America’s Got Talent
  • American Ninja Warrior
  • Paradise Run
  • Shark Tank
  • The Voice

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Favorite Cartoon

  • ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks
  • SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Teen Titans Go!
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • The Amazing World of Gumball
  • The Loud House

Favorite Male TV Star

  • Benjamin Flores Jr. (Triple G, Game Shakers)
  • Aidan Gallagher (Nicky, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)
  • Jack Griffo (Max, The Thundermans)
  • Jace Norman (Henry, Henry Danger)
  • Casey Simpson (Ricky, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)
  • Tyrel Jackson Williams (Leo, Lab Rats)

Favorite Female TV Star

  • Rowan Blanchard (Riley, Girl Meets World)
  • Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie, Liv and Maddie)
  • Lizzy Greene (Dawn, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)
  • Kira Kosarin (Phoebe, The Thundermans)
  • Breanna Yde (Tomika, School of Rock)
  • Zendaya (K.C., K.C. Undercover)

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FILM:

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Favorite Movie

  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Ghostbusters
  • Pete’s Dragon
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Favorite Movie Actor

  • Ben Affleck (Batman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Will Arnett (Vernon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows)
  • Henry Cavill (Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Chris Evans (Captain America, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Chris Hemsworth (Kevin, Ghostbusters)

Favorite Movie Actress

  • Amy Adams (Lois, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Megan Fox (April, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows)
  • Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Felicity Jones (Jyn, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
  • Melissa McCarthy (Abby, Ghostbusters)
  • Kristen Wiig (Erin, Ghostbusters)

Favorite Animated Movie

  • Finding Dory
  • Moana
  • Sing
  • The Secret Life of Pets
  • Trolls
  • Zootopia

Favorite Voice From An Animated Movie

  • Ellen DeGeneres (Dory, Finding Dory)
  • Kevin Hart (Snowball, The Secret Life of Pets)
  • Dwayne Johnson (Maui, Moana)
  • Anna Kendrick (Poppy, Trolls)
  • Justin Timberlake (Branch, Trolls)
  • Reese Witherspoon (Rosita, Sing)

Favorite Villain

  • Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen, Alice Through the Looking Glass)
  • Idris Elba (Krall, Star Trek Beyond)
  • Will Ferrell (Mugatu, Zoolander 2)
  • Kevin Hart (Snowball, The Secret Life of Pets) *Note: animated
  • Charlize Theron (Ravenna, The Huntsman: Winter’s War)
  • Spencer Wilding (Darth Vader, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

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Favorite Butt-Kicker

  • Ben Affleck (Batman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Henry Cavill (Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Chris Evans (Captain America, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman, The Huntsman: Winter’s War)
  • Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Felicity Jones (Jyn, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
  • Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique, X-Men: Apocalypse)
  • Zoe Saldana (Lieutenant Uhura, Star Trek Beyond)

BFF’s (Best Friends Forever)*

  • Ruby Barnhill & Mark Rylance (Sophie/BFG, The BFG)
  • Kevin Hart & Dwayne Johnson (Bob/Calvin, Central Intelligence)
  • Kevin Hart & Ice Cube (Ben/James, Ride Along 2)
  • Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto (Captain Kirk/Spock, Star Trek Beyond)
  • Neel Sethi & Bill Murray (Mowgli/ Baloo, Jungle Book)
  • Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson (Derek/Hansel, Zoolander 2)

Favorite Frenemies*

  • Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake (Poppy/Branch, Trolls)
  • Ben Affleck & Henry Cavill (Batman/Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
  • Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. (Captain America/Iron Man, Captain America: Civil War)
  • Ginnifer Goodwin & Jason Bateman (Judy/Nick, Zootopia)
  • Dwayne Johnson & Auli’I Cravalho (Moana/Maui, Moana)
  • Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake (Poppy/Branch, Trolls)
  • Charlize Theron & Emily Blunt (Ravenna/Freya, The Huntsman: Winter’s War)

Most Wanted Pet*

  • Baloo from The Jungle Book (Bill Murray)
  • Dory from Finding Dory (Ellen DeGeneres)
  • Po from Kung Fu Panda 3 (Jack Black)
  • Red from The Angry Birds Movie (Jason Sudeikis)
  • Rosita from Sing (Reese Witherspoon)
  • Snowball from The Secret Life of Pets (Kevin Hart)

#Squad*

  • Captain America: Civil War – Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman
  • Finding Dory – Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Willem Dafoe, Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy
  • Ghostbusters – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson
  • X-Men: Apocalypse – James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Ben Hardy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Olivia Munn

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MUSIC:

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Favorite Music Group

  • The Chainsmokers
  • Fifth Harmony
  • Maroon 5
  • OneRepublic
  • Pentatonix
  • Twenty One Pilots

Favorite Male Singer

  • Drake
  • Justin Bieber
  • Bruno Mars
  • Shawn Mendes
  • Justin Timberlake
  • The Weeknd

Favorite Female Singer

  • Adele
  • Beyoncé
  • Ariana Grande
  • Selena Gomez
  • Rihanna
  • Meghan Trainor

Favorite Song

  • 24K Magic – Bruno Mars
  • Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
  • Heathens – Twenty One Pilots
  • Send My Love (To Your New Lover) – Adele
  • Side to Side – Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj
  • Work from Home – Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign

Favorite New Artist

  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • The Chainsmokers
  • Daya
  • Lukas Graham
  • Solange
  • Rae Sremmurd
  • Hailee Steinfeld
  • Twenty One Pilots

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Favorite Music Video*

  • 24K Magic – Bruno Mars
  • Can’t Stop The Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
  • Formation – Beyoncé
  • Juju On That Beat – Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall
  • Me Too – Meghan Trainor
  • Stressed Out – Twenty One Pilots

Favorite DJ/EDM Artist*

  • Martin Garrix
  • Calvin Harris
  • Major Lazer
  • Skrillex
  • DJ Snake
  • Zedd

Favorite Soundtrack*

  • Hamilton
  • Me Before You
  • Moana
  • Sing
  • Suicide Squad
  • Trolls

Favorite Viral Music Artist*

  • Tiffany Alvord
  • Matty B
  • Carson Lueders
  • Johnny Orlando
  • Jacob Sartorius
  • JoJo Siwa

Favorite Global Music Star*

  • 5 Seconds of Summer (Australia/New Zealand)
  • BIGBANG (Asia)
  • Bruno Mars (North America)
  • Little Mix (UK)
  • Shakira (South America)
  • Zara Larsson (Europe)

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[/mks_col]

OTHER CATEGORIES:

Favorite Video Game

  • Just Dance 2017
  • Lego Marvel’s Avengers
  • Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  • Minecraft: Story Mode
  • Paper Mario: Color Splash
  • Pokémon Moon

Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards is produced by Nickelodeon Productions.  Elizabeth Kelly, Michael Dempsey, Shelly Sumpter Gillyard and Jay Schmalholz are executive producers.

LEGO Dimensions Unveils Wave 8 Characters

2017/02/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Nintendo Wii U News, PlayStation 3 News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox 360 News, Xbox One News

February 2, 2017 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed details around three highly collectible new expansion packs for LEGO Dimensions, the LEGO toy and videogame hybrid, that will be available on May 9, 2017.  The Goonies Level Pack, the Harry Potter Fun Pack and LEGO City Fun Pack will broaden the selection of the world’s most popular entertainment brands available for the game, allowing players to customize their experience by mixing and matching favorite characters and universes with full compatibility. In addition, LEGO minifigures included within each of these expansion packs come with special golden Toy Tags which unlock a free play Adventure World of the corresponding entertainment brand, as well as a Battle Arena that can be reached through Vorton. Each Battle Arena is unique to the world of the character used to unlock it and features competitive split-screen local gameplay for up to four players, with four exciting gameplay modes including Capture the Flag, Objective, Base Bash, and Tick, Tag, Boom!.

The Goonies Level Pack includes a complete level of The Goonies gameplay where players can help Sloth and Chunk escape the Fratelli hideout and join the rest of the Goonies on their search for One Eyed Willy’s treasure. Players can use Sloth’s Super Strength to smash through walls or play as Chunk and use his infamous Truffle Shuffle. The rebuildable One-Eyed Willy’s Pirate Ship will sail on water and can also be built into the Fanged Fortune and the Inferno Cannon; while the rebuildable Skeleton Organ has Sonar Smash abilities and can also be built into the Skeleton Jukebox and Skele-Turkey for added game play capabilities.  Sloth provides access to a new The Goonies Battle Arena, and also the Adventure World where players can explore Mikey’s House, Inferno Cove and the Goon Docks. Once the level is complete, players will be able to replay through the game and other levels as any of the seven other Goonies characters to solve additional puzzles and access more collectibles in their journey through the LEGO multiverse.

Players can extend their wizarding adventures in LEGO Dimensions with the Harry Potter Fun Pack which includes a Hermione Granger LEGO minifigure. She can cast magical spells such as Wingardium Leviosa to levitate objects and Lumos to light up dark places. She also allows players to unlock the Harry Potter Battle Arena for a competitive match, along with the Adventure World where they can explore locations in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Players can build the 3-in-1 rideable Buckbeak the Hippogriff and use its Stomp Attack to smash Silver LEGO bricks, then rebuild it into the Giant Owl and the Fierce Falcon for additional in-game abilities.

Players can help stop crime in the LEGO Dimensions multiverse with the LEGO City Fun Pack featuring a Chase McCain LEGO minifigure.  Chase can become a Miner to break Silver LEGO bricks or a Fireman to use his Water Beam to put out fires. Gamers can use his LEGO City Detective Scanner to track down bad guys and change his disguise to unlock more abilities.  In the LEGO City Adventure World, there are new areas to explore like Blackwell’s moon base and the LEGO City Police Department.  Players can also compete with up to three of their friends in the LEGO City Battle Arena. Additionally, Chase’s 3-in-1 Police Helicopter can be built to fire off bolts, then rebuild it into the Police Hovercraft and Police Plane for additional in-game abilities.

Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO Dimensions is now available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the Wii U system.

Follow LEGO Dimensions at:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LEGODimensions

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LEGODimensions (@LEGODimensions)

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/LEGODimensions (@LEGODimensions)

Tumblr: http://LEGODimensions.tumblr.com

Follow the LEGO Dimensions YouTube series at: http://www.youtube.com/LEGODimensions

Stellaris: Utopia Expansion Revealed

2017/02/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

STOCKHOLM – 02 February 2017 – We reach for the stars for many reasons. They challenge us to explore. They dare us to explain. They prod us to expand. But, most of all, the universe offers every space-faring race a new start. This is the chance to perfect the species and to reach new heights of self-awareness, technological prowess or spiritual enlightenment. You can only get to Utopia by moving faster than light.

Stellaris: Utopia is the first major gameplay expansion to Stellaris, Paradox’s critically acclaimed and best selling strategy game about building an empire in new galaxies. Utopia introduces new options for developing your empire, with new types of space stations and constructions that open alternate avenues for making your species the dominant power in the galaxy.

One of the core improvements in Utopia is the introduction of Ascension Perks. As your species advances and gains new traditions, it can choose how it wants to evolve as it is further enlightened. You can choose between a biological path, a psionic path or a synthetic path, with various options within these broad categories. Body, Mind or Machine – how will your species challenge the future?

Utopia also includes:

  • Megastructures: Build wondrous structures in your systems including Dyson Spheres and ring worlds, bringing both prestige and major advantages to your race.
  • Habitat Stations: Build “tall” and establish space stations that will house more population, serving the role of planets in a small and confined empire.
  • Rights and Privileges: Set specific policies for which of the many species under your thumb will have the rights and privileges of full citizenship. Build an egalitarian paradise or follow a caste system.
  • And even more improvements and updates, including (as is traditional with all of our paid content releases) free updates for every Stellaris owner!

Stellaris: Utopia brings even greater depth and variety to a game already celebrated for its story-telling power and near endless possibilities. Are you ready for perfection?

Skylanders Academy Season 3 Announced

2017/02/02
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Movie News, News

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – February 2, 2017 – Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that its Netflix original series “Skylanders™ Academy” has been renewed for a third season. Production on the third season of “Skylanders Academy”—the first television series developed and produced by Activision Blizzard Studios—will begin in February, with animation again created by the renowned TeamTO studio in France.

“Activision Blizzard Studios celebrates the opportunity to bring another season of quality programming to families around the world,” said studio Co-President Nick van Dyk. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Netflix on this iconic franchise.”

Season 3 will launch in 2018. This year, audiences can enjoy Season 2 of “Skylanders Academy,” which brings back Justin Long as Spyro, Ashley Tisdale as Stealth Elf, Jonathan Banks as Eruptor and Norm Macdonald as Glumshanks.

New addition Felicia Day (The Guild, Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will join the cast in Season 2, voicing the role of Cynder, a new cadet at the Academy with a mysterious past. The Diamond Minecart (Daniel Middleton) will reprise his role as Cy and Daniel Wu returns as King Pen. Additional voice talent in Season 2 includes Susan Sarandon, Parker Posey, James Hetfield, Catherine O’Hara, Bobcat Goldthwait, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jonny Rees, Harland Williams and Richard Horvitz. The series features the exclusive song “Harmony” (Skylanders Academy Theme) produced by GRAMMY® Award winner Timbaland and performed by Timbaland fet. Dalton Diehl.

“Response to the show has been incredibly enthusiastic, and we’ve taken a lot of creative inspiration from fans’ excitement,” said studio Co-President Stacey Sher, “We have a lot of fun in store for season three and are thrilled to give audiences even more of the characters they love.”

Based on Activision Blizzard’s record-breaking $3.5 billion Skylanders® game franchise1, “Skylanders Academy” is high quality entertainment for the whole family. This Netflix original series follows the heroic adventures of Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz as they travel the vast Skylands universe, protecting it from evil-doers. The award-winning Skylanders franchise, created by Toys for Bob, has sold through more than 300 million toys since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011(1), and late last year Activision launched Skylanders® Imaginators, the latest innovation in the franchise.

Activision Blizzard Studios launched last year to create original content based on the company’s extensive library of iconic and globally-recognized intellectual properties, which includes some of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world. “Skylanders Academy” is the first production by Sher and van Dyk, who are joined by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick as the series’ executive producers.

Zenimax Media Buys Escalation Studios

2017/02/01
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Industry News, News

February 1, 2017 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax® Media Inc. – parent company to video game publisher Bethesda Softworks – today announced that it has acquired Escalation Studios, located in Dallas, TX. Founded in 2007 by industry veterans Tom Mustaine and Marc Tardif, Escalation’s team has helped build and support some of the biggest franchises in the industry – including id Software’s award-winning first-person shooter, DOOM which launched in 2016.

“We have continually been impressed with the team at Escalation that Tom and Marc have assembled,” said Todd Vaughn, Vice President of Development at Bethesda. “Their commitment to quality and innovation has made significant contributions to the projects we’ve worked on together, and we’re excited to have them join ZeniMax.”

Escalation is currently working on a number of projects with studios throughout the ZeniMax family and will continue to contribute its talents across PC, console, mobile, and VR titles going forward.

“ZeniMax Media’s studios are responsible for some of the most iconic games in our industry,” said Marc Tardif, Co-Managing Director of Escalation Studios. “Becoming a part of this amazing family of developers is an honor for everyone at our studio.”

“We are proud of the incredible team that has helped make Escalation such a success,” added Tom Mustaine Co-Managing Director of Escalation Studios. “We can’t wait to see what the studio is capable of with the support of such a great company as ZeniMax.”

For more information on ZeniMax Media, visit www.zenimax.com.

For more information on Bethesda, visit www.bethesda.net.

For more information on Escalation Studios, visit www.escalation.com.

HeroCraft shows first GUI screenshots of Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf

2017/02/01
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

February 1, 2017 – As we announced earlier, Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf is coming to Steam Early Access in February 2017: http://store.steampowered.com/app/553210. We’re ready to unveil the GUI screenshots now!

Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf was originally released on iOS and Android as a f2p game, and now we’re working on the PC version of the game, it will be a full paid game, without any IAPs. At the very beginning of Early Access there will be the original gameplay and in-game balance, because the main aim of this Early Access is to gather players’ feedback and get the understanding of what they would like to see in our game.

Steam version of Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf will be remastered especially for PC players and will include:

  •  enhanced graphics with improved textures and materials;
  •  dynamic lighting;
  •  improved weapon effects and brand new weather effects;
  •  completely redesigned GUI and controls.

New Screenshots

World of Warships 2017 Community Manager Interview

2017/02/01
Jerry Paxton
Articles, Geek News, Interviews, News, Windows PC News

Recently, we got the chance to ask Wargaming.net Community Manager, Chris Stott, some questions about the the release of “dragon boats” in World of Warships we well as some questions regarding the game’s 2017 roadmap. We’d like to thank Wargaming.net’s PR department as well as Chris Stott for making this interview possible.

Q) Wargaming has laid out a great roadmap for future changes in World of Warships. How far out has the team planned? Just a year in advance or even further?

A) You probably have seen what we have announced for 2017 in videos or on the forums but we have plans for 2018 and even some exciting ideas for 2019! There are a whole boat load of new tech trees and features that we have been wanting to put into the game since we started so we have a pretty full schedule of new things coming. World of Warships is one of those games that your mind can go wild with the potential of where we could be in 1-2 years. Naval combat has so many interesting mechanics we can expand on and there a ton of cool new ideas that really capture the feeling of being on the deck of a ship during a fierce battle. So we have quite the backlog of ideas too!

Q) Wargaming has a history of adding fictionalized vehicles and vessels into their titles alongside more realistic units. Why was the choice made to add Dragon Boats to World of Warships?

A) We set out with the goal of sticking to historical visuals and ships but both the players and us keep coming up with cool things we could do in our engine. Our players always want something new to keep them interested or a new way to show off their accomplishments, so we started creating some less historical designs. Many of our designs are inspired by the really crazy “dazzle” camouflages that were used in real warships. There are some very psychedelic and mind-bending designs that real navies were using that we could pull from. It turns out, it was a big hit in the community and we have continued to push more non-historical content in our game. Ultimately, our game is about having fun, and sometimes that means doing something a bit off the wall compared to what you are used to. Plus our artists get bored drawing gray ships all day!

Q) What kind of changes can we expect to see with regards to Soviet Destroyers?

A) We are splitting the current Soviet Destroyer into the two main gameplay styles that destroyers typically have, Gunboats and Torpedoes. Right now the Russian tech branch contains both and playstyles often switch back and forth as you climb up tiers. This can be really annoying or just confusing when you unlock your next ship and it plays totally different that what you just had. We recently did a split to the Japanese destroyers for the same reason and we will add in new destroyers to fill out the gaps in the two lines. For the Russian DDs, the new additions are more mostly torpedo focused as the line of ships already features amazing gunboats.

Q) What other legendary commanders can you tell us about? Any as “notorious” as Steven Seagal?

A) Haha. Commander Seagal is the first of many Legendary Commanders to come. Some will be historical with skills and abilities that represent some of their greatest achievements during real world naval battles. We also plan to make Commanders that are totally not from history and are just for fun. As for specific Commanders, I can’t say but they will be equally famous, if not more!

Q) Can you tell us about any of the new commander skills that are coming down the pipe?

A) There are several new Commander skills that are going to be very powerful from the skill rework. Priority Target is one that seems to be going under the radar at the moment. It tells you when and how many ships are directly aiming at you. Basically, it gives you more warning that you are about to start being blasted to bits. Even just a few seconds of knowing that can be huge for some of the lighter classes like Destroyers and Cruisers. For the Captains who like to sling HE shells all day, Inertial Fuses is going be a big boost. It reduces your chance to start fire, but increases the penetration power of your shells. This can push some small cannons from entirely bouncing off thicker armor like on Battleships or angled armor to being able to pierce that steel like a hot knife through butter. In addition to several brand new skills, we made most skills cheaper to obtain by flattening the tree a bit so players can unlock more options and different builds much easier.

Q) Some rumors are saying that anti-ship missile weapons are going to be added to the game – can you confirm or deny this and, if they are being added, how will they be balanced alongside the existing weapon types?

A) We mentioned in our 2017 Preview that we will be adding new armaments to the game and at this moment, missiles is the top guess from our players. There may be some hints in the background, so take a look, but all I can say is that we are testing a few ideas for new weapons, but we don’t know which ones will make it in yet. We will have to see how they feel and how well they can be balanced before we make any more crazy announcements.

Q) The Halloween event was a lot of fun, can you tell us about any upcoming modes for PvE play?

A) Halloween Mode allowed us to test the waters for how we should develop PvE in the future. In short, it was a huge success and it definitely encouraged us to do more like it. While Halloween Mode wasn’t exactly historically accurate (to say the least!) our next PvE event we are planning is based on a famous moment in naval history. We really want to raise the bar again in World of Warships for what we can do with asymmetrical gameplay and storytelling. The mission won’t be a walk in the park but we plan to include a bunch of fun secondary objectives, so even if you don’t make it all the way through on your first or second try, you can still earn a bunch of prizes.

Q) How goes the possibility of adding World of Warplanes or World of Tanks players into WoWs so there can be joint battles?

A) Currently, it’s not something we are considering doing for a few reasons. The scale of our games is very different and it’s not a simple task to maintain a balance between realism and fun when you have such differences between scales. It is also partly due to the design of the machines. The tanks in our game are designed to fight other tanks, and part of what makes tanks so awesome is the constant attempts from each side to outdo each other. That makes each battle very compelling and contain some interesting match ups. For us, it doesn’t make sense to combine these different experiences. Each game has its own balance and pacing that make it engaging compared to other games. On top of all that, just balancing everything gives me nightmares. The largest tank ever made just can’t stand up to a warship that fires shells the SIZE OF A TANK from miles away. It wouldn’t be a fun time for that poor tanker.

Q) Is there anything else you guys would like to talk about with regards to upcoming World of Warships changes, etc?

A) We will be announcing more new features and ships in the future, but right now we are excited about the new loot that is on the horizon! We added in bonus loot boxes for earning experience in World of Warships recently, but we plan to expand the system to have unique equipment and consumables with special bonuses. Second thing to mention is the Carrier rework. This has been a big request from the community and will be a high priority for us this year. Our current plan is to see first iteration of changes in March or April.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Pre-Order Season Pass Edition Announced

2017/02/01
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News

WARSAW, Poland (Feb. 1, 2017) — CI Games has announced a super special incentive for people who pre-order Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, containing a load of extras at no additional cost. Players can take advantage of this valuable season pass offering beginning today on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PC.

“We have a long-term investment in our community and believe that this season pass is a huge value to them,” said Marek Tymiński, CEO of CI Games. “The content within the season pass has variety to it, and we’re committed to provide support and additional content throughout 2017 for our largest game to date. The major part of the edition will be the single player campaign ‘The Sabotage’. This is one we’re quite proud of where players will follow the story of the separatists and experience everything from the other side of the conflict making the story more being in the grey zone than black and white.”

In addition to the highlighted extras below, CI Games plans to roll out exclusive content drops and special events that will enhance the game throughout 2017.

The season pass on PS4™ and PC includes the following:
– Two major single-player expansions
– – The Escape of Lydia
– – The Sabotage
– Two multiplayer maps
– An exclusive all-terrain vehicle
– Two exclusive weapons:
– – The McMillan TAC-338A Sniper Rifle
– – Compound Bow

The season pass is a $29.99 value and is available for free for those who pre-order the game. Players can pre-order the game at their local retailers or at http://sniperghostwarrior3.com/pre-order/.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 launches on the PlayStation®4 system and Windows PC on April 4, 2017.

To learn more about CI Games and Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, visit:

New VR Experience Coming to Knott’s Berry Farm

2017/01/31
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

BELLEVUE, WA. – January 31, 2017 – VRstudios, a global virtual reality (VR) company offering commercial entertainment and enterprise solutions, announced today, a partnership with Knott’s Berry Farm and parent company, Cedar Fair, to design and install a specialized VR experience at the Southern California-based theme park.

Knott’s Berry Farm and Cedar Fair are recognized in the entertainment industry for their leadership in creative application of technology in their attractions. Cedar Fair’s Vice President of Strategic Growth, Christian Dieckmann, is leading the company’s pursuit of immersive and unique experiential technology through their relationship with VRstudios.

“Our collaboration with VRstudios to develop a new custom-built, immersive amusement experience at Knott’s Berry Farm is exciting for our customers and consistent with the memorable experiences they expect from our parks,” said Dieckmann. “We chose VRstudios for our inaugural free-roaming VR installation because of their successful track record providing VR globally for other location-based entertainment venues. No other VR company can offer a truly untethered multi-player experience.  We believe the planned attraction will amaze our guests and encourage repeat visits.”

“It is rewarding to partner with entertainment visionaries who want to do something amazing with the new VR technology,” added Charles Herrick, Chief Executive Officer of VRstudios.  “When clients want to push the limits beyond what is commonly available, it gets our entire team motivated because they know there will be an outlet for their innovation.”

Knott’s Berry Farm visitors will be able to enjoy the new VR experience for a small fee in addition to admission, beginning the second quarter of this year.