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SprintR VR Controller Announced

2015/07/27

July 27, 2015 — Exis Interactive, A Maryland-based game development company with credits including Bioshock Infinite™, Xcom™, and World of Tanks™, today announced a new virtual reality (VR) controller called the SprintR.

Exis’ patent-pending controller is a wireless footpad that lets you easily walk, run, and jump in VR. It not only feels natural, but also frees up your hands for all sorts of new experiences. Used in combination with a game-pad or hand sensing tech, SprintR becomes a full avatar control solution for VR that does not require the user to run in place and sweat through a VR headset. The sleek form factor suits any foot size or type. Additionally, SprintR is portable, so it is perfect for desk- or couch-centric gaming. SprintR puts VR movement where it belongs, at your feet.

“SprintR is all about easy, natural movement in VR. On one hand you have VR controllers that require an entire room cleared of furniture, or massive treadmills that require a harness and special shoes, and on the other hand you have SprintR, which sits at your feet and makes movement simple”, says Peter Kojesta, founder of Exis.

SprintR is planned for release in Q1 2016.

Raptors Encounter Comes to Universal Studios Hollywood

2015/07/24

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Geek News, News

Universal Studios Hollywood Raptor Encounter Image

Universal City, CA, July 23, 2015 – The ferocious predatory Velociraptors that gained notoriety in the Jurassic Park blockbuster movies and sprang to life in “Jurassic Park—The Ride” at Universal Studios Hollywood will be unleashed in an all-new exciting “Raptors Encounter” experience at The Entertainment Capital of L.A. that pits guests in a daring face-to-face standoff with these terrifying, now free-roaming carnivores.

Tipping the scales at a hefty 750 pounds, towering 15 feet in height and 13 feet from tail to snout, the aggressive Cretaceous-era dinosaurs will each succumb to highly skilled handlers who adeptly guide them to within feet of guests in a specially themed area of the park, located adjacent to “Jurassic Park—The Ride.”

Highly intelligent creatures, Raptors—short for Velociraptors—are notorious hunters, who in recent years have undergone intense training by adept handlers as part of these unusual guest interactions. This Universal Studios Hollywood introduction marks their first West coast theme park foray with guests.

Each one of the Raptors displays intimidating eye contact and emits ear-piercing screeches to reinforce their predatory dominance. Their snouts alone measure nearly 20 inches and house 56 razor sharp, bone-crushing teeth. With curved talons measuring up to 12 inches on each of their 18 inch-long feet, Velociraptors are formidable hunters and theme park guests are advised to approach them with caution.

“Jurassic Park—The Ride” comes to life at Universal Studios Hollywood, inspired by famed director Steven Spielberg’s epic movie, where guests experience a wide array of living, breathing, prehistoric dinosaurs. A phenomenal interactive thrill ride, “Jurassic Park—the Ride” features a land where stormy skies are pierced by colossal, three-dimensional, five-story dinosaurs and a world where visitors discover that they have become prey for a terrifying T. rex. The adventure culminates with a breath-taking 84-foot drop down a treacherous waterfall.

Join the conversation online, “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @UniStudios.

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.^SM, includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex, the Universal CityWalk Cinemas and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue. World-class rides and attractions include the renowned, behind-the-scenes Studio Tour featuring the intense “King Kong 360 3-D” attraction and the all-new “Fast & Furious—Supercharged” thrill ride as the Studio Tour’s grand finale. Other popular rides include the 3D-HD adventure, “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” and immersive “Super Silly Fun Land,” the critically-acclaimed mega-attraction, “Transformers™: The Ride-3D,” “Revenge of the Mummy^SM—The Ride,” “Jurassic Park® —The Ride,” “Springfield,” hometown of America’s favorite TV family, adjacent to the award-winning “The Simpsons Ride^TM” and the “Nighttime Studio Tour,” offering evening tours of the iconic movie backlot through Labor Day.

The Dwarves – Teaser Trailer

2015/07/23

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

Munich/Bremen, July 23, 2015 – The game for everyone who needs more beer, beards and battle in their lives. The Dwarves is a tactical RPG with an innovative combat system, based on the bestselling fantasy novel of the same name, and will receive its world debut at Gamescom next month.

The revolutionary Crowd-Combat System forms the core of The Dwarves, meaning that enemies exhibit a flocking behavior and are influenced by physics. If a dwarf lands a mighty blow with a heavy war hammer, the impacted orcs are thrown back, colliding with their allies and some of them might even be pushed into an abyss! It’s only through tactical use of the environment and all of the heroes skills that players will be able to survive against the hordes outnumbering them by 100 to 1.

The Dwarves is developed by established German studio King Art Games, the creative force behind The Book of Unwritten Tales-Series, Battle Worlds: Kronos, The Raven and many more.

Key features of The Dwarves:

The main character in the game is the dwarf Tungdil, who grew up among humans. Over the course of the story he gathers a group of up to 12 companions around him; each of whom have a unique backstory and individual battle skills.
Before each battle you assemble a group of up to four heroes, who then fight against hundreds of enemies simultaneously… Helm’s Deep sends its regards!
Innovative Crowd-Combat System: Enemies have a flocking behavior and react using realistic physics. Every action of the player has an impact on all enemies.
You travel across Girdlegard on a world map that contains dozens of battlefields and places just waiting to be discovered.
Bestselling author Markus Heitz is directly involved in the project as a consultant and will contribute some quests and brand new characters.
The Dwarves is in development for PS4, Xbox One and PC; Release 2016.

Bruce Campbell’s Horror Film Festival Schedule Released

2015/07/23

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Geek News, Halloween, Movie News, News

CHICAGO, July 22, 2015 – The second annual Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival presented by Wizard World, runningAugust 20 – 23 at the Muvico Theater in Rosemont, Illinois (9701 Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont), promises thrills, chills, guests and surprises to Chicago’s legions of horror fans. The four-day event, programmed by The Awesome Fest, will coincide with Wizard World Chicago and offers convention-goers and ticket holders a chance to sit back, relax, and lose their minds.

“You can have your rom-coms, your indie darlings and your blockbusters,” remarks Bruce Campbell. “I’ll take a good old-fashioned horror movie any day or night of the week!”

“With this program we covered just about all of our favorite scary things,” says festival director Josh Goldbloom. “Vampires, psychotic breakdowns, cannibals, killer dogs, contagious diseases, mummies, bad decisions, and easily the most evil half man, half bunny rabbit of all time. I can’t wait to present it to our fellow film nerds in Chicago!”

Opening Night gives audiences the chance to see the highly-anticipated horror anthology film Tales of Halloween, which features shorts from some of the best filmmakers in independent horror including Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, The Descent), Darren Lynn Bousman (the Saw franchise) and Lucky McKee (The Woman, May, Masters of Horror), and starring Lin Shaye, Adrienne Barbeau, Greg Grunburg, Lisa Marie and more.

U.S. premieres include the gruesome Contracted: Phase 2; the ferocious Australian import The Pack; and the certifiably insane Bunny the Killer Thing. Special film events include a 30th anniversary screening of Fright Night (1985), with writer/director Tom Holland in attendance; a “Cannibal brunch” featuring mountains of breakfast meats followed by a 35mm screening of the infamous Cannibal Holocaust (1980) introduced by Green Inferno director Eli Roth; and a special screening of Don Coscarelli’s cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), followed by a discussion with Bruce Campbell himself. Plenty of surprises are in store for audiences throughout the four-day event.

Jason Krawczyk’s He Never Died closes the Festival, starring Henry Rollins as Jack, a social outcast thrust out of his comfort zone when the outside world bangs on his door and he can’t contain his violent past. The film is a masterful combination of film noir, crime thriller, character study and horror story.

Films will screen at the Muvico Rosemont 18, 9701 Bryn Mawr Ave., mere blocks from the Wizard World convention hall. Screenings are free for Wizard World badge-holders (space permitting), and a limited number of festival badges and single tickets are available for fans who are not registered for Wizard World.

Festival badges are on sale for $100, and single screening tickets are available for $12. To purchase badges or tickets and view Festival schedule updates, visit www.bchff.com.

Schedule:

Thursday August 20
7:30 PM – Tales of Halloween (Opening Night film), with cast & crew appearance
10:00 PM – Hellions

Friday August 21
7:30 PM – Fright Night, followed by Q&A with writer/director Tom Holland
9:30 PM – The Pack – North American premiere
11:59 PM – Dude Bro Party Massacre 3, with cast & crew appearance

Saturday August 22

12:00 PM – Synapse – World Premiere, followed by Q&A with cast & crew
3:00 PM – Some Kind of Hate
5:00 PM – Body
7:00 PM – Bubba Ho-Tep, followed by Q&A with Bruce Campbell
9:30 PM – Contracted: Phase 2 – North American premiere
11:59 PM – Bunny the Killer Thing – U.S. premiere

Sunday August 23

12:00 PM – Cannibal Holocaust, with introduction by Eli Roth
Featuring “cannibal breakfast” with mountains of breakfast meat
(Paid ticket or Film Festival Badge required for admission)
2:30 PM – Nina Forever
4:30 PM – Sun Choke
7:00 PM – He Never Died (Closing Night film), with special guests in attendance

Films:

Body — Chicago Premiere
Three bored young women break into a house for cheap laughs, stumble across someone who shouldn’t be there, and commit a terrible deed.
Cast: Helen Rogers, Lauren Molina, Alexandra Turshen and Larry Fessenden
Dir: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) — followed by a Q&A with lead actor Bruce Campbell!
Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy.
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Heidi Marnhout and Bob Ivy
Dir: Don Coscarelli

Bunny the Killer Thing — U.S Premiere
A group of Finnish and British people get stuck in a cabin when a creature — which is a half human & half rabbit — attacks them. The creature is Bunny the Killer Thing, and it is after anything that resembles female genitalia. Yes, really. Based on the 2011 short film of the same name.
Cast: Gareth Lawrence, Veera W. Vilo, Roope Olenius and Enni Ojutkangas
Dir: Joonas Makkonen

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) — 35mm screening introduced by Eli Roth!
A New York professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon with footage shot by a lost team of filmmakers. And it’s pretty damn gruesome.
Cast: Robert Kerman, Perry Pirkanen, Francesca Ciardi and Luca Barbareschi
Dir: Ruggero Deodato

Contracted: Phase 2 – North American Premiere – Cast & Crew in attendance!
Picking up directly where the creepy indie hit Contracted left off, Phase II follows Riley, one of the last people to come in contact with the ill-fated Samantha, as he scrambles to track down those responsible for the outbreak before the highly contagious disease not only consumes his body, but possibly the world as we know it.
Cast: Matt Mercer, Alice Macdonald, Stacy Burcham, Laurel Vail, Anne Lore and Morgan Peter Brown
Dir: Josh Forbes

Dude Bro Party Massacre III — Special Screening with Filmmakers & Greg Sestero in attendance!
In the wake of two back-to-back mass murders on Chico’s frat row, loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate the ranks of a popular fraternity to investigate his twin brother’s murder at the hands of the serial killer known as “Motherface.”
Cast: Alec Owen, Michael Rousselet, Jon Salmon, Paul Prado, Brian Firenzi, Tomm Jacobsen, Greg Sestero, Andrew W.K., Nina Hartley, Larry King and Patton Oswalt
Dir: Tomm Jacobsen, Michael Rousselet, Jon Salmon

Fright Night (1985) — followed by a Q&A with writer / director Tom Holland!
A teenage boy is convinced that his new neighbor is a bloodthirsty vampire, but nobody will believe him — until he enlists the assistance of a fussy old actor who used to kill the creatures all the time. In movies, that is.
Cast: William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys and Roddy McDowall
Dir: Tom Holland

He Never Died — Chicago Premiere – Filmmakers in attendance!
Jack, a social outcast, is thrust out of his comfort zone when the outside world bangs on his door and he can’t contain his violent past. A masterful combination of film noir, crime thriller, character study, and horror story.
Cast: Henry Rollins, Booboo Stewart, Jordan Todosey and Steven Ogg
Dir: Jason Krawczyk

Hellions — Chicago Premiere
A troubled teenager must survive a Halloween night from Hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. And refuse to go away. From the director of festival favorite Pontypool.
Cast: Chloe Rose, Rossif Sutherland, Rachel Wilson and Robert Patrick
Dir: Bruce McDonald

Nina Forever — Chicago Premiere
After his girlfriend Nina dies in a car crash, Rob unsuccessfully attempts suicide. As he begins to overcome his grief, he falls in love with a coworker, Holly. Their relationship is complicated when Nina, unable to find rest in the afterlife, comes back to life to sarcastically torment them whenever they have sex.
Cast: Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry, David Troughton and Fiona O’Shaughnessey
Dir: Ben Blaine & Chris Blaine

The Pack – North American Premiere
A farmer and his family must fight for survival after a ferocious pack of wild dogs infiltrates their isolated farmhouse. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters they are forced into survival mode to make it through the night. An exercise in suspense, in the same vein as OPEN WATER & BACKCOUNTRY, this grisly Australian horror/thriller packs a ton of bite.
Cast: Anna Lise Phillips, Jack Campbell, Hamish Phillips and Katie Moore
Dir: Nick Robertson

Some Kind of Hate — Chicago Premiere
A bullied teenager is sent to a reform school where he accidentally summons the spirit of a girl, herself a victim of bullying, who takes vengeance on his tormentors.
Cast: Grace Phipps, Lexi Atkins, Ronen Rubenstein, Spencer Breslin and Noah Segan
Dir: Adam Egypt Mortimer

Sun Choke — Chicago Premiere
Recovering from a violent psychotic break, Janie is just trying to get well under the care of her lifelong nanny and caretaker. She begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman to whom she feels an inexplicable yet profound connection.
Cast: Sara Malakul Lane, Sarah Hogan, Evan Jones and Barbara Crampton
Dir: Ben Cresciman

Synapse — Wizard World Presents a World Premiere!
Voyeuristic technology has surpassed our wildest nightmares and our most explicit fantasies. Running from SYNAPSE, an agency tasked with memory drug enforcement, a rogue agent fights against the organization that once employed him.
Cast: Henry Simmons, Joshua Alba, Sophina Brown, Adam Simon, Charley Boon and Will Rubio
Dir: Adam Simon

Tales of Halloween — Chicago Premiere – Filmmakers in attendance!
Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.
Cast: James Duval, Greg Grunberg, Pollyanna McIntosh, Keir Gilchrist, Grace Phipps, Barry Bostwick, Lin Shaye, Adrienne Barbeau, Booboo Stewart, Barbara Crampton, Lisa Marie, Sam Witwer, Clare Kramer, John Savage, Ben Woolf, Alex Essoe, Elissa Dowling, Noah Segan, Kristina Klebe, Caroline Williams, Graham Skipper, Robert Rusler, Dana Gould, Marc Senter, Ben Stillwell, Adam Green, Pat Healy and many more!
Dir: Axelle Carolyn, Darren Lynn Bousman, Adam Gierasch, Andrew Kasch, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Mike Mendez, Dave Parker, Ryan Schifrin, John Skipp, Paul Solet

EA Sports Hockey League Beta Announced for NHL 15 Owners

2015/07/23

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Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Xbox One News

EA Sports Hockey League beta header image

July 23, 2015 — Today, Electronic Arts announced that EA SPORTS^TM NHL^® 16 will be releasing the first ever EA SPORTS Hockey League Beta for NHL 15 owners. This fan-favorite online team mode has been reimagined to deliver a new player class system for a more competitive and balanced experience on the ice. Your skills and your ability to play as a team will now be the determining factor in who wins and loses hockey games. This limited access beta begins July 30 and ends August 6 for the PlayStation^®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One^®, and will be the only chance to experience the new EASHL before NHL 16 hits stores September 15 in North America and September 17 in Europe.

“EA SPORTS Hockey League is one of our most popular modes and our fans have been the driving force behind how we’ve re-imagined it for NHL 16,” said Dean Richards, General Manager, EA SPORTS NHL. “We listened to their feedback and have been testing early iterations of the mode with some of the most passionate players in our community. We’re incredibly excited that our fans are going to be the first to get their hands on this mode and look forward to hearing more feedback as we continue to improve and refine this experience.”

To access the beta, NHL 15 owners on either Xbox One or PlayStation 4 can jump into the game starting July 30 and select to download the NHL 16 EASHL beta from the main menu. NHL 15 owners on either Xbox 360^® or PlayStation^® 3, who upgraded to a new console will have a chance to access the beta through a limited distribution of beta access codes.

For more information on the NHL 16 EASHL beta and for full beta access instructions, visit the NHL 16 EASHL Beta Hub.

Built with more fan feedback and insights than ever before, NHL 16 delivers the most requested features and modes along with new experiences that make NHL bigger and better. With new levels of depth across single player and team modes, combined with improved gameplay balance and innovation as well as new tools to help you play at your highest level, NHL 16 puts you into the heart of a team, where you’ll play together and win together.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Developer Commentary Reveal

2015/07/22

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E3, Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

WARSAW, Poland – July 22, 2015 – Previously available only for press and members of the industry, the first-ever Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 presentation has been made public and is now available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sgRdJmBa95o. Narrated by Jess Lebow, a Lead Narrative Designer at CI Games, it provides an extended look into the next big step for the Warsaw, Poland-based studio.

Strengthened by the enthusiastic reception of the demo at E3 2015, CI Games is now getting ready for this year’s Gamescom, the biggest and the most important games convention in Europe. The studio will be presenting a completely new hands-off demo of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 in a private meeting room, as well as providing the previous hands-on demo to the public for the first time ever.

The Sniper Ghost Warrior franchise is CI Games’ most popular, having sold more than 5.5 million titles to date. The third entry into the series will be its first full-fledged triple-A title, featuring open-ended wartime environments and a non-linear narrative to give snipers the freedom and choice necessary to execute the advanced missions that tactically-minded gamers yearn for.

Hot on the heels of CI Games’ first triple-A production, the successful Lords of the Fallen, SGW3 is the studio’s most ambitious title yet. It is being created from the ground up by an experienced development team led by former Marine and CI Games creative director Paul B. Robinson, who, in addition to serving in combat, has an extensive 20-year career in game development. Veteran game designer and writer Jess Lebow, who has worked on a number of high profile games including League of Legends,Far Cry, and Guild Wars also serves as the Lead Narrative Designer for SGW3, and is available for interviews at Gamescom.

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

Website: www.cigames.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SniperGhostWarrior
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SniperTheGame

Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide Featurette – Colonizing the Seas

2015/07/22

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

July 22, 2015 — 2K and Firaxis Games are happy to reveal a new official Civilization: Beyond Earth-Rising Tide featurette – “Colonizing the Seas”. Within this featurette, you will get an overview of everything you need to know about successfully colonizing the seas on an alien world. Join us as we explore a new terrain, discover a variety of new resources, encounter different alien species, uncover artifacts, and much more.

Video

Breach & Clear: DEADline Launch Trailer

2015/07/21

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

July 21, 2015 - Breach & Clear: DEADline springs from the petri dish and into PCs everywhere today as Mighty Rabbit Studios and Gun Media, in association with Gambitious Digital Entertainment and forever friend Devolver Digital, release hordes of zombies for slaughter today for $19.99 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/310890/). Breach & Clear: DEADline masterfully blends exploration with top-down, action-based twin stick shooting and RPG-style looting, weapon modding, upgrading and leveling/progression into one hell of a zombie-fueled tactical journey.

Breach & Clear: DEADline features a new, robust co-op mode straight from the suggestions of fans in Early Access eliminating urban parasitic infestations was never so awesome. Once you’re dropped into an urban wasteland, you have one mission: Link with your squad, wipe out the source of the virus and escape with your life. Along the way, you’ll be tasked with clearing out the infested and leading your squad through increasingly difficult areas using limited resources. By cleverly combining what you are able to find, you can create vicious, brutal weapons and devise clever plans to kill the infested. You’ll need to develop your squad, grow their skills, as well as your own plethora of tactical talents, against the ever-mutating hordes of zombies and murderous human survivors.

Breach & Clear: DEADline features hours of replayable missions in a variety of dynamic environments no play-through is ever the same. Get in, get out, stay alive if you can. Check out more at http://store.steampowered.com/app/310890/.

For more information about Gambitious, please hit up www.gambitious.com.

LA and NY Haunted Hayride Tickets On Sale Now

2015/07/21

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Geek News, Halloween, News

Tickets are now on sale for both the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and New York Haunted Hayride. The attractions will be open from Oct 2 – Oct 31. Tickets for the New York Haunted Hayride start at $35 and $30 for the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Ticket purchases support the LA Parks Foundation, preserving parks for the people of Los Angeles. For the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, please visit www.losangeleshauntedhayride.com for complete details. For the New York Haunted Hayride, please visit www.newyorkhauntedhayride.com for complete details.

Son of Monsterpalooza Returns this September

2015/07/21

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Geek News, Halloween, News

Horror convention Monsterpalooza returns to Southern California from September 18-20 with Son of Monsterpalooza. Son of Monsterpalooza will feature special, genre-affiliated guests, exhibitors, and a lot more.

Scheduled guests include:

Tony Todd – Candy Man, the Crow, Night of the Living Dead, Hatchet
David Naughton – American Werewolf in London
Meg Foster – They Live, 31, masters of the Universe
Juliet Landau – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sid Haig- Foxy Brown, Devils Rejects
Bill Johnson – Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Tom Atkins –Escape from New York, Halloween 3, The Fog
William Forsythe – Dick Tracy, the Devils Rejects, Raising Arizona
Udo Kier – Blade, Flesh for Frankenstein, Shadow of the Vampire
Michael Westmore – Face Off, Academy Award winning makeup artist.
McKenzie Westmore – Actress and host of Face Off.

Tickets in advance:

Friday – $25.00
Saturday – $30.00
Sunday – $25.00
Three day pass – $70.00

For more information visit the Monsterpalooza website or Monsterpalooza on Facebook!