Author - boothby

TopWare Announces Planets at War

2012/04/06
boothby
News

Karlsruhe, Germany, April 5th. 2012 – TopWare Interactive announced today plans to publish longstanding partner Targem Games’ new project “Planets at War” for the PC, MAC, Xbox 360™, and Playstation®3. “Planets at War” is a strategic interplanetary conflict simulator in which players control one of four available races, managing and deploying their forces to conquer enemy regimes.  Foreign galaxies, multiple planetary bodies and diverse enemies all add to the challenge, providing a long-lasting and engaging experience.  The graphical environment blends a unique art style with vital statistics to provide both functionality and space-age splendor.
Employing a number of diverse victory scenarios, each new level of Planets at War builds upon the previous to incorporate additional depth to gameplay.  Starting with basic planet capture scenarios and building towards mighty boss encounters, players must manage their forces expertly as they seek interstellar dominance over their opponents.  A sound strategy and cool head are paramount to success in choosing when to train new forces, solidify defenses, or launch a massive attack campaign to deliver the final blow.

“The challenging gameplay paired with the exquisite presentation of the game’s complex mechanics are sure to find players loosing themselves in the folds of time and space”, states TopWare’s CEO Alexandra Constandache.
Additional announcements and details on Planets at War are coming soon.
For more information visit www.topware.com

Paradox Announces Naval War: Arctic Circle Quiz

2012/04/06
boothby
News

NEW YORK – April 5th , 2012 – As armchair commanders from around the world prepare to set sail and fire torpedoes in Naval War: Arctic Circle, the master tacticians and designers at Turbo Tape Games and Paradox Interactive have established a new home base for the upcoming wargame. Naval War: Arctic Circle is a realistic real time strategy game about modern naval warfare, and all the information you need to stay up-to-date on the game’s status and continuing improvements can now be found at:
http://www.navalwargame.com/

As the game’s April 10th release date approaches, Paradox and Turbo Tape want to know: What warship are you?

Take the Naval War: Arctic Circle – What Warship are YOU? Quiz and find out what role suits your personality in the fleet engagements of life!
http://www.navalwargame.com/quiz

It takes a hearty soul to brave the cold and the dark of the north, waiting for something to happen and then dreading the moment comes…Are you able to take one these missions by yourself or are you the type that travels best in a pack?
Are you a mighty aircraft carrier, queen of the ocean and mistress of a seascape that spans hundreds of miles? Are you a submarine, silently and slowly moving into position so you can strike while surrounded by enemies? Are you a frigate, the workhorse of the fleet guarding more valuable vessels and exposing yourself to the first missile strikes?

Naval War: Arctic Circle comes to you from Paradox Interactive and Turbo Tape Games on April 10, 2012 for a recommended retail price of $19.99.
Do you think you have what it takes to seize control of the riches of the North Atlantic? Are you brave enough to risk everything to change the world’s balance of power in your favor?

KARA is Born

2012/03/08
boothby
News

Heavy Rain developer, Quantic Dream, has released another doozy of a demo with KARA. Demonstrating their new method of actor voice and motion capture, KARA tells the story of an android who is born self-aware. It is touching and emotional on a level that I haven’t seen since their highly-acclaimed Heavy Rain teaser.

Meet Kara

Apple Unveils the New iPad

2012/03/07
boothby
News

Today at a press event in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company’s third generation iPad. Originally rumored to be called the “iPad 3” and then the “iPad HD”, the device line is dropping its numeric iterations and will simply be known as the “iPad”. Of course, this is a bit confusing as the iPad 2 is still available in a 16GB wifi flavor for $399 (a move to bring more students and lesser-income folks into the Apple fold), but it happens to be a change I agree with.

The new iPad features a variety of upgrades, including a 2048×1536 retina display as well as 4G LTE options, and touts a battery life on par with the iPad 2. The device will go on sale beginning March 16th, although you can pre-order them now online (if their site stays online). Thankfully, despite these upgrades, the new iPad keeps with the pricing models of the iPad 2 and features 16, 32, and 64GB flavors.

Would you like to know more? (iPad product page)

GIVEAWAY – Wargame: European Escalation Game Code (PC/Steam) – Expired

2012/02/24
boothby
Contests, News
4 Comments

Focus Home Interactive has sent over one Steam game code for their new modern-day strategy title, Wargame: European Escalation on the Windows PC platform. This giveaway expires on Friday, March 16th @ 11:59 PM Pacific time. At that time, no further entries will be accepted and  the winner will be randomly-selected.

To Enter:

Simply LIKE our Facebook profile and then leave a comment on THIS FACEBOOK THREAD telling us what your favorite strategy game is/was and why.

*NOTE: You will need to stay LIKED to our Facebook profile at least until the giveaway winners are selected. Non-liked Facebook accounts will be withdrawn from the running.

Razer The Old Republic Headset Review

2012/02/01
boothby
News, Reviews

Razer’s line of Star Wars: The Old Republic themed peripherals is now out on for public consumption (save for their keyboard with built-in LCD display). We got to play around with the headset portion of that line and have finally assembled our thoughts for your perusal. The headset features Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound, braided cabling, 50mm sound drivers, and a sturdy boom microphone.

The overall design of the Razer Star Wars: The Old Republic headset is pretty darn slick, with lots of cool angles and even red and blue lighting effects (and millions of other color combinations) depending on what side of the force you wish to represent. Unlike the gaming mouse end of the Star Wars: The Old Republic-themed Razer products, the headset seems to be an entirely-new product design. I can’t seem to find a base design they tweaked out. Also included are two detachable ear cup plates with Republic and Sith Empire insignia to further represent your faction. Even the inside of the ear cups resemble the outer-wing bracing of a TiE Starfighter. In terms of paying homage to the source material while also proving a practical design, Razer has done well. The headset was quite comfortable during our testing period with it and it should serve you well – whether just playing Star Wars: The Old Republic for fun or doing some tournament gaming in other titles.

Part of that comfort stems from the fact that the entire unit weighs only 0.70 lbs! I have used several headset designs, and there is nothing worse than an overly-heavy design that sinks the headband deep into your “do”. Not only does it mess up the suave hairstyle you have going for you – potentially damaging your social life! But, also, it hurts!

Included in the package is a redeemable code for a crystal which colors your blaster bolts or lightsaber blade to a Razer-inspired black and green. It is pretty much a cosmetic-only effect, and will probably not stay in your weapon for very long as its stats are weak. Still, a nice little extra for gamers.

In terms of setting up / installing the headset – it was a snap! I should also note that the headset is compatible with Razer’s cloud-based Synapse 2.0 configuration utility. It is nice to see the Synapse program taking off like this in all their new products. This is the future of device configuration. It is nice to be able to take your peripheral from one machine to another and not have to set everything up again.

The thing that would have driven the headset over the edge to being a “must-have” item would have been wireless capabilities. I hope that they eventually put out a new version of this headset with that option.

Overall, the Razer Star Wars: The Old Republic headset has some excellent virtual 7.1 surround sound in a reasonably-priced, $129 dollar package. It is not a game-changer, but a solid performer that would more than serve your gaming needs.

Images

Razer Unveiling Something BIG for PC Gaming During PAX Prime

2011/08/22
boothby
News

This is the kind of thing that I love: Razer has announced a HUGE announcement regarding the future of PC gaming on August 26th during PAX Prime in Seattle, WA. Additionally, they have created a website to back up this announcement (which you should sign up at right now) as well as taken out a FULL PAGE ad in the Wall Street Journal with an open letter to Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. COULD this be the official unveiling for the production model of the Razer Switchblade gaming PC? We hope so, but can’t know for sure until August 26th. So, stay-tuned!!!

The WSJ Razer Ad/Letter:

Capcom Announces PAX Prime Games

2011/08/22
boothby
News

Capcom has also announced their PAX Prime lineup, containing titles such as Dead Rising 2: Off the Record and Street Fighter X Tekken. Checkout their full announcement below!

Official Announcement

Capcom is bringing a full slate of unreleased titles to game fans this weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle. Attendees will be able to take their friends heads on with fighting games Street Fighter x Tekken, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter III: Third Strike – Online Edition, and Street Fighter IV: Volt, battle zombies in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Resident Evil Revelations, and Dead Rising 2 Off The Record, and jump into thrilling action with Dragon’s Dogma and Asura’s Wrath.

There will be tournaments and giveaways throughout the show, as well as a live stream by Capcom-Unity at the booth which is located at:

PAX Prime 2011
Capcom Booth #3425
August 26-28, 2011
Washington State Convention and Trade Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA 98101

Bethesda Announces PAX Prime Games and Food Truck

2011/08/22
boothby
News

Nifty Skyrim caps they are giving away!

Bethesda Softworks is no stranger to taking care of and making an impression on their fans. For instance – during Gamescom, the company hired a blimp to cruise around about the convention with a Skyrim banner on its side. At E3, the company hired artists to hand-paint a huge Skyrim banner on the side of a building. At PAX Prime? Well, not only will they be showing off Prey 2 and Skyrim, but also will be offering complimentary Skyrim-themed foods at a Skyrim food truck!

Official BethBlog Post

With PAX Prime 2011 kicking off on Friday, we wanted to share details on what we’re planning.

At our booth (#1314), you won’t want to miss your chance to play RAGE, as well as presentations of Prey 2 at the top of every hour. On top of that, fans will be able to play Skyrim for the first time!

But wait, there’s more! At 3:30 pm on Saturday, Todd Howard will be giving a special presentation of the game in the Unicorn theater. Seating is expected to be limited, so you will definitely want to line up early. As a bonus, everyone that attends the demo will receive a ticket which can be redeemed at our booth for a Skyrim plush helmet — just like the one being modeled by our lovely 2008 PAX statue, Burnadette.

If you’re not able to get the helmet at the presentation, you can also visit our Skyrim food truck to grab one. Located at 9th & Pine (across from the Paramount Theater) from 11:30 to 3:00 pm Saturday, the truck will feature the following foods fit for a Nord: