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BloodRayne 1 and 2 Terminal Editions Released on PC

Today, publisher of retro-and-modern games Ziggurat Interactive is releasing enhanced versions of the classic third-person action-RPGs, BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2. These “Terminal Cut” editions feature enhancements such as 4k gameplay, upscaled cinematics, better lighting, 4x anti-aliasing, and more. BloodRayne: Terminal Cut and BloodRayne 2: Terminal Cut are available for $14.99 USD, at a substantial discount during launch week, and are free for current owners of the original games on Steam and GOG.com.

“We were blown away by the fan response to the new Terminal Editions. Even after all these years, the BloodRayne community is still an incredibly vibrant group of fans, and we’re going to do everything we can to make them proud. Thank you,” said Wade Rosen, President of Ziggurat Interactive.

Both Terminal Cut editions feature:

  • Goodbye Jaggies: Thanks to improved rendering, these versions of BloodRayne run with up to 4x anti-aliasing
  • Modern Resolution: The enhanced editions of BloodRayne support display resolutions up to 4K / 3840×2160
  • Improved Environmental Effects: Enjoy more immersive environments thanks to improved effects like reflections, water, fog, and shadows
  • Use Your Elite Controller: Modern controllers are now supported, thanks to the addition of XInput controller support

New Language Support: Accessibility is important, and actually understanding the dialogue in a game does wonders for immersion. New localizations include:

  • BloodRayne: Terminal Cut: Fully voiced with localized interfaces in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian
  • BloodRayne 2: Terminal Cut: Fully voiced in English and Russian, plus localized interface and subtitles for French, German, Italian, and Spanish… and Much More: Upscaled cinematic videos, lighting improvements, support for uncompressed original textures, and Windows 10 optimization ensure that these are the absolute best versions of both titles

Originally released in 2002, BloodRayne follows the red-headed half-vampire, Rayne, as she travels around the world hunting Nazis. Players wield a variety of vampiric powers — and the infamous Twin Arm Blades — in thrilling, third-person combat. The sequel, BloodRayne 2, found the hungry heroine hunting down a vampiric cult set on world domination, using an expanded arsenal of weapons and abilities. The games spawned a theatrical film and a comic book series detailing Rayne’s life and exploits.

Monster Truck Championship Out on Nintendo Switch

NACON and the development studio TEYON are pleased to announce the release of Monster Truck Championship on Nintendo SwitchT in Europe and in North America on November 24.

On October 25, the press and public were able to get their hands on Monster Truck Championship for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. They were able to hail the game’s stand-out qualities: the realistic vehicle physics, deep customization of the monster trucks and almost instant fun!

Now, owners of Nintendo Switch™ can experience the thrill of driving these powerful monsters. Take advantage of the portability of Nintendo SwitchTM to play Monster Truck Championship anywhere, alone or in online multiplayer, and start a race or freestyle session wherever you feel like it.

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In Monster Truck Championship, you take the wheel of one of 16 vehicles and enter five types of event. In these championships, you will compete in 25 stadiums and circuits in various cities across the United States. Taking a realistic approach to driving rather than an arcade-game style, Monster Truck Championship gives players the chance to take part in frenzied races and pull off believable aerial and ground moves by learning the unique physics of these vehicles.

Monster Truck Championship boasts many features:

  • 25 circuits in different cities across the United States
  • 5 types of event: Race, Time-Trial, Drag Races, Freestyle and Destruction
  • 16 customisable vehicles with over 50 options
  • Realistic driving and physics, including independent front- and rear-wheel control, and adjustment of different mechanical elements, such as suspensions, gearbox and engine
  • An online mode for up to 8 players in monster-sized races
  • A Career mode where you manage the vehicle, sponsors and technicians to improve your performances and earnings

Monster Truck Championship is available now on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Steam, and for the Nintendo Switch™ on November 24, 2020 in North America.

Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire 5 Showcases Soundtrack and More

The show started with the reveal of an action-packed trailer focusing on Johnny Silverhand and the unique connection he shares with the game’s protagonist, V. This was followed up by a behind-the-scenes video with Keanu Reeves talking about his transformation into Night City’s iconic rebel rockerboy, with a look at voice and motion capture recording sessions.

In Score and Music, Marcin Przybyłowicz (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), P.T. Adamczyk (GWENT: The Witcher Card Game, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales), and Paul Leonard-Morgan (Dredd, Limitless, Battlefield: Hardline), together with collaborating musicians, talk about crafting atmospheric original music for the upcoming video game.

Gamers looking to get into the mood for Cyberpunk 2077 can now also check out the freshly released Original Score EP, featuring 6 tracks for a total of 22 minutes listening time. The EP is available now on a selection of popular digital music streaming and distribution platforms.

Next, with JALI the episode turned its focus to the innovative technological solution used in Cyberpunk 2077 to power facial expressions and lip sync for characters in the game. The video provides insight into how JALI makes performances immersively realistic across 11 fully localized languages.

Just before the show ended, the Official Gameplay Trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 made its debut. Over 5 minutes long, the feature highlights an assortment of aspects of the open world, action-adventure story players will be engaging in upon launch, complimented with never-before-scene footage showcasing the experiences awaiting in the dark future.

Cyberpunk 2077 will release December 10th, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Stadia. The game will also be playable on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles. At a later date, a free upgrade to Cyberpunk 2077, taking full advantage of next-gen hardware, will become available for owners of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions respectively.

Shenmue III Now Out on Steam

Today Deep Silver and YS Net Inc. are pleased to announce that Shenmue III is now available on Steam. To celebrate the launch, Shenmue III and its DLC will be on sale for the entire weekend.

Pricing Details on launch weekend (Nov 19 – Nov 23)

  • Shenmue III (base game) for $49.99 – (66% discount Nov 19-23)
  • Shenmue III Deluxe Edition – $64.98 – (66% discount Nov 19-23)
  • DLC 1 Big Merry Cruise – $3.29 – (60% discount Nov 19-23)
  • DLC 2 Battle Rally – $7.99 – (60% discount Nov 19-23)
  • DLC 3 Story quest pack – $5.99 – (60% discount Nov 19-23)
  • Season Pass bundle (3 DLCs) – (15% discount on the full bundle Nov 19-23)

The Nest Wins Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement

Scout Expedition Co., one of Los Angeles’ leading immersive theater companies, announced today its flagship immersive show, “The Nest,” has been recognized by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) with a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement. Regarded worldwide, the annual award is presented to the theme park, museum, and immersive attractions that best exemplify excellence and innovation in the themed entertainment industry.

“The Nest” is an intimate, immersive experience in Los Angeles that combines elements of immersive theater, video games, and escape rooms into a completely new storytelling format. Praised by NPR as “art you can walk through” and “a dramatic and emotional experience that is utterly unique” by The Verge, “The Nest” opened to critical and commercial success in September 2019, completely selling out a six-month engagement before temporarily pausing due to Covid.

“As we were creating ‘The Nest,’ it was clear that we were on to something special,” says Jeff Leinenveber, Co-Creative Director of Scout Expedition Co. “We realized that by blending together some of our favorite forms of entertainment, we were creating a new audience-driven form of storytelling. We’re incredibly honored to be recognized by the TEA for the efforts made by the entire Scout team to create ‘The Nest,’ and look forward to welcoming audiences back in the near future.”

From a modest beginning in 1994, the Thea Awards have grown to become an internationally recognized symbol of excellence. Hosted by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), an industry association with over 1,600 member companies around the world, the Thea Awards bring recognition to top achievements, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry.

“The entire cast and crew are humbled to receive such a great honor from the Themed Entertainment Association,” says Jarrett Lantz, Co-Creative Director of Scout Expedition Co. “Creating ‘The Nest’ has been such a fulfilling experience, from our first planning meetings to seeing the reactions on guests’ faces at the end of the show. We’re happy to be recognized among an impressive set of truly amazing experiences.”

In “The Nest,” a woman named Josephine Carroll has recently passed away, leaving behind a storage unit filled with decades of her collected memories and cryptic secrets. Equipped with a flickering flashlight, audience members explore her storage unit in order to piece together the tragic events of her life.

Although temporarily closed due to Covid, “The Nest” will reopen as soon as health guidance allows. Due to the show’s unique two-person, private-booking format, “The Nest” is uniquely positioned at the forefront of live entertainment in our new world.

Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead Out Now

Headup and AMC are pleased to announce that Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead, the mashup nobody saw coming and the latest instalment of the Bridge Constructor™ franchise, is releasing today across all major systems, including the Xbox Series X, as well as PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A version for PS5 will follow soon after, cross-buy included!

Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead is priced at

  • Android / iOS: $4.99 USD / €5,49 / £4.99
  • Steam / GOG / Epic: $9.99 USD / €9,99 / £7.99
  • Nintendo Switch: $14.99 USD / €14,99 / £11.99
  • PS4: $14.99 USD / €14,99 / £11.99
  • Xbox One / Xbox Series X:  $14.99 USD / €14,99 / £12.49

There is a launch discount running across Steam, GOG, Epic and for Nintendo Switch until November 26th. Steam users who own one or more games from the Bridge Constructor Franchise can save another 10% up until November 26th. More information on the Loyalty discount can be found on the Steam store page.

THQ Nordic Acquires The Guild 3 Dev Purple Lamp

THQ Nordic today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Vienna-based studio Purple Lamp, effectively making it a 100% subsidiary of THQ Nordic GmbH. The studio worked on titles such as “SpongeBob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated”, “Sea of Thieves” and is currently working on “The Guild 3” and on two not yet publicly disclosed games.

The acquisition includes the development studio with its team of 38 veteran developers. Purple Lamp will continue working as a development studio exclusively focusing on titles for THQ Nordic and continuing developing premium games related to licensed IPs.

Audeze Penrose Launches for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X

Audeze, the leading premium audiophile headphone manufacturer, announced today that the Audeze Penrose wireless gaming headset will be shipping to consumers worldwide today and is now available at Audeze.com. The latest headphone in Audeze’s family of top reviewed gaming headphones, the Penrose is designed to take advantage of the high-end audio features of the Microsoft Xbox Series X|S and Sony PlayStation®5. Featuring Audeze’s 100mm planar magnetic drivers, a broadcast quality microphone designed in consultation with Shure™, the most trusted microphone brand in the world, and a 2.4 GHz low-latency lossless wireless connection, the Penrose is the ultimate next-gen gaming headphone.

“We are extremely proud to launch the Audeze Penrose just in time for the launch of next-gen consoles,” Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO of Audeze. “Both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 offer amazing audio experiences, and the Penrose is equipped to take advantage of each console’s audio features now and in the future.”

Audeze Penrose Features:

  • Audeze Planar Magnetic Drivers – Penrose is equipped with Audeze’s 100mm planar magnetic drivers. Built with Audeze’s patented Uniforce™ voice coils, Fluxor™ magnets, and Fazor™ waveguides, Penrose delivers the ultimate in-game sound experience with enhanced clarity and accuracy, a more immersive soundstage, and zero audible distortion. All Audeze planar magnetic drivers are hand crafted in California, USA.
  • Microphone Design in Consultation with Shure™ – The Penrose microphone was designed to bring enhanced broadcast voice quality for chat and streaming. Its flexible and detachable construction makes adjustments effortless and built-in filters reduce up to 20dB of background noise.
  • Low-Latency Wireless Connectivity – Penrose has a 2.4GHz lossless low-latency wireless connection with a range of up to 32 meters, along with a full audio bandwidth up to 20kHz. Penrose also includes Bluetooth connectivity, so gamers can chat on Discord from an iOS or Android device while listening to audio from their preferred console or computer.
  • Multi Device Compatibility – The Penrose wireless planar magnetic headset comes in two versions: Penrose (for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows and Mac desktops) and Penrose X (for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows desktops).
  • Extended Battery Life: 15 Hours of battery life for all day long gaming, with simultaneous charge and play.

The Audeze Penrose is available now for $299 US at audeze.com and through participating international distributors. Orders for the Penrose X will be shipping in December 2020. For more information on the Audeze Penrose, follow Audeze on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook, subscribe to Audeze on Youtube to see and hear video demonstrations of Audeze products, and visit the website at www.audeze.com.

The Cycle Steam Launch Postponed

YAGER has announced it has revised the release schedule for the official Steam launch of the action-packed quest shooter The Cycle from its original window of 2020 into the second quarter of 2021. With over 90% of its staff working remotely from home due to the pandemic, this added time will allow the team the freedom to more capably and comfortably deliver on its ambitions for the game’s future, which go far beyond the scope of development for a traditional season update.

“The decision to postpone was not an easy one, but the health of our employees is always our top priority. We also made a conscious decision against an intensive crunch phase in order to compensate for the time deficits caused by the pandemic,” says Henning Schmid, Head of Publishing at YAGER.

Out of commitment to its fans and to help bridge the waiting period, YAGER is extending the current Season 3 of The Cycle to Season 3.5 on Dec. 9, 2020, which will introduce new content for the community. The Fortuna Pass will expand with 50 new levels, packed with new weapon skins, outfits, and a vehicle, as well as new banners and sprays, now featuring special audio effects.

The Cycle is an action-packed multiplayer shooter that combines PvE and PvP. Your goal: complete more missions than the enemy within 20 minutes and escape off the hostile planet of Fortuna III alive. Resources gained can be used for weapon upgrades and other enhancements that will have a positive impact on future matches. The Cycle offers a competitive multiplayer survival experience in which you can play alone, squad up with friends, or join in uneasy alliances with strangers. Learn more with the game’s “This Is The Cycle” preview trailer:

The Cycle is currently playable for free on the Epic Games Store.