Blizzard Entertainment has sent out a reminder announcement that their yearly gaming event, BlizzCon, begins this Friday in Anaheim, CA. The sold-out event will run for two days and feature several panels and presentations regarding the game companies IPs. Jay Mohr is returning as the MC and Tenacious D will be closing the event on Saturday evening.
‘We look forward to providing a truly entertaining and informative convention experience to all attendees, as well as those joining us remotely from around the world,’ said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. ‘BlizzCon offers a great opportunity for us to meet our players and share the latest news about Blizzard games with them, and with the help of Tenacious D, we’re sure this year’s show will be one the audience will never forget.’
The GamingShogun crew will be heading to the gaming event to bring you interesting news from around the show floor, so stay-tuned!
The Fighter Collection and Digital Combat Simulations have announced that their upcoming DCS: A-10C Warthog is now available for pre-purchase at their official online store. The game currently has no official release date, but the developer has stated several times that they are shooting for a digital download date of later this year. The game retails for $59.99 and pre-order customers will also be granted access to upcoming beta tests.
Sony Online Entertainment has released the Director’s Cut of their DC Universe Online Cinematic Trailer. The trailer features many of your favorite DC characters and explains what exactly went down to cause this sudden influx of heroes and villains into the DC Universe. DC Universe online is due out on November 2nd, 2010 for both Windows PCs and the PlayStation 3.
Activision and Vicarious Visions have released the launch trailer for their upcoming rock epic, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Featuring a slew of hard rock and metal artists, the game promises over-the-top background visuals and character design as well. Warriors of Rock is due out on September 28th, 2010.
PC gamers have long-known the precision of using a keyboard and mouse in their favorite shooter games. These gamers often lament using a gamepad when they switch over to their game consoles. Many products, including the FragFX and Fragenstein, have attempted to bring these peripherals to the game console – with limited success. Enter Penguin United: A peripheral-maker who has recently released the new Eagle Eye adapter for the PlayStation 3. In theory, this USB hub allows gamers to plug a keyboard and mouse into their PS3 for use in their favorite shooter. We acquired a unit from the manufacturer to see if it really works.
The Eagle Eye measures 26.18 x 13.58 x 12.20 inches in dimension, weighing a little under a pound. The adaptor features black plastic construction, with one side serving as the base for its 13 foot long USB cable. This long length allows gamers to site a fair distance away from their television set and have plenty of slack left over. The other side of the Eagle Eye features the two input USB ports – both aptly labeled for easy setup. On the top side of the adapter you will find an array of eight turbo buttons which, all being nicely labeled, will allow you to customize which, if any, controls you want turned into turbo buttons. Also along the top of the adapter is a switch to select between two pre-programmed keyboard control layouts.
Setting up the unit is very simply. Included in the package is a CD-ROM for use in your Windows-based PC. Setup the software and plug the adapter into one of your computer’s available USB ports. That will allow you to customize and map all the buttons and switches from the PlayStation 3 gamepad to your keyboard and mouse. From that point, you simply plug the Eagle Eye into the PlayStation 3, wait a few seconds, then plug in your keyboard and mouse. After making sure your controller is assigned to number one in the PS3 dashboard menu settings, you are good-to-go.
One thing worth mentioning is that, for the most part, any game you play with the Eagle Eye is going to need some tweaking in the sensitivity department. While the keyboard controls generally work without issue, the mouse is often not a direct translation of its own movement to on-screen movement. Many factors cause this, from the type of sensor featured on the mouse (including its DPI, etc) to the actual in-game sensitivity.
For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 we went with a slightly higher than average sensitivity level. Playing with the Eagle Eye was… Awesome. The response rate is equal to that of the actual PlayStation 3 gamepad, so no lag or ‘jagged response’ was every noticed. I am not the best person to play shooters on gaming consoles – I have been a PC gamer for a long time. Playing with the Eagle Eye is great and replicates the PC control system very well. MAG, in contrast, turned out to be a very frustrating experience, as no matter how high I turned up the sensitivity, controlling my character was much slower than usual.
A very important thing to note before you use the Eagle Eye is that gaming mice and keyboards which feature their own drivers won’t always work with the adapter. Penguin United recommends keyboard and mice which use a standard HID driver.
At $59.99, some may find the Eagle Eye to be a tad on the expensive side. However, when you take into account the fact that no one else has a product that works this well on the market, you may change your tune depending on how important PC-quality control is in your PS3 shooters.
Penguin United does claim in its FAQ that they are working on an Eagle Eye for the Xbox 360 as well as possibly a joint-use model that would work on both platforms. Stay tuned for more from Penguin United as it breaks!
*DISCLOSURE: This product was sent to us by the manufacturer for review.
2K Games has released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming epic civilization-builder, Civilization V. Civ V is due out on September 21st for Windows PCs and promsies the most expansive and ambitious Civilization gameplay yet.
Realtime Worlds MMO, APB – which was based off of a classic coin-op title, just did not seem to hit it off with gamers. After a slew of negative reviews and bug reports, the game seemed to be finally coming together – alas, it looks to be too late as Realtime Worlds has announced that they are shutting the game down.
Official Statement: APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone’s best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close. It’s been a pleasure working on APB and with all its players. Together we were building an absolutely amazing game, and for that, we thank you. You guys are awesome!
From all of the Realtime World staff we thank you for your continued support. The servers are still up, so join the party and say goodbye! – Ben ‘APBMonkey’ Bateman (Community Officer)
Read more on APB’s closure, After the Break! After this official statement follows notes to fans, friends, and family from numerous game developers. Despite this statement, they have not mentioned when exactly the final shutdown will occur – seemingly leaving it open for a while to let gamers say goodbye.
LucasArts has released a new trailer for their upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, featuring some of the game devs discussing how the game has evolved since the first title came out. Force Unleashed 2 is due out on October 26th, 2010.
505 Games has announced that a new DLC pack for its teddy bear-massacre epic, Naught Bear, will be released towards the end of this month on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network. ‘Episode 9’ will include new characters, costumes, and challenges. Episode 9 sees teddy bear pirates lay siege to the ‘Island of Perfection’, and it is up to the titular Naughty Bear to stop them.
Episode 9 will be available for 400 Microsoft Points (or $4.99).
