Author - boothby

XCOM: Chimera Squad Available Now

2020/04/24
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

April 24, 2020 – Prep your squad and prepare to Breach! A brand new standalone adventure in the XCOM universe begins – XCOM: Chimera Squad is now available on Steam for the special introductory price of $9.99!*

XCOM: Chimera Squad takes place five years after the events of the previous XCOM games, where humanity has successfully overthrown the Elder’s control of earth. With ADVENT gone and the invaders free of the Elder’s mind control, humans, aliens and hybrids must now find a way to move on from the conflict and forge a new civilization of cooperation and co-existence. City 31 is a model for that potential path forward, but the fragile peace threatens to shatter from the machinations of underground factions.

Enter Chimera Squad – an elite force of human, hybrid and alien agents sent to City 31 to investigate and prevent the city from going to chaos. Each agent in XCOM: Chimera Squad is unique – possessing exclusive skills, personalities and backstories that come to life in and out of tactical combat.

XCOM: Chimera Squad features bold new changes to the traditional XCOM formula, such as a more-focused story with humans, hybrids and aliens, Interleaved Turns and Breach Mode. Both XCOM veterans and players new to the franchise can look forward to exciting challenges and mechanics in XCOM: Chimera Squad.

As part of 2K’s XCOM franchise sale that celebrates the support of its global community, XCOM: Chimera Squad is available as a single digital download for Windows PC on Steam at the special limited-time introductory price of $9.99. It will be available at its suggested retail price of $19.99 on May 1, 2020.

*Steam offer ends 10:00 a.m. PDT May 1, 2020 (and equivalent time zones where offer is available.) Pricing and availability may vary by region. See steampowered.com for details. Terms apply. No rainchecks.

Mars Horizon Announcement Trailer

2020/04/24
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Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

LONDON (April 23, 2020) — Rocket enthusiasts at developer Auroch Digital and space tourists at publisher The Irregular Corporation (PC Building Simulator, Balsa Model Flight Simulator) announced that the upcoming space agency management game, Mars Horizon, will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch later this year with a beta planned for April 27th on Steam.

A new trailer released today shows off several elements of the game play – including what can go wrong if you don’t succeed. Plan and build your mission control offices across brightly lit and easy to use tiles, harness design, upgrades and mission strategies via the game’s elegant user interface and achieve the ultimate goal of planting your flag on Mars:

In Mars Horizon you take control of a major space agency, launching from the dawn of the space age in the 1950s, all the way through to landing humans on Mars in the near future. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space exploration: any of the agencies can be the first to land on the Moon if you make the right choices.

Step into the shoes of a mission control flight director, manage the mission, and face the challenges as you plan your agency’s journey to the stars. In Mars Horizon, you’ll need to manage your agency’s resources and solve strategic challenges in turn-based missions in order to succeed. But beware: space is a very unforgiving environment.

These are the critical moment-to-moment decisions of mission control; do you spend power to fix a malfunctioning antenna or save it in case of an oxygen leak? Perhaps risking that extra three months of mission planning could have avoided this issue?

Manage the numerous challenges faced then and now:

● Play as a variety of real space agencies or create your own and everything that goes with it: build your base with launch pads, research labs, astronaut training facilities, and of course, rockets
● Construct your own custom launch vehicles from hundreds of combinations, and improve their reliability over launches and missions.
● Plan missions and manage challenges: launch satellites and crewed spacecraft to explore the Solar System and create solutions to unforeseen problems that arise. Mars Horizon brings you all the excitement of real scenarios of space exploration and makes it accessible
● Solve the various challenges of turn-based missions to earn scientific advancement and public support – the more support you gain, the larger your budget will become
● Explore an extensive tech tree and either compete or collaborate with other agencies to plot your roadmap to Mars
● Created using input from actual space agencies, Mars Horizon distils a passion for space exploration, international cooperation, and the goal of making humanity a multi-planetary species!

You’re in charge of every element of the journey into space: success rides on your decisions.

Sign up for the beta here https://bit.ly/2VR2TWK and keep tabs on where space takes you on Twitter @AurochDigital and stay regular with The Irregular Corporation @IrregularCorp.

The Persistence Official Release Date Trailer

2020/04/24
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Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Liverpool, UK – Thursday, 23rd April 2020 – Inventive independent developer Firesprite Games is excited to reveal that critically acclaimed sci-fi horror experience The Persistence will launch on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Thursday, May 21st, 2020.

Having made waves on PSVR in 2018, The Persistence offers players an intentionally savage take on survival-horror that integrates an innovative rogue-like design into the genre, with its release on console and PC marking the first time it’s hit the 4K flat screen and Firesprite’s debut on both Nintendo and Microsoft platforms.

“When we made the move to bring The Persistence to new platforms, our key focus was to ensure that the particularly brutal nature of gameplay made the leap to non-VR,” says Graeme Ankers, MD and founder of Firesprite Games. “As a result, The Persistence keeps players on edge from beginning to end, and with a procedurally generated environment forming around them, no two playthroughs are ever identical, meaning you will never find safety in the same spot.”

Set in the year 2521, The Persistence charges players with surviving on board a doomed deep space colony starship overrun with horrific and murderous mutants. Play sees them fighting their way through the depths of an ever-changing labyrinth to bring the ship back to Earth, with this new version heightening the tension thanks to enhanced environments and post-processing effects.

As part of the new release, Firesprite Games is also pleased to confirm that gamers who already own the PlayStation®VR version will also receive these features via an update on PlayStation®4 for no extra cost.

In addition, players who pre-purchase The Persistence on Nintendo Switch (between Thursday, April 23rd and Wednesday, May 20th) and Xbox One (between Thursday, April 30th and Wednesday, May 20th) will receive a 10 percent discount.

Games Publisher Perp Games will publish physical editions across retail on the three console platforms. The release will be as near as possible to the digital release taking into account the effect of COVID 19 on global retail.

The Persistence features: –

  • A brutal take on the survival-horror genre that integrates rogue-like design elements to give the action an extra edge
  • Procedurally generated stages that change with each playthrough, creating a labyrinth-like experience that adds to the tension
  • Live, die, repeat. Play as dozens of different clones on board the ship, each one with the potential to be stronger than the last
  • Tailored controls. enhanced environments and post-processing effects for PC, PS4 and Xbox One deliver a heightened fidelity of horror for fans of the genre
  • Atmospheric, cutting-edge visuals in docked, handheld or tabletop modes for the Nintendo Switch platform

The Persistence will be released on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Thursday, May 21st, 2020 for £24.99/$29.99/€29.99. Those who pre-order on Nintendo Switch (between Thursday, April 23rd and Wednesday, May 20th) and Xbox One (between Thursday, April 30th and Wednesday, May 20th) will receive a 10 percent discount.

DreamHack and Corsair Announce Renewed Partnership for 2020

2020/04/23
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Geek News, News

STOCKHOLM — DreamHack, the premier gaming lifestyle festival, and CORSAIR today announced that the two companies have renewed their partnership for 2020. CORSAIR will continue its support of DreamHack Masters, DreamHack’s top-tier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament; DreamHack Open, the open-style CS:GO tournament circuit held at DreamHack festivals all over the world; and DreamLeague, one of the longest-running Dota 2 tournaments in the world. This agreement takes effect immediately and runs through the end of 2020.

Through its subsidiary Elgato, CORSAIR will also be the official partner of DreamHack’s Stream Studio, where streamers set up shop and meet their fans at DreamHack’s festivals.

“We are excited and proud to have CORSAIR continue our partnership in 2020,” said DreamHack Co-CEO Roger Lodewick. “CORSAIR is a valued long-term partner of DreamHack and their continued commitment is a confirmatory sign of our joint commitment to grow our esports and gaming festivals around the world. On behalf of DreamHack and our community, I would like to thank CORSAIR for their continued support and look forward to a tremendous year ahead.”

CORSAIR has previously sponsored DreamHack events since 2018. Since that time, the sponsorship has continued to expand into this 2020 agreement.

“CORSAIR has been a long-standing supporter of DreamHack live events and esports, growing together as the popularity of both has exploded,” said Lauren Premo, Director, Gaming Marketing at CORSAIR. “With esports seeing more viewership than ever during these uncertain times, this partnership reinforces CORSAIR’s commitment to DreamHack, its fans, and its competitors, both online and in-person.”

CORSAIR continues to impact the PC peripherals and esports market with a diverse range of gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and accessories, in addition to its wide-ranging DIY and memory products. Known amongst gamers for its commitment to premium materials and lasting build quality, CORSAIR is a top-choice amongst gamers, from aspiring amateurs to world-renowned professionals.

Curse of the Dead Gods Gets First Content Update

2020/04/23
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

PARIS — April 23, 2020 — Passtech Games and Focus Home Interactive have released the first free major content update for the rogue-lite action game Curse of the Dead Gods, currently in Steam Early Access for PC. The “Cursed Temple” update delivers new challenges imbued with fresh curses, weapons, relics and modifiers for you to take on.

The Cursed Temple brings new ways to play with the debut of the deadly Eternal Curse modes, a series of highly replayable thematic challenges with special modifiers (e.g., a constant speed increase buff, taking less damage in the shadows, or playing with a retro display). But there are side effects, so watch out! The update spices things up even further by doubling the number of available curses, increasing room and weapon variety, adding a number of fixes and balance changes, and more.

Curse of the Dead Gods is a fast-paced action game featuring intense combat challenges and a variety of powerful weapons, treasures, abilities and bosses to master. Venture deep into accursed labyrinths and slay the false deities, but beware the corruption building inside you with each step forward — these curses promise great power, but demand a high price…

The Dead Gods team is committed to bringing frequent new additions and improvements to the early access community. Upcoming updates include the poisonous halls of the Temple of the Snake, which will feature even more mechanics, weapons and adversaries to discover.

Curse of the Dead Gods is also in development for consoles. For more information, visit https://curse-of-the-dead-gods.com.

Iratus: Lord of the Dead Official Launch Trailer

2020/04/23
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Hamburg, April 23rd, 2020 – Unfrozen and Daedalic Entertainment are delighted to announce that their popular dark fantasy roguelike RPG Iratus: Lord of the Dead leaves Steam Early Access today. Additionally, thanks to a successful Early Access phase, the first large expansion Iratus: Wrath of the Necromancer has been announced for September.

If you like challenging tactical RPGs like Darkest Dungeon and you possess a dark sense of humour, Iratus: Lord of the Dead is the game for you. Iratus rises from the dead and rebuilds his undead army of monsters from the remains of his enemies. The necromancer and his mouldy minions have hundreds of different skills you must develop and combine effectively in order to fight your way out of your crypt and get your revenge on the good guys.

With the full release comes two new epic dungeon levels, more enemies, items, quests and the three levels that have been playable since Early Access launch also have additional content. Of course, the full release also contains all content and quality of life updates that have been implemented since last year.

Iratus: Lord of The Dead was Steam No. 1 at its Early Access launch and has been very popular with the community ever since, with about 90% positive user reviews. Fans can look forward to the large expansion Iratus: Wrath of the Necromancer, coming in September, where they can once more become a megalomaniacal necromant, with more story content, additional bosses, minions and more to enjoy.

Key Features:

  • Play on the side of evil, embodied by the necromancer Iratus!
  • Expand and improve your underground lair.
  • Craft 18 types of obedient servants from the body parts of your conquered enemies: zombies, vampires, skeletons, mummies, banshees and many more!
  • Each minion has six unique abilities for a total of nearly one-hundred abilities for you to command.
  • Advanced combat system: to win you need to know both the strengths and weaknesses of your troops and enemies.
  • Iratus can kill his enemies not only by magic or claw but also by draining their sanity!
  • Four talent trees that alter the way you play: Alchemy, Magic, Ire and Destruction.
  • Roguelike elements: minions that die are gone for good and the game saves automatically, making each choice irreversible.
  • Detailed 2D graphics and a gloomy atmosphere of dark fantasy.
  • Various difficulty levels, satisfying every type of player from novice to hardcore.
  • Iratus himself is voiced by the voice-acting legend Stefan Weyte, famous for his performance as Caleb in the cult game series “Blood”

News and updates can be found at Iratus: Lord of the Dead on Steam.

COV-AID Streaming Charity Event Announced

2020/04/23
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos

ATLANTA –– COV-AID™ is proud to present a massive, multi-platform, one-day online charity event on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, at 1pm EDT / 10am PDT. The event will feature more than 10 hours of content showcasing popular gamers, athletes, artists and other personalities streamed across top social game-streaming platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, Twitter and Facebook. All proceeds will be donated to Americares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help the fight against COVID-19, and to support front-line medical professionals, first responders, and families most directly affected by COVID-19.

The event will feature a mix of interactive, live-streamed competitions and performances, plus pre-recorded content from entertainers, athletes, and other personalities. Talent will include Grammy Award-winning artist Lil Jon, Super Bowl champion Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski, and many others. Additional talent will be announced.

COV-AID™ is an egoless alliance of talent, distribution and nonprofit partners coming together to fight COVID-19. Event organizers and logistical partners will earn no revenue from COV-AID. All proceeds will support the event’s nonprofit beneficiaries and their work.

“This is such an extraordinarily challenging time for people all over the world,” said United in Gaming Co-Founder Andrew Smoltz. “I am grateful to my partners for coming together for this event so we can help make a difference for Americares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the essential workers and families they support.”

Skillshot CEO Todd Harris added: “Everyone is at home. Everyone. Some people are feeling isolated and we figured this was a great moment for digital-native talent to step up and take the lead in bringing people together, albeit remotely, to enjoy each other’s company while also addressing the urgent challenges we all face.”

“We’re especially thankful for our amazing talent, all of whom are all donating their time to participate in this event,” added Uspech Marketing Consultants Founder Jennifer Erdman. “No one involved in COV-AID is taking any fee or percentage, which allows us to ensure every penny raised goes directly to these two essential organizations at this critical time.”

Americares is providing desperately-needed personal protective equipment (PPE), training and emotional support to ensure health workers on the front lines of the pandemic can continue their lifesaving and life-changing work.

“Americares is heartened to see such an outpouring of support to help health workers on the front lines of the pandemic,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “With support from COV-AID, we can provide even more masks, gloves, gowns and essential training to protect our health care heroes.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is committed to remaining open to support the children and families of front-line medical professionals and essential workers while also providing meals and virtual learning at thousands of Clubs around the country.

“For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have navigated times of tragedy and crisis to provide safe places for kids and teens. Today, we are committed more than ever, to ensure Club staff, members, families and communities have the resources and support they need to navigate these uncertain times,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of America President and CEO Jim Clark. “Thank you to COV-AID and its partners for helping support our work during this critical time.”

For more information, or to make a donation, please visit cov-aid.org.

HBO Renews Westworld for Season Four

2020/04/22
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Geek News, Movie News, News

LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2020 – HBO has renewed the Emmy®-winning drama series WESTWORLD for a fourth season, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO Programming.

“From the western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy,” noted Bloys. “We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next.”

WESTWORLD returned for its eight-episode third season Sunday, March 15. A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the question of free will, the show was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are also executive producers. Nolan directed the season’s premiere episode, which has surpassed nine million viewers across all platforms.

WESTWORLD was lauded as “the most epic show on TV” by Decider. TV Guide hailed the season as “dazzling,” “exhilarating,” and “incredibly relevant,” and Variety called it a “crowdpleasing ride through the world of the future.” The New York Times deemed it “sleek and eye-catching,” while NPR called season three “more entertaining than ever before.”

WESTWORLD was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are executive producers with Denise Thé, J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis, and Ben Stephenson. Production companies: Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television; based on the film written by Michael Crichton.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker Webseries Episode 1

2020/04/21
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Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

PARIS – April 21, 2020 – Blackbird Interactive and Focus Home Interactive have announced that the first-person zero-g spaceship salvaging sim Hardspace: Shipbreaker will enter Steam Early Access on June 16. To celebrate, the team today released the first episode in a new developer diary series diving into the making of this very unique game.

This first episode introduces you to Hardspace: Shipbreaker’s gameplay and universe, where you’ll use cutting-edge tech to carve up massive vessels in outer space to recover valuable loot for the corporation you’re indebted to. Cut up ships however you choose, slicing panels, fuel lines, hull infrastructure and more — with each choice, Hardspace: Shipbreaker responds dynamically to your actions, creating new potentially explosive physics objects to manage.

Although best known as the studio behind Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak and the upcoming Homeworld 3, developer Blackbird Interactive was inspired by the real history of skyscraper construction and rig workers to create a sandbox game with a blue collar atmosphere and true-to-life physics. Blackbird’s recent collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Project Eagle, an interactive demo of how a future Mars base might operate, further fueled the drive to deliver a creative demolition sim that feels playful yet complex and lived in.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker will arrive in early access with a variety of exciting features, including the first act of the story campaign, two classes of spaceship to chop up, and multiple upgradeable tools and perks. Throughout early access, the team will release new ships, missions, challenges, leaderboards, modding support and more based on feedback from the community.

You can wishlist Hardspace: Shipbreaker now on Steam. The game is also in development for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One.

Mad Catz Unveils New F.R.E.Q. Gaming Headsets

2020/04/21
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Geek News, News, Tech News

Kowloon, Hong Kong – April 21, 2020 – Mad Catz Global Limited, the leading innovators in gaming hardware, is excited to announce that their new range of F.R.E.Q.2 and F.R.E.Q.4 gaming headsets are now shipping worldwide.

The F.R.E.Q.2 and F.R.E.Q.4 are engineered to provide professional grade sound quality and unparalleled comfort, giving gamers an immersive audio experience like no other. The launch of the new headsets, marks to the first step in a plan to integrate the signature Mad Catz design across a broad range of best-in-class gaming audio solutions, designed to support the continued growth of the gaming audio category.

Powered-up for a new generation of gaming, the F.R.E.Q.2 is designed for comfort and tuned for gaming. Whether a competitive gamer looking to break into the esports scene or an everyday player, the F.R.E.Q. 2 has been engineered with gamer in mind. Individually tuned 40mm Neodymium Drivers unearth every audio detail providing a next-in-class soundstage, allowing you to pinpoint team-mates and enemy movements with ease. With a simple 3.5mm connection, the F.R.E.Q.2 is compatible with a range of formats including PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One as well as mobile and smart devices.

For those wishing to take their game audio to the next level, the F.R.E.Q.4 is the ideal headset of choice. Complete with virtual 7.1 surround-sound, the F.R.E.Q.4 delivers an even grander audio soundscape, with the premium, super-sized 50mm Neodymium Drivers providing incredible fidelity. Perfect for competitive gaming, the F.R.E.Q.4 features an environment noise-cancelling mic for crystal-clear audio without any background noise, ensuring focused communication between the player and their teammates. In addition, specially designed Mad Catz software (Free to download) allows gamers to configure audio levels such as mic volume, surround-sound, and audio sampling rate, as well as program the Chameleon RGB lighting, bathing the gaming environment in color and guaranteed to turn heads!

Both F.R.E.Q.2 and F.R.E.Q.4 come with polyurethane memory foam ear cups which provide exceptional comfort for long-term gameplay. The suspension headband fits seamlessly onto any head, automatically adjusting for size, while the fully retractable microphone can be concealed perfectly in the body of the headset for fuss-free audio. The F.R.E.Q. series delivers everything a gamer could need on the battlefield.

F.R.E.Q.2 and F.R.E.Q.4 are available beginning end of Q1, 2020. Availability of the headsets may vary by region. For more on availability and pricing in each territory, please contact Mad Catz social media or PR contacts below.

Additional information available at:
F.R.E.Q.2 Product Page: https://www.madcatz.com/F.R.E.Q24/FREQ2.html
F.R.E.Q.4 Product Page: https://www.madcatz.com/F.R.E.Q24/FREQ4.html