Author - Jerry Paxton

Mister Rogers Documentary Acquired by Focus Features

2017/11/27

NEW YORK, November 27, 2017 – Focus Features has acquired the worldwide rights to Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the new documentary about the life and work of Mister Fred Rogers. From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), the documentary is a Focus Features presentation of a Tremolo Production, in association with Impact Partners and Independent Lens/PBS. It is set to be released on June 8, 2018. Focus chairman Peter Kujawski made the announcement today.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this documentary is an emotional and moving film that takes you beyond zip-up cardigans and the land of make-believe, and into the heart of a creative genius, who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.

“Morgan once again avoids making a traditional biodoc and instead takes us behind the curtain to see how Fred Rogers navigated the cultural and social issues of the second half of the twentieth century with his own brand of forward-thinking, compassionate wisdom far beyond his time,” commented Focus chairman Peter Kujawski. “Mister Rogers makes us all want to be better people, and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of telling his story today.”

“The Fred Rogers I discovered making this film is at once comfortably familiar and completely surprising. I believe Mister Rogers is the kind of voice we need to hear right now,” said director Morgan Neville. “I am thrilled to work with Focus Features on taking this film out into the world, along with my collaborators at Impact Partners and Independent Lens.”

“This is Morgan’s fourth film with Independent Lens, following our Emmy Award-winning collaboration on Best of Enemies,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens Executive Producer. “His beautiful new film shows us just how cool Mister Rogers was and how relevant and vital his voice is right now.”

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is produced by Morgan Neville, Caryn Capotosto and Nicholas Ma and is a production of Tremolo Productions in association with Impact Partners and Independent Lens / PBS. The deal was negotiated by Endeavor Content and Judith Karfiol on behalf of the filmmakers.

Ode Launch Trailer

2017/11/27

Jerry Paxton

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

SAN FRANCISCO — November 27, 2017 — Today, Ubisoft^® announced a new experiential game for PC players worldwide with Ode, an enchanting visual and musical journey through beautiful landscapes.

Unlike traditional games, Ode has no guide, tutorial or hints allowing players to explore the sensory worlds around them at their own pace, direction and curiosity. The player’s only goal is to spread joy!

The player travels through four distinct musical gardens as Joy, collecting fallen stars. The more stars the player collects the greater the intensity of sound and visuals is experienced.

The gardens are filled with musical plants that emit specific notes to help players to build a musical background in each level. Soft challenges unlock layers to create a unique composition based on the player play style.

Ode was created with the simple goal of bringing a joyful and pleasing experience to players. This light-hearted and delightful game is unique to Ubisoft Reflections, the studio that created Grow Home™, Grow Up, and recently, Atomega™.

Ode is available now for $4.99 or €4.99 on Uplay PC worldwide.

For the latest news about Ode and other Ubisoft’s games, please visit ubiblog.com.

For more information about Ode, please visit odegame.com.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 Review

2017/11/26

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 is the latest in LEGO’s utilization of its Marvel license. LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 brings together over 230 characters and villains from both the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the comics – going back so far as to pull in more obscure characters like Black Knight. Time travel is a central theme of LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2. The game begins with the player in control of the Guardians of the Galaxy as they help the Nova Corps repel an invasion by Kang the Conqueror on Xandar. This opening mission serves as a basic tutorial into the LEGO game mechanics as well as a setup of the game’s central plot. While most of the LEGO game puzzles are present in LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, this LEGO title adds time as a necessary part of puzzle-solving and does so with the help of time manipulating characters like Doctor Strange. You may need to roll time back to a previous point where an object is at a previous location to tackle an obstacle, etc.

The version of LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 I played was on the PC platform, so it is worth mentioning that the basic mouse and keyboard we PC gamers are used to playing with don’t work all that well in LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2. Instead, I opted for a gamepad and things moved along much more smoothly. Your mileage may vary, of course! Aside from needing a gamepad, the PC version of the game looked beautiful and was fully compatible with UltraWide resolutions. The voice acting is terrific, and each of the actors are convincing as their characters – even those portraying the MCU characters we know and love from the films.

Once you get done with the missions that setup the game’s story, you get ushered into what the game refers to as “Chronopolis”, a hub-style sandbox world where you can take on various missions and just explore. Chronopolis is an awesome place to explore as there are many different sections pulled from various places in time. Something that usually plagues me in these LEGO titles is the repetitive nature of many puzzles found in the game. However, I didn’t notice this quite as much with LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 as the game tends to throw a lot of action at the player all at once. While this can sometimes make it difficult to see your objective, it is NEVER boring. In between your missions, you can hang out at the Avengers Mansion, and can make use of Gwenpool to unlock characters and other traits with cheat codes that can be purchased with LEGO studs. There are also some minor quests to accomplish around the mansion, but all the good stuff really occurs in Chronopolis.

Each of the Marvel characters has a special attack geared towards their powers or skills. For instance, Starlord can entice other characters to dance with him as he jams out listening to his Walkman. Now most are a bit more functional that that one, but it cracked me up all the same. There are also more flying characters this time around, and the flight game mechanic has been well-improved, allowing for more easy control of your airborne characters. The right stick controls altitude and the left stick controls horizontal direction.

Overall, LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 is an outstanding game which has plenty of lighthearted humor and action coupled with a devilishly gleeful number of Marvel characters to play around with. While the game can throw a lot of visual information towards the player all at once, it is eye-catching and interesting.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#2471e5″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#2471e5″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#2471e5″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#2471e5″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#2471e5″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 Stars)

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War Announcement Trailer

2017/11/24

Jerry Paxton

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

11/24/2017 – Slitherine and Games Workshop renew their relationship to offer a fresh approach to the Warhammer 40,000 universe – planetary 4X. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius incorporates the dark, gothic, far future science-fantasy setting in ways never tried before. A brand new, deep storyline has been created to combine elements of 4X gameplay with a combat-focused system. The evolution of technology, construction of infrastructures and exploration of an unknown world, goes hand in hand with the management of military resources, including heroes with special abilities and mighty war machines.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius has been designed to give four totally different gameplay experiences, depending on which factions players choose. Space Marines, Astra Militarum (aka Imperial Guard), Orks and Necrons each have dramatically different characteristics, both in how they develop and expand and in the way they interact with allies and enemies. This gives the game virtually endless replay value and players the chance to play out the same experience in totally divergent ways.

In Warhammer 40,000: Gladius there is also a massive difference between playing solo or in multiplayer. The deep storyline was created from scratch to allow players to explore an entire world and lead the expansion of an empire from the ground up. The discovery of ancient artefacts and the custom-crafted quests will reveal the secrets of the planet and its mysterious history as the story progresses.

Don’t miss the exclusive first look at Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War on Slitherine’s official [Twitch channel], live on Friday December 1st at 7 pm GMT.

SpellForce 3 Elves of Finon Trailer and Free Preview Weekend

2017/11/22

Jerry Paxton

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

MUNICH, Germany / VIENNA, Austria – Nov. 22, 2017 – SpellForce 3 blends RTS and RPG perfectly together – one of the pillars of its gameplay is the different factions. In today’s gameplay trailer, the elves are in the spotlight. Beautiful, proud and warm at first glance, but a look behind the majestic buildings and smiling faces gives another perspective. A racist, remorseless aristocracy hunting down those of different minds. But the spark of a rebellion gives hope for a change.

In this new video, the elvish capital of Finon Mir is shown, with a band of renegades fighting orcs, men and elves alike in their search for the truth.

Free Preview Weekend at GOG.com

A chance to check out SpellForce 3 is around the corner: from Friday, Nov. 24, everyone can access the free preview version of SpellForce 3 at GOG.com:

https://www.gog.com/game/spellforce_3_free_preview

Start: Nov. 24, 9 AM ET
End: Nov. 27, 5:59 PM ET

SpellForce 3 returns to the roots of the SpellForce saga. Taking place before the acclaimed SpellForce: The Order of Dawn, players will unravel a deep and epic story in the SpellForce universe with over 30 hours of single-player campaign, also playable in co-op. Additional multiplayer modes offer competitive battles for up to six players. Create your own heroes, develop your skillset and build your army to fight in legendary battles with gameplay that expertly blends the RTS and top-down RPG genres together.

SpellForce 3 is launching on Dec. 7, 2017, on Windows PC and will be available with English and German voice over plus full text localization in French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian and simplified Chinese. For more information, please visit the official website, like the game on Facebook or follow THQ Nordic on Twitter.

About SpellForce 3

RTS/RPG mix: Unique gameplay that combines the genres of real-time strategy and top-down roleplaying games.
Create and customize: Create your group of heroes and choose a number of different combos with a range of skill structures.
Boost and command your army: Prepare your troops and fight the greatest of all battles. You can also exploit numerous strategic aspects (e.g., terrain, troop formations, visibility, exploration, etc.), that would make Sun Tzu proud!
Epic storyline: Unravel a deep and complex plot that eventually leads up to the events that trigger the convocation ritual, which will change the whole world.
Extensive universe and lots of loot: Explore the world of Eo, discover intrigue and secrets, and collect a whole load of loot for your hero.
Complex single-player campaign: Over 30 hours of gameplay time, and even more if you’re able to discover everything Grimlore Games has incorporated into the game world.
Strong multiplayer component with various modes: Play in versus battles with up to six players or master the single-player campaign with a friend in co-op mode.

Raiders of the Broken Planet – Wardog Fury Campaign Trailer

2017/11/22

Jerry Paxton

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

San Sebastian de los Reyes, Spain – November 22nd, 2017 – Independent development studio MercurySteam today announced that Wardog Fury, the second premium campaign for Raiders of the Broken Planet, will be launching on November 30th for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Just like the first campaign, Alien Myths, Wardog Fury will be available to purchase as a stand-alone campaign for just €/$/£9.99.

In Wardog Fury, Harec attempts to recruit Loaht, the genetic experiment that the leader of the Umbra Dogs, General Marmalade, created. Loaht has the ability to transform into a furious beast, powerful enough to rip apart the strongest of foes. With Loaht on his side, Harec can turn the tide of war in the Raiders’ favour. However, General Marmalade has plans to take all the Aleph on the Broken Planet for himself and to eliminate his rogue experiment in the process. With Loaht on the run, who will get to him first? Find out in the second chapter of the epic Raiders of the Broken Planet saga.

“Whereas Alien Myths explored some of the ancient culture native to the Broken Planet,Wardog Fury is fascinating because it focuses on one of the human factions and delves deeper into their lore,” said Enric Álvarez, Co-Owner of MercurySteam. “Throughout four intense missions, players will discover how Aleph abuse can affect humans, and why they are so hell-bent on taking it all for themselves. You’ll also face some crazy new enemies and of course recruit some awesome new Raiders too!”

Launching on November 30th, Wardog Fury will include four new epic story missions, all playable in single-player, 4 player co-op or the intense 4 v 1 Antagonist mode. In this story, the Raiders will face the deranged General Marmalade and his Umbra Wardogs faction. Alicia knows first-hand just what this man is capable of and the rest of the Raiders are about to find out too. General Marmalade conducts narcotic and Aleph experiments on himself and his units, creating mutants that are as grotesque as they are deadly. Wardog Fury players will exclusively be able to recruit one of Marmalade’s rogue experiments, Loaht, in the first mission.

Also joining the fray during the Wardog Fury campaign are three more characters, who will be able to be unlocked by all Raiders of the Broken Planet players:

Doldren, a native of the Broken Planet who is lethal with a pistol or submachine gun, but even more deadly when he resorts to his bare hands.
Iune is another native to the Broken Planet, who has the special gift of the Anhaurii, meaning she can weave Aleph to grant her unique powers. In addition to her mystical powers, Iune enters combat armed with her hunting rifle.
H.I.V.E. is a strange creature that General Marmalade found lethargic in an old temple and attempted to enslave. Soon enough, H.I.V.E. broke free and ended up joining the Raiders. H.I.V.E.’s origins, or its reasons to align itself with the Harec’s band, remain a mystery.

Planet Coaster Anniversary Update Trailer

2017/11/22

Jerry Paxton

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

Cambridge, UK – Nov. 22, 2017 – Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) today launched the FREE Planet Coaster Anniversary Update, available now for all Planet Coaster players.

See the new Planet Coaster Anniversary Update launch trailer:

Planet Coaster’s Anniversary Update celebrates one year since the game’s launch. Over the past twelve months Planet Coaster has seen the launch of the FREE Winter, Spring and Summer updates, together with a number of game updates and even a collaboration with the world-famous Cedar Point theme park. Today Planet Coaster has over one million players and 142,000 items on the Steam Workshop.

The Anniversary Update is Planet Coaster’s fourth major FREE Update, adding new rides, features and gameplay to Planet Coaster, including:

Scenario Editor

Planet Coaster gives power to the players with the fully-featured Scenario Editor. Players can create their own scenario challenges with an easy-to-use editor and share them with the Planet Coaster community through the Steam Workshop. With new content and community-created challenges available every day, there’s always something new to experience in Planet Coaster.

New Rides

Three new rollercoasters – Hop The Gaps, Cascade and Zenith – bring new coaster-construction options to players’ parks. And two new rides – the retro classic Weisshorn and the compact Monte Leone – expand the collection for all Planet Coaster players.

New Buildings and Scenery

Management gets deeper with the new Staff Management Building – a place for your park staff to rest and receive training before returning to work more capable than ever. New billboard scenery and branding expands advertising options in players’ parks, and new picnic tables allow players to create food courts and plazas for hungry park guests.

And Planet Coaster benefits from a host of new management improvements, a new scenario from the team at Frontier, UI tweaks, custom biome improvements and interchangeable rollercoasters. Place any coaster train on any coaster track, and build without limits.

There’s even more to Create, more to Manage and more to Share in the Planet Coaster Anniversary Update. For full details, visit PlanetCoaster.com/Updates.

Planet Coaster is ON SALE now on Steam and FrontierStore.net for 55 percent off the usual price of $44.99. Planet Coaster is also available at retail stores in selected territories.

Join Planet Coaster on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram all @PlanetCoaster.

Holiday Gift Guide 2017 – Gaming Electronics and Peripherals Part 1

2017/11/21

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Hardware News, News, Peripherals News, Tech News

Holiday Gift Guide 2017 – Gaming Electronics and Peripherals

In this edition of our Holiday Gift Guide series, we will be looking at our must-buy picks of 2017 within the realm of gaming-related electronics and peripherals.

1.) Razer Wolverine Ultimate Xbox One Controller

The Razer Wolverine Ultimate is not only a kick-ass Xbox One controller but also an amazing controller for your gaming PC. It features terrific performance, great aesthetics, and perfect feel. Of course, it also has a convenient braided, breakaway cord and some extra buttons put in place to make your gaming life better.

Platforms: Xbox One, PC

Amazon Link

2.) AGON AG352UCG 35 Inch Curved Display

AGON’s 35 inch curved display is a truly beautiful monitor for your gaming needs. It features up to a 100Hz refresh rate, G-SYNC capability, and 1440P resolution. Furthermore, it features a cool lighting element on its front bezel which aids in office or gaming space ambiance. This is one awesome curved display that you will not regret shelling out your hard-earned cash for. It currently retails for about $900 dollars on Amazon.com

Amazon Link

3.) HTC Vive

This VR headset has never been more affordable. It also features terrific immersion and quality – not to mention room scale performance. It also integrates with Steam and will be the exclusive headset for use by Fallout 4 VR when it launches in December! Note that the $600 Vive bundle comes with a pre-order for Fallout 4 VR inside the package.

Platforms: PC

Product Link

4.) TPCast

Get that above-mentioned HTC Vive but don’t like having to deal with a cable constantly wrapping around your feet? Pick up the TPCast VR wireless transmitter system. The TPCast VR gets rid of the cable and replaces it with wireless freedom. It takes a little bit of setting up, but the process is fairly painless and the rewards for doing so are great. The TPCast VR is now available in the U.S. and EU markets. They are coming out with an Oculus Rift version soon.

Platforms: PC

Product Link

5.) Xbox One X

Have a 4K television and want to play your games? Pick up an Xbox One X. It’s more powerful than any of the other Xbox One consoles, with 12 GB of GDDR5 memory, a 6 teraflop GPU, and a higher throughput memory bandwidth. The Xbox One X is available now in all its 4K high dynamic range glory.

Platform: Xbox One

Product Link

1C Unveils Three New IL-2 Sturmovik Products

2017/11/20

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

(Moscow, Russian Federation) – November 20, 2017 – 1C Game Studios is proud to announce three new products for the IL-2 Sturmovik combat simulator franchise – Battle of Bodenplatte, Flying Circus Volume I and Tank Crew Clash at Prokhorovka. Battle of Bodenplatte continues the tradition of WW2 themed Sturmovik products while Flying Circus will be a return to WWI for the team having previously made the award-winning Rise of Flight. Tank Crew is a completely new concept for the Sturmovik brand and will feature WW2 tank combat in the southern sector of the battle of Kursk in 1943. All three of these titles will be part of the IL-2 Great Battle Series making them compatible with each other and forming one large combat environment where tanks and aircraft can fight together to win the day.

Battle of Bodenplatte
Battle of Bodenplatte will explore the air war near the end of 1944 and into early 1945. This late-war setting offers a wide variety of classic fighters and fighter-bombers for you to fly including some of the hottest piston powered airplanes to ever grace the skies. The P-51D Mustang, Tempest Mk. V fighter-bomber and Me-262 jet fighter are included. There will be a total of ten awesome aircraft available. As the war turned against Germany in the closing months, the Luftwaffe launched “Operation Bodenplatte”, a surprise attack on Allied airfields on January 1, 1945. This attack spawned a legendary air battle. Battle of Bodenplatte will include several modes of gameplay including a dynamic single-player Pilot Career, plus entertaining Scripted Campaigns and Multiplayer modes such as Co-operative and Dedicated Servers. Pre-Orders for Battle of Bodenplatte are already underway with Early Access beginning late Q1 2018. The full release date is to be determined.

Flying Circus – Volume I
Flying Circus will finally give loyal and patient fans of Rise of Flight a new way forward into the future. Flying Circus virtual pilots will benefit from the latest technology our game engine supports like VR, 64bit and DX11. You’ll be able to dogfight famous aces over the trenches of the Great War in immersive state-of-the art virtual reality with high-framerates and stunning visuals. Flying Circus will include ten legendary WWI warbirds such as the SPAD 13, Sopwith Camel and Albatros Dr.1. The Red Baron’s favorite aircraft will also be included, the fearsome Fokker Dr.1 triplane. Flying Circus will feature terrain of the Western Front in 1918 with airfields, villages, towns and the crater scarred No Man’s Land. Expected completion date for Flying Circus is Q4 2018, but an Early Access program will be available.

Tank Crew – Clash at Prokhorovka
Tank Crew will be an armor simulation of the epic tank battle in and around the village of Prokhorovka during the battle of Kursk in WWII. Both single-player and multiplayer modes of gameplay will be included. Especially interesting will be multiplayer as the tanks will be faithfully modeled inside and out, allowing users to team up and crew a single tank together as driver, gunner and commander. Tank Crew will include a dozen tanks, self-propelled guns and mobile AAA units. Players can fight in such tanks as the Soviet made T-34 medium tank or the heavy Kv-1 tank. The famous German Tiger tank will also be included. Because Tank Crew is part of the IL-2: Great Battles Series it’s content is compatible with other IL-2: Great Battles products such as Battle Stalingrad, Battle of Moscow and Battle of Kuban creating one gigantic battlefield and endless possibilities. Tank Crew is planned for a Q4 2018 release with Early Access also being available before completion.

Jason Williams, Lead Producer of IL-2 Sturmovik products, had this to say, “The team is very excited to be expanding the Sturmovik franchise to include the western European theater in WWII and brining state-of-the-art technology to the much-neglected WWI era or early flight. I can already feel the wind in my hair! And Multiplayer is about teamwork and managing a tank with my friends through the hell-storm that was the Kursk battle will be an amazing challenge.”

Holiday Gift Guide 2017 – Video Games

2017/11/20

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Tech News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Holiday Gift Guide 2017 – Video Games

This particular entry in our 2017 holiday gift guides will focus on video games – the whole reason this website came into existence in the first place! The guide will take titles across any platform or genre, so long as it is a cut above the crowd and worth your hard-earned, gift-purchasing money and was released in the 2017 calendar year – enjoy!

1.) Stories Untold

Stories Untold is a hard game to explain, but I’ll give it my best shot. The game is made up of four adventures that all connect in some way – saying more than that would spoil it for you. The game also features some VERY 1980’s horror/sci-fi style – from its score to the technology and scenarios featured in the adventures. It’s terrific, and well worth the $10 price tag.

Platforms: PC – Steam Link

2.) South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: The Fractured But Whole features an enhanced combat system with more tactical options, an irreverent story, and a ton of references to the South Park TV show. If you are into raunchy humor, or just a fan of the show, you don’t want to miss out on playing it.

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 – Steam Link

3.) Total War: Warhammer 2

Total War: Warhammer 2 is a quick follow-up to Total War: Warhammer. As the name suggests, it is set in the Games Workshop world of Warhammer, mixed with the tactical and strategic options the Total War series is known for.

Platforms: PC – Steam Link

4.) Cuphead

A visually stunning platformer which takes its cues from the cartoons of the 1930s, Cuphead has a focus on some intense boss battles. The game is a visual hoot with a ton of things to see – it can actually be somewhat distracting it is so eye-catching!

Platforms: PC, Xbox One

5.) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Released in January of 2017, this Resident Evil game brought the series back to its survival horror roots. The game is super-intense and super-scary – however, if that is your kind of thing, you will love it! It actually proved too intense for your’s truly, so I hope you are braver than I!

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC – Steam Link

6.) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Turning away from usual series protagonist Nathan Drake, The Lost Legacy focuses on Chloe and Nadine, two side characters from previous Uncharted games. The Lost Legacy is a fun adventure game that fans of the series will love. If you have never played the Uncharted games before, however, you might consider it before delving into this one.

Platforms: PlayStation 4