Author - Jerry Paxton

Watch Dogs 2 Human Conditions PS4 Launch Trailer

SAN FRANCISCO — February 20, 2017 Today, Ubisoft® announced that Human Conditions, the second add-on content pack for Watch_Dogs® 2, will be available tomorrow, February 21 on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. Human Conditions is also part of the Season Pass content and will be available on Xbox One and Windows PC on March 23, 2017.

In Human Conditions, biotech takes center stage as players uncover three story-driven DedSec operations set within the vibrant city of San Francisco, investigate a disturbing gang conflict in co-op* with new Elite co-op challenges and face a new enemy type with enhanced tech, the Jammer.  The pack contains more than five hours of new content and challenges to enhance the overall game experience.

The three new DedSec operations introduce some of the Bay’s most outrageous scientific and technological storylines:

  • Automata revolves around Nudle’s new smart car, the CyruX, which uses biometric data both as a security measure and to adapt itself to the driver. But is that really all it does with a user’s personal information? DedSec sees the potential for abuse right away and sets out to expose it.
  • Bad Medicine follows the trail of a dangerous ransomware that has crippled the city’s hospitals; as Marcus and his crew dig deeper to stop this menace, they will cross paths with deadly hitman Jordi Chin and form an unlikely alliance against the Russian mafia.
  • Caustic Progress unveils a strange new company called RenSense that is experimenting with dangerous nanotech on the Bay Area’s homeless. It has caught the attention of bio-hacker Lenni, who claims that their mobile clinics for the homeless hide very troubling human experiments. With her help, DedSec sets out to stop this madness.

Additionally, new Elite co-op challenges will enhance the co-op experience with advanced challenges to test players’ stealth and combat skills. Elite co-op challenges will require the completion of various objectives in multiple locations with bigger layouts and a couple of surprises to spice things up.

Players will also be confronted with a new enemy type, the Jammer, a deadly opponent carrying an anti-hacking device disabling all hacking options in a radius around him. DedSec members must carefully adapt their strategy to deal with this exceptional threat, temporarily disabling his device from afar or manually turning it off after taking the Jammer down.

In Watch_Dogs 2, players explore the birthplace of the tech revolution as Marcus Holloway, a brilliant young hacker who has fallen victim to ctOS 2.0’s predictive algorithms and accused of a crime he did not commit. In Marcus’s quest to shut down ctOS 2.0 for good, hacking is the ultimate weapon. Players can not only hack into the San Francisco Bay Area’s infrastructure but also every person and any connected device they possess to trigger unpredictable chains of events in this vast open world.

For more information about Watch_Dogs 2, please visit watchdogs.com.

*Multiplayer access requires a PlayStation®Plus or Xbox Live Gold membership.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour to Feature La La Land Set

February 17, 2017 – In celebration of this year’s award season, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood will spotlight Lionsgate’s Oscar nominated film, La La Land, as a limited addition to the tour. From Feb. 18 to March 6, 2017, guests can find themselves in a scene from the film as they step onto the ‘Café Sur Le Lot,’ coffee shop set, which has been carefully reconstructed.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood was a recipient of Trip Advisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards and has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Attractions in the United States. A tour visit includes a rare look inside many of the film’s production and backlot areas which were also used in the creation of Academy Award Best Picture winners Argo and Casablanca.

Tour guests will explore the iconic 110-acre studio as well as the innovative Stage 48: Script to Screen. The interactive soundstage offers guests the unique opportunity to explore the full film and television production process and the glory of awards season. Guests explore the Archive, which currently showcases the tour’s latest addition, From J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World: The Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Exhibit offering an up-close look at how J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World has been brought to life over the past 15 years. The Archive also includes DC Universe: The Exhibit which pays homage to the origins of DC Comics, including original comic books featuring all seven Super Heroes of the Justice League. Additionally, guests can explore authentic props and costumes from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. Guests also stop by the Prop Department, which features one of the largest selections of rare antiquities and modern furniture, rugs, drapery, lighting and hand props from Hollywood’s golden era, followed by the Picture Car Vault, home to some of Batman’s most famous vehicles.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is open Monday through Sunday, 9:00AM to 3:00PM, with studio tours departing every 30 minutes and extended hours offered during the summer, spring-break and winter holiday seasons. Reservations are recommended and all children eight years or older are welcomed. Regular tickets are $62 per person and can be purchased online at www.wbstudiotour.com or by calling 818-977-TOUR (8687).

The Surge Gameplay Trailer 2

February 17, 2017 – Upcoming sci-fi action RPG The Surge today reveals 14 minutes of gameplay with commentary from Deck13 Game Designer Adam Hetenyi. Explore the dystopian environments in CREO’s mysterious industrial and RND complex, the Abandoned Laboratories.

Fitted with an industrial exoskeleton, you must fight your way through CREO, equipping the spoils of combat to your suit. Armor and weapons are looted from enemies after duels, in which you will take advantage of The Surge’s unique limb-targeting system to attack and cut off parts of the enemy you want to equip or craft.

Targeting a part of the enemy which is armored will deal less damage, but you will earn the opportunity to deal a finishing blow that will cut off the limb in-tact, allowing you to loot the spoils, gain blueprints, and tech-scrap used to level up your exoskeleton.

The Surge features vertical and horizontal attacks, which are used in combination with parry’s, ducks and jumps as well as a boosted dodge – courtesy of your exoskeleton – culminating in swift, snappy, precise combat situations unlike anything experienced before.

At CREO, you will meet survivors who need help or who can offer assistance. Accepting missions can yield extra rewards, but you will have to balance that against your desire to go deeper into the complex, as the stakes grow ever higher – once dropped, your tech scrap will diminish over time.

Face the dangers of CREO and set your own challenges. Accept missions, learn more about CREO’s history and lore, and fight the various mini-bosses scattered throughout the environment, or play it safe and struggle to survive – it’s up to you.

The Surge slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC in May 2017.

Shock Tactics Gameplay Trailer

February 17, 2017 – Berlin-based indie developer, Point Blank Games, are glad to release a brand-new, action-packed trailer for their turn-based strategy game Shock Tactics.

Shock Tactics combines fast tactical combat, exploration, squad management, and base building, while drawing players into the exploration and story behind the mysterious planet of Hephæst.

The new trailer shows off Shock Tactics fast-paced action and showcases some of the unique abilities available to your characters.

In Shock Tactics, players lead a team of mercenaries who are sent on a scouting mission to explore a newly discovered alien planet as part of the first wave of Free Space Pioneers. While searching the hostile world for alien technology, you lead your team into tactical combat against pirates, alien creatures, and the troops of the Imperial Consortium. Set up outposts and dig sites to investigate the secrets this new world holds, and prepare to fight for supremacy on this undiscovered planet. Possibilities and resources are within your reach – but be alert, for everything comes at a price.

Shock Tactics will be released in Q1 2017 for Windows-PC as digital download via Steam, and as a retail version distributed by EuroVideo.

Further information at: http://www.shock-tactics-game.com/.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PointBlankG4mes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shocktacticsgame.

Entertainment Earth Unveils Twin Peaks Merchandise

LOS ANGELES, CA: February 16, 2017 — Bif Bang Pow!, merchandiser of first-rate collectible merchandise, today announced its plans to create a unique line of consumer products that celebrate the return of the award-winning television series TWIN PEAKS on SHOWTIME®.

Under license by CBS Consumer Products and Twin Peaks Productions, this new lineup of collectibles will offer never-before-made merchandise inspired by the show. In development now, the diverse range of products will include bobble heads, wooden figures, tin totes, stationery products, and more.

“We are fortunate to have a great, longstanding relationship with CBS Consumer Products and SHOWTIME®. So when they shared TWIN PEAKS was returning to television, we instantly knew that Bif Bang Pow! needed to bring fans the merchandise they’ve been waiting for,” commented Jason Lenzi, co-founder of Bif Bang Pow!. “I have been an obsessive fan of TWIN PEAKS since its first airing in 1990, and I’m anxious to see what’s waiting for us in that town when the show comes back in May.”

Beginning with a variety of show-inspired tin totes and a mini journal, TWIN PEAKS merchandise from Bif Bang Pow! will be available via Entertainment Earth and other fine retailers. For product releases and pre-orders updates, visit entertainmentearth.com.

Available now, fans can enjoy past episodes as well as the follow-up feature (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me), film extras, newly transferred Log Lady episode introductions, and more on Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery – the newly released compilation Blu-ray DVD from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The new SHOWTIME limited event series will premiere on Sunday, May 21st, 2017 at 9 PM ET/PT.

Check out these with other coveted collectibles at Toy Fair 2017 booth (#5452). Press attending the show are encouraged to schedule an appointment for a walk-through and demonstrations.

Star Wars Force Friday II Announced for Sept 1

Glendale, Calif. (February 16, 2017) – Disney and Lucasfilm today announced Star Wars Force Friday II, a global fan event celebrating the launch of new products inspired by the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Toys, collectibles, books, apparel and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2017, with stores around the world opening for a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars.

“The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail,” says Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We’re excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for ‘The Last Jedi’. Plans for this year’s world-wide event are top secret but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.”

Star Wars fans around the globe embraced Force Friday in 2015, with hundreds of thousands turning up to stores at midnight to be the first to get their hands on merchandise from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Toys from the new line were revealed via a global live-stream unboxing event that unfolded over 18 hours, 15 different cities and 12 countries, attracting millions of views on YouTube. Fans took to social media to share their experiences with nearly 3 billion Twitter impressions about the events, using #ForceFriday.

Jill Wilfert, Vice President of global licensing and entertainment from The LEGO Group comments, “It was so much fun to be a part of Star Wars Force Friday, and we can’t wait for fans to join this year’s celebration as we reveal new ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ products during Force Friday II – a global event that will connect fans and families, and allow them to build, create and share their experiences with others.”

Details of how fans can participate will be revealed closer to the event but the world-wide launch will tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique experience for fans. Just like 2015, products for “The Last Jedi” will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero’s BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways.

“Toys play a unique role in the Star Wars universe, and we’re proud to have been part of that incredible legacy for the past forty years. The new line for ‘The Last Jedi’ is our most innovative yet, and we’re excited to unveil it on Force Friday II,” said Samantha Lomow, Senior Vice President at Hasbro.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the highest grossing movie of all time domestically and that success was mirrored at retail. NPD[1] reported that Star Wars was the number one toy property in the U.S. for 2016 and 2015, and that during the week of Force Friday, $1 for every $11 spent on toys was on a Star Wars item. Additionally, the popularity of the movie propelled Star Wars onto the top ten toy list for both boys and girls for the first time ever in 2015[2].

Also being revealed today is a first look at packaging for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” products which feature leading heroes: Poe Dameron, Rey and Finn. The trio will be featured on Star Wars packaging beginning September 1, 2017.

Fans can stay tuned to StarWars.com for more details on Force Friday II events, and can follow the conversation on social using #ForceFridayII.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Trailer: Open Beta Coming

February 16, 2017 – Squad up and don’t miss your chance to play for free during the Ghost Recon Wildlands Open Beta. The Open Beta is coming 02.23.17 – 02.27.17. More information about the open beta can be found at the UbiBlog: https://blog.ubi.com/?p=45908

To learn more about the Santa Blanca cartel, fans can watch the premiere of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands: War Within the Cartel, promotional live-action content debuting on the Ubisoft Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/Ubisoft) at 2 p.m. PST. The content will be available on Amazon Prime Video following the premiere.

Set in the largest action-adventure open world ever created by Ubisoft, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands takes place in Bolivia a few years from now, as the country has been turned by the vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel into a narco-state. Players are tasked with eliminating the cartel by any means necessary. The massive and responsive open world encourages a variety of playstyles, allowing players the freedom to choose how they execute any and all missions. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands will be available on current-gen consoles and PC on March 7.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, please visit www.ghostrecon.com, follow us on www.twitter.com/ghostrecon or www.facebook.com/ghostrecon, and join the conversation by using #GhostRecon.

Bandit Six Games Coming to Google Daydream

Portsmouth, UK (16th February 2017) – Climax Studios are bringing their critical acclaimed and number 1 selling VR titles Bandit Six and Bandit Six: Salvo to Google Daydream. Bandit Six launches today and Salvo arrives Thursday, 23rd February.

“We are a big supporter of Daydream and believe it will continue to push our industry forward toward mass consumer adoption. We have already seen great success with our first Daydream release, Hunters Gate, and are excited to see the public’s reaction to our next two titles” says Simon Gardner, CEO of Climax Studios.

Bandit Six

Strap on your Google Daydream and man the tail guns of a World War 2 bomber fending off swarms of attacking fighters as they close in for the kill. You’ll face the enemy’s deadliest aerial weapons, from the iconic Me109 to V2 rockets, jets and missiles.

Bandit Six delivers an intense first-person arcade aerial combat experience offering more than 30 blastacular missions set amidst skies swarming with tracer, flak, flames and planes. So, man the guns and join the fight.

Bandit Six is available today on the Google Play Store for £2.49/$2.99/3.49 euro. It is also available on Samsung Gear VR.

Bandit Six: Salvo

Bandit Six: Salvo thrusts you head first into the heart of war. You must skilfully defend key positions against waves of incoming enemy forces by blasting the hell of them. First, strategically position your gun turrets on your War Room map table for maximum effect, then go first person and man your machine guns, mortars and cannons to gun down hordes of enemy bombers, helicopters, landing craft, tanks, jeeps and much more before they destroy you and take your position.

From the beaches of Britain to the snowy ruins of Stalingrad, to the sun-baked Pacific you’ll face tougher and more challenging missions against ever increasing numbers of enemy forces.

Bandit Six Salvo releases on the 23rd February and is a free to try title. Players will be able to download and try the first 3 levels for free. Full game unlock is available for £2.49/$2.99/3.49 euro. It is also available on Samsung Gear VR.

PAX Australia 2017 Dates Revealed

MELBOURNE – Feb. 16, 2017 – PAX Australia will take place 27-29 Oct. 2017, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre-tickets are scheduled to go on sale 14 March, 2017.

“Australia’s gaming community has given PAX such an incredible home here,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder of PAX and Penny Arcade.  “This year will see the fifth PAX Aus erupt in Melbourne, and there’s every indication it will be the best one yet.”

Early bird tickets will save you $5 AUD on the full ticket price, Friday Only, Saturday Only, and Sunday Only tickets will cost $65 AUD, Three Day Passes will cost $165 and includes recorded national delivery. International Three Day passes will cost $165 AUD. Attendees wishing to bring their own computer, can also purchase a BYOC pass for an additional $45 AUD.

Game developers wishing to exhibit at PAX Australia 2017 can contact the PAX Aus team. Working journalists and YouTube and Twitch content creators interested in attending PAX Australia to create coverage of the event may begin to register for a press pass in July 2017.

The PAX series of shows (West, East, South and Australia), produced by ReedPOP in conjunction with Penny Arcade, comprise some of the world’s largest gaming festivals, with each event entertaining tens of thousands of gaming fans. PAX events connect leading tabletop and video game developers directly to passionate gaming audiences, providing a space where gaming culture is celebrated through panels, demos, concerts, tournaments and free-play sessions.

For further information, follow PAX Australia via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

PAX

PAX or Penny Arcade Expo is a festival for gamers to celebrate gaming culture. First held in Seattle in 2004, PAX has nearly doubled in size each successive year, with PAX Prime 2014 selling out of tickets in a matter of minutes. Connecting the world’s leading game publishers with their most avid and influential fans, PAX expanded with a second show in Boston in 2010 and a third in San Antonio in 2015, making it the three largest gaming shows in North America. The first international PAX was held in Melbourne, Australia in 2013.

PENNY ARCADE

Penny Arcade is a web comic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. With over 3.5 million readers, it is the most popular and longest running gaming web comic online. Penny Arcade is also responsible for the Child’s Play Charity, the Penny Arcade gaming expos (PAX) in Seattle, Boston, San Antonio and Melbourne, multiple videogames based on the brand, and multiple online video series.

REEDPOP

ReedPOP is the largest producer of pop culture events in the world, a full-service boutique team that has the backing and muscle of a major international events organization. ReedPOP runs events such as New York Comic Con, Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Star Wars Celebration, Oz Comic-Con, Paris Comic Con, PAX West, PAX East, PAX South, Comic Con India, and more.

Microsoft Announces Xbox E3 2017 Press Conference Date and Time

Microsoft has announced that its annual E3 Xbox briefing will be moving its time from Monday to Sunday, June 11 at 2PM. Microsoft has not announced the reason for this scheduling change, but we will update you as soon as we hear more.

The big topic for Microsoft at this upcoming briefing will likely be the upcoming Xbox Scorpio game console, which is slated for a release later this year.