Author - Jerry Paxton

Surviving Mars Space Race Features Trailer

STOCKHOLM – Nov. 5, 2018 – Paradox Interactive and Haemimont Games have today announced that Surviving Mars’ first expansion Space Race will launch on November 15th, 2018 for PC, Xbox and PlayStation. With the introduction of rival colonies, players can look forward to a whole new side of extraterrestrial colonization with other settlements racing for milestones and key colonists as competitors, or issuing distress calls and trading as crucial allies. Either way, the cold expanse of space just got far less isolated with new rival colonies and new mission sponsors footing the bills.

Whether your approach to colonization of alien planets is fast and furious, or slow and steady wins the space, get all the information you need to get ahead in the new feature breakdown trailer here:

Or, check out the new expansion for yourself! Paradox is hosting a streaming event called Space Race – Rival Colonies Stream on the 7th of November at 17:00 CET08:00 PST at the Paradox Mixer channel, and you can follow the Space Race here: https://mixer.com/paradoxinteractive

Surviving Mars: Space Race features include:

  • A Challenger Appears: Compete for milestones and anomalies with several other AI colonies backed by rival sponsors attempting to set roots on Mars and vie to become this planet’s superpower. You can trade with, respond to distress calls for, issue distress calls to, and even steal important colonists from these competitor colonies as you establish your territory on Mars.

  • Earth to Mars, repeat, Earth to Mars: No matter how deep in space you go, you need to follow the money. Each sponsor comes with unique, new sets of goals to complete as you further their individual goals for colonization.

  • Represent the Home Team: Each sponsor has their own unique vehicle and building that only their colonies can construct and take advantage of in their mission. Express the individuality of your space-faring conglomerate inside and out of your domes.

  • New Money, New Problems: Meet two new players in the fight for the final frontier. Japan and Brazil are now available as brand new mission sponsors and are ready to move heaven and Mars to make their mark!

  • Expect the Unexpected: Experience narrative events throughout your colonization process that help reveal the realities of life in the dome and challenge your management skills.

Surviving Mars: Space Race Plus also features the Marsvision Song Contest and Colony Design Set content packs for the colonizer who appreciates the finer things in life on Mars:

  • Human Music, I Like It: Mars hasn’t killed the radio star (yet)! With Marsvision Song Contest players get a new radio station featuring all the top pop songs from the sponsor countries. Bop along to some J-pop, Bollywood and more as you fend off mortal peril for your colonists!

  • Smarten Up Your Streets: Deck out your dome with 25 new buildings to give a fresh look to your living, working, and playing quarters. Whether it’s a Stirling Generator or a Spacebar, make sure you spruce up your space to be out of this world.

Get a headstart in the race and sign up for a pre-order here: https://www.paradoxplaza.com/surviving-mars-space-race/SUSM01ESK0000063-MASTER.html

To find out more about Surviving Mars take a look at here for upcoming news and community activities: www.survivingmars.com/

Star Trek Fleet Command Announced

LOS ANGELES – Nov. 2, 2018 Scopely, an interactive entertainment company and mobile games publisher, and CBS Interactive, today announced the development of Star Trek Fleet Command, a new multiplayer real-time strategy and role-play game that brings an entire galaxy of characters and ships to life for the ultimate Star Trek gaming experience. Based on the 2009, 2013 and 2016 cinematic Star Trek universe, the upcoming game is now available for pre-registration on Google Play and will be available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and Google Play Thursday, November 29th.

Star Trek Fleet Command is the first free-roaming multiplayer Star Trek experience to combine role-playing game style progression and real-time battles with enemy ships—all on mobile devices. A fast-paced strategy experience, the game brings players unparalleled access to the Star Trek universe along with an epic narrative that unfolds as they travel to the furthest corners of the galaxy.

“We’re thrilled to work with CBS Interactive on such iconic IP and believe we’ve designed an expansive, dynamic and super social Star Trek experience for both strategy and role-play gaming fans,” said Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely. “We wanted to create a cinematic, action-packed, genre-defying game that embraces the heart of the franchise—exploration, to allow players to experience an entire galaxy of quests and missions for endless adventure.”

“We are always looking for new ways to bring fans more robust, interactive Star Trek experiences,” said Rob Gelick, Executive Vice President and General Manager at CBS Entertainment Digital, CBS Interactive. “Star Trek Fleet Command is a unique new Star Trek game that lets fans decide their own fate in a vibrant galaxy full of epic ships and iconic characters. By bringing a massive multiplayer universe to mobile devices, Star Trek Fleet Command expands the franchise in a bold new way.”

In Star Trek Fleet Command, players are able to customize their gameplay experience as narrative paths branch and diverge depending on which of the hundreds of available missions they choose to complete and how they approach interactions with other deep-space denizens. Fans of the series will have the opportunity to meet and build dream teams made up of their favorite characters including Captain Kirk, Spock and Uhura, and factions such as the Federation, Klingons and Romulans to fight alongside and determine their place in the cosmos. With each faction offering unique officers, ships and technologies to progress and utilize as strategic assets, the amount of personalization offered in Star Trek Fleet Command is about as limitless as the universe.

Star Trek Fleet Command is the latest in Scopely’s line of mobile games based on renowned entertainment properties such as the award-winning WWE Champions, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival™, YAHTZEE® With Buddies, Wheel of Fortune®: Free Play and the upcoming Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem.

Published by Scopely, Star Trek Fleet Command is created and developed in partnership with DIGIT Game Studios.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Opus VII Set Now Available

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 2, 2018) – The popular FINAL FANTASY® TRADING CARD GAME (“FFTCG”) released its seventh card expansion, “Opus VII” today. The “Opus VII” set features original, never before revealed, exclusive artwork by Toshitaka Matsuda (FINAL FANTASY V), Toshiyuki Itahana (FINAL FANTASY Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates), Akira Oguro (FINAL FANTASY Legends) and Kumiko Koike (FINAL FANTASY, various monsters).

Featuring 138 unique cards, the set also introduces individual characters, Noctis (FINAL FANTASY XV) and Lasswell (FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS®) for the first time, with more support coming for both titles next year. Each “Opus VII” Booster Pack features twelve total cards with one premium foil card, bringing players even closer to completing their FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME collection.

Players who purchase a full Booster Display Box from participating retailers can receive a full art version of Noctis while supplies last.

Further information on the new “Opus VII” card set is available at: https://fftcg.square-enix-games.com/.

The FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME also recently released its first Two Player Starter Set: Villains & Heroes, themed around DISSIDIA® FINAL FANTASY NT. The new Starter Set features two decks and is a full two-player game without need for additional cards. Both decks contain popular, powerful cards, including Genesis (Crisis Core: FINAL FANTASY VII) and Vivi (FINAL FANTASY IX), that can be used to supplement existing FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME decks.

Related Links:
Official Website: https://www.fftradingcardgame.com/na
Official FINAL FANTASY TCG Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyTCG
Official FINAL FANTASY Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/finalfantasy
Official FINAL FANTASY Twitter: @FINALFANTASY
Official FINAL FANTASY Instagram: @FINALFANTASY

The Quiet Man Available Now

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 1, 2018) – THE QUIET MAN™ is now available digitally for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and STEAM® for $14.99.

THE QUIET MAN brings an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic gameplay experience from an all-star development team, including Human Head Studios (Lost Within, Prey, Rune), action director Tatsuro Koike (Yakuza series), renowned comic book writer team Man of Action Entertainment (BEN 10, Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, and the characters and team of BIG HERO 6). Talented Grammy award winning artist Imogen Heap also lends her talent in creating and performing THE QUIET MAN theme song, and original track titled “The Quiet.”

In a story that unravels across a single night, players take the role of deaf protagonist Dane as he fights his way to discover the motives behind the kidnapping of songstress Lala by a mysterious masked man.

A free patch will also be available approximately one week after release, titled THE QUIET MAN – ANSWERED –, which will offer answers to the unique mysteries of THE QUIET MAN by providing another play through with sound and voices.

THE QUIET MAN supports subtitles in 29 languages, including French (Canada), Spanish (Latin America) and Portugese (Brazil).*

Boney Island 2018 Review

Boney Island was a long-running home haunt in the North Hollywood area for many years. Unfortunately, it became a victim of its own success and ended up having to close up shop due to the burden on its local city infrastructure due to the amount of traffic it received every year. Thankfully, it’s back! And, it’s back as its own haunted attraction right next door to the LA Ghost Train. Boney Island features a number of family-friendly activities, such as a variety of photo opportunities featuring animated skeletons, a small haunted forest maze, and a large musical stage show.

For a scant ticket price of $15 dollars a person (Children 2 and under are free), we entered the event when it opened up at 6PM and picked up a container of kettle corn and some sodas. Then we began looking at the various photo opportunities. Each photo opp has some sort of animated or interactive element and you can spend a lot of time just enjoying them. From there, we walked through the small “Deadwood Forest” maze which, while not scary, does feature a lot of cool blacklight-lit props and animated items. Finally, we watched the huge stage show at 6:45PM that featured singing pumpkins, a conjuring skeleton, and powerful glowing fountains – all moving in concert to various spooky tunes. The show is extremely impressive and, even while I was recording it through my smartphone, I could not help but smile in amazement.

One of the nice things about Boney Island is that it is extremely family-friendly and nothing will scare your children to the point of psychosis or anywhere near it, actually. In many ways, Boney Island is a perfect pairing to a night at the LA Ghost Train as both make for a terrific family Halloween event to bring your whole clan out to. Be forewarned, that parking for Boney Island is a bit tricky as you need to use the small park parking lot near the entrance or along Zoo Dr. So, you might want to get there early to grab a good spot. The entrance is across a public park with some uneven ground, so you also might want to pack a flashlight for once it gets dark.

Overall, Boney Island is an amazing family-friendly Halloween event that you should absolutely come out and see. Check out the official website for more information.

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Insurgency: Sandstorm Beta Update Trailer

October 31, 2018 – Insurgency: Sandstorm, the intense FPS sequel to indie smash-hit Insurgency, is already entertaining thousands of players in its ongoing pre-order beta. Now, a major update on November 8 will bring many much-requested changes as developers New World Interactive prepare for launch on December 12. This update includes a brand new map, Precinct, a new Insurgent weapon, as well as various new options, tweaks, and fixes.

The new update teaser trailer showcases Precinct, a large scale urban map set in a city within the fictional, contemporary conflict of Insurgency: Sandstorm. Tight corners, broken barricades, destroyed streets of burnt-out cars and makeshift roadblocks epitomize this map, bringing the frenetic action and tactical squad-based play of Insurgency to a brand new, urban locale.

Other improvements include graphical options, anti-aliasing, animation and character models, plus related optimisation improvements to help the game run better on more systems, along with additional cosmetics, and a new Alpha AK weapon. These, plus additional server browser improvements, will continue to see changes in the run up to release.

Finally, gameplay changes will target everything from hundreds of improvements and bug fixes to the specifics of movement speeds, weapon statistics, map layouts, an Unreal Engine update to version 4.20, and more. A full changelist will be available upon release.

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases on December 12 for PC. Steam pre-orders are available now and give instant access to the ongoing beta testing phase. Insurgency: Sandstorm will come to consoles in 2019.

Shroud of the Avatar Now Free to Play

AUSTIN, Texas, October 30, 2018 — Shroud of the Avatar™: Forsaken Virtues, the record-setting crowdfunded game from famed game designer Richard Garriott, is now available for anyone to play…no purchase necessary! The makers of Shroud of the Avatar, Portalarium™, expanded the free to play features last week and also turned on an overhauled new user experience, a highly anticipated update to the game which should be a welcome addition to all new players ready to venture in Garriott’s fantasy world of New Britannia.

“We are thrilled to open up Shroud to a larger audience of gamers,” said Creative Director Garriott. “We have removed almost all gameplay restrictions from our free players. Now those players can trade freely with other players, own land and play through the entire story! This means that you no longer need to make a purchase to have the Shroud of the Avatar experience!”

The new user experience is an important addition to Shroud. Executive Producer Starr Long explained, “We’ve separated our tutorials from the story-telling spaces in the starting areas. We now have a focused tutorial area in the Isle of Storms where we walk players through the game basics. These progress in a gated fashion so the players must finish learning a skill and utilizing it before they can travel to the next part of the tutorial. We’ve been working on this for several months and are excited to roll this out at the same time we are launching free to play.”

Also choosing one’s story path is now independent of a player’s starting decks. Players start with three decks: Blades, Ranged, and Magic. Once all the tutorials are completed, players will then journey through the lunar rift to one of the three starting areas. Those areas are now polished to be more focused and tighter in their direction. Plus with no more tutorial elements in those areas, those starting scenes are now entirely focused on story.

Shroud of the Avatar launched in March and since that time the Portalarium team launched a new website and has added a multitude of quality of life updates and major features to the game world including:

• Player made heraldry
• Brewing
• Obsidian trials (risk free PVP)
• Major expansions to the fishing system including different water types, more than 25 different fish types with scaling sizes of trophy fish
• Player made dungeons
• Seasonal enemies (Atavists of Purity, Aether Creatures tied to a comet, Pumpkin Head)
• Global banks (they were local before)
• Global chat
• Ability to bypass town sieges & control points
• Elimination of experience point decay on death
• Automatic open multiplayer in towns/overworld/starting areas to increase connectivity with players
• Looking for Group system
• Performance enhancements (frame rate and load times)
• Doubled XP gains across the board (crafting and adventuring)
• And much more

Shroud of the Avatar is the largest crowdfunded video game to ship digital and physical products. The game raised more than $12.3 million when it launched in March. Portalarium has now shipped the boxed version of the game, including the beloved cloth maps and manual illustrated by Denis Loubet, to more than 8,000 backers. More backers are scheduled to receive their boxes in the coming weeks. A version of the box can be purchased via Amazon or directly from the Shroud of the Avatar store(this version is signed by Lord British).

Fishing: Barents Sea King Crab DLC Release Date

Moenchengladbach/Germany, October 29, 2018 – The eagerly awaited King Crab DLC for Fishing: Barents Sea now has a final release date: On November 7, astragon Entertainment and developer Misc Games will release the exciting expansion which will set out fans of the high seas to the big adventure of king crab fishing. A closer look at the two new ships Selfy and Svalbard shows the new features coming soon to future crab fishers.

The Selfy which is based on the ship models of Norwegian ship manufacturer Selfa Arctic AS is the first of the two new ships from the King Crab DLC. The reliable vessel is a true all-rounder in providing a smooth transition from regular fishing to the slightly different mechanics of catching king crabs. She can be equipped either with line and nets or crab pots and a sorting table. Her storage provides more than enough capacities for cod, shellfish, pollack and redfish. With over 500 hp and a maximum speed of 30 knots fishing lovers can still catch the whole range of fish from the Barents Sea before they fully head to the catching of the majestic crustaceans with the next ship of the King Crab DLC.

After learning the basics of crab fishing such as detecting the locations of crab areas and lowering crab pots into the sea, the second ship of the King Crab DLC is the very right choice for virtual fishers. With almost 55 meters the Svalbard is five times longer than the Selfy, equipped with significantly larger crab pots and exclusively designed for king crab fishing. Appropriately, a large and powerful crane for throwing out and hauling in the heavy crab pots is located on deck of the Svalbard. This beast with an 1125 horsepower engine is the perfect companion for making the dream of becoming a successful king crab fisher in Northern Norway come true.

The King Crab DLC for Fishing: Barents Sea will be available on Steam™ on November 7, 2018 for 9.99 Euro/11.99 USD/8.99 GBP (RRP). The main game Fishing: Barents Sea for PC is already available in retail or as a digital download for 19.99 Euro/19.99 USD/16.99 GBP (RRP).

More information on Fishing: Barents Sea:

www.fbsgame.net

www.facebook.com/FishingBarents

http://store.steampowered.com/app/501080/Fishing_Barents_Sea/

Stern Unveils Limited Edition Beatles Pinball Machine

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL – October 29, 2018 Stern Pinball, Inc., a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball, in collaboration with Ka-Pow Pinball, proudly announced today the availability of the one-of-a-kind Beatles pinball machine.  Only 1964 units will be produced in recognition of the year in which the world forever changed when Ed Sullivan introduced America to four young mop-topped musicians from Liverpool, England. The deal was brokered by Bravado Merchandising, the Beatles North American licensing agent.

The game is available in three models named for the recording industry’s sales award levels.  The Diamond Edition, the highest level and most difficult to attain, is limited to only 100 units.  The Platinum Edition is limited to only 250 units. The Gold Edition is limited to 1614 units.

The Beatles pinball machine will immerse players in 1960’s Beatlemania and feature eight timeless hit songs from that era:

  • A Hard Day’s Night
  • Can’t Buy Me Love
  • Ticket to Ride
  • All My Loving
  • Help
  • Drive My Car
  • It Won’t Be Long
  • I Should Have Known Better

The game also features iconic introductions by Ed Sullivan along with custom speech and callouts by Hall of Fame disk jockey, Cousin Brucie.  Cousin Brucie introduced The Beatles at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1964.

The retro-themed playfield features four flippers, eleven drop targets, eight stand-up targets, multiple skill shots, two opto-spinners, a ball-catching magnet and a magnetic spinning record disc in the center of the playfield.  Players, friends and family will enjoy full screen animations as well as simulated reel scoring on the game’s high definition video screen.

All models feature unique art packages and custom powder-coated armor.  The 100 Diamond Editions are numbered, certified collectible and include a mirrored backglass.  The 250 Platinum Editions are numbered and certified collectible.

Complementing the immersive Beatlemania theme and exciting gameplay experience, Stern Pinball’s powerful SPIKE™ electronics hardware system enables high-definition graphics and innovative animations on the high-definition video display.  SPIKE™ reduces system complexity and energy usage resulting in enhanced reliability and simplified servicing. The state-of-the-art electronic system also powers a high-fidelity 3-channel audio system that is three times more powerful than audio systems of previous generations.

“We are very proud of this Beatles pinball machine that was produced in collaboration with our good friend, Joe Kaminkow,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “We can’t wait for players to experience Beatlemania when they play this game.”

Pricing and Availability:

Please contact your local Stern Pinball distributor or dealer for availability and pricing.  To find an authorized Stern Pinball distributor or dealer in your area, please visit: www.sternpinball.com/buy

Ghost Train 2018 Review

The Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum has once again brought back their Ghost Train for the 2018 spooky season. Based near the Los Angeles Zoo, the Ghost Train sees guests climb aboard and ride miniature trains of all kinds – from steam to diesel. This family-friendly haunted attraction is fun for children and adults alike and guests are transported through various spooky dioramas along the roughly twenty minute journey.

This year, the Ghost Train has added some new scenes and surprises which are all well designed and bring some fresh, spooky fun for those riders who have experienced it before. The best part about the LA Ghost Train is that it is unique – I can’t think of another haunted train experience in SoCal. The sets are spooky and have some startling elements, but it is all very tame in comparison to most haunted houses, which usually try to outdo each other in the gore factor. Most of the sets at the LA Ghost Train are activated by the train passing by sensors and are of the animatronic or static prop variety, but the event does have some impressive pyrotechnic effects – there are no scare actors at the LA Ghost Train.

A bit of interesting trivia: Along the spooky tracks, you will run into some Disney-inspired scenes. Walt Disney was actually a part of the LALSRM and the barn that used to sit on his property in LA is now on-site at the museum as well. Also, the museum runs non-spooky tours every Sunday during the rest of the year so you can always bring your kids back for more fun and learning about the railroads. An additional note of interest: These miniature trains are not toys – they are actual working trains, just smaller! The level of technical skill needed to keep them in working order is highly commendable.

Tickets run anywhere from $20 at the door to $25 and $30 with online advanced purchase (which gets you faster line access) and are all well worth the price of admission. Be warned, the Ghost Train is a Halloween time tradition for a multitude of families in Southern California, so the lines can get long. If you want to ensure a good parking spot and place in line, get there early! Parking is available in a small public lot as well as along Zoo Dr. The Ghost Train runs on various days throughout October. Please check their official website for more information.

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