August 25, 2016 – Summer’s almost over, but it’s not too late to take a trip to Nuka-World, American’s Favorite Vacation Destination! Before cramming the whole family in your Chryslus Corvega, grab your Nuka-World Park Guide, and then take a few minutes to meet Nuka-World’s wonderful hosts, Bottle and Cappy, and learn more about the park by watching the following park safety video: https://youtu.be/K5uFXByM1UU.
Set for release worldwide on Tuesday, August 30th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, Fallout 4: Nuka-World is a vast amusement park now a lawless city of Raiders. Explore an all-new region with an open wasteland and park zones like Safari Adventure, Dry Rock Gulch, Kiddie Kingdom, and the Galactic Zone. Lead lethal gangs of Raiders and use them to conquer settlements, bending the Commonwealth to your will. Nuka-World features new quests, Raiders, weapons, creatures, and more. Enjoy the ride!
SAN FRANCISCO — August 24, 2016 — Today, Ubisoft announced its PAX West 2016 lineup – inviting fans to see an exciting demo of South Park™: The Fractured But Whole™ and get hands on with playable content from For Honor™, Werewolves Within™ and Eagle Flight™ at the Ubisoft booth (#605) in Seattle from September 2-5. Additionally, fans can attend panels for South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Tom Clancy’s The Division™, while attendees looking to get “heads-on” with the newly announced Star Trek™: Bridge Crew™ virtual reality game, can demo it at the Intel (#613) and NVIDIA (#803) booths.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Learn the hilarious ways the teams at Ubisoft San Francisco and at South Park Digital Studios collaborated to create South Park: The Fractured But Whole, in a panel titled “From Fart to Feature.” The panel will be moderated by Tim Gettys from “Kinda Funny” and will take place on Friday, September 2from 3-4 pm in the Wyvern Theater at The Westin Seattle Hotel (1900 5th Ave). Members from the Ubisoft development team will share their insights into the process of turning South Park jokes into an authentic, satisfying and hilarious RPG gameplay experience. There will also be special Pinny Arcade official pin giveaways at the panel and at the South Park photo experience on the booth.
Attendees can also try the unique odor virtual reality experience with the Nosulus Rift that is exclusively compatible with the demo of South Park: The Fractured But Whole video game at the Ubisoft booth. Cosplayers can participate in the “Coon and Friends Cosplay Contest” – learn more about the cosplay contest by visiting www.southparkgame.com.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
In Tom Clancy’s The Division, millions of players have banded together and stormed the streets of New York to help restore order to a city that is on the brink of collapse. Fans can get an in-depth look at how the game’s universe was imagined with the “Behind the Scenes – Building a Dystopian New York City” panel on Sunday, September 4 from 3-4 pm in the Hydra Theatre at the Grand Hyatt (721 Pine St). Attendees can sit down with Ubisoft developers for a deep dive into the inspiration and creative process behind this breakout franchise. There will also be special giveaways at the panel for attendees.
For Honor
For Honor will also host a 3-hour segment on PAX’s Twitch stream from 10am-1pm on Saturday, September 3. The stream will showcase a 4v4 Dominion mode competition and a narrative segment with Creative Director Jason Vandenberghe, Voice Director Khris Brown and additional special guests that will dive deeper into how the team brought the heroes of For Honor to life. Finally, attendees will get an early sneak peek of closed alpha content before it goes live on September 15. PAX West attendees can see the narrative segment live at the PAX Arena and online viewers can tune-in from 10am-1pm athttps://www.twitch.tv/pax.
Eagle Flight
Get ready to soar – Eagle Flight will be at the Ubisoft booth for players to experience the freedom of flying via virtual reality. The game lets players become an eagle and fly over Paris and its iconic landmarks 50 years after humans have left, allowing nature and wildlife to take back the city and create a rich playground that offers an incredible experience of free flight and adventure.
Werewolves Within
Werewolves Within, the online VR game of social deduction and competitive spirit, will be on the show floor for all to experience. Werewolves Within is one of the first multiplayer social VR experience, players are transported to the medieval village of Gallowston where they must uncover the werewolves that have been terrorizing the townsfolk. Townsfolk or werewolf, players can practice their interrogation or deception skills at the Ubisoft booth.
Star Trek™: Bridge Crew™
Explore the final frontier as a member of the Federation in the VR game, Star Trek™: Bridge Crew™.Players are placed directly on the bridge of the Starfleet ship U.S.S. Aegis, in the Captain, Helm, Tactical or Engineer positions. Each role is crucial to the success of the various missions players face and only by working together can the crew complete their objectives. Star Trek™: Bridge Crew™ will be playable at the Intel booth (#613) and NVIDIA booth (#803).
PAX West attendees can take advantage of pre-order incentives at the Amazon Pre-Order Store at the Ubisoft booth. The first 1,000 fans who pre-order For Honor and Watch_Dogs® 2 respectively, will receive redeemable CrowdTwist cards, and South Park: Fractured But Whole pre-orders will receive a special Coon patch to stick on their favorite superhero gear.
Visit the UbiBlog at http://www.ubiblog.com for exclusive news and features from PAX West.
New York, NY – August 24, 2016 – 2K and Firaxis Games are excited to announce the Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI 25th Anniversary Edition. Limited to 20,000 copies worldwide, the offering will celebrate 25 years of the Civilization franchise, which began in 1991 with the groundbreaking Sid Meier’s Civilization. The Sid Meier’s Civilization VI 25th Anniversary Edition will be available exclusively for PC, at participating retailers for a suggested retail price of $89.99.
The Sid Meier’s Civilization VI25th Anniversary Edition will include the following:
Copy of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI game and all bonus digital content found in the Digital Deluxe Edition*;
25th Anniversary Edition premium packaging;
Exclusive 25th Anniversary commemorative coin set with display case;
“Civilization Through the Years” 100-Page hardcover art book;
Aztec Civilization Pack pre-order bonus**;
“Generations of gamers have been able to experience the award-winning Civilization franchise, and 2K is honored to bring Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, to fans on October 21,” said Matt Gorman, Vice President of Marketing at 2K.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI marks another milestone in the Civilization franchise, which has sold-in over 35 million units worldwide and changed the gaming landscape by bringing the strategy genre to unparalleled heights. In Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, cities will physically expand across the map to create new, deep strategic layers, active research in technology and culture will unlock new potential ways to play; and the large variety of leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical character traits as players race to achieve victory however they choose to play.
“The vitality of Civilization is in the new ideas that each design team brings to the game as well as the passion and feedback from an incredible community,” said Sid Meier, Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games. “We hope players enjoy the vibrant living world and the new features the team has created in this latest offering. I’m proud of the work they’ve done, and I hope you will enjoy playing Civilization VI as much as they’ve enjoyed making it. Here’s to the next 25 years!”
Developed by Firaxis Games, Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up by the ESRB, and is available for pre-order now on Windows PC, and will be released worldwide on October 21, 2016 for $59.99. Expand your empire further with the Civilization VI Digital Deluxe Edition which includes the full base game, the 25th Anniversary Digital Soundtrack, and access to four post-launch DLC packs that will add new maps, scenarios, civilizations and leaders for a bundled discount of $79.99.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (August 24, 2016) – Leading interactive entertainment developer and publisher, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., today announced DARK SOULS III™: Ashes of Ariandel™, the first of two planned downloadable expansions to the critically acclaimed DARK SOULS III for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM. Return to the world of DARK SOULS III and uncover a terrible secret that lies within the frozen land of Ariandel. Players will find themselves steeped in a brand new environment filled with terrifying new enemies, challenges, and exciting lore to expand the overarching DARK SOULS III storyline.
Players are tasked to enter the land of Ariandel and defeat the evil within to uncover the mystery of what has caused the land to become defiled. In addition to adding a new environment to DARK SOULS III, the DARK SOULS III: Ashes of Ariandel expansion will also include new weapons, armor sets, and magic for players to discover and experiment with, as well as new features for the game’s wildly popular competitive multiplayer mode.
“DARK SOULS III: Ashes of Ariandel continues FromSoftware’s track record of providing best-in-class post game downloadable content support,” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing for BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “With hours of new challenges, new bosses, new mysterious locations to explore, new items to obtain, and new ways to challenge other players online, it’s the perfect time to jump back into one of the best games of 2016.”
DARK SOULS III: Ashes of Ariandel is rated “M” for Mature and will be available for download on the PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM October 25, 2016 for a MSRP of $14.99. A season pass for DARK SOULS III which includes DARK SOULS III: Ashes of Ariandel and a second expansion, expected to be released in early 2017, is available for purchase for $24.99 for all versions of the game.
Paris, France – August 23, 2016 – Fresh from a successful week at Gamescom, award-winning developer Amplitude Studios has announced that Endless Space 2 will be entering Early Access on Steam in September 2016. Endless Space 2 is a turn-based, 4X space-strategy game that launches players into the space colonization age of different civilizations within the Endless universe.
To celebrate the Early Access news, Amplitude Studios is excited to introduce the third faction reveal for Endless Space 2, the Lumeris faction, a society that revolves around trade, economic deals, economic growth, and successful business. Expansion and acquisition are the bywords of the Lumeris culture, and as an amphibious people they are prepared to make money in any environment. Their society is organized around a series of families that have traditionally run different parts of their economy, and the balance of power and negotiations between the families is what drives progress – or blocks it.
The Early Access version of Endless Space 2 will feature four of the eight factions planned for full release. Discover each faction’s story, from the AI gone berserk to the traditional family facing a dangerous young upstart. Feel like an emperor and see your population react to all your decisions, they will be the source but also the key to all your conflicts. Explore the Endless universe, discover its secrets, its new life forms and find your own path to galactic dominion.
Known for its deep, engaging, and gorgeous 4X strategy games including 2014’s celebrated Endless Legend and Dungeon of the Endless, Amplitude Studios won the venerable 2013 Golden Cube and Community Choice Unity Awards for Endless Space. For more information on Endless Space 2, visit Amplitude Studios on its website (www.amplitude-studios.com), like it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter.
Recently, we got the chance to take a look at the HTC Vive virtual reality headset for a three week test run. With quite a few virtual reality headset options out on the market right now, we were interested in finding out what exactly sets the HTC Vive apart from the rest. Does the HTC Vive pull ahead of the competition or is it just one of the crowd? Read on and find out!
Housed in very thorough packaging, we removed all of the components of the HTC Vive VR system. Upon seeing the small USB pass-through box, two sensors, and all the cabling, we were worried as it looked quite complicated. Thankfully, setting up the HTC Vive is anything BUT complicated thanks to its setup software, which literally walks you, step-by-step, through what to connect where and when to do it.
The two sensors, or “lighthouses”, get mounted above the play area in opposite corners of the space (wall screws and drywall anchors are included). They only need to be plugged into a wall outlet via two included adapters. They do not need a wired connection to your computer to function, which is great! They do include an optional sync cable which allows to you connect the sensors together in spaces where line of sight is an issue (they need LoS with each other to sync up their sensor data), but we didn’t need to go this route.
One VERY smart thing that HTC has included in the HTC Vive system is a nifty pass-through box. Unlike other VR systems on the market, which requires the user to plug everything into the USB 3.0 ports on the back of the PC, this pass-through acts as a middle man of sorts. It plugs into the appropriate ports on the back of your PC then your HTC Vive plugs into the pass-through box. It’s a small thing, but also VERY important for increased ease of use.
Finishing setup, we powered everything up and Steam VR started automatically (I LOVE the integration with Steam). There is a separate HTC Vive environment but the integration with Steam is where it’s at for this gamer. Steam will run a first-time room setup application that allows you to setup your play area and style. In this, the HTC Vive can be configured for sitting/standing or room scale modes.
Sitting/standing is what most VR headsets do these days – but they Vive leaps ahead of the pack with room scale mode. In this mode, you are able to walk around a play area and more immersively interact with your virtual environment. The play area can be pretty large, and my 6ft x 6ft room was actually about the minimum size for the setup process.
After setup, I decided to start up some VR titles that I had previously downloaded via Steam. The first was Trials on Tatooine, a Star Wars themed VR demo. In the demo, you have to do some maintenance on the Millennium Falcon and even get to use a lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts. Using the two motion controllers to manipulate objects in VR space is simply outstanding. The feedback built into the controllers do a great job of syncing up with your virtual input to give your brain the impression of “hitting” a VR object.
The moment I ignited the lightsaber was one I shall never forget. Ever since I saw the original Star Wars film, I wondered what it would be like to wield one of the fabled weapons of the Jedi. Holding the saber in my hand and rotating it in front of my face, it felt like I was holding it for real. The sense of scale and presence are perfect. I also discovered that I apparently have NO Force Sensitivity whatsoever! I can’t deflect blaster bolts to save my life. I was more like Finn in The Force Awakens. But, I digress…
Now, a lot of the motion controller functionality has to do with how well the application or game has applied it but, for a developer worth their salt, these motion controllers are awesome and are truly a revolution in gaming.
One thing that should be noted is that the HTC Vive does not come with an integrated headset for audio. However, it does have an audio jack on the Vive unit itself that you can plug your headphones into. The nice part of this is that you can choose whatever headphones you like. HTC does include some simple earbuds in the box that you can use if you like, but they blocked out a lot of the ambient noise and I personally like hearing what’s going on around me while I am in the VR space.
Due to the increased comfort padding around the HTC Vive, there appears to be a slightly narrower field of view when compared to the Oculus Rift. Despite this, I actually found the visual clarity of the HTC Vive to be better than that of the Rift’s. Adjusting the width of the lenses that the wearer looks through is done by a digital rotary knob. This adjustment system is very easy to use and extremely precise (with an onscreen indicator) – as opposed to the Rift’s slider control which, while functional, gives no on-screen indication of current position.
While my experience with the HTC Vive was amazing, there were a couple issues that are worth noting which you might encounter when you use it. The first was the occasional “jittering” of my point of view when I skirted around the outskirts of my play area. It was as though one of the sensors was losing sight of me, causing the issue. Gamers with larger play areas shouldn’t experience this as much.
The second issue to be aware of is one of cable management. The cables coming from the HTC Vive are thick and rugged, but you will undoubtedly end up stepping on them and having to scoot them out of the way with your feet while walking around your room. There are some third part cable rigs that you can buy, but I haven’t had the chance to check them out yet.
The HTC Vive is the only choice you should consider if you are in the market for a good virtual reality headset right now. It has an extremely high immersion factor thanks to its room scale play and excellent motion controllers while also boasting great visual clarity. The HTC Vive retails for $799, which is very economical when compared to the Oculus Rift (which does NOT include motion controllers and only has one sensor). The HTC Vive gaming experience has to be seen to be believed, and I can’t wait for more AAA developers to start putting out games for it. Fallout 4 and Skyrim for HTC Vive can’t get here fast enough! We give the HTC Vive a 5 out of 5 and our “Seal of Excellence”.
MONTRÉAL, CANADA – August 22, 2016 – Today, Square Enix® and Eidos®-Montréal announced the content of the season pass of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided®, the latest instalment in the Deus Ex® seires.
The Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Season Pass, which is composed of Narrative DLCs and in-game items, is loaded with content that will help to further flesh out the lore of the Deus Ex Universe. The Season Pass contains:
Story missions
System Rift – Available this fall.
A Criminal Past – Available Early 2017
In-Game Items – All available on August 23
Assault Pack: Prepare to advance and assault the enemy with a custom skinned Battle Rifle, the Chaff Augmentation, one pack of regular Battle Rifle ammo, one pack of armor piercing Battle Rifle ammo, 2 Frag Grenades, and 2 EMP Grenades.
Tactical Pack: Using distance to your advantage, eliminate your targets silently with a custom skinned Tranquilizer Rifle, the Micro Assembler Augmentation, one pack of tranquilizer ammo, 3 Smoke Grenades, and 2 Gas Grenades.
4 Praxis Kits – These additional Praxis Kits will allow you to further develop the augmentations of your choosing, moving you one step closer to unlocking Adam’s full potential.
5000 Credits – Bolster your wallet with additional credits, providing you with extra spending money to purchase Praxis Kits, ammo, weapons, or anything else you may find at the shops in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
1000 Crafting Parts – Use crafting parts to craft upgrades, such as increased damage and accuracy, for any weapon in your inventory.
5 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach Booster Packs – Open your booster packs to unlock new weapons and items, Praxis points, premium ammo, and more, helping to augment and enhance your avatar in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach.
20 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach Chipsets – Use your chipsets to acquire exclusive items in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach, such as premium Booster Packs and custom weapons.
The Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Season Pass is included in the Digital Deluxe Edition and can also be secured on Xbox Live, PlayStation®Network and online stores for $29.99. Deus Ex: Mankind Dividedwill launch on August 23rd for PlayStation®4, the Xbox One all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (August 22, 2016)—Lucasfilm announced today that they are teaming up with five of the world’s most well-known brands—Duracell, General Mills, Gillette, Nissan and Verizon—for the launch of an extensive global promotional campaign in support of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” opening on December 16.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with such a remarkable group of promotional partners for ‘Rogue One,’” said Lynwen Brennan, General Manager of Lucasfilm. “This first in a series of Star Wars standalone films represents an exciting new era for both Star Wars and Lucasfilm, and the partners joining us on this exciting journey have each designed a stellar campaign capturing the spirit and camaraderie of ‘Rogue One.’”
With their specific, custom-designed campaigns and innovative programs, the five internationally respected global brands are poised to complement the tempo and tone of the overall marketing campaign of this first-ever standalone Star Wars story.
DURACELL
Founded in the 1920s, the Duracell brand has grown to be the leader in the single-use battery market in North America. Its iconic brand is known the world over. Its products are trusted in the devices that keep people connected, protect their families, entertain them, and simplify their increasingly mobile lifestyles. The Duracell Company is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, a $210B holding company owning subsidiaries that engage in diverse business activities. Visit www.duracell.com for more information.
GENERAL MILLS
General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie’s, Yoplait,Nature Valley, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso,Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2016 worldwide sales of US $17.6 billion, including the company’s US $1.0 billion proportionate share of joint-venture net sales.
GILLETTE
For over 110 years, Gillette has delivered precision technology and unrivalled product performance – improving the lives of over 750 million men around the world. From shaving and body grooming, to skin care and sweat protection, Gillette offers a wide variety of products including razors, shave gel (gels, foams and creams), skin care, after shaves, antiperspirants, deodorants and body wash. For more information and the latest news on Gillette, visit http://www.gillette.com/.
NISSAN MOTOR CO.
Employing more than 37,000 team members in U.S., Canada and Mexico, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history. More information on the complete line of Nissan vehicles, our services and commitment to sustainable mobility can be found online at NissanNews.com.
VERIZON
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York City, has a diverse workforce of nearly 162,700 and generated nearly $132 billion in 2015 revenues. Verizon operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 113.2 million retail connections nationwide. The company also provides communications and entertainment services over mobile broadband and the nation’s premiere all-fiber network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers worldwide.
MONTRÉAL, CANADA – 18 August 2016 – Today, Square Enix® and Eidos®-Montréal unveiled the launch trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided®, the latest installment in the Deus Ex® Franchise.
In 2029, after the Aug incident that resulted in the deaths of millions, mankind stands divided. The oppression of the mechanically augmented has created a climate of fear and resentment, resulting in an escalation of crime and acts of terror. Amid all the chaos, Adam Jensen goes after the Illuminati, the men and women responsible for tearing the world apart. Armed with a new arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations, he must choose the right approach, along with who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will launch on August 23rd for PlayStation®4, Xbox One all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC.
We have been to a number of escape rooms, but The Bunker Experience in Pasadena, CA has the coolest setting of any of them we’ve been to thus far. Set in a 100 year old bank building basement, The Bunker Experience tasks its guests with getting out of the titular bunker and to a safe center somewhere in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. This old basement makes the perfect bunker and everything feels authentic to the world it is supposed to exist in. Guests may enter The Bunker Experience in groups of 2 to 12 people, with tickets costing $30 dollars each.
Story is essential to The Bunker Experience, but you may not be aware of it on your first go-through. The creator of The Bunker Experience originally intended the IP to take the form of a web series before it became an escape room, and this episodic mentality will persist much to the benefit of guests. They are planning to add new “chapters” or “episodes” as time goes on, allowing guests to continue the story of their survivor group throughout the wasteland. A lot of credit must be given to the actors populating The Bunker Experience. They are all in-character, complete with makeup applications and full costumes.
One of the coolest things about The Bunker Experience is that it also features a short walk-through dark maze similar to a haunted house. What’s more, they are even adding a special Halloween event to the experience for the Fall season! We are not quite sure what this Halloween event will entail, but we were told it would be very scary and feature lots of monsters.
Despite its awesome location, story, and committed actors, The Bunker Experience is not the most challenging escape room we have encountered. You are given 45 minutes (instead of the usual hour) to escape from the bunker and make it to the safe zone and our group made it out with time to spare. The challenge isn’t easy by any means, but it also isn’t too hard. It makes for a great first escape room for someone who has never been to one before but can also offer enough challenge and ambiance for veteran escape room challengers. Also, the end of the experience wasn’t very well-defined. It took us a few seconds to realize what happened when we finished it. I hope they can denote “the end” a little more clearly in the future of this chapter of The Bunker Experience saga.
Overall, The Bunker Experience is a lot of fun, and features a terrific environment for an escape room and maze. Even though the larger story was a bit lost on us because we were only looking at the very first part of the saga, the idea of adding more “chapters” to survive is pretty revolutionary in the escape room marketplace.
Also, I can’t wait to see how they amp up the terror with a haunted house/scare zone during the Halloween season! By the way, tickets for the Halloween event are also on sale now!
