Author - Jerry Paxton

MotoGP 17 – Announcement Trailer

Milan (April 12, 2017) – Milestone, one of the leading and longest established racing game developer in the world, is proud to announce MotoGP™17, the videogame dedicated to the 2017 world championship season. The game will be available on July 11 on PlayStation®4, PS4™Pro, Xbox One® and Windows PC/STEAM™.

MotoGP™17 will be available exclusively at GameStop in the United States and participating retailers in Canada and Latin America. Pre-orders will give players access to the MotoGP ™ 17 – Credits Multiplier helping them reach the top of the MotoGP™ Championship. MotoGP™17 will also be available for digital download.

The 2017 edition of the official MotoGP™ videogame brings all the adrenaline and need for speed of the new motorbike world champion with it. The title will include all the 2017 riders, teams and tracks; the new rules and the Red Bull Rookies Cup championship. This edition will reach 60 FPS for the first time, guaranteeing unprecedented performance and extreme enjoyability for the end user. All this will be made possible thanks to the Milestone developers’ experience and skills, developed over 20 years of dedicated work to racing.

“We are working really hard to make MotoGP™17 not just a seasonal update, but an enjoyable game which is full of all the innovations which the fans of the series have asked for over the years. We will have a new competitive and thrilling online mode, a completely revolutionised career mode and much more. I don’t want to reveal too much, but I can assure you that you will see great things in the next few months. In the meantime, sit back and watch the beginning of the new season with us,” states Matteo Pezzotti, Milestone Lead Designer.

Star Conflict Introduces PvE Mode

April 12th, 2017 — In celebration of the first manned spaceflight in human history 56 years ago, StarGem Inc. and Gaijin Entertainment today announced the release of the major Evolution Factor update for the Sci-fi Action MMO Star Conflict. Part of the new content is the evolvable interceptor Tai’Kin as well as the PvE game mode ‘“Ariadne’s Thread”, in which players combine forces against a rogue Artificial Intelligence.

Star Conflict’s brand-new PvE mode “Ariadne’s Thread” will see players explore the vast and experimental shipyards of the Blackwood Corporation, which is controlled by Ariadne, a sophisticated management AI. After repeatedly freeing itself from human control, it now has gone completely rogue by supplying the dangerous Cyber forces in their recent large-scale attack. Tasked with defeating Ariadne, players need to brace themselves for an unpredictable enemy, where every new battle can be completely different from the previous one. The encountered forces will vary in every mission and so will the secondary objectives, rewarding players with additional rewards upon completion.

Similar to the other fascinating spaceships of the Ellydium Corporation’s Evolution project, the new Tai’Kin is actually multiple ships at once. Thanks to the flexible evolution and customization system that allows for a large number of combinations in special modules and weapons, this fast and maneuverable interceptor will be able to outsmart its competition in many ways. For example, the ‘Return Crystal’ module will transform the Tai’Kin in into an ideal defender of any control point. Once placed, the ship can jump back to the crystal at any time, while restoring a portion of the damage sustained in previous combat. Another major breakthrough of Ellydium engineers is the ‘Quantum Leap’, which allows the ship not only to travel through space, but time as well. At any moment in battle, the ship can return to the state and position it was in a few moments ago, leaving pursuers in confusion and disarray. More details about the different combinations and the additional 15 ship items including weapons and modules added can be found on the official website: http://star-conflict.com/en/news/1143-star-conflict-1-4-3-evolution-factor-en

Project CARS 2 – Official Rallycross Gameplay Trailer

April 11, 2017 – Rallycross, one of the world’s most thrilling and action-packed motorsports, will come fully-loaded to Project CARS 2 with an array of licensed cars and tracks in late 2017. Rallycross combines the sideways dirt racing action of rally with the highspeed corner carving action of tarmac racing, all taking place within a closed course with 70-foot jumps, obstacles, and with other drivers in close proximity.

Merging the authentic physics, unsurpassed visual fidelity, and superior driving dynamics synonymous with the Project CARS franchise along with a technical partnership with one of the sport’s most legendary teams, OMSE rallycross. The development team at Slightly Mad Studios signed real-world Honda Factory Global Rallycross racing stars Mitchell deJong and Oliver Eriksson as consultants to ensure the sport is presented in the most accurate and realistic manner possible. Project CARS 2 drivers will experience the rush of driving purpose-built rallycross cars such as Mitchell and Oliver’s Honda Red Bull GRC Civic Coupe on scanned real-world rallycross tracks including US-based DirtFish and Daytona, Lånkebanen in Norway, and the track where it all began half-a-century ago—Lydden Hill in the UK.

Project CARS 2 is racing towards its launch later this year on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PCs via STEAM.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Narco Road DLC Release Date

SAN FRANCISCOApril 11, 2017 — Today, Ubisoft® announced that the first Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands expansion, Narco Road, will be available to season pass owners simultaneously across all platforms on April 18. Season pass owners will have access to Narco Road one week before it releases for individual purchase on April 25 for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

Narco Road tasks players with infiltrating three gangs of smugglers led by the elusive El Invisible. Players will have to work their way up the ranks and earn the trust of the mysterious leader if they have any hope of bringing him to justice. Reaching El Invisible will require gaining the trust of three new charismatic bosses:

  • Eddie Escovado: The self-proclaimed social media star and adrenaline-addicted leader of the Kamikazes gang.
  • Arturo Rey: The mysterious leader of the Death Riders, a gang of riders who worship Santa Muerte.
  • Tonio Mateos: The arrogant leader of the Jinetes Locos, a gang specializing in racing muscle cars.

To earn the respect of these bosses, players will complete more than 15 fast-paced campaign missions. In addition to these new story missions, four new types of side missions and racing challenges offer adrenaline-fueled action. Completing these activities will earn players fame and followers. The more followers a player acquires, the more interest they will get from the gang bosses, and the closer they will come to bringing down El Invisible.

Narco Road also features four exclusive outfits, nine new weapons and four new vehicle types. Traverse the massive Bolivian map in huge monster trucks, nitro-boosted muscle cars, powerful motorcycles and aerobatic planes.

Additionally, a new game update will be launching April 12 on consoles and April 14 on PC. The update will introduce weekly live season challenges in the form of solo, co-op and community tasks that refresh every Wednesday. Players who complete these challenges will be rewarded with up to three unique in-game rewards per week. Challenges will be available through multiple seasons, each of them lasting six weeks and featuring a specific theme. In the first season, The Rise and Fall of Unidad, players gather intel on Unidad’s operations and combat the threat to the country.

In Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, players discover a fictionalized future Bolivia, a few years from now, in which players must take down the Santa Blanca drug cartel by any means necessary. Behind enemy lines, they hunt down targets and discover intel, using any of the more than 60 vehicles available, including cars, motorcycles and even helicopters that they can commandeer. To topple the cartel, players have to fight their way to El Sueño, Santa Blanca’s ruthless leader, by breaking down the Santa Blanca drug cartel’s operation piece by piece as they sever alliances between the drug lords and the corrupted government. A second expansion for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, Fallen Ghosts, will be available soon, as well as an all-new PvP mode in the coming months.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, please visit ghostrecon.com.

Final content and release dates may be subject to change. Some features may not be available at launch. Content may be available for purchase and/or as giveaway(s) separately at Ubisoft’s sole discretion at any time. System requirements pending. Please check system requirements upon game release before purchase and redemption.

To learn more about other Ubisoft games, please visit ubiblog.com.

EVE: Valkyrie – Groundrush Update Launch Trailer

April 11, 2017 – Today, CCP Games launches Groundrush, the fifth major free update for EVE: Valkyrie – the acclaimed virtual reality space combat shooter set in the universe of EVE – on PlayStation®VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Groundrush takes the fight to the surface with Solitude, the game’s first ground-based map. Solitude introduces a brand-new battleground carved into the craggy face of a remote planet, featuring fully playable interior and exterior spaces with intricately detailed terrain. With its tight passageways, mountainous terrain and cavernous underground spaces, Solitude rewards risky flight maneuvers that will test the flight skills of even the most seasoned Valkyrie pilots. You can find full details about Solitude in this developer blog: Groundrush Update – A New Map, Wormholes and More

The Groundrush update also introduces yet more chaos to the weekly Wormhole events, bringing even weirder and wilder permutations to this popular weekly game mode where the usual rules no longer apply.

In addition, co-op players can now enjoy the Carrier Assault and Control modes when teaming up for battle, plus EVE: Valkyrie players on Steam now benefit from official support for the Steam Controller. The full list of improvements can be found on the EVE: Valkyrie website here: Groundrush Update – The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Further substantial updates are also in development for all Valkyrie pilots to enjoy. For more information about EVE: Valkyrie, visit https://www.evevalkyrie.com/roadmap

Knott’s Berry Farm 2017 Boysenberry Festival

Once again, Knott’s Berry Farm has brought its prized boysenberries into the spotlight with their annual Boysenberry Festival. Running until April 23, the festival sees several stations setup around the park’s Ghost Town area with boysenberry themed foods to purchase and enjoy. Also gracing the park for the festival are some new shows to enjoy such as Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree!

Of the boysenberry flavored offerings this year, I was once again enamored with the “Fun Bun”. A deep fried cinnamon roll with sweet boysenberry frosting… It’s really an amazing treat. Also great were the boysenberry meatballs and boysenberry pana cotta. Also of note is the boysenberry fry bread, which is located over at the churro factory.  The dishes I could have done without were the boysenberry ravioli (I applaud their effort but it just didn’t work for me) and the boysenberry pizza. Of course, the park has its standard restaurants and watering holes open for guests during the festival, so the choice is yours. Knott’s Berry Farm is once again offering their $25 dollar tasting card for sale so that guests can get a little sampling of a number of boysenberry treats. Unfortunately, the fun bun is not on the tasting card, so you’ll have to pick that up separately, but I digress. If you are looking for liquid refreshment, you can find boysenberry cream soda as well as a host of craft wines and beers in the Craft Wine and Beer Garden, located within the Wilderness Dance Hall. There are some great local wineries and breweries on display here, so if you are over 21 and interested, be sure to check it out!

Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree is a fun show for the whole family which takes place at the new Calico Stage and features dancing, singing, and your favorite Peanuts characters. Also fun to take in is Old MacDonald’s Barn over near the Ghost Town windmill. Inside, you will find horses, burros, and all sorts of animals for the kids to look at. At certain times, you can even watch them shear some sheep! It’s how shirts are made, people, and harmless for the innocent sheep.There is also a new Melodrama in the Bird Cage Theater, which is always a fun time. The Bird Cage Theater players are a talented lot and allow a lot of improv to come through with their performances, which just adds to the fun!

Overall, the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival is a fun day trip that will entertain and fill you up. Between the new boysenberry flavored treats and the entertainment options available to guests, Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is always a great time!

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Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker – Announcement Trailer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (April 10, 2017) – BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., the premier anime videogame publisher and developer has announced NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER™, the latest addition to the popular Naruto game franchise, coming soon to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM®. Developed by Soleil Ltd. and published by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., this new action game enables players to compete online in 4 vs. 4 matches against other teams to become elite ninja masters.

In NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER, players go head-to-head in 4 vs. 4 battles, with all eight ninjas fighting simultaneously. NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER features beloved Naruto characters and teams from the series, including Naruto, Sasuke, and Team 7. The game showcases a brand-new graphic style with vivid colors and dynamic third-person ninja gameplay that enables players to take advantage of the verticality of the arena environment with vertical running and jumping to elevated areas. Players can also choose to play co-op with friends and lead teams to victory to be the top ninjas online.

“We’re delighted to work with Soleil on the newest installment to the Naruto series, taking the popular franchise to literal new heights as players utilize the vertical plane to gain advantages in battles with friends. Long-time fans and Naruto newbies are sure to enjoy the intense arena combat together,” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER is a fresh take on the iconic anime series, and puts all players and characters into the fight.”

To learn more about BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.’s other products go to: http://www.bandainamcoent.com/home.html or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS or join the conversation on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bandainamcous.

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds Sells Over One Million Copies

April 10, 2017 – Holding strong as Steam’s number one seller for more than two weeks, Bluehole and Brendan Greene (aka PLAYERUNKNOWN) announced today that PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS has sold more than one million units on Steam Early Access in 16 days. PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS has remained in the top three concurrent user count on Steam, peaking at more than 89,000 simultaneous active players at a given time.

The battle royale chart-topper has over 150,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch with more than 2,000 streamers streaming every day. To date, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS has been featured on more than 39,841 streams for a total of 5,168,180 minutes streamed since launch.

“We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the dedication of our players and we are truly humbled by their passionate response,” said Brendan Greene (aka PLAYERUKNOWN). “As we move to make improvements and deliver new content we will actively engage this growing fan base.”

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS is being developed with full transparency and is planned to be in Early Access for less than six months. More information can be found at www.playbattlegrounds.com, ‘Like’ it on Facebook, and follow the team on Twitter @PUBATTLEGROUNDS for all the latest updates and news.

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – Not Just a Game. This is Battle Royale.

Thor: Ragnarok Teaser Trailer Released

April 10, 2017 – In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk! “Thor: Ragnarok” thunders into U.S. theaters on November 3, 2017.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey 4K Upgrade Review

The good people over at Universal Studios Hollywood’s PR team allowed us entry into the park to check out the upgraded Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction located within the park’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter area. Recently, the ride’s projection system was upgraded once again – this time, to ultra-high definition 4K resolution and a higher frame rate of 120 FPS! You might recall that, originally, the attraction opened with a 3D projection system that relied on riders to wear special 3D goggles. The ride experience left something to be desired, so the park smartly transitioned the ride back to 2D. The standard definition version of the ride was immensely-fun, but you could see a lot of blur in the image quality of the projection system. This is party due to the fact that the ride video is rear projected onto curved screens. So with the 4K upgrade, I just had to come out and experience the ride again – at least it would provide a good excuse for drinking more butterbeer!

Arriving at the park early, one of the Universal Studios PR team members escorted us onto the attraction and actually rode it with us as she had yet to experience it for herself. The ride was a blast and the 4K update is very noticeable, especially if you rode it prior to the upgrade. The video is still a bit blurry, but nowhere near the degree it was before and it is a lot easier to track the action on the screen thanks to the enhanced frame rate. I didn’t notice any other upgrades to the ride aside from the new projection system, but that’s not a bad thing as the ride is pretty amazing as it is.

After riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, we went over to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and had a big American breakfast plate with eggs and bacon. Of all the dining experiences inside Universal Studios Hollywood, this restaurant has consistently been the best since its launch a year ago. Their variety of food – from breakfast platters to shepard’s pie to so much more is prepared well and features great taste. Unfortunately, I did find out that the hot butterbeer which wowed me during the Winter is no more. It appears to be a seasonal beverage and I can’t wait for the end of the year to see it come back. In the meantime, I will “make do” with my favorite frosty drink, the frozen butterbeer.

Universal Studios Hollywood is open daily. Check out their official website for ticket information and more.

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