Author - Jerry Paxton

Paradox and Eugen Team Up for Steel Division: Normandy 44

STOCKHOLM – March 1st, 2017 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher on the front line of gaming, today announced that it has partnered with Eugen Systems, a renowned developer of games such as the Wargame-series and R.U.S.E., to release Steel Division: Normandy 44, a new tactical real-time strategy game for Windows PCs.

Steel Division: Normandy 44 is a game that puts players in command of historically accurate tanks, troops, and vehicles at the height of World War II, and will feature a single-player campaign alongside online multiplayer modes, up to and including 10-versus-10 battles. The game will be available later this year.

Steel Division: Normandy 44 features thorough attention to historical detail, from the carefully rendered tanks to the in-game maps – based on actual aerial reconnaissance photos of Normandy in 1944. The game runs on the latest version Eugen’s IRISZOOM engine, allowing players to zoom from an aerial, battle-wide perspective all the way down to a single unit, and keep track of the dynamic front line as they plan and execute maneuvers, ambushes, and more. From creating a battlegroup of historically accurate infantry, tanks, and vehicles, to troop positioning and real-time engagement with the enemy, players will need to be clever and cunning in order to win; raw firepower alone will not be enough.

“Few developers appreciate strategy and history as much as Eugen Systems, and that’s what makes this partnership so ideal,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “The level of detail they’ve included in Steel Division is impressive, and I know it will meet the high standards that Paradox fans have when it comes to their historical games.”

Steel Division: Normandy 44 will feature: 

  • Command Over 400 Historically Accurate Units: Whether fighting for control in intense multiplayer battles with up to 10-vs-10 players going head-to-head, playing alone or working with friends in ranked matches, players will need to coordinate their selection of historically accurate infantry, tanks, aircraft, and support vehicles to counter enemy units in this Tactical RTS game.
  • Real-world Tactics: Battles rage over three distinct phases, where different units unlock over time, mimicking the movements of real-world armies and adding variety to the ever-changing theatre of war. A dynamic front line illustrates the ebb and flow of the conflict.  Pin down your opponent’s infantry to gain the advantage and force a retreat, or push through with a perfectly executed plan.
  • Real-world Setting: Using the latest version of Eugen’s IRISZOOM engine, players can smoothly zoom from a tactical aerial view all the way down to a single unit, and see 400 different real-world vehicles and units designed with careful historical detail and accuracy. Maps are designed based on actual aerial reconnaissance photos of Normandy in 1944, requiring real-world tactics and strategies to cover and control.
  • Outplan, Outsmart, Outgun: From battlegroup customization to troop positioning and maneuvering, winning battles requires cunning and strategy, not just raw firepower. Each unit lost presents a growing tactical disadvantage, and players will need to fight to gain — and keep — the upper hand.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, visit steeldivisiongame.com.

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War III Environment Showcase Trailer

March 1, 2017 – As we gear up towards the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, SEGA Europe Ltd. and Relic Entertainment invite you to experience a few of the mysterious locations that players will visit in the highly anticipated third installment of the RTS franchise.

Over the course of development, the Dawn of War team has focused on creating massive landscapes – not just to accommodate the huge scale of battle, but to elevate gameplay with destructible features, strategic depth, and nods to the rich 40K universe.

In this Environment Showcase trailer, Art Director Matt Kuzminski and Lead Environment Artist Tristan Brett speak to the inspiration and design process behind these spectacular, deadly worlds that will form the foundation of Dawn of War III, and act as a canvas for a new era of endless war.

These environments include:

  • Cyprus Ultima: Filled with details and history, Cyprus Ultima has a medieval style that expresses the war-ravaged way of life for people in the 41st millennium
  • Cage World: A true alien environment, Cage World’s ever-evolving landscape means the ground can literally shift beneath your feet, so you can never be sure where the battle will take you
  • Starfort: With massive structures towering over each battlefield, the scale of the weaponry on display in this gothic battle station is the ultimate in Imperium technology
  • Acheron: From first glance, where waves of lava clash against mountains of snow and ice, it’s clear that the elements aren’t all that’s at war on Acheron. Home to nothing but violence, the beautiful glaciers serve as frozen tombs for the battles of the past, and as the stage for some of the largest battles you’ll face in Dawn of War III

To learn more about the worlds and characters in Dawn of War III, and to keep up with future updates, be sure to heard to DawnOfWar.com, and follow Dawn of War on social media.

Torment: Tides of Numenera Launch Trailer

Wroclaw, Poland – February 28, 2017inXile Entertainment and Techland Publishing are excited to announce today that Torment: Tides of Numenera, the highly-anticipated and massively-crowdfunded science-fantasy RPG, has officially launched worldwide on Steam and Windows PC for $44.99, and for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system as well as Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, for MSRP $49.99. A brand-new trailer has been released today to celebrate the full debut of Torment: Tides of Numenera, introducing the game’s premise, and giving fans and prospective players alike a taste of the profound and philosophical questions invoked by the game’s themes of choice and consequence as well as death and rebirth.

Developed by the creators of the all-time classic Planescape: Torment, one of the most critically revered CRPGs in gaming history, this science-fantasy RPG explores similar deep and personal topics of abandonment, evanescence, and the legacy we all leave behind. Torment: Tides of Numenera takes place on Earth one billion years in the future, in the rich and diverse Numenera setting created by pen and paper RPG luminary, Monte Cook. Players will experience a game of intricate choices and consequences with thousands of meaningful decisions that will make every playthrough unique.

Key features of Torment: Tides of Numenera:

  • EARTH ONE BILLION YEARS IN THE FUTURE: Discover a world built on the ruins of hyper-advanced civilizations capable of tearing holes in time and space, reshaping the continents, and rekindling our dying sun – and claim their relics as your own.
  • DEATH IS NOT THE END: When you die, your mind rebuilds itself inside a psychic labyrinth. Wander its paths to unearth long-buried truths and hear stories that cannot be told by the living.
  • A GAME OF CHOICE & CONSEQUENCE: Make thousands of meaningful decisions and construct a legacy that will change the lives of untold others. Define your morality beyond mere good and evil, and write your unique story no other player can repeat.
  • HANDCRAFTED CONFLICTS: Plan your way through hand-crafted set-pieces which combine battles with environmental puzzles, social interaction, stealth, and more.

For more information on Torment: Tides of Numenera and the various editions available for purchase, please visit the official website at http://tormentgame.com/. This title has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB.

New Avatar Game Coming from Ubisoft’s The Division Team

PARIS — February 28, 2017 Today, Ubisoft® announced it is partnering with Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Interactive to create a cutting-edge new game for consoles and PC set on Pandora, the beautiful and dangerous moon from James Cameron’s Avatar film franchise. Massive Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio, is leading the game’s development.

Massive is behind the creation of Tom Clancy’s The Division™, which last spring broke multiple records in the games industry, including the record for the industry’s best-selling new game franchise in an opening week. They are now working on a new AAA-project based on Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all time. Four sequels to Avatar are currently in development, and Lightstorm, Fox Interactive and Massive are working together to create a game that will continue to expand and deepen in the Avatar universe in exciting and innovative ways along with the films.

“James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment changed the way we think about immersive storytelling with the first Avatar, and the ambition that they have for the forthcoming films and this game is really inspiring,” said David Polfeldt, Managing Director, Massive. “It’s a privilege to work with them and we’re honored that they’ve entrusted us to create an experience worthy of the Avatar name.”

Cameron and Lightstorm entered this partnership after viewing an early game prototype the team at Massive created using its proprietary Snowdrop engine. Snowdrop is a tailor-made, custom game engine that enables the creation of ultra-realistic game universes, enhanced by dynamic global illumination, stunning real-time destruction and an incredible amount of detail and visual effects. It was used to develop The Division, and also is the engine behind a number of other unannounced Ubisoft projects.

“What impressed me about Massive were the group’s passion for this project and the power of its Snowdrop engine,” said Cameron. “I believe Ubisoft’s team at Massive Entertainment are absolutely the right partners to bring the beauty and danger of Pandora to life.”

For additional comments from the Massive team on the game’s development, visit https://youtu.be/RIH9CAco_F8. Massive is currently recruiting for top talent to be part of the game’s development. Open positions can be found here: http://www.massive.se/careers/.

Rabbids VR Experience Announced for Google Daydream

SAN FRANCISCO – February 27, 2017 Today, Ubisoft® announced that Virtual Rabbids®: The Big Plan, the first VR Rabbids experience on mobile, will be released this spring on Daydream, Google’s platform for high quality mobile VR. Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier in collaboration with Bucharest, specifically for virtual reality, the mobile game is based on the Rabbids franchise which has sold more than 14 million video games worldwide and are featured in a television show that airs in more than 110 countries.

In Virtual Rabbids, a few irreverent Rabbids have stolen and scrambled a top secret nuclear safety password. You are called upon by a classified government agency to travel through different locations in a hilarious adventure to recover the missing digits. Players will find themselves in some of the most precarious situations as they race to save the planet.

Daydream gives players the opportunity to get closer to the Rabbids than ever before. Using the headset and controller, players will be plunged into the crazy world of Rabbids which includes various worlds which are full of hidden toys and an arsenal of tools and nutty gadgets to interact with. The Daydream controller lets you interact with the virtual world in the same way you do in the real world, making the gameplay experiences richer and more immersive.

“Ubisoft is committed to exploring new technologies and platforms that deliver more immersive and interactive gaming experiences”, said Dominique Tardieu, vice president sales and marketing, Ubisoft’s mobile business. “We’re happy to bring Rabbids to Daydream as it enables us to offer players a high fidelity game in a mobile VR environment and we’re looking forward to explore the gameplay ideas and interactive opportunities on this new device for developers”.

For more information about the game, please visit www.rabbids.com

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition Story Trailer Released

February 27, 2017 – Today, People Can Fly and Gearbox Publishing are thrilled to reveal a brand-new story trailer for Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, the upcoming remastered release and definitive experience of the action-packed, critically-acclaimed FPS. Developed by original developer People Can Fly and published worldwide by Gearbox Publishing, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition will release on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam on April 7, 2017.

Experience the serious side of the over-the-top shooter through an epic new story trailer, which also provides a closer look at the remastered release’s stunning hi-res overhaul.

CCP Games Announces SPARC Virtual Sports Game

27 February 2017 – Atlanta, GA – Today, CCP Games is thrilled to announce Sparc, a unique virtual sport only possible in virtual reality. In Sparc, players connect online to compete with each other in fast and fun full-body VR gameplay.

Currently in development for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, Sparc will be the first wholly original IP to be shipped by CCP outside of the EVE universe when it releases in 2017.

Sparc‘s skill-based, full-body gameplay makes for a fast-paced and fun physical sport. Players use their motion controllers to throw projectiles at their opponents from a distance, and in turn defend themselves by dodging, blocking, or deflecting the incoming attacks. Players can join one-on-one matches with friends online or find opponents via matchmaking.

Sparc enables players to connect and compete in an online community. Players can watch matches in-person and queue for the next match in VR through Courtside, a freeform social area for spectating in VR or on screen. Sparc includes multiple two-player game modes as well as single-player challenges and training modes, plus a range of customization and personalization options for competitors.

“After our early experiments with standing VR gameplay, we were excited by the idea of building an original sport designed for the current generation of VR hardware. We’ve designed Sparc so that players can express and improve their skill through their physical actions.” said Morgan Godat, Executive Producer at CCP Atlanta. “Ultimately, we want players to think of Sparc as a virtual court in their living room where they can meet and compete with other players from around the world.”

“At CCP games, our goal is to harness our passion for virtual reality as a new medium and create the killer apps for the first generation of VR technology,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. “We set out to achieve that in mobile VR with Gunjack and in seated VR with EVE: Valkyrie, both released in the first year of VR becoming publicly available. With Sparc, we want to capitalize on the unique strengths of standing VR and deliver a game with all the depth and excitement to keep players returning long into the future.”

Today’s announcement is only the beginning for Sparc and CCP Games plans to reveal further information about Sparc‘s gameplay and feature-set ahead of release later this year.

For more details about the game, please visit www.playSparc.com. You can also find Sparc on Facebook via facebook.com/PlaySparc, or follow the game on Twitter via @PlaySparc.

The 2017 Oscars All Access Live Stream

Looks like The Oscars are pushing their complimentary all-access live stream this year, promising even more backstage access, etc. You can check out the all-access live stream at their official Facebook page as well as official Oscars website. The streaming experience is meant to be ran alongside the television broadcast of the actual show. The Oscars all-access live stream begins at 7:00 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PT.

Dying: Reborn Gets PlayStation VR Release Date

BEIJING – (February 24, 2017) – After an impressive end of 2016 that saw the release of three diverse PlayStation®VR games, Oasis Games Ltd, a leading independent Chinese publisher, today announced that its room escape horror game, DYING: Reborn, will launch on February 28 for the PlayStation®VR and PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. The release date for the PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system will be announced at a later time.

DYING: Reborn is a dark, horror-themed puzzle game that creates a unique first-person room escape experience. Players will play as Mathew, a distraught young man on a mission to find his missing sister. After receiving a mysterious note from his sister, Mathew finds himself trapped in a strange and eerie hostel with no recollection of how he landed there. To escape the hostel and solve the mystery, Mathew must solve a variety of creative puzzles while exploring each spooky room in the building for clues. Scattered throughout the environment are items he will collect and use to piece together what happened while trying to find his sister.

Players who solve all of the mysteries in DYING: Reborn will discover a rich, overarching story—and just possibly, a shocking revelation. Can you help Mathew find his sister and escape safely? We’re DYING to find out!

The PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita games consists of six chapters of riveting gameplay, while PlayStation®VR has three immersive chapters for a shorter but even more intense experience. Developed by NEKCOM Entertainment and published by Oasis Games for PlayStation®VR, PS4™ and “PS Vita” system, DYING: Reborn will be available on February 28 for the PS VR and PS4™ on the PlayStation®Store. The titles are available on PS VR for $9.99 and PS4™ for $19.99. This game has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB.

Stay up to date on all of the PS VR titles from Oasis Games by liking us on Facebook at fb.me/OasisGamesConsole and following on Twitter at OAS_Games and Instagram at @OasisGamesOfficial. Get more information on all Oasis Games titles here: http://en.console.oasgames.com.

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