Author - Jerry Paxton

Activision’s E3 2016 Line-Up Revealed

2016/06/10
Jerry Paxton
E3, Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Santa Monica, Calif. – June 9, 2016 – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), will showcase the newest innovations from the industry’s leading franchises: Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare, Destiny: Rise of Iron and Skylanders® Imaginators at the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) beginning Tuesday, June 14 at the LA Convention Center.

Activision will unveil brand new gameplay from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare Remastered. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered contains 10 MP maps from the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game. Modern Warfare Remastered is a full game download. Internet connection required. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com/MWR_FAQ. Redefining the franchise with a new setting and immersive storytelling, Infinite Warfare takes players on an epic journey through a classic, large-scale war that extends beyond the reaches of Earth for the first time in the series. The game also will be on display on the show floor in the PlayStation booth #4522.

Activision and Bungie will also introduce the next chapter to the Destiny universe, Destiny: Rise of Iron, featuring a story of adventure, bravery and honor. In addition, beginning June 9th, players who pre-order will receive the limited-edition, black and silver Iron Gjallarhorn weapon.*

The pioneers of the Toys-to-Life category are back to reimagine the Skylander’s experience with the launch of Skylanders Imaginators, which empowers fans to unleash their imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylanders for the first time.

“E3 gives us a great opportunity to share what our talented teams have been working so hard to build for our players and we are delivering innovation and pushing the creative boundaries in every one of our franchises this year,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “From taking combat to whole new heights in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, to a new adventure in Destiny: Rise of Iron, and unleashing kids’ imaginations to create their own Skylanders in Skylanders Imaginators, we’re offering fans incredible new ways to play.”

Activision’s E3 Slate Includes:

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Award-winning studio Infinity Ward breaks new ground in storytelling, by exploring the weight of leadership and the responsibilities that come with it in an emotional, character-driven narrative. Players are thrust into wartime leadership as Captain Reyes, a Tier 1 Special Operations soldier, who takes the helm of the Retribution, one of Earth’s last remaining warships. In a time of unthinkable hardships, Reyes must lead the remnants of coalition forces against a relentless enemy in a war that stretches to new terrains beyond Earth.

Infinite Warfare introduces new weaponry, new player abilities and stunning new settings to the Call of Duty franchise. In addition to a riveting single player campaign, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will also deliver a robust multiplayer mode, and a unique cooperative zombies experience. More details will be released at the upcoming Call of Duty fan celebration, Call of Duty® XP, in September. Visit www.callofduty.com for the latest news. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is in development for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information, visit: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty or follow @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Destiny – From Activision and Bungie comes Destiny: Rise of Iron, the next highly- anticipated large expansion in the Destiny universe. Guardians must rise to the challenge, take their place as the next generation of Iron Lords and join forces with a legend from humanity’s Golden Age to defeat a plague of unstoppable evil once and for all. The game will feature a collection of fresh content including an all-new setting on Earth called The Plaguelands, a brand-new six-player Raid, a new cooperative three-player Strike, more quests, weapons, gear, competitive multiplayer maps, a Light level increase, a new mutated enemy faction of the Fallen, and more. The expansion launches on September 20, 2016 and will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, required for some features) and requires Destiny game and The Taken King (includes Expansions I & II), sold separately. For more information, visit www.DestinyTheGame.com. For exclusive updates, follow the official Destiny social channels at www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame and @DestinyTheGame on Twitter, and interact directly with the developers at www.Bungie.net.

Skylanders Imaginators – This fall, Activision and Toys For Bob are giving kids the power to create their own Skylanders! With the launch of Skylanders Imaginators, players will be able to create the wildest Skylanders imaginable — including their appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more. Now it’s up to Portal Masters everywhere to use their own Skylanders – known as Imaginators – with the new Creation Crystals to defeat Kaos.

Skylanders Imaginators also introduces Skylanders Senseis, all-new heroes who represent 10 powerful Battle Classes such as Knight, Sorcerer, Bowslinger and Brawler to help kids save Skylands. The newest game in the award-wining franchise is available now for pre-order and supports all 300+ Skylanders from previous games. Skylanders Imaginators will be available on October 16 in North America; October 14 in Europe; and October 13 in Australia/New Zealand. For more information, visit www.Skylanders.com or follow Skylanders official social channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,YouTube and the newly launched Snapchat channel: Skylanders.

LucidSound Announces LS20 and LS40 Wireless Gaming Headsets

2016/06/10
Jerry Paxton
E3, Geek News, News, Tech News

San Diego, CA – June 9, 2016 – LucidSound, innovators of premium gaming audio hardware, announced today the expansion of their headset range with the LS40 Wireless Surround Universal Gaming Headset and the LS20 Amplified Universal Gaming Headset. Expected to launch in time for Holiday 2016, the new headsets combine advanced audio engineering with the latest in modern design aesthetics to provide a next-generation audio experience for all gamers.

Following the Company’s well received LS30 debut headset, the LS40 advances the best-in-class audio experience yet further with the introduction of state-of-the-art DTS Headphone:X™ audio technology. Working in harmony with the headsets’ specially crafted 50mm drivers, the sound is tuned in-house by LucidSound audio engineers to deliver spatially accurate, audiophile-grade 7.1 surround sound. In addition, gamers can select between two surround-sound modes (movie and gaming) and three enhanced stereo modes, (regular, wide and front speaker) to further customise their audio preference.

Whether using to identify positioning of enemy troops or simply to locate your team mates in the heat of battle, gamers’ can be certain of highly detailed positional audio previously unheard of on a dedicated gaming headset.

The LS40 utilizes advanced uncompressed wireless technology that eliminates interference and provides a rock solid signal with unparalleled audio fidelity.

Enhancing the critically acclaimed ear-cup control scheme, gamers can individually alter game and chat volume without needing to locate ungainly buttons, and the all-new Smartphone Control provides full support for cell phones, allowing gamers to take a call, hang up and control audio playback using the ear-cup alone. Integrated rechargeable battery provides up to 15 hours of uninterrupted gaming and built in mic-monitoring allows players to hear their own voice through their headset.

The LS20 is a new-category of gaming headset, bridging the gap of high-fidelity audio and advanced gaming control, addressing the needs of the everyday gamer. Compact enough to be truly portable, large enough to be truly powerful, the LS20 is sleek, discrete and remarkably adept at rising to the challenge of any and all audio environments. Featuring Active and Passive modes, the LS20 features a built in rechargeable battery, providing powered amplification when used with console, PC/MAC, or mobile, yet working perfectly as a regular wired headset when the battery is powered down.

Advanced ear-cup controls once again return with the LS20, allowing instant and intuitive access to game volume, audio mute and mic mute, as well as affording control over call functions and audio playback when used with smartphones.

“In the run up to the yearly E3 Electronics Expo we have once again seen an influx of gaming headsets announced, all of which adhere to the typical gaming aesthetic: lighting up for no apparent reason, gimmicky features which distract from sub-par audio and awkward, angular designs which we believe hold little appeal to the modern adult gamer. LucidSound is forging a new path, focusing on real innovation and intelligent design with a gaming lifestyle appeal we believe has yet to be seen in this category,” said Chris Von Huben, CEO of LucidSound. “Gamers and media have reacted with overwhelming positivity to our debut product and we’re excited to launch our two new headsets which we believe will help us build market share and address new sectors of the market with hardware we believe gamers will love.”

The LS40 gaming headset features universal compatibility with practically any gaming platform and can be used with PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360, PC/MAC, mobile phones, and smart devices, while the LS20 is compatible with PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PC/MAC, mobile phones, and smart devices.

LucidSound will be demonstrating their new range of headsets to media and customers at the E3 Electronics Entertainment Expo, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 14 through June 16, 2016.

For more information, visit www.lucidsound.com and follow LucidSound on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Assembly: Telling Stories in Virtual Reality

2016/06/10
Jerry Paxton
E3, Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

June 10, 2016 – – How far would you go to make a life changing scientific breakthrough? That’s the morally challenging question we explore in the third and final installment of our video series about the making of The Assembly.

In the video below, we take you behind the scenes of our upcoming VR game and reveal how we developed its thought-provoking story.

Join Senior Designer Jackie Tetley as we take you through the decisions we took to create the game’s complex characters. We also explain how we crafted a gripping narrative to drive you all the way through the game to one of several surprising conclusions.

Voices in VR

Today, we’re also thrilled to announce the game’s cast of voice actors. Our two protagonists, Madeleine Stone and Cal Pearson are played by Camilla Power and Matt Rippy respectively. Christy Meyer plays Cal’s intellectual rival Elizabeth Chevez, who is also overseeing Madeline’s initiation into the Assembly. Joining them as Cal’s close friend and junior associate Anton is Will Harrison-Wallace, while Vincent Brimble takes on the role of the Assembly’s elusive Director.

Along with the BTS video, I’ll also have a media blast to share with full details about the game’s voice cast to help make the BTS video’s wide release a little bit more newsworthy.initial details for the main cast below:

Dr Caleb Pearson: Matt Rippy

Madeleine Stone: Camilla Power

Elizabeth Chevez: Christy Meyer

The Director: Vincent Brimble

Anton: Will Harrison-Wallace

In addition, we’re pleased to confirm that The Assembly will feature fully localised voice acting in French and German.

 

Would you like to know more?

You can find out more about the themes that lie at the heart of The Assembly’s interactive story and the source of our inspiration by following this link: Building the Foundations of The Assembly.

 

We’re here for you, virtually

If you have any questions about The Assembly, feel free to send us a message via The Assembly‘s Facebook page or tweet us with the hashtag #TheAssemblyVR.

You can also find nDreams on Facebook, reach us via our dedicated subreddit, find more videos on YouTube and check out the game’s board on Pinterest for more screenshots.

Ubisoft Closes Casablanca Studio

2016/06/09
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Industry News, News

Paris – June 9, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft announced it will close its Casablanca studio. The studio will cease production on June 13. Employees were informed last week, and Ubisoft is providing transfer opportunities to other studios or assistance for those whose will no longer work for the company.

“Ubisoft Casablanca has been part of Ubisoft for 18 years, and contributed to a lot of memorable games over the years, especially on portable consoles,” said Jean-Michel Detoc, Executive Director, Ubisoft Mobile. “Unfortunately, as the video game market evolved in the past few years, we didn’t find a sustainable formula for the studio within our broader network. We thank the Casablanca team for their hard work throughout the years.”

The decision to close Ubisoft Casablanca was taken as part of Ubisoft’s constant efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of its cross-collaboration studio model. Ubisoft has 29 studios in 17 countries, with 5 fully dedicated to mobile game development.

For more about Ubisoft, please visit www.ubisoft.com

Just Cause 3 Mech Land Assault Launch Trailer

2016/06/09
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

June 9, 2016 – Following an early release for Expansion Pass holders, JUST CAUSE 3: MECH LAND ASSAULT – the second content pack from the Air, Land and Sea Expansion Pass – is out on 10th June for everybody, and there’s a brand new animated launch trailer to mark the occasion.

The launch trailer, released today, shows Just Cause’s signature destruction realised in an animated style, as Rico’s mechanized loader punches a helicopter out of the sky.

MECH LAND ASSAULT takes Rico Rodriguez to the new island of Lacrima, home to an abandoned eDEN research base and a prison camp run by the mysterious Black Hand. Defended by huge powerful Mechs, Rico will need the new Bavarium Power Core rifle to disable their shields and hijack them. Once inside, Rico can use their powerful cannons and the GRIP Gravity Guns to hurl and smash the enemy into pieces.

Features

  • Pilot two types of powerful Mech and drive them anywhere in Medici.
  • Unleash the Mech’s Gravitational Remote Influence Projector or “GRIP” to attract and hurl objects at your enemies.
  • Jump and smash helicopters from the sky or ground pound tanks with the GRIPS’s “Force Pulse” attack.
  • Prove your skills and earn upgrades in Mech arena challenges.
  • Call in a Rebel Mech buddy for extra firepower when the going gets tough.
  • Includes a powerful new energy weapon, the Bavarium Power Core rifle.

The MECH LAND ASSAULT pack is priced at $11.99 / €11.99 / £9.49 whilst the AIR, LAND & SEA Expansion Pass is available for $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99. The final content pack – BAVARIUM SEA HEIST – will be released by the end of summer 2016, released one week early to Expansion Pass holders.

Styx: Shards of Darkness E3 Trailer

2016/06/09
Jerry Paxton
E3, Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

June 9, 2016 – Styx: Shards of Darkness, the sequel to Cyanide Studio’s stealth surprise success story Master of Shadows, comes to consoles and PC in 2016. Styx creeps back in a new adventure packed with bigger production, a load of new features and a new engine: Unreal Engine 4. Today’s E3 Trailer unveils more about the quest that awaits our green-skinned goblin in Styx: Shards of Darkness.

While Styx is in business in Thoben, the City of Thieves, he makes an unexpected deal with a mysterious human officer Helledryn. As Styx, you must steal the ambassador’s scepter, a very coveted object, which other, more nefarious, parties are interested in. Of course, the reward shall be worth the risk, in return the officer promises you great quantity of a resource you are desperately looking for: magical amber, the source of Styx’s power.

Sneak your way to your objective, evading Dwarves, elves, and all manner of races, hunting down the scepter. Creatively utilize all of Styx’s tools: assassination, amber powers, talents and skills, equipment, and crafting!

Each race excels at a different thing. The Dark Elves, for instance, have experts at goblin hunting while the Dwarves have a supernatural sense of smell, enabling them to track you down (even when invisible!). Learn their strengths and weaknesses if you want to survive long enough to snatch the scepter.

There are further exciting features to be revealed just around the corner!

Styx: Shards of Darkness will be present at E3 2016 in Los Angeles on June 14-16.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Space Marines Fleet Screenshots

2016/06/09
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

June 9, 2016 – Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, the RTS videogame adaptation of Games Workshop’s classic tabletop game by Tindalos Interactive, showcases the upcoming Space Marine fleet with new images! The Space Marine fleet will be available on June 21, and will be playable in the multiplayer modes of Battlefleet Gothic.

As announced for several months, the Space Marines faction – as well as the Tau faction, currently under development – is free to all Early Adopters of the game on Steam. The Early Adopter offer applies to all Steam pre-purchase owners and people who buy the game during the first two months of the game’s release – untilJune 21. Players now only have 12 days left to purchase their Early Adopters Edition of the game and receive for free the Space Marines and the Tau factions. Players who will purchase Battlefleet Gothic: Armada after June 21 will be able to purchase the Space Marines and The Tau as DLCs.

The Space Marines are the greatest of humanity’s warriors, fierce warriors that have been subjected to intense training, genetic modification, and psycho-conditioning. Their fleets are experts at close-ranged battles, sporting well-armoured ships and specialize in aggressive boarding techniques. In addition, they have access to two unique faction traits which make them immune to insubordination mechanics and give them the ability to prioritize their attacks on different subsystems when boarding.

The Space Marines DLC includes 5 different Space Marine chapters including the Ultramarines, the Imperial Fists and the Blood Angels. Today’s images show off the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves.

The secretive Dark Angels hold traditions and rituals that date back to the earliest days of the Imperium – they were the first Legion, and one of the most powerful. Every single Dark Angel wishes atonement for a great sin their brothers committed long ago on their homeworld, Caliban. These monastic Space Marines have only a single goal: To eliminate the Fallen Angels, the Dark Angels that have given in to the temptations of Chaos during the Horus Heresy.

Space Wolves are savage. They accept who they are, fierce warriors from the land of Fenris, proud of their anti-authoritarian ways. A mutation in their gene-seed makes Space Wolves who bear the “Curse of the Wulfen” transform into wolf-like mutants.

More info about the Ultramarines, the Imperial Fists and the Blood Angels will be communicated in the coming days.

ScareLA Announces Line-Up of Film Screenings

2016/06/08
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, News

LOS ANGELES, CA, Jun X, 2016 – ScareLA, the original summer Halloween convention, is excited to announce its 2016 film programming for this year’s festival to feature 75 exclusive screenings throughout the weekend of August 6-7, 2016 at the Pasadena Convention Center. ScareLA received over 2100 submissions of features and shorts from over 20 countries  around the world and is now unveiling this year’s star-studded lineup. The selection of films are immersed with scary storylines and haunting plots, keeping within ScareLA’s Halloween theme.

“This year’s incredible selection of films will thrill audiences at ScareLA,” said Screening Curator Emily Rua. “The biggest challenge was narrowing down our choices, we had so much extraordinary content to choose from.” ScareLA Founder and Executive Producer Lora Ivanova added “Our number one objective in all of our programming choices is to capture the spirit of Halloween. We are grateful for all of our programming partners and community of talented filmmakers who contributed. We look forward to sharing our dark passion for the scare tradition on screen as well as all throughout the event showfloor this summer!”

Exclusive featured programming includes ”The Blackout Experiments,” a nightmarish tale about extreme haunts, that came into the spotlight during Sundance Film Festival, “Tales of Halloween,” stories of ghosts, ghouls, monsters, the devil, aliens, and ax murderers who terrorize a suburb on Halloween night.produced by Epic Pictures and showcasing an incredible array of local filmmakers, Rodney Ascher‘s ”The Nightmare,” a recent Sundance selection that explores sleep paralysis and has been named one of the scariest documentaries ever, “Sliders of Ghost Town,” a film about the amazing scare art of sliding, and “Creature of the Bates Motel,” with the notorious Brian Evans and comedian Carrot Top – the first music video ever filmed at The Bates Motel, authorized by The Alfred Hitchcock Estate.

Special programming and fun additions will be included with guest feature blocks from top local horror film festivals Shriekfest, Screamfest and Horrible Imaginings, and family-friendly programming with films Halloween Treats, Halloween Tricks, Zomedy, Monsters, Witches and a special Animated block.

Additionally, for the first time ever, ScareLA will be presenting an “Audience Award” to filmmakers and attendees will be able to vote for their favorite film. The winner will receive a special prize from Shriekfest and a free submission into their 2016 festival.

Debuting in 2013, ScareLA opens doors for it’s fourth year this August. The hit summer show celebrates the diverse Halloween industry of the West Coast – from its iconic theme parks to home haunts. The event is a mecca for horror fans and families. Attracting close to 10,000 guests in 2015, ScareLA is one of the fastest growing independent conventions in the U.S.

To buy tickets or to learn more about ScareLA’s 2016 plans, visit the ScareLA website at www.scarela.com.

Arma 3 Apex Setting and Content Trailer

2016/06/08
Jerry Paxton
E3, Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

June 8 – 2016 — Representing the pinnacle of over 15 years of Arma development, Bohemia Interactive today published a brand new developer diary video about their major upcoming expansion for Arma 3: Arma 3 Apex. In the video, Project Lead Petr Kolář and Creative Director Jay Crowe unveil the expansion’s setting and content.

Bringing players to the 100 km² South Pacific island archipelago terrain of Tanoa, which was revealed at E3 last year, the Arma 3 Apex expansion features new armed forces (including a brand new local faction of bandits and ex-paramilitaries), 13 new weapons, new uniforms, equipment and gear, 10 new vehicles, a 1-4 player co-op campaign, and more.

On the road to Arma 3 Apex, Bohemia Interactive has also been releasing several major Arma 3 platform updates in the past months. The highlights include the implementation of an audio-visual upgrade, 3D Scenario Editor, new server browser, enhanced mod handling, Quick Play, vehicle-in-vehicle transport, weapon switching, better squad communications, spectator mode, and various other features and user experience improvements.

The final release date of Arma 3 Apex will be announced during the PC Gaming Show at E3 next week on Monday June 13th. The event will kick-off at 11:30 AM Pacific Time (click here for all time zones), and will be broadcasted live on www.twitch.tv/pcgamer.

For more in-depth information about the Apex expansion, and a detailed overview of its content and features, be sure to visit the new web page at www.arma3.com/apex – and take a look at the updated product pages on the Bohemia Store and Steam, which have been reinforced with the new Apex logo and artwork, a new description, and screenshots.

The Arma 3 Apex is now available for pre-order with a 20% discount for 23.99 EUR / 19.99 GBP / 27.99 USD (regular price: 29.99 EUR / 24.99 GBP / 34.99 USD) on Steam and the Bohemia Store. Those who are new to Arma 3, but want to enlist for the complete experience at the best price, can pick up the Arma 3 Apex Edition for 59.99 EUR / 44.99 GBP / 69.99 USD.