Author - Jerry Paxton

Castle Park Announces Castle Dark and Happy Hauntings Events

2017/09/28
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, News

Riverside, CA. (September 26, 2017) – The Inland Empire’s favorite daytime and nighttime Halloween events, Happy Hauntings and Castle Dark, are back for tricksters of all ages at Castle Park. Happy Hauntings is filled with family friendly Halloween fun and festivities during the daytime hours, and when darkness falls, Castle Park transforms into its heart-racing, exhilarating Halloween haunt, Castle Dark. Beginning October 6 th through the 29th , every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the gates will creek open at 7:00pm for Castle Dark. Venture throughout the park to three all new haunted maze attractions and the brand new virtual reality attraction, Ghost Manor™.

NEW FOR 2017: Ghost Manor™ VR Experience – Modal has brought an immersive new dimension of fun to Castle Dark! Enter into a fun and spooky virtual reality walk-through experience unlike anything you have seen before. Explore the haunted grounds on a spellbinding journey full of magical illusions, eerie sights, and sometimes frightening encounters with the unknown in this virtual reality walk-through attraction. “Castle Park has proven to be an ideal partner for Modal. They are a forward-thinking company and they truly understand Modal’s mission to make magical VR experiences affordable for everyone.” – Nolan Bushnell, cofounder of Modal.

Ghost Manor™ VR Experience is an additional $5.

2017 Mazes include the following:

  •  Castle Peak Cavern (NEW) – Dare to enter into a cryptic cavern, filled with the spirits of a family that were buried alive after a cave-in took their lives.
  •  Shiverton Keep Maze (NEW) – Take a journey into the forbidden kingdom of the living dead who have been infested with the deadly plague.
  •  Carnival of “S”laughter (NEW) – Mimes and clowns have gone mad and are feuding, trying to kill anyone that gets in their way. Join the mayhem that lies ahead.

For guests looking for more cheer than fear, Castle Park’s Happy Hauntings is the perfect place for fright-less family fun every Saturday and Sunday, October 7-29. The ride park opens at noon and Happy Hauntings activities for guests 12 and under are from 3:00-5:00pm.

  •  Costume Contests – Kids are welcome to wear their favorite Halloween costume for a chance to win a prize, at 3:00pm inside of the Big Top.
  •  Pumpkin Painting Contests – At 4:00pm, kids are welcome to join in a fun Halloween pumpkin painting contest.
  •  House of Halloween Maze (NEW) – Witches and ghouls ages 12 and under can venture into a friendly Halloween maze where they’ll find a special treat spot at 5:00pm!

Castle Park’s Happy Hauntings and Castle Dark admission tickets start as low as $9.99 for each event when you buy online. Happy Hauntings ticket price includes all activities, available every Saturday and Sunday, October 7 – 29. Castle Dark opens at 7:00 pm, Friday through Sunday, from October 6-29. Both events will also have rides, arcade, and miniature golf open. Hours of operation may vary. Visit castlepark.com for more details.

Please note:

Castle Dark is rated PG for Pretty Gruesome and not recommended for children 12 and under. Masks are NOT permitted to be worn into the park during Castle Dark. No outside food or beverages are permitted.

Pinball FX3 Launch Trailer

2017/09/27
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Mobile News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Zen Studios is happy to confirm the release of Pinball FX3 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Pinball FX3 is a free download for all players and features competitive multiplayer matchups, non-stop tournament play, and brand new single player challenge modes.

In addition, the Universal Classics™ Pinball pack is now available as launch content for Pinball FX3.  The pack features three awesome tables based on Jaws™, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial™ and the Back to the Future™ film trilogy. The tables are also available for download in the Zen Pinball platform on iOS, Google Play and Mac.

The Evil Within 2 ‘Righteous Priest’ Trailer

2017/09/27
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

September 27, 2017 – Shrouded in mystery, Father Theodore has remained an enigma…until now. Along with Stefano, Theodore is one of the human “monsters” who have made their way into the new STEM world in The Evil Within 2, and he’s finally ready to reveal his message to the masses – a message that promises a “righteous” fury and immolation to those who oppose him. Sebastian will need to survive the wrath of this master manipulator if he’s going to have any hope of finding Lily and escaping the nightmare of STEM.

Theodore has his own reasons for being in STEM that are separate from Mobius’ goals, which he sees as misguided. Though what he’s actually after only becomes apparent as Sebastian becomes more entangled in his world. Like Stefano, Theodore isn’t alone in STEM, although unlike Stefano – who commands the gruesome and terrifying Guardian and Obscura – Theodore’s main helpers aren’t creatures he created. Referred to as Harbingers, they are normal people whose minds Theodore has bent to his will. These Harbingers wield flamethrowers and seem to exist solely to carry out Theodore’s fiery will, burning any who would stand in the way of his pursuits. Any detail about his past pushes into HUGE SPOILER territory. In other words, you’ll have to play the game in order to unlock the secrets he hides. In the meantime you can check out Bethesda.net for even more details and insights from the team at Tango Gameworks.

As Sebastian Castellanos, you’ll have to dive into hell once more in the sequel to the hit 2014 survival horror game from the mind of Shinji Mikami. Take on twisted creatures in horrifying domains and face off against your own worst nightmares as you race to save your daughter. The Evil Within 2 will launch worldwide Friday the 13th, October 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The Evil Within 2 has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information about the game, visit www.TheEvilWithin.com.

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode Two Trailer

2017/09/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

September 26, 2017 – Today we are excited to share the official trailer for episode two of Batman: The Enemy Within, a new five-part episodic game series that continues Telltale’s unique take on the Caped Crusader. You can download the trailer by following the links above.

The death of a villain at the hands of a mysterious assassin was just the beginning. As explosions rock Gotham, Batman races to meet a new foe, but encounters a force that may cause even the Dark Knight to fall. In the guise of the billionaire, Bruce meets John Doe’s ‘friends’ and becomes enmeshed in a plot where the only way out is to go deeper in. But at what cost?

Episode two, ‘The Pact,’ launches October 3 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac. In addition, both episodes one *and* two will become available on iOS and Android-based devices that same day. Going forward, new episodes will launch the same day on all platforms.

A special ‘Season Pass Disc’ for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will also be available at retailers starting October 3 in North America and October 6 in Europe. The disc includes the first episode of the season, as well as download access to all subsequent episodes as they are released.

This new season will be accessible to both returning fans and newcomers alike, though players’ choices from the first season of Batman: The Telltale Series will optionally carry over into The Enemy Within. This season will also include Telltale’s unique multiplayer ‘Crowd Play’ feature, which allows friends and family to engage with the adventure together by helping to decide the direction of the story from any mobile device with an online connection.

Rendered to look like a living, breathing comic book, Telltale’s vision of Batman features an award-winning cast of talent including Troy Baker, who returns to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne, as well as Anthony Ingruber, who will reprise his fresh take on ‘John Doe,’ better known to fans as The Joker.

Batman: The Enemy Within will be a standalone product separate from the first season of Batman: The Telltale Series and is licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and based on DC’s iconic character. Episode two, ‘The Pact,’ has been rated ‘Mature’ by the ESRB.

For more information on Telltale Games, visit the official website, follow @TelltaleGames on Twitter, and like Telltale on Facebook.

Valnir Rok Launch Trailer

2017/09/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

COLOGNE, GERMANY – September 26, 2017 – Independent game developer encurio GmbH announced today that Valnir Rok, an epic online Viking roleplaying adventure, is now available on Steam. Stranded on Valnir Island, learn necessary skills to survive the natural elements of the mysterious land and engage in ferocious combat against vicious beasts and bloodthirsty rival warriors. Experiment with different items and discover formulas to forge stronger equipment, build structures to claim your domain, and discover the forgotten gods to entreat their mystic blessings in your favor.

To mark this major milestone of the game, Valnir Rok is now available for the promotional launch price of $17.99 (10% discount off S.R.P.).

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone Launch Trailer

2017/09/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

26 September 2017 – London, UK – Today, CCP Games released EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone™,taking the thrill and skill of competitive online space combat beyond VR to PlayStation®4 and PC gamers as the first fully cross-platform, cross-reality videogame. Since its initial announcement last month, CCP’s expanded first-person spaceship shooter has impressed fans and critics alike, with PCGamesN stating, “EVE: Valkyrie’s Warzone expansion turns it into Overwatch in space.”

New players can purchase EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone for $29.99 SRP from the PlayStation®Store, Steam® and Oculus Home, while all current EVE: Valkyrie owners will receive it as a free mandatory upgrade, expanding the base game to become EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone. With all new and expanded versions of the game, pilots can choose to play the game with or without a VR headset.

“EVE: Valkyrie was born in virtual reality and is now reborn for everyone” said Andrew Willans, Lead Game Designer at CCP’s Newcastle Studio. “With the introduction of Warzone, it’s a great time for all players to get involved in the gritty-but-glorious celestial arenas of EVE: Valkyrie.”

“Breaking down barriers is a big part of what keeps us on the forefront of the gaming industry,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. “The evolution of EVE: Valkyrie to EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone brings the thrill of the playing this first-person spaceship shooter to its highest level of inclusiveness.”

Set in the the notorious sci-fi universe of EVE, EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone puts PC and PS4 gamers in the cockpit of heavily armed spaceships, enabling them to fly and fight alongside each other – both in and out of virtual reality – as they battle for legendary status in fast, fun, and intense multiplayer space combat.

EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone includes all the content and improvements released for EVE: Valkyrie since launch while dramatically enhancing the experience for new and current players alike. It introduces a next-generation fleet of iconic ships – including the new Covert class ship, “Shadow” – each one with their own distinctive role to play in battle. With new weapons – including powerful Ultra abilities – and a fully redesigned progression system for each ship, players will have more control over how they evolve their arsenal to suit their playstyle.

New to EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone will be the ‘Extraction’ game mode that puts capture-the-flag in outer space for an exhilarating gameplay experience. The Warzone expansion also features two new maps, “Fleet” and “Outpost,” as well as new Wormholes that introduce a fresh challenge each week. Players will also be able to fight for Spoils of War to earn Loot Capsules, enabling them to unlock a hangar-full of personalization options for their ships and pilot.

More information about the game can be found by visiting www.evevalkyrie.com and fans can follow EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Current players can find out how the Warzone expansion will affect them by visiting www.evevalkyrie.com/changes.

Thrustmaster Unveils Xbox One Flight Stick

2017/09/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Peripherals News

Rennes, September 26, 2017 — Members of the Flight Sim community rejoice, Thrustmaster® has heard your pleas loud and clear. To meet the demands of this growing audience on Xbox One, Thrustmaster decided that there’s never been a better time to release a joystick that will allow the many, many gamers on Xbox One and Windows 10, 8 and 7 to experience Thrustmaster’s extensive flight simulation expertise. The T.Flight Hotas One will allow gamers on both platforms to fully immerse themselves in the feeling of flight offered by today’s cutting-edge Flight Sim titles and become part of these amazing aerial worlds in a way that hasn’t been possible until now. Based on the T.Flight Hotas concept, one of their all-time bestsellers, Thrustmaster has developed a comprehensive solution officially licensed for Xbox One and Windows 10, 8 and 7.

At last, an official Thrustmaster flight stick for Xbox One

Thrustmaster is thrilled to be the first to develop a product that the Xbox One community has been dreaming about since launch.

Eager to deliver on the growing demand from members of this community, the team at Thrustmaster joined forces with Microsoft to create a joystick specially designed for use on Xbox One, with the T.Flight Hotas One being the end result.

Thrustmaster has worked with Frontier to fully support the T.Flight Hotas One in Elite Dangerous for Xbox One. Frontier has been keen to deliver an even deeper level of immersion for the Elite Dangerous community on Xbox One and recommends the T.Flight Hotas One, supporting it with an upcoming patch for Elite Dangerous adding T.Flight Hotas One compatibility on September 26th!

A complete and accessible Hotas flight stick system, for instant immersion

The ergonomic T.Flight Hotas design (combined with the development of next-generation electronics officially licensed for both Xbox One and Windows 10, 8 and 7, including an “ecosystem-ready” port allowing users to add the TFRP rudder system*) allows for instant playability and the ability to adapt to all types of flight simulation (space adventure, modern combat, warplanes, civil flight etc.) This creates an unrivaled degree of practicality which has become the gold standard set by Thrustmaster over the years.

T.Flight Hotas One: the realistic and ergonomic flight control system

In the real world, flight controls used by pilots include both a stick and a throttle: this combination is the most effective in terms of performance and precision. The T.Flight Hotas One provides the same level of realism.

The joystick’s realistic, ergonomic design has been lauded right from its earliest designs. The wide hand rest helps gamers keep their hand in a very stable and relaxed position, allowing the stick to respond to even the most subtle movements, and maintain total comfort throughout long combat missions.

Gamers can adjust the stick’s resistance according to their needs and preferences. The base is weighted, for enhanced stability during gaming sessions.

T.Flight Hotas One: detachable throttle

Another key feature which has helped to establish the reputation of Thrustmaster’s Hotas system is the fact that it includes a full-size throttle, which gamers can use to easily control the acceleration of their aircraft or spaceship.

The throttle is detachable, and can be used in either of two different ways:

– Detached and separated from the joystick, to recreate authentic piloting conditions; or

– Attached to the joystick, for better stability and to take up less space.

T.Flight Hotas One: dual rudder system

What’s more, the joystick includes an extremely precise rudder function: this corresponds to the pedals used by pilots to turn the steering, allowing the plane to pivot around its vertical axis (therefore making the plane turn left or right, without impacting its elevation). This rudder function is accessible by rotating the joystick’s handle (with an integrated locking system), or via the progressive tilting lever located at the front of the throttle.

T.Flight Hotas One: part of Thrustmaster’s FlightSim ecosystem

The T.Flight Hotas One joystick is part of Thrustmaster’s flight simulation ecosystem. It is therefore compatible with the T.Flight Rudder Pedals* – the first rudder ever to feature the S.M.A.R.T (Sliding Motion Advanced Rail Tracks) slide rails system, for incredibly smooth turns.

  • The T.Flight Hotas One will be available from October 7, 2017, at a suggested retail price of €79.99.

SAG-AFTRA Reaches Potential Agreement to End Video Game Strike

2017/09/25
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Industry News, News

LOS ANGELES (September 25, 2017) – SAG-AFTRA has reached an agreement to end the strike against 11 video game companies that has been waged since October 21, 2016.

The terms of the tentative agreement, which was reached early Saturday morning, include a new bonus structure that provides an additional payment to performers. The bonus payment, which is due no later than the release date of the game, is based on the number of sessions worked on each game, beginning with a $75 payment on the first session and totaling $2,100 after 10 sessions worked.

“This is an important advance in this critical industry space. We secured a number of gains including for the first time, a secondary payment structure which was one of the members’ key concerns,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “The courage of our members and their fortitude these many months has been admirable and I salute them. We are always stronger together.”

Keythe Farley, chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Negotiating Committee, said the strike delivered key victories for member performers in the video game community.

“The bonus payments we have now are significantly larger now than what we had 11 months ago. And the existence of additional payments beyond your session fee is in the video game world for good, both in our high-budget and independent promulgated agreements,” said Farley. “Those are the victories that this strike has brought us.”

Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez, who was the lead negotiator on the new contract, said that the deal includes significant improvements in the area of transparency.

“The new transparency provisions will enhance the bargaining power of our members’ representatives by requiring the companies to disclose the code name of project, its genre, whether the game is based on previously published intellectual property and whether the performer is reprising a prior role,” said Rodriguez. “Members are also protected by the disclosure of whether they will be required to use unusual terminology, profanity or racial slurs, whether there will be content of a sexual or violent nature and whether stunts will be required.”

The deal also contains an employer commitment to continue working with SAG-AFTRA on the issue of vocal stress during the term of the agreement. Moreover, the agreement does not include several proposals sought by management, including a provision that would have fined performers for being late or distracted at session, another that would have required agents to submit performers for low-paying “atmospheric voice” sessions or face fines, and a possible revocation of their union franchise, and another that would have allowed employers to use their permanent staff to do covered work outside of the collective bargaining agreement.

The contract will next be reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA National Board at its October meeting.

SteelSeries Rival 310 Gaming Mouse Review

2017/09/24
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Peripheral Review, Peripherals News, Reviews

SteelSeries has released a new version of its Rival gaming mouse series, the Rival 310, at a more budget-minded $59.99 price point. Does this latest version of the Rival hold up to its predecessors and give gamers a good value for their dollar? Read on to find out!

In terms of its design and layout, the SteelSeries Rival 310 is similar to the older Rival 300 gaming mouse. However, the Rival 310 features some refined ergonomics and futuristic styling that make the mouse a bit more streamlined. This means that the height curve of the Rival 310 is not as acute as was the Rival 300’s. Being a “palm gamer”, meaning I rest the palm of my hand on the mouse when gaming, it is not quite as comfortable as the Rival 300 was. However, it is by no means uncomfortable and I found the enhanced optical sensor to be extremely responsive to my input. Additionally, the SteelSeries Rival 310 is lighter than its predecessor by about 42 grams, meaning that it is a lot easier to move around if you are a twitch-gamer using it for tournament play.

What’s so special about the sensor? Well, the Rival 310 features a SteelSeries TrueMove3 optical sensor, with 100-12000 CPI sensitivity in 100 CPI increments. The sensor claims to feature no hardware acceleration or movement prediction allowing gamers to have true 1 : 1 movement. Does it do this? Well, I think so! It’s a hard metric to test but, in my gaming experiences with the Rival 310 I was not disappointed in the least as far as its performance goes.

The Rival 310 does make use of SteelSeries’ Prism lighting system, which allows the mouse to display colors in two different RGB zones for more customization. Additionally, the mouse is fully-compatible with the SteelSeries Engine 3 software, which allows the user to configure the mouse options. The build-quality of the Rival 310 is also improved over its predecessor by way of SteelSeries providing it with mechnical Omron switches in its buttons rated at 50 MILLION clicks! This is a huge upgrade over the Rival 300, which was outfitted with proprietary switches rated at 30 million clicks. Unfortunately, if you are a left-handed gamer, you better look elsewhere for your gaming mouse needs as the Rival 310 is right-handed only. SteelSeries does make the Sensei 310, which is an ambidextrous mouse and uses similar features under the hood.

I used the SteelSeries Rival 310 through numerous click-heavy rounds of Battlefield 1 and loved it. The biggest issue I had was that the mouse felt a bit too light for my own personal tastes. Even though it might bump the cost of the mouse up slightly, I would like to see some removable weights for the Rival 310. Thanks to the ergonomic design and rubberized grip areas on the sides of the mouse, I never lost my grip on it during even the most furious rounds of combat. I also played several hours of isometric RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2 with the Rival 310 and it performed flawlessly and comfortably.

Overall, the SteelSeries Rival 310 is an outstanding gaming mouse with a budget-friendly price point. You can find them now at the SteelSeries website as well as other retailers.

SteelSeries Rival 310 Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star-o” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] (4 out of 5 Stars)