Author - Jerry Paxton

Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin Launch Trailer

2013/03/27
Jerry Paxton
News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

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LOS ANGELES (March 27, 2013) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced that FINAL FANTASY® XI: Seekers of Adoulin™ is now available for purchase on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC platforms. Online servers will go live later this evening. The latest addition to the decade-strong online game features new areas to explore and develop, along with two new jobs to master and a horde of new beasts and monsters to defeat.

A new adventure awaits players in “Seekers of Adoulin.” As the eighth century came to a close, the Royal Family, in partnership with the Eleven Knightly Orders, has agreed to abolish imperial rule—from which arose the Sacred City of Adoulin on the Ulbuka Continent. In the blink of an eye, Adoulin had grown to be a maritime metropolis, with a mercantile prowess rivaling that of Jeuno. It is in this booming city state that the players will find themselves as they work to explore and unlock the secrets hidden in the nearby jungles.

With the new expansion, players can now become geomancers or rune fencers. Geomancers harness the elemental energies of Vana’diel® to aid their comrades and attack enemies alike. Rune fencers are versatile duelists, quick with a blade as well as incantations, and employ the power of arcane runes to sway battles.

The expansion also introduces new gameplay systems, including player-built outposts, new contract work, and the introduction of special “power spots” that are hidden throughout the environment for powerful character enhancements.

FINAL FANTASY XI: Seekers of Adoulin is available for $29.99 for Xbox 360 and for Windows PC platforms. The FINAL FANTASY XI: Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition is available for $39.99, and includes the full compilation of the stand-alone game with all four previously released expansion packs, add-on scenarios, and three battle area add-ons. More information is available at http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/adoulin.

FINAL FANTASY XI “Seekers of Adoulin” is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Please visit the ESRB website for more information about ratings: http://www.esrb.org.

Launch Trailer

New Grand Theft Auto V Screens from GDC

2013/03/27
Jerry Paxton
GDC, News, Screenshots / Photos

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Rockstar Games gas released a slew of new GTA V screenshots from this week’s GDC expo in San Francisco.

Screenshots

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z to Use Unreal Engine 3

2013/03/27
Jerry Paxton
GDC, News, Screenshots / Photos

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BURLINGAME, CA and CARY, N.C. (March 27, 2013) – Epic Games, Inc. announces an agreement with Tecmo Koei Games to license Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine 3 technology for the development of “YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z,” a bold new take on the renowned “NINJA GAIDEN” franchise. The agreement was brokered by Epic Games Japan, which supports the company’s licensees locally.

As announced previously, Team NINJA, the world-famous development team from Tecmo Koei Games, is working on this title in collaboration with Keiji Inafune, founder and chief executive officer of comcept, and developer Spark Unlimited.

“We couldn’t be happier to develop ‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ on Unreal Engine 3,” said Inafune. “In the past I have been involved with numerous projects built upon Unreal Engine 3, so I understand its benefits and reliability. Unreal allows us to focus on making the game fun, and to push the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in the shortest time possible.”

“‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ is not a sequel. It is a new experience for gamers,” said Yosuke Hayashi, studio head of Team NINJA. “As with any new title, there are many new challenges, from the game design to art style and even development team structure. Unreal Engine 3 is a great ally to have when taking on those challenges. Unreal Engine allows us to quickly and efficiently iterate on countless ideas, and ‘YAIBA’ is now taking on a life of its own. We can’t wait until gamers everywhere get their hands on the ultimate ninja zombie experience.”

“Gamers around the world are awaiting ‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ with great anticipation,” said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. “I’m really excited to see what the great talent at Team NINJA, comcept and Spark come up with, as they comprise some of the best creative minds in Japan and the United States. I’m honored to see how Unreal Engine 3 technology helps the team as they reinvent this beloved franchise.”

‘YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z’ is currently in development. Tecmo Koei will reveal more information in the coming months.

Screenshots

Official Battlefield 4 Announcement

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
GDC, News, Windows PC News

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – March 26, 2013 – Only in Battlefield™ can players go through a building instead of around it or eject from a jet and take out the enemy mid-free fall. Those incredible gameplay moments that blur the line between game and glory can only be created by players, and occur only in Battlefield. DICE, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), today announced Battlefield 4™, a genre-defining action blockbuster launching in Fall 2013. Powered by the advanced technology of DICE’s proprietary Frostbite™ 3 engine, Battlefield 4 offers players a glimpse into the future of interactive entertainment – a future that is more human, dramatic and believable than anything before it. With more than 65 million players worldwide, theBattlefield series has consistently been praised by critics for its world-class multiplayer gameplay, and is recognized as the only game that allows players to own land, sea and air.

Battlefield 4 is a seminal moment for the Battlefield series as more award-winning, multiplayer game design elements are incorporated into the single-player campaign. In single-player, gamers will experience huge environments, a playground of destruction, access to an arsenal of vehicles and the ability to direct squad mates. Taking a page from the social aspect of multiplayer gaming, the single-player mode will now track players’ progress, adding an element of persistence and friendly competition to the campaign.

The game made its world debut today with a staggering 17-minute gameplay demo, available for view at Battlefield.com. The demo begins as the player – Recker – opens his eyes to discover that he is trapped in a rapidly sinking car with three of his squad mates. Shooting the window is the only way out. Panic and fear are pushed aside as Recker makes a difficult decision – take the shot and recover the intel but risk that not everyone will survive. The emotional demo features a cast of characters unrivaled in interactive entertainment. Players will learn how to work together in both the Campaign and Multiplayer, issuing squad orders and comparing achievements in both experiences. Adventure and Competition will unfold through a series of beautifully crafted locations constructed with some of the best art and sound design in modern shooters. All of this is only possible with Frostbite 3 – a new standard for interactive entertainment in 2013.

“We are so humbled and proud to debut Battlefield 4 on a global stage with simultaneous events in San Francisco and Stockholm. To be this early in development, and to already be so polished is a huge achievement for the DICE team and reflection of their passion and commitment to driving the franchise forward. Today’s demo was just the beginning — we have so much more in store,” said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President, EA Games Label. “It is thrilling to witness peoples’ reaction when seeing the game for the first time. It really makes you realize that we are at the beginning of a whole new era for gaming. As artists and craftspeople, we are focused on creating a dynamic, open design that brings people together with amazing, surprising unscripted moments that they’ll talk about for days. That’s the beauty of Battlefield.”

By pre-ordering Battlefield 4 at any participating retail outlet, gamers will receive a Premium expansion pack at no additional cost*. DICE also announced today Battlefield 4 Digital Deluxe, an Origin™ exclusive special edition that includes the base game and bonus in-game digital items. Players that pre-order Battlefield 4 Digital Deluxe* on Origin will also receive the Premiumexpansion pack as well as access to the exclusive Battlefield 4 multiplayer beta.

To view the first Battlefield 4 single player gameplay footage, please visit www.battlefield.com. To join the conversation onBattlefield 4, please visit http://www.facebook.com/battlefield, follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/battlefield and #BF4, or sign up for the official Battlefield newsletter at www.battlefield.com. Press assets for Battlefield 4 are available athttp://info.ea.com.

* Conditions and restrictions apply. See http://store.origin.com/promo?promoID=88022500&linkid=BF4_CLP for details.

CCP Updates DUST 514 Open Beta with Uprising Build on May 6

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News

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REYKJAVIK, ICELAND –March 26, 2013 – CCP Games, the world’s leading independent massively multiplayer game developer, is pleased to announce that on May 6, 2013, the very date that EVE Online launched 10 years ago, the DUST 514® Uprising build will roll out, bringing new features to the mercenaries of New Eden!

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the hugely successful MMO EVE Online as DUST 514 upgrades to the Uprising build, its biggest update yet. With Uprising, CCP takes another bold step toward the launch of DUST 514 and the further evolution of CCP’s single-shard universe.

Currently in open beta, DUST 514 brings intense infantry combat, large-scale warfare and deep character advancement to the PlayStation®3 in an exclusive, free-to-play, massively multiplayer shooter. Set in, and integrated with, the massive universe of EVE Online, players wage war in this next generation first-person shooter, where a single victory could prove the crushing blow to a galactic empire and thousands of online gamers.

“We reached a momentous milestone in January when DUST 514 and EVE Online became one and formed the largest single-shard MMO universe in the world,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP.  “Now our teams will continue to lay down more tracks between EVE Online and DUST 514 which will then be galvanized by our players every step of the way, inspiring us to go ever further. Uprising brings new features to drive meaningful human interaction, beautiful new visuals to astound, and increased ease of use, an important step in the journey.”

CCP continues to improve and fine-tune DUST 514 in a series of planned updates during its open beta phase with the next and biggest wave of them all arriving in the spring of 2013.

The Uprising update for DUST 514 is focused on these core features:

  • Planetary Conquest: Take over the galaxy one world at a time!  Player corporations can own and manage planetary districts in the EVE Online universe. Every battle matters and the fates of hundreds of thousands of gamers and the wealth of their massive corporations are constantly at stake.
  • Graphic enhancement: The overall visual experience of DUST 514 is improved and enhanced by an optimized graphics engine. The maps and environments of DUST 514 are sharper, faster, and better than ever.
  • Accessibility: The improved user experience is cleaner and easier, getting players into the action quickly.
  • New content:  Uprising extends the DUST 514 gameplay experience with new battlegrounds and gameplay modes and expands your arsenal with brand new weapons, gear, and equipment for every situation.

DUST 514 is currently in open beta and is available as a free download exclusively on the PlayStation®3. For more information, visit www.dust514.com and follow the game on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/DUST514) and Twitter (@dust514).

Release Assets

Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition Revealed with Trailer

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
Mac PC News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

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NEW YORK — March 26, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a level eight rules-lawyer, announced today that they will be bringing the acclaimed mobile meta-RPG Knights of Pen & Paper to the PC, Mac, and Linux platforms in a new version of the game called Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition. Forming a partnership with Behold Studios, developers of the original mobile title, Paradox will be casting several fortitude and agility buffs to help summon Knights of Pen & Paper onto desktops with +1 Edition, which will include new features, improvements, and content. +1 Edition will also be coming to mobile devices, with the game launching across all platforms in Q2 2013.

Roll your 20-sided die. If you roll a 10 or above, watch the following trailer:

If you roll a 9 or below, watch the trailer anyway.

“When we first saw Knights of Pen & Paper, the game scored a natural 20 on its Charm Person roll,” said Shams Jorjani, VP of Business Development and Corporate Paladin at Paradox Interactive. “We knew it was the kind of title that was right up our alley, and we’re glad to be able to keep supporting the Brazilian developer community with new partners like Behold Studios.”

Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition is an RPG-playing RPG, where players control players in-game at the dungeon master’s table – going on adventures with other tablemates and spending their gains to boost their warriors and mages while simultaneously improving the quality of their snacks, gaming table, and sourcebooks. Full campaigns will take the player-character-characters through a varied collection of monsters and quests, rendered in classic retro pixel art, while their in-game party squabbles with the DM about random encounters. Paradox and Behold are bringing the PCs (and NPCs) to PC (and Mac and Linux), and adding buffs to the mobile game while they’re at it.

Knights of Pen & Paper is a finalist in this year’s Independent Games Festival (IGF) in the “Student Showcase” category.

For more information on Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Edition, equip your +3 Mouse of Browsing and visit www.paradoxplaza.com.

Kartuga Gets 100k Beta Registrations

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

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Hamburg, March 26, 2013. InnoGames just released initial information on the closed beta of its 3D browser game, Kartuga. The publisher is positively overwhelmed by players’ reception to the game: More than 100,000 players have registered so far, willing to begin their career as fearless pirates. Now the team has summarized first impressions in a developer letter to the Community, saying “thank you” and publishing some numbers – Players have already spent more than 1.76 million minutes, or 3.3 years in the game, buying close to 30 million cannon balls – the subsequent PvE and PvP battles provided InnoGames and developer Ticking Bomb Games with invaluable data, allowing for first updates to improve the games overall stability, matchmaking and PvP.

“No level of internal testing can replace insights of players actually experiencing your game for the first time.” says Product Manager Florian Supa. “And we are proud of the players’ enthusiastic response to the unique formula that is Kartuga. Nonetheless, we got lots of player feedback on how to improve the game. The update we did last week aimed at a more stable experience and fairer PvP.” In the upcoming weeks, the team plans to implement an improved chat window as well as ranking, and rework balancing for PvP and overall progression in order to ensure long-term motivation.

Keys for the closed beta are given out by lotteries amongst all users who registered via www.kartuga.com, but players can also visit InnoGames’ Facebook page to grab keys to enter the game. The closed beta is in English, with several additional language versions to follow in the open beta.

The action-packed MMOG is based on Unity 3D and focuses strongly on cooperative PvP (player versus player) gameplay with several role-playing elements. As a purely free-to-play online game, users only need a Unity 3D plugin, which is available for all current browsers. Kartuga is InnoGames’ first partnership with its subsidiary company, Ticking Bomb Games, who is responsible for the development of the title.

World of Tanks Blitz Announced for Smartphones and Tablets

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
Mobile News, News, Screenshots / Photos

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March 26, 2013 — Wargaming, the leading free-to-play developer and publisher, today announced World of Tanks Blitz, a free-to-play mobile MMO action game built specifically for tablet and smartphones. Inspired by the PC version of World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz delivers all of the action, team-work and strategic gameplay the series is known for, all in a portable and instantly accessible experience.

World of Tanks Blitz will feature several nations, including the USA, Germany, and the USSR, and an impressive roster of vehicles that include medium tanks, heavy tanks and tank destroyers, each with their own unique qualities. Taking advantage of the platforms’ touch-screen technology, players will need little more than their thumbs and skills to head into battle. But, just as in World of Tanks, success will take more than just an itchy trigger finger, with true tank commander success being dependent on mastery of the game’s incredibly deep tactical elements and team-based gameplay.

Playable on a wide array of Android and iOS devices, World of Tanks Blitz delivers console-quality visuals and realistic physics that ensure every enemy confrontation and shell hits with true-to-life impact. Whether commuting to work or resting at home, players can experience short, intense 7 versus 7 PVP battles almost instantly.

“With World of Tanks Blitz we’re doing our best to give players a gaming experience that would rival anything they could find on a console,” said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming. “We’ve always been committed to bringing World of Tanks to new platforms and we’re excited to give players a chance to experience the game in a whole new way.”

World of Tanks Blitz joins the recently announced World of Tanks Generals, a browser based TCG set in the World of Tanks universe, as the latest example of the company’s expanded multiplatform growth strategy into the mobile space. Both games will also fit into the soon to be launched Wargaming.net Service, which sees all Wargaming titles unified under a single unified login system.

About World of Tanks Blitz

World of Tanks Blitz is a free-to-play mobile MMO action game inspired by the original World of Tanks., and build specifically for tablets and smartphones. Inspired by the original World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz features intuitive touch controls, intense 7vs. 7 PVP battles, an impressive roster of tanks across a number of different classes, and console-quality visuals that bring the intensity and excitement of tank combat to players, no matter where they’re playing from.

Learn More About World of Tanks Blitz:

Screenshots

EVGA Introduces the EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

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March 26th, 2013 – The EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST has arrived. This card gives you 66% more memory bandwidth, NVIDIA SLI®, and NVIDIA GPU Boost technology that dynamically maximizes clock speeds, delivering class-leading performance to the GTX 650 family. Plus, this newly designed GPU offers up to an impressive 30% performance improvement, so you can play all your favorite games at full-HD resolutions and high quality settings.

EVGA will be initially offering two versions of the GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST. This includes a standard and Superclocked version.

  • EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST – $169.99
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST Superclocked – $179.99

The EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST graphics card features many new and key features:

  1. NVIDIA GPU Boost Technology – Dynamically maximizes clock speeds to push performance to new levels and bring out the best in every game.
  2. NVIDIA SLI Technology – Used by the most demanding gamers worldwide, SLI lets you link up to two GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST’s together for astounding performance.
  3. NVIDIA SMX Engine – Brand new processing engine which delivers twice the performance/watt compared to previous generations.
  4. NVIDIA FXAA – Lightning fast anti-aliasing in a huge variety of games with the simple click of a mouse.
  5. NVIDIA TXAA – Next generation anti-aliasing algorithm that delivers the image quality of 8x MSAA, with the performance hit of only 2x MSAA.
  6. Adaptive Vertical Sync – Dynamically adjusts VSync to your monitor’s native refresh rate for the smoothest gameplay possible.
  7. Frame Rate Target – Set a target Frame Rate with EVGA Precision X and your card will automatically adjust the power/performance to meet that target.
  8. PCI Express 3.0 – Offers double the bandwidth of PCI Express 2.0, for highest data transfer speeds. Also backwards compatible with all existing PCI Express motherboards.

Learn more about the EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST here.

Also, the EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST is compatible with the new EVGA PrecisionX 4.0.0. EVGA Precision X is the ultimate GeForce overclocking/monitoring software which allows you to fine tune your EVGA graphics card, including GPU clock speeds, Memory clock speeds, Fan speeds and more! Learn more at the official EVGA Precision X website.

EVGA Precision X Key Features:

  1. Brand new GUI – Built from the ground up for the next generation of graphics accelerators.
  2. Advanced Hardware Monitoring – See GPU vitals in real time.
  3. In Game Monitoring – See your GPU vitals, without leaving your game!
  4. Frame Rate Target – Set a target Frame Rate wth EVGA Precision X and your card will automatically adjust the power/performance to meet that target.
  5. Fan Curve – Set up an advanced fan profiles

The EVGA Difference

Known for offering value and performance, as well as top notch customer service, EVGA is recognized through customer loyalty and the highest levels in customer satisfaction. In addition to the expanded product lines, consumers and channel partners will also benefit from increased sales and technical support programs:

  1. Global Warranty – No registration required, 3 Year Standard warranty with upgraded warranties available.
  2. EVGA proprietary Advanced RMA (EAR) service – for allowing customers get a replacement card before sending the defective product back to EVGA.
  3. 24/7 Phone Technical Support (U.S.) – to assure users that courteous and friendly assistance will always be available at anytime of the day or night.
  4. Step-Up Program – for the ability to trade up existing EVGA products for newer technology.
  5. Community Message Boards – full of thousands of knowledgeable, friendly and satisfied EVGA customers.
  6. EVGA MODS RIGS – show off your rig, win cash prizes.
  7. EVGA Gaming – EVGA game servers open 24/7 featuring the latest games.

About EVGA

EVGA is the #1 NVIDIA authorized partner in channel sales throughout North America. Based on the philosophy of intelligent inNOVAtion, market knowledge, and the real time operation, EVGA continues to identify the need in the market place and providing the solution to that need. By offering product differentiation, 24/7 tech support, a 90 day Step-Up program, and other customer focused programs, EVGA is a clear leader in all categories: etail, retail, distribution, and system builders. With headquarters in Brea, CA, EVGA’s global coverage includes EVGA GmbH in Munich, EVGA LATAM in Miami, and EVGA Hong Kong. For further information online about EVGA, visit http://www.evga.com.