Author - Jerry Paxton

Snow Enters Free-To-Play Open Beta On Steam

STOCKHOLM – Jan. 28, 2016 – Poppermost Productions has announced that SNOW, the open world, winter sports game, has advanced into free-to-play open beta on Windows PC via Steam. This new phase of development launches with free-roam multiplayer for sharing the powder with friends, the introduction of competitive events and leaderboards, enhanced graphics, and an expanded mountain that now includes more than 20 unique areas to discover.

“Open beta is a huge leap forward in fulfilling SNOW’s promise of a fun and authentic sporting and exploration experience that’s totally yours to do with as you please, alone or with friends,” said Alexander Bergendahl, CEO at Poppermost. “Now the lifts are open to the whole world. Winter is finally here!”

As a free-to-play open beta, players have the option to purchase cosmetic items to customize their appearance, as well as access to premium events that unlock exclusive rewards not available in the store. Poppermost has partnered with a continually growing list of the world’s top winter sports pros, brands, and events to design slick clothing and equipment for the slopes and competitions to test your skills. Snowboarding and snowmobiling are also currently in development and will be unveiled to players during the Open Beta.

SNOW is expected to officially launch as a free-to-play game on PC and the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system later this year. Support for PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift is also in development. For more information, please visit SNOW’s official website at www.snowthegame.com, and follow the game on Facebook and Twitter.

Funcom Announces Open World Survival Game Conan Exiles

Oslo, Norway – January 28th, 2016“I walk in a land of desperation. A wasteland of the exiled and the outcast. Where the broken strive to build and the weak are crushed while the strong survive.”

These are the words of Conan the Barbarian as he strides across a desert wasteland, skulls and bones crushing beneath is sandaled feet, in the brand new cinematic trailer released today announcing Funcom’s new game ‘CONAN EXILES‘. Available on PC in Early Access this summer, with a full launch on both PC and console to follow, ‘CONAN EXILES‘ challenges players to survive, build and dominate in the brutal world of the greatest fantasy hero of all time: Conan the Barbarian.

“There is no better setting for an open-world survival game than the world of Conan,” said Joel Bylos, creative director at Funcom. “Hyboria is a harsh and unforgiving land where only the strongest can survive while the weak are swiftly cut down. Whether it is hunting animals for food, fighting monsters and other players, or building entire settlements, we want to make sure players feel like they are really fighting to survive and prosper in the most brutal fantasy world ever.”

‘CONAN EXILES’ is first and foremost a multiplayer game that can be enjoyed on both private and public servers, but it will also feature a single-player mode.

You are an exile, one of thousands cast out to fend for themselves in a barbaric wasteland swept in sandstorms and besieged by enemies on every side. Grow crops or hunt animals for food. Harvest resources to build weapons and tools. Build a shelter to survive. Ride across a vast world and explore alone, or band together with other players to build entire settlements and fortified strongholds. Unleash your fury in savage, fast-paced combat and execute bloody and bone-crushing attacks that will see heads rolling and limbs flying. Fight other players to dominate the exiled lands, and even call upon the wrath of the heavens to aid you by sacrificing enemy players on the alters of the gods.

“What Funcom is doing with ‘CONAN EXILES’ is capturing the essence of Conan and his world,” said Fredrik Malmberg, CEO of Conan Properties. “The fight for survival in Conan’s savage world has been chronicled in comics, movies, and novels, and now you too will get to experience the same struggle to achieve domination over the exiled lands.”

You can learn more about ‘CONAN EXILES’ on www.conanexiles.com. Follow the game on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates. For more information about Funcom, please visit www.funcom.com.

Pre-Alpha Screenshots

Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries Announced

Plymouth, MI. – January 27, 2016 – Today, Stardock announced that the first expansion to its popular 4X space strategy game Galactic Civilizations III is in development and will launch next month. Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries will add an all-new campaign, Galactic Bazaars, new races, and the ability to recruit elite units with special abilities and more.

In Mercenaries, players will be able to visit new Intergalactic Bazaars, where they can hire mercenaries to assist in expanding across the galaxy. With over 70 unique mercenary ships and multiple Bazaars to discover on each map, Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries offers hours of unique gameplay.

“Each mercenary sets their own hiring price in terms of money and resource,” said Paul Boyer, Lead Designer of Galactic Civilizations III. “Because there are a finite number of mercenaries, each civilization is competing for their services. When one is hired by one civilization, it is no longer available to the others.”

Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries also includes two new factions: the Arceans and the Torians. The Arceans are an ancient and honorable civilization of warriors and the Torians are an aquatic species seeking to escape the slavery of the Drengin. Both races come with new traits, abilities, and tech trees. The Torians are also the subject of a new campaign available within the expansion.

The campaign for Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries centers on the peaceful Torian race who have long been enslaved and farmed for their meat by the cruel Drengin. To free the Torians, players will need to explore and discover mercenaries, then hire them to aid in escaping from their oppressors. Players will strive to liberate the Torians and help them rebuild their shattered civilization while staying out of reach of the Drengin.

Along with the Mercenaries expansion, Stardock is releasing the v1.6 update to the base game, which is a free update for all Galactic Civilizations III game owners. Improvements include more detailed match results, AI improvements, visual updates and balance improvements.

Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries release on February 18, 2016 and will cost $19.99.

For more information about Galactic Civilizations III and its current updates and DLC, please visit www.galciv3.com.

Polaris Sector is coming on PC and Mac on March 22

January 27, 2016 – Most of the factions in the universe have always perceived Polaris as a lifeless and mundane part of the galaxy. But treasures are usually well hidden, and only the few who are able to see through mysteries and shadows can reach them.

Leading the aggressive Drills, the mystic Magellans or another of the 9 playable races, players will have to quickly learn the cultural codes of the sector if they want to survive in such explosive environment. An ambassador from another empire knocks at your door offering a non-aggression treaty? He’s certainly gaining time because his new battleship prototype is still in the orbital shipyard. Your latest spy report indicates that a specific faction has not found any technologies over the past few years? Keep an eye on them, because they are certainly investing massively in fundamental science research and you may want to have them on your side in a few decades. There is no true friendship among the stars and players are likely to understand this, too late…

This ambitious 4X space strategy game will be available on March 22. DeveloperSoftWarWare is currently putting the finishing touches to Polaris Sector, focusing on the balancing between the factions and the optimization of the game mechanics.

EA Play 2016 Save the Date Announced

ea-play-2016

We’re excited to announce EA Play, an all-new event experience in Los Angeles and London this June built around our players and bringing our latest games to life.

Putting our players first is the driving force behind everything we do. We’re excited to announce EA Play, an all-new event experience in Los Angeles and London this June built around our players and bringing our latest games to life. Please visit ea.com/Play2016 to learn more about these events and how you can come to Play.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Trailer and Pre-Order News

January 27, 2016 — Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, the new space RTS set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe from Games Workshop, today unveils the Narrative Trailer. This video, composed from some of the game’s cinematics, introduces the ambitious solo campaign which will plunge players into the heart of the spectacular void battles of the 12th Black Crusade of Abaddon.

Great care has been taken with the campaign of Battlefleet Gothic, through its story and realisation. Many cinematics, astutely mixing game sequences with artwork created by talented artists, support the story and the major events of the campaign, which are sometimes influenced by the success – or failure – of the missions. The Gothic Sector is in constant evolution, and new threats often make an appearance such as the Ork pirates, or the Eldar corsairs. The Chaos forces will often launch assaults on Imperial worlds, while your allies will request your support. Quite often, multiple events will arise simultaneously, requiring you to take critical decisions and bear the weight of their consequences, such as different access to resources, or available allies… in the end, your decisions will influence the unfolding of the Gothic War itself.

We are also thrilled to announce the beginning of pre-orders for Battlefleet Gothic: Armada. In order to reward the commitment of players who will support us during the pre-order phase, and those who will join the community during the first couple of months following the game’s launch, we decided to offer to these “early adopters”, for free, an additional faction – the Space Marines – which will be available to play a few weeks after launch. This additional faction will be playable in battles played in both Multiplayer modes and in skirmish against the AI. Players who pre-order the game will also receive access to the Multiplayer Beta, that will start a few weeks before the official launch.

The Joker Hits Six Flags Great Adventure in Spring of This Year

JACKSON, N.J. ─ January 27, 2016Chaos reigns supreme at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2016 as one of the world’s most iconic DC Comics Super-Villains commandeers the park’s 14th and most unique scream machine in its history,The Joker.

Earlier this fall, the world’s largest theme park announced “Total Mayhem,” which quickly became one of the world’s most anticipated new coasters of 2016. But behind the scenes, criminal mastermind The Joker was secretly plotting to take over the new 4D, free-fly coaster and name it as his own.

“The Joker is undeniably one of the greatest DC Comics Super-Villains ever created. Only someone with his warped sense of humor could provide this level of insanity or spinsanity with a new, vertical coaster that delivers gravity-defying somersaults with utter unpredictability. It is the perfect addition to our dynamic line-up of award-winning roller coasters because this ride delivers total mayhem with its next-generation, cutting-edge thrills,” said Six Flags Great Adventure President John Fitzgerald.

After being lifted straight up a 12-story, 90-degree hill, this 4-D, free-fly coaster will wreak havoc as riders flip head-over-heels at least six times along the weightless journey. Thrill seekers will experience exhilarating leaps and dives along a horizontal plane, along with unexpected drops as they tumble from one level to the next. The wing seats amp up the pandemonium since riders will experience all of this chaos with no track above or below just the sky, ground and adjacent Great Lake churning around them.

The unique design of The Joker features:

  • Massive, imposing, floating and twisting I-box track frame in a unique two-tone design
  • One-of-a-kind onboard magnetic technology featuring smooth head-over-heels free-fly flips providing guests the feeling of weightlessness as they soar outside the confines of a traditional track
  • 4-D wing vehicles that seat up to 8 per vehicle with a total of 5 vehicles
  • Face-off seats that allow riders to face each other as they tumble head over heels
  • A 120-foot-tall, 90-degree hill that is ascended by an elevator-style, chain link lift
  • Two beyond 90-degree “raven” drops giving the sensation of free-falling

The Joker is expected to wreak total mayhem beginning in the spring of 2016, and join the ranks of all legendary roller coasters at Six Flags Great Adventure.

For more information about the 2016 season at Six Flags Great Adventure, visit www.sixflags.com/greatadventure

2016 SHOT Show Round-Up

The SHOT Show in Las Vegas is the country’s biggest industry-only trade show for the firearms industry – not to mention a great location for companies to show off new airsoft guns and gear. This year was not different with the 2016 SHOT Show being home to such airsoft-specific companies as PTS, KWA, Classic Army, Umarex / Elite Force, and a plethora more.

My Highlights of the Show Included:

  • KWA had a great showing with their prototype airsoft revolver as well as Thomson Sub-Machine Gun models – not to mention the upcoming gas blowback MP40 Sub-Machine Gun and keymod rail ERGs (Electric Recoil Guns).
  • Out of all the airsoft companies at SHOT Show, the PTS booth featured the most realistic and functional-looking airsoft rifles, from Centurion Arms rail-equipped M4 ERGs to their upcoming Masada ERG (Electric Recoil Gun). They also had a ton of accessories on display like their Bad-Ass Selector Switch, Fortis Shift vertical grips, and Enhanced PTW gearbox shells.
  • Umarex / Elite Force came to play with their prototype airsoft revolver and H&K VP9 gas blowback pistol. Also, they were showing off their highly-acclaimed G28 designated marksman rifle as well as new editions of their IWI licensed Tavor airsoft rifle.
  • Classic Army USA was the airsoft breakout hit of the show with a huge lineup of new products – all of which look very promising. Their most secret announcement came in the form of the Scarab PDW style airsoft gun, but the company had a plethora of guns on display. From their line of AKs to the new M110 and even their epic minigun!
  • Also worth noting was that Condor Outdoor, a favorite gear-maker among airsofters, showed of its upcoming Vanquish Armor System (VAS) which allows from front panel swap outs via Velcro and clips.

Photo Gallery

Mega Man Wearable Helmet Out Now

LOS ANGELES, Calif., (January 26th, 2016) – Leading toy manufacturer Multiverse Studio Inc. today announced the availability of the Mega Man® Wearable Helmet. Representing iconic characters from the classic platform videogame series Mega Man® from Capcom, this wearable helmet lets you take on the role of your favorite Blue Bomber, with the comfort of a soft, padded interior. Collectible enthusiast and cosplayers alike can show off their appreciation of Mega Man for all to see.

There’s been attempts at creating a wearable Mega Man helmet over the years, but its never been made officially. Everyone’s been clamoring for one – and now you really can be Mega Man with this full-size, wearable Mega Manhelmet made of high quality ABS plastic with a high polish finish, authentic proportions and details, plus working LED lights! A unique clamshell hinge allows the front and back half of the helmet to easily open up to comfortably fit your head inside the soft padded interior for a perfect fit. This is a high quality replica of the Blue Bomber’s helmet – perfect for display in home or office, but it also doubles as the ultimate role play accessory!

Available In authentic original Blue, the Mega Man Wearable Helmet has you covered. Mega Man Wearable Helmet will retail for $149.99 MSRP and is available Q1 2016.

For more information about upcoming Multiverse Studio products, please visit: 
http://www.multiverse-studio.com/products/mvs-megaman-wearablehelmet.html