Author - Jerry Paxton

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

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

DUST514_TitanCrashed_2

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

Kartuga_Screenshot_PvE05

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

650i

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.

Verizon and PlayPhone Announce Games Portal

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
Mobile News, News

playphone

VZW and PlayPhone have unveiled the Games Portal on the Verizon network. According to the PR release, it will serve as a “central gateway” to games on the network’s compatible Android devices – integrating social networks as well as achievements. They also announced the release of the SDK so that developers can start coding it into their games. Check the text below for the full details!

Official PR Text

Hey game developers,

We’re excited to announce that the new Games Portal launching on the Verizon network is almost here. PlayPhone’s SDK to get your game onboard is now available. Powered by PlayPhone, Games Portal gives game developers an unmatched opportunity to harness the power of Verizon’s massive distribution network and monetization efficiencies. The SDK to get your game onboard is now available. Powered by PlayPhone, Games Portal gives game developers an unmatched opportunity to harness the power of Verizon’s massive distribution network and monetization efficiencies.

Integrating is a breeze. Download the SDK now for rockstar gaming real estate.

Games Portal on the Verizon network is the central gateway to an explosive mobile social gaming experience on Verizon android devices. Gamers can discover and play the latest free and premium games with their friends, and they can stay up-to-date on their friends’ gaming activities.

PlayPhone’s SDK provides developers with powerful social game discovery capabilities – social game recommendations, friend invites, leaderboards, achievements and brags – enabling viral games discovery. Add in the sheer size of Verizon’s network and Games Portal becomes the mother lode of distribution, fueling exponential growth to your games.

PlayPhone’s single billing API provides direct billing integration with Verizon enabling a low-friction purchase experience that delivers sharply higher conversion rates than traditional app stores.

Net net: PlayPhone’s collaboration with Verizon gives developers a single point of integration for vast distribution, engaging social features, streamlined billing and access to merchandising, cross-promotion and the power of Verizon marketing.

What are you waiting for?!

Genius Unveils GX Gaming SW-G5.1 3500 Surround Speakers

2013/03/26
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

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March 26, 2013, Chino, California – Genius today is pleased to announce that the first GX Gaming Series 5.1 surround sound speaker system is now available in USA – the SW-G5.1 3500.

Raising the GX Gaming Series to a new sonic level, this 80 watt RMS speaker system includes a 6.5-inch subwoofer providing 30 watts of heart-thumping bass, five 10 watt satellite speakers for positional audio, and a remote control for convenient volume and bass adjustment. With the hook design, the satellite speakers of the SW-G5.1 3500 can be hung on walls, helping to maximize the surround sound experience.

The 5.1 surround sound setup of the SW-G5.1 3500 gives gamers an advantage in first person shooter games by allowing them to pinpoint enemy locations by sound alone. Gaming on regular stereo speakers only allows users to discern between right and left. The 5.1 sound enables gamers to listen to opponents’ footsteps from all surrounding directions.

The audio from the 3-inch satellite speakers of SW-G5.1 3500 complement the deep, rich bass of the subwoofer pounding out frequencies as low as 50Hz. Users can adjust sound and bass from the control panel on the subwoofer as well as the remote control. Control options also include a STANDBY and an AUX/5.1 CH switch function, which enables users to flip between gaming and music listening.

On the front of the subwoofer above the LED indicator there is a headphone and microphone jack for private listening and chatting while gaming, as well as offering a quick way to connect MP3 players and smartphones to the speaker system. The rear of the subwoofer includes more connections, increasing the flexibility of the SW-G5.1 3500. On the back there are three RCA jacks with 5.1 CH color coding as well as an additional AUX 3.5mm input.

Offering booming bass, crisp middle to high range sound, and the flexibility to connect to gaming, music, and other entertainment devices, the SW-G5.1 3500 surround sound speaker system epitomizes the high-quality that the GX Gaming Series represents in a louder more versatile design.

Genius SW-G5.1 3500, is now available in the US and Canada for the suggested retail price of $149.99.

Technical Specifications:

  • Total output power: 80 watts
    • Satellite: 10 watts (each channel)
    • Subwoofer: 30 watts
  • Driver unit
    • Satellite: 3-inch, 4 ohm
    • Subwoofer: 6.5-inch, 5 ohm
  • Frequency Response: 50Hz~20kH

Package Contents:

  • Subwoofer
  • Five satellite speakers
  • Remote control
  • 3.5mm to 2RCA stereo cable
  • Three color coded cables
  • Multi-language user manual

ROCCAT Kone Pure Gaming Mouse Giveaway – Expired

2013/03/25
Jerry Paxton
Contests, News, Peripherals News
5 Comments

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High-end gaming peripheral maker ROCCAT has been kind enough to provide us with one of their KONE Pure gaming mice to use in a website giveaway! This giveaway is open to residents currently residing in North America! We will select one, randomly-chosen winner on Friday, April 12th, 2013 @ 11:59pm Pacific time.

This is going to be a Facebook and website based contes – no Twitter this time. So, there are two ways to enter and you can take advantage of both to increase your odds of being selected!

First Method to Enter:

LIKE our Facebook profile and leave a comment on our page starting with “ROCCAT – ” and telling us what your current gaming mouse of choice is.

Second Method to Enter:

Register here on our website and leave a comment below telling us what was the first computer game you ever played.

Marvel Heroes Launches on June 4th

2013/03/25
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

MarvelHeroes_LogoWikiEOL1

BOSTON, Mass. – March 25, 2013 – Sharpen your adamantium claws, focus your optic blasts and ready your shields for the heroic gaming experience of a lifetime! Gazillion Entertainment announced today at PAX East that the highly anticipated free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) actionRPG Marvel Heroes will launch around the world on June 4, 2013. Players who have purchased Founders Packs as part of the Marvel Heroes Founders Program will receive early access to the game up to seven days early, beginning on May 28, 2013. Marvel Heroes is a free, downloadable game for PC.

“When we started working on Marvel Heroes we knew exactly what we wanted to make – an unrivaled multiplayer free-to-play action-RPG experience that allowed gamers and comic fans to play as their favorite Super Heroes,” said David Brevik, President and Chief Operating Officer, Gazillion Entertainment. “This is an incredibly exciting day for all of us at Gazillion and we can’t wait to let gamers experience the Marvel Heroes world and our fresh take on the massively multiplayer online genre.”

The Marvel Heroes Founders Program lets players purchase limited-edition digital Founders Packs for access to their favorite heroes, unique costumes, early game access, and in-game currency that can be used to buy in-game items at launch. The value-packed Marvel Heroes Founders Program is available until June 3rd at 11:59 pm PDT with Starter, Premium and Ultimate Packs for purchase at https://founders.marvelheroes.com.  Purchasers of both Premium and Ultimate Packs now receive access to the Marvel Heroes Closed Beta.

Marvel Heroes is the Marvel MMO that you have been waiting for!  Play as Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider-Man, Captain America and many more as they team up to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube.  Marvel Heroes features a deep leveling system unique to each Super Hero, diverse locations set across the expansive Marvel Universe, a robust crafting system, action-packed player-versus-player (PvP) and much more.  Marvel Heroes is an action MMORPG for PC created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2 with an extensive original story crafted by Marvel super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis.

Marvel Heroes will be available on June 4th as a free download for PC and will be available for Mac OS post-launch.

For more information on Marvel Heroes Founders Packs and to receive early access beginning on May 28, visit: http://founders.marvelheroes.com.

Arma 3 Alpha Update Released

2013/03/25
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

arma3_steam_screenshot_02

Bohemia Interactive has released a big update to their Arma 3 Alpha and Alpha Lite builds, containing a large number of enhancements and fixes. Checkout the full patch notes below.

Patch Notes

DATA

  • Showcase SCUBA:
    • More forgiving alarm threshold
    • Added more hints
    • Improved scenario endings
    • More rockets for the launcher added
  • Showcase Helicopters:
    • Performance optimizations
    • Few minor tweaks
  • Showcase Vehicles:
    • More forgiving alarm threshold
    • Few minor tweaks
  • MP: Escape from Stratis
    • Fixed: Mission success after resuming game
    • ‘Combat Get In’ module added
    • Respawn time is now 30 seconds (was 120)
    • Improved mission endings
    • New task appears when both choppers on the airfield are destroyed
    • New mission ending “all boats and helicopters destroyed”
    • Warning hint pops up when the group leader is AI controlled
    • Patrolling Ka-60 Black now unloads troops when under fire
    • More enemies at the airfield
    • Some new map locations populated
  • MP: Headhunters
    • “Exfiltrate” task is now set as current after all targets are eliminated
    • The mission will now end when either all players are near the exfil marker or in a boat
    • ‘Combat Get In’ module added
    • Possible respawn desync in multiplayer fixed
  • New scenario ending screen added
  • Task notification visuals improved
  • Seagull in “BIRD”, “GROUP” and “SIDE” respawn replaced by a basic spectator camera
  • Scenarios-button now always available, even when there’s no content
  • Added more entries into Field Manual
  • Compass and watch re-sized
  • Ka-60 minigun now rotates
  • Ka-60 doors and glass made correctly penetrable
  • MH-9 passengers can now see the tail
  • Helicopter weapons tweaked
  • Class names for Ifrits changed to be the correct ones
  • Alamut and MX SW now have correct icons in command menu
  • Countermeasures now stored in one magazine per vehicle
  • Correct Alpha Lite logo in splash screens added
  • Most windows in houses are now destructable
  • Static weapons should be more durable, shouldn’t be targetable by guided missiles and shouldn’t be flippable by user action when destroyed
  • Added more camoflage selections for vests and helmets
  • Red faction uniforms have proper class names
  • Changed priorities in action menu
  • TRG iron-sights remodeled after feedback
  • Collimator sights are now default primary on combined optics (Ctrl + RMB is the default switch)
  • Camera shake on 6.5mm ammunition removed
  • Server browser UI overlapping fixed in some places
  • Squad URL is no longer automatically upper-cased (and thus broken)
  • Editor loading took long when using MX rifles – fixed
  • Added freelook in vehicles via default option
  • Correct tracer colors have been distributed among factions
  • Fish should be less inclined to travel on land

ENGINE

  • Shadow improvements implemented
  • Improved network performance (vehicles are no longer lagging as much)
  • Fixed several game crashes
  • Fixed synchronization of cargo poses in MP
  • Fixed various inventory-related bugs and crashes
  • Improved vehicle collisions
  • Grenades can no longer be thrown under water
  • Fixed airplane / helicopter camera shaking
  • Default and Development versions have different numbering to prevent incompatibilities in multiplayer