Author - Jerry Paxton

Trion Worlds Details Defiance Pre-Order Bonuses

2013/01/21

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – JANUARY 21, 2013 – Trion Worlds, the leading publisher and developer of premium games for the connected era, announced today that the anticipated online open world shooter, Defiance™, is now available for pre-order in North America. Players who pre-order Defiance for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, or Windows PC will receive a variety of special bonuses that include elite in-game items and a guaranteed invite to the coveted beta.

Gamers can choose from multiple game bundles, digital and physical, starting at USD $59.99: Standard, Collectors, and a very limited number of Ultimate editions. Each package allows players to delve deeper, and more quickly, into the persistent futuristic universe where the survival of Earth relies on your skills as an Ark Hunter leveling up in massive co-op battles and fierce multiplayer combat.

Defiance is scheduled for release in April 2013, and can be pre-ordered online and at major games retailers in North America.

Defiance Pre-Order ($5) Bonuses Include:

· Outlander outfit helps you blend in with the locals
· Iron Demon title lets potential enemies know you are not to be messed with
· Retailer Exclusive pre-order weapon that gives you a leg up out of the gate
· 3-Day XP boost helps establish you on the battlefield
· Beta Invitation – get in the game early!

Defiance Digital Deluxe Edition ($99) Includes:

· Rare VBI Sentinel Shield helps you never let your guard down
· In-game title: Badlands Drifter
· Ark Infiltrator outfit – look good while crackin’ skulls
· Hydra heavy weapon helps you bring the boom early
· +5 Increased inventory space – don’t leave home without it
· 30-Day scrip boost – more everything!
· 30-Day XP boost – level up faster!
· Lock Box – sweet random rewards!

Defiance Collector’s Edition ($99) includes the following:

· Unique Defiance Collectors Box
· CD soundtrack – from legendary composer Bear McCreary
· Exclusive Art of Defiance book – unique stills and never-before-seen renders
· Exclusive Hellbug statue
· An official Von Bach Industries contract
- · Defiance Post Cards and stickers
- · Bonus “Making of Defiance” DVD
- · Rare VBI Sentinel Shield helps you never let your guard down
- · In-game title: Badlands Drifter
- · Ark Infiltrator outfit
- · Hydra heavy weapon helps you bring the boom early
- · +5 Increased inventory space it
- · Lock Box
- · 7-Day scrip boost
- · 7-Day XP boost

Defiance Ultimate Edition ($149), available only at GameStop, adds the following to the Collector’s Edition:

· Exclusive Defiance Messenger Bag
· Exclusive in-game title: Pale Wars Ronin
· One Year Season Pass (Premium DLC) for Xbox 360, Windows PC, and PlayStation®3 1200 Bits

View a complete breakdown of all of the Defiance platform editions here: http://defiance.com/en

*Xbox 360, Windows PC and PlayStation®3 system versions do not have a separate monthly subscription.

Paradox Interactive Reaches 500k Forum Members, Opens Web Store

2013/01/21

Jerry Paxton

News, Windows PC News

NEW YORK — January 21, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a host of forums dedicated to those games, today announced that its official Paradox forums have reached over 500,000 subscribers worldwide. To date, over half a million loyal gamers have signed up to follow the news from Paradox and get into heated conversations about robots, crusades, and accidental wizard-based explosions. To celebrate this milestone, five lucky forum subscribers will be awarded every game that Paradox publishes – and will ever publish in the future. All existing forum subscribers will also receive a little something in their inboxes.

Paradox is also marking the occasion by offering those 500,000 gamers, plus millions more worldwide, an all-new web-based game store, where players can buy the latest Paradox titles directly from the publisher. The new store will offer a variety of Paradox’s hits, such as Magicka, War of the Roses, Europa Universalis III, and more. A sale to celebrate the opening of the new store will offer customers a 55% discount on several selections from Paradox’s catalog. To take advantage of the inaugural offer, visit the official Paradox Interactive website atwww.paradoxplaza.com, choose a game from the catalog, and click the “BUY” tab to procure a digital copy.

“Since the early years when our fans would get together and compare battle plans for our grand strategy games, our community has been defined by their passion,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “We got our start in strategy and those games continue to drive forum conversations, whether they’re tearing us apart because of a few historical liberties taken in Crusader Kings, or telling us they can’t wait for some of our newer action titles like Dungeonland or The Showdown Effect. Our sincere thanks to all 500,000 of you loyal lunatics.”

To join the half-million fans discussing all things Paradox every day, visit the Paradox Interactive forums at forum.paradoxinteractive.com/.

SimCity Beta Starts January 25

2013/01/18

Jerry Paxton

News, Windows PC News

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Jan. 18, 2013 – The day that Mayors have been clamoring for is almost here – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) today announced that the SimCity™ beta will run from January 25 – January 28. Those who previously signed up are already in consideration for access to the beta, limited slots are still available for late applicants. Eager fans who want to get an advance look at SimCity have a limited time to sign up atwww.simcity.com/beta before the application process ends at 6pm, PST on January 20*. Developed by Maxis, SimCity will be available March 5 and is available for pre-order right now.

“It is always an exciting moment to share a game that is still in development with its biggest fans prior to launch,” said Lucy Bradshaw, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Maxis Label. “This beta will help the team improve the live service aspects of SimCity to ensure a smooth and user-friendly experience at launch. I want to thank everyone for signing up – we are excited to share one of our most beloved franchises with our fans.”

Running from 9am PST on January 25 until 12:01am PST on January 28, the SimCity beta offers fans the chance to play a one hour slice of the game** and to deliver feedback that will help shape the final product. As a live service,SimCity will continue to provide updates that evolve the experience, delivering a dynamic platform that grows and expands over time. For more details about the beta head over to www.simcity.com/beta.

Developed by the renowned Maxis studio in Emeryville, SimCity delivers unprecedented depth of simulation with the new GlassBox Engine, where everything is simulated, up to 100,000 individual Sims in a city, to every Kilowatt of power pulsing through a region of cities. The model-like world and detail of the simulation make this the most responsive and personal SimCity ever. This is also the most expansive city management game yet where multi-city gameplay across regions delivers a larger playing field. Play a single city or up to 16 cities at once each with different specializations, it’s your choice. What kind of Mayor will you be?

Multiplayer is also a first for the series, which adds a new dimension to the game, as decisions impact both the city and the region, creating new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements and to top leaderboards. Whether you play by yourself, with your friends or the rest of the world, SimCity introduces an infinite world of possibilities.

SimCity has been rated E10+ by the ESRB. To stay up-to-date on the latest regarding SimCity, and to pre-order now, please visit www.SimCity.com and http://www.facebook.com/SimCity. Press assets for SimCity are available at www.info.ea.com

Soundgarden, Quiet Riot, and More Coming to Rock Band

2013/01/18

Jerry Paxton

News, Nintendo Wii News, PlayStation 3 News, Xbox 360 News

Cambridge, Mass. – January 18^th, 2013 – Harmonix today announced that tracks from Living Colour, Soundgarden, Kelly Clarkson, and Quiet Riot are headed to the Rock Band™ Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system and Wii^™.

Rock Band provides the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums through the Rock Band music platform, which features more than 1,400 artists and more than 4,000* tracks via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks atwww.rockband.com/songs). Rock Band’s gigantic music library dwarfs that of any other rhythm video game on the market. More than 100 million songs have been sold through the Rock Band Music Store since its launch on Nov. 20, 2007.Tracks downloaded from the Rock Band Music Store are compatible with the award-winning full-band Rock Band 3 experience, as well as the controller-based rhythm-action title, Rock Band Blitz, available now on PlayStation^®Network and Xbox LIVE^® Arcade!

Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system and Wii^™

Four tracks, originally available only as part of Rock Band Blitz, are making their way to the Rock Band Music Store as singles on January 22^nd!

Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” comes off the powerful singer’s fifth album, 2011’s Stronger, and is her longest-running number one single on the Billboardcharts to date! “Cult of Personality,” from Living Colour’s 1988 debut album Vivid won the band a Grammy for “Best Hard Rock Performance,” and features one of the most recognizable and powerful riffs in rock music. Quiet Riot’s metal anthem, “Bang Your Head (Metal Health),” from the band’s 1983 album Metal Health, will also be available. Finally, Soundgarden’s single “Spoonman,” from the band’s fourth studio albumSuperunknown, rounds out this selection of hits!

Additionally, Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades for “Cult of Personality” and “Spoonman” will be available for the first time for these tracks!

Available on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation®3 system (January 22^nd, 2013):

Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”^O
Living Colour – “Cult of Personality” ^X
Quiet Riot – “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)”
Soundgarden – “Spoonman” ^X

(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation®3 system January 23^rd)

Price:
$1.99 USD, £1.19 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points^™, 200 Wii Points^™) per song
$0.99 USD (80 Microsoft Points™, 100 Wii Points™), £0.59 UK, €0.79 EU per song for eligible Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade

Tracks marked with “O” feature support for keyboards; tracks marked with “X” will offer Pro Guitar and Pro Bass expansions for $0.99 per song.

** Dates and pricing for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

*Available on-disc, via download and disc export. Internet connection and export key purchase required. Wii™ Shop Channel has more than 1,500 song tracks available for purchase on the Rock Band platform on-disc, via song import, and download. Not applicable to Nintendo DS™.¹Previously released on Wii™ on August 28, 2012

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:

Rock Band Website

Next PlayStation and Xbox Performance Details, Leak Imminent? [rumor]

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

CES, E3, News, PlayStation 3 News, Tech News, Xbox 360 News

If this story from VG24/7 is to be believed, it seems that Sony’s next game console, code-named “Orbis”, will be able to push 1.84 teraflops. They also report that this is far more powerful than rumors leaking out of CES that claim the Microsoft console, code-named “Durango”, will push 1.23 teraflops. If this data is correct, it would seem that the Sony console has about a 50% greater performance than Microsoft’s.

The rumors go on to say, however, that Microsoft’s “Durango” will have twice the amount of whole system RAM (Durango: 8GB, Orbis: 4GB), which could balance things out quite a bit. Both systems are said to be capable of using 100GB Blu-ray media.

Most interesting is the very bottom of VG24/7’s story, in which they claim that there are several media outlets working on “major leak stories” related to Microsoft’s “Durango”, thanks to documents supposedly obtained at CES. If all this turns out to be true, things are about to get interesting.

Diablo III Game Director Steps Down

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

News

Diablo III game director, Jay Wilson, has announced that he is leaving his position as Diablo III game director and will be “transitioning elsewhere within Blizzard”. Does this mean he is moving on to their upcoming MMO code-named “Titan” or some other, unannounced title? Time will tell. As an aside, I should mention we got to briefly talk with Jay Wilson at last year’s Spike Video Game Awards.

Letter from Jay Wilson

Hey everyone,

I wanted all of you to be some of the first to know that I’ve made an important decision about my future, and how that decision will affect the future of Diablo.

I recently celebrated my seven-year anniversary working on Diablo III, and while it’s been one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of my life, I’ve reached a point creatively where I’m looking forward to working on something new. The powers that be at Blizzard have been gracious enough to give me that opportunity. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will be moving off of the Diablo III project and transitioning elsewhere within Blizzard. This decision was not an easy one for me, and not one I made quickly, but ultimately it’s what I feel is right.

The first thing I want to assure you all is that this will not negatively impact our ongoing support of Diablo III. The game was not made by one person, far from it, and the team that poured their passion and considerable talent into it isn’t going anywhere. We have lots of things planned for the future, and those plans will carry forward as normal. I also won’t be abandoning the team, and will remain available to them during the transition period while we determine who will take over duties as game director.

To that point, you shouldn’t be surprised if you see a job posting for a game director on Diablo III, as we want to make sure we explore every opportunity to find the best possible leadership for the project. We’re looking forward to finding this person and hearing what kind of fresh ideas they can bring to the table.

I’m proud of Diablo III, and despite our differences at times I will miss the community that has formed around it. I feel I have made many mistakes in managing that relationship, but my intent was always to provide a great gaming experience, and be as open and receptive as possible, while still sticking true to the vision the Diablo team has for the game.

I know some of you feel we fell short of our promise to release the game “when it’s ready.” While we’re not perfect, we try to make the best decisions we can with the information and knowledge we have at the time. That doesn’t mean we always make the right decisions, but if we made a mistake then I feel we’ve made an exceptional effort to correct it.

This is what you can always count on from Blizzard: that we will stand by our games and make every effort to continually improve them over time. We heard the feedback and suggestions from the community. For example, we agreed that Diablo III’s itemization at launch was not good enough, so the team made numerous changes, including changing drop rates, re-tuning legendaries, and adding scores of new items to the game. We also agreed that the end game needed more depth, so the team added new events, and new systems like Monster Power and Paragon levels.

Our commitment to making our games as good as they can be is what has always defined Blizzard as a game studio, and that commitment never ends for us at a ship date. With your help, we’ll continue to play, debate, and improve Diablo III, as we’ve done with every Blizzard game.

To that end, patch 1.0.7 is underway, the PTR is live, and there are many other great things brewing for Diablo in 2013. I’m leaving Diablo III in good hands, and my departure will not jeopardize the progress of the game as we continue to do what we do: listen, play, and improve.

You are the most passionate, dedicated group of gamers a designer could hope to have. I wish you all the best, and want to thank you for making this an amazing experience for me. Keep your axes sharp, your spell books handy, and that crafty devil in check.

–Jay

Snappgrip Succeeds in Kickstarter Campaign

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

News, Tech News

London – January 17, 2013 – cooltopia is pleased to announce the success of their Kickstarter campaign for the Snappgrip. Snappgrip, a snap-on camera controller that turns smartphones into point-and-shoot cameras will enter production in late February 2013. Smartphone users will now be able to take one-handed photos and snap off spontaneous pictures with ease. Simply attach the controller to the back of a smartphone and start taking pictures. Similar to a digital camera, users will enjoy functions such as zoom mode, shooting mode and focus. Completely portable, compact and removable the Snappgrip is the accessory smartphone users have been waiting for. Snappgrip will be released worldwide in February 2013 for $99MSRP but can be pre-ordered now for approximately $79 (£49) at www.kickstarter.com.

“Thanks to the overwhelming interest and support we received at the Consumer Electronics Show we are proud to announce that we have reached our funding goal and will go into immediate production,” says Lee Harris, Creator of Snappgrip. “We will release Snappgrip for iPhone and Galaxy III in less than a month and will soon follow that with additional smartphone options.”

The Snappgrip controller provides easy access to real shooting controls including:

Shutter Function: Full press to take picture, half press to focus
Shooting Mode: Portrait, landscape, flash and video
Zoom Function: Zoom in for close ups or zoom out for wide shots

Additional features include:

Wireless control over your smartphone via Bluetooth and an Android app or an iOS app
An iPhone 4, iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3-specific case to which the Snappgrip controller is easily attached or removed
A tripod mounting point at the base of the controller
A power switch and a micro USB connector for easy recharging with any standard USB/micro-USB cable
An internal lithium ion battery that will last up to 60 hours on standby

Compatibility with additional apps and smartphones will be available after February 2013. For more information about Snappgrip visit www.snappgrip.com.

Dead or Alive 5 Plus Cross-Platform Details Released

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

News, PlayStation 3 News, PS Vita News

Team Ninja has revealed some of the details behind the cross-platform play of their upcoming Dead or Alive 5 Plus on the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita platforms. DoA 5 Plus is due out on March 19, 2013.

Official Details

CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY

Hardware icons will appear next to player names in cross-platform battles to indicate whether they are playing on PS3 or PS Vita
Cross-platform battles will run at 60fps on both platforms so there will be no lag or slowdown even when playing on different devices
All characters that have been unlocked on PS3 can be used on PS Vita—and vice versa
In-game rankings will show whether players are on PS Vita or PS3

CROSS-PLATFORM DLC

Using the PS Store, DLC purchases will be shared across both platforms so players can pay a single price while getting dual platform use
Over 100 costumes have been delivered to date as DLC, and the cross-platform transfer allows players to preserve their collection while getting new gameplay options with DEAD OR ALIVE 5 PLUS on PS Vita

CROSS-PLATFORM GAME SAVES AND UNLOCKED CONTENT

Saved games on PS Vita or PS3 can be used on the other platform, so gamers can play on the go and then bring their progress back to the console (or vice versa)
All unlocked content on one platform is available on the other platform; for instance, Tina’s Legend Swimsuit earned by completing Legend mode in Arcade mode without continuing will be available on PS3 if earned on PS Vita
Any new stages for DOA5 on PS3, will also be available on DEAD OR ALIVE 5 PLUS for PS Vita

New Kartuga Info Revealed, Video Released

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Hamburg, January 17, 2013. InnoGames just released new information about the pirate action game, Kartuga, as the closed beta nears; the distinct worlds of the game, Ithosia, Kartu and the Empire of the Sun, all differ visually. While Ithosia is reminiscent of the Mediterranean, Kartu plays with Mayan influences, and The Empire is inspired by the Orient. InnoGames also released a video featuring these various locals.

The kingdoms are not historical replicas – fantasy elements and nautical legends are woven into each area to make them truly unique. InnoGames made a conscious decision to steer clear of typical pirate stereotypes when designing the backdrops. “We want to show that the wonderful world of pirates can be more diverse than what is out there now. Players can expect a lot of visual variety from Kartuga,” says Game Designer Philipp Arlt. The kingdoms are further divided into several sectors – where either PVP missions are played or PVE quests are available. Kartuga is starting out with nine sectors to be explored.

Kartuga is an Action-MMO with RPG-elements, designed in Unity 3D. At the core of the game, developed by Ticking Bomb Games, is cooperative PvP. Closed beta will begin in the coming weeks. Players can already preregister at www.kartuga.com.

With more than 100 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. The Hamburg-based company has scored major successes with games such as Tribal Wars, Forge of Empires and Grepolis.

Video

Need for Speed Most Wanted Wii U Release Date

2013/01/17

Jerry Paxton

News, Nintendo Wii U News

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.– Team up to top the Most Wanted List! EA and Criterion Games announced today that Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, winner of more than 30 industry awards, is coming to Nintendo’s Wii U™ system on March 19 in North America and March 21 in Europe.Need for Speed Most Wanted unleashes gamers into a connected, open world where they race, chase and explore their way to become Most Wanted amongst their friends.

Utilizing three unique features of the Wii U™ GamePad controller and including bonus content, the Wii U game makes the race to become Most Wanted more fun and social than ever before. Firstly, introducing an all new local co-op mode, Co-Driver, one player drives using the Wii Remote™ controller or Wii U Pro Controller, and another player uses the Wii U GamePad to provide control and navigation assistance on a fully interactive real-time map. Using just their fingertips, a partner can distract pursuing cops, switch from night to day or activate enhanced performance for any car and even control the amount of traffic on the road. This is the ultimate advantage for gamers who like to stir up trouble for the cops, their friends or just for fun.

For another competitive edge, players can change their mods, switch into their favorite cars, track milestones and uncover the city’s hidden gems, all on the fly with the Wii U touch screen, ensuring nothing ever slows them down. Finally, Need for Speed Most Wanted on Wii U brings the blockbuster action of the open world racer to players’ fingertips. The entire game is playable off-screen using the Wii U GamePad, so gamers never have to put the game down.

Need for Speed Most Wanted on Wii U also includes the Ultimate Speed Pack, so players can take to the streets five of the sickest, most ludicrously fast cars ever made: McLaren’s F1 LM, Lamborghini’s minimalist artwork, the Aventador J, the track-focused Pagani Zonda R, Bugatti’s reigning world speed champion, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse and Hennessey’s savage 275 mile-an-hour ragtop beast, the Venom GT Spyder.

Need for Speed Most Wanted lets gamers compete against the people they want to defeat most — their friends. With EA’s innovative online technology Autolog 2, the game automatically tracks and compares best race times, high scores and more. These stats are broadcast throughout the open world, fueling friendly competition and rivalries. Curious if you’re still dominating the leaderboards? Autolog 2 alerts you every time you’ve been knocked off the top, reminding you it’s time to reclaim your position. Need for Speed Most Wanted‘s online multiplayer also ups the ante for social competition. Gamers pick a car, meet up with their friends and are immersed in a non-stop playlist of action-packed events. Whether it’s competing for the best starting position, the ultimate jump, or finishing first place, if there’s something to do, there’s someone to beat. Any Speed Points earned on Wii U will add to your existing total if you are playing the game on any of the other available platforms.

Need for Speed Most Wanted for Wii U will be available March 19 in North America for $59.99 and March 21 in Europe for €69.99.

For more information on Need for Speed Most Wanted, visit http://www.needforspeed.com. For more information on Need for Speed, visithttp://www.needforspeed.com or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/needforspeed and follow us on Twitter athttp://www.twitter.com/needforspeed.