Author - Jerry Paxton

Annapurna Interactive Announced

2016/12/01

Geek News, Industry News, Movie News, News

(Los Angeles, CA) December 1, 2016 – Annapurna Pictures, the production company behind ZERO DARK THIRTY, HER, and SAUSAGE PARTY, has expanded its operations with the creation of Annapurna Interactive, a division entirely dedicated to producing and publishing video games. Annapurna Interactive will focus on developing personal, emotional, and original games that push the boundaries of interactive content and encourage artists to bring new visions to the medium.

Annapurna Interactive is set to publish two games targeting Spring 2017 release dates: Jason Roberts’ Gorogoa and Giant Sparrow’s What Remains of Edith Finch. Gorogoa, by Jason Roberts, is a beautifully hand-illustrated story suspended inside a puzzle with a unique mechanic where the player moves panels on a grid as though arranging framed drawings on a wall. What Remains of Edith Finch, developed by Giant Sparrow, is a playable collection of short stories, each with different art styles and gameplay mechanics centered around the cursed Finch family.

As part of its growing portfolio, Annapurna Interactive will also release games from highly regarded industry talents, including San Francisco-based developer Funomena and Creative Director Keita Takahashi, creator of the Katamari Damacy franchise, and Mountains, which is led by Ken Wong, best known for his work on Monument Valley.

The new publisher will be run by a team of game veterans whose credits include Journey, God of War, Mortal Kombat, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Flower, and Fat Princess.

“I’ve had a great passion for video games for as long as I can remember. Growing up, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was one of my all-time favorites. My brother and I ran up quite a bill calling the 1-900 numbers for tips on those games, before the internet provided game-guides. The artistry and diversity of interactive storytelling is exciting and we look forward to exploring the limitless possibilities in gaming. We want to empower artists across this medium to make Annapurna Interactive their home and I believe we’ve assembled the perfect team to make that happen,” said Annapurna’s founder and CEO, Megan Ellison.

The Annapurna Interactive team added, “We believe video games have a powerful ability to stir emotion. We are excited by the opportunity to collaborate with the artists who inspire us in order to bring memorable experiences to all players, whether experienced or first-time gamers.”

Annapurna Interactive is located on the company’s campus in West Hollywood.

To learn more about Annapurna Interactive and to stay up to date on its upcoming releases, please visit annapurnainteractive.com.

Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: Scarif – Official Trailer

2016/12/01

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 1, 2016 – Today, DICE released the new Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: Scarif Official Trailer, ahead of the fourth and final expansion pack launching for Season Pass members on December 6. In Rogue One: Scarif, players can experience all-new epic battles and content inspired by the upcoming film, Rogue One™: A Star Wars™ Story. Two new playable heroes, Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic join the battle, four new maps all set in the tropical jungles and beaches of Scarif are introduced, and a new multi-stage game mode with space and ground combat makes it’s debut.

Check out the new trailer here for a sneak peak of what players will experience in Rogue One: Scarif.

The Climb Will Get Oculus Touch Support

2016/12/01

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

FRANKFURT, Germany – December 1, 2016 – Prepare to conquer the wild like never before as Oculus Touch support comes to Crytek’s VR free solo rock climbing game, The Climb, on December 6.

Crytek revealed today that its incoming update for The Climb will integrate support for the new Touch controllers when they launch next week – giving players the freedom to scale VR cliffs with instinctive hand movements that mirror real-world climbing. With the addition of new leaderboards for each setting, the race will be on to master the game’s environments with Oculus’ intuitive new controllers.

The extensive game update will be free to everyone who owns The Climb, and also includes an expansive new setting inspired by the landscapes of Iceland. The wintry “North” location features snow-capped peaks, distant volcanoes, and a host of fresh challenges for players to get to grips with as they scale new heights, immerse themselves in the environment, or compete to set the best times in the world. In addition, the update introduces new player-customization options and a range of accessories designed specifically for the North setting.

The Climb’s free update will be available for players on December 6 via Oculus Home.

Master of Orion Revenge of Antares DLC Available Now

2016/12/01

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

December 1, 2016 —Master of Orion’s stellar “Revenge of Antares” update has arrived and the galaxy will never be the same. This update gives players access to an iconic, non-playable race and even more content. Ready for purchase is the “Revenge of Antares Race Pack” DLC, bringing three well known and playable races to the already formidable galaxy.

Included in the “Revenge of Antares” update is a non-playable race, the militarized and despotic Antarans. This tyrannical race also brings a new victory condition. Additionally, in the “Revenge of Antares” update, players gain the ability to recruit galactic leaders and encounter independent civilizations as they deepen their experience in Master of Orion.

Alongside this free update comes the “Revenge of Antares Race Pack”, available for purchase. This DLC introduces a trio of familiar and playable alien races: the Trilarians, the Gnolam, and the Elerians—daunting aliens that will bring new dimensions to the battle for Orion. The Elerians, a fierce race of galactic isolationists, make uncompromising foes. The Gnolam are a wealth-driven society, which translates to them being an economically beneficial ally or a financial danger. Finally, the Trilarians are an aquatic race who, despite their commitment to peace, will fight valiantly against any threat.

Master of Orion’ “Revenge of Antares” game update is available today, free of charge.

The “Revenge of Antares Race Pack” is purchasable today for $9.99 via Steam and GoG.com

For more information on Master of Orion visit:

http://masteroforion.com (North America)
http://masteroforion.eu (Europe)
http://masteroforion.asia (Southeast Asia)

Double Nation Pack Available for Wargame: Red Dragon

2016/12/01

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

December 1, 2016 – Wargame: Red Dragon is still alive and well thanks to its amazing community and the support of its developers. The million-selling series Wargame is back with a Double Nation Pack DLC introducing two new REDFOR Armies: Yugoslavia & Finland. As voted by the community, these two nations come to reinforce the PACT side of Wargame: Red Dragon, bringing up to 186 new gorgeous units to add further strategic depth to Eugen Systems’ spectacular RTS.

The Yugoslav People’s Army is a highly-mechanized fighting force, with powerful tanks and IFV backed up by a wide choice of versatile SAM/SPAAG weapon systems and many indigenous assault aircrafts. It features four variants of the M-84 MBT as well as heavier tanks such as the M-91 Vihor. Yugoslavia also fields many variants of BOV wheeled armored vehicles, M-60 APC, M-80 IFV… The Yugoslav Air Force introduces no less than four indigenous planes (Jastreb, Super Galeb, Orao & Novi), modeled in-game into seven variants. Yugoslavia is playable in a coalition with Czechoslovakia.

But Yugoslavia is not arriving alone, as the Finnish Army is also available in this new Nation Pack! It features excellent reconnaissance (a small army by itself!), providing a wide array of choices, ranging from the stealthy to the powerful. Finland introduces a new unit type: ATV riders, with the FDF Mönkijä, a small & elusive jeep! A strong infantry line-up backs up this recon force, with a large selection of shock troopers & commandos with CQC MG, giving Finland an uncanny ability at clearing urban areas & woods. The Finnish Army’s lineup also features a wide range of tube artillery, from heavy mortars, such as the TelaKrH 66, the Gvozdika, to modernized MBT such as the T-72M1MOD. And let’s not forget the iconic StuG III, a.k.a “Sturmi” !

Since its release, Wargame: Red Dragon has added the following DLC :

– The Millionth Mile (60 new units and a new unit type)
– Second Korean War (a new solo campaign and 12 new units)
– Norse Dragons (60 new units for Sweden, Denmark & Norway)
– Nation Pack : Netherlands (with 80 units)
– Nation Pack : Israel (with 96 units)
– Russian Roulette 10v10 map

New bundles are also made available today on Steam :

– Full Nation Pack : Netherlands + Israël + Yugoslavia + Finland
– Red Dragon Complete Edition : Game + all available DLCs
– Wargame : Ultimate Franchise Pack : All Wargame games + DLCs

This Double Nation Pack : Reds is available now on PC. Enjoy up to 75% off on Steam for the whole Wargame Franchise until December 5th.

Star Trek Timelines Facebook Launch Trailer

2016/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

November 30, 2016 – As Star Trek’s 50^th anniversary comes to a close, Disruptor Beam continues to celebrate as their highly popular strategy role-playing game Star Trek Timelines is now available on Facebook Games via web browsers and Facebook Gameroom, a new PC gaming desktop app. With millions of fans playing the game on the App Store and Google Play, new and old players now have an extra way to experience the Star Trek universe.

Originally launched in January 2016 for the App Store and Google Play, Star Trek Timelines starts out when a temporal anomaly brings together space and time, allowing players to assemble a dream crew featuring characters from all eras of Star Trek. Players then deploy their crew to resolve conflicts using each crew member’s unique skills and abilities. The game allows players to engage in stunning 3D ship battles, as well as explore the galaxy alongside friends, delivering an immersive game experience to all Star Trek fans.

“One consistent request we’ve heard from our dedicated Star Trek Timelines community since launch has been to bring the action to Facebook,” said Joey Lapegna, Director of Product and Design at Disruptor Beam. “We could not be more thrilled to have Star Trek Timelines finally on Facebook Games and their new Gameroom platform and aim to deliver the same compelling experience as it is now on mobile.”

Star Trek Timelines on Facebook Gameroom and Facebook Games allows for persistent cross-platform gameplay between Facebook and mobile devices as progress made on either platform will be saved and accessible at any time. The Facebook versions of Star Trek Timelines are also available for free and in five different languages – English, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese. Moving forward Disruptor Beam will update both the Facebook and mobile versions in tandem with frequent additions of new characters, starships, features and popular weekly in-game events.

To get started with the Facebook version of Star Trek Timelines, check out this FAQ on the Disruptor Beam website, visit Star Trek Timelines on Facebook Games or download Facebook Gameroom on your Windows PC.

Players can follow new game developments by joining the Star Trek Timelines community and signing up for the Bridge Crew email list, joining the Disruptor Beam forums and following the game on Facebook and Twitter.

The Surge Mini-Boss Info and Screenshots

2016/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

November 30, 2016 – Deck 13’s new hardcore action-RPG, The Surge, today unveils some of the game’s mini-bosses set to prowl the hallways of overrun industrial complex CREO. From CREO’s elite security forces to malfunctioning industrial machinery, these enemies make up just a few of the dangers facing Warren throughout the dangerous environments of The Surge.

Led by a billionaire philanthropist, a project developed by CREO – a mysterious industrial and R&D megacorporation – designed primarily to reverse the effects of climate change on the planet is just beginning to take shape as something ominous.

Although most dangers in The Surge were not originally designed for combat, CREO’s security forces exist to maintain order within the complex. CREO’s ‘robot dog’ is a leaping quadruped designed to track down and kill any intrusions. As with most threats in The Surge, it has a weakness – although heavily armored, players can hit vulnerable places in order to take it down, and loot it, faster.

The Echelon 9 security forces, armed with anti-personnel combat gear, are armored in the GOLIATH-class armor making them extremely fast and strong. Although contrary to CREO’s image as a planet-saving company, CREO’s internal security forces’ primary goal is to protect CREO from outside interference, as the stakes are high.

One of the many malfunctioning industrial machines throughout CREO, the Smelter was designed to be impervious to tampering, making it extremely difficult to shut down. With ore-smashing gripper teeth and coolant forcing it to vent gasses to keeping it stable, you’ll have to attack its most vulnerable inner workings at the right time to deactivate it.

You will have to make the most of your newly installed exo-suit, armors, and almost limitless armament combinations to survive CREO when The Surge slices its way onto consoles for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.

Kingdoms and Castles Announced in Fig Campaign

2016/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

Los Angeles, CA – November 30, 2016 – Pete Angstadt and Michael Peddicord, who between them have worked on acclaimed indie games including Abzu, Journey and Cannon Brawl, as well as EA’s Spore and Boom Blox, have founded a new studio called Lion Shield and have announced their new city building game Kingdoms and Castles. Partially inspired by Angstadt’s time at Maxis and games like SimCity, Stronghold, and Banished, players build a simulated city while crafting a strategy to protect their peasants from a continually changing and dangerous world. Kingdoms and Castles begins a funding campaign on Fig.co/castles today, to raise $15,000 for the development, publishing and release of the game on PC and Mac in Spring 2017.

In Kingdoms and Castles, players start out creating small villages, which they expand to thriving cities protected by imposing castles. As the game progresses, choices about strategic castle expansions, tax policies, farming, industry, religious institutions, defense and other important decisions determine whether their city thrives for fails. Unlike other games that have come before, players in Kingdoms and Castles will both create a city and protect it from danger. Many other games have focused separately and exclusively on building or defending – not both.

The kingdoms face threats from a dynamic and dangerous world filled with vikings, plague, dragons, bitter winters and other challenges. The player’s strategy will determine if the viking raiders make off with their villagers or if they are stopped, full of arrows, at the castle gates; or if a dragon torches the town’s granary so that people die of starvation in the winter, or are able to boldly defeat the beast. The success of kingdoms depends solely on the player’s intelligence and skill as a city and castle planner.

The Kingdoms and Castles world dynamically changes and evolves throughout the game – seasons change, forests grow and clouds move through the sky, with a variety of algorithms and procedural systems operating behind the scenes to simulate the environment.

Individuals and organizations can learn more about the game and support Kingdoms and Castles on Fig.co/castles today. In addition to rewards contributions, qualified investors can get returns based on the game’s sales performance by investing in a Fig security that pays dividends tied to the revenues received from the game.

About Fig

As the only funding and publishing platform created by gamers for gamers that offers rewards and investment based funding, Fig.co empowers developers and passionate fans alike to bring well-known franchises and undiscovered indie titles to market. Fig.co was established with help from a coalition of independent game developers including Brian Fargo, Feargus Urquhart, and Tim Schafer. Fig Publishing, Inc. is an affiliate of the Fig.co company and was founded to give investors a way to support the development and publishing of great new games by Fig.

For more information, visit Fig.co and follow us on Twitter.com/playfig and Facebook.com/playfig.

Interactive Nintendo Areas Coming to Universal Studios

2016/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

Kyoto, Japan and ORLANDO, Florida (November 29, 2016) – Imagine the fun of stepping into a larger-than-life Nintendo adventure. Gigantic Piranha Plants spring to life. Question blocks, power-ups and more surround you. And Mario and all his friends are there to pull you into a brand-new world.

You will enter an entire realm filled with iconic Nintendo excitement, gameplay, heroes and villains. And it is coming to three Universal theme parks around the globe.

The creative visionaries behind Nintendo’s legendary worlds and characters are working together with the creative teams behind Universal’s blockbuster theme park attractions. Their goal: to bring the characters, action and adventure of Nintendo video games to life within Universal theme parks. And to do so in new and innovative ways that capture what makes them so special. All of the adventure, fun and whimsy you experience through a screen will now be all around you – in breathtakingly authentic ways.

Nintendo-themed areas are coming to Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
These will be expansive, immersive and interactive. They will be highly themed and authentic environments filled with multiple attractions, shops and restaurants.
Guests will feel as if they are playing inside their favorite games – this time in real life.
There will be something for everyone – regardless of their age or gaming experience level.
Planning and creative work on these areas is well underway; they will open separately over the next several years.

The new themed areas come as the result of a global partnership between Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo – two icons of the entertainment world. Universal theme parks create incredibly popular family entertainment experiences for millions of people based on compelling characters, stories and innovative technology. Nintendo creates remarkable and imaginative games filled with captivating stories and beloved characters.

Each Universal theme park will announce details of its specific Nintendo areas. The first such announcement will come soon.

About Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions.

Comcast NBCUniversal wholly owns Universal Studios Hollywood, which includes Universal CityWalk Hollywood. It also owns Universal Orlando Resort, a destination resort with two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure), five resort hotels, and Universal CityWalk Orlando. In addition, Comcast NBCUniversal owns a 51 percent majority interest in Universal Studios Japan, in Osaka and has a license agreement with Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. The company has also announced plans for a theme park in Beijing.

Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery Review (HTC Vive)

2016/11/29

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Spectral Illusions is a name many of you video gamers out there might not know just yet. However, if you are a part of the haunted house/haunter community, you will no doubt recognize them as a well-known producer of digital projector effects. I had seen them at various Halloween-related trade shows like ScareLA and Midsummer Scream, so I knew that they made quality effects. What I did not know was that this two-person team was working on what might just be the best “on-rails” virtual reality shooter to date: Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery. And it’s out now for your gaming enjoyment… If you dare!

Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery puts players in the shoes of a person exploring an abandoned thrill ride – a mine ride as the title mentions. The experience starts off in a small office attached to the mine ride and shooting gallery. From there, you will make your way into the ride, with the first stop being the stationary shooting gallery. Armed with a six shooter, players can shoot at the various targets as long as they like. The shooting gallery experience is extremely well-done, with 1:1 aiming and gun manipulation. Thankfully, the game still has some arcade shooter in its genetics as you have unlimited rounds for your pistol, and reloading is just a simple control press.

Speaking of controls, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery uses the HTC Vive motion controllers extremely well. Movement is done in real-time, no teleportation here, and I am very happy for that. I think teleportation takes players out of the VR experience. Now, it is true that some players get motion sickness while using virtual reality headsets. If this is you, I would highly suggest you skip this game unless you pick it up just for the excellent shooting gallery. This is because after you shoot your heart out at the shooting gallery, you venture further into the attraction, boarding the mine ride itself. From there… Well, all Hell breaks loose and you are in for a wild ride.

Visually, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery is a beautiful VR experience. The atmosphere is perfect and I experienced a ton of jump scares on this mine ride gone berserk. The sound is equally immersive and just adds to the creep-factor of the ride. In terms of performance, even when the action was crazy and frenetic, the frame rate kept stable and I experienced very little in the way of juttering when I turned my head. You can stand or sit when you board the mine ride, and I highly suggest you stand at moments when you would be standing in the experience and sit when you are riding the mine ride. Have a chair nearby and just be careful not to trip over it, lol.

Now, there are some bugs that still need to be worked out. For instance – every once in a great while, I would end up getting thrown out of the mine cart due to a glitch. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do at that point except restart. There are no save points or anything like that. In fact, that kind of issue is where the game’s independent development shows through. For the most part, it is an amazing experience that lasts about a half hour.

Overall, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery is one of the best virtual reality-based experiences I have ever played. Finally, Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery is only $8.99 on Steam, making it one of the most economical VR experiences I have ever played. If you own an HTC Vive, you owe it to yourself to purchase Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery right away. You won’t regret it.

Ghost Town Mine Ride & Shootin’ Gallery Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5)