Author - Jerry Paxton

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Next-Gen Launch Date

2K_BTHC_LOGO ON BLACK

New York, NY – January 20, 2015 – 2K and Gearbox Software today announced Borderlands®: The Handsome Collection™, bringing the critically-acclaimed series to next-gen consoles for the first time and offering the complete story of the franchise’s most iconic villain, Handsome Jack. The Handsome Collection includes Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel along with all of the downloadable content for both titles* – over $100 of value on prior-gen consoles, but now with the high performance and graphical fidelity of next-gen consoles for only $59.99. The Handsome Collection will launch in North America on March 24, 2015, and internationally on March 27, 2015, on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft.

For the first time on a console, players can experience Borderlands 2 and/or Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in HD – looking better than ever before. With The Handsome Collection, Borderlands fans can also continue their adventure right where they left off by transferring their saved files to the next-gen consoles with new cross-save functionality**. After hours of shooting-n-looting in Borderlands 2 andBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel on prior gen consoles, players can carry their leveled-up characters and Badass Rank over to The Handsome Collection. Additionally, up to four players can play together on a single television with four-player split screen – another first for the franchise.

The Handsome Collection gives players the opportunity to experience the full arc of Handsome Jack’s rise and fall, from his not-so-humble beginnings on Elpis to becoming the tyrannical Hyperion CEO on Pandora, all in one value-packed bundle,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “This collection marks theBorderlands franchise’s official move to the next-gen platforms, and we’re proud to offer our fans the ability to continue playing with the characters they’ve built as they carry on adventuring in The Handsome Collection.”

2K and Gearbox Software also announced today a very limited collector’s edition, the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition, which will include everything in The Handsome Collection as well as a remote controlled Claptrap steward robot, a collectible steel case, and12 exclusive lithographs. The Claptrap steward robot is controlled through a smartphone app and can move in all directions while balancing on one wheel. The Claptrap can also say lines in character and live stream video to a mobile device through his eye. The Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition is limited to only 5,000 units worldwide and is available to pre-order starting today at participating retailers for $399. For more details on theClaptrap-in-a-Box Edition as well as The Handsome Collection, please visit the official Borderlandsblog here:
http://borderlandsthegame.com/index.php/news/borderlands-2-and-borderlands-the-pre-sequel-come-to-next-gen-in-borderland

Key features in The Handsome Collection include the following:

  • Two critically acclaimed Borderlands games in one package – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequeland Borderlands 2;
  • Over $100 in value and hundreds of hours of gameplay with all downloadable content* forBorderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel;
  • Save transfers** from the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PlayStation®Vita onto the next-gen consoles through cross-save functionality;
  • Four-player split screen allowing four friends to play together on a single television, a first for theBorderlands franchise.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will be available on March 24, 2015 in North America and on March 27, 2015 internationally, for Xbox One and PlayStation®4 system. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For more information, please visit the official Borderlands web site, follow @borderlands on twitter, become a fan of Borderlands on Facebook, and subscribe to theBorderlands channel on YouTube.

Sid Meier’s Starships Announced

Illustration_MissionScreen_FleetAction copy

New York, NY – January 19, 2015  2K and Firaxis Games today announced Sid Meier’s Starships™, a new turn-based, adventure-driven interstellar strategy game from Sid Meier, creator of the award-winning Sid Meier’s Civilization® series. Scheduled for release in early 2015 as a digital download for Windows-based PC, Mac and iPad, Sid Meier’s Starships lets players command a fleet of starships as they embark on a series of missions to explore the galaxy, protect planets and their civilizations, and build a federation to ultimately usher in a new age of peace throughout the galaxy.

“When designing Starships, I was intrigued by the idea of exploring the next chapter in the story of Civilization: Beyond Earth. What happens after we colonize our new home and eventually build starships to take to the stars? What has become of our long-lost brothers and sisters from the planet Earth?” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “My goal was to create an experience that focuses on starship design and combat within a universe filled with interstellar adventure, diplomacy, and exploration.”

Sid Meier’s Starships challenges players to build a planetary federation by exploring the galaxy, expanding its influence and domain, researching futuristic technologies and engaging in deep, turn-based tactical space combat with an armada of uniquely customizable starships. Each new campaign will feature its own distinctive galactic strategy map of worlds with dynamically generated tactical combat missions that will enhance the game’s replay value. In addition, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth fans who purchase Sid Meier’s Starships will uncover cross-connectivity with the two games that will enhance and expand the depth of both game experiences.

“Sid has been a leader in the strategy and PC gaming market for more than 30 years,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “After successfully launching an experience touching upon mankind’s history on Earth, fans will now see how Sid has used the Civilization: Beyond Earth universe to deliver his own unique style of strategic gaming.”

Sid Meier’s Starships is rated E10+ by the ESRB and will be available on Steam for Windows-based PC and Mac, the Mac App Store for Mac, and the App Store for iPad devices in early 2015. For more information on Sid Meier’s Starships, please visit www.2k.com.

Firaxis Games is a 2K studio. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Screenshots / Concept Art

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Announced with First Screenshots

battlefleet_gothic_armada-03

January 16, 2015 — Focus Home Interactive and Tindalos Interactive are pleased to officially announce the development of Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, a real time strategy adaptation of Games Workshop‘s famous tabletop game for the PC. The game stages the mighty armada of the Imperial Navy’s Battlefleet Gothic against the insidious and galaxy threatening Chaos Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler in dark, deadly and intense space battles.

Developed on Unreal Engine 4, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is anRTS in which the player takes command of one of these battlefleets composed of the most powerful spaceships from the Imperial, Chaos, Eldar and Ork forces, in a no-quarter given struggle for the control of the Gothic sector of space.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada offers deep management of every ship composing the player’s fleet, both during and between battles. From the fastest frigates to the gigantic, miles-long battleships, the player will customize all aspects of his ships: weaponry, defense and support sub-systems, etc. each customization affecting the very performances of the ship and the special abilities available during battle. From battle to battle, the admirals and crew of surviving ships will gain experience and promotions, improving the battle-readiness of the ship for future, bigger and more dangerous battles.

We will unveil the game to the gaming press in more detail very soon; discover now the very first screenshots of the game, captured from a very early development version of the game.

Screenshots

Skyforge Developer Diary Shows Combat System

skyforge_paladin_new_01

January 16, 2015 — Obsidian Entertainment and the Allods Team are offering a rare, in-depth look of the combat system from the upcoming fantasy MMORPG Skyforge with an all new Developer Diary. The Developer Diary describes the journey the combat system of the game has taken from more traditional MMO combat, to the unique, fluid, action-oriented combat of Skyforge today. The team looked at action and arcade fighting games for inspiration in combat, creating an MMO that uses a more sophisticated combo system. The Developer Diary also answers questions like why character classes can heal, but there is no healer role in Skyforge.

The combat system is described in detail on the Skyforge blog and in the Dev Diary video below

Video Dev Diary

Players that want to jump into the deep combat of Skyforge early can sign up for the closed beta at: www.skyforge.com

Total War: ATTILA Cinematic Trailer

Total-War-Attila-02

January 16, 2015 — As long, bitter winters set in across Europe and crops wither in the field, the Gothic people find themselves at a turning point. Furthermore, their homelands to the west of the Black Sea lie directly in the path of Attila The Hun’s terrifying ambition. To survive, they must learn to live as wayfarers, ranging far afield in order to find a secure, more fertile home.

Highlighting the themes of climate change, famine, and the threat of Hunnic conquest which drive mass migrations in Total War™: ATTILA, this latest cinematic trailer presents a bleak vision of life at the dawn of the Dark Ages. As they approach the borders of Rome, the Goths realise their future hangs in the balance: the rider of the black horse has the power to decide their fate.

To survive in this world of turmoil and strife, certain factions have adopted a migratory lifestyle, characterised in Total War: ATTILA’s new horde mechanics. Unlike traditional Total War factions, whose development relies on static towns and cities, these migrating hordes are free to rove the map and pitch their tents where they will. Hordes represent the military might of an army combined with the economic, production and recruitment potential of a settlement, and offer players the first truly nomadic experience inTotal War history.

For more detail on hordes and the mechanics of migration in Total War: ATTILA, a new spotlight video is also available here.

Trailer

Neverwinter Xbox One Closed Beta Information

NW_XboxOneBetaAnnounce_Screenshot (7)

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 15, 2015 – Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of free-to-play MMORPGs, and Cryptic Studios announced an upcoming Neverwinter closed beta for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. Available from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8, players can sign-up to participate in the closed beta here: www.playneverwinter.com/xbox

An MMORPG launching on Xbox One, Neverwinter brings a fully-fledged role-playing experience to players with the inclusion of previously launched PC content and a living social world allowing players to experience Dungeons & Dragons adventures with their friends. Neverwinter on Xbox One will utilize console features including friends list integration and optimized controls to easily transition the MMORPG experience from PC to console.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG that features fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding countryside, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is currently available on PC and will be launching for Xbox One, available free-to-play with Gold* in early 2015.

For more information about Neverwinter, and to play now for free on PC, visit http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/neverwinter

*On Xbox, Xbox Live Gold membership (sold separately) required.

SNOW Closed Beta Date and New Trailer

SNOW_riding

STOCKHOLM – January 15, 2015 – Swedish developer Poppermost Productions today announced closed beta dates for SNOW, their upcoming free-to play, open-world, winter sports game. Beginning Saturday, March 28, Poppermost will open the mountain and grant a set amount of users full access to the closed beta version of the game on PC for free. Those who sign up through www.snowthegame.com will be invited to the closed beta on a first come, first served basis. All closed beta users will receive an exclusive Red Bull Sean Pettit helmet in game.

As a special thank you to those that already own SNOW through Steam’s Early Access program, Early Access participants will have entry to the closed beta on Tuesday, March 10, over two weeks before it officially goes live.

“We couldn’t have made it to this tremendous milestone without the undying support of SNOW’s community,” said Alexander Bergendahl, CEO of Poppermost Productions. “We’re ecstatic to open up the slopes to a wider audience and see how they enjoy the experience SNOW has to offer!”

Closed beta marks a critical point in the development of SNOW, introducing the long-awaited free-to-play model and giving players a chance to discover a plethora of new features that were not available in Early Access. SNOW’s 65km3 open-world mountain, Sialia, has a handful of new locations to explore, including a mountain-top observatory, crashed cargo plane, vineyard and luxury hotel resort. These cool settings can be visited on skis or with the new drone feature, which gives players a small personal drone to fly around the mountain at their leisure.

In addition, the closed beta will feature event game modes (races, slopestyle, big air, etc.), a replay mode to rewatch your performances from cinematic angles, player levelling and online matchmaking for competitive gameplay or simply sharing the mountain with friends. Other improvements include a complete overhaul of the game’s user interface and a redesign of the character store, which features roughly 700 items from real-world brands, with more to come soon.

To sign up for the closed beta, visit SNOW’s website at www.snowthegame.com. For more information on the closed beta and all things SNOWplease follow along on Twitter and Facebook.

The Long Dark Sells Over 250k Copies

long-dark-infographic

January 15, 2015 — Vancouver Island-based independent developer Hinterland Studio is proud to announce that The Long Dark, its exploration-survival experience, has sold more than 250,000 copies since launching on Steam Early Access in September. Ths initial success validates the team’s direction and allows Hinterland to achieve its ambitions for the upcoming story mode, while ensuring the team’s continued independence.

Regarding the sales milestone, studio creative director Raphael Van Lierop notes, “Our goal with The Long Dark was to create a very different type of experience – an artistic survival game – and we were prepared for the game to be quite niche as a result. Thinking that a quarter of a million people have embraced our vision, even in this early state – something we’ve put forward without compromise – is extremely rewarding. And we’re just getting started.”

The team at Hinterland has put tremendous effort into developing the game in cooperation with its passionate fan community. They’ve continually added new content to the Early Access version, with 20 updates so far and the much-anticipated story mode still to come. The next game update – slated for later in January – will nearly double the size of the game world, adding new and interesting places to explore, as well as new threats to confront.

Hinterland released an infographic that provides insight into player habits in this unforgiving, beautiful representation of surviving in a harsh, cold wilderness. Start playing The Long Dark now on PC via Steam Early Access.

Pertinent Details

Developer/Publisher: Hinterland Studio
Platform: PC, Mac
Genre: Exploration-Survival
Price: $19.99
Release Date: TBD, Out Now on Early Access

Invasion Announced for LyteShot Game System

lyteshot

Chicago, Illinois – January 15, 2014 – In the wake of LyteShot Inc.’s recently announced Kickstarter campaign (help support it here), the studio is proud to reveal the innovative team-based game Invasion, one of the three titles in development for its disruptive new platform coming to iOS and Android this year. Invasion is the creation of Chris Weed and Joe Sklover, two key developers who launched the LARPing phenomenon Humans Vs. Zombies, a massive scale, team-oriented game pitting commandos equipped with Nerf guns and marshmallow shooters against swarms of “zombies.” Invasion is the next step in the live-action gaming phenomenon, tasking players to cooperatively band together in teams led by a squad “commander” to stop a widespread virtual plague.

Assassin: The Game, the first of three titles, will be coming at product launch, with Besieged and Invasion coming shortly thereafter. Invasion will round out the lineup, bringing a refreshing level of development support and an entirely new game for players to dive into. In Invasion, the world has been overrun by deadly pathogens. Players must band together cooperatively with other “survivors” to fight back and reclaim their neighborhood, and then, as the game progresses, eventually the planet.

“We’re absolutely ecstatic about the development of Invasion for LyteShot,” said Chris Weed, one of the key creators of Humans Vs. Zombies. “With a series of unique roles to involve the squad in eradicating the digital plague, gamers will use LyteShot wands in totally unique ways to help their teammates with skills only they possess. This is a completely new game and we’re confident that players will love it.”

Using a survival-style gameplay approach where winners achieve the highest level of kills and reach the maximum geographical reach, Invasion pits teams against non-stop waves of enemy plague attacks, while giving their team unique roles to fulfill. Players take on specialized roles including Commander, Eradicator, Vanguards, and Technicians to tactically eliminate the growing plague.

Key Features to the Four Roles of Invasion:

  • Commanders: There is one commander per team, and his/her role is focused primarily on strategic and effective communication with the whole team. Commanders have an eagle eye view of the entire map and decide how the team can best apply its resources. The Commander’s map receives information from the entire team and deploys other players to fulfill their specialized duties.
  • Eradicators: This role is crucial as it’s the only role in which the player is able to directly fight back against the computer enemies. Eradicators are central to every strategy.
  • Vanguards: Without Vanguards, players cannot plan ahead. Vanguards are able to view a much larger area of the map than any non­-commander roles. Thus, the Commander can see much more of an area if he sends a Vanguard to scout it out. Vanguards also can deploy decoys to allow them and their friends to escape, to buy precious extra seconds, or to lure enemies to their death.
  • Technicians: The technicians are masters of energy. They are able to carry more of it than any other role, and therefore withstand more attacks, repair more depleted extermination fields or recharge their teammates. They are deployable, though defenseless, providing the team’s base with additional energy. In addition, the energy lost over time by extermination fields is greatly reduced when a technician is nearby.

Played in a series of rounds, each successive round of Invasion increases the radius of the playing area and the intensity of the oncoming enemy plague. Once the round begins, the majority of enemies will appear in this new area. A round is over when all of the enemies have been eliminated. LyteShot automates the entire game by seamlessly tracking all in-game activity and displays real-time scores for players and fans tracking the games online.

Pioneering game system creator LyteShot went live with the groundbreaking KickStarter last week for their mobile gaming platform that turns any place in the world into your gaming arena. LyteShot’s open platform reimagines mobile gaming on iOS and Android smart phones and the next generation of heads-up displays (HUD) for unlimited real-world multiplayer experiences. Check out and support the Kickstarter here now.