From our family to yours, Merry Christmas! We hope you have a terrific holiday season and carry on your great holiday traditions.
Author - Jerry Paxton
December 24, 2015 – The Technomancer, Spiders’ new sci-fi RPG, offers a rich and varied bestiary, that you will come across and confront in combat during your journey on Mars. In this new series of screenshots, discover a few of these strange creatures conceived and brought to life by the talented teams at Spiders studios.
Although Mars’ red surface is naturally barren and completely devoid of life, hundreds of years of human civilization has led to the creation and evolution of many hybrid species built from the genetic makeup of animals found on Earth. What was first an exercise to create an ecosystem to support the original settlers eventually grew out of control, following the cataclysm that wiped most settlers and isolated Mars from Earth. Mutations and accelerated evolution forged what little life there was into threatening beasts scattered all over the red planet.
While originally bred as domestic animals, the harsh living conditions on Mars led these creatures to develop effective defense mechanisms – poison, camouflage, brute force… The longer Mars is cut off from Earth, the more dangerous Mars’ new wildlife grows. They will aggressively defend their territory should you trespass it.
Today’s screenshots show a few of these creatures. Mastery of The Technomancer’s visceral combat styles and electrical powers should help you survive the bizarre hybrid species of Mars!
Your quest on Mars begins early 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC!
Frankfurt, Germany – December 22, 2015 – Get set for an avalanche of fresh content in Warface as a new winter update hits Crytek’s free online shooter today.
As part of the update, players can look forward to dishing out season’s beatings on a reworked version of the PVP Oil Depot map. Over the holidays, the map will be awash with festive cheer as a covering of snow, fairy lights and a towering Christmas tree turn the most popular Team Deathmatch battleground into a Warface winter wonderland. On top of that, a brand new version of the Hangar Team Deathmatch map also arrives with the update – applying a graphical overhaul that brings the action home in even more style. The original Hangar map remains playable for now, but the new “2.0” version upgrades the experience and is a visual treat for gamers.
Expanding on the reworked maps, the Warface winter update also brings enhanced weapons into play. Gamers can get their hands on a golden R16A1 rifle or chop till they drop with the golden tactical axe.
The content keeps coming. Today’s update also adds seven new bundles to the game for players to get kitted out for every situation in style, plus new decorative items for in-game insignia, fresh contract objectives, a festive-themed Safe House and more. When it comes to Christmas, Warface is the gift that keeps on giving.
Read more details of what’s new at www.warface.com.
LOS ANGELES – Dec. 22, 2015 – Leading console accessories manufacturer Nyko today announced the release of the Data Bank for Xbox One, a sleek, streamlined hard drive enclosure that affixes to the top of the console and expands data storage with any 3.5” hard drive. Current enclosures on the market are less visually appealing and are detached from the console, leaving a cable trail and taking up unnecessary space. The Data Bank for Xbox One solves this problem with an enclosure that matches the materials and angles of the console, and simply attaches to the top. You can now purchase the Data Bank at GameStop, Amazon, or the Nyko online store today for MSRP $39.99.
“If gamers purchase at least one new game a month, they’d have to start deleting old games or upgrade storage within the first couple of years after purchasing the Xbox One, ” said Chris Arbogast, Nyko’s head of sales and marketing. “The Data Bank provides the most cost-effective method to make limited save space a thing of the past, in a way that maintains the clean look of the original console design.”
To view a video introduction of the Data Bank for Xbox One, visit:
To keep up with the latest from Nyko, follow them on Twitter, subscribe on Youtube, and like them on Facebook.
To purchase any product from Nyko’s full lineup of video game accessories for all current and previous generation consoles, visit the online store at www.nyko.com.
December 21st, 2015 – Wroclaw, Poland/ When Techland announced Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition, it was revealed that one of the many new features and upgrades coming to the game included Legendary Levels. Today, Techland published the first video from its Enhanced Edition Highlights series explaining how Legendary Levels will work.
“We listen closely to our community and hear many voices that people who did every single thing in Dying Light want more. Legendary Levels are one of the ways how we’re making the post-game content more meaty – explains Maciej Binkowski, lead game designer. We’re adding 250 additional levels, so you can keep on developing your character while unlocking new weapons, outfits, emblems, and skills. It means massive replayability.”
Watch the Legendary Levels highlight video to learn more about the new feature.
Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition | Legendary Levels can be viewed:
Legendary Levels will be a part of Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition, which launches February 9, 2016. Players who have the base version of the game will also receive the new feature as part of the free improvement update to be distributed at the same time.
IRVINE, Calif. — Dec. 21, 2015 — Obsidian Entertainment and Paradox Interactive today announced that “The Road to Eternity,” the behind-the-scenes documentary following the incredible fan-funded role-playing game (RPG) Pillars of Eternity, has been released in its entirety for viewers worldwide. Created as part of the wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2012, “The Road to Eternity” provides a rare and unfiltered in-depth look at how crowdfunding not only saved the studio during one of the darkest points in its history, but led to the creation of one of the most anticipated and highly reviewed RPGs of all time. Pillars of Eternity is often quoted as not only fulfilling promises made to its backers, but far exceeding them. Its overwhelming critical and commercial success has contributed greatly in validating crowdfunding as a movement in funding games.
In “The Road to Eternity,” Obsidian’s talented team of developers Josh Sawyer, Adam Brennecke and CEO Feargus Urquhart who have contributed to such notable franchises as Fallout, Star Wars, and Dungeons & Dragons pull back the curtain on thePillars of Eternity development story, and share unguarded thoughts and testimonials about the bleak lows and the dizzying highs of their journey. The documentary offers a great deal of inside information for fans, as well as a rare look into what crowdfunding can mean to an independent game developer.
Watch “The Road to Eternity” here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/
Pillars of Eternity is an RPG inspired by classic titles such as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment, which features an original world and game system that evokes and improves upon the traditional computer RPG experience. Funded via Kickstarter in late 2012, raising $4.5 million through both backer pledges on Kickstarter and Obsidian’s own website, Pillars of Eternity has been a project of passion both for the development team and for the loyal fans who have made it possible.
For more information on Pillars of Eternity, visit eternity.obsidian.net.
Oslo, Norway – December 18th, 2015 – Funcom is thrilled to announce a major update of The Secret World® with the launch of Issue #13: Trail of Shadows!
In this all new Issue players can enjoy stories from some of their favorite survivors in Tokyo, and come face-to-face with the darkest of shadows.
We are also introducing a new gifting system this holiday season, so players can give each other gifts from the in-game Item Store for the first time!
Krampus is making a comeback this Christmas to punish those who have been naughty, but the players can turn the tables on the Krampus monsters and use their portals to enter Niflheim and fight Hel herself! The Christmas Conspiracy andMayan End of Days events can also be enjoyed during the holiday.
Players can get their hands on the all new Sack of Winter Cheer and Bag of Season’s Revelry, which contain tons of new Christmas items and outfits, either from the Item Store or by taking part in the events.
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Trabuco Canyon, CA – December 17, 2015 – Video-game industry pioneer COLECO re-enters the market, partnering with Retro Video Game Systems, Inc., to introduce a new video-game system called the COLECO Chameleon.
COLECO Chameleon is a versatile video-game system that serves as a modern day take on the classic game console and will accurately play compilations of favorite games from the past. The COLECO Chameleon also has the ability play brand-new games in the 8-, 16- and 32-bit styles, a growing and popular genre in today’s gaming landscape.
Chris Cardillo, a partner in COLECO said, “Mark [Thomann] and I are excited to work hand-in-hand with Retro Video Game Systems, Inc. in the launch of the COLECO Chameleon. It’s ironic that a new ‘retro’ video-game system would actually revolutionize and revitalize the COLECO brand.”
And, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the COLECO Chameleon will once again play brand new games on long-lasting, durable cartridges that can be played, traded, and collected for a lifetime. And all game cartridges will include high quality, plastic clamshell cases with illustrated instruction manuals and game developer liner notes.
Retro Video Game Systems, Inc. President Mike Kennedy adds, “The COLECO Chameleon is a love-letter to all the classic cartridge based gaming systems that came before it and we love the fact it will succeed COLECO’s successful Telstar and Colecovision product lines. It will take gamers and their families back to a simpler time where games were all about great gameplay and fun factor.”
The COLECO Chameleon will launch in 2016 and will also be demonstrated at Toy Fair New York 2016, February 13-16.
December 17, 2015 — Wargaming America, the exclusive North and South America publisher for Wargaming.net, today announced recent additions to the company’s executive team to further develop and strengthen their growing workforce and portfolio of products. Thaine Lyman was appointed head of global publishing production and Paul Barnett has joined the team as director of community.
“We are thrilled to welcome both Thaine and Paul on board during this exciting time of growth for the company,” says Wargaming America general manager Jay Cohen. “Their respective experience developing high-performance products and innovative, culture-driven teams will help support Wargaming’s efforts as we continue to expand our audience throughout the Americas on new platforms with community focused features and content.”
Leading the global publishing production team with over 17 years of experience, Lyman is responsible for the execution of the overall production strategy within Wargaming publishing, working with internal and external talent to further expand the company’s positioning within the video game industry. Most recently, he was the vice president of production at Activision, where he was responsible for the franchise development and long term strategy of global AAA computer and console software titles, including “Call of Duty” and “Destiny”.
As director of community, Barnett will focus on conceptualizing, developing and facilitating the implementation of creative projects related to Wargaming’s commitment to community relations. He joins Wargaming with more than 22 years of groundbreaking and innovative online gaming experience. Previously, Barnett was the executive producer of channel programming at Electronic Arts, where he launched an on-demand television gaming service. He also served in various executive management and creative positions at EA Mythic as general manager and creative director, leading highly-effective teams to launch multiple titles worldwide, including “Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning” and the “Ultima” series.
To learn more about Wargaming, please visit: www.wargaming.com
IRVINE, Calif. – Razer™, a world leader in connected devices and software for gamers, today announced the Razer Leviathan Mini. The portable sound system provides uncompromised audio quality that music listeners can take anywhere.
Powerful dual speaker drivers in the Razer Leviathan Mini produce deep lows and crisp highs for up to 10 hours of playback time that other portable speakers cannot match. As an added feature, two Razer Leviathan Minis can be synced to produce a true wireless stereo sound stage via Combo Play.
The Razer Leviathan Mini seamlessly connects to smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth devices up to 30 feet away via Bluetooth v4.0 with award-winning aptX® technology for CD-like audio quality. One-touch NFC™ pairing is also included for ultra-fast, fuss-free connecting.
A built-in microphone enhanced with Clear Voice Capture® technology is included for speakerphone functionality, while a carrying case allows for maximum portability.
“Portable speakers today present so many compromises when it comes to delivering sound on-the-go – whether it’s audio quality, battery life or connectivity – and that’s something we didn’t want to do with the Razer Leviathan Mini,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “There isn’t a more balanced portable speaker solution out there.”
In addition to the Razer Leviathan Mini, Razer also offers a full-size Razer Leviathan sound bar. Featuring 5.1 virtual surround sound, the award-winning Razer Leviathan provides premium audio quality for a wide range of entertainment applications, from desktop gaming to console setups, making it ideal for gaming, movies and music.
Price: U.S. $179.99 / EU €199.99
AVAILABILITY:
Razerzone.com – Pre-order Now; Shipping in December
Worldwide – January 2016