Author - Jerry Paxton

Dishonored Gets Official Release Date

May 10, 2012 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced that Dishonored, the supernatural assassin action game under development at Arkane® Studios, will be available in  North America on October 9, 2012 and throughout Europe on October 12, 2012.  Developed under the direction of co-creative directors Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith, Dishonored is slated for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Dishonored is set in Dunwall, an industrial whaling city where steampunk- inspired technology and otherworldly forces coexist in the shadows. You are Corvo, the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress who has been murdered. Framed for the crime, you become an infamous assassin, known by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card. In a time of uncertainty, when the city is besieged by plague and ruled by a corrupt government armed with frightening technologies, dark forces bestow supernatural abilities upon you – but at what cost? The truth behind your betrayal is as murky as the waters surrounding the city, and the life you once had is gone forever.

Creatively eliminate your enemies with Dishonored’s flexible combat system as you combine supernatural abilities with weapons and gadgets at your disposal. Pursue your targets under the cover of darkness or boldly attack them head on with weapons drawn. The outcome of each mission plays out based on the choices you make.

“We are pleased that Dishonored has captured people’s attention,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “We are looking forward to sharing lots more information about the game leading up to its launch in October, and having a hands-on build of Dishonored in our booth at E3!”

Dishonored has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

For more information on Dishonored visit www.Dishonored.com.

One Million Registered Users for The Secret World Beta

Durham, USA – May 10th, 2012 – Funcom is thrilled to announce that one million gamers are now registered for ‘The Secret World’ beta tests. This impressive number confirms the game’s position as one of the most highly anticipated massively multiplayer online games in the world, and the number is also significantly higher than what Funcom’s previous MMO ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ saw at the same time in its pre-launch development phase.

“Shattering our previous beta records gives us great hope for The Secret World’s launch and its future,” says Funcom SVP of Sales & Marketing, Morten Larssen. “Combining this positive number with the excellent feedback we have received from both beta testers and the press that have played the game, make us very optimistic for a successful launch of The Secret World.”

In addition to these impressive beta registration numbers, Funcom can also share that in just over a month nearly two million unique visitors have come to Funcom’s ‘The Secret World’ websites. Interest has also grown tremendously on the back of ‘The Secret War’ social media experience that has seen almost 250,000 users register to take active part in the interactive pre-launch community initiative, and the experience has been visited almost two million times in just three weeks.

This coming Friday, May 11th, Funcom will be kicking off the first of several Beta Weekends where gamers get to sample parts of the content and gameplay that will be featured in ‘The Secret World’ when it launches on June 19th this year. Everyone pre-ordering the game will get to play each of these Beta Weekends, and more content is added from one weekend to the next leading up to launch.

Funcom has also teamed up with world-leading gaming website GameSpot who are giving out 100,000 keys to gamers in the US, UK and Australia this week on this giveaway page. GameSpot has also posted a video preview of ‘The Secret World’ and will be following up with exclusive coverage later this week.

In the first Beta Weekend, named ‘Kingsmouth Calling’, players will get to join the Templar secret society starting out in London, before they get to visit parts of Solomon Island to investigate the mysterious events that have occurred there. Players will get to play around with the groundbreaking progression system that is free of restrictions such as classes and levels, and will have the chance to experience the unique storyline that ‘The Secret World’ offers. More details on the event can be found on our website.

‘The Secret World’ is developed by Funcom and co-published by EA Partners, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA). For more information about ‘The Secret World’ or how to register for the beta, please visit www.thesecretworld.com. Media assets can be found at ftp.funcom.com/press.

New Hitman Absolution Pre-Order Items Announced

LOS ANGELES (May 9, 2012) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced exclusive suits as additional pre-order items for HITMAN®: ABSOLUTION™. These suits, with in-game guns to match, make the perfect addition to the Original Assassin’s ever-changing wardrobe.

Customers who pre-order HITMAN: ABSOLUTION at the following retailers will receive the following:

Amazon®
· High Tech Suit and Bartoli Custom Pistol – The advanced High Tech suit provides Agent 47™ with 50% increased armor paired with the Bartoli Custom, an engineered precision weapon, complete with sight and silencer.

Best Buy®
· Public Enemy Suit and the Bronson M1928 submachine gun – The Original Assassin can dress in a stylish Public Enemy gangster suit armed with the Bronson M1928, a classic submachine gun with high fire rate and deadly stopping power.

Walmart®
· High Roller Suit and the Krugermeier 2-2 Pistol – The High Roller suit dresses Agent 47 in a fancy tuxedo discreetly outfitted with the Krugermeier, an accurate, reliable stealth weapon with a built-in silencer.

New Legends of Pegasus Screenshots

Ridgewood, NJ, May 9, 2012 –  Kalypso Media and Novacore Studios are today taking gamers into deep space, with a newly released game overview and screenshot pack for Legends of Pegasus, their upcoming 4X space strategy title. In Legends of Pegasus, players will command the last remnants of the Human race as they explore space in a quest to colonize new worlds, expand the human empire and defend themselves from (or exterminate) alien aggressors.  An extensive single-player campaign, coupled with robust multiplayer options, will keep players engaged with their space fleets for countless hours. Download the new game overview for a more in-depth look at Legends of Pegasus, which Kalypso will release in North America for Windows PC in summer 2012.

New Screenshots

Dragon’s Dogma Ur-Dragon Mode Announced

This just in from Capcom regarding their upcoming Dragon’s Dogma: Legend tells of an immensely powerful dragon that appears in the Everfall beneath Gran Soren. Known as the Ur-Dragon, this is the challenge that awaits Dragon’s Dogma owners. Players and their parties of Pawns from around the world can compete collectively online in an asynchronous encounter against the Ur-Dragon via Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network. The effect of each party’s attacks will be combined, but be warned its immense strength means it will take multiple encounters before the Ur-Dragon finally falls. Be the one that deals the fatal blow and receive the maximum reward, but regardless all players can still obtain both common and rare items dropped by the Ur-Dragon when they inflict damage.

Players without an online connection can also take on the Ur-Dragon alone, but the rewards will be different to those received online. All slayers of the Ur-Dragon will have their names and play times recorded in a hall of fame for others to view and aim to beat.

The Ur-Dragon challenge is available when Dragon’s Dogma releases in North America on May 22 and across Europe on May 25.

Thrustmaster Announces T-Wireless Black Platinum Edition

Rennes, France – May 9, 2012 /Guillemot/ – Thrustmaster, the premium PC and console accessory brand, announced today it is updating its celebrated PC and PlayStation®3 compatible wireless gamepad, and also offering it as a pack of 2 controllers. For a season set to be full of cooperative games the Thrustmaster best-seller returns, as the T-Wireless Black Platinum edition

The Platinum edition of this controller will retail in June for $24.99 and has several key features to let it stand out from the crowd. It is compatible with both PlayStation®3 and PC so one controller will allow players to easily switch between platforms, and is a wireless controller that employs 2.4 GHz technology. To keep the games going all night it uses only 3 AAA batteries and provides more than 50 hours of battery life.  For those all-out, extended frag fests nothing has been left to chance when it comes to comfort.  It features 360° non-slip grips on the handles, and textured rubber on the 2 thumb-sticks. All of this adds up to excellent handling, and the knowledge that no matter what the action you will always have a grip on it.

In geek terms, the T-Wireless Black is a powerhouse of technology with its fully programmable buttons which can be swapped, thanks to the exclusive “Mapping” function. It features a “Home” button for access to PlayStation®3 menus, and it also automatically synchronizes the gamepad with its receiver for an easy, user-friendly experience in all modes.  Thrustmaster’s R&D teams out did themselves when they created a communication protocol between the gamepad and the receiver which allows for the last connection made to be stored in memory.  This completely eliminates interference from other devices operating in the 2.4 GHz band, and optimized battery life.

Knowing that the T-Wireless Black will be the weapon of choice for use in cooperative games, Thrustmaster is also offering it in a pack of 2 controllers named the T-Wireless Duo Pack. It includes 2 of the T-Wireless Black type gamepads described above, but with a twist, one controller is midnight black, while the other is brilliant white, allowing players to each have their own designated color. Gaming sessions, whether inspired by laser carrying Stormtroopers or the Olympic Games, now have the perfect accessory with which to compete on the virtual fields of PlayStation®3 and PC.  The T-Wireless Duo Pack will be available in June, at a suggested retail price of $44.99

Check out all of our products at www.thrustmaster.com.

The Amazing Spider-Man Pre-Order Announcement

Santa Monica, CA – May 9, 2012 – True Believers, get ready for spectacular news – Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P., a subsidiary of Marvel today announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game in North America.  Planned to launch June 26th, the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment’s upcoming feature film.  The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available today and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.

Pre-order Now from GameStop – The Rhino Challenge

Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain RHINO and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive gameplay challenge of pure destruction!  As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break!  Unlockable for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY. While supplies last. Limited time only.

Pre-order Now from Amazon.com – Play as Stan Lee for the First Time Ever

All the rumors can officially be put to rest – for the first time ever, fans will be able to play…STAN…LEE as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man.  Players will take on the role of Stan “The Man” Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan.  Stan’s mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission – after all, it is Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary this year! Unlockable for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY. While supplies last. Limited time only.

Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man™video game, which brings Spider-Man’s free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City.  Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game’s innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains.  Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man video game, please check out http://www.TheAmazingSpiderManGame.com and http://www.Facebook.com/TheAmazingSpiderManGame.

Bioshock Infinite Pushed Back

Here is a letter we received the other day from Irrational Games’ Ken Levine, regarding their upcoming Bioshock Infinite.

A MESSAGE FROM KEN LEVINE

When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing.

Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco.

The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.

What does this mean for you? It means a bit more waiting, but more importantly, it means an even better BioShock Infinite. The great can be made greater, and we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity. Irrational Games is one of those rare developers lucky enough to ask the people who sign the checks: “Hey, can we have a few more of those checks?”

We are also going to hold off on showing BioShock Infinite at the big events of the summer, like E3 and Gamescom. That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box. Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February.

Primal Carnage Alpha Gameplay

Lukewarm Media and publisher Reverb Publishing have released a new gameplay trailer for Primal Carnage, which sets players in a man versus pre-historic beast online deathmatch as savvy survivalists collide with foes of brute force, allowing players to choose a side. A new video of alpha footage showcasing the FPS/third-person blend has been unveiled, and it packs a ton of primitive fury and human finesse.

Trailer