Author - Jerry Paxton

The Dark Meadow Gets Free Version on iOS

CHICAGO, IL, March 28, 2012 – Nominated by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences for 2012 Mobile Game of the Year, The Dark Meadow, the best-selling iOS game developed by Phosphor Games Studio, tonight is unleashing a major update on the iOS App Store, as well as a new free to play version, Dark Meadow: The Pact.  Then next month, Android owners will receive their chance to get in on the action with the release of Dark Meadow: The Pact, free of charge.  Enjoy console quality gameplay, vivid graphics, in-depth story-telling and a host of updates – without spending a dime.

Phosphor Games is updating the original release with more premium content than ever before, including:

  • iPad 3 retina support;
  • New environments filled with challenging enemies, a new boss creature and more of the beloved Trickster story and voice-over;
  • New premium weapons and amulets, including:

o   Lightbombs to devastate enemies

o   New swords and crossbow weapons with special attacks

  • Healthpacks that can be used in battle and to revive after death to remain in the fight;
  • New “Fast Travel” warps that allow players to instantly move to floors they’ve unlocked;
  • Addition of a world map to prevent players from getting lost;
  • Added language support for Chinese, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese;
  • A new Premium Pack, including:

o   5 health kits;

o   13 bombs;

o   15,000 gold

o   150 Sun coins;

o   Ad free.

As a special thank you to those who have already purchased the game, existing premium users will get the Premium Pack for free once they update their game.

“We are extremely pleased at the overwhelming response by gamers and critics to The Dark Meadow, our very first iOS game, and we are glad to offer Dark Meadow: The Pact free of charge on iOS tonight and Android in April,” said Chip Sineni, Director at Phosphor Games Studios.  “For those ‘early adopters’ who bought the game when it was first released, we hope you enjoy all the new content and enhancements that were designed specifically in response to your feedback and to hardware enhancements that will now make the game more beautiful than ever on iOS.”

Developed utilizing the acclaimed Unreal Engine 3, The Dark Meadow is a stunning first-person, action/adventure game where players fight to escape a nightmare world filled with fantastical creatures bent on destroying them.  You awake in a hospital uncertain of how you arrived there or why.  An old man warns of a beautiful witch whose minions roam the halls seeking to kill the living.  It is only when the witch is destroyed that you will be released from this unrelenting torment.

As you explore the photo-realistic world, you will need both your crossbow for ranged combat as well as your sword for in close, melee combat.  Gesture-based “pull back and fire” as well as slashing combat will be instantly recognizable to touch screen players, and node-based movement through the world makes navigation simple yet compelling.

Role-playing game mechanics enhance the exploration, as a wide variety of items are secreted throughout the world – from hidden scraps of paper that reveal the mystery of your imprisonment, to money which can be used to purchase better equipment and weapons.

When released next month, the Android version of Dark Meadow: The Pact will deliver even more enhanced visuals and physics owing to the powerful new NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core mobile processor.  The game will be available in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Chinese, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese.

New Krater Screenshots Released

Fatshark AB has released some new screenshots from their upcoming hack and slash RPG, Krater!

Screenshots

World of Mercenaries Announces

WARSAW, POLAND, March 27, 2011— Did upgrading your PC to a hardcore gaming machine leave your wallet a little light? Don’t worry, you’re still entitled to a premium gaming experience and City Interactive SA is going to give it to you with World of Mercenaries, a new free to play AAA first person shooter currently in development exclusively for PC.
Powered by Unreal Engine 3© and to be distributed digitally via Steam©, World of Mercenaries is a skill based competitive FPS with stunning graphics, fluid controls, customizable weapons and focus on teamwork as a core element for player progression. Immerse in the life of a fearless mercenary!
“Our veteran team is comprised of some of the most devoted FPS fans in the world and we’re excited to use our knowledge and experience to fuse the best elements of previously released games in the genre with new and exciting advancements – be it in terms of graphics, controls or skill based game play.” says Bogdan Oprescu, Executive Producer for the title. “Our closed beta program will be an integral part of the development process for World of Mercenaries, as it is our goal to deliver a game made by, for and with FPS fans. We are shaping the future of competitive FPS, and are fully confident it will be achieved with the enthusiasm and help of our beta testers.”
More information on the game and the launch of the Beta registration process will be made public soon at www.worldofmercenaries.com.
Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/worldofmercenaries) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/wom_TheGame)!

Phantom 410 Special Edition Launched

El Monte, CA – March 27, 2012 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to introduce new, special edition color options of the widely-acclaimed Phantom 410.  Early this year, NZXT polled the facebook community to see what color combinations were most demanded by gamers and enthusiasts, selected the top choices and made them a reality.  Phantom 410 is now available in Black with Orange Trim, Black with White Trim, White with Blue Trim, and a surprise Gunmetal black edition with a gunmetal interior and exterior matte finish.

Phantom 410 builds off of the legendary qualities of the award-winning case with even more value for every dollar spent.  Effective airflow is paramount with a cooling capability of up to seven fans (2x 120mm and 1x 140mm LED fan included), support for 240mm dual radiator water cooling solution, and an integrated 30W fan controller for customizing your system for silence or performance.

Installation and upgrades are simplified with innovative right mounted HDD rails, a solution for easy hard drive replacement, a removable HDD cage to allow more room for extended video cards, and screwless 5.25” and HDD trays that secures 2.5” SSD.  Additional innovative features include USB 3.0 support and an acrylic window that allows gamers to admire the power of their rig.

“We’re proud to reward the enthusiast community the specific color combinations that they voted for earlier this year” said Johnny Hou, Founder and Chief Designer at NZXT.  “Now you can have the same legendary quality of the highly regarded Phantom 410 in an array of designs that suit your personal preference.  We always pride ourselves on bringing gamers dreams to reality, and this is a great example of how NZXT makes that happen.”

The Phantom 410 will be available in Gunmetal, Black with orange trim, black with white trim, and white with blue trim for $99.99 in late March.  For more information visithttp://www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/phantom_410

Mass Effect 3 Bounty Weekend Operation Fortress

Last weekend, Mass Effect 3 fans joined forces to push back the Reapers in Operation Goliath. With over 3 million brutes killed, their numbers have been decimated and the Reaper forces have been beaten back. As a reward for that outstanding performance, the team is inviting you to join your friends online to participate in the N7 Bounty Weekend by taking advantage of Operation Fortress between 5 PM PST Friday, March 23 and 5 AM PST Monday, March 26

Reap the rewards of the N7 Challenge Weekend’s successful offensive with a 25% XP bonus that applies to the following:

  • All enemies
  • All maps
  • All challenge levels
  • All platforms
  • All weekend

To participate, all you need to do is play Mass Effect 3 multiplayer during the listed time period. The bonus applies to all XP earned. Gather your squad and take advantage! Now’s the time to shoot for level 20 with your favorite character, or build up your N7 rating with this weekend’s +25% experience!

Salem Beta Tests Announced

NEW YORK – March 23, 2012 – Paradox Interactive and Seatribe today announced the opening of Beta sign-ups for upcoming Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game, Salem. Developed by Seatribe, Salem is set in the New World when pilgrims were the norm and the frontier was still the greatest risk to a person’s health.

Salem is a unique core gaming experience for MMO players and crafting enthusiasts, known best for its Permadeath mechanic where in-game characters succumb to the harsh wilderness environment. Interested Beta testers can sign up here to participate in the beta.

“We’ve been getting Beta requests from gamers since we announced Salem and it’s great to finally be able to let people into the beta testing” said Björn Johannessen , lead designer at Seatribe. “We’ve chosen to keep the sign up completely open, the more the merrier, and will do our best to listen to all feedback we get”, he continued.

Salem is a free-to-play MMO and scheduled to release in Q3, 2012. Sign up for the Beta here: http://beta.salemthegame.com

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Announced

BURBANK, Calif.–Disney Interactive Media Group today announced the development of “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two”, the sequel to the critically acclaimed and commercially successful “Disney Epic Mickey” video game. In “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two”, gamers will play as Mickey Mouse and for the first time ever, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, in an all-new adventure of creativity and discovery. Created by video game industry luminary Warren Spector and Disney Interactive’s Junction Point game development studio, “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” returns the franchise to the Wii™ system from Nintendo, and expands it to new HD consoles including the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

“As a life-long Disney fan, working with Mickey Mouse in the original ‘Disney Epic Mickey’ was a truly humbling experience,” said Warren Spector, creative director and vice president, Junction Point. “Millions of fans fell in love with Mickey as a video game hero and I know they’ll experience similar emotions when they get to interact with and actually play as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in ‘Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.’”

“Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” returns Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Wasteland, an alternate world filled with 80 years of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions. But for the first time, Mickey and Oswald will join forces as true partners – Mickey with his magical paint brush that allows him to wield paint and thinner, and Oswald with his powerful remote control that allows him to command electricity. This new co-op play further enhances the idea that “PlayStyle Matters” – a unique approach to gameplay pioneered by Warren Spector where players dynamically tackle different challenges in order to explore all possibilities and storylines, but with consequences for their chosen actions.

Staying true to Disney’s rich musical heritage, “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” is the first video game that can be described as a “musical.” At many points throughout the adventure, characters will advance the plot by expressing themselves in song, with all-original music and lyrics. In addition to this distinctive musical approach to storytelling, players will hear tunes and instrumentation that change based on their personal choices, ultimately allowing each player to “conduct” their own unique soundtrack. Disney Interactive has enlisted the help of Emmy award-winning composer James Dooley and noted lyricist Mike Himelstein to create these musical gameplay elements.

The magic of Disney will not only resonate through the game’s musical numbers, but also through the introduction of authentic Disney Character Voices talent who provide player direction through genuine character dialogue. In “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two,” all characters—most notably Oswald The Lucky Rabbit whose voice will be heard for the first time—will communicate by speaking to the player.

“In the first ‘Disney Epic Mickey title,’ fans embraced Mickey as a true video game hero and welcomed Oswald back into the Disney family with open arms,” said John Pleasants, co-president, Disney Interactive Media Group. “Now, as the vision for the “Disney Epic Mickey’ franchise advances, fans and gamers across all platforms will experience completely new ways to embrace the immeasurable vault of Disney characters and attractions.”

Development for “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” is being led by Disney Interactive’s Junction Point. Supporting the latest technology, the game will also feature full support for the PlayStation Move. The game currently is unrated by the ESRB. For more information, go to www.disney.com/disneyepicmickey.