Namco Bandai has released a new teaser trailer for their upcoming Star Trek video game – enjoy!
Author - Jerry Paxton
SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 17, 2012 — PC shooter fans looking for a new twist on online multiplayer games are certain to find it this summer in Mercenary Ops. The new title combines the best of the tactical gameplay elements from conventional third-person shooters with the fast-paced competitive and cooperative team matches found in online multiplayer titles – and adds to the mix a deeper layer of character development and customization.
“In a third-person shooter, the online multiplayer aspect of the game always seems to be an after-thought to the single-player experience,” said Mercenary Ops Producer, Jason Sharp. “Because of this, we decided to concentrate on creating an entirely different online experience by looking at every facet of game design from that perspective. This decision resulted in a unique style of play that enhanced traditional tactical combat by requiring players to have a quicker, more aggressive attitude.”
Like other third-person shooters, Mercenary Ops implements cover-based mechanics and an active reload system as the foundation of the game’s design. Along with these familiar gameplay elements, the developers added the precise control and aiming abilities found only on the PC. In addition, the game was enhanced by adding destructible cover, an encumbrance system and maps designed with multiple threat vectors to shake up the stop-and-pop gameplay often found in third-person shooters.
Combat in Mercenary Ops puts an equal emphasis on both competitive play and team-based cooperative missions. In competitive multiplayer, up to 16 players can faceoff in five different, intense game modes, while in co-op, teams of 3 – 8 players take on hordes of AI controlled enemies and mini-bosses in a fight for survival.
Apart from the dynamic combat features, Mercenary Ops features an array of customization and advancement options. Players gain experience from killing enemies and completing difficult mission objectives, allowing for more opportunities to access weapon and equipment upgrades; some of which can only be obtained in select game modes.
Mercenary Ops was created using the Unreal Engine 3. The engine was selected for its cutting-edge graphics, multi-core processor support, optimization for the PC and massive world support.
Mercenary Ops will launch exclusively for the PC in Summer 2012. More information can be found at www.mercenaryopsgame.com.
Wargaming.net has released a new video dev diary for their upcoming World of Warplanes!
Video
Bethesda Softworks has released a new trailer for their upcoming Dishonored – enjoy!
Trailer
Vancouver, BC ~ Paul Mercs Concerts is pleased to present Canadian tour dates for Video Games Live. Created and produced by industry veteran and world-famous video game composer Tommy Tallarico, Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring music from the greatest video games of all time.
Video Games Live bridges a gap for entertainment by exposing new generations of music lovers and fans to the symphonic orchestral experience while also providing a completely new and unique experience for families and non-gamers. With performances in front of hundreds of thousands of people on five continents, the show is heralded and enjoyed by the entire family. Video Games Live is the largest and most successful video game concert in the world.
In October 2012, Video Games Live will return to Canada with a new show. All new segments will include music from Final Fantasy, Zelda, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Pokemon, Warcraft, Diablo III, Earthworm Jim, Mass Effect and more. The Canadian tour dates for 2012 are as follows:
October 25 Toronto, ON
October 26 Montreal, QC
October 28 Kitchener, ON
October 29 Ottawa, ON
October 31 Winnipeg, MB
November 1 Saskatoon, SK
November 2 Regina, SK
November 3 Calgary, AB
November 4 Edmonton, AB
November 6 Vancouver, BC
On Wednesday, April 25 at 6pm PST/9pm EST, Video Games Live will host a LIVE interactive chat and video press conference on www.twitchtv.com/
Tickets for the Toronto show range in price from $37.50 to $67.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.masseyhall.com, by phone at 416.872.4255, or in person at the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office (60 Simcoe Street).
Tickets for the Montreal show range in price from $39.50 to $99.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges and are available online at www.evenko.ca, by phone at 514.790.2525 or 1.877.668.8269, or in person at the Bell Centre Box Office.
Tickets for the Kitchener show range in price from $35.00 to $65.00 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.centre-square.com, by phone at 519.578.1570 or 1.800.265.8977, or in person at the Centre In The Square Ticket Centre.
Tickets for the Ottawa show range in price from $39.50 to $65.00 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1.855.985.5000, or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets and the NAC Box Office.
Tickets for the Winnipeg show range in price from $35.00 to $69.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1.855.985.5000, or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Tickets for the Saskatoon show range in price from $39.50 to $69.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.tcutickets.ca, by phone at 975.7799 or 1.888.639.7770, or in person at the TCU Place Box Office.
Tickets for the Regina show range in price from $39.50 to $69.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.conexusartscentre.ca, by phone at 306.525.9999 or 1.800.667.8497, or in person at Conexus Arts Centre and all CBO locations.
Tickets for the Calgary show range in price from $35.00 to $69.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1.855.985.5000, or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Tickets for the Edmonton show range in price from $35.00 to $69.50 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1.855.985.5000, or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Tickets for the Vancouver show range in price from $35.00 to $65.00 (plus applicable fees and service charges) and are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1.855.985.5000, or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Also available is the “Ultimate VIP Backstage Experience”. For only $150.00 (plus applicable fees and service charges), these limited packages include some of the best seats in the house, a backstage tour by show creator and video game industry icon Tommy Tallarico, a free album download, posters, front of the line access and more.
For more information, please visit www.videogameslive.com
For images, click on the following link: http://videogameslive.com/
Capcom has confirmed that the previously announced playable demo of the forthcoming open world action–RPG, Dragon’s Dogma, will be available to download globally via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the North American PlayStation Store from Tuesday, April 24 and on the European PlayStation Store the following day, Wednesday April 25.
About the Demo
With your party of three Pawns, the demo allows you to experience the different styles of two of the game’s character classes in two challenging encounters. A melee specialist skilled in both attacks and counterattacks, as the Fighter you will make your way through underground tunnels and chambers before taking on the deadly Chimerain a Prologue quest, set before the events of the main game. Swift and nimble, the Strider’s weapons of choice are bow and daggers, use them well if you are to defeat the mighty Griffin in the open plains surrounding the capital of Gransys. Let your imagination run wild and design both your playable character and main Pawn using the game’s incredibly in-depth character creation tools before you take on the Griffin; purchasers of Dragon’s Dogma will then be able to export both these characters into the full game on its release.
Dragon’s Dogma is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America on May 22 and across Europe on May 25.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – April 16, 2012 – The hunted becomes the hunter! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and award-winning developer Crytek GmbH, today announced Crysis® 3, the premier sandbox shooter experience of 2013. Powered by Crytek’s proprietary CryENGINE®, Crysis 3 advances the state of the art with unparalleled visuals and dynamic shooter gameplay. Players take on the role of ‘Prophet’ as he returns to New York, only to discover that the city has been encased in a Nanodome created by the corrupt Cell Corporation. The New York City Liberty Dome is a veritable urban rainforest teeming with overgrown trees, dense swamplands and raging rivers. Within the Liberty Dome, seven distinct and treacherous environments become known as the Seven Wonders. This dangerous new world demands advanced weapons and tactics. Prophet will utilize a lethal composite bow, an enhanced Nanosuit and devastating alien tech to become the deadliest hunter on the planet.
“Crysis 3 is a thrilling mix of sandbox gameplay, advanced combat and hi-tech human and alien weaponry that shooter fans will love,” said Cevat Yerli, Chief Executive Officer of Crytek. “Leveraging the latest CryENGINE technology, we’re able to deliver seven unique themes that offer stunning and visually loaded gameplay experiences. We cannot wait until people get their hands on the game.”
Set in 2047, Prophet is on a revenge mission after uncovering the truth behind Cell Corporation’s motives for building the quarantined Nanodomes. The citizens were told that the giant citywide structures were resurrected to protect the population and to cleanse these metropolises of the remnants of Ceph forces. In reality, the Nanodomes are CELL’s covert attempt at a land and technology grab in their quest for global domination. With Alien Ceph lurking around every corner and human enemies on the attack, nobody is safe in the path of vengeance. Everyone is a target in Prophet’s quest for retribution.
Crytek also announced that players who are ready to start the hunt can pre-order the Crysis® 3 Hunter Edition* today. The Crysis 3 Hunter Edition gives players the tools to become the ultimate hunter in multiplayer with early access to the new signature bow and its attachments, plus the Hunter Nanosuit module which adds additional power and functionality to the super-suit. Gamers who pre-order now will also have a head start when playing online with a bonus XP boost up to level 5, a unique bow skin and three exclusive dog tags to hunt in style**. The Crysis 3 Hunter Edition is available on Origin.com and other participating retailers for $59.99.
In addition to receiving the Crysis 3 Hunter Edition, select retailers are offering gamers that pre-order Crysis 3 the following early multiplayer unlocks:
- Stalker Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: for players who like to stalk their prey from the shadows the Stalker Pack provides early multiplayer access to the deadly semi-auto Jackal shotgun. This powerful, close-range shotgun comes with a unique silencer attachment, custom weapon skin and two exclusive themed in-game dog tags.
- Overkill Pack – Includes the base game, all Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Overkill Pack features early multiplayer access to the Typhoon assault weapon and skin. Spewing 500 rounds a second, the Typhoon gives players the ability to go guns blazing to take back the Liberty Dome. Also included are two exclusive Overkill themed in-game dog tags.
- Predator Pack – Includes the base game, all the Hunter Edition content and the following early multiplayer unlocks: the Predator Pack delivers early multiplayer access to the Feline submachine gun and exclusive camo. With an extremely fast rate of fire and a 60 round magazine the Feline is highly effective and deadly, at short range.
Developed by Crytek and powered by the proprietary cutting edge CryENGINE technology, Crysis 3 will be available spring 2013 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. For more information on Crysis 3, please visit www.crysis.ea.com, and for the latest news visit www.facebook.com/crysis or follow us on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/crysis. Press assets for Crysis 3 are available at www.info.ea.com.
*Offer available while stocks last.
**Conditions and restrictions apply. See www.crysis.ea.com/preorder for details.
Screenshots
Turbine has announced an in-game celebration for the 5th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Online. During this anniversary festival, which runs from April 16th through April 30th, all players will be eligible to receive gifts based on your account status as of 11:59 DST on April 15th. Gifts will range from a new, unique set of fireworks and special anniversary cloak that all eligible players will receive to more exclusive items for our most steadfast premium and VIP players.
Festival Gifts
IRVINE, Calif., April 16, 2012 — Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), today announced it is now shipping the new WD VelociRaptor® 1 TB hard drive, the latest addition to its award-winning drive family, the largest capacity 10,000 RPM hard drive on the market today. Designed for high-performance PCs, Mac® computers and professional workstations that require a balance of high performance and capacity, the WD VelociRaptor drive is a favorite among enthusiasts and creative professionals. The WD VelociRaptor will also come in capacities of 500 GB and 250 GB.
Leveraging enterprise-class mechanics to provide 24×7 durability under high-performance workloads, the new WD VelociRaptor 1 TB hard drive is geared for creative professionals who demand the ultimate SATA drive. Creative pros use write-intensive applications that manage large, dynamic files; for example, video editing and digital content creation and management, which ultimately put a strain on storage devices that utilize write-challenged NAND memory for performance enhancement. WD VelociRaptor’s outstanding read and write performance across the entire disk capacity makes it a perfect match for the creative professional and enthusiast who want to optimize their tools, enhance productivity, and increase storage space at the same time.
“WD is committed to providing customers with the best performing and most reliable SATA hard drives and our WD VelociRaptor family of drives underscores that promise,” said Darwin Kauffman, vice president and general manager of WD’s enterprise storage. “With ever-increasing demand for greater capacity, the new 1 TB WD VelociRaptor drive delivers the ultimate combination of speed and storage for the power user.”
The WD VelociRaptor 2.5-inch hard drive comes in the IcePack™ enclosure, a 3.5-inch mounting frame with built-in heat sink – a factory customization that fits the drive into a standard 3.5-inch system bay and keeps the powerful drive extra cool when installed in a high-performance desktop or workstation system.
Features of the WD VelociRaptor hard drives include:
- Super speed – SATA 6 Gb/s interface and 64 MB cache optimize the 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor.
- Higher capacity – WD VelociRaptor SATA hard drives employ Advanced Format Technology to achieve capacities up to 1 TB.
- Rock-solid reliability – Designed and manufactured to workstation standards to deliver stellar reliability in high workload environments.
- Ultra-cool operation – Consumes less idle power and uses similar active power as the previous generation WD VelociRaptor while offering greater capacity and performance.
- Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward (RAFF™) – Optimizes operation and performance when the drives are used in vibration-prone, multi-drive chassis.
- NoTouch™ ramp load technology – The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection when in transit.
- Environmentally conscious – In addition to being RoHS-compliant, this generation of WD VelociRaptor is also a halogen-free design.
Price and Availability
WD VelociRaptor hard drives are available now at select distributors, resellers and e-tailers, and come with a five-year limited warranty. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD VelociRaptor 1 TB (model #: WD1000DHTZ) is $319.99 USD, the 500 GB version (model #: WD5000HHTZ) is $209.99 USD and the 250 GB version (model #: WD2500HHTZ) is $159.99 USD. More information about WD VelociRaptor hard drives including terms of the limited warranty may be found on the company website at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=20.
Cambridge, Mass. – April 13th, 2012 – Harmonix today announced that four tracks from P!nk are headed to the Rock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.
Rock Band provides the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums through the Rock Band music platform, which features more than 1,400 artists and more than 3,500* tracks via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/songs). Rock Band’s gigantic music library dwarfs that of any other rhythm video game on the market. More than 100 million songs have been sold through the Rock Band Music Store since its launch on Nov. 20, 2007.
Tracks downloaded from the Rock Band Music Store are compatible with the award-winning full-band Rock Band 3 experience, as well as the upcoming controller-based Rock Band Blitz, coming summer of 2012 for Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network!
Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 system
Known for her powerful voice and edgy style, P!nk has had no problem dominating the charts worldwide with her infectious pop-rock sounds. Four of the singer/songwriter’s biggest hits are headed to the Rock Band Music Store on April 17th as “P!nk Pack 01”!
“Get the Party Started,” from 2001’s M!ssundaztood, leads off the pack; a Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrade will be available for this chart-topping hit. Three tracks from 2008’s Grammy-nominated Funhouse round out the pack: “Sober,” “Please Don’t Leave Me,” and the album’s fifth single and title track, “Funhouse.”
Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (April 3rd, 2012):
- P!nk – “Get the Party Started” O X
- P!nk – “Sober” O
- P!nk – “Please Don’t Leave Me” O
- P!nk – “Funhouse” O
Tracks marked with “O” feature support for keyboards; tracks marked with “X” will offer Pro Guitar and Pro Bass expansions for $0.99 per song.
Price:
$6.99 (560 Microsoft Points™, 700 Wii Points™) for “P!nk Pack 01”
$1.99 USD (160 Microsoft Points™, 200 Wii Points™) per song
$0.99 USD (80 Microsoft Points™, 100 Wii Points™) per song for eligible Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **
*Available on-disc, via download and disc export. Internet connection and export key purchase required. Wii™ Shop Channel has more than 1,500 song tracks available for purchase on the Rock Band platform on-disc, via song import, and download. Not applicable to Nintendo DS™.