Author - Jerry Paxton

Dragon’s Dogma Demo Release Date

2012/04/17
Jerry Paxton
News

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.

Official Crysis 3 Announcement and Screenshots

2012/04/17
Jerry Paxton
News

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

The Lord of the Rings Online Celebrates 5th Anniversary

2012/04/17
Jerry Paxton
News

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

Western Digital Ships 1TB VelociRaptor Hard Disk Drives

2012/04/17
Jerry Paxton
News

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.

Pink Coming to Rock Band 3 Music Store

2012/04/13
Jerry Paxton
News

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™.

Wargame: European Escalation Free DLC Pack Announced

2012/04/13
Jerry Paxton
News

PARIS – April 13, 2012 – War goes on! Wargame: European Escalation, the new real-time strategy hit praised by critics and players alike, today offers its first DLC “New Battlefields,” which is not only generous with the content offered, but also entirely free! This is a way to thank the already large community of players who make of Wargame one of the most played and most downloaded strategy game on the Internet since February.

This announcement comes with 3 exclusive images, illustrating one of the novelties brought by this DLC free for all Wargame players.

This first free DLC for Wargame: European Escalation offers 7 new multiplayer maps! These brand new battlefields will challenge the veteran commanders! Two of these maps are built asymmetrically, in order to offer Attack/Defense games by giving a natural role to each team. Hold or take that position at all cost!

The DLC also introduces a new skirmish AI, allowing 1 up to 7 players to face the computer. Willing to test your Clan’s newest tactics? Or just have some quick fun with friends without the pressure of the competition? Team up with other players and jump into the action against a computer-controlled opponent!

Lastly, communication, coordination and all your team tactics are optimized, thanks to the new Flare system! Get the attention of your teammates by firing one of the preset Flares, or one with a custom message, which you can see on the 3 screenshots we invite you to discover today!

This is also the occasion for us to announce that Wargame: European Escalation is now the subject of an exceptional offer on Steam, with an incredible discount of 40%! From today until Monday 16th of April, this is the perfect opportunity for everyone who was still hesitating to step forward and acquire this exceptional strategy game!

Dark Legends Launches on Both Desktop and Mobile Platforms

2012/04/13
Jerry Paxton
News

AUSTIN, Texas — Spacetime Studios, working closely with Google, is introducing the world’s first MMO to launch simultaneously on mobile and desktop platforms. The mobile MMO Dark Legends is now available exclusively for a two-week period on Google Play for Android devices and on the Chrome Web Store for PC, Mac and Linux.

The commercial launch of Dark Legends across both mobile and desktop simultaneously is another industry first by Spacetime Studios and furthers their goal to create a ubiquitous social gaming experience. The company’s Legends series are the only 3D MMOs in the world that allow people to play the same game together on desktop computers, smart phones and tablets.

Gary Gattis, CEO of Spacetime Studios, feels recent moves by Google to unify the gaming and social experience across its platform ecosystem are a powerful validation of his own company’s long-standing corporate mission to allow people to play with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

“Google Play and the Chrome Web Store allow us to upload and update our online, multiplayer games instantly. Their immediate and unified environment fits perfectly with Spacetime’s ability to push global content to our suite of games on-the-fly across mobile and desktop,” said Gattis. “We’re both at the forefront of creating cross-platform gameplay that connects players in a much deeper online experience, anywhere and on any device.”

Set in a gritty modern-day urban environment in which humans are aware of vampires’ existence, players assume the role of a recently sired vampire who must battle to survive in a world which fears and hates their kind. In the struggle, players must face gangs of well-armed humans, hordes of the undead, packs of werewolves, covens of warlocks and legions of demons.

Dark Legends is the third title in the highly popular Legends franchise of mobile and desktop games. The first two titles, Pocket Legends and Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles, are the world’s largest mobile MMOs with more than seven million downloads.

Dark Legends is free to download and play. The game features optional microtransactions and virtual currency that enhance the play experience with vanity items, health packs and premium revives.

After the exclusive period the game will also be available for iOS devices.

For more details visit http://www.darklegends.com.

DUST 514 Keynote from EVE Fanfest 2012

2012/04/13
Jerry Paxton
News

CCP Games has released some new assets for their upcoming PlayStation 3 shooter, DUST 514, including this video of the keynote from last month’s EVE Fanfest in Iceland. DUST 514 is set to be released later this year and will integrate with CCP’s popular MMO, EVE Online.

Keynote