Disneyland Holiday Season 2016 Review

2016/12/18

Disneyland has once again transformed its two Anaheim parks for the holiday season. Throughout the two parks, you will find holiday decorations galore as well as some additional surprises to delight and enjoy. At Disneyland, there is the new Christmas Fantasy parade which is sure to entertain the younger guests in your group. In Fantasyland, the park has decked out It’s A Small World for the season, with an extremely-impressive makeover worth taking plenty of photos. Of course, the Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction makeover is still in effect, and has truly become a tradition for many families each Christmas season. The venerable Jungle Cruise attraction over in Disneyland’s Adventureland has also been made over for the season. “Jingle Cruise” features tons of holiday surprises, with lots of the attraction’s animatronics getting into the act.

At Disney California Adventure, they have a new holiday themed World of Color light show for guests as well as a completely made-over Cars Land area, with Christmas trees made from all manner of materials – from road cones to tires. Guests can also take their picture with the “big man” himself, Santa Clause, as well as enjoy a number of musical guests from all manner of genres singing holiday songs and a lot more. Check out park maps and the DCA website for times and dates. Additionally, there are so many good food options at DCA, I highly recommend you and your party go check out some of their culinary fare.

Towards the end of your day at the two parks, I highly recommend you making your way over to Disneyland so you can watch the “Believe… In Holiday Magic” fireworks spectacular. No one does fireworks shows quite like Disneyland and this show is no different – it is amazing and wondrous as its explosions are timed to music. A lot of people will tell you that the best areas to watch are in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, and they are probably right. However, I have also had some great fireworks viewing from inside Fantasyland, behind the castle. You miss some of the fireworks that launch over the castle itself, but the bigger ones are in prime view – you are actually so close you can get little particles of ash falling on you!

Overall, both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure are both great stops for your family’s holiday plans this year. I recommend just investing in the 1-day park hopper pass which allows access to both parks.

Disney’s California Adventure Gallery

Disneyland Gallery

Styx Shards of Darkness – Gameplay Trailer 2

2016/12/15

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

December 15, 2016 – Styx: Shards of Darkness is Cyanide Studio’s upcoming Stealth Adventure game arriving March 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Today, discover 3 minutes of brand new gameplay footage featuring a slew of Styx’s new tools and abilities in three different locations – Wildoran the hunters’ village, the secret Sanctuary of the Dark Elven city Korrangar, and Thoben, the city of thieves.

Styx’s second adventure builds upon the foundations laid in the tower of Akenash, with more fluid movement and climbing abilities, a richer story told with cinematics including an enhanced bestiary, side-missions to complete, as well as new and improved sneaking and assassination skills.

The titular goblin’s aerial abilities have been improved and expanded. Swing from ropes and attack from above with a slew of new tools such as the crossbow, with a range of different bolts such as the non-lethal poison bolt. The crossbow can be used not only to kill or disable enemies, but also to detach environmental objects crushing those below.

Cloning is one of Styx’s signature abilities, and they’ve received a major upgrade. One of the new upgradeable abilities is the cocoon, which is a craftable item that you can throw to spawn your clone at a distance. Another new ability is called Rebirth, which teleports Styx to his clone’s location, killing it in the process. It can be used in a number of ways – to travel to spots that are difficult to reach, or to get out of danger when things get dicey.

You will need to use all of Styx’s tools and abilities to get to your goals. If you choose to specialize in crafting, Styx gets access to another craftable contraption, the Acid Trap, which dissolves enemy corpses after they step on them. This is particularly useful against enemies whose armor cannot be penetrated by Styx’s dagger, and enemies whose body is too heavy to carry.

Styx: Shards of Darkness comes out March 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC! You can preorder the game on STEAM from today 7pm CET / 10am PST to get exclusive access to the Akenash set, donning the outfit and dagger from Styx’s first adventure.

Call of Cthulhu Gets New Screenshots

2016/12/15

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 15, 2016 – The official video game adaptation of Chaosium’s pen and paper RPG, Call of Cthulhu, today unveils new images showcasing the horrifying locals and locales of Darkwater Island. Step into the shoes of Edward Pierce as you investigate the tragic death of Sarah Hawkins, and push your sanity to the limit to uncover the disturbing truth in this RPG/Investigation game blending psychological horror and stealth mechanics.

You are Edward Pierce, a war veteran turned private detective, in the Boston of the 20s. You have been hired to investigate, on the isolated island of Darkwater, the unusual and tragic death of Sarah Hawkins and her family. Soon your investigation will lead you to the fringes of the paranormal, where reality and illusion begins to blend… or is this really the fruit of your imagination?

Driven by the idea that mankind is irrelevant in an uncaring universe filled with inconceivable horrors, Lovecraft’s dark works have captured imaginations across the world for close to a century. Call of Cthulhu fully embraces these fundamentals, pitting you in a desperate struggle against powers that defy human comprehension. To uncover the disturbing truth of Darkwater Island, you will venture a deadly path to the very brink of insanity – a concept tightly tied to the Cthulhu Mythos. As your investigation leads you closer to the sphere of influence of the Great Dreamer, you will start to doubt everything you see. You will have to find balance between your own sanity, and your determination in finding out what lurks in the shadows – as they say that madness is the only way that can bring you to the truth.

Between the haunting environments, twisted story, and the ever-looming threat of the Great Old Ones, Call of Cthulhu promises a darkly satisfying experience for Lovecraft fans and newcomers alike.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game releases 2017 on consoles and PC.

DOOM: Bloodfall DLC Launch Trailer

2016/12/14

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 14, 2016 – We’re pleased to announce that Bloodfall, the third and final premium DLC pack for DOOM, is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out our launch trailer here.

Priced at $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 / A$23.95, Bloodfall includes the following for DOOM’s multiplayer:

Three new multiplayer maps:

o Empyrian – fight in an ageless colosseum held aloft by opposing energies, as the gilded embattlements slowly crumble

o Boneyard – battle in the outer realm of Hell, where the landscape is made entirely of demon flesh, teeth, and bone

o Outbreak – engage in intense combat throughout a UAC facility transformed after underworldly science breaks free from containment

A new player-controlled demon: Spectre Pinky

A new weapon: Grenade Launcher – bank grenades off walls and deal area damage, or use the secondary fire to detonate smoke grenades

New equipment: Lateral Thrusters – provides short directional boosts to player movement

New ways to customize your DOOM Marine, including the Cultist Armor – armor blessed in the temple and baptized in blood

New hack modules

For more information please visit DOOM.com and Bethesda.net.

The Surge 4 Minutes of Gameplay Trailer

2016/12/14

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 14, 2016 – Deck 13’s new hardcore action-RPG The Surge today unveils a few minutes of unedited gameplay, showing the visceral, uncompromising combat, the limb-cutting system, and a few of the brutal enemies prowling the dysfunctional CREO Complex.

While some of the earlier enemies encountered while exploring the complex – namely, your former fellow workers – have erratic behavior and may be defeated easily if you are not reckless, others are much more “combat-ready”, and will hunt you down relentlessly.

Result of unspoken experiments, volatile prototypes built from secret nano-technology, or simply efficient death machines built for maintaining security in high-risk environments, these enemies leave no room for mistakes during combat. The slightest misstep, or moment of hesitation, will certainly mean death for you. However, these enemies wear some of the best equipment, weapons and implants you can claim for your own use. You’ll have to decide if you wish to secure a victory, attacking their weak spots, or make your life a bit harder and aim for their armored parts, hoping to recover this precious equipment that will make you stronger, faster, tougher.

Balance the need for better equipment versus your own survival… but remember, you’ll definitely need to power yourself up when you inevitably face the world’s bosses, that will put your skill to the test!

Make the most of your exo-suit, armors, and almost limitless armament combinations to survive CREO when The Surge slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.

Universal CityWalk’s AMC Theatre Upgrades to Universal Cinema

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Movie News, News

Universal City, California, December 13, 2016 – Universal CityWalk unwraps a multi-million dollar renovation of its AMC Theatre to create an all-new state-of-the-art Universal Cinema, debuting just in time for the holidays and offering movie-goers a chance to catch the latest seasonal blockbusters from the comfort of deluxe, recliner seating.

For film buffs, CityWalk has long been the epicenter for fans seeking an environment that matches the excitement of their favorite blockbuster movies. As part of if its bold revitalization, CityWalk now elevates the movie-going experience to new heights as the 18-screen and IMAX AMC Theatre updates with the most technologically advanced sight and sound achievements. A complete remodel of the split level structure includes the installation of deluxe recliner seats in 18 theatres—the equivalent of those found in Hollywood screening rooms—making every seat, the best seat in the house.

Each redesigned theatre has been fully upgraded with Christie RGB Laser projection, Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound and equipped with Christie Vive speakers for optimal audio performance. The installation of new, state-of-the art screens, perforated to enable 360 degree audio, complement the overall enhancements.

The recent upgrade to the IMAX theatre features next-generation 4K laser projection and 12-channel sound systems designed to enhance the entire movie-going experience and provide audiences with sharper, brighter, clearer and more vivid digital images than ever.

The Director’s Lounge Cocktail Bar—an all-new dedicated and stylish second level retreat, flanked by the upper level theatres—adds a charismatic new dimension to the space as it blends high-tech elegance with chic sophistication for casual pre- and post- movie-going fun. Beverages served at the Lounge can also be taken into the second level theatres.

Additionally, movie-goers can enjoy $5 Movie General Parking with the purchase of a movie ticket.

The below December holiday film release schedule offers movie-goers a diverse selection of blockbusters to enjoy at the new Universal Cinema, including:

Opening Film Cast

Dec. 16 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen

Dec. 16 Collateral Beauty Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Edward Norton

Dec. 16 Solace Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan,

Colin Farrell

Dec. 21 Assassin’s Creed Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard,

Jeremy Irons

Dec. 21 Passengers Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen

Dec. 21 Sing Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon,

Scarlett Johansson

Dec. 21 Patriots Day Mark Wahlberg, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman

Dec. 23 Silence Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield

Dec. 23 Why Him? Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch

Dec. 23 A Monster Calls Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell

Dec. 25 Live By Night Ben Affleck, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana

Dec. 25 Fences Denzel Washington, Viola Davis,

Stephen Henderson

Since 1993, CityWalk has boosted the city’s rhythm through a foundation built on providing memorable entertainment experiences. With a series of dramatic enhancements currently underway that includes the introduction of new restaurants, shopping experiences, visually aesthetic design features and the completed state-of-the-art movie theatre renovation, the spotlight shines brightly on CityWalk as it continues to resonate as one of L.A.’s most influential lifestyle centers.

More information on CityWalk is available at www.CityWalkHollywood.com. Regular updates can also be found on CityWalk’s Twitter @CityWalkLA, Facebook-Universal CityWalk Hollywood and on CityWalk’s Instagram @CityWalkLA.

Ubisoft Announces New Acoustic Update for Rocksmith 2014 Edition

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

SAN FRANCISCO – December 13, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Rocksmith^® 2014 Edition – Remastered will now feature all-new acoustic instrument support, allowing acoustic players to join the four million people who have learned to play guitar and bass through the award-winning Rocksmith^® method, the fastest way to learn guitar.*

The free update comes with three new modes including Microphone Mode, Disconnected Mode and Endless Replay Mode in Guitarcade. With Microphone Mode, players can go acoustic. They will be able to plug in a dedicated USB microphone to a console or computer that will detect the notes played on an acoustic instrument. By placing the microphone near their acoustic guitar or bass, players will be able to take full advantage of Rocksmith without plugging in their instrument.

Disconnected Mode enables players to learn songs without plugging in an input device. With this mode, note detection is deactivated and players can read the notes on the screen for more casual practice sessions. Now with Endless Replay Mode, players are able to immediately restart their session in Guitarcade rather than starting back at the game menu after each round.

“We’ve been looking for a way to bring Rocksmith to aspiring acoustic players for a long time, so we’re thrilled to unveil today’s updates,” said Nao Higo, executive producer, Ubisoft San Francisco. “This year our song catalog grew to more than 900 tracks, and we added new features for all players with the free remastered upgrade. Now, millions of acoustic guitarists can enjoy Rocksmith too. We’re focused on providing our players with the best guitar learning experience possible and will continue looking for ways to grow and support our community.”

Along with these new modes, players can now edit their song lists from the Learn a Song menu, as well as the Nonstop Play menu. There is also the added ability to choose other arrangements in Score Attack and the ability to replay the Welcome to Rocksmith introductory lesson, as well as an updated Calibration sequence for greater accuracy. The new update will be distributed as a free patch for users on all platforms.

For more information about Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered, please visit rocksmith.com.

For the latest on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit ubiblog.com.

*Research Strategy Group Inc. – March 2013 – US nationwide in-home placement study

PORTAL Smart Gigabit Home Wi-Fi System Review

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Hardware News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Ignition Design Labs made headlines with their successful Kickstarter campaign for a smart home WiFi Router called the PORTAL. PORTAL generated $791,862 dollars – a much larger figure than the requested $150,000 dollars of the campaign. Ignition Design Labs touted their upcoming PORTAL router as a revolution in home WiFi. Now that it’s here, does the PORTAL live up to this claim?

Here’s a quote from the Kickstarter page:

“Portal is the first and only router specifically engineered to cut through and avoid congestion, delivering consistent, high-performance WiFi with greater coverage throughout your home.

Its proprietary spectrum turbocharger technology provides access to 300% more of the radio airwaves than any other router, improving performance by as much as 300x, and range and coverage by as much as 2x in crowded settings, such as city homes and multi-unit apartments.”

There have been many companies touting that their routers are the next big advancement in the product category only to come up short. When PORTAL reached out to us to evaluate one of their production units, I jumped at the chance. Most WiFi routers resemble a Transformer’s (a la Michael Bay) head, with strange antenna jutting out at various places and odd angles thrown about the design. PORTAL is different in that it resembles some sort of elegant space age shell – white with a glossy shine. On the back of the PORTAL are two USB 2.0 ports, four Ethernet ports, and one input port. However, you would never know it was a wireless router just by looking at it from the front.

The PORTAL is interesting in its setup procedure as you can go about it in a couple of easy to do ways. The first way is more traditional, and instructs you to plug the router into an Internet source and then make sure you computer is connected via LAN cable. Then, just turn your Internet browser to a specific IP address to log into the router. The second method is awesome – an APP! The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and makes setup a breeze.

Technical Specifications

AC2400 4×4 Wave 2 WiFi.
Simultaneous dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz): 802.11ac/n/g/b/a.
Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports (1x WAN + 4x LAN).
4 DFS Certified FastLanes.
Two USB2.0 ports.
Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy.
9X powerful high gain internal antennas.
Beamforming.
MU-MIMO.
Advanced Security.
Guest Access.
Backwards compatible.
Intuitive mobile apps (iOS and Android).

In terms of performance, I experienced more stable connections and better range than with the previous wireless router we were using. The difference was a staggering and, even more important, was that after I set everything up, I didn’t have to mess with anything. The PORTAL delivered consistently good performance wherever I walked around the office.

[mks_col]

[mks_one_half]The Good

Stylish design
Great performance
Well worth its sub-$200 dollar price point

[/mks_one_half]

[mks_one_half]The Bad

No Wi-Fi protected setup button

[/mks_one_half]

[/mks_col]

Overall, the new PORTAL Wi-Fi router is a brilliant piece of technology that will most definitely help your network connection stability and throughput. For under $200 dollars, it makes for a great option – not only because of its performance but also thanks to that fact that it screams futuristic design. You can pick up your very own PORTAL at Amazon.

PORTAL WiFi Router Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5)

J!NX Releases Rick and Morty Mini Figures

2016/12/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

SAN DIEGO – Dec. 12, 2016 – Jinx Inc. (stylized J!NX) has released seven new Rick and Morty blind-box mini figures to complement its colorful collection of officially licensed Rick and Morty toys and accessories. Available online today for $4.99 each at JINX.com, each package’s contents are hidden and contain one of seven new designs straight from Dimension 35C, including Rick, Morty, Tiny Rick, Summer, Happy Meeseeks, Sad Meeseeks and Rick’s Spaceship.

In addition, J!NX is currently in the middle of its holiday deals month, with offers of 20% off all orders over $40, 25% off all orders over $60, and 30% off all orders over $75 available online at JINX.com from now until Dec. 31.

Rick and Morty is a half-hour animated hit comedy series airing on Adult Swim. Created and executive produced by Dan Harmon (Community) and Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), the critically acclaimed series follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the multiverse. The much-anticipated third season of Rick and Morty is expected to air in 2017.

Enlisted Announcement Teaser Trailer

2016/12/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Dec 12th, 2016 – Gaijin Entertainment, developer and publisher of War Thunder, announced Enlisted, a new squad based multiplayer shooter for PC, developed by Darkflow Software studio. Dedicated to the most important large scale World War II battles, Enlisted will be a fan driven game.

Enlisted will initially offer two massive campaigns – Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Normandy. Each campaign in the game will represent multiple phases of a battle – which during the war lasted for weeks, sometimes months, as well as specific characters and weapons suitable for the historical event recreated in a campaign. It will also offer different game modes where players will be fighting not only by themselves but also together with a platoon of soldiers in massive battles. Built using Gaijin Entertainment’s proprietary Dagor Engine, Enlisted will feature large scale battles with a 100 combatants spread over a massive and richly detailed battlefield complete with destructible landscapes.

“Enlisted is an ambitious undertaking, unlike any game we have ever created. It will be a first person shooter decided by the fans, for the fans. They will have direct input into what we create, including things like campaigns, game modes, even which platforms after PC we will support,” said Alexander Nagorny, producer, Darkflow Software.

Beginning Monday, players can purchase the first two campaigns (collectively or individually) as well as weapons packs and early access to the closed beta, which will launch in the second half of 2017. Exclusive collector’s weapons will cost from 6.99 to 11.99 USD, weapon+campaign pack will be from 20 to 25 USD depending on the rifle you choose. The biggest pack for 50 USD will include both campaigns, three weapons and will provide the owner with early access to the game.

Gaijin Entertainment will reinvest all proceeds from Enlisted into developing additional maps, game modes and console versions. The plan is to start developing the African campaign once Enlisted generates $250K in sales. More campaigns and new gameplay features, both chosen by players through online voting, will go into development with each goal reached and at the $1m mark, consoles versions will go into development.

To learn more about the game, sign up for a news please visit the Enlisted official website: http://enlisted.net/

Author - Jerry Paxton

Disney’s California Adventure Gallery

Disneyland Gallery