Author - Jerry Paxton

Midsummer Scream Halloween Festival Announced

April 5, 2016 – From the creative minds of CreepyLA and Theme Park Adventure, comes an all-new chapter in terror: Midsummer Scream Halloween Festival. This weekend-long celebration of everything Halloween, haunts and horror makes its debut July 30-31 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.

Midsummer Scream features more than 100,000 square feet of event space that will showcase vendors, makeup demonstrations, stage presentations, live entertainment, a screening room, haunted attraction experiences and more.

“We’re combining all of our talents, production knowledge, and years of experience to create an amazing show that we know fans are going to love,” said David Markland, Executive Director of Midsummer Scream. “Each week from now until our July debut, we will be announcing more participants and unveiling different aspects of the show that are going to have people counting down the days with great anticipation.”

Already confirmed for Midsummer Scream include Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Ten Thirty One Productions(Los Angeles Haunted Hayride/Great Horror Campout), Dread Central, Sinister Pointe, Ghost Train (LA Live Steamers), Scott Ramp/The Scream Team, SoCal Valley Haunters, Drunken Devil, Decayed Brigade slider team, Motel 6 Feet Under, Season Pass Podcast, Spooky Hollows, Rotten Apple 907, Fear Station,Figment Foundry, magic of Jimmy H./Mudd the Magnificent, Screenshot Productions, The Empty Grave,Cross Roads Escape Games, Higgins Manor, Dark House Entertainment (The Basement), Girls and Corpses, Evil Twin Studios, and Garner Holt Productions. Our list of partners grows each day, and will be updated on the Midsummer Scream website regularly, as well as announced via social media.

A highlight of Midsummer Scream will be its main stage auditorium, which will accommodate more than 600 horror fans gathering to witness a world-class lineup of panels and presentations, which will include exciting reveals looking forward to the 2016 Halloween season in Southern California.

Guests looking for additional thrills and chills may venture into the Hall of Shadows, a large “scare zone”, with monsters lurking in the dark, and a host of haunted attraction previews/experiences that will soothe your Halloween cravings. Bone Yard Effects, Inc. led by Larry Bones will bring terrifying creatures to life throughout the day via makeup demonstrations on the show floor, and release them into the Hall of Shadows to wreak havoc on terrified fans.

“We are beyond thrilled to bring the Halloween and horror community together here in Southern California,” said Rick West, Creative Director of Midsummer Scream. “The entire team is fueled by the same fundamental passion for the holiday and the macabre; we met and became friends while covering various haunt events and have enjoyed strong personal and business relationships for the past several years as a direct result. Midsummer Scream is the festival this community deserves, and we cannot wait to unveil everything we’ve got planned.”

Tickets go on sale soon, and new information regarding Midsummer Scream is being updated daily at MidsummerScream.org. Fans may sign up on the site for email notifications and announcements, including discounts and other special offers.  Be sure to follow Midsummer Scream on social media as well – Twitter/Periscope: @MidsummerScream, Instagram: @MidsummerScream, and Facebook: facebook.com/midsummerscream.

Former producers of ScareLA, Midsummer Scream’s creators are David Markland, Executive Director; Gary Baker, Executive Producer; Rick West, Creative Director; Johanna Atilano, Producer; and Claire Dunlap, Associate Producer.

About Midsummer Scream Halloween Festival

Midsummer Scream is a large-scale summer festival celebrating the spirit of Halloween and horror, drawing thousands of guests to Southern California for a weekend of thrills and chills. Featuring a massive show floor of vendors and exhibitors, haunted attractions and experiences, live entertainment and world-class panel presentations, Midsummer Scream is the West Coast’s premier Halloween/horror event, offering something for fans of all ages. More information can be found at MidsummerScream.org.

Fans can follow Theme Park Adventure via social media on Facebook, Instagram (search our posts with #ThemeParkAdventure), Twitter, and Periscope for live streams of our travels and special events! Our most popular and unique Periscope broadcasts are archived and may be viewed on our Katch channel.

LucidSound Makes European Debut at Gadget Show Live 2016

San Diego, CA – March 30, 2016 – LucidSound, the all-new audio headset brand from the founders of TRITTON™, announced today that their new LS30 Wireless Universal Gaming Headset will be making its European debut at the popular Gadget Show Live consumer show, taking place at the Birmingham NEC from March 31 through April 3, 2016.

Winning the Reviewed.com prestigious ‘CES Editors’ Choice Award 2016’, the acclaimed new gaming headset arrives in style, and will be available to purchase direct at the show, for the first time in Europe at the LucidSound booth (K170). In addition, visitors will have ample opportunity to experience the unparalleled comfort and uncompressed audio quality for themselves, when the LS30 makes its presence heard at multiple locations through the duration of the show.

Selected as the headset partner for the Konami PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) 2016 UK Finals, the LS30 headsets will be worn by 32 of the UK’s most talented gamers, live on Twitch and to hundreds of spectators, as they battle for supremacy and the honour of attending the world PES championships! For those seeking a more interactive environment, visitors are encouraged to attend the Arcade Stage, where audience members will be invited to take part in a variety of gaming challenges for the chance to win a LucidSound Headset of their own!

Compatible with PlayStation®4, Xbox One, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360, mobile phones, and smart devices, the LS30 Wireless Universal Gaming Headset features a uniquely refreshing design, far removed from bulky, over-engineered designs commonly associated with gaming audio and instead focusing on comfort, style, and innovation. Proprietary channel-hopping technology provides interference-free audio and advanced 2.4GHz uncompressed wireless technology provides best-in-class sound quality.

50mm Neodymium drivers provide deep bass and clear highs while three audio modes, Normal, Bass Boost and Treble Boost, provide gamers with optimal audio for a wide range of gaming genres. In addition, the rechargeable battery offers up to 15 hours of uninterrupted gameplay.

“We’re overwhelmed with the critical and consumer response to our new headset which launched only weeks ago in the US,” said Chris Von Huben, CEO of LucidSound. “We founded LucidSound to challenge the perception that gamers couldn’t have it all. Gaming Headsets typically deliver mediocre audio with looks that only a mother could love. Gamers have changed and so has our approach. The LS30, ushers in a new era of lifestyle gaming audio which we think our European customers will love. We can’t wait to get our headsets in the hands of gamers at Gadget Show Live.”

The LucidSound LS30 Wireless Universal Gaming Headset is expected to go on sale across Europe beginning April 2016.

For more information, visit lucidsound.com and follow LucidSound on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Watch the product video:  http://www.lucidsound.com/lucidsound-video.html

LOUD on Planet X Prepares for Launch

Toronto – April 4, 2016 – The stage is set and soundcheck is underway in preparation for the April 19 console (PS4™/Steam) and April 21 mobile (iOS/Android) launch of arcade-style music video game LOUD on Planet X from independent video game developer Pop Sandbox. Featuring top indie artists Tegan and Sara, Purity Ring, METZ, Metric, Lights, July Talk, F*cked Up, Cadence Weapon, Austra and more, LOUD on Planet X will release on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Steam (PC and Mac) for $6.99 USD / $8.99 CAD, as well as select iOS and Android devices for $3.99 USD / $5.49 CAD.

In LOUD on Planet X, players select from a bevy of top, current, indie music artists, then defend their stage from hordes of quirky aliens by tapping to the music and using a fun assortment of makeshift weapons like speakers, strobe lights, fog machines, amplifiers, bouncers and custom special attacks! Watch the music battle in a new trailer at https://youtu.be/zo-5enTJXos.

“It’s been an incredible experience working with such talented musicians and their enthusiasm for the game has been a driving force,” said Alex Jansen, Co-Founder of Pop Sandbox. “Being able to present their likenesses along with their amazing music combined with LOUD on Planet X’s solid controls is something we’re sure fans will enjoy, so we’re looking forward to sharing it with lovers of both music and games.”

In addition to featuring top hits from each indie artist, LOUD on Planet X also includes three original scores created by Mike Haliechuk and Jonah Falco of F*cked Up, Brendan Canning and Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, and Harrison. An early sample of Haliechuk and Falco’s score can be heard via Soundcloud.

Three more top playable music artists will be announced the week of release. For more information on LOUD on Planet X please visit the game’s website, or Facebook and Twitter pages.

Splendy Games Announces Live Action Horror Game The Bunker

London, UK, 4th April 2016 – Splendy Games are announcing their first game, The Bunker, a completely live action psychological horror starring The Hobbit’s Adam Brown and Penny Dreadful’s Sarah Greene.

With a story created by writers behind the likes of The Witcher, SOMA and Broken Sword, The Bunker tells the story of John, the last survivor living in a government bunker after a nuclear attack wiped out England. But the bunker holds many secrets, and John must confront his suppressed memories to survive the horrors deep underground.

The Bunker is a completely live action experience with zero computer generated effects, filmed on location in a real government nuclear bunker located in Essex, England. Players will guide John through the bunker, solving puzzles, uncovering secrets and triggering flashbacks to reveal the terrifying mysteries of The Bunker.

Hobbit star Adam Brown says “The whole experience was fascinating to be a part of. As the story is non-linear we had to film every single possibility and interaction – I became a real life games character! It’s a terrific location and very spooky – they had me crawling around in some strange places!”

Paul Sulyok, Founder & CEO of Green Man Gaming said: “The publishing team at Green Man Gaming are very excited to partner with Splendy Games to showcase such an innovative and exciting game that incorporates an incredible cast, complete live action and a complex plot in a mysterious location – a bunker! We look forward to working closely with the Splendy team to launch the PC game in Summer 2016.”

Dai Banner, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Wales Interactive said “Our collaboration with Splendy Games has grown from our first meeting at Gamescom Cologne, where they showed us an early concept of The Bunker. I was sold there and then; I loved the superb writing, art direction and high production values. Being involved with the development and being the console publishers is a huge privilege for us and we look forward to working together for the release later this year.“

The Bunker is a Splendy Games co-production with Last Chance Films and Wales Interactive and is published by Green Man Gaming (PC), Wales Interactive (Console) and All 4 Games (Mobile).

An incredible cast, including Adam Brown (The Hobbit), Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful), Grahame Fox (Game Of Thrones) and Jerome St. John Blake (Star Wars)

Totally live action – No CGI, no motion capture, shot on location in a genuine decommissioned nuclear bunker
A complex, twisting plot written by award-winning screenwriters behind Broken Sword, The Witcher and SOMA
Hidden secrets, documents and recordings to explore the mystery further
Neo-retro soundtrack by composer Dom Shovelton

  • Title: The Bunker
  • Developer: Splendy Games, Wales Interactive
  • Publisher: Green Man Gaming (PC), Wales Interactive (Console), All 4 Games (Mobile / Tablet)
  • Release Date: Summer 2016 (PC), Q3 2016 (Console), Q4 2016 (Mobile / Tablet)
  • Genre: Live Action Psychological Horror
  • Platform: PC / Console / Mobile

Wargaming Celebrates April Fools Day

April 1, 2016 — April fool’s Day is generally celebrated by playing a good-natured practical joke, an amusing hoax, or, in Wargaming’s case, an entire parade of special in-game events created for its very passionate community.

In “Moon Mayhem” April 1 – 5, World of Tanks on PC establishes its first colony on the Moon. In this event, you command the latest weapon in spherical tank technology: the IS 8-BALL. In your space-age vehicle, you must knock other commanders on the “Crater” map into one of several billiard-type holes.

Of course, we’re on the Moon, which means less gravity. You’ll find that IS 8-BALL feels a little different than a regular tank. With less friction, various in-game hazards, like Meteor Showers and strange gravitational anomalies, this mode offers an out of this world experience. To play, all you have to do is enter your Garage, choose the IS 8-Ball and click the Battle! button. You will be added to a special queue with other players who have also selected the event vehicle.

April Fool’s Day in World of Warships March 31—April 11, exchanges the high seas for hot tubs in the special “Ruinberg In Jacuzzi” map. Take charge of the captain’s boat from the animated series “Bad Advice” and battle other players in a not-so-relaxing hot tub. All you have to do is start the game and search your Port for the 4 types of vessels available: the Pokeboat (JP), Botishkaff (RU), Das Boot (DE) and Bottlesheep (US). Choose whichever ship you take a fancy to, then click the Battle! button.

Each ship sports a Fish captain at the helm, stylized with the nation of its ship. When the little boat is bobbing in your port, a 3D model of “Bad Captain” will be visible on the ship. While the captain lacks a bikini, you can hear some of his trademark sounds from the show. Why not stick your toe in the water?

World of Tanks console players can also set out on a maritime-themed adventure in the “TOG Boat” event April 1 – 3. Jump aboard HMS TOG II*, become the scourge of the seas in 7-vs-7 battles, and rain down a 3-round shot of shells on your opponents. Existing players will have the HMS TOG II* in their Garage as long as they have played one battle, and players who download the game for the first time during the event will receive the mode after one battle is played. Once the HMS TOG II* is selected, the Garage floods with water, creating a canal for the vehicle to float in.

We have something for everyone this April Fools’ Day, so make sure you don’t miss out!

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Roach

April 1, 2016 – CD PROJEKT RED, creators of the really cool game with a lot of dialogues that don’t actually bore you to death, are proud to announce an entirely new DLC — Roach.

Available soon for only $4.99, the Roach DLC unlocks limited premium content — a horse you can finally identify with! Pre-order customers will receive an exclusive Roach sticker so they can stick it… on their gaming system.

We’re always listening to gamers, and gamers are telling us they are throwing money at the screen and nothing happens. That’s why we’re extremely thrilled to be able to make something happen, said April Loofs, Senior Executive Officer of Incremental Revenue Acquisition & Fun, CD PROJEKT RED.

We’ve created a special developer video to show you how the DLC was created, so giddyup and click below!

Star Wars The Black Series 6-Inch Kylo Ren Review

We got the chance to take a look at one of those sweet, sweet “Black Series” edition Star Wars figured from Hasbro – namely, the Kylo Ren model. Kylo Ren, the main antagonist featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, wields raw Force abilities and an equally raw cross blade light saber forged from a very old Sith design. The Hasbro figure has some great details, starting with his cloth cloak. The material doesn’t feel like the most expensive of fabric, but for a $19.99 retail value action figure, it is awesome. Also equally cool is that Kylo Ren comes packages with his iconic cross blade light saber, and the saber portion can be removed if you would like it displayed in its “off” state.

[ezcol_1half]Pros

  • Excellent price point
  • Cloth cloak
  • Removable light saber blade

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Cons

  • No accessories – especially no light saber holster hook

[/ezcol_1half_end]

The biggest problem with the 6 inch Black Series Kylo Ren from Hasbro is that it does not come with any additional accessories that a dark knight of the First Order might need. Most glaringly is the lack of a light saber holster. Because the blade of the saber is removable, it would have been nice to holster the saber hilt for additional pose possibilities. Speaking of poses, this Kylo Ren has a lot of joint articulation, making the sheer number of poses impressive…. most impressive.

As a very nice side note, it appears that Hasbro has chosen to use a cloth or twine twist tie to fasten the action figure into the plastic packaging. This is to not scuff the figure as plastic and metal ties sometimes can do. I would recommend using scissors to cut the tie, however, as untying it by hand is very tricky.

Overall, the Hasbro 6-inch Black Series Kylo Ren action figure is a great addition to your collection or toy box and will be sure to make any Star Wars fan happy. It fits right in with the higher end “Black Series” figures from Hasbro and displays a terrific amount of detail to pour over. It retails for $19.99, with many places selling it on-sale, and is available now.

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Purchase this at the Hasbro Toy Store

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Eli Roth’s “The Witches” Dark Souls III Animated Trailer

March 31, 2016 – BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today released a brand new animated trailer directed by Eli Roth, famed director of hit horror movies such as Cabin Fever and Hostel, based on the universe of DARK SOULS. Eli Roth’s “The Witches” Dark Souls Animated Trailer is an original story set in the world of DARK SOULS III where a lonely world-weary knight finds himself in an incredibly deadly situation when confronted by three witches.

The behind-the-scenes featurette can be found at the following YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/2MdIht2tRjk

Wargaming.net 2016 Grand Finals Countdown

March 30, 2016 — In a little over a week, from April 8–9, Torwar Hall in Warsaw will throw open its doors and welcome 12 of the biggest names in World of Tanks eSports. Teams from across the globe will meet on the digital battlefield for two days of tank mayhem for the title of champion. With entry absolutely free, Grand Finals 2016 promises to be an event that’s not to be missed.

Crossing the Atlantic to represent North America are former Silver League champs eClipse, and veteran team SIMP, who recently switched up their lineup. From the EU are two giants of the League: Wombats on Tanks and Tornado.RoX, who locked horns at last year’s Grand Finals. The CIS are sending reigning champs Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) and WGL Gold Series Season 2 runners-up Not So Serious Team. Last Grand Finals’ silver medalists EL Gaming and relative newcomers Gold Bass are representing Asia.

It wouldn’t be a true Grand Finals without a few wildcards dealt to shake things up: Yato from China, Kazna Kru from the EU, 2015 World Champions HellRaisers, and Red Canids—the first team to ever take part from Brazil.

Along with the action inside the arena, visitors and tank enthusiasts alike can check out two real steel beasts outside Torwar Hall. A T-34-85 and an M4A1 Sherman will be guarding the exterior of the hall, offering fans a great photo opportunity.

As well as real tanks, the virtual and equally awesome Tier 8 premium light tank M 41 90 GF, specifically designed to commemorate this year’s event, will be available from April 1 in NA and Asia, and April 3 in Europe. Its excellent view range and rapid speed make it a superior scout. Not to mention, its exclusive and striking black camouflage will definitely turn heads on the battlefield.

With very few places left, fans can still register for the event, which will snag them a special gift: the Premium British Tier 5 heavy tank Excelsior. There’s also one last chance to take the Grand Finals experience up a gear with Premium tickets. These allow entrance to the venue one hour before everyone else, a fast queuing lane, a dedicated premium seat in front of the action, and a collection of tanks: the Premium British Tier 5 heavy Excelsior, the Tier 8 Premium heavy IS-3A, the unique Grand Finals M 41 90 GF, and more.

If you are unable to make it to Poland, there’s no need to worry. All the Grand Finals main stage and second stage action will be streaming live on YouTube, Twitch, and Hitbox. So whatever your broadcasting preference, the Wargaming.net League has you covered.

You can find all the broadcasts in English, Polish and Russian, available at one place: thegrandfinals.com

Main stage streams:

ENG:

PL:

Second stage streams:

ENG

PL

The Wargaming.net League official partners for Grand Finals are Intel, PayPal, Razer, and SanDisk.

For more information on the Grand Finals, visit the official website:

New P.O.L.L.E.N Gameplay Trailer

HELSINKI – March 30, 2016 – Virtual reality games studio Mindfield Games has announced that its first-person space exploration game – P.O.L.L.E.N – will launch on Windows PC with mouse/keyboard and gamepad support on April 20 via Steam and the Humble Store. It will also be available that day on Oculus Rift as a near-final VR beta, which will be fully optimized with updates shortly after release.

“We’ve been crafting P.O.L.L.E.N for two and a half years, beginning on the earliest Oculus development kits, and we’re thrilled for players to soon experience it for themselves with the game’s full PC launch and the initial beta rollout of our VR edition,” said Olli Sinerma, co-founder of Mindfield Games. “P.O.L.L.E.N offers a uniquely captivating experience for each platform: a fiercely original and eerie first-person exploration game on traditional monitors, and a fully immersive virtual reality adventure that completely transports players to the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.”

Delivering a complete 5-8 hour gameplay experience on both PC and Oculus Rift, P.O.L.L.E.N places the player in a mysterious, mind-bending situation on a moon research base where nearly everything is interactive. Even a small, simple item can be the key to unlocking one of the game’s many puzzles and secrets. P.O.L.L.E.N’s real-time binaural soundscape has been designed to let players perceive it in the most natural way, as human ears hear it, with atmospheric audio that tells its own story as players explore the deserted environments of this remote and ominous world.

For the latest updates from Mindfield Games, please visit www.pollengame.com, and follow the studio on Facebook and Twitter.