Author - Jerry Paxton

Iceberg Interactive Announces StarDrive 2

2014/02/25
Jerry Paxton
News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

StarDrive2_2

Haarlem, The Netherlands – February 25, 2014 –  Following last year’s barnstorming debut for real-time 4X strategy game StarDrive, publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Zero Sum Games have teamed up again to publish StarDrive 2, the revolutionary turn-based sequel, featuring real-time combat, coming to Steam, other digital channels, and boxed retail in September 2014.

With an SRP of $29.99, Iceberg and Zero Sum plan to reward owners of the original StarDrive with a loyalty discount of 33% on StarDrive 2.

“StarDrive 2 represents the culmination of two decades of love for the 4X genre and five years of work on the StarDrive universe,” says Daniel DiCicco, CEO of Zero Sum Games. “Here we have taken everything we have learned — our successes, our failures, and our passion — and made a 4X game that we are incredibly proud of. We are dedicated to our community and we’re excited to start showing off StarDrive 2 to our fans.”

In Zero Sum Games’ sequel to the popular original PC title, players can build a space empire and command huge fleets turn-by-turn in an immersive, living galaxy filled with nine alien races, pirate factions, galactic lore and mystery. Gamers can research hundreds of technologies, including technologies unique to their race, and build ships in the custom ship design mode before taking them into real-time battles packed with stunning visuals and sound effects.

Additionally, Zero Sum Games plans to double down on its commitment to user-generated content with StarDrive 2 by integrating Steam Workshop support directly into the game. StarDrive 2 will make its debut at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Ca, in March.

“We believe that fans of this genre will rejoice when they get their hands on StarDrive 2,” DiCicco continues. “It will bring them back to the golden age of 4X gaming with familiar strategic gameplay while using the full power of the Unity game engine to push AAA visuals.”

StarDrive 2 is an exciting and evolutionary step forward for the StarDrive franchise. In this eagerly anticipated sequel, the core mechanics have evolved to incorporate a turn-based strategic layer, featuring spectacular real-time battles. As the galactic ruler of a race, gamers will lead their people into a procedurally-generated galaxy, exploring and expanding their space empire to greatness. Players can exploit planets, navigate asteroid belts, and overcome deep space dangers while handling interspecies relations to gain the upper hand. They will conduct diplomacy and espionage, make alien friends that will deliver thriving trade treaties – or enemies that will seek to exterminate them at all costs. Players will research new technologies and design powerful warships to defend their claims; and they will discover the extensive lore of the StarDrive universe by encountering many dozens of anomalies, heroes, and galactic mysteries that will ensure no two games will ever play the same.

StarDrive 2 Features Include:

  • Players can build a space empire turn by turn in an immersive, living galaxy filled with nine alien races, pirate factions, galactic lore and mystery.
  • Gamers can hire unique heroes to govern their worlds or to command their mighty fleets in battle.
  • Populate the universe and colonize planets, moons, asteroid belts, gas giants, and more!
  • Gamers can research hundreds of technologies, including technologies that are unique to their race. Find even more technologies through in-game events and galactic exploration.
  • Build ships in the custom ship design mode and take them into real-time battles featuring stunning visuals and sound effects.
  • Enter a Battle Arena mode for quick-fix battles against cunning AI opponents. In this mode, players will earn rewards as they fight through the challenges, allowing them to unlock new weapons, ship hulls, and ship modules to upgrade their ships and to purchase new ships to add to your fleet.
  • Created with the Unity engine for simultaneous release on PC, Mac and Linux.
  • Will include various Steam features such as Trading Cards, Achievements and Steam Workshop, allowing modders to create and share their own in-game heroes, events, Battle Arena campaigns, ship modules, weapons, sound effects, and more.

For more information on StarDrive 2, please visit the official forum: www.stardrivegame.com

First Screenshots

War Thunder Ground Forces Expansion Begins Third Beta Phase

2014/02/25
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

war-thunder-shot1-2011.12.2

(MOSCOW, RUSSIAN FEDERATION) – February 25, 2014 – Gaijin Entertainment has announced that the third wave for the Ground Forces Expansion closed beta for their blockbuster military World War II MMO game War Thunder has launched. The third wave signals Gaijin Entertainment ongoing commitment to the improvement of Ground Forces Expansion, which will soon launch in Open Beta with a long-term goal of integrating ground forces with the current aerial battles of War Thunder.

The third wave for Ground Forces Expansion will allow all players to test the full line of armored vehicles that will available day one during the Ground Forces Expansion Open Beta, which remains on track for an early 2014 launch.

Third wave is accessible by existing testers and by players who purchased the exclusive Tanks Advanced Packs at http://online.gaijinent.com after January 10, 2104. Those who are willing can still purchase Advanced Packs and get exclusive tanks, decals and titles that will not be available ever again after Open Beta starts.

However, Ground Forces Expansion Open Beta isn’t the only thing that Gaijin Entertainment has planned for nearest future. Recent developer’s diary (http://warthunder.com/en/news/457-Developers-Diaries-139-en) speaks about user content creation tools that will allow players to create their own planes, cockpits, skins, new maps and missions. Not all of these features will be implemented in next major update 1.39, but users can expect almost 20 new aircrafts, updated flight model and a lot of other exciting improvements.

Choose A Character for the Next Skylanders Game

2014/02/25
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

FL3_HiRes

PLANO, Texas (February 25, 2014) – PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division and Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), today announced a promotion that brings fans the ultimate way to get involved in the award-winning Skylanders® franchise. For the first time ever, Frito-Lay and Activision are providing fans with the unique opportunity to choose and name a new hero that will appear in the next Skylanders game slated for release in 2014. In addition to naming honors, the winner will receive a $100,000 scholarship. For more details and official rules, visit www.fritolay.com/skylanders.

“This is the third consecutive year Frito-Lay has partnered with Activision to bring fans a whole new way to experience Skylanders, while bringing added fun to the snack aisle,” said Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay. “This time around, we’re taking our collaboration to a new level. We can’t wait to see all the creative names families come up with.”

Between now and March 21, 2014, fans 18 years and older can visit www.fritolay.com/skylanders to select one of three potential heroes they want to see come to life in the next Skylanders game. Once their Skylanders selection is made, contestants then submit a suggested name and a 200-character or less inspiration for the name they chose.

In May, one fan-created name for each of the three potential heroes will be selected by a panel of judges from Activision and Frito-Lay, and announced as finalists. Fans 13 years and older will be invited to vote online for the hero they want to see debuted in the next Skylanders game. Later this year, the winning hero will be revealed and the fan behind the creation of the hero’s name will be awarded a $100,000 scholarship. The winning name submission will also become the official name for that Skylanders hero and will appear in a variety of places such as on Skylanders packaging and even in the Skylanders game.

To celebrate the promotion, specially marked Frito-Lay variety packs, available for purchase while supplies last at participating retail stores nationwide, will include coupons for select Skylanders products and details on the entry and voting phases of the promotion. This spring, variety packs will include a $5 off coupon for a Skylanders SWAP Force™ Starter Pack.

Frito-Lay Classic Mix and Flavor Mix 20-count variety packs contain America’s favorite snacks in convenient one-ounce servings: including Lay’s potato chips, SunChips multigrain snacks, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos cheese flavored snacks and Fritos corn chips. To unleash excitement at snack time, Frito-Lay and Skylanders join forces to help families create fun and special family moments.

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Divinity: Original Sin Delayed, New Trailer

2014/02/24
Jerry Paxton
News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Divinity_OriginalSin_01

Larian Studios has announced that its upcoming RPG, Divinity: Original Sin, has been pushed back to Spring of this year, with the developer using the additional time to implement feedback received from Steam Early Access players and Kickstarter backers. In conjunction with this announcement, Larian Studios has released a new trailer – enjoy!

Trailer

Automatic Driving Assistance System Review

2014/02/23
Jerry Paxton
News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

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Automatic Labs has released their high-tech driving assistance system called, simply, “Automatic”. This system allows drivers to track their fuel economy, driving habits, and even diagnose problems when your check engine light comes on. We got a chance to review the system over the course of several weeks and were very impressed at the results.

Automatic is a two-part system. The first part consists of the Automatic app, available on both iOS and Android, and acts as the interface with which the user controls and receives information. The second part is the “Automatic Link”, a small, white Bluetooth dongle that plugs directly into your car’s OBD-II data port. Most cars made since 1996 have this data port located somewhere under the driver side dashboard. On my Toyota Tacoma, it was very easy to find. Setting up the Automatic system wasn’t the smoothest thing for me, mainly because I didn’t initially follow the instructions. Just be patient and follow the setup instructions exactly. DO NOT plug the Automatic Link into your OBD-II port before fully reading the included instructions. Once activated, the Automatic app begins tracking your driving information. If you don’t follow the instructions, you’re gonna have a bad time….

The Automatic app’s main interface shows a map of where you currently are located and the routes of your past journeys. It also monitors and displays how many times you hit the brakes too hard, went over 70MPH, or accelerated too fast. This all factors into the calculation of your vehicle’s fuel economy, which the Automatic app breaks down on a per trip level. Heading for a job interview or to the grocery store? Now you can find out exactly how much gas you “spent” in each excursion. The system is remarkably accurate, and I am not sure if this information is calculated on your smart phone or in the Automatic Link itself – either way, it is very cool.

autoscreens

Another important feature of the Automatic system is that, when your check engine light comes on, you will actually be able to see which sensors have tripped. I love this as there are so many unscrupulous mechanic shops out there, knowing what is going on with your vehicle prior to being taken in for service will help you make more informed decisions on what services you want to pay for.

The final, and potentially life saving feature of Automatic is its automatic crash detection. In the event of a crash, the system will play a loud audible tone. You have 30 seconds to hit the disable button on the Automatic app. If you do not (or cannot) do so, the system will contact the Automatic emergency call center. This call center will then call your cellphone number to confirm that you need assistance. If so, they will stay on the line with you as they get emergency services routed to your location. The service can also call your loved ones to let them know what happened.

Overall, the Automatic driving assistance system is a very cool piece of tech that provides a lot of information to the driver. The system retails for $99.95, but is a one-time charge and requires no subscription for continued usage. Also, if you have more than one vehicle, you can use the Automatic system in each, simply by performing the setup on them and taking the Automatic Link with you every time you drive each one.

[easyreview title=”Automatic Driving Assistance System Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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King Arms M79 Airsoft Grenade Launcher Review

2014/02/22
Jerry Paxton
Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, News, Reviews

new-2014-0043 copy

King Arms has made a big splash in the airsoft community with their M79 grenade launcher. Modeled after the real steel M79 grenade launcher used to a great extent during the Vietnam War (and to a lesser extent, today), King Arms has done a great job in replicating the actual, real steel, M79.

The design of the King Arms M79 is all based on being realistic as the airsoft grenade launcher is the same size as its real steel counterpart. It measures 28.5″ inches in length and the barrel/firing assembly is made from high grade aluminum, which provides strength and considerably light weight – yet, the King Arms M79 is just about the same weight as the actual launcher. The real steel M79 weighs about 6 lbs when unloaded – the King Arms M79 weighs about 4.5 lbs when unloaded. The stock  and handguard are made from real wood with a very decent finish – unlike many airsoft manufacturers that use faux wood.

Interestingly, in King Arms attempt for realism, they have added an actual ladder-style leaf sight on the front of the M79 – just like the real one. Unfortunately, this sight has no use in airsoft at all as the sight was intended for real steel grenade ballistics. It still looks awesome, however, and is a great touch for the MilSim crowd. I would not suggest using it in your airsoft games, however, as it gets in the way of your sight picture and, again, it really has no function with airsoft BBs.

Video Test/Review

The King Arms M79 is compatible with a variety of 40mm grenade shells. We tested our review unit with two long integration grenade shells from the good people at AirSplat.com and one shower grenade shell from the good people at Evike.com – we would like to thank both AirSplat and Evike for helping us with our review. The grenade launcher features two sling mounts both fore and aft and, even though it only weighs about 4.5 lbs, you will probably want to keep it slung until you have to use it. I highly recommend picking up some 40mm grenade shell MOLLE pouches so you can keep your grenades handy and, please, NEVER keep a loaded grenade shell in your launcher when you are off the field. Also, always wear eye protection!

[ezcol_1half]Pros

  • Real wood
  • Nice weight
  • Sturdy aluminum construction
  • Attention to detail

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Cons

  • For its price point, I think they should have included a 40mm shell

[/ezcol_1half_end]

Overall, the King Arms M79 grenade launch is an excellent choice for your airsoft team’s grenadier role or just to take with you to a game for fun. The M79 is sturdy, reliable, and a lot of fun. It is a bit pricey at about $250 dollars but, if you are looking for a solid launcher, you won’t be disappointing.

[easyreview title=”King Arms M79 Airsoft Grenade Launcher Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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