Author - Jerry Paxton

THQ Announces Darksiders II Pre Order Incentives

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. Feb 14, 2012 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced a range of pre-order bonuses for its upcoming action-adventure title Darksiders® II, which is scheduled to come to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft,  PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC on June 26, 2012.

Players who pre-order the game from GAMESTOP will receive the ‘Death Rides’ pack. Featuring multiple exclusive side-quests, this pack allows the most fearless adventurers to explore more of the Maker’s Realm and Dead Plains and earn additional experience and loot. Aid an ancient Construct, battle The Bloodless and retrieve Karn’s lost treasure in around two hours of unique game play content.

Pre-order the game from BEST BUY to unlock the ‘Angel of Death’ pack. Give yourself an edge with a unique set of enhanced armor with an angel inspired design as well as a pair of upgraded matching scythes and a exclusive visual trail for your companion crow Dust.

People who pre-order the game from AMAZON will get to ride into battle with increased speed thanks to the ‘Deadly Despair’ pack. This unique pre-order offer adds an additional speed boost for Death’s trusty steed Despair, allowing players to travel across the vast world even faster than before. This perk is a permanent increase that will last throughout the game.

Jim Huntley, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing commented: “We are happy to be able to offer a range of exciting offers to reward gamers for pre-ordering copies of the game prior to its June 26th release.

Darksiders II follows the exploits of DEATH, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, in a weaving tale that runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. This epic journey propels DEATH through various light and dark realms as he tries to redeem his brother WAR, the horseman who was blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in Darksiders

Darksiders II is scheduled to be available for console and PC on June 26, 2012, for more information check www.Darksiders.com .

Screenshots of Pre-Order Bonuses

War Inc Battle Zone Update Released After 10k Facebook Likes

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

After fans garnered the Facebook page for online shooter, War Inc. Battle Zone, over 10k likes, the game dev is now ready to release a big update to the gameplay experience. Checkout some of the features of the new update below as well as a trailer:

  • Citadel – A brand new community unlocked deathmatch map, centered on a 16th century citadel in the town of Zemo Zenkari. This vital control point for the mountain highway features close intense combat and a variety of unique vantage points sure to keep soldiers and their comrades team frosty
  • Strictly structured match-making system, keeping similarly leveled players together
  • Brand new, engaging user interface
  • Fully revamped suite of jaw-dropping weapon sounds

Trailer of Update

Mass Effect 3 Demo Released

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

EDMONTON, Alberta – February 14, 2012 – Commander Shepard — a battle hardened, no-nonsense leader — wants you to join the fight to take Earth back! Today BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), released the demo for Mass Effect™ 3 on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Mass Effect 3 is the most anticipated game of 2012, blending world class combat, deep customization options, cinematic storytelling and blockbuster action on a huge scale. The demo delivers a preview of this powerful combination, whether you are an N7 veteran or the galaxy’s newest recruit. BioWare has designed Mass Effect 3 to deliver the satisfying payoffs veterans have been waiting for while also making sure it is the best entry point into the franchise for new players.

In continuing the lead up to launch, BioWare also revealed today that an all-new CG trailer for Mass Effect 3, “Take Earth Back”, will make a worldwide debut on Sunday’s episode of “The Walking Dead”, AMC’s critically-acclaimed, post-apocalyptic horror series*.

“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished with Mass Effect 3, and am very excited for fans around the world to experience something really special when they play the demo today,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series.

The Mass Effect 3 demo kicks off with the devastating, all-out attack on Earth by an ancient alien race known as the Reapers. It also includes another thrilling single player mission from later in the game. Players will be able to choose the name, gender and appearance of their Commander Shepard. These initial choices along with choosing Shepard’s background cause the game to re-write itself, ensuring the player knows everything that happened in previous games, and can hit the ground running. Additionally, Mass Effect 3 allows players three different ways to experience the epic battle for Earth: “Action” allows players to focus mainly on combat, giving them the opportunity to pre-set the tone of decisions made during the interactive cinematic scenes; “Story” focuses more on the conversations and scales down the difficulty of the action; and “Role Playing” presents the classic Mass Effect experience which blends both challenging, intense action with rich, interactive storytelling where the choices lie with each player. All settings can be adjusted throughout the game, and all are available in the demo. Mass Effect 3 will also be one of the first pre-launch demos to support full voice recognition functionality on Kinect™ for Xbox 360.

Also included in the demo is a sample of the new multiplayer mode in Mass Effect 3.  For the first time in the franchise, Mass Effect 3 will feature a fun, addictive co-operative gameplay as part of the Galaxy at War System**, which gives players an opportunity to link progress made in multiplayer or other applications directly back to the player’s main campaign to save the galaxy. The co-op portion of the demo will unlock on February 17, 2012. Gamers who have activated their Battlefield 3™ online pass will be able to unlock the co-op portion of the demo beginning today***.

Mass Effect 3 thrusts players into an all-out war to save the galaxy from an ancient alien race known as the Reapers. Players will assume the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break.

Recently named by over 100 outlets around the world as one of the most anticipated games of 2012, including winning the fan-voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 award at the Spike TV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order**** have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war. The game arrives on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “like” the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect

Disney Universe Gets Phineas and Ferb DLC Pack

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

February 14, 2012 – Gamers will suit up, power-up and battle through the suburbs of Danville in some of their favorite Phineas and Ferb costumes with the release of the “Phineas and Ferb” level downloadable content pack, available today for Disney Interactive Studios’ Disney Universe. The new content is currently available for download for $4.99 on PlayStation®Network or for 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network.

Based on Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning “Phineas and Ferb,” the #1 animated TV series among tweens 9-14, the “Phineas and Ferb” level in Disney Universe allows players to experience the adventures of Phineas, Ferb and friends in the suburbs of Danville firsthand. Gamers will be able suit up as Phineas, Ferb, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Agent P and Candace as they utilize cool gadgets. The Chick-Inator will turn players into chickens in order to access small spaces, while the Atomic Leaf Blow-Inator will allow them to blow away piles of leaves to reveal collectibles and more as they advance through the neighborhood avoiding traps and hazards. The level will culminate as players battle Dr. Doofenshmirtz in an epic showdown to bring down his blimp and save a trapped passenger.

Now available on store shelves for the Wii™ system from Nintendo, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3® computer entertainment system and Windows PC, Disney Universe offers a four-person multiplayer action experience, with frenzied gameplay that appeals to players of all ages. The “Phineas and Ferb” level joins other great Disney Universe environments, such as the Disney•Pixar hits WALL•E and Monsters, Inc., Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Academy Award® winning classics, The Lion King and Aladdin. The game features 45 classic and contemporary iconic character costumes, including ones inspired by Sam Flynn, Quorra and Clu (TRON), Baloo (The Jungle Book), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Sulley (Monsters, Inc.), Nemo (Finding Nemo) and everyone’s favorite pixie, Tinker Bell (Peter Pan). Dozens of other character costumes are also featured in the game, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck.

Disney Universe  will continue to expand with new content, including worlds, costumes, and more available for download, giving Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 system owners an ever-evolving gameplay experience.

Screenshots

Skyrim Creation Kit Touts Over 2 Million Mod Downloads

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

February 14, 2012 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that the Creation Kit™, a free tool that allows PC players to create their own custom content for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has been enthusiastically received by PC gamers who have been uploading, downloading, and installing custom content through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. Within a week of the release of the Creation Kit, gamers have downloaded more than 2 million mods via the Skyrim Workshop. More than 2,500 mods have been published by the gaming community, all of which are available for free.

Worldwide revenues generated by Skyrim have placed it among the industry’s most successful titles, and demand for the title shows no signs of slowing. Measured by revenue, Skyrim was the second best selling game of 2011, and 2012 sales remain strong, with continuing digital downloads and large shipments of units to retail. Within the first month following its release in November, Bethesda Softworks® reported it had shipped over 10 million units of Skyrim across all platforms, representing approximately $650 million in retail sales, and those results have since increased substantially.

Data from Steam, the digital download service, reveal that the average number of hours that a gamer plays Skyrim exceeds 75 hours, underscoring fan devotion to the game. The PC version of Skyrim in North America outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one in the month of its release, and Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam’s history.

Console versions of Skyrim reveal equally strong fan demand. The Xbox 360 version of Skyrim outsold all Xbox 360 exclusive titles in 2011 in North America, and the PS3 version of Skyrim outsold all PS3 exclusive titles on that platform.  These strong commercial results match the high scores and widespread praise of critics that the game has received.

The critically-acclaimed title was most recently honored with the ‘Game of the Year’ award at the 15th Annual 2012 Interactive Achievement Awards (IAA) held at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit. Skyrim also received top honors  in the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering’, ‘Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction’, ‘Role-Playing Game of the Year’, and ‘Outstanding Achievement in Story’ categories. The IAA’s focus is on peer-based voting and its awards are considered to be among the highest honors of recognition in the interactive entertainment industry.

Skyrim had already garnered dozens of ‘Game of the Year’ awards from major outlets worldwide, including winning the top honor of ‘Game of the Year’ at the 2011 Video Game Awards which are voted on by a panel of editors from the industry’s most respected magazines and websites.  To date, Skyrim has received over 200 perfect review scores worldwide, earning the highest praise from some of the industry’s most influential critics including: Wall Street Journal, USA Today, G4TV, The New York Times, GameSpy, Wired, Eurogamer, Destructoid, GamePro, Official Xbox Magazine, Joystiq, The Guardian, Famitsu and GamesRadar. G4TV describes Skyrim as “one of the greatest games ever” and Eurogamer was one of many outlets to call it a “masterpiece.”

Skyrim, available for the Xbox 360® video game entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC, is the third consecutive game developed by the team at Bethesda Game Studios® to earn ‘Game of the Year’ honors.  Bethesda Game Studios, which was named ‘Studio of the Year’ at the 2011 Video Game Awards, also created the 2006 ‘Game of the Year’,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, and the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, Fallout® 3.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been rated M for Mature by ESRB.

For more information on Skyrim visit http://www.elderscrolls.com/

Brick-Force Beta Attracts Over 100k

2012/02/15
Jerry Paxton
News

BERLIN, Germany – 14th February, 2012 – The online games publisher and developer Infernum announced today that shortly after the first announcement over 100,000 players have already registered for Brick-Force, the cross-platform sandbox shooter. Those who wish to experience Brick-Force before its official release in the spring can register for the beta which starts on the 28th February, over at www.brick-force.com. The free-to-play online game will be released for the PC, iOS, Android and playable via browser.

Infernum founder and CEO Andreas Weidenhaupt is pleased by the rush of players: “Although we announced the start of the closed beta just two weeks ago, we’ve seen an enormous and rapid growth of the Brick-Force community. Before the beta has even launched we have a surprisingly large fan base that will give us valuable feedback during the next phase of testing. We are really looking forward to presenting Brick-Force to all players.”

Those who have registered in time for the closed beta will be granted access gradually in several waves, where they will descend upon a playful world that combines creativity and action. The shooter mode will be playable exclusively on PC systems, while for imaginative minds, the sandbox mode will be functional on the mobile platforms iOS and Android. The first Brick-Force mobile version for smartphones and tablets will be published after release of the open beta.

Screenshots

New Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage Screenshots

2012/02/14
Jerry Paxton
News

Gamepires has released some new screenshots from their upcoming vehicular combat title, Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage, showing some of the game’s environments.

Screenshots

Blizzard Announces StarCraft RISK and WoW Monopoly

2012/02/13
Jerry Paxton
News

CARLSBAD, Calif. (February 10, 2012) – USAOPOLY (under license by Hasbro, Inc.) announces a partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. to release fresh takes on two classic board games. MONOPOLY®: World of Warcraft® and RISK®: StarCraft® combine tried-and-true foundations with new designs and gameplay elements inspired by Blizzard’s popular gaming universes. Those who dare to engage will discover a new chance to claim supremacy, both over their friends and over the battle-torn lands of Azeroth and the Koprulu Sector.

 

MONOPOLY®: World of Warcraft®

Descend into a world of myth, magic and legendary adventure to battle for control of World of Warcraft’s iconic locations. Featuring custom graphics from Blizzard Entertainment’s world-class artists and designers, the MONOPOLY game’s land grab includes coveted real estate such as Twilight Highlands, Grizzly Hills and the Swamp of Sorrows. In the rush to rule over the faction capitals of Orgrimmar and Stormwind, players will feverishly buy, sell and trade in true MONOPOLY fashion, until one player controls the lands and vanquishes all comers.

This handsomely crafted MONOPOLY game formally debuts at the 109th annual Toy Fair, this February 12th in New York City. World of Warcraft players, however, will be treated to a sneak peek via the World of Warcraft Facebook page and have the opportunity to vote on the game’s iconic tokens. Ten options, including Murky, Chen’s Keg, Mechagnome, and a Spellbook, will be presented; the six most popular tokens will be represented in the game when it launches this May.

Other notable highlights of the Monopoly game include custom sculpted houses (Warcraft towns) and hotels (Warcraft cities) plus a red and blue die representing the Horde and Alliance factions. There has never been a better time to engage face-to-face in World of Warcraft’s epic power struggle. The game retails for $39.95 and will be available in specialty stores across North America.

RISK®: StarCraft®

The forthcoming release of RISK®: StarCraft® should whet the appetites of StarCraft players who will once again find the StarCraft universe in jeopardy. Players will choose from the Terran, Protoss or Zerg factions and six unique heroes to ultimately bring order to the galaxy. The struggles portrayed in this real time strategy game series adapt perfectly to classic tabletop RISK gameplay, and the winner will be determined by astute deployment of military might and strategic field tactics.

RISK: StarCraft includes 3 play modes and sports over 290 custom playing pieces. More details about the game will be revealed as it moves toward release; it launches this summer and will be available in specialty stores throughout North America with a suggested retail price of $49.45.

The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition Dev Diary 2

2012/02/13
Jerry Paxton
News

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and CD Projekt RED have released a brand new Developer Diary video showcasing the complex and nonlinear storytelling in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition, coming soon to the Xbox 360 console and PC.

Dev Diary