Author - Jerry Paxton

NZXT Unveils Switch 810 Chassis

NZXT has unveiled a new full tower PC chassis built for “hardcore pc gaming enthusiasts”. The new chassis retails for $169 bucks and you can read more about it in the press release below:

Press Release

El Monte, CA – January 17, 2012 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the Switch 810 hybrid chassis. Built for the hardcore PC enthusiast, Switch 810 is the most versatile and highly adaptable full tower chassis to date. It enables you to easily modify cooling performance from extreme liquid cooling, to superb airflow, or whisper-quiet silence. Switch 810 aggressively eliminates heat, boasting support for 280mm radiators, up to ten 140/120 mm fans. One of the most noteworthy features is an industry-first, unique hybrid fins that you can close to minimize noise and dust accumulation or open to expose passageways for maximum airflow.

NZXT ensures maximum expandability with two removable HDD cages with a potential of up to 7 HDDs equipped with two pivoting 120/140mm fans that direct airflow at 15⁰ to the VGA and CPU. There are 9 expansion slots for installing EATX motherboards with Quad SLI, or Triple crossfire. Multimedia access is optimized with high speed dual USB 3.0, a hard drive dock, and an SD card reader.

Switch 810 offers stress-free installation with immaculate wire management and tool-less 5.25” and 3.5”/2.5” SSD hard drive installation for easy accessibility. Additional features that solidify Switch 810 as the PC enthusiast’s dream chassis include a rear white LED light added visibility in dark environments and an acrylic window lets you peer in at your masterful build.

“Switch 810 is truly the pinnacle of high performance computing” said Johnny Hou, Founder of NZXT. “It offers enthusiasts an array of advanced features intuitively implemented into one of the most unique designs we’ve ever created.”

The Switch 810 is available for $169.99 at www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/switch_810

TERA Gets North American Release Date

En Masse Entertainment has announced that its upcoming MMO, TERA, will be released in North America on May 1, 2012. Checkout the press release for more information:

Press Release

SEATTLE – January 17, 2012 – En Masse Entertainment™, a publisher built by gamers, focused on delivering fun and innovative online games, announced today that its award-winning and highly anticipated action MMO title, TERA™, will launch on May 1, 2012. The upcoming release of TERA will be available in Standard and Collector’s Editions at retail and online stores. Marking a new era in gaming, TERA sets a new standard by delivering true action combat to players who want more than the stale and repetitive gameplay that exists in today’s MMOs.

The recipient of multiple industry honors and accolades, including “Best PC Game” and “Best MMO” at last year’s E3 expo, TERA is a new breed of online game that combines all the depth of a traditional MMO with the visceral gratification of an action game. In TERA, players must actively aim, dodge and block, as the game’s real-time combat system takes into account player position and skill, not stats alone.

Players begin by creating a character from seven races and eight classes as they join in an alliance to save the world from bloodthirsty armies of monsters who threaten to destroy the very gods who hold their world together. TERA also introduces a revolutionary political system in which players wield power in their province based on their in-game political prowess or player versus player combat skill.

Age of Conan: Unchained Gets New Update

Funcom has released a large update to their now free-to-play MMO, Age of Conan: Unchained. You can read all about the new “House of Crom” update in the press release below:

Official Press Release

Durham, USA – January 17th, 2012 – Funcom is excited to announce the successful launch of ‘House of Crom’, a free update for Funcom’s massively multiplayer online game ‘Age of Conan: Unchained’. This massive content update is available to both Premium players and those enjoying the free-to-play offering, giving everyone the opportunity to explore the ancient halls of The House of Crom, a location that stretches over two huge in-game dungeons.

“We are very excited to see such a great reaction from the players,” says Game Director Craig Morrison. “’The House of Crom adds a large number of new encounters and content for our veteran players. With a truly epic location, and amazing atmosphere thanks to the phenomenal lighting advances possible with the DreamWorld engine, we genuinely feel that there are few that can match ‘Age of Conan: Unchained’ when it comes to this type of content update.”

Reception from the player-base to the content update has been extremely positive. In the update, players are embarking on exciting adventures to explore what remains of the temple created by the ancient Atlanteans. Here they must discover for themselves the true nature of the evil curses that beset the ancient race thousands of years ago. House of Crom comprises two vast dungeons, one social, and one instanced. The social dungeon supports multiple groups at the same time, allowing players to experience an open and shared MMO experience that harks back to the early days of MMO exploration, where players must co-operate in order to succeed. These areas are the largest indoor dungeons yet created for the game, and provide a fantastically epic, and massive, backdrop to the player’s latest adventures.

Launching in May 2008 ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.4 million copies around the world. Soon after going free-to-play last year, ‘Age of Conan: Unchained’ hit the impressive milestone of over two million players having experienced the online world of Hyboria. The game is now available in English, French, and German, and is also operating in Korea.

Max Payne 3 Release Date

Rockstar Games has announced that Max Payne will return in Max Payne 3 beginning on May 15, 2012 in North America and three days later abroad.

Official Press Release

New York, NY, January 17, 2012 — Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that Max Payne 3 is expected to launch on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system on May 15, 2012 in North America and May 18, 2012 internationally; and for the PC on May 29, 2012 in North America and June 1, 2012 internationally.

Max Payne 3 brings powerful storytelling back to the action-shooter genre,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Studios are delivering a game that’s both incredibly cinematic and very, very intense to play.”

Based on incredibly precise and fluid gunplay and maintaining the series’ famed dark and cinematic approach, Max Payne 3 follows the famed former New York detective onto the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Max Payne now works in executive protection for the wealthy Rodrigo Branco in the hopes of escaping the memories of his troubled past. When a street gang kidnaps Rodrigo’s wife, Max is pulled into a conspiracy of shadowy, warring factions threading every aspect of São Paulo society in a deadly web that threatens to engulf everyone and everything around him.

In another first for the series, Max Payne 3’s multiplayer offering brings the game’s cinematic feel, fluid gunplay and kinetic sense of movement into the realm of online multiplayer. Building on the fiction and signature gameplay elements of the Max Payne universe, Max Payne 3 features a wide range of new and traditional multiplayer modes that play on the themes of paranoia, betrayal and heroism, all delivered with the same epic visual style of the single-player game. For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne3.

Dark Horse Comics to Create PROTOTYPE Comic Series

Radical Entertainment has announced that it is teaming up with Dark Horse Comics to create a comic series based in the Prototype universe.

Official Press Release

Santa Monica, CA – January 17, 2012 – Radical Entertainment, the creators behind one of 2012’s most anticipated open-world/action games – PROTOTYPE 2 – and Dark Horse Comics, the leading publisher of gaming comics and graphic novels, have joined forces to create an all-new comic series set in the PROTOTYPE universe. With the game due out April 24, 2012 from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), fans looking for a jumpstart at getting a deeper look into the world of PROTOTYPE 2 should keep an eye out for this exciting collaboration launching February 15, 2012.

The all-new digital comic series will be broken into three original stories that bridge the gap between the original blockbuster game and the highly anticipated sequel, PROTOTYPE 2. The first entry, “The Anchor,” illustrated by Paco Díaz, continues the story of Alex Mercer, the protagonist from the first game, while the second story, “The Survivors,” illustrated by Chris Staggs, follows a small group of residents of New York trying to escape the city after it has been transformed into NYZ with the outbreak of the Blacklight virus. The third and final story, illustrated by Victor Drujiniu, is “The Labyrinth” and provides fans a deeper look into the backstory of PROTOTYPE 2’s new protagonist, Sgt. James Heller. Each comic in the series will be available at Digital.Darkhorse.com every other week beginning February 15, 2012.

“We’re always looking for meaningful ways to expand the PROTOTYPE universe, and Dark Horse Comics is an industry-leading creative powerhouse delivering best-in-class graphic storytelling that integrates deeply to the core of our IP,” said Ken Rosman, Studio Head, Radical Entertainment. “With this partnership, our fans will finally be given answers to some dramatic loose ends from the first PROTOTYPE game, as well as the truth behind Alex Mercer’s descent and evolution into a twisted shadow of his former self for PROTOTYPE 2.”

“Sgt. James Heller’s heart wrenching backstory meshed with the sheer amount of over-the-top shape-shifting action in PROTOTYPE 2 lend themselves perfectly to a comic book series,” said Dave Marshall, Editor, Dark Horse Comics. “We worked extremely close with Radical Entertainment’s story team for PROTOTYPE 2, and can’t wait to visually walk fans through the many dark secrets strewn throughout the tattered world of New York Zero!”

The sequel to Radical Entertainment’s best-selling open-world action game of 2009, PROTOTYPE 2 takes the unsurpassed carnage of the original PROTOTYPE and continues the experience of becoming the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. As the game’s all-new infected protagonist, Sgt. James Heller, players will cut a bloody swathe through the wastelands of post-viral New York Zero with unparalleled locomotion, building up a vast genetic arsenal of deadly, biological weapons and abilities as they hunt, kill and consume their way toward the ultimate goal – to kill…Alex…Mercer!

Shuttle Launches Small New 3-liter PCs

Shuttle has announced the launch of a new 3-liter slim PC featuring the Sandy Bridge processor line from Intel. Checkout the press release below for more information!

Press Release

Shuttle Launches 3-Liter Slim PC for 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5 and i7 Processors

City of Industry, California – Shuttle Computer, an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance small form factor (SFF) PC solutions and creator of the XPC, today announced the launch of the Shuttle XH61, a new 3-liter slim PC for Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors.

Shuttle XH61 features class-leading power in a compact size, delivering the performance of bigger desktops in a package that is less than 3-inches tall.  The new slim PC desktop platform is based on the Intel® H61 Express Chipset, supporting 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i3, i5 and i7 processors for socket LGA 1155 with a TDP of 65W max., and two slots of memory for up to 16GB of DDR3.

Media HTPC

A media HTPC in a small footprint, the Shuttle XH61 features 7.1 sound, both an HDMI and D-Sub port, and smooth HD playback with improved graphics integrated in the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors.  Though compact in size, XH61 still has space for a slim optical drive for Blu-ray or DVD playback.  

Digital Signage

Powerful and flexible, the Shuttle XH61 is well-suited as a digital signage media player.  The Shuttle XH61 is capable of delivering more demanding digital signage content, with the latest Intel® processors and up to an impressive 16GB of memory inside.  Compact in size (2.9”H x 7.9”W x 9.5”D), XH61 can be fitted almost anywhere, including behind a screen with the optional PV02 VESA monitor mount.

Busta Rhymes Hits Dance Central 2

Harmonix has announced that a new track from Busta Rhymes is set to be available today for their dance title, Dance Central 2. Checkout the information below for details!

Press Release

Cambridge, Mass. – January 16th, 2012 – Harmonix is excited to announce that tomorrow, January 17th, Busta Rhymes’ single “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em)” will be available in the Dance Central2 Music Store!

In 2008, Busta Rhymes called a national security alert with his digital single, “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em).” Busta’s trademark rapid-fire delivery combined with a funky sample from 60s soul group The Diplomats’ “I Can Give You Love” make for an amazingly danceable track. This song will be available for 240 Microsoft Points in Dance Central 2’s in-game Music Store, or from the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace.

  • Artist – Busta Rhymes
  • Song – “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em)”
  • Difficulty – Tough
  • DC Choreographer – Devin Woolridge
  • Price – 240 MS Points
  • Release date – January 17th

Dance Central 2 supports over 100 danceable songs, available via on-disc tracks, song importing from the original Dance Central, and downloadable content from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The party never has to stop, with downloadable content added weekly to keep your body moving on the dance floor!

Play as Antagonist in Upcoming Dead Island DLC

Deep Silver and Techland have announced a new, upcoming DLC pack for their zombie-RPG, Dead Island. This new DLC pack will allow players to experience the game’s story from the perspective of Ryder White, its main antagonist. Checkout the full release below for more information:

16th January 2012 – Hampshire, UK/… Deep Silver today announced the upcoming release of a brand new story DLC for the award-winning game Dead Island.

This DLC offers a unique new perspective into the incidents in the main story of Dead Island: This time the player will get the chance to play as Ryder White, the antagonist of the main game; learn more about his motivations and why, from his point of view, he did what he had to do. This fresh take on the Dead Island story shows Ryder White both as a military man and a loving husband.

The DLC stars Ryder White as a newly playable character and offers a single player campaign with several hours of story content with twists and turns that will shed new light on the game’s happenings. Two blueprints and weapons will further expand the already impressive arsenal of Dead Island.

The DLC will be available on February 01, 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. It will be available for 800 Microsoft points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace or for £7.99 on PSN and Steam.