Full Control has released two new screenshots take from the alpha build of its upcoming PC, Mac and iOS release Space Hulk, which is set for release this Fall.
Author - Jerry Paxton
New York (June 18, 2013) – Sumthing Else Music Works, the premier label dedicated to licensing and distributing video game soundtracks, today announced the upcoming release of the original music soundtrack from Company of Heroes™ 2, the sequel to the highest rated strategy game of all time*. The Company of Heroes 2 Original Soundtrack is scheduled for a worldwide physical release on June 25, 2013 to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works, and simultaneously for digital download at www.sumthing.com, Amazon MP3, iTunes and other digital music sites.
The Company of Heroes 2 Original Soundtrack features the original score composed by Cris Velasco, one of the most prolific composers in the medium, best known for his music featured in the Borderlands, God of War and Mass Effect franchises. Recorded with the Capellen Orchestra and Choir, featuring world-class orchestra musicians and choir from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary, the original score for Company of Heroes 2 majestically captures the solemn heroism and human tragedy of the Eastern Front conflict during World War II.
Company of Heroes 2 is scheduled to be released for PC on June 25, 2013. For more information visit www.companyofheroes.com, and to download SEGA game assets, please visit www.sega-press.com.
For more information on Sumthing Else Music Works and its complete catalog of video game soundtracks, visit www.sumthing.com, follow Sumthing Else Music Works on Twitter http://Twitter.com/SumthingDigital and become a fan on http://Facebook.com/SumthingElseMusicWorks and Google+.
*on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews), with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.
At the 2013 E3 Expo last week, 505 Games had one very cramped and busy meeting room with reporters looking over all their games, standing almost elbow to elbow. One of these new games we were interested in checking out was an isometric zombie survival/hack and slash title called, simply, “How to Survive”. We took the controls at one of the game’s kiosks and began playing while a developer gave us some helpful hints along the way.
How to Survive is meant to be played by one or two players (in co-op mode) and makes players scavenge for not only weapons and weapon components but, also, sustenance! You need to make sure your character is well-rested as well as fed to keep up energy to fight the zombie hordes. The game starts players off as they wake up on the shore of an unknown island. The player was attempting to get to safety but, instead, crashed into an island teeming with zombies.
Playing in an isometric view, characters are moved around with with the left stick while attacking is done with the Xbox 360 controller’s “A” button. Tapping it will cause your character to swing or use a weapon while holding it down charges the weapon for a more powerful attack. Much like the upcoming Dead Rising 3, players in How to Survive will be able to combine various components to create all manner of zombie-dispatching implements. The first weapon we found, however, was a machete that allowed us to hack zombies up into bits and also cut through thick brush.
Visually, How to Survive looked attractive enough. It is played from an overhead, isometric view and doesn’t need cutting edge graphics like most first or third-person titles do. Zombies were well-detailed and it was fun to see their heads go flying after a player decapitated them. The game’s audio was hard to discern but seemed ample as the meeting room was extremely loud.
Hacking through several areas containing the undead, we found a campfire where we could hang out. Campfires are important as they are the only places a player can rest up and recharge their tiredness. Also, there were some water rations near the campfire, so that helped our thirst levels. As players get more hungry, thirsty, or tired they begin to do a lot less damage than fully rested players. The campfire also provides protection from the darkness… How to Survive features a day and night cycle which leads to more powerful zombie creatures coming out after the sun sets.
The game was designed for co-op play in mind, each player covering the back of the other. However, in an interesting turn, the amount of resources will not change and its all up for grabs by either one. This means that players will have to use strategy to properly distribute resources and weapons. Will players become selfish and keep stuff for themselves? Time will tell.
How to Survive is due out in downloadable form this fall for the Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U platforms. The game looks to be a lot of fun and is trying to walk the line between a loose, hack-and-slash title as well as a strict, resource management game. It will be very interesting to see how it turns out.
The folks at Undead Labs have been having a very good day thus far, announcing that their State of Decay has sold more than 500,000 units on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace! Additionally, they announced that the game has been in simultaneous development for the Windows PC platform since day one, and the only thing left to do is integrate it with Valve’s Steam distribution platform. Finally, as if that were not awesome enough, they announced that they are working on a sandbox mode for the game! Release dates for both the PC version and sandbox mode are TBD, but expect more news soon!
We got to review State of Decay recently, and are very excited for the PC build.
Looks like the folks at Paradox Interactive have stopped their publishing of Seatribe’s MMO, Salem. Not all is lost for the developer, however, as Paradox has been awesome enough to give them full rights to continue the MMO on their own (very decent of them). In addition, Paradox released this forum post today, explaining the situation:
Dear Salem community,
We’ve sure shared an incredible journey together since we announced this game back in January 2011! The two-man development team Seatribe has done something few thought was possible and have worked relentlessly to develop a game that has gained a very loyal and dedicated community. Together with Paradox Interactive, Seatribe has built a strong foundation, and we have all major systems and structures needed to run a game like Salem: The Crafting MMO in place. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the development team and a dedicated team from Paradox the community has since continued to grow and the game has been put on the radar of the global gaming community.
As we approach the 2,5 year anniversary of the announcement of the game and after nearly a year in Beta, Seatribe and Paradox have taken stock and evaluated both where we are today and what we think the future has in store. Our conclusion is that the game is active and much potential still lies in the game and its community, but that the concept still needs time and development to mature. To ensure longevity of this title and to have a set up that will allow Seatribe to work with this game for many months/years to come we have therefore decided to take some steps to optimize how the game is managed today and the costs of running it.
Effective from July 8, Seatribe will assume full support management and development ownership of Salem: The Crafting MMO. Any decisions taken from that point on will be taken by and communicated through Seatribe to you – the community. Paradox Interactive will start phasing out their involvement in the project from today and on July 8 the game for all intents and purposes will be Seatribe’s to run.
We firmly believe this decision is in the best interest of Seatribe, Paradox Interactive and absolutely for the community as you will have a development team working even more direct with you and the game.
As a “thank you for our time together” parting gift we would like to offer you a 50% off coupon to use in the Paradox web shop (http://www.paradoxplaza.com/shop) as well as 40 silver to use in Salem. The offer will be sent via e-mail to those of you who have accepted to receive Salem e-mails from us. The e-mail will be sent within two weeks. If you would like to receive our e-mails but don’t currently, please adjust your settings here http://signup.paradoxplaza.com/
Kind regards
Paradox Interactive & Seatribe
* offer valid until 2013-08-10 and only for released titles, not pre-orders
Checkout this funny new video from the guys over at Cracked, which shows us what it would be like to live the life of a Terran soldier for real, in Blizzard’s StarCraft universe.
Video
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – June 17, 2013 – Today D-Link announced the pre-order availability of its most advanced Gaming Router to date, the D-Link® Gaming Router with Qualcomm® StreamBoost™ technology* (DGL-5500). The D-Link Gaming Router offers AC1300 wireless speeds with unique traffic shaping and bandwidth management coupled with four gigabit Ethernet ports to deliver the ultimate in gaming performance, media streaming and network control. The Gaming Router is now available to customers in the U.S. for pre-order through newegg.com and will begin shipping Aug. 1.
“The Gaming Router represents the ultimate in high-performance connectivity to give power users the ability and control they need to do what they love online without the concern or interruption of buffering and lag,” said Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. “Today’s action role-playing games and MMOs are more competitive than ever and with limited bandwidth coming into the home, gamers need to ensure they’re making the most of their connectivity to maintain an advantage. With Qualcomm StreamBoost technology, the new Gaming Router is designed to do just that – shape the network traffic to help gamers do more and lag less.”
The D-Link Gaming Router features Qualcomm StreamBoost technology designed to deliver a robust connected experience to users of all devices on a home network by intelligently managing and shaping traffic, and giving each device and application the priority and bandwidth required for optimal performance. Unprecedented bandwidth allocation and control features create a harmonious network where applications no longer need to compete for bandwidth, and issues such as buffering video streams, glitchy voice chats and online game latency are minimized. The intuitive StreamBoost interface is designed to allow users to view all computers, tablets, phones, and other connected devices on a home network, as well as the applications they are using and the real-time bandwidth usage of each.
“Whether streaming video on a tablet, downloading content from iTunes or playing the latest online first person shooter, today’s connected home requires smarter management of the Internet traffic,” said Michael Cubbage, director of business development for Qualcomm Atheros’ Wireless and Wired Infrastructure Networking Business Unit. “With D-Link’s new router, users are able to enjoy multiple Internet applications across a variety of devices without issues such as lagging or frozen video. StreamBoost is designed to bring intelligent, fast and easy-to-use networking to the connected home and, as featured in D-Link’s Gaming Router, the best possible experience for every user on the home network.”
More about the Gaming Router (DGL-5500)
The Gaming Router (DGL-5500) delivers the ultimate gaming-optimized network; highlights include:
- AC 1300 wireless performance of up to 1300Mbps (867AC+450N), based on Qualcomm VIVE™ 802.11ac technology, designed for greater throughput range for all high demand wireless devices
- StreamBoost engine intelligently allocates bandwidth for lag-free gaming, HD video streaming, and clear VoIP calls –prioritizes apps and games like Netflix, YouTube, StarCraft® II, BitTorrent®, VUDU® and Pandora, as well as network devices with an easy-to-use user interface
- Out-of-box traffic shaping dynamically manages bandwidth with a sophisticated engine that is app and device aware to provide the best user experience to all connected devices
- Cloud-based application profiling ensures the Gaming Router is constantly up-to-date as new apps and games are released for optimized performance
- 4 Gigabit LAN Ports offer blazing fast wired speeds for demanding applications
- WPS Push Button offers simple, secure setup
Availability and Pricing
Serious gamers can visit newegg.com or the D-Link Shop to pre-order a Gaming Router (DGL-5500). The router will ship for $199.99 on August 1.
*Qualcomm VIVE and Qualcomm StreamBoost are products of Qualcomm Atheros
June 17, 2013 – BuySoundtrax Records is proud to announce the release of Star Trek: Music from the Video Games, available digitally on Wednesday, June 19th and in stores and from www.buysoundtrax.com the week of July 1, 2013. The recording was produced, arranged, and performed by Dominik Hauser.
The Star Trek universe extends much further than a simple 1960s TV series that lasted a mere three seasons. It is a movement unto itself, spawning three television sequels and one prequel, an animated series and several film series. One of the lesser-known ends of this universe are the video games which get the star treatment with this new collection from BuySoundtrax.
“Perhaps the greatest intersection between the Star Trek series and movies and the contemporary popular culture has been seen in the video games based on the Star Trek universe,” said Randall D. Larson in the liner notes for this collection. “Games have not only borrowed the concepts and characters from Star Trek, but have extended storylines and created wholly new adventures unique to the interactive world of gaming, in which players become actively involved in simulated storylines, battle action, and alien environments rather than just watching the story unfold outside of oneself.”
Featured in this new collection is music from Star Trek Online (Kevin Manthei), Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Ron Jones), Star Trek: Starfleet Command (Ron Jones),Star Trek: Starfleet Command III (Danny Pelfrey), Star Trek Legacy (Rod Abernethy), Star Trek Armada II (Danny Pelfrey), Star Trek, The Next Generation: Birth of the Federation (Steven Scherer), Star Trek Voyager Elite Force (Danny Pelfrey), Star Trek Away Team (Danny Pelfrey) Star Trek: TNG, Klingon Honor Guard (Roland Rizzo), Star Trek Klingon (Gregory Smith), Star Trek Bridge Commander (Jerry Goldsmith’s theme), and a full sixteen tracks from Star Trek: Borg (Dennis McCarthy and Kevin Kiner)
Originally from Switzerland, Producer Dominik Hauser received his education at the Jazz School St. Gallen in Switzerland, earning a masters degree in music. In 1996 Hauser relocated to Los Angeles, to attend UCLA where he delved deeply into film scoring. Subsequently he took his skills to the realm of indie cinema and began composing for film. Hauser’s work involves him in a variety of projects, including cinema, theater and video games. Recently Hauser completed arranging and orchestration on the restoration of the first Best Picture Academy Award® winnerWings for the 2012 Paramount Picture centennial celebration. His work for the record label BSX includes The Bounty, Scrooge, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hauser recently published his fourth book, Soloing for Bass.
Star Trek: Music from the Video Games will be available digitally on June 19th and in stores, and directly from BuySoundtrax the week of July 1, 2013.
The folks over at DFX have long been known for their hand and forearm strengthening gyroscopic Powerball devices. These orbs utilize a gyroscope to project a great deal of torque onto the hand holding it. The idea is to rotate your wrist while holding the Powerball to keep the gyro spinning while also resisting the torque effects it puts out – thus, strengthening and toning the muscles in your fingers, hands, and forearms.
Official Product Specifications
- Exercise device for gamers, musicians, and typetypetyping monkeys
- Aircraft quality gyroscope inside a high impact polycarbonite sphere
- Start it spinning using the included docking station or give the sphere a karate chop
- Dynamic resistance is controlled by you, so set your own pace
- Get up to 14,500 RPM and up to 40 lbs or torque
- Non-impact workout for strengthening and conditioning your arms, wrists, and hands
- Can help alleviate pain from carpal tunnel, arthritis, tendonitis, tennis elbow
- Blue LEDs light up when you’re spinning the sphere
- NASA astronauts have used these on shuttle missions
- Includes: Powerball with speed meter, docking station starter, training CD
- Docking station requires two AA batteries (not included)
I used the DFX Gamer Gyroscopic Powerball over the course of several weeks on a schedule of ten minutes every other day. Working with the Powerball is very simple and you can store it on top of the quick start peripheral that DFX includes in the gamer package. [quote_right]…you will definitely notice increased strength and muscle tone…[/quote_right] By pressing the red button on the starter, the inner gyroscope of the Powerball spins up to a workable speed. Simply remove the Powerball and begin exercising with it. The beauty of the Powerball is in just how effortless it is to use and how easy it is to underestimate its effects. After a short time, putting down the Powerball reveals some sore finger muscles left in its wake. The benefits? Playing in tournament conditions or just heated multiplayer games means gamers need to have as fast of reflexes as possible. By working the muscles in your fingers and hands out, you are increasing their responsiveness and endurance. No more sore thumbs! Additionally, the constant movement of the device helps increase bloodflow to your hands. This is, in general, a good thing for circulation and will help your gaming response time increase as your fingers and hand are fed more nutrients and oxygen.
The Gamer package also contains a training CD with a variety of workout options as well as a speed gauge built into the Powerball. This is important as you may wish to keep your RPMs at a certain level. One of the most convenient things about the Powerball is that it can be used basically anywhere and it is so easy to store or pack for a vacation given its small size. Overall, the DFX Gamer Gyroscopic Powerball provides plenty of lbs of torque to help strengthen your fingers, hands, and forearms. In just a short time of dedicated usage, you will definitely notice increased strength and muscle tone in your hand. In the world of competitive gaming, you need every advantage you can get. We rate the device a solid 4 out of 5, with its main drawback being its price point. For the same price, you could get an array of grip strengthening claws and squeezers – although they lack the “whiz-bang” factor the Powerball has. The DFX Gamer Gyroscopic Powerball retails for $73.95 and is available at online retailers like Amazon as well as the DFX Online Store.
[easyreview title=”Rising Storm Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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**We at GamingShogun.com remind you to consult with your physician prior to starting a workout program or using any fitness device
June 17th, 2013 — 2K and Firaxis Games are happy to announce that the award winning XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be coming to iOS devices this Thursday, June 20th. The game will be available via the iTunes App Store for $19.99 for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch (complete list of supported devices is below). XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS takes the complete XCOM experience of the console and PC version of the game and optimizes it for the touch interface of iOS devices. XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS is a universal app that includes GameCenter support and utilizes iCloud functionality so players can save games across their iOS devices. While not included at launch on June 20th, the popular head-to-head multiplayer mode in XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be added to iOS at a later date as a free update.