Focus Home Interactive has released four new screenshots from its upcoming Cities XL 2012. The game will feature over 60 unique 3D maps on which to build your metropolis on as well as over 1000 unique structures to utilize in doing so. Cities XL 2012 will be released on October 20th in retail and online stores.
Microsoft and EPIC Games have announced that their newest entry into the Gears of War franchise, Gears of War 3, has sold more than 3 million units in its first week on-shelves, also pushing entire franchise sales over 1 billion dollars. Way to go, Delta!
“‘Gears of War’ was the first killer app for Xbox 360, and the series has continued to contribute directly to the overall success of the platform ever since,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer. “‘Gears of War 3’ kicked off the biggest Christmas period in Xbox history, setting the standard for the kind of amazing, action-packed experiences gamers should expect on Xbox 360 this year.”
Electronic Arts has released a new trailer for their upcoming shooter-remake of the classic Syndicate franchise. This trailer features a kicking soundtrack and a lot of cool gameplay clips – such as showing the player psyonically-drive an enemy to kill others and then commit suicide. While not a top-down remake, this title promises a lot of attitude and we are greatly looking forward to it!
SEGA has released a new, grindhouse-style trailer for their upcoming The House of the Dead: OVERKILL – Extended Cut. The game is due out on October 25, 2011 for the PlayStation 3 platform.
Zen Studios has announced that their Pinball FX2 game will be getting new gothic and fantasy-themed tables in the upcoming Sorcerer’s Lair DLC pack – due out October 12, 2011.
Bethesda Softworks and id Software have released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming shooter, RAGE, taking a ride through Jackal Canyon as the game’s protagonist looks to recover a lost decrypter device.
Ratloop Asia has announced that their upcoming PSN title, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, will be released on October 18, one week later than previously-planned. The developer stated that the push back was to make sure the game was “fully cooked”. Hardboiled Chicken will retail for $11.99 and feature both single and multiplayer game modes.
“Yes, Hardboiled Chicken was originally going to make his debut a week earlier, but cluck, we prefer our chicken fully cooked and our eggs completely boiled,” said Sian Yue Tan, Producer / Studio Head, Ratloop Asia. “The artistically bloody cinematics, clever-action puzzle gameplay and tastefully poultry seasoned humor will be worth the wait!”
Grave Encounters is a low-budget mockudrama from the directing team known as the “Vicious Brothers”. Filmed in 2010, Grave Encounters made the film festival circuit for quite some time and is now out for your renting pleasure on several streaming services and will be released on disk come October 18, 2011 – just in time for your Halloween movie watching-pleasure. The film follows a crew of five ghost hunters making a “reality” TV show a la Paranormal State or Ghost Hunters, as they go into an abandoned insane asylum looking for evidence of the paranormal. Suffice it to say, these five people will find such evidence…
While the premise of the film has been done, the Vicious Brothers bring some new twists to the fore with this one. I can’t really say what these twists are without ruining the flick, unfortunately, suffice it to say that they are welcome moments. What really helps sell this film are the performances by its cast. Sean Rogerson plays Lance Preston, the team’s leader, attempting to echo the dramatic cadence of Ghost Adventures’ Zak Bagans. Rogerson does a good job portraying the, in “real” life very-cynical, character who finds out quickly that there is truly something to fear in the dark of the asylum. The various members of the crew all play off one another well, especially once things start going down-hill, and they are to be commended for raising this film above-bar. Not that it would have been a terrible movie without them – it just would have blended into a sea of mockudrama.
Overall, Grave Encounters is a fun horror flick to watch, especially in the dark with some friends and a bucket of pop-corn (yes, get the oil-popped, none of this “air-popped” stuff – a little won’t hurt you). Happy Halloween-time!
SteelSeries has released their new Sensei gaming mouse and we got our hands on one to review for you loyal readers. It must first be mentioned that SteelSeries has long been known for pro-gaming quality gear, without all the fancy bells and whistles (e.g. lighting) that most other manufacturers tout in their products. So, when SteelSeries first announced that the Sensei would feature LED lighting, we were somewhat skeptical, wondering if the company had “sold out” to mainstream desires of form over function. After getting our hands dirty with the Sensei, however, we are pleased to say that this could not be further from the truth.
Featuring the same dimensions and ambidextrous design as the highly-lauded SteelSeries Xai gaming mouse (save for it being gunmetal instead of black), the Sensei is an attractive peripheral. That’s where the similarities between the two end, however, and we are not just saying that because the Sensei has some cool LED lighting effects (including an underside LCD display to show off custom logos, etc). Under the hood, the SteelSeries Sensei is equipped with a 32-bit ARM central processing unit capable of all sorts of heavy calculations not usually seen on a gaming mouse. In fact, these features are so revolutionary that they will undoubtedly be seen on other gaming mice in the near future.
This feature-set is known as SteelSeries ExactTech, and consist of ExactAim, ExactLift, ExactSens, and ExactAccel. Let it also be known that the ExactTech features are all fully-customizable per your own preference:
The best part of these features are that they are all calculated on the mouse, on-the-fly. Just make sure you disable your operating system’s mouse acceleration/interpolation features. In actual gaming situations, ranging from Wargaming.net’s Wold of Tanks to the multiplayer portion of Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, this gaming mouse is a dream to use. Additionally, the mouse’s UPE Teflon feet ensure a smooth glide whether on a SteelSeries mouse pad or one from Razer (we have pads from each manufacturer). It should be noted, however, that the Sensei gaming experience is quite different than that of a standard gaming mouse and you may have some trouble adjusting at first. Our advice is to stick with it, as what the Sensei can do will definitely help you over time.
Of course, despite these awesome gaming features, the Sensei also features a 16.8 million color LED lighting system that will please the style-conscious. Additionally, lighting profiles are customizable and swappable so you can spend a good amount of time deciding which lighting profile to use for which application.
Overall, the SteelSeries Sensei gaming mouse is an exceptional peripheral sure to revolutionize gaming mice in the future. Its on-board features are incredible and the mouse will please those looking for glitzy LEDs as well as gaming performance. The Sensei retails for $89.95 and is available now.
[easyreview title=”Score Round-up” cat1title=”Construction/Quality” cat1detail=”Excellent SteelSeries construction and, while ambidextrous design is accommodating, it is not as comfortable as a mouse built for a hand-orientation.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Setup/Installation” cat2detail=”Simple installation and everything is customizable on the mouse.” cat2rating=”5″ cat3title=”Usage” cat3detail=”Excellent gaming experience and the mouse definitely helps your performance.” cat3rating=”5″]
The Travel Channel has revealed the calendar for their upcoming series of Halloween specials – some for new shows and some for returning ones. We are most looking-forward to the guys in the Ghost Adventures taking on “The Village of Secrets”. Checkout the full listing below!
MAKING MONSTERS (TRAVEL CHANNEL)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 8PM ET/PT
Run: Sundays thru 10/23
A behind the scenes look at a Colorado based business, run by a family who are the trendsetters and masterminds behind the fiercest, most gruesome, vile and terrifying monsters supplied to the haunted house, Halloween and scare-amusement industry. They are the largest animatronics creator and producer in the world, pumping out hundreds of creatures year-round. They LOVE scaring people!
GHOST ADVENTURES (TRAVEL CHANNEL)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 at 9:00PM ET/PT
Letchworth has been called “The Village of Secrets” because the walls have always had something dark to hide. Overcrowded conditions, malnourished patients, and staff abuse plagued these buildings and opened the land up to something dark. Long since shuttered and abandoned this series of buildings overrun by nature still harbors evil. Zak Nick and Aaron have come here to unlock those secrets.
THE DEAD FILES (TRAVEL CHANNEL)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 at 10:00PM ET/PT
Amy and Steve investigate a historic Central Florida hotel where owners and guests have been tormented by terrifying visions. Steve’s interviews with frightened eyewitnesses, hotel staff and local historians lead him on a twisted path through the inn’s morbid past, revealing the sociopathic schemes of a villain obsessed with immortality. Unaware of Steve’s findings, Amy’s abilities bring her to the edge of madness face-to-face with angry spirits all yearning to escape. If their findings correlate, the hotel owners will be forced to face the growing darkness that hides in their hotel.
