Author - Jerry Paxton

Rob Abernethy Composes RAGE Soundtrack

2011/09/21
Jerry Paxton
News

Bethesda Softworks has announced that Rob Abernethy, veteran composer, is the man behind the soundtrack to their upcoming id Tech 5-powered shooter, RAGE. Abernethy has composed music for games like Dead Space, Alpha Protocol, and Star Trek: Legacy.

Christian Antkow, Audio Lead for RAGE at id Software: “Rod has an uncanny ability to take a hint of an idea and make it flourish into a fully formed composition that adds the final layer of polish, helping to bridge the gap from a game to a complete cinematic experience.”

RAGE is due out on October 4th for the Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms.

SpookyShogun TV: Ghost Adventures Preview

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
Articles, Halloween, News

With the Halloween season moving quickly upon us, we got a special look at the first season five episode of the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. The formula behind Ghost Adventures has been seen before in various other “ghost hunt” programming. Basically, a team of ghost hunters goes into various “haunted” locations and stays the night, recording video as well as numerous other forms of instrumentation in an attempt to catch any paranormal activity for viewers. What sets Ghost Adventures apart is its ghost hunting crew. Headed by the boisterous, melodramatic, and often muscle-shirted Zak Bagans, the three-man crew has a very likeable quality to them and they are entertaining as hell to watch in their hunt.

In the first episode of season five, the crew heads to Ashmore, Illinois to stay the night in the purportedly-haunted Ashmore Estates. They interview witnesses of paranormal occurrences at the property as well as its “unique” proprietor. Without giving too much away, I can say that this first episode of the new season is chock full of nifty ghost-hunting equipment, such as the “Ghost Box”, which uses the same principle as EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) but, instead of having to rewind and playback a tape, this device just outputs any EVP to a speaker for all to hear – a very cool idea and it yields some goosebump-inducing findings. Additionally, this episode has some very awesome bits of dialog from the team leader, Bagans, like:

“Dealing with demons again, Nick… We’re going to be dealing with demons again…”

and…

“Alright guys, let’s go to war!”

Are the Ashmore Estates haunted? You will just have to wait and find out – the episode is worth your time and is a nice kick-off to the Halloween season.

Ghost Adventures returns to the Travel Channel on September 23rd. Check your local listings for showtimes.

 

Episode Preview Clip

Images

NASCAR Unleashed First Trailer

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Activision has released the first gameplay trailer for their upcoming arcade racer, NASCAR Unleashed. NASCAR Unleashed is due out November 1, 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and 3DS. The game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

New Screenshots from The War of the Worlds

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Paramount Digital and Other Ocean have released some new art and screenshot from their upcoming XBLA/PSN title, The War of the Worlds. Released were two in-game screenshots and one piece of concept art from one of the early levels in the game, Paddington Station. Arthur Clarke, our protagonist, has just awoken from a train crash in the station caused by unknown invaders. The game is due out sometime next month, just in time for the anniversary of Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds radio drama.

Screenshots / Concept Art

Blockbuster Gives One Month Free Rentals with GoW3 Purchase

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Blockbuster has announced a deal where gamers who purchase Gears of War 3 will get a month of free in-store rentals of games and movies. The promotion will run until October 7, 2011.

“We want to get back on gamers’ radars with a promo that packs a punch,” said Randall Baker, Blockbuster’s Senior Buyer of Video Games. “Gears of War 3 is certainly one of the biggest games of the year, but players may want to take a breather from fighting alongside Delta Squad every now and then. We’re giving them nearly unlimited entertainment options for those spare minutes.”

Batman: Arkham City on PC in November

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced that its upcoming Batman: Arkham City will hit the Windows PC platform come November of this year. Additionally, the company released four new screenshots of the PC version, showcasing the visual powerhouse that the platform can be.

Screenshots

SteelSeries Launches Sensei Gaming Mouse

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

SteelSeries has announced that its latest gaming mouse, the Sensei, is available now for a retail price of $89.99. The mouse features a 32bit ARM processor that allows for various calculations to be done via the mouse, without the need for the PC to process for it.

Features

·       A 32 bit ARM processor, that powers sophisticated calculations to be done directly on the mouse – without the need for software drivers and without having to rely on the user’s computer.

·       Complete customization, from the buttons, macros and multiple profiles to the colors, and technology settings.

·       Illumination with 16.8 million colors choices to be programmed in 3 different zones on the mouse.

·       Sensitivity settings that can be changed in increments of one from 1 to 5,700 CPI, and an “overclocked” Double CPI feature that allows the user to go all the way up to 11,400 DCPI.

·       A 10.8 megapixel image correlation laser sensor at up to 12,000 frames per second and the ability to handle tracking movements of up to 150 inches per second.

·       An ambidextrous design with a metal, non-slip grip coating and is connected with a double braided nylon cord with a USB connector.

·       Simple plug and play; for the PC Gamers* who want advanced customization options, the Sensei is supported by SteelSeries Engine technology – save multiple profiles, create long and advanced macros with layers, keystrokes and precise timing. The Sensei Mouse is compatible with both Mac and PC; *SteelSeries Engine for Mac will be coming in 2012; for PC it is available now.

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Opens to All September 29

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Electronic Arts has announced that the multiplayer beta for their upcoming Battlefield 3 will open up to all gamers on September 29, 2011. The beta is set in Paris on the Operation Metro map, where players work their way from lush parks on the outskirts of the city to a dark, bombed-out metro station, to the vibrant streets around the Paris stock exchange. Two elite tactical units square off in the series’popular Rush Mode. One side takes the offensive by attacking M-COM stations while the opposing squad defends and protects. For more information about the beta, players should visit www.battlefield.com/beta or follow @Battlefield on Twitter.

Crytek Working on Next Homefront Title

2011/09/20
Jerry Paxton
News

Screenshot from the original Homefront

While we were not the biggest fans of THQ’s VERY short shooter, Homefront, we did see a lot of potential in the IP, given the right developers. Our hopes may be answered as THQ has hired Crysis developer, Crytek, to work on the sequel to Homefront. The sequel to Homefront is due out in the fiscal 2014 year.

“Selecting Crytek to take Homefront forward underscores our strategy of working with the industry’s best talent,” said Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games, THQ. “Homefront‘s unique setting and storyline captivated gamers the world over. With Crytek’s industry leading technology and legendary experience in the FPS genre, we’re supremely confident that the next Homefront will deliver that AAA-quality experience that players demand.”

“We see Homefront as a really strong universe that has a lot of potential and that has been expertly created and marketed by THQ,” said Cevat Yerli, Founder, CEO and President of Crytek. “We believe that bringing our level of quality, creativity and production values to the next Homefront title creates an opportunity for both THQ and Crytek to deliver a truly blockbuster game. It’s really important to us that THQ has the faith in giving us a lot of creative freedom over one of its most important properties to allow us to bring the Homefront world to life in a new and innovative way.”