Author - Jerry Paxton

Tiger Woods PGA 13: The Masters Feature Announcement

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

EA Sports has released a huge press announcement detailing some of the features to be found in their upcoming Tiger Woods PGA 13 and Tiger Woods PGA 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition. The games are due out on March 27, 2012 in North America and three days later in the rest of the world. Checkout the full press release below for all the information!

The Full Press Release

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 10, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that the world’s number one selling golf video game franchise will return with an array of exciting new features, including Kinect for Xbox 360 integration, an opportunity to experience Tiger’s golf legacy, online and social features, as well as a Collector’s Edition providing even greater access to the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13® and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition, marks the 22nd season for the EA SPORTS golf simulation video game franchise and will go on sale in North America on March 27 and worldwide on March 30, and be made available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

With the most comprehensive swing mechanic revamp in over a decade, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will provide fans unprecedented control over their swing tempo, ball position and stance, allowing players to replicate countless swing combinations used by real-world PGA TOUR players. Coupled with complete integration with Kinect for Xbox 360, including voice-enabled controls, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 lessens the gap between the real world and virtual golf course experience.

“Our fans asked us to deliver a new level of fidelity and authenticity to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 and our team delivered with the ability to literally choose millions of shot combinations through our new swing mechanic,” said Mike Taramykin, vice president and general manager of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR. “Fans will now be able to experience unparalleled control on the virtual golf course.”

“As the first of the EA SPORTS titles to feature Kinect for Xbox 360 integration in 2012, the controller-free and voice-enabled Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 experience will bring a whole new level of fun to fans worldwide,” said George Peckham, general manager, Global Publishing Group at Microsoft. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with EA SPORTS to deliver the most immersive and engaging sports gaming experiences, only on Xbox 360.”

In addition to Kinect for Xbox 360 integration, EA SPORTS is providing fans with a fully immersive golf experience through all-new features such as Online Country Clubs, the chance to relive Tiger Woods’ memorable golf career accomplishments and the return of the pre-eminent tournament in all of golf – the Masters.  

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 and The Masters Collector’s Edition include a number of features and enhancements that will make golfers feel as if they’re on the course, such as: 

 

  • Total Swing Control – Taking its most significant leap forward in swing mechanics in over a decade, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 revolutionizes the virtual golf swing. Golfers will take full control over their swing with all-new tempo, swing plane and shot power controls along with an adjustable shot setup, allowing players to address the ball in a number of ways to create limitless shot types with just one club.

 

  • 22 Licensed Professional Golfers – Fans can take to the course with any one of 22 PGA TOUR golfers in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13, including Tiger Woods, 2011 US Open Champion Rory McIlroy, 2010 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 US cover art finalist Bubba Watson. More details about the new golfers in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will be revealed during the week of January 16.

 

  • Kinect for Xbox 360 Integration –Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will be the first-ever  Kinect for Xbox 360 sports simulation title, tracking full body movements to create the most advanced and authentic swing to date on the virtual golf course. Controller-free and voice-enabled controls provides for a unique, never-before-seen sports gaming experience. More details will be revealed about Kinect for Xbox 360 integration the week of January 24.

 

  • PlayStation Move Integration – Improve your game with the true-to-life golf swing created for the PlayStation Move. Fans will once again be able to experience the authentic golf swing created by the PlayStation Move, allowing golfers to emulate their swing style as they drive the ball down the fairway or sink a 30-foot putt.

 

  • Experience Tiger’s Golf Legacy – Relive first-hand Tiger Woods’ most memorable golf accomplishments as he rises from a child prodigy to golfing legend. More details will be revealed about the Tiger golf legacy feature the week of February 6.

 

  • Online Country Clubs –In Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13, gamers will be able to invite friends to join their own exclusive country club and team up to gain quicker access to downloadable golf courses or compete against other club members for the coveted Club Championship. More details will be revealed about Online Country Clubs the week of February 20.

 

  • The Masters Collector’s Edition Exclusives –The Collector’s Edition provides fans with the ultimate Masters experience. Fans that purchase the Collector’s Edition will receive all of the features in the standard edition game, as well as exclusive access to Augusta National Golf Club’s Tournament practice facility, Augusta National’s famous Par 3 Course, an authentic Green Jacket Presentation and a chance to explore the hallowed grounds like never before.

 

The Collector’s Edition also comes packed with five additional championship courses in addition to the standard edition, allowing players to experience 21 of the world’s greatest golfing destinations.

More details will be revealed about features exclusive to The Masters Collector’s Edition during the week of March 6.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 is developed in Orlando, Fla., by EA Tiburon and will retail for $59.99 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition will be available for $69.99 on Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition will be participating in the EA SPORTS™ Season Ticket program. Season Ticket subscribers will be provided full digital access to Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition three days before retail launch.

Six New Game of Thrones Screenshots

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

Focus Home Interactive has released six new screenshots from their upcoming RPG, Game of Thrones, which is due out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC platforms come the second quarter of 2012.

Screenshots

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition Announced

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have announced Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition. The game is due out on February 28, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.

About Moral Kombat Komplete Edition

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition delivers the critically acclaimed game, all previously released downloadable content (DLC), plus digital downloads of the 2011 release of Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors album with a bonus track, and the 1995 Mortal Kombat film on the PlayStation®Store or Xbox Live Zune. The DLC includes fan-favorite warriors Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain, as well as the infamous dream stalker Freddy Krueger. The game also offers 15 Klassic Skins and three Klassic Fatalities (Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile). Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors is a collection of electronic music inspired by the game and is executive produced by JFK (of the DJ/ production duo MSTRKRFT and Death From Above 1979).

Developed by NetherRealm Studios and led by Mortal Kombat co-creator and creative director Ed Boon, the game will be available February 28 on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Gamekyo Image Outs Colonial Marines Collector’s Edition

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

While not an official announcement by SEGA, this image of the Aliens: Colonial Marines collector’s edition from Gamekyo seems pretty legitimate. According to the image, the collector’s edition will give gamers three weapons for online matches (M240 Flamethrower, M577 A2 Smart Gun, M41A Pulse Rifle upgrade), a new game mode dubbed USCM (United States Colonial Marine Corps) Academy Firing Range, and a “highly detailed” resin figurine of a marine strapped into a power loader suit battling an alien.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is due out this Spring for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC platforms.

Shoot Many Robots Dev Video

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

Demiurge Studios has released a new trailer for their upcoming Shoot Many Robots, showcasing the development process the dev team goes through. The game is due out “very soon” for the XBLA and PSN platforms.

Trailer

Fallout MMO Rights Now in Bethesda’s Hands

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

The long battle between Bethesda Softworks and Interplay (well, what the The Thing-like mutation Interplay has become) is now over, resulting in a settlement. Zenimax Media (owner of Bethesda) now owns all rights and intellectual property of Fallout. Furthermore, this opens up the possibility of Bethesda Softworks developing a Fallout MMO. So… Exciting times ahead, vault-dwellers, stay-tuned!

The Full Press Release

January 9, 2012 (Rockville, MD) –ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that a settlement had been reached in the lawsuit filed by its subsidiary, Bethesda Softworks®, against Interplay Entertainment Corporation in 2009, Bethesda Softworks LLC v Interplay Entertainment Corp., seeking cancellation of the license granted to Interplay to develop a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) based on the Fallout brand. Bethesda maintained in its complaint that Interplay had failed to meet the conditions for the license and the license was therefore of no continuing validity.

Under the terms of the settlement, the license granted to Interplay to develop the Fallout MMO is null and void, and all rights granted to Interplay to develop a Fallout MMO revert back to Bethesda, effective immediately. Interplay has no ongoing right to use the Fallout brand or any Fallout intellectual property for any game development. ZeniMax will pay Interplay $2 million as consideration in the settlement, each party will bear its own costs of the litigation, and Bethesda will continue to own all Fallout intellectual property rights. Interplay will be permitted to continue to sell the original Fallout ®Tactics, Fallout® and Fallout® 2 PC games through December 2013, after which time all rights to market those games revert to and become the sole property of Bethesda. Under the original agreement pursuant to which Bethesda had acquired the Fallout property, Interplay was granted certain merchandising rights to sell those original Fallout games, but those merchandising rights will now expire on December 31, 2013.

The lawsuit against Interplay arose after Bethesda Softworks acquired all Fallout intellectual property rights from Interplay in April 2007, and conditionally licensed back to Interplay certain trademark rights to make a Fallout MMO, provided Interplay secured $30 million in financing for the MMO and commenced full scale development of the game by April 2009. Bethesda alleged in its complaint that Interplay failed to meet either condition of the license back agreement but refused to relinquish its license and insisted it would develop a Fallout MMO. Bethesda filed suit to declare the license void.

In a separate but related matter, Bethesda commenced a second action against a purported developer of the Fallout MMO, Masthead Studios, Bethesda Softworks LLC v Masthead Studios Ltd. In the course of the original lawsuit against Interplay, Interplay had claimed that it had engaged Masthead Studios to develop the Fallout MMO under its license, and contended that Masthead was engaged in full scale development of that game. Bethesda filed its separate lawsuit against Masthead to assert copyright infringement and other violations of Bethesda’s intellectual property rights. Under the MMO license granted to Interplay, Interplay was not permitted to sublicense any rights granted without the prior approval of Bethesda, approval which had never been requested or granted. In responding to Bethesda’s lawsuit, Masthead denied that it had been using any of Bethesda’s intellectual property in developing an MMO. Masthead and Bethesda settled that second lawsuit on December 29, 2011. In the settlement, Masthead acknowledges it has no legal right to use any Fallout intellectual property, and agrees it will not use any such intellectual property of Bethesda in the future. No payments were made by either party as part of this settlement. The two settlements resolve all pending litigation over the Fallout intellectual property owned by Bethesda.

Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax, expressed satisfaction on behalf of the Company with the resolution of the two lawsuits saying, “While we strongly believe in the merits of our suits, we are pleased to avoid the distraction and expense of litigation while completely resolving all claims to the Fallout IP. Fallout is an important property of ZeniMax and we are now able to develop future Fallout titles for our fans without third party involvement or the overhang of others’ legal claims.”

Following the purchase of the property, Bethesda Game Studios, the 2011 ‘Studio of the Year’ and the development team behind the 2011 ‘Game of the Year’, The Elder Scrolls® V: Skyrim™, developed Fallout® 3. ZeniMax Media’s publishing subsidiary, Bethesda Softworks, published Fallout® 3, a highly acclaimed sequel which won ‘Game of the Year’ honors in 2008, for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows. Bethesda also published the popular title, Fallout: New Vegas®, in 2010 for the same platforms. Fallout: New Vegas® Ultimate Edition, which will include the original game and the award-winning downloadable content in one special package, is planned for release by Bethesda in early 2012.

Wizards of the Coast Needs Your Help for Next D&D Edition

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News
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*logo by Banesbox

Wizards of the Coast has put out an open letter for help in designing the next rule-set of their venerable tabletop RPG (you youngsters who only know RPGs from video games should look these up), Dungeons & Dragons. To sign-up to help, or, just to get info when it is released, click here.

The Official Letter

Charting the Course for D&D
Your Voice, Your Game
Mike Mearls

As you may have read in the New York Times, it’s an exciting time for Dungeons & Dragons. We are happy to announce today that we are developing the next iteration of D&D, and will be looking to the legions of D&D fans to help shape the future of the game along with us.

Our mission is to ensure that D&D enters its next 40 years as a vibrant, growing, and exciting game. By listening to the needs of the D&D community, we can meet this goal. As part of our increased efforts to engage with the player-base, we launched a series of weekly articles in early 2011, including Rule of Three and Legends & Lore, to give you a voice in our work. We’ve listened to both praise and criticism from all D&D fans, regardless of their edition of choice, and we’ll continue to do so.

That is why we are excited to share with you that starting in Spring 2012, we will be taking this process one step further and conducting ongoing open playtests with the gaming community to gather feedback on the new iteration of the game as we develop it. With your feedback and involvement, we can make D&D better than ever. We seek to build a foundation for the long-term health and growth of D&D, one rooted in the vital traits that make D&D unique and special. We want a game that rises above differences of play styles, campaign settings, and editions, one that takes the fundamental essence of D&D and brings it to the forefront of the game. In short, we want a game that is as simple or complex as you please, its action focused on combat, intrigue, and exploration as you desire. We want a game that is unmistakably D&D, but one that can easily become your D&D, the game that you want to run and play.

D&D is more than just a set of rules for fantasy gaming. It launched an entire gaming genre and played a pivotal role in creating the entirety of the gaming industry, both analog and digital. The game has lived and thrived because it has awoken a spark of creation, visions of daring adventure, wondrous vistas, and untold horrors that pull us all together as a community of RPG fans. It is the countless players and DMs who have brought it to life over the years. The game is at its best when it is yours.

For that reason, we want your participation. The goals we have set for ourselves are by no means trivial or easy. By involving you in this process, we can build a set of D&D rules that incorporate the wants and desires of D&D gamers around the world. We want to create a flexible game, rich with options for players and DMs to embrace or reject as they see fit, a game that brings D&D fans together rather than serves as one more category to splinter us apart.

We have begun obtaining feedback from a limited Friends & Family playtest consisting of internal employees and their gaming groups and soon we will be expanding that group to consist of members from our existing body of playtesters. Then at the D&D Experience convention in late January, Wizards of the Coast will conduct a special playtest of ideas currently in development. The D&D Experience will be moving to Gen Con in 2013, so as a convention special this year, we will be offering show attendees a first-look at a draft of the new set of rules. Then beginning sometime in the spring, we will begin open playtesting. Through our web site, we will release a growing set of rules, classes, monsters and other materials for your study and feedback. We seek to reach as many people as possible, from the gamer who just started with D&D last week to the gaming group that has been together since the early-1970s. For this process to work, we want to give a voice to all D&D fans and players of all previous editions of the game.

The next year is going to be an exciting one. There is a lot of work to be done, and I’m hoping you have the time, energy, and inclination to pitch in. We sure hope you do, as we seek to make gaming history by shaping the future of D&D, together. If you would like to sign up today to be notified when the playtest is beginning and how you can participate, click here:

Wakfu Cra Character Trailer

2012/01/10
Jerry Paxton
News

Square Enix has released a new trailer for their upcoming Wakfu, showing off the character of “Cra”. Wakfu is due out in February of 2012 for the Windows PC platform.

Trailer