Author - Jerry Paxton

New Chinese Tanks Rollout in World of Tanks

2013/01/16
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

WoT_Screens_Combat_Image_08

16th January, 2012 – Wargaming today announced that Update 8.3 for its massively popular MMO action game World of Tanks, complete with the addition of a brand new nation, the Chinese, is now live in Europe and Southeast Asia. North-American players will get the update on January 17, while the Korean audience will start testing the new tech tree starting from January 21.

The game’s latest evolution adds 17 steel machines used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the mid-20th century warfare.

The lower tiers of the new tech tree feature a hotchpot of various foreign designs, including the first Japanese-made tank in the game – the Type 97 Chi-Ha. Heavy Soviet influences are reflected in the top-tier tanks, which also include a number of original Chinese models, some of which never went into mass production.

Decent armor, impressive mobility and accurate guns with high damage potential make the Chinese tanks fearsome opponents to face off.

About World of Tanks

World of Tanks is the first and only team-based, massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with other steel cowboys all over the world. Your arsenal includes more than 230 armored vehicles from United States, Germany, the Soviet Union, France, Great Britain and China, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

Join World of Tanks:

IK Multimedia announces iRig HD

2013/01/16
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

irig_hd_main_image_718x450

January, 2013 — IK Multimedia, the leader in mobile music creation accessories, is proud to announce iRig® HD the new digital guitar interface for iPhone, iPad, iPodtouch, and Mac. iRig HD is the next generation of the immensely popular iRig guitar interface adapter, which, with over half a million units sold worldwide, has changed the way guitar players make music on the go.

iRig HD is a high-quality digital guitar/bass/instrument interface that allows users to plug their guitar or bass into their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac. It can be used with the AmpliTube range of guitar amps/effects apps and software or any other real-time processing app/software, like GarageBand and more. Using AmpliTube, users can play with the sound of their favorite amplifiers and effects, record their performance and compose entire songs, everywhere. iRig HD features crystal clear digital signal thanks to its superior 24 bit converter, an onboard gain control for perfect level setting, a low power consumption circuit for longer device battery life, plus an ultra-slim design and interchangeable adapter cables for maximum portability and universal compatibility. As manyother IK accessories, iRig HD is also made in Italy for the highest possible manufacturing quality.

Plug-in and play with every device

iRig HD is a simple “plug in and play” interface featuring a 1Ž4” instrument input jack, that plugs directly into the digital Lightning or 30-pin connectors of iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, using one of the included cables. Players can easily connect iRig HD to any Mac with the included USB cable. With its ultra-compact design, iRig HD fits easily into any guitar case, gig back orpocket for true mobility.

Supports your favorite mobile music apps

For a complete out of the box playing experience, iRig HD comes with the AmpliTube Free App (downloaded from the iTunes App Store: www.itunes.com/appstore) that provides a great sounding “ready to go” expandable guitar rig complete with effects pedals, amplifiers, speaker cabinets and a single track recorder. Players can play, practice and record anywhere and everywhere on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Plus, AmpliTube effects, amps and gear selection can begreatly expanded via in-app purchase with the entire range of AmpliTube apps including AmpliTube, AmpliTube Fender®, AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix™ and AmpliTube Slash.  Guitar and bass players now have the widest range of amplifiers and effects at their disposal with over 50 superior sounding mobile gear for jamming and recording on the go.  Plus, iRig HD can be used with any app that supports digital audio processing, like GarageBand and many more.

On the road and in the studio

Not only is iRig HD the perfect interface for the guitar and bass players on the go but can also be used on any Mac to take advantage of the superior processing power of the Mac platform. Users can downloadAmpliTube Custom Shop for free or use it as a standalone amp and effects processing powerhouse, or with many popular digital audio workstation program (DAW), such as GarageBand or Logic, as a plug-in for more sophisticated recording and composition. AmpliTube Custom Shop gives access to hundreds of top quality amplifiers and effects from world’s top manufacturers like Fender®, Ampeg®, Orange® and more that can be purchased a-la-carte for a truly customizable software rig.

iRig HD at a glance:

• High-quality instrument-level 1/4” Hi-Z input jack

• Detachable cables for Lighting, 30 pin and USB connector compatibility

• Preamp gain control

• High-quality low-noise, high-definition preamp

• High-quality 24 bit A/D conversion

• Powered by the iOS device or USB

• Ultra-compact and lightweight

• Comes with AmpliTube apps

Price and availability

iRig HD will be shipping in the Spring of 2013 and will be available in musical instrument and electronic retailers worldwide. Price is to be announced.

The Cave Gets Release Date

2013/01/16
Jerry Paxton
News, Nintendo Wii U News, PlayStation 3 News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

the-cave

SAN FRANCISCO — SEGA® of America, Inc., in a partnership with Double Fine Productions, announced the launch date and price for the upcoming adventure game,The Cave. Created by legendary game designer Ron Gilbert, The Cave will be available on January 22nd for the PlayStation®Network, and the Nintendo eShop on Wii U™ for $14.99. On January 23rd, it will be available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system for 1200 MSP and Steam™ for $14.99.

Named GameInformer’s Best Adventure Game of E3 2012, The Cave is a new adventure game from Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert, and Double Fine Productions, the award-winning studio behind Psychonauts and Brütal Legend. Players can assemble their team of three from seven unlikely adventures, each with their own unique personalities and stories, and then descend into the mysterious depths of The Cave.

For more information please visit: http://thecavegame.com/

Deep Silver Apologizes for Dead Island Riptide Zombie Bait Edition

2013/01/15
Jerry Paxton
Industry News, News, Xbox 360 News

DeadIslandRiptide_ZombieBaitEdition

Looks like Deep Silver is apologizing for controversy surrounding today’s announcement of their Dead Island Riptide “Zombie Bait Edition”, which came with a statue shaped like a bikini-clad, severed female torso. <begin editorialized rant>Apparently, some people were offended by the statue – not by the game, in which you can dismember walking corpses ad nauseum. Additionally, the game features a ton of adult situations and scenarios, including references to alcohol and drug abuse. This. Is. Ridiculous. If you are offended by dismemberment, Dead Island is not a game you should be playing, let alone buying a special edition of. End of line.</end editorialized rant>.

Deep Silver’s Apology:

We deeply apologize for any offense caused by the Dead Island Riptide “Zombie Bait Edition”, the collector’s edition announced for Europe and Australia. Like many gaming companies, Deep Silver has many offices in different countries, which is why sometimes different versions of Collector’s Editions come into being for North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. For the limited run of the Zombie Bait Edition for Europe and Australia, a decision was made to include a gruesome statue of a zombie torso, which was cut up like many of our fans had done to the undead enemies in the original Dead Island. We sincerely regret this choice. We are collecting feedback continuously from the Dead Island community, as well as the international gaming community at large, for ongoing internal meetings with Deep Silver’s entire international team today. For now, we want to reiterate to the community, fans and industry how deeply sorry we are, and that we are committed to making sure this will never happen again.

Original Product Press Release

15 January 2013 – Hampshire, UK/… Deep Silver today revealed that it will be releasing a strictly limited Dead Island Zombie Bait edition of Dead Island Riptide when the game launches in the UK on 26 April 2013.

Available to pre-order now for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the center-piece of this collector’s edition will be a resin statue, which is Dead Island’s grotesque take on an iconic Roman marble torso sculpture. Measuring 31cm high and 18.5cm wide, each of the Zombie Bait sculptures are hand-painted and depict the grisly remains of one of Palanai island’s zombie infected.

Paul Nicholls, Sales & Marketing Director, Deep Silver, said:
“Dead Island Riptide is one of the most anticipated releases of the year and is set to build on the original’s reputation for OTT action, dark humour and brutal zombie bashing. We wanted to provide a unique collector’s edition that was utterly ‘Dead Island’ and would make a striking conversation piece on any discerning zombie gamer’s mantel.”

There will be a strictly limited production run of the Zombie Bait edition, ensuring that this is a genuine collector’s item for hardcore horror gamers. Also included within this ultra rare package is the special Steelbook edition of Dead Island Riptide, collectable artwork cards, and an exclusive pack of weapon mods that allows even more, manifold ways to dispose of the ghastly zombie hordes on Palanai island.

Dead Island Riptide will be released on April 23, 2013 in the USA and Canada and on April 26, 2013 in the rest of the world for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, for Xbox 360® and for Windows PC.

For more information, visit one of the following official Dead Island sites:
Official Website: www.deadisland.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadislandgame
YouTube: www.youtube.com/deadislandgame
Twitter: twitter.com/deadislandgame

Spider Mech Now Available in MWO, Double XP Event Announced

2013/01/15
Jerry Paxton
News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

Spider Jump Jets

MONTREAL – January 15, 2013 – Infinite Game Publishing and Piranha Games launched one of the fiercest and quickest Mechs into the InnerSphere today as the Spider Mech made its way into the MechWarrior Online store. Available now, Spider is one of the most maneuverable and agile of all Light Mechs with a whopping eight jumpjets and an unmatched turning radius. Spider pilots can create nightmares for pilots of heavier Mechs on the battlefield; this is the time to watch your back!

In addition to the Spider becoming available, an exciting 3-day in-game event is coming Friday, January 18 at 10 am Pacific – the first-ever MechWarrior Online Double XP event. Scheduled to run the duration of the weekend, MechWarrior pilots will hunker down at home in order to defend and conquer in the InnerSphere. The event concludes on Monday, January 21 at 10 am Pacific. To truly maximize XP earning potential, MechWarrior pilots can stack up other XP-boosting techniques such as their Founder benefits, Premium Time and Hero Mech XP-boosts to unlock powerful pilot enhancements quickly.

“After a much-needed break over the holidays, we’re raring to go with exciting 2013 content updates,” said Bryan Ekman, creative director, Piranha Games. “The addition of community-focused features such as the Double XP event, new Mechs and performance tweaks let’s us kickoff the New Year in a big way. This is just the beginning of a huge year for MechWarrior fans.”

Smaller yet important content additions accompanied the Spider Mech reveal today as the new Decay Target pilot module offers the power to keep the enemy target Mech in sight longer. This valuable time advantage of up to an additional 1.5 seconds (from the default 2 seconds) may make the difference in being able to take down enemies in heated battles, giving pilots the critical edge they need. This week’s patch also includes another pilot focused content upgrade – a Sensor Range Pilot Module – boosting sensor range from 15 to 25 percent. Finally, players can also outfit their Mech with the new custom Woodland pattern, which is available in the Mech Bay today.

MechWarrior Online continues to boost content for players with meaningful, scheduled gameplay enhancements and bug fixes with the January 15 and 22nd content updates. While the Spider offers its own advantages, fans have reason to get excited about the upcoming Commando Hero Mech named, “Death’s Knell” available on January 22. A new addition to the MechWarrior universe, Death’s Knell is a fast, yet small Mech that packs 176 points of armour and four medium lasers – two in each arm. More details about Death’s Knell is available at http://mwomercs.com/game/battlemechs/hero.

Sign up for MechWarrior Online and jump into the free-to-play action immediately: www.mwomercs.com.

Spider Mech Screenshots

Defiance Beta Keys and Swag Available for Raptr Users

2013/01/15
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

Trion-&-Raptr Defiance SF

Raptr and Trion Worlds have announced that registered Raptr users are eligible for one of 1,000 beta codes for the upcoming shooter, Defiance. In addition, any gamer who earns a beta code through this Raptr Reward program is also entered to win the exclusive VBI Ark Hunter Kit or some other pieces of Defiance swag. The beta event starts this weekend, from Friday, January 18 at 8AM PST through Sunday, January 20 at 9PM PST.

Checkout more info on the various rewards at Raptr’s official website.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Demo Release Date Announced

2013/01/15
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Xbox 360 News

metal_gear_rising_revengeance-wide

Konami has announced that the upcoming demo for their Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be released on January 22nd, 2013 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE.

Official Press Release

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced a playable demo for METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE will be available via download on PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® on January 22.

The free demo will showcase Chapter 1 of the game and introduce Raiden as the central character – a child soldier transformed into a cyborg ninja killing machine, equipped with a high-frequency katana blade and a soul fueled by revenge.

Developed by Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE takes the renowned METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new territory by delivering an action experience unlike anything seen before. The title brings two of the world’s most respected development teams together with a common goal of providing players with a fresh synergetic experience that combines the best elements of pure action together with epic storytelling, all within the expansive METAL GEAR universe.

METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE will be available on February 19, 2013 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at major retail stores nationwide.

The free demo will be available on January 22 via PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE®. For more information on METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE, please go to www.konami.com/download.

Steam’s First Greenlight of 2013

2013/01/15
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

Steam_Logo

Valve Software has announced the first Steam Greenlight games and apps of 2013. On the roster is Spicy Horse Games upcoming Akaneiro: Demon Hunters and Leisure Suit Larry. Checkout the full list in the press release below.

Official Press Release

January 15, 2013 – Valve today revealed the fourth set of games and Software titles to advance through Steam Greenlight and be offered worldwide distribution via the popular platform for games and software. Over 60 titles have advanced through Steam Greenlight and been offered Steam distribution agreements since Greenlight launched in August of last year.

The latest Software titles are:

  • articy:draft | Game Design Tool
  • GroBoto – Modeling App

The latest games are:

  • Akaneiro: Demon Hunters
  • Asylum
  • DLC Quest
  • Eador. Masters of the Broken World
  • La-Mulana
  • Leisure Suit Larry
  • MaK
  • The Age of Decadence
  • Unepic
  • War For The Overworld

These titles will be released independently in the months ahead (as they are varying stages of completion).

Steam Greenlight is a new platform feature that enlists the community’s help in selecting some of the next games to be released on Steam. Launched on August 30, Greenlight allows developers and publishers to post information and media about their game in an effort to convince Community members that their game should be released on Steam.

For more information, please visit  http://steamcommunity.com/greenlight/