Author - Jerry Paxton

Irrational Games Announces BioShock Infinite Season Pass

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New York, NY – February 21, 2013 – 2K Games and Irrational Games today announced that production of downloadable content has recently begun for their forthcoming BioShock® Infiniteand revealed details of the BioShock Infinite Season Pass*. Three all-new add-on packs will provide hours of additional gameplay and continue the player’s journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons.

The BioShock Infinite Season Pass will be available on March 26, 2013 when the game is planned to launch, and provide nearly $30.00 of add-on content for $19.99 (PlayStation®Network, Windows® PC) or 1,600 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network) – a savings of more than 30%. The Season Pass will include all three add-on packs, and can be pre-ordered today through www.preordernow.com or at a participating retailer**.

Those who purchase the BioShock Infinite Season Pass will also receive the Early Bird Special Pack at no extra cost. This bonus pack contains four pieces of exclusive gear, a Machine Gun Damage Upgrade, a Pistol Damage Upgrade, a gold skin for both weapons and five Infusion bottles that allow players to increase their health, their shield durability or their ability to use Vigors by increasing the quantity of Salts they can carry.

In addition, those who pre-order BioShock Infinite will receive the Industrial Revolution Pack for free. This pack grants exclusive access to three in-game gear items that boost combat abilities, $500 bonus to in-game currency, five lock picks and the Industrial Revolution puzzle game, which unlocks stories of Columbia and allows players to pledge their allegiance to the Vox Populi or Founders through Facebook.

BioShock Infinite is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. For the latest news and information on BioShock Infinite, become a fan on Facebook and follow Irrational Games on Twitter.

*Xbox LIVE, PlayStation®Network or Steam account and Internet connection required. Copy of BioShock Infinite required for play.

**For Xbox 360 this is a purchase of Microsoft Points, redeemable via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360.

GUNS and ROBOTS Gets Ranking System, Balance, and Weapon Updates

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SOFIA, BULGARIA – February 21, 2013 Masthead Studios, a leading independent developer, today released several updates that have been rolled out in their free to play online shooter GUNS and ROBOTS. Some of the major updates include new ranking system, global balance patch and new weapons.

The new update has replaced the old credit system with a new updated balance system that will assist in the outcome of each game. With this patch players will receive much more bonus credits after battle. Some major changes and improvements in the statistics of free robot parts have been made as well.

The improved ranking system provides players with several different ranks that are shown with funny little icons at the beginning of each battle. It tracks the number of battles and the damage output each player has made during their performance in the game. This new ranking system brings an additional level of enjoyment and involvement.

The game features some new weapons for quick and intense matches. The team have added a cheap weapon called “The Stingray“. The Stingray is one of the weapons that launches electro-tip darts at your opponent that will shock and short-circuit his systems.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Confirmed for PS4

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February 21, 2013 — CD Projekt RED’s upcoming story-driven, open world RPG will launch on Sony’s PlayStation 4 once the game is released in 2014. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the final episode of the award-winning RPG series and triumphant finish to the legend of Geralt of Rivia. While the Witcher 3 is the pinnacle to the Witcher series, it is also a standalone story that players new and old will love as they have another chance to live the dangerous life of a witcher. With the capabilities of PlayStation 4 and the next-gen ready REDengine 3, The Witcher 3 will be a truly amazing RPG.

“We were thrilled when asked, several months ago, to be one of the developers who were granted early access to the PlayStation 4. It was an exciting moment to be invited to be in the company of other legendary developers like Bethesda, EA, LucasArts, Ubisoft or Activision as one of the teams working on titles shipping early in the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle. Of course, we couldn’t reveal any specifics about this to our fans, even though many journalists and forum members asked about when and how The Witcher might show up on Sony’s console. After yesterday’s PlayStation Meeting we can finally promise: The Witcher 3 is coming to the PlayStation 4. The new hardware gives us the opportunity to create something great. We are able to work with the new console from its birth and this allows our in-house REDengine 3 to push the graphical limits of what the PlayStation hardware can display. The console is fresh and has some innovative solutions that we’re looking forward to using in our game” said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt RED studio.

Yesterday Sony confirmed the release of their new console and distinguished CD Projekt RED as one of the developers creating games for the new platform.

“It’s a real pleasure to cooperate with Sony. Combining CD Projekt RED’s unique artistic vision and tech with the capabilities of PlayStation 4 will make The Witcher 3 a truly next-gen RPG. With Sony’s new hardware and our new engine, there are no limits to what we can create in the process of realizing our vision for Geralt’s dark fantasy world,” commented Adam Kiciński, CEO of CD Projekt SA.

Earlier this month, Game Informer revealed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and called it “a must see next generation RPG”. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be the most robust and breathtaking game ever created by CD Projekt RED, combining a free-roaming environment with a non-linear story which makes the game a real RPG fan’s dream come true. Open world exploration is an adventure in itself as the player will gallop through war-ravaged lands, sail misty waters, and track down dangerous beasts for money. An improved combat system will allow players to feel like a real monster hunter, a witcher, who uses his superior senses and fighting skills to survive in a dark fantasy world while he embarks on a quest to save his loved ones.

Studio head Adam Badowski summed up, “The Witcher 3 will be released in 2014 simultaneously on all high-end platforms available. We know that our fans are looking forward to that date already, but we want to make it clear that this story is a standalone, and we will be sure introduce newcomers fully to the world so that they don’t miss a beat. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will start with an breathtaking opening, which will give many insights to the lore. The game design will allow smooth introduction to new characters and encourage players to discover the vast, living open world of this installment of Geralt’s tale.”

iBuyPower Unveils GTX Titan GPU for Custom PCs

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February 20, 2013, City of Industry, CA – Prepare yourself for the highest levels of cutting-edge performance. iBUYPOWER is proud to announce the availability of NVIDIA’s latest graphics beast: the GeForce GTX TITAN.

The new GeForce GTX TITAN is a single-GPU solution that’s unlike anything else on the market. Coupled with a monstrous 6GB of GDDR5 video memory, GeForce GTX TITAN provides thrill-seeking gamers with unrelenting power.

“We know that gamers continue to demand the most from their systems, and providing our customers with the ability to build their performance systems with NVIDIA’s new GeForce GTX Titan is something we believe they will love,” said Darren Su, Vice President of iBUYPOWER, “and we’re really excited about putting GTX TITAN in some of our most unique systems, like Revolt.”

iBUYPOWER recently shook the PC gaming industry with the launch of the Revolt, the company’s daring take on PC system design. Despite its highly integrated and slim form factor, Revolt is fully GeForce GTX TITAN ready. But it doesn’t stop there. A wide variety of systems is supported, including many of iBUYPOWER’s custom gaming desktops. With larger gaming systems, customers will be able to take advantage of blistering performance by harnessing SLI.

Check out how you can configure an iBUYPOWER gaming system with the GeForce GTX TITAN at www.ibuypower.com/info/NVIDA-Titan.aspx

New GameStick Images

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The folks behind the upcoming GameStick handheld gaming console have released some new images of their device, which is slated to launch in April.

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MechWarrior Online Gets New Map and Lots of Trebuchet Variants

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MONTREAL – February 19, 2013 – Infinite Game Publishing and Piranha Games’ latest update to MechWarrior Online drops a metric ton of Mech goodness on you today as the colossal Alpine Peaks map is now live and ready for the taking. Sporting miles between bases, Alpine Peaks offers rising majestic ragged mountains and hills to vertical and horizontal firefights and a chance to really put those long-range weapons to use. Cover is sporadic and flanking opportunities are abundant: Secure the higher ground early or face devastation in the completely new battle environment.

Get a good look at the new environment here: http://mwomercs.com/game/maps/alpine-peaks

The massive content update also includes five (count them: FIVE) versions of the epic Trebuchet now available in the MechLab, a medium weight BattleMech that offers a potent blend of both long and short-range fire support: Fifty tons, 86 km/h, dual LRM-15’s with three medium lasers in reserve, the Trebuchet will hurl a veritable torrent of devastation before an enemy can even get close.

All variants and specs of the five different Trebuchet Mechs can be found here: http://mwomercs.com/game/battlemechs/medium/trebuchet

Also making its debut in this update is Phase III of MatchMaking. The Match Maker will form the best balanced match in terms of both skills and Mech classes of all players involved, and new cosmetic items allow you to proudly display your favorite house faction with Faction Holograms for your cockpit. Dominating the battlefield has never looked so good.

Rounding out the incredibly abundant content drop are a host of balance tweaks and performance enhancing fixes. Sign up for MechWarrior Online and jump into the free-to-play action immediately: www.mwomercs.com.

Mad Catz Announces F.R.E.Q.7 Gaming Headset

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San Diego – February 19, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced that the F.R.E.Q.7 Surround Sound Gaming Headset featuring Dolby® Headphone Technology is now available for pre-order.  Part of the Company’s range of GameSmart products, the F.R.E.Q.7 is compatible with a wide variety of devices and is expected to ship in the first quarter of fiscal 2014.

Ideal for use with gaming, movies, music and more, the F.R.E.Q.7 features Dolby Headphone Technology  and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx technology, expanding stereo and 5.1 audio to rich 7.1 surround sound, perfect for empowering gamers with a competitive edge.  In addition, PC gamers can instantly toggle between surround sound and stereo to ensure they have the right audio for their game or music.

Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. stated, “Part of our GameSmart initiative, we believe the F.R.E.Q.7 offers uncompromising levels of performance and versatility which will resonate with the passionate gamer.”

The F.R.E.Q.7 features software driven EQ, providing multiple settings for gaming, voice and music as well as the ability to separately adjust chat and game volume levels.  The detachable in-line cable allows for easy conversion from USB to 3.5mm to support stereo audio on iPhone®, tablets and most Smart Devices.

The F.R.E.Q.7 ships with a desktop stand and will be available in matte black, gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.

Additional information and pre-order details available at: www.madcatz.com/freq7/