Author - Jerry Paxton

EA Announces Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar

2012/07/12
Jerry Paxton
News

FAIRFAX, Va. – July 12, 2012 – BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), today announced Ultima™ Forever: Quest for the Avatar. Expanding the legendary Ultima™ franchise, Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar combines accessible action RPG gameplay with trademark BioWare storytelling, immersing both longtime fans and new gamers into the deep and engaging world of Britannia. Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar will be available on both the iPad and PC later this year, with fully integrated, cross-platform play so gamers can experience all of the rich and deep RPG elements with friends, wherever and whenever they choose to play.

To sign up for a chance to participate in a future closed beta and to see the game’s first gameplay trailer, please visit the official web site at www.ultimaforever.com. Fans attending Comic-Con International 2012 in San Diego this weekend can stop by the EA booth (#5405) to learn more about Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, while also getting a chance to play some of EA’s latest free-to-play games, including Battlefield Heroes™, Command & Conquer™ Tiberium Alliances, Need for Speed™ World and Warhammer® Online: Wrath of Heroes™.

“There’s a fundamental shift underway in how gamers play and pay for games, and Electronic Arts is a leader in providing new business models and new ways to consume content,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label and Co-Founder of BioWare. “With Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, we’re excited to give gamers the opportunity to play a high quality game with their friends anytime, anywhere, on both iPad and PC.”

“As huge fans of the Ultima franchise, the team at BioWare Mythic is not only excited to be able to bring this reimagining of the original rich world to the fans of the classic RPGs, but also to introduce a new generation of gamers who have never had a chance to discover why this is one of our industry’s most beloved worlds,” said Eugene Evans, Studio GM at BioWare Mythic.

Spanning over three decades, the fantasy world of Ultima has entertained millions of players from around the world with dozens of award-winning titles. The passionate and loyal fans of Ultima have braved perilous dungeons, faced off against fearsome enemies and creatures, conquered expansive lands and seas, and saved worlds. It’s time to revisit this enchanting universe and step into the shoes of your very own Avatar to find out where your choices will take you.

For more information on Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, please follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/UltimaForever or “Like” the game on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UltimaForever.

Epic Mickey 2 Comic-Con Panel Announced

2012/07/12
Jerry Paxton
News

BURBANK, Calif. — (July 12, 2012) – Disney Interactive today announced that the highly-anticipated “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” video game will be featured in a panel at the Comic-Con International 2012 show in San Diego on Sunday, July 15th.  In addition, Disney Interactive’s Junction Point has released the never-before-seen opening movie for the game titled “A Story Begins” at www.youtu.be/TEihtaHLInk.

“Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” will be presented in a panel discussion taking place on Sunday, July 15th at 1:00 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 25ABC.  Participating in the panel are video game designer Warren Spector of Disney Interactive’s Junction Point, Peter David, award-winning comic writer and author of the upcoming “Disney Epic Mickey 2 Graphic Novel” and Marv Wolfman, award-winning American comic book writer and co-writer of “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.” The panelists will discuss how the team mapped out the story for this innovative new video game and unveil the first details surrounding the graphic novel, a 48 page retelling of Mickey’s return to Wasteland that will extend the video game experience for readers. Additionally, Becky Cline, Director of The Walt Disney Archives will be on hand to discuss the historical significance of Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who is prominently featured in the video game. The panel will reveal all-new gameplay footage and artwork, and a special never-before-seen sequence of pages from the upcoming graphic novel.

“The story in ‘Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two’ will immerse players in an even deeper and richer gameplay experience than before as they take on the roles of Mickey Mouse and Oswald to befriend and battle their way through the world of Wasteland on a brand new journey of creativity and discovery,” said Warren Spector, creative director and vice president, Junction Point. “We’re honored to have collaborated with such talented individuals as Marv Wolfman, Peter David and Becky Cline on Mickey and Oswald’s next adventure, and we look forward to offering Comic-Con attendees a behind-scenes-look at the game and graphic novel.”

Written by Peter David and illustrated by Fabrizio Petrossi, the “Disney Epic Mickey 2: Graphic Novel” is a 48 page retelling of Mickey Mouse’s return to Wasteland to help Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as he faces the Mad Doctor.  The graphic novel extends the videogame experience for readers and will include exclusive footage, a backstage pass, and more.

The “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” video game returns Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Wasteland, an alternate world filled with more than 80 years of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions.  But for the first time, Mickey and Oswald will join forces as true partners – Mickey with the magical paint brush that allows him to wield paint and thinner, and Oswald with a powerful remote control that allows him to command electricity.   This new co-op play further enhances the idea that “PlayStyle Matters” – a unique approach to gameplay pioneered by Warren Spector where players tackle challenges the way they want to in order to explore a variety of possibilities and storylines, but always with consequences for their chosen actions.

Development for “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” for the Wii™ system from Nintendo, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is being led by Disney Interactive’s Junction Point. Supporting the latest technology, the game will also feature full support for the PlayStation®Move motion controller. “Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion” for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system is under development by critically-acclaimed developer DreamRift, in collaboration with Junction Point. The games are currently unrated by the ESRB.   For more information, go to www.disney.com/disneyepicmickey.

Red Fly Studio and RAW Studios Launch Bad Planet Kickstarter Campaign

2012/07/12
Jerry Paxton
News

SAN DIEGO, CA – July 12, 2012 – At Comic Con in San Diego today, independent game developer Red Fly Studio and Hollywood actor Thomas Jane’s RAW Studios have launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a video game based on the Bad Planet comic series.  One of the first comics produced by RAW Studios, Bad Planet is a science fiction series based on a plague of inter-galactic Death Spiders attempting to decimate Earth, and the Convict, a lone alien warrior fighting to save the planet. The Bad Planet video game will be a third-person action game featuring stunning visuals, an episodic format, and brutal melee combat.

Red Fly and RAW Studios are seeking $575,000 in funding to make a Bad Planet video game. Those interested in helping to fund the game are encouraged to do so today at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/badplanet.

“When Red Fly approached us about doing a video game, seeing the creatures and the hero of Bad Planet come to life in a game was very intriguing to us,” said RAW Studio co-founder Thomas Jane. “This game will take chances, it has ambivalent characters and anti-heroes, and it’s long, sprawling, and serious science fiction.”

The Bad Planet video game will feature:

  • Brutal Combat – Bad Planet’s main focus is hyper-violent third-person combat, tasking players with controlling the Convict as he shreds through hordes of grotesque alien monsters. The combo-based gameplay will feature simple, yet context sensitive finishing moves and an extensive grappling system.
  • The Convict – Players will control the Convict, a centuries old alien warrior whose home planet and race have been destroyed by the Death Spiders. A nearly indestructible spider-killing machine, the Convict favors his power axe, a battle axe glowing with electricity, as well as his armor, weapons, and abilities that can be upgraded along the way.
  • Episodic Content – Bad Planet will be released episodically, with each episode containing between two and four hours of gameplay. The game will initially be released for PC digital distribution on Steam, with console distribution through Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network planned afterwards.

Tim Bradstreet, co-founder and creative director of RAW Studio added: “One of the most exciting things about creating this game is that, by going through Kickstarter, it allows us to take full control of the entire creative process.  In Red Fly we’ve found the perfect partner because we have a harmony in terms of the vision for the game and how to take Bad Planet to the next level.”

If funded, Red Fly will bring the world, characters, and story of Bad Planet to life via the most immersive and interactive of entertainment mediums. A proven and independent developer of video games, Red Fly sees the potential for an epic video game in Bad Planet. Built on Unreal Engine 3 and utilizing a fast, gory, combo-based combat system, the studio will create a bold and gritty action game that will be sure to please hardcore gamers and science fiction fans alike.

For more information on Red Fly Studio, please visit www.redflygames.com. For more information on Thomas Jane’s RAW Studios, please visit www.rawstudios.com. 

For more information on the Bad Planet video game and to help fund this project, please visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/badplanet.

Mass Effect 3: Earth Announced

2012/07/11
Jerry Paxton
News

JULY 11th, 2012 — The human race faces extinction as the war rages on in our backyard! Fight for humanity’s survival in the latest installment of downloadable content for Mass Effect™ 3 multiplayer!  Available to download at no additional charge*, Mass Effect 3: Earth adds three new maps based on three key cities in the galactic war – London, Vancouver and Rio De Janeiro. Players will be introduced to a whole new team of elite N7 forces who will be dispatched to protect civilization, along with an arsenal of lethal new weapons, unique upgrades, the all-new Platinum difficulty level and a brand new in-mission objective.

Mass Effect 3: Earth will be available for download on July 17 on Xbox LIVE® and the Origin™ client software and on PlayStation®Network in North America on July 17 and in Europe on July 18. The entire pack will include:

  • Three New Maps – With the fate of the galaxy at stake, Earth’s military efforts have concentrated on three strategic locations. Defend Firebase Rio, home to the N7 training facility, along with Firebase Vancouver and Firebase London in the last stand for mankind.
  • New Array of Playable N7 Characters – Step into the boots of the Alliance’s most elite military unit with the N7 Demolisher Engineer, N7 Destroyer Soldier, N7 Fury Adept, N7 Sentinel Paladin, N7 Shadow Infiltrator and N7 Slayer Vanguard.
  • New Powerful and Unique Weapons – Lay waste to the enemy by unlocking the N7 Piranha Shotgun, N7 Typhoon Assault Rifle and Acolyte Pistol.
  • New Powerful Upgrades – Outfit your weapons with 12 new modifications and fortify your gear with 11 unique upgrades to defeat even the toughest foes.
  • New “Platinum” Difficulty – Conquer bronze in your sleep? Take down Silver with one hand? Beat Gold without breaking a sweat? Then grab your friends and test your skills on the brand-new Platinum difficulty.
  • New In-Mission Objective – Randomly occurring during waves 3, 6 and 10, this new objective will challenge teams to keep a targeted agent alive by protecting and escorting them to a designated extraction zone on each map.

As part of the Mass Effect 3 Galaxy at War** system, success in the cooperative multiplayer experience in Mass Effect 3 links back to the player’s single-player campaign. Gaining control over each theater of war will increase the player’s Galactic Readiness Rating, and in turn, can influence the player’s overall experience. Participation in the Mass Effect 3 Galaxy at War feature is optional.

The Mass Effect franchise is one of the most highly decorated series in the history of games, having earned over 250 awards from critics around the world. Mass Effect 3 launched in March to universal critical acclaim, receiving over 90 perfect scores. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “like” the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect. Press assets for Mass Effect 3 can be found at www.info.ea.com.

* OFFER EXPIRES JULY 11, 2014. INTERNET CONNECTION AND ORIGIN, XBOX LIVE GOLD, OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK ACCOUNT REQUIRED. VALID ONLY AT THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (WWW.ORIGIN.COM/ABOUT), XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE OR PLAYSTATION STORE. VALID WHEREVER MASS EFFECT 3 IS SOLD. MASS EFFECT 3 FULL GAME, MASS EFFECT 3 ONLINE PASS AND ORIGIN ACCOUNT  REQUIRED TO USE/PLAY DOWNLOAD. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. PRODUCT SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER PERSON. YOU MUST MEET THE MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENTS, WHICH VARY BY COUNTRY, TO REGISTER FOR AN ORIGIN ACCOUNT. EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON WWW.EA.COM/2/SERVICE-UPDATES.

Activision Comic-Con 2012 Lineup

2012/07/11
Jerry Paxton
News

Santa Monica, CA – July 11, 2012 – Gaming, comics, sci-fi, cos-play, and fans from all walks of life the world over will experience a colossal interactive entertainment lineup from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), at San Diego Comic-Con International 2012. Headquartered at booth #5344 in the San Diego Convention Center, Activision is celebrating the theatrical release of the blockbuster hit The Amazing Spider-Man, allowing fans to go beyond the movie and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game, plus showcasing some of the most anticipated fan-favorite games in the industry, including TRANSFORMERS™: FALL OF CYBERTRON, 007™ Legends, the all-new The Walking Dead™ video game based on the hit AMC television series, along with a world premiere reveal of a brand new Super Hero video game during the Marvel Games panel on Saturday, July 14th.

“We know how passionate our fans are, and San Diego Comic-Con is always a great opportunity for us to showcase our latest video games,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President, Activision Publishing.  “These are big, iconic franchises and this is our chance to give back and let the hardest-of-the-hardcore play and experience our video games in a unique and fun setting before they hit stores.”

Activision’s Full San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Booth Activities Include:

  • First time multiplayer hands-on with TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON video game.
  • First time hands-on with the TRANSFORMERS PRIME Wii game.
  • Find out what happens in The Amazing Spider-Man video game, which serves as an epilogue story to the just released blockbuster hit movie.
  • Live stage demos of TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON single player campaign and presentations of the recently-revealed Moonraker and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service movie missions from 007 Legends.
  • Exclusive screenings of all-new 007 Legendsand The Walking Dead video game trailers.
  • Limited edition San Diego Comic-Con fan giveaways.

Panels and Autograph/Photo Opportunities:

  • PANEL: TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON Video Game Talent

Legendary TRANSFORMERS voice talent and game experts at developer High Moon Studios will come together in one epic panel to discuss their roles in the upcoming Activision video game, TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON. The panel will feature Peter Cullen, voice of OPTIMUS PRIME, Gregg Berger, voice of GRIMLOCK, Nolan North, voice of CLIFFJUMPER, Matt Tieger, High Moon Studios Game Director, and Dave Cravens, High Moon Studios Senior Creative Director. The panel will give everyone an inside look into bringing our favorite characters to life in the making of the video game, as well as answers to the questions you have been dying to know.

Saturday, July 14, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM

                              Room 7AB

  • PANEL: An ALL-NEW GAME ANNOUNCEMENT at the Marvel Video Games Panel

The Marvel Video Games panel will include an announcement from Activision and High Moon Studios that is sure to be a hit! Q&A will follow.

Saturday, July 14, 1:45 PM-2:25 PM

                              Room 6A

  • Autograph signings for TRANSFORMERS: FALL OF CYBERTRON
    • Peter Cullen, voice of OPTIMUS PRIME / Gregg Berger, voice of GRIMLOCK / Nolan North, voice of BRUTICUS, CLIFFJUMPER, BRAWL

Saturday, July 14, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

                        Activision booth #5344

  • Autograph signings for The Amazing Spider-Manvideo game
    • Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Burn Notice), voice of the Extreme Reporter

Saturday, July 14, 4:00 PM-5:00 PM

                        Activision booth #5344

Darksiders II Comic-Con Plans Revealed

2012/07/11
Jerry Paxton
News

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. July 11, 2012 – Death is taking over Comic-Con International, as THQ Inc.’s (NASDAQ: THQI)’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Darksiders® II will have a major presence throughout the San Diego Convention Center. Fans can get their hands on playable demos at the GameFan Magazine booth (#4112), as well as at the booths of Random House (#1514), Prima Games (#1514) and Spike (#3729). In addition to the demo, Darksiders II creative director Joe Madureira (artist on Avenging Spider-Man, The Ultimates, X-Men) and art director Han Randhawa, together with Dark Horse Comics, will host a panel on Friday, July 13 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 5AB to discuss the process of bringing the art of Darksiders II to life.

Comic-Con attendees also can participate in a mini-scavenger hunt by collecting exclusive Darksiders II Tarot cards in the partner booths of Dark Horse (#2615), Random House and Prima Games. Fans that collect all three unique cards can present them at the GameFan Magazine booth and receive a limited edition fourth Darksiders II Tarot card.

“Comic-Con is a great opportunity for THQ to connect with Darksiders fans as we get close to the game’s August release date,” said Jim Huntley, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing. “We can’t wait for them to get their hands on the game in the convention center.”

Darksiders II follows the exploits of Death, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, in an action-packed tale that runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. This epic journey propels DEATH through various light and dark realms as he tries to redeem his brother WAR, the horseman blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in Darksiders.

Darksiders II launches for Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and PC on August 14, 2012 in the United States. For more information, check out www.Darksiders.com.

About Darksiders II

Awakened by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen embarks on a quest to redeem his brother’s name. Become the terrifying force which everything fears but nothing can escape.

The original Darksiders®, released in January 2010, received critical acclaim including the Best Fantasy Game 2010 award from IGN. Darksiders followed the story of WAR, wrongly accused of starting the apocalypse, on a quest to reclaim lost honor and take revenge on those who wronged him.

New Fallen Enchantress Screenshots

2012/07/11
Jerry Paxton
News

JUL 11, 2012 — Fallen Enchantress is Stardock’s most ambitious title yet.  Hot on the heels of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, Stardock intends to make sure that its upcoming fantasy strategy game is as good as they can possibly make it.

Executive Producer and Stardock CEO, Brad Wardell outlines some of the new features in the much anticipated 4th beta release of the new title, “Beta 4 introduces the new economic system.  In 4X strategy games, the underlying economy – how you get and spend resources – is really the unspoken heart and soul of these games.  As a game that takes place in a fantasy universe, we have the opportunity to do some really interesting things here.”

Fallen Enchantress’s lead designer, Derek Paxton, took his experience making the popular Civilization IV mod, Fall From Heaven, to create something really worthwhile. “It’s all about your cities,” said Paxton. “Starting with Beta 4 you can specialize your city as either a Town, Conclave, or Fortress.  Towns are the source for food, growth and money. Conclaves are where your research, both technological and arcane, occur. And Fortresses are the source of your most elite and powerful military units.”

Beta 4 also will be added a third basic resource – essence.  Previously, Fallen Enchantress’s resource economy followed the tried and true track of food and materials.  As a fantasy game, Paxton decided there was an opportunity to add another dimension to what could make a city special: Essence. “Essence is the land’s natural magical affinity. Lots of city improvements make use of this resource. Essence also allows players to cast powerful enchantments on a city. The more essence, the more enchantments the city can maintain.”

As part of the new emphasis on city specialization, players can now construct upgradeable outposts away from cities. These outposts address the issue known in strategy circles as “city spam”.

“Instead of players having to build lots of cities to have a chance at winning, they can construct outposts,” said Paxton. “In beta 4, these outposts can be upgraded to boost allied units, give penalties to enemy units, scare away monsters, and help the cities they are associated with.”

While the new economic system is the most important change in Beta 4, Stardock has also put its user interface design team to work enhancing the Fallen Enchantress user experience.  To this end, the cloth map has been revamped, the main user interface has been cleaned up and the rich tool tip system updated.

“Even as we add depth to Fallen Enchantress, we want to make sure the game is approachable.  We don’t expect users to have to read the user manual to know what’s going on,” said Wardell. “The game should walk the player through how to play the game and the interface should be intuitive enough that it just makes sense.”

Elemental: Fallen Enchantress Beta 4 is expected to be released later this month.  The final game isn’t expected to be released until this Fall but anyone who pre-orders it can join the beta.

Web site URL: www.elementalgame.com

Screenshots