NEW YORK — December 6, 2012 — Paradox Interactive and Zeal Game Studio are taking subterranean mining to soaring new heights with new downloadable content (DLC) for A Game of Dwarves. The new content pack, entitled Star Dwarves, enables the game’s titular miners to spruce up their mines with all the trappings of deep space, adding a wealth of new sci-fi furnishings and tools to their lairs. Of course, a terrifying space monster or two have also come along for the ride, but that’s a small price to pay for having your very own cryosleep bed to spruce up the old mineshaft.
Star Dwarves adds new props, new enemy, and new dwarves to A Game of Dwarves, from sci-fi-inspired generators, holographic statues, and spiffy captain’s chairs to untold horrors like the Beardprober – a monster who studies beards in the worst way imaginable. Thankfully, the dwarves can combat these invaders with new military classes, including the rifle-toting Redshirt, and the Knight, a melee fighter who relies on training he acquired a long time ago in some place far, far away.
SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON — SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that Creative Assembly™, award-winning creator of the Total War™ series, and SEGA® Group have entered into a multi-title licensing deal with Games Workshop® to create videogames based in the Warhammer® universe of fantasy battles.
A new high-calibre development team has been set up at Creative Assembly’s UK studio to work alongside the existing Total War, Alien™ IP and Mobile teams on the first Warhammer title in the deal, scheduled to launch from beyond 2013.
“With this year being our 25th anniversary,” said Tim Heaton, Studio Director at Creative Assembly, “it seems fitting for us to embark on such a dream project with such a well-established partner. The incredibly rich and detailed Warhammer world is something we grew up with, and has left an indelible imprint on us as both designers and gamers.”
“We’ll be doing the Warhammer universe justice in a way that has never been attempted before. We’re bringing those 25 years of experience and expertise in extremely high-scoring games to bear, delivering a Warhammer experience that videogamers will absolutely love.”
“We have enormous respect for SEGA and Creative Assembly and have felt for a long time that the combination of the enormously rich setting of the Warhammer world, and their stunning development talent is a match with huge potential,” said Jon Gillard, Games Workshop’s Head of Licensing. “Now that we’ve managed to bring these two giants of gaming together it is safe to say that some truly amazing products are going to be unleashed as a result. We are excited at the possibilities, and are enthusiastically working with the team at Creative Assembly already.”
This first Warhammer game joins the eagerly-awaited Total War: Rome II™ and the untitled Alien IP as one of five projects currently in production at Creative Assembly, now one of the largest developers in Europe.
Back in October, Creative Labs announced two new speaker systems designed for audio power – the Inspire T6300 and T3300 speaker systems. We recently got the chance to check out the more complex, 5.1 surround sound system, the Inspire T6300. Visually, the T6300 speaker system features a mostly-black, classy look with eye catching, silver rings around the satellite speaker drivers. The front satellites are also larger than the rear and center ones in order to increase visual appeal. Additionally, there system comes with a small dongle that controls the on/off as well as overall volume. The Inspire T6300’s sub-woofer is pretty standard and fits in with Creative Labs other sub-woofer designs on the market. The speakers and sub-woofer are actually very portable in size, and would easily fit into a cluttered dorm room or home office.
Installing and setting up the Creative Labs T6300 speaker system is very easy. Simple arrange your speakers in the desired locations and then plug the cables in from the Inspire T6300’s sub-woofer to your sound card. With the T6300, Creative Labs has actually attached the audio cables to the sub-woofer. This means that you will never lose them if you have to move the system somewhere else, which is nice. Fortuitously, we still had the Sound Blaster Z sound card in our gaming rig when setting these up, so we thought it would be nice to see how the speakers handled Creative Labs own sound card.
The Creative Labs T6300 speaker system features two new technologies that the company has developed: The “DSE” (Dual Slot Enclosure) and the “IFP” (Image Focusing Plate). These technologies are designed to maximize the T6300’s room-filling power. The Dual Slot Enclosure feature basically means that the speakers have a fully-functional port tube in them, which is said to increase volume and allow the speakers to better reproduce mid-bass levels. The Image Focusing Plate technology is designed to increase the sound field of the T6300’s satellite speakers in comparison to other speakers without the IFP.
Image Focusing Plate Diagram
The big question is, do these technologies make a difference to the listener? In theory, they absolutely make a difference in terms of sound volume and quality. You can easily test the DSE feature by covering up the ports on the satellite speakers. Doing so significantly decreases sound volume and quality. The IFP is somewhat harder to test without physically removing or altering it which we did not want to do with a review unit.
As far as the speaker system’s performance is concerned, the proof is in the proverbial audio pudding. In using the Inspire T6300 during numerous rounds of not only Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Far Cry 3 but, also, watching The Avengers with it, the speaker system handled everything I could throw at it and was more than capable of pumping out some serious bass and room-filling sound. I only wish that Creative Labs would have added an AUX-IN port and headphone port to the system. These features could have been added into the control dongle or perhaps one of the front speakers to add additional value to the user.
Overall, the Creative Labs Inspire T6300 5.1 speaker system is a very decent surround sound system for about a $110 dollars – especially for your favorite video games and action movies. It is a speaker system that “chews” up whatever sound it’s given and throws it out to you like a hardball. While not my ideal system for delicate sounds (musicphiles and audiophiles might want to look elsewhere), the system does a fair job of that as well – especially when paired up with Creative Labs SBX Pro Studio audio processing technologies. Just make sure you check your bass levels or your neighbors might complain as their windows rattle – sorry, neighbors.
The Creative Inspire T6300 5.1 speaker system will be available on creative.com starting around December 20th, and selling for $79.99.
Today, Namco Bandai and LEVEL 5 have released a behind-the-scenes video from the development of their upcoming Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is rated E10+ and is slated to launch exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on January 22, 2013 in North America.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Dec. 5, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and award-winning developer Crytek GmbH today announced a creative partnership with renowned filmmaker Albert Hughes to produce an online video series inspired by the upcoming sandbox shooter, Crysis 3. Entitled, “The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3”, this cinematic series will set the stage for this latest installment in the Crysis series and introduce weapons, enemies, and gameplay features new to the franchise. These cinematic shorts will also showcase the stunning visuals, dynamic environments of the urban rainforest and intense adaptive warfare fans can expect when Crysis 3 ships on February 19, 2013 in North America and on February 21 in Europe.
“When EA and Crytek approached me about being involved in creating ‘The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3’ video series, I liked the idea of creating emotional stories using only computer generated images,” stated Albert Hughes. “The challenge of producing something intensely human without ever seeing a human on screen was incredibly compelling, and the technology of the CryENGINE that Crytek developed enabled me to do that and venture into a completely unique medium of storytelling.”
At 20 years old, filmmaker Albert Hughes shot to stardom when he and his twin brother, Allen, wrote and directed the seminal film, Menace II Society. Albert then went on to co-direct such critically-acclaimed films including Dead Presidents, From Hell andBook of Eli. For “The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3” video series, Albert was intimately involved with the development team at Crytek, writing the scripts, storyboards and shot plan for each video that was created entirely using in-game assets powered by Crytek’s revolutionary CryENGINE® 3 technology.
“The goal with ‘The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3’ video series is to reveal the incredible world we have been building for Crysis 3 and to let CryENGINE take center stage to highlight the power of our state-of-the-art game engine,” said Cevat Yerli, Chief Executive Officer of Crytek. “We’ve worked closely with Albert on this project and think that the 7 Wonders series will show the leaps and bounds that Crysis 3 is making over its predecessors.”
Powered by Crytek’s proprietary CryENGINE, Crysis 3 advances the state of the art with unparalleled visuals and dynamic shooter gameplay. Players take on the role of ‘Prophet’ as he returns to New York only to discover that the city has been encased in a Nanodome created by the corrupt Cell Corporation. The New York City Liberty Dome is a veritable urban rainforest teaming with overgrown trees, dense swamplands and raging rivers. Within the Liberty Dome, seven distinct and treacherous environments become known as the 7 Wonders. This dangerous new world demands advanced weapons and tactics, including the Nanosuit. Equipped with superhuman powers including cloaking, armor and enhanced visor abilities, the Nanosuit is the ultimate tool that allows players to assess, adapt and attack whatever the 7 Wonders throws at them. In addition to the Nanosuit, players will wield the powerful Predator bow and devastating alien weaponry to become the deadliest hunter on the planet.
The debut episode of “The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3” entitled “Hell of a Town” will debut on December 12, 2012. Developed by Crytek and powered by the proprietary cutting edge CryENGINE technology, Crysis 3 will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. For more information on Crysis 3, please visitwww.crysis.com, and for the latest news visit www.facebook.com/crysis or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/crysis.
Santa Monica, CA – December 5, 2012 –Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today thatCall of Duty®: Black Ops II has crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide retail sales, according to Chart-Track retail customer sell-through information and internal company estimates. Illustrating the strong appeal of interactive entertainment to audiences worldwide, the game achieved this milestone in just 15 days after its launch on November 13, 2012. Last year’s Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®3 reached $1 billion in retail sales in 16 days. The box office record set for feature films in 2009 by “Avatar” was $1 billion in 17 days¹.
“The release of Call of Duty® has been one of the most significant entertainment events of each of the last six years,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “SinceCall of Duty was launched, cumulative franchise revenues from players around the world are greater than current worldwide box office receipts to date for the top-10 grossing films of 2012 combined. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Star Wars,’ the two most successful movie franchises of all time.”
Since the game’s launch, more than 150 million hours have been logged online playingCall of Duty: Black Ops II on Xbox® LIVE® and PlayStation Network.
“Entertainment franchises that captivate audiences for as long as Call of Duty has, on the scale that Call of Duty has, are very rare things. And it takes a lot of brilliant people working across many different disciplines to make it happen. It is incredibly humbling and gratifying to be a part of,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “In order for Call of Duty to remain the entertainment juggernaut that it is, and keep our fans coming back for more, we need to continue to bring fresh ideas and new innovations to the table every time, while always staying true to what people fell in love with in the first place. That’s what we did with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and that’s what we intend to keep on doing. This is an incredible milestone for an incredible franchise, and I want to thank every passionate, talented, committed person on our team who made it happen.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is available at retail locations worldwide on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Wii U™ game system from Nintendo and Windows PC. The game is rated “M” (Mature – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs – content suitable for persons ages 18 and older) by the ESRB.
SAN MATEO, Calif. – Dec. 4, 2012 – Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games today confirmed that the initial wave of game add-on content for Resident Evil® 6will be available on December 18 exclusively first on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Consisting of Predator, Survivors and Onslaught modes, each mode is priced at 320 Microsoft Points and expands on the game’s multiplayer elements, providing new and exciting ways to enjoy the world of Resident Evil 6. Players can purchase all three modes together as a bundle pack at the value price of 720 Microsoft Points on the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360.
Available for two to six players, in Predator one player takes on the role of the Ustanak, the fearsome B.O.W. that stalks Jake Muller throughout his campaign, and tries to eliminate the human players. The humans’ task: stop the deadly B.O.W. in its tracks, or at least survive until the end of the session.
Survivors takes the classic solo and team-based versus mode and adds a twist. Get killed and respawn as an enemy character with the ability to attack the human characters. Take down one human character to resurrect in human form. Last man or team standing wins. Survivors can be played by two to six players.
Onslaught sees two players go head-to-head in an attempt to clear waves of oncoming enemies. Chaining combos provides the key to success in Onslaught as this will send enemies over to the opponent’s screen, the more that are sent over, the quicker the victory will be.
Furthermore, December 17, will also see the release of a free title update for Resident Evil 6 that will allow owners to adjust the in-game camera to give a greater field of view as best suits their play style, while those who want to combine English language audio with subtitles in their desired language will now be able to do so. Also included in the title update is an unlock for Ada Wong’s campaign that adds an optional player-controlled co-op partner for that story, and the aptly namedNo Hope difficulty level, for those who want an extreme challenge.
In this latest commercial for Spike TV’s upcoming 2012 Video Game Awards, past hosts have a sing-along and get owned by a very recognizable video game character. The 2012 Video Game Awards will air LIVE on Friday, December 7 on Spike TV at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT, simulcast on MTV2, MTV Tr3s, and Live Stream on Spike.com, GameTrailers.com and Xbox LIVE.
NEW YORK – December 4, 2012 – Leading global PC game publisher Paradox Interactive today announced the planned expansion of its U.S. presence, starting with the opening of a larger New York office. The Stockholm-based publisher will begin recruiting for open positions to fill out its new office in Manhattan and, in commemoration of the move, will hold an event at their new facility for media to attend.
Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester, along with the rest of the executive team, will be present at the inauguration to speak with attendees about the upcoming changes for the company. Plans for the new office include strengthening global distribution and sales, as well as looking into emerging markets and business segments.
MONTREAL – December 4, 2012 — Infinite Game Publishing and Piranha Games today launched key competitive gameplay advancements for the ultimate Mech simulator, MechWarrior Online with 8v8 custom group Match Making, Electronic Counter Measure Suite warfare as well as the next Hero Mech, Ilya Muromets. In addition, players can outfit their cockpit with holiday-themed cockpit items including a Santa bobblehead.
“With the new 8-player group vs. group action and ECM, the competitive element in the game has been upped in a major way,” said Bryan Ekman, creative director, Piranha Games. “Blending new content with the rich history of the BattleTech universe, we are excited to introduce Ilya Muramets CTF-IM Cataphract, the first PGI-crafted character, a resilient and balanced Hero Mech representing the Capellan Confederation.”
Phase two of Match Making marks the early stages of Community Warfare in the InnerSphere, allowing players to form 8-player groups and take them into battle. Prior to this content patch, players could form groups with a maximum of 4 players; matches will continue to support 8v8 player combat and will not be weight class restricted to enable quick match launches. Additional Match Making functionality will be added in Phase three, taking into the consideration the Merc Corp, competitive league players and additional requests made to date.
Greatly adding to the roles of Scouts and defensive support is the new Electronic Counter Measure Suite (ECM), an advanced electronic warfare suite that can be used to reduce the range at which enemy units can detect opposing Mechs on radar. In “disrupt” mode missile locks can take twice as long, forcing enemies to move much closer to you on their radar, and help counter the extended range of the Beagle Active Probe.
Ilya Muramets CTF-IM Cataphract, the first heavy Hero Mech since the close of the Founder’s program offers great flexibility and battle longevity with the most even mix of energy and ballistic hardpoints of any Cataphract chassis. Named after the legendary knight of Slavic myths, Ilya Muramets has a pattern emblazoned with the noble Cameron Star of the Star League as a nod to his time with the Twelfth Star Guards and their connection to the SLDF. For the last 21 years he has been using Ilya Muramets to hunt down Federated Suns’ Cataphracts, meting out justice for their theft. Their salvaged remains have been used to repair and refit his own Mech to the point that it now operates with a unique loadout. http://mwomercs.com/news/2012/11/529-upcoming-hero-mech-ilya-muromets
Rounding out this week’s content update, IGP and Piranha Games brings MechWarrior Online players eight new festive holiday cockpit items for purchase including: Bobblehead Santa, Christmas elf, a lump of coal and Christmas lights to further illuminate the player’s dashboard. All of the items add to the heated battle arena in the coldest season of the year.
Sign up for MechWarrior Online and jump into the free-to-play action immediately: www.mwomercs.com.
