Author - Jerry Paxton

The Sims Social Getting to Work

2012/03/22
Jerry Paxton
News

Sims characters in The Sims Social are finally bringing home the simoleons! On March 22, EA/Playfish will launch Careers, a new game-changing feature in The Sims Social that gives players a whole new way to engage with their Sim and play with life.

Since its launch in August 2011, The Sims Social, the award-winning free-to-play social game on Facebook, has been captivating players by enabling them to engage with every aspect of Sims’ social lives – from building friendships to falling in love – and now with Careers, players can unleash career ambitions for their Sims and watch them rise to success as they embark on exciting new opportunities.

The Careers feature, which unlocks at level seven, introduces three exciting career paths for players to choose for their Sim: hip Rock Star, world-renown Celebrity Chef or an avant-garde Art Master.  Just like in real life, no one becomes a master of their trade overnight. Players are challenged to progress through multiple career levels by mastering fun tasks and completing promotion quests. Players will be rewarded with simoleons, the in-game currency, and Career Points as their Sim blossoms from Garage Band Musician to Web Sensation, moves up the culinary ladder from Burger Flipper to Cooking Show Contestant or refines their artist skills from Canvas Stretcher to Street Art Sensation.

The Careers feature will add an exciting and new dimension to The Sims Social gameplay experience by:
·         Deepening the level of personalization and creativity. Setting forth on a new career path gives players a new way to express their personalities and personal tastes in the game.
·         Expanding the gameplay options. Introducing over 90 new activities, tasks, quests and achievements for the Careers feature, players will be able to explore and engage with a variety of new interactions inThe Sims Social.
·         Bringing new ways to compete with friends. In addition to House Values, the overall success of a Sim will also be measured in terms of career levels.

Play The Sims Social today at:
http://apps.facebook.com/thesimssocial.

Mists of Pandaria Beta Invitations Going Out

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

Blizzard Entertainment has begun sending out their beta invitations for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria, which is scheduled to be released later this year. Mists of Pandaria will raise the level cap from level 85 to 90. It will introduce a new class, Monk, along with the new playable race, Pandaren.

Risen 2: Dark Waters Bones Character Revealed

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News


Deep Silver has unveiled a new character, named “Bones”, from its upcoming Risen 2: Dark Waters.

About Bones

As the former ship’s doctor and a talented distiller, Bones has heavy hardships behind him. He was betrayed from his shipmates and friends and left to rot on a small island, for no reason. After a long period of loneliness, hopeless wandering and the constant struggle for survival, he was finally found by the natives of Maracai Bay. They tried to return him to good health, but succeeded only with his body. His spirit could not be made whole again. Infected by the madness and jungle fever Bones suffers from persistent paranoia, visions, fear of death and choleric temper tantrums. Since then, he lives out his life among the residents of Maracai tribe and hopes to release his wearied soul. Will the nameless hero help the unfortunate pirate and free his soul? Can he win Bones over to become a valuable team member?

Deep Silver will release Risen 2: Dark Waters for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system on May 22, 2012 in the USA and Canada and April 27 for Windows PC.

Razer Teams Up With Korean LoL Gaming Team

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

Carlsbad, Calif.– March 22nd 2012- Razer, one of the world’s pioneering supporters of e-Sports and Maximum Impact Gaming, the OnGameNet League of Legends Invitational champions, are proud to announce they will be working together in the future to bring more attention to the growing Korean League of Legends scene in Razer’s continued effort to support and develop e-Sports in Korea

MiG Frost, one of the organization’s two League of Legends squads, burst onto the scene last year when it took second place at the Korean WCG qualifiers, and then went on to represent Korea at the OGN League of Legends Invitational. Team captain Jang Gun “Woong” Woong expertly guided the fledgling Korean team to progress in the OGN League of Legends Invitational and also defeated global phenomenon Counter Logic Gaming in the grand finals to take first place. MiG will receive a direct invite to the upcoming televised League of Legends ProLeague, held in Korea. With the MiG gaming house in Seoul now up and running, MiG is more than ready to play a major role in the development of the Korean professional League of Legends scene.

“We really felt MiG would benefit greatly by moving onward in the League of Legends scene with the support of a sponsor,” said MiG’s in-game leader Yoonsup “Locodoco” Choi. “Most of the players were playing with second-grade gear, and with the switch to Razer products, our play has improved. Even though we were successful at the Invitational, now is not the time to get complacent, and we’re ready to make Korea and Razer proud in the first season of the OGN League.”

“The Korean League of Legends scene is really exploding, and MiG consists of fresh, talented and hungry players,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President of Razer USA. “With an experienced in-game leader in Locodoco, we’re confident they will prove MiG is not a one-hit wonder and are looking forward to see what they are capable of in the upcoming OGN League.”

BenQ Teams Up With MLG Pro Circuit

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

IRVINE, Calif. — March 21, 2012 — BenQ America Corp. today announced that it is the official gaming monitor sponsor of Major League Gaming (MLG), the world’s largest competitive video game league for the 2012 MLG Pro Circuit season. Kicking off March 23-25 at the 2012 MLG Winter Championships in Columbus, Ohio, top PC gamers from around the world will compete using BenQ’s RL2450HT monitor, designed specifically for professional gaming and engineered to meet the specific needs of eSports athletes as well as deliver a supreme real-time strategy (RTS) gaming experience. Console games will be played on the BenQ GL2450HM monitor.

More than 1000 players will compete for their share of $200,000 in prizes and tens of thousands of spectators will watch the tournament at the Columbus Convention Center. Hundreds of thousands of fans will view the competition online at www.majorleaguegaming.com via six live HD streams.

“We are truly proud to be a part of the 2012 MLG Pro Circuit and to support prominent players from all over the world,” said Lars Yoder, President of BenQ America Corp. “This is a great opportunity to show our commitment to the gaming community with our professional gaming monitors. The RL Series monitors were built based on the latest display technologies and BenQ-exclusive gaming features that meet the unique demands of eSports tournaments, as well as participating athletes. We can’t wait to see them in action as gamers put them to the ultimate test in this world-class tournament.”

“Our RL and GL Series monitors have already earned their stripes at tournaments in the U.S. and abroad, but this major championship puts them front and center in a high-stakes, high-profile competition,” added Bob Wudeck, Director of Retail and e-Commerce at BenQ America Corp. “We’re excited to bring out the RL2450HT 24-inch-wide LED monitor and show off its cutting-edge features designed specifically for the pro gamer.”

The RL2450HT was engineered in conjunction with ZOWIE GEAR, a manufacturer of high-end professional gaming gear, as well as with input from the world-class StarCraft® II professional gaming team, STARTALE, which is sponsored by BenQ. The resulting monitor provides unprecedented levels of command, control, accuracy, and enjoyment for top-level RTS gamers.

The BenQ RL2450HT was built exclusively for gaming with a 60Hz refresh rate for smooth movement, an LED light engine for great color and low power consumption, and a 2ms GtG response time with 12 million to 1 contrast ratio. Proprietary BenQ enhancements on the RL Series professional gaming monitors give gamers a competitive edge over players on other gaming monitors. The RL Series RTS Mode maximizes StarCraft II visibility and optimizes color, while its Black eQualizer enables total visibility by allowing gamers to adjust the screen brightness without over-exposing white levels, in turn revealing critical combat details with improved visibility in darkened areas. The RL Series Display Mode allows gamers to interchange between monitor screen sizes, while the Smart Scaling feature gives them the freedom to manually scale the screen to any custom size, from 17 to 24 inches, depending on their preferences. In addition, the unit’s adjustable height stand allows for optimal screen positioning.

The 24-inch-wide GL2450HM monitor is an ideal choice for console gaming platforms, featuring brilliant LED backlighting, a dynamic contrast ratio of 12 million to 1, and a 2ms GtG response time that yields high dynamic videos without ghosting or other artifacts.

Supporting competitive gaming, BenQ will offer the monitors used in the tournament at a special price to fans, with the RL2450HT models being available at $249 (regularly $329) and the GL2450HM models at $179 (regularly $249).

Additional information on the MLG Winter Championships is available at www.majorleaguegaming.com/competitions/30.

Information on the full line of BenQ gaming monitors is available at gaming.benq.com.

Mainland China to Still Play WoW

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

SHANGHAI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Blizzard Entertainment (NASDAQ: ATVI) and NetEase.com (NASDAQ: NTES) today announced that they will continue their existing cooperation on Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft® in mainland China. The new license will continue for an additional three years following the expiration of the current license agreement.

The companies have been working together to bring World of Warcraft to Chinese gamers since 2009. In that time, they have successfully launched Wrath of the Lich King® and Cataclysm®, the game’s second and third expansion sets, in mainland China, and earned the enthusiastic support of gamers across the country. In addition to World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase’s existing partnership covers Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft® III and StarCraft® II, as well as the Battle.net® gaming platform.

The extended license agreement further reinforces the existing partnership between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase and lays the groundwork to bring Mists of Pandaria™, the upcoming fourth expansion to World of Warcraft, to mainland China. First unveiled at BlizzCon® 2011, Mists of Pandaria features a variety of elements influenced by Eastern culture and introduces a new playable race (the pandaren), a new class (the monk), an expansive new continent to explore, an all-new pet battle system, scenarios, challenge modes, and more.

“We’re grateful for the tremendous enthusiasm Chinese gamers have shown for World of Warcraft over the years, and we’re pleased to be renewing our agreement for the game in China,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to working with NetEase to deliver all of the new features and content of Mists of Pandaria to Chinese players as soon as possible.”

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Blizzard Entertainment after three years of highly effective cooperation on World of Warcraft,” stated William Ding, CEO of NetEase. “Both companies have complementary business strategies and share a similar corporate culture. I am confident that with Blizzard Entertainment’s expertise in developing world-class games and NetEase’s experience in local game operation, we will be able to provide the best gaming experiences for players in China.”

ESPN and EA Sports Unveil Players Up for Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – March 21, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and ESPN announced today the 32 fan-selected NFL players who will advance in the EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote.  The announcement follows a two week play-in round, during which time fans voted between two teammates in matchups for each NFL team on the SportsNation Facebook page.  Today, winners from each matchup moved on to the official cover vote bracket.  Fans can vote for their favorite cover athlete candidate from their computer or mobile phones at ESPN.com/MaddenVote through April 25.

To kick off the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote bracket debate, a SportsNation “Madden Cover Vote Special” will air tonight on ESPN 2 from 6-7 p.m. ET.  Every Wednesday throughout the campaign, fans can tune in to SportsNation at 5 p.m. ET for an in-depth discussion about the latest voting results and to see which players have advanced to the next round. The tournament will culminate with the reveal of the Madden NFL 13 cover athlete on SportsNation on April 25, the night before the 2012 NFL Draft.

The results of the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote play-in round are:

Play-In Round Winners
Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald Miami Dolphins Reggie Bush
Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan Minnesota Vikings Jared Allen
Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski
Buffalo Bills Stevie Johnson New England Patriots Brandon Lloyd*
Carolina Panthers Cam Newton New Orleans Saints Drew Brees
Chicago Bears Matt Forte New York Giants Victor Cruz
Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green New York Jets Darrelle Revis
Cleveland Browns Joe Haden Oakland Raiders Sebastian Janikowski
Dallas Cowboys DeMarcus Ware Philadelphia Eagles LeSean McCoy
Denver Broncos Tim Tebow Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu
Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson San Diego Chargers Antonio Gates
Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers San Francisco 49ers Patrick Willis
Houston Texans Arian Foster Seattle Seahawks Marshawn Lynch
Indianapolis Colts Dwight Freeney Tampa Bay Buccaneers LeGarrette Blount
Jacksonville Jaguars Maurice Jones-Drew Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe Washington Redskins Brian Orakpo

*Entered the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote play-in round representing the St. Louis Rams.

Among the 32 players are past Super Bowl winners including Victor Cruz and Aaron Rodgers; perennial Pro Bowl players Larry Fitzgerald and Drew Brees; and some of the most dominant players in the NFL such as Troy Polamalu and Jared Allen.  During the first ever play-in round, fan voting resulted in upsets like LeSean McCoy surpassing Michael Vick who was a finalist in last year’s award-winning Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote competition.

“Every football fan has an opinion on who should be on the Madden NFL cover, which was highly visible given the overwhelming response and debate that ensued during last year’s campaign. We’re proud to once again put the fate of the game’s cover in our fans’ hands and let them decide who is worthy of becoming the Madden NFL 13 cover athlete,” said director of marketing Anthony Stevenson. “Our collaboration with ESPN and SportsNation helped elevate the campaign to new heights last year and we’re thrilled to team up again on this award-winning program.”

“Sports fans are embracing the new structure of the Madden NFL 13 cover vote and the response has been tremendous for the play-in round, which gives each team’s fans an increased voice in the player selected for the vote,” said Jamie Horowitz, Vice President, Original Programming and Production, ESPN.  “SportsNation has the most engaged social audience across the ESPN network, and enabling them to share their votes across Facebook was an ideal way to tap into some of football’s most passionate fans.”

The Madden NFL 13 cover vote marks the third-consecutive year that EA SPORTS has asked fans to help shape the face of the Madden NFL franchise through a cover athlete voting campaign.  It also marks the second year of its collaboration with ESPN and SportsNation.  Last year, nearly 13 million votes were logged through ESPNSportsNation.com online and via the mobile web, the most ever for an ESPN cross-platform activation, which witnessed 10th seeded Peyton Hillis (Browns, RB) winning the honor to grace the cover of Madden NFL 12.

To ensure their favorite player advances to the next round of this year’s competition, fans are encouraged to vote daily and tweet their picks using #MyMaddenCoverVote on Twitter. Beginning March 22 at 9:00 a.m. ET, fans can also visit the Madden NFL Facebook page to fill out their own Madden NFL 13 cover athlete bracket to compete against their friends for the chance to win Super Bowl tickets and copies of Madden NFL 13. Visit www.facebook.com/EASPORTSMaddenNFL for Official Rules.

The Walking Dead Pre-Order Offer

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

San Rafael, CA – March 20, 2012 – Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator/writer of The Walking Dead for Skybound/Image, announced today that the first trailer for their upcoming game, The Walking Dead, is available to view on the games’ official website.

Created by animator and director Daniel M. Kanemoto, the trailer blends 2D and 3D imagery in stunning fashion as homage to the art of the original comic book world on which Telltale’s game is based. Kanemoto was asked by Telltale to create the trailer because of a “fan made” Walking Dead title sequence he had made, which can be seen at www.exmortisfilms.com.

The first of five monthly episodes of The Walking Dead is set for release in late April on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360® for 400 Microsoft® Points, on PlayStation®Network for $4.99 and on PC and Mac as a season pass for $24.99 from the Telltale Online Store and other digital outlets. Information on additional formats will follow.

Telltale has also revealed details of a limited time pre-order offer available via their online store. Pre-order customers will get the chance to join the cast of the game in episode four, where they will be modeled as a human survivor before being killed and then returned to life as a ravenous zombie. Pre-ordering also qualifies customers for a 10% discount (get the 5 episode season for $22.49; normally $24.99).

“This trailer really shows off how our artists have managed to take the 2D art style of the comic books and create a 3D world allowing fans to truly interact with Robert Kirkman’s world for the very first time,” said Dan Connors, Telltale co-founder and CEO. “We hope that fans will like what they see and be excited by the chance to join the cast of the game; we promise they’ll die horribly!”

“Telltale has done a phenomenal job in making a game that meets the expectations of fans,” added Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead.  “Running around with a gun isn’t what The Walking Dead is about; it’s about is how people caught in an apocalypse deal with facing their own death every day, and the horrible choices they have to make to survive. Telltale’s game series has captured the spirit of the comic books perfectly.”

The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series. Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, has been given a chance for redemption in a world devastated by the undead. Players will experience events, meet people and visit locations that foreshadow the story of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes. The Walking Dead offers a tailored game experience – player actions, choices and decisions affect how the story plays out across the entire series

The Walking Dead is rated ‘M’ (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language by the ESRB.

For more information on the game, visit the official website, Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@telltalegames). For more information on The Walking Dead comic books, visit www.skybound.com.

Trailer

Confrontation Release Date, Screenshots

2012/03/21
Jerry Paxton
News

Focus Home Interactive has announced that Confrontation, the video game adaptation of the fantasy miniature wargame by Rackham, will be released for PC on April 5th, in both retail stores and digital download! To celebrate this upcoming event, new screenshots have been released revealing more of this tactical role-playing game developed by Cyanide (Blood Bowl, Game of Thrones).

Screenshots