Author - Jerry Paxton

Square Enix Announces Sleeping Dogs

2012/02/09
Jerry Paxton
News

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 8, 2012) – Square Enix London Studios, a part of the Square Enix Group announces Sleeping Dogs™, a gritty open-world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. Developed by United Front Games in collaboration with Square Enix London Studios, Sleeping Dogs will be available in the second half of 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

Sleeping Dogs catapults players into the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, tasked with taking down one of the world’s most fearsome criminal organisations from the inside… the Hong Kong Triads. As players explore the bustling and crowded Hong Kong island, through its neon-lit side streets and sprawling street markets, an incredible story unfolds of loyalty and betrayal where Wei begins to question his own motives as he is sucked in deeper than he could ever imagine.

Offering players an island packed with action, every street corner, market stall, harbor dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat. Featuring one of the most intuitive and imaginative combat systems, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, singlehandedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

“From the moment you pick up the controller and experience the blend of driving, close combat and shooting you know you’re playing something fresh and a bit special,” said Lee Singleton, general manager of Square Enix London Studios. “Sleeping Dogs has one of the best melee combat systems out there – it’s super brutal with devastating takedown moves, and when added to UFG’s proven heritage in driving games, a first class story and the vibrant backdrop of the Hong Kong underworld we get a fiery recipe with fun written all over it.”

“Working on Sleeping Dogs has been such a huge passion for the team at United Front Games and we’re really pleased to be working with Square Enix London Studios,” said Stephen Van Der Mescht, executive producer at United Front Games. “The extensive experience that both studios have in creating compelling open world gameplay and rich, rewarding combat makes for a perfect partnership. Working together we’re ensuring Sleeping Dogs is the most intense and immersive game it can be.”

RIFT Ascended Weddings Trailer

2012/02/09
Jerry Paxton
News

The developers of the game RIFT wanted to pass along that they are hoping to go for a Guinness World Record next week for the most in-game marriages within a 24 hour period! Participate and those players will receive a new in-game title. Also, checkout the weddings trailer below!

EVE Online Gets Two New Websites

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

CCP Games has announced the launch of two new EVE Online related websites:

  • The new EVE Online.com site, designed as the perfect destination for those curious about EVE or trying it out
  • The new EVE Community portal, forged to fully support the award winning player community of EVE Online

Over at the sites, there is a wealth of stuff to check out, of particular note are the ship viewer, which showcases a portion of the ships of EVE Online, and the starmap, which pulls in-game data to show the dynamic and vast nature of the EVE Online game universe.

NeverDead First DLC Pack Details

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that the NeverDead Expansion Pack Volume 1 will be available for download on February 21, 2012. Fans will be able to expand their online experience with a new playable character, three new challenges within the expanded Asylum level and two new online costumes for the main character, Bryce Boltzmann.

In NeverDead, players become the immortal Bryce Boltzmann, a tragic hero who has endured a suffering existence due to the murder of his wife at the hands of Astaroth, the Demon King.  Moving through life without aspirations other than where he will find his next drink, he fights alongside his partner Arcadia for the National Anti-Demon Agency (NADA), exterminating modern day demonic forces.

Highlights of the NeverDead Expansion Pack Volume 1 include:

•       New Character: Play as the fashionable, charismatic pop-idol, Nikki Summerfield in cooperative challenges with your friends through online multiplayer.

•       Three New Gameplay Challenges – Revisit an expanded Asylum level with 3 all-new challenges:

– Egg Hunt: Scour the expanded Asylum level for collectables scoring points by delivering them to designated “Score Zones.” Make sure to hold on tight to your collectibles as opponents can snatch any that you drop along the way. With enemy ambush points and environmental hazards at every turn, this challenge is tricky!

– Fragile Alliance: A competitive race through a number of checkpoints spread across the map. You can interrupt other player’s progress by attacking each other. The increase of environmental hazards and enemy spawn points will keep you on your toes.

– Onslaught: Unlock the entire Asylum level section-by-section by defeating all enemies.. Demon-seals that block off areas will dissipate as you defeat enemies from the previous area, providing more-controlled player movement and encounters.

•       Two Additional Character Costumes: Dress Bryce up in these new costumes before going back into the online fray.

EA Sports SSX Soundtrack Revealed

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

February 7, 2012 – EA SPORTSTM today unveiled the complete music track listing for EA SPORTS SSXTM, featuring 36 licensed tracks* by established and upcoming artists and ten original tracks composed specifically for the game’s Deadly Descents. In addition, these original ten tracks – created by The Qemists, Camo & Krooked, Raffertie, and Amon Tobin – are now available for download as part of the ‘SSX’ soundtrack via iTunes®.

“SSX has always been one of EA’s most music intensive, genre diverse and sonically adventurous titles,” says Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music & Music Marketing. “The songs on this new soundtrack cover ground from indie rock, dub step, hip-hop, drum + bass and beyond. As fans of the ultimate snowboarding franchise have come to expect, our artists range from top cutting-edge stars to tomorrow’s hottest underground acts. Ultimately, it’s a soundtrack full of next-level music that is totally ripe for discovery.”

Gamers will have the ability to upload their own music to SSX to create custom playlists for menu and in-game music. SSX also features a dynamic music remix tool that will automatically remix licensed tracks and custom music based on the player’s actions and performance in-game.

One of the most critically-acclaimed titles coming out of E3, SSX is now featured on 14 ‘Most Anticipated Games of 2012’. SSX launches on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game system on February 28 in North America and by March 2 in the rest of the world**.

*The complete list of licensed tracks for the SSX soundtrack includes:

Artist

Track
Camo & Krooked Breezeblock
Camo & Krooked Portal
Dels Capsize ft. Joe Goddard & Roots Manuva
Digitalism Blitz
DJ Shadow I Gotta Rock (Irn Mnky Swagger Mix)
Felguk ft. Example Plastic Smile
Flux Pavilion I Can’t Stop
Foster the People Houdini
Handsome Furs Damage
Hyper Accelerate
J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science Magik (Egyptian Lover Remix) ft. Aima the Dream, Cait La Dee & Raashan Ahmad
Kid Digital Done With That ft. Profit
Konrad Old Money Big Error
Lateef the Truthspeaker Oakland ft. Del the Funky Homosapien & The Grouch
Nero Scorpions
Noisia Could this Be
Noisia Machine Gun
Pretty Lights Hot Like Dimes
Raffertie Twitch (It Grows and Grows: SSX Version)
Run-DMC It’s Tricky (SSX Pretty Lights Remix)
Skrillex Scatta ft. Foreign Beggers & Bare Noize
Styrofoam Ones Better
The Big Pink Stay Gold
The Herbaliser What You Asked For
The Hives 1000 Answers
The Naked and Famous Young Blood
The Prototypes Your Future
The Qemists Bones ft. Kellermensch
The Qemists Stompbox
The Qemists Lifeline
Theophilus London I Stand Alone (Ocelot Mix)
TRS-80 Mirage
Turbowolf A Rose for the Crows
Two Door Cinema Club Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix)
Wretch 32 Traktor
Zion I and the Grouch Drop It on the 1

 

A modern day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed arcade franchises of all-time, SSX will allow players to experience the franchise’s signature fun and adrenaline-packed gameplay across iconic regions all over the world. Using NASA topographical satellite data, SSX has a massive world for players to explore. Throughout nine expansive regions, SSX packs reality-defying gameplay into every run letting players Race, Trick, and Survive as they descend huge open mountains. In addition, Explore, Global Events and RiderNet – SSX’s recommendation engine – headline an online feature set that will redefine social competition for gamers, making it fun and easy to compete with friends with no lobbies or wait times.

**March 15, 2012 in Japan.

Tropico 4 Quick Dry Cement Add-On Launch Screens

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

Ridgewood, NJ, February 7, 2012 – In the previously released “Plantador” add-on content for Tropico 4, El Presidente was on his way to becoming a master gardener, and now with today’s “Quick Dry Cement” add-on, he’s moved into building his own concrete jungle. The new content, available today for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, adds the new Cement Factory building, along with additional character traits, costumes and more, all for a Swiss Bank Account-pleasing price of 400 Microsoft Points / $4.99 USD.

The Quick-dry Cement add-on pack contains:

  • Building: Cement Factory (accelerates all constructions on the island)
  • Character Trait: Constructor (free cement factory, construction workers gain skill faster)
  • Character Outfit / Vanity Item: Engineer helmet (for male and female avatars)
  • Mission theme: The largest city in the Caribbean – build a huge city across the whole island while fighting all kinds of disasters
  • Decorations: Tropican flagpole, Small park, Flower bed 2, Flowering tree 2, Constructor statue

Launch Screenshots

Skylanders Giants Announced

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

Santa Monica, CA – February 7, 2012 – Bring Your Toys To Life™. This novel premise takes a monster step forward with the worldwide unveiling of Skylanders Giants, the follow-up to the most successful kids’ IP launch of the year.¹ Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), will debut the sequel at the North American International Toy Fair in booths 3151 and 3251 at the Javits Center in New York City from February 12-15.

Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure uniquely combined collectible real-world toys with an epic virtual game world, creating a new platform for communal play that was embraced by parents and kids everywhere. Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure was the #1 best-selling kids’ franchise worldwide in 2011, as well as the #1 overall new IP launched in North America, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK.

¹According to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk

According to The NPD Group, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure went on to become a Top-10 seller in North America and generated the greatest overall single-year sales, inclusive of software and accessories, of any new children’s IP in North America, since NPD has been tracking the category.

Skylanders Giants builds upon the breakthrough fundamentals of the first game-merging the physical and virtual realms with an innovative line of cross-platform toy figures that have “brains,” which players everywhere can magically bring to life in the world of Skylands. This next installment of the franchise features a variety of new characters, new challenges, a thrilling new story-driven adventure, and advanced integration across console, handheld, mobile and online:

  • Going Big: Skylanders Giants introduces eight new highly collectible figures that are more than twice the size of the main skylanders cast in both physical and virtual form. Their in-game powers and abilities reflect their colossal scale.
  • Bright Lights: Helping to further the real world magic of bringing toys to life, Skylanders Giants includes a set of characters that feature spectacular new light technology integrated into the toys, allowing the figure to light up when near or on the Portal of Power™. These characters have additional in-game benefits as well. Batteries are not required.
  • Brand New Skylanders: Eight new regular sized skylanders, each with their own unique powers, abilities, and personality, join the adventure alongside the Giants.
  • Forward Compatibility: Every beloved character from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure is 100% compatible with Skylanders Giants, leveled-up stats and customizations intact.
  • Wider Worlds: Portal Masters will see all new arenas and more gameplay options in Battle Mode for exciting head-to-head play, as well as enhanced Elemental Zones, new Hero Challenges, and other features that encourage players to collect and level up every character.

Skylanders Giants also features closer integration with Skylanders Spyro’s Universe, the large online world that allows Portal Masters around the world to greatly expand their Skylanders experience.

“Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure’s success in 2011 validated an exciting idea-that with the right technology, and the creative minds to support it with engaging characters and story, we could define a new model for children’s play,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Skylanders Giants marks the evolution of this core concept. We’ve got super-sized figures, remarkably cool new characters that light up, as if by magic, and more ways to play and explore Skylands than ever before. We’re delighted to announce the title at Toy Fair 2012 and can’t wait for fans to go hands-on this fall.”

Toys”R”Us has reaffirmed its commitment to Activision and the Skylanders franchise, and will remain a marquee retail partner for the launch of Skylanders Giants. “While it was still in development, we recognized the potential that Skylanders had to connect with our customers due to its unique merging of physical and digital play,” said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys”R”Us, Inc. “The game was an enormous success last holiday shopping season, and the toys seem to evaporate as soon as they arrive on our store shelves.  We’re excited to continue our enthusiastic support for Skylanders with a comprehensive, global marketing program to introduce Giants to our customers.”

Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Now Available

2012/02/08
Jerry Paxton
News

Square Enix has announced the first downloadable content for FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 is now available via the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and PlayStation®Network. In the latest Coliseum battle “Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar,” Lightning and her former superior officer stand in the way of Serah and Noel. When defeated, Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar can be added to the player’s party.

Additional episodes which enhance the experience and complement the narrative of FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 with storyline branches for key characters in the story will be revealed at a later date.

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 is available now for the PlayStation®3 system and the Xbox®360.