Author - Jerry Paxton

Zen Studios Announces CastleStorm

2012/05/30
Jerry Paxton
E3, News

Los Angeles, CA – May 30, 2012 – Zen Studios today announced CastleStorm, a brand-new, original title for digital distribution, set to release in 2012 for Xbox LIVE® Arcade and other digital platforms.

Set in a colorful medieval world, CastleStorm is a new breed of 2D archery projectile warfare and 2D physics-based structure destruction game. Players will experience a challenging mix of real time strategy, resource management, and a variety of different gameplay scenarios.

CastleStorm features medieval ballista weaponry, allowing players to launch an assortment of explosive weapons including Morningstars, Apple Grenades, Homing Eagles, and even flying sheep to defeat an onslaught of enemies trying to capture your flag and destroy your castle. Deploy a fearsome ground attack of swordsmen, knights, and donkey riders in order to protect your castle games, and if all else fails, call upon powerful spells to help keep the enemy at bay.

“CastleStorm is frantic tower defense warfare with tons of weapons, enemies and characters. Fending off a barrage of Direwolves, Bear Riders and Hammer Throwers while destroying an enemy castle will make you laugh, think and adapt in order to survive!” said Mel Kirk, Zen Studios Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations.

Zen Studios released a first look CastleStorm trailer, which can be linked from the Zen Studios YouTube channel, or downloaded from the Castle Storm press site.

In addition, CastleStorm features a tower construction editor that allows players to construct their own custom castles that will be used in battle. Castles must be constructed wisely, as choices determine which types of troops and resources will be available during battle!

“Building castles and then knocking them down was fun as a kid, and it’s still fun now. CastleStorm gives you that and a whole lot more!” said Neil Sorens, Zen Studios Creative Director.

Zen Studios will demo CastleStorm at the upcoming E3 conference in Los Angeles, CA.

For more information, visit http://www.castlestormgame.com, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Teaser

2012/05/30
Jerry Paxton
News

BUDAPEST – May 30, 2012 – Independent developer NeocoreGames have tracked down the first-ever teaser trailer and screenshots for recently announced The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, giving would-be monster hunters their first glimpse of the young Van Helsing, the brash and larger-than-life hero of the upcoming action-RPG title. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, loosely based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, is being developed for PC and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Featuring young Van Helsing, son of the famed monster hunter, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing sets players on a fantastical journey to Borgovia, a kingdom on the very edge Eastern Europe, and the perilous lands surrounding it. In a place where unexplainable technology and supernatural creatures are prevalent, players will take on the role of the romantically dark protagonist in this modernization of the legendary vampire killer. Featuring an immersive storyline, a memorable cast of characters, and a beautifully dark and gothic art style, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing looks to test the bravest hunters in Q4 2012.

Trailer

Wargaming Announces E3 2012 Lineup

2012/05/30
Jerry Paxton
E3, News

30th May, 2012 — Wargaming.net, the award-winning game publisher and developer, today announced their participation in the 2012 E3 Expo taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center June 5th through June 7th. After last year’s massive success of World of Tanks, including awards from outlets such as MMORPG and Massively, the company plans to expand on last year’s presence with larger gaming spaces dedicated to its hugely successful game World of Tanks, as well as its highly anticipated upcoming title World of Warplanes.

Located at Booth 601 in the South Hall and occupying 10,000 square feet, the enormous Wargaming.net booth will feature 21 dedicated gaming stations for World of Tanks, as well as 28 stations for World of Warplanes. The company’s partnership with Alienware will also see each station outfitted with a high-end X51 gaming machine, ensuring that each gameplay session is delivered at the optimal visual and performance level.

Expo attendees looking to make a name for themselves can also participate in the “World of Warplanes Get Airborne” contest, taking place each day at the booth from the opening of the show until 4:30 PM PST. Ambitious pilots will be able to take part in matches in three iconic aircraft and submit their earned credits to potentially win a number of prizes given out daily, including an Alienware Aurora Package, Logitech G940 Flight System and more. Wargaming.net will also be livestreaming booth activities all three days of the show, including new video content and shoutcasted exhibition matches each hour. The livestream will be found at http://www.twitch.tv/worldoftanks.

In addition to World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, representatives from Wargaming.net will be available for interviews to share exciting new details regarding the company’s growth and future plans, including the recent opening of offices in South Korea and Singapore.

“Last year Wargaming.net showed the world that World of Tanks was a global phenomenon and a leader in the free-to-play and MMO space,” said Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi. “This year we’re taking that success and expanding on it with even more great content for World of Tanks, plus the official unveiling of World of Warplanes. You won’t be disappointed!”

THQ Announces WWE 13

2012/05/30
Jerry Paxton
News

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Last summer, one man revolutionized the current WWE (NYSE: WWE) landscape. In a legendary moment at the end of Monday Night Raw®, WWE Superstar CM Punk® – as the voice of the voiceless – changed everything the world knew about WWE. Through his words and actions, a new leader emerged to set a higher standard, convey a new brand of attitude and ultimately ignite a revolution among the WWE Universe.

It’s not the first time WWE has seen such rebellion. Nearly 15 years ago, the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin® also revolutionized the WWE realm, sparking a new generation of supporters through his relentless, antihero behavior in one of WWE’s most celebrated time periods ever: the “Attitude Era.” Why did it happen? In his words, “’Cause Stone Cold said so.”

Today, a new crusade is on the horizon, and it doesn’t start with an iconic WWE Superstar on television, online or at a live event. THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced development of WWE® ’13, the revolutionary next installment in the WWE flagship videogame franchise. Positioned to offer the most authentic, extensive and fervent experience to date, including the debut of a brand new WWE Live™ audio and presentation system, as well as a single-player campaign based on the highly influential “Attitude Era,” WWE ’13 is currently in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Wii™ system from Nintendo, with a scheduled release date of October 30, 2012 in North America.

“WWE ’13 is certain to ignite our enthusiastic, worldwide fan base and encourage them to live a revolution that simply cannot be ignored,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President, Global Brand Management, THQ. “WWE Live will bring the impassioned WWE live event experience into the living rooms of consumers, while critical core gameplay improvements and a serious dose of attitude will enable them to experience WWE action like never before.”

THQ Announces New Pres, Leadership Restructuring

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
News

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.– THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) announced today that it has appointed Jason Rubin as President, effective immediately. Mr. Rubin, who brings to THQ 20 years of successful experience in the video game and digital sectors, will be responsible for all of THQ’s worldwide product development, marketing, and publishing operations, and will report to Brian Farrell, THQ Chairman and CEO.

Mr. Rubin is acknowledged as one of the leading business and creative forces in the video game industry. He co-founded Naughty Dog, one of the industry’s most successful and critically acclaimed game developers. While at Naughty Dog, Mr. Rubin served as the co-creator and game director of the “Crash Bandicoot” PlayStation and “Jak and Daxter” PlayStation 2 series of games, which combined have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. In 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment America acquired Naughty Dog, and Mr. Rubin led the Naughty Dog team until 2004. Mr. Rubin also co-founded Flektor, a media mashup tool, which was acquired in 2007 by Fox Interactive Media, a division of Newscorp.

“Jason’s proven track record in the industry speaks for itself, and he is one of the brightest minds in the business,” said Brian Farrell. “We believe he can be a game changer and can contribute immensely to executing on our strategy of delivering quality connected core game experiences.”

“THQ has incredible internal and external game development teams, and an exciting slate of games in its development pipeline,” said Jason Rubin. “The recent transformation of THQ into a creator of wholly-owned IP has placed it in a perfect position to leverage future trends in the game business. I look forward to working with the management team and board to realize the company’s goals.”

Rubin’s appointment comes as THQ realigns its focus from a maker of licensed games for broad audiences to a developer of AAA “Core” games for multiple platforms. For Fiscal 2013, the company’s line-up includes wholly-owned IP from Vigil Games (Darksiders® II), Volition, Inc. (Saint’s Row®: The Third™ – Enter the Dominatrix), Relic Entertainment (Company of Heroes® 2) as well as Metro: Last Light, South Park™: The Game and WWE® ‘13.

The company also has appointed Jason Kay as its Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Kay, who will report to Mr. Rubin, co-founded Flektor with Mr. Rubin and has served as an executive and advisor to companies such as Activision, Columbia House and Home Box Office during his more than seventeen years in the media and technology business.

THQ also announced that Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games, is leaving to pursue other interests. “Danny has made significant contributions to THQ, and we thank him for his efforts,” said Mr. Farrell. In addition, the company announced that Dave Davis, SVP Core Studios, will be leaving. “Along with Danny, Dave has been instrumental in getting our strong pipeline into production,” Mr. Farrell continued.

Konami Announces Second Pre-E3 Show

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
E3, News

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – May 29, 2012 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the second-annual global Pre-E3 Show will take place on May 31, 2012 at 10:30PM, Pacific Standard Time.

The second online showcase will dazzle fans and gaming enthusiasts with advance showings of the new releases, exclusive game trailers and insightful interviews of key titles that will debut at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, CA.

“KONAMI’s annual Pre-E3 show underscores the company’s commitment to providing the biggest and best content that fans have been waiting for throughout the year, in advance of the world’s marquee video game conference,” said Tomoyuki Tsuboi, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

For additional information, please visit www.konami.com/e3 on May 31, 2012 to watch the show.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event is one of the largest conventions held in Los Angeles. Computer and video game companies, business partners, media, and industry analysts from over 90 countries will converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 5-7, 2012, to attend this year’s E3. Last year’s E3 attracted over 46,000 attendees and 200 exhibitors.

New Battlefield Play4Free Screenshots

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
News

Today, Electronic Arts and Battlefield Play4Free released some all-new ‘Myanmar’ jungle map screenshots – enjoy!

Screenshots

New Rock Band Blitz Tracks Revealed

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
News

Cambridge, Mass. – May 29th, 2012– Today Harmonix has announced 11 additional tracks and more exciting Power-up details for Rock Band™ Blitz, the all-new downloadable title coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network that brings the excitement of a full band experience into your hand! Designed for use with a standard controller, Rock Band Blitz is beat-match gameplay evolved… fast paced, over the top and no instrument peripherals required!

Rock Band Blitz will support the biggest music library in gaming, fully compatible with hundreds of songs already available in the Rock Band Music Store, as well as tracks exported from Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and more! Additionally, Rock Band Blitzwill ship with more than 20 songs from music’s biggest artists, include the following songs that have just been announced:

  • The All-American Rejects – “Kids in the Street”
  • Barenaked Ladies – “One Week”
  • Collective Soul – “Shine”
  • Elton John – “I’m Still Standing”
  • Fall Out Boy – “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More ‘Touch Me’”
  • Great White – “Once Bitten Twice Shy”
  • Iron Maiden – “The Wicker Man”
  • Living Colour – “Cult of Personality”
  • P!nk – “Raise Your Glass”
  • Shinedown – “Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)”
  • Tears for Fears – “Shout”
More songs will be revealed this summer, so stay tuned! For a full list of songs revealed so far, including music from Blink-182, Foster the People, and more, head to http://www.rockband.com/games/rockbandblitz!Players will rock out to their favorite tracks while fighting to outscore their friends in Rock Band Blitz! The key to making scores soar are Rock Band Blitz’s over-the-top Power-ups, which players equip before launching into their favorite tracks. Topping the leaderboards is all about strategically selecting Power-up loadouts that best suit personal player styles and deploying these score boosters at the perfect time in each song.

There are over 15 Power-ups for players to unlock across three different categories, including the following that have just been revealed today:

Overdrive Power-ups: Play glowing notes to earn Energy, then deploy insane Overdrive Power-ups, including…

  • Shockwave: Sends a sonic wave that earns you bonus points for every note it touches! The more Energy you’ve stored, the larger the Shockwave!
  • Point Doubler: Earns two times the points for every note played!
  • Jackpot: Launch Jackpot to start a run that will earn you three times the points if you can play a section of notes perfectly. Be careful – miss a note and you lose it all!
Note Power-ups: Equip Note Power-ups to randomly scatter glowing purple notes throughout a song. Hit those notes for some wild, point-boosting effects, like…
  • Flame note: Hit this note to start a fire. Follow the spreading blaze to earn bonus points!
  • Runaway Note: Trigger this type of note to send a spark down the track. Chase that runaway note down and get the big points.
  • Synchrony: For the rhythm junkie, Synchrony gives you bonus points for switching on the downbeat. Switching at the measure markers also plays notes on both tracks!

Harmonix has also released a video that takes a look at two of the game’s Power-ups, Bandmate and Pinball. The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6furl1DQTck&feature=youtu.be

Website Links:
For more information, please visit:

                Rock Band Blitz website

Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Announced

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
News

Arena Net and NCSoft have announced another beta weekend for their hotly-anticipated Guild Wars 2! This weekend is open to anyone who has pre-purchased the game. Checkout the letter below, announcing the event, from Producer Chris Whiteside. You can also checkout the original post here!

Heroes of Tyria!

My name is Chris Whiteside, and I’m the lead producer of Guild Wars 2. Normally, I’m head-down in the trenches, making sure we’re producing the best MMO possible, but I wanted to come up for air and share some exciting news with you:

Beta Weekend Event 2 will begin on Friday, June 8th, at noon PDT (GMT-7) and will run until Sunday, June 10th, at 11:59 p.m. PDT (GMT-7).

If that isn’t enough to get you all bursting with excitement, here is some more news:

Your existing beta characters have not been deleted, and you will be able to continue right where you left off! This means that enterprising players with characters level 35 or higher will be able to test their mettle against the explorable version of the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon!

In addition to sharing this news with you, I want to convey a massive “thank you” to all of you for playing in our beta events so far. The participation and enthusiasm we’ve seen has exceeded our expectations, and we’re all very grateful and appreciative here at the studio. Your support during our first Beta Weekend Event and throughout development has been instrumental in getting us prepared for launch and helping us take massive steps in the evolution of Guild Wars 2 as a whole. You, our community, are an integral part of the development process, and Guild Wars 2 simply would not be what it is today without you.

Your participation is even more important when you consider that we take our beta events very seriously in terms of our development strategy. At ArenaNet, “beta event” means exactly that—it’s a development-centric event in which we test our systems, discover new and exciting bugs, and get pivotal feedback from our testers about what is going in the right direction and what isn’t.

We have listened intently to all of your feedback from our first Beta Weekend Event, and we’ve made great strides toward resolving many of the issues you’ve helped us identify. These include party movement into overflow servers, chat functionality, key bindings, server stability, performance, and many more that we will detail in the near future.

Of course, there’s no denying the benefits of having such a vocal, outspoken community. And I’m not speaking just in terms of development; I’m also referring to how our players are spreading the word that Guild Wars 2 is more than just a game, it’s an evolving, online world that is shaped and driven by its players. Our community and our studio won’t accept anything less than excellence, and above all else, we both value a pioneering approach to the future of online worlds.

Having said all that, what is the one thing we most look forward to in our second Beta Weekend Event? In a nutshell, it’s getting the chance to play with you all: sharing a world we’ve built together, discovering what’s great and what could be better, and defining a ground-breaking world that we can all enjoy for many years to come. That’s what these beta events mean to us.

For those who haven’t yet pre-purchased Guild Wars 2, you’ll still have a chance to play in the beta. We’re teaming up with our partners to give away keys for Beta Weekend Event 2, so follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest news.

Thank you all so much for your support, care, and enthusiasm—we couldn’t do it without you!

See you in-game,

Chris Whiteside

(a.k.a. Snowcrash)

Razer Unveils BlackShark Gaming Headset

2012/05/29
Jerry Paxton
News

CARLSBAD, Calif.–Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, today announced the addition of a custom headset to its Collector’s Edition gaming peripheral suite. Inspired by tactical aviator headsets and armed with total audio immersion, the Razer BlackShark delivers the full force aural intensity of Battlefield 3, EA and DICE’s military shooter masterwork, the fastest-selling game in EA history.

Battlefield 3 is the most physical, dynamic and progressive shooter experience on the market. Now with the Razer BlackShark, gamers will be able to take to the skies feeling like a genuine attack helicopter pilot with complete circumaural ear cups designed to facilitate an authentic auditory in-game experience. Razer’s superior sound-isolating technology blocks out undesirable ambient noises and, for moments of truce, the Razer BlackShark comes with a detachable boom microphone for use on-the-go.

“The Razer BlackShark is a PC gaming headset with crisp audio and booming bass that is built for a highly intense shooter like Battlefield 3,” said Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, president of Razer USA. “It lets you hear the gunfire, the explosions and the thunderous roar of the jets, as if you were in the heat of the battle. Designed based on headsets sported by real attack helicopter pilots, no serious soldiers on the frontlines of Battlefield 3 should be without their Razer BlackShark.”

About the Razer BlackShark Gaming Headset:

With an exclusive Battlefield 3 design, the Razer BlackShark brings forth extreme comfort for long, extended missions and top-notch sound isolation. The leatherette sealant of the headset’s ear cups cancels out unwanted ambient noise and allows players to focus on the battle audio and tactical radio chatter of the game. The amazing design of the Razer BlackShark can be showcased wherever one goes thanks to the detachable boom microphone for added portability. The Razer BlackShark Gaming Headset is a vital resource for the dynamic and intense auditory demands of the military shooter, Battlefield 3.

Price:

US $129.99 / EU €129.99

Availability:

Razerzone.com – July 2012

Worldwide – July 2012

Product features:

  • Exclusive Battlefield 3 design
  • Stereo sound with enhanced bass
  • Sound-isolating circumaural ear cup design
  • Detachable boom microphone for voice chat or added mobility
  • Audio/Mic splitter adapter cable
  • Memory foam leatherette ear cushions for maximum comfort
  • 40mm neodymium magnet stereo drivers

Technical Specifications:

  • Drivers: 40mm neodymium magnets with copper-clad aluminum voice coil
  • Frequency response: 20Hz – 20KHz
  • Impedance: 29 Ω
  • Sensitivity @ 1KHz: 105dB ± 3 dB
  • Input power: 50mW
  • Cable: 1.3m / 4.3ft rubber sheathed + 1m / 3.3ft audio/mic splitter adapter
  • Connector: 3.5 mm gold-plated audio + mic combined jack
  • Microphone:
  • Frequency response: 50Hz – 16KHz
  • Signal-to-noise ratio: 50dB
  • Sensitivity @ 1KHz: -37 dB +/- 4dB
  • Pick-up pattern: Unidirectional

Hardware Requirements:

Devices with separate 3.5mm audio and mic jacks

Devices with combined 3.5mm audio + mic combined jack (works with all portable audio/mobile/computing devices including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android phones, Razer Blade, Macbook Pro, or today’s newer Ultrabooks.)
1m / 3.3ft audio/mic splitter adapter extension cable included

For more information about the Razer BlackShark, please visit www.razerzone.com/BlackShark