Author - Jerry Paxton

Black Ops II Hits $1 Billion in Sales

2012/12/05
Jerry Paxton
Industry News, News, PlayStation 3 News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

Santa Monica, CA – December 5, 2012 –Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that Call 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.

¹According to screenrant.com

“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.

New Resident Evil 6 Content On the Way

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

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.

Spike VGA Commercial Features Past Hosts

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 3 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

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.

Video

Paradox Interactive to Expand North American Presence

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
Industry News, News

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.

MWO Update Brings 8v8, ECMs, New Mech, and More

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

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.

Razer Announces Carcharias Headset for Xbox 360

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Peripherals News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Dec. 4, 2012 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, announced its new and improved Razer Carcharias gaming headset for the Xbox 360®. Building on the ergonomic and aural standard set by the original Razer Carcharias for the PC, this new gaming headset from Razer brings pro audio fidelity to console gaming with extraordinary comfort.

From beach landings and storming the enemy fort to blasting undead in outer space, the full over-ear coverage of the Razer Carcharias ensures a comfortable fit. It boasts a fully adjustable, padded head rail, 1.25 in/3.18 cm on either side, to accommodate a wide range of head sizes, with its soft, pliable, removable ear cups.

Keeping superior clarity and deep, thumping bass of high-quality drivers, the Razer Carcharias for Xbox 360/PC is now amplified for even greater, more powerful sound. It also comes with a new inline remote control to adjust bass and voice levels versus game volume, ideal for Xbox LIVE play. The headset works out of the box with legacy and current-gen Xbox 360 systems and required cables and adapters are included to ensure that gamers can connect to any Xbox 360.

“Xbox gamers – get ready to experience extreme comfort with circumaural ear cups and interchangeable ear cushions with the new Carcharias,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, president of Razer USA. “This fan favorite of ours is now redesigned for the Xbox 360 and gamers are going to love it.”

About the New Razer Carcharias for Xbox 360®/PC

The Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset for Xbox 360® is a circumaural gaming headset designed for extended hours of gameplay with superior gaming audio, clarity, and bass. Get ready to experience extreme comfort with circumaural ear cups and interchangeable ear cushions.

Just like its ferocious predecessor, the original Razer Carcharias, the all-new Razer Carcharias for Xbox/PC delivers superior, realistic audio with clarity and deep, thumping bass.

Price:

U.S. $69.99 / EU €69.99

Availability:

Razerzone.com – Order Now

Worldwide – December 2012

Product Features

  •  Extended comfort circumaural design
  •  Adjustable voice and game volume balance
  • Connectivity to all Xbox 360® systems
  • Noise filtering microphone
  • Ambient green glow on headset logo
  • Headphones
    • Frequency Response: 20 – 20,000 Hz
    • Impedance: 32 O at 1 kHz
    • Sensitivity (@1 kHz, 1 V/Pa): 102 ± 4 dB at 1 kHz max
    • Input Power: 200 mW
    • Drivers: 40 mm, with Neodymium Magnets
    • Inner Ear Cup Diameter: 50 mm / 1.97 in.
    • Cable Length: 3 m / 9.84 ft.
    • Approximate Weight: 300 g / 0.66 lbs.
  • Microphone
    • Frequency Response: 50 – 16,000 Hz
    • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 50 dB
    • Sensitivity (@1 kHz, 1 V/Pa): -37 ± 4 dB
    • Pick-up Pattern: Unidirectional
    • Cable: 3 m / 9.84 ft, Rubber Sheath
    • Connector: 2x 3.5 mm Headphone and Mic Jacks, 1x USB Connector

For more information about the new Razer Carcharias for Xbox 360, please visit http://www.razerzone.com/carcharias

The War Z Enters Beta, Announces New Content

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

LOS ANGELES – December 4, 2012 – After a highly successful public Alpha that cultivated a community of more than 500,000 players, the online, multiplayer survival game The War Z is officially transitioning to Beta today.  This latest evolution will include several new features, including the release of the full game map as well as new purchase options for incoming players. The War Z is developed by Hammerpoint Interactive and is currently available for purchase at http://thewarz.com/buy.

With the start of Beta, The War Z development team is introducing some highly sought after content and features, including:
  • New Characters – new playable characters
  • Clan Support – in-game clan tags, in-game clan chat, visual markers for clan members
  • New Playable Area – final section of the “Colorado” game world opened up, increasing current map size by 50 percent
  • New Items – players will have access to new items in the game marketplace
Additionally, to honor the core community that supported the game through Alpha, Hammerpoint will be providing current players with a bevy of perks and also eliminating the existing “Survivor, Pioneer and Legend” game packages, which will be replaced with three different packages for new players.  The new packages will include guest keys and in-game currency, but will not include any of the special recognition perks offered with the previous packs.  More information can be found at http://www.thewarz.com/buy.
“We are extremely happy with the way our public Alpha has been going,” said Sergey Titov, executive producer for The War Z. “We will now move to a short Beta period before we transition again to our Foundation Release, at which point we will continue to work with our community to add features and content that will continue the evolution of the game.  As long as our players keep playing, we will keep developing!”
The War Z is an online, multiplayer, survival-simulation game set in an open world infested with zombies.  Players are thrust into this post-apocalyptic world five-years after a viral outbreak that ravaged the human population and left, in its wake, a nightmare of epic proportion.  Hordes of undead zombies roam the cities, and the few remaining human beings have devolved into a lawless, nomadic society where the sole objective is to survive at any cost. Players must use skill and cunning in order to acquire food, weapons and other supplies necessary for survival.  While navigating the vast landscape, they will discover cities teeming with the undead as well as other players that may or may not be friendly.
Players can visit http://www.thewarz.com for more information.
They can also have a chance to win gear and game access by “liking” on Facebook (http://facebook.com/warzmmo) and “following” on Twitter (http://twitter.com/the_war_z).

New Tomb Raider Screenshots

2012/12/04
Jerry Paxton
News, PlayStation 3 News, Screenshots / Photos, Xbox 360 News

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have released some new screenshots from their upcoming Tomb Raider, which is slated to launch March 5, 2013.

Screenshots

The Walking Dead Season One Review (PC)

2012/12/03
Jerry Paxton
News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Just finishing up the fifth and final episode of Telltale Games The Walking Dead Season One, I am left in a state of reflection. Reflection upon everything that happened to the various characters in the game, the choices I made, and how I might have done things differently. This is also a very tricky thing to review as the story is so rich in terms of character and plot development that I cannot in good conscience spoil it for those of you who have not finished it yet. So, this leaves me with a conundrum – what can I say about it? To remedy my vexing situation, I will try to keep things as abstract as possible.

First, this season of Telltale Games The Walking Dead has been chock full of surprises. The story has been interesting and captivating – from the initial car ride in Episode 1 all the way up until Episode 5’s final moments. I am left wanting desperately to see how Telltale Games is going to handle the second season of the series. There are simply so many story avenues the developers can pursue, it’s staggering and leaves me trying to think of them all – and coming up short. Aside from the game’s incredible and engrossing story line, The Walking Dead on PC is not perfect. It does have its occasional control issues (thankfully, they lessen a lot as the season progresses) and, at times, dialog choices don’t seem to mean quite what the player thinks they do when selecting them.

The game’s voice acting has been very decent, despite the occasional wooden performance. Thankfully, hardcore fans of the comic book series shouldn’t have much trouble with this as the holistic joy the game brings – seeing and playing a version of that comic book on your computer, is astounding. If you have only experienced The Walking Dead on television, you will probably feel different about the game’s voice actors. They simply are not as realistic as the acting provided by the likes of Andrew Lincoln, John Bernthal, and Norman Reedus (to name just a few). By the way, if you fall into that category, take my advice and pick up the comic book series – you won’t be disappointed. Also, you are welcome. 🙂

Visually, The Walking Dead Season One is very much like watching a comic book come to life on your computer screen. The graphics are not super-uber-FXAA-slick-3D-A#1. The game’s visuals are exactly what they need to be: “Simplistically” graphic novel-like, beautifully-rendered, and, at times, terrifying to watch. The coupling of the game’s visual style and some of the action that unfolds over the course of the series leads to some of the highest “pucker factor” moments I have experienced in a game all year.

Overall, if you have not picked up The Walking Dead Season One, you are simply missing out on one of the best gameplay experiences of 2012. You can buy the full season of The Walking Dead on Steam for about $25 dollars. It is easily worth twice that much.

[easyreview title=”The Walking Dead Season One Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″] Our Rating Scores Explained