Author - Jerry Paxton

FOAMSTARS Goes Free-to-Play on PS4 and PS5

1 month ago

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos

FOAMSTARS™, the vibrant, online 4v4 foam party shooter from SQUARE ENIX®, is now free-to-play on PlayStation®5 (PS5®) and PlayStation®4 (PS4®). Those with or without a PlayStation®Plus subscription can now play the game for no entry charge. Players who downloaded FOAMSTARS before the free-to-play transition can continue playing with no disturbances.

Alongside the update, SQUARE ENIX launched DIAMOND JAM, the eighth season for FOAMSTARS, running now until November 7*.

In DIAMOND JAM, new elements will be added to enhance the gameplay further, including “Diamond Chips”, which are tokens earned through playing the game, and “Diamond Trade”, allowing players to trade these chips for various items such as skins, slideboards, emotes, and more. To celebrate the start of the new season, there will be a special login bonus that allows players to obtain Diamond Chips.

Five maps will also be added to SMASH THE STAR, including Shoreline Shoppin’ Spree, Rubber Duck’s Spa-larious Oasis, Fusion Coaster Kingdom, Sing Swing Circus from RUBBER DUCK PARTY, and Dancefloor Dreamland from EXTREME PARTY’s Pitchside Homerun Party. In addition, those in the PRIVATE PARTY mode can experience four extra maps from HAPPY BATH SURVIVAL.

Additionally, players can participate in new WAVE boss battles during SQUAD MISSIONS as well as limited-time seasonal events including RANKED PARTY, where players compete to climb the ladder of one of the seven ranked glories with teams or solo and EXTREME PARTY, which features multiple events, all with special rules!

DIAMOND JAM Season Pass players will receive a foam gun skin for The Baristador, as well as slide board skins and a Ramzey character skin for free. Players can obtain XP by completing battles, missions and Weekly Challenges to advance through the season tiers and earn various rewards such as additional skins and items. Players who purchase a Premium Season Pass, which is available for $5.99, will unlock even more rewards as all rewards up to each player’s current tier will be unlocked immediately.

For more information, including events, updates and more, please visit the FOAMSTARS blog and social channels.

*DIAMOND JAM will run from October 3, 2024, 6pm PDT until November 7, 2024, 5pm PST.

FOAMSTARS is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
An internet connection is required to play FOAMSTARS.

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter & Republic Commando Bundle Out Now

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News

Aspyr, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, is excited to announce the new STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter & Republic Commando Bundle. This two-pack collection, featuring the recently released STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter (2024) and STAR WARS Republic Commando (2021) titles, is available today on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5, and PlayStation®4 for SRP $29.99, with an additional $5 launch discount for a limited time on Nintendo Switch for SRP $24.99 total!

The STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter & Republic Commando Bundle includes:

STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter

Bring in your bounty, dead or alive. In this classic third-person action-adventure, you’ll become Jango Fett, Prime Clone of the Grand Army of the Republic, hired to capture a deranged Dark Jedi. This new title brings the original STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter (2002) to modern platforms with an updated camera system, modern control options, multiple visual enhancements, improved environmental textures, new dynamic lighting effects, and a new flashlight tool for navigating the galaxy’s darkest places.

STAR WARS Republic Commando

The squad is your weapon. Welcome to the Clone Wars: Chaos has erupted throughout the galaxy. As leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately annihilate the enemy. Battle a variety of deadly enemies—from brutal Trandoshan mercenaries to the flying insectoid warriors of Geonosis. Your squad will follow your orders, performing complex commands and strategic maneuvers.

The STAR WARS: Bounty Hunter & Republic Commando Bundle is available now on the PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop.

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream Launch Trailer

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox Series X News

Today, Bandai Namco released SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream’s launch trailer, which showcases the title’s story to commemorate its release.

Embark on a journey through time and cyberspace in SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream, where worlds collide and heroes and villains unite. Join forces with characters from across the SWORD ART ONLINE universe in epic 20-player raids to battle against powerful enemies. Select your hero, rally with your team and push forward to victory.

Players will experience key features including:

Online Multiplayer: Play with up to 20 players to join quests, tackle boss raids, or explore freely in a unique co-op experience
Iconic Characters: Play as any of the 21 iconic heroes and villains from across the franchise’s history
Distinct Classes: Choose from six classes, including Fighter, Tank, Rogue, Ranger, Mage or Support, each bringing unique roles and advantages to the battlefield
Character Enhancement: Collect and upgrade a wide array of weapons and accessories to strengthen your team
Complete Customization: Personalize each character’s appearance with cosmetics and decorations
Single-Player Story Mode: Enjoy a brand new original story crafted exclusively for the game

SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream is a multiplayer-focused adventure based on the popular SWORD ART ONLINE series that is now available for purchase on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch™, and PC via STEAM®. For more information, visit https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/sword-art-online-fractured-daydream.

The Indie Horror Showcase 2024 Lineup Teaser

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Halloween, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

After more than doubling the submissions from the 2023 showcase, indie horror publisher DreadXP is thrilled to announce the lineup for their upcoming Indie Horror Showcase. Partnering with The Media Indie Exchange (The MIX), the showcase will air on Thursday, October 24th at 10 am PDT. The 2024 Indie Horror Showcase will be hosted by John Wolfe, an established content creator in the horror genre known for his video essays, horror movie commentary, ghost debunking, Goosebumps retrospectives, and horror game playthroughs. This year’s broadcast will feature over 60 brand-new bone-chilling trailers, including announcements, premieres, demo releases, new info, and… surprises to keep you on your toes.

Here’s a small glimpse at some of the studios presenting at The Indie Horror Showcase:

Nightdive Studios (The Thing: Remastered), Wayforward (Clock Tower: Rewind), Misfit Village & Nordcurrent Labs (Go Home Annie), POLLARD STUDIO LLC & Wired Productions (KARMA: The Dark World), Torture Star Video (Sniper Killer) ,à la mode games & Akupara Games (Sorry We’re Closed), David Wehle (We Harvest Shadows), and more!

While the DreadXP team won’t be presenting any new announcements of their own for the showcase this year, watch your back and don’t close your eyes… they still have plenty of exciting news to share this month.

The Indie Horror Showcase will be live-streamed on Thursday, October 24, 2023, at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT and will be streamed by The MIX (YouTube, Twitch.tv) and DreadXP’s YouTube and Steam publisher page, with co-streamers to follow.

Diplomacy is Not An Option Out Now

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Door 407 is thrilled today to launch the hit RTS game Diplomacy is Not An Option into 1.0 after over two years in early access! The 1.0 launch brings with it a full campaign featuring dozens of missions, multiple factions, meaningful decisions and over 100 hours of story content. Diplomacy is Not an Option is available now on Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG and Humble for $29.99/£24.99/€28.99, with an additional 35% off discount on all stores until October 18. Watch the all-new launch trailer and ready your soldiers for the battle of a lifetime!

Set in a medieval fantasy realm, Diplomacy is Not an Option is a base-building survival RTS with an active pause, where your choices decide the destiny of the world. Players step into the well-worn shoes of the minor Lord, forced to fight…like, all the time! And always outnumbered! With over 25,000 enemies ready to attack your castle, you’ll need to build your walls, raise loyal armies, and battle on an entirely new scale. If you hope to survive, you’ll have to master engineering, your economy, and even magic.

Diplomacy is Not an Option has received “Very Positive” Steam user reviews since launching into early access in February 2022, building a dedicated community of players. The game’s 1.0 launch features the complete story campaign, bringing its total content to over 100 hours of gameplay.

LoL Streamer Tyler1 Can Now Coach You In-Game with Backseat AI

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos

Clout Kitchen, a consumer AI startup with operations in Los Angeles and Manila, today announced its $4.45 million seed funding round.

The round was co-led by a16z SPEEDRUN and Peak XV’s Surge – with participation from Taiwan’s AppWorks, Antler, Hustle Fund, Founders Launchpad, Orvel Ventures, and founders & creators like Gabby Dizon (YGG), Kun Gao (Crunchyroll), Voyboy, Jankos and Perkz.

Established in 2024, Clout Kitchen builds creator-powered interactive experiences in gaming and pop culture that unlock new ways for top creators to engage and expand their fan base.

Clout Kitchen is led by serial gaming and creator economy builders.

Justin Gorriceta-Banusing (CEO) founded and scaled AcadArena (SEA and LatAm’s leading campus gaming platform) to series A and an exit while in college. In high school, they built CONQuest Festival – the largest creator event in SEA with 80K+ attendees.
Marcel Feldkamp (CBO) was a pioneering League of Legends pro/creator who played in the 2013 World Championship. After retiring, he founded the gaming talent agency Prime, which later joined United Talent Agency via Press X.

Clout Kitchen’s first product is Backseat AI, an in-game “buddy” for League of Legends co-built with Tyler “Tyler1” Steinkamp – one of the world’s biggest gaming content creators with over 20 million followers. Backseat AI is Riot-compliant and guides players on best playing the game in real-time – from what characters to pick to which items to buy, all by an AI voice twin of their favorite creator. Since launching early access testing in June, the product has hit over 45,000 waitlist signups.

“Our thesis at Clout Kitchen is to build things that grow the pie and add value for fans, creators, and game developers alike,” said Justin Banusing, CEO, Clout Kitchen. “We grew up in this space, so it’s our way of giving back.”

Pricing starts at US$4.99 monthly for each creator “buddy,” who earns from every subscription. Backseat AI’s buddies roster continues to expand with streamer & cosplayer Emiru and pro player Jankos – with more top creators lined up in the coming months.

“As a creator myself, I know how difficult it is to keep your community and business growing,” said Marcel Feldkamp, CBO, Clout Kitchen. “It’s easy when you’re starting and have all the time in the world – but it gets harder to keep giving the same love to everyone as you scale. We want to solve that problem.”

With this financing round, Clout Kitchen looks to expand Backseat by scaling its team, establishing its US office, and building out its shared internal tech stack for future creator-powered game companion apps and experiences.

“As a gamer and a creator myself, I’m excited to support Justin and Team Clout Kitchen in their journey to unlock new frontiers for our community,” said Jamie Lin, Chairman & Partner, AppWorks,“ Justin and the founding team showcased exceptional hearts, heads and hands from the moment we met them, the very traits we look for in founders.”

“At a16z, we believe in the transformative power of technology and games to reshape how we connect, create, and experience the world. Clout Kitchen embodies this vision wholly, and we are thrilled to support their journey as they pioneer new ways for fans to engage with the creators and games they love,” said Jack Soslow, Investment Partner, A16Z GAMES.

Galactic Civilizations IV Starview Update Trailer

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Stardock is pleased to announce the release of Galactic Civilizations® IV v2.9, titled ‘The Starview Update.’ This update focuses on enhancing the player experience with a variety of quality-of-life improvements, visual upgrades, and gameplay refinements based on community feedback.

In this substantial update, players can look forward to a range of key changes designed to streamline gameplay and improve immersion. “We’re committed to continuously refining Galactic Civilizations IV based on player input,” said Brad Wardell, lead designer of the GalCiv series. “With the Starview Update, we’re not only addressing bugs and balance issues but also enhancing the overall experience to make it even more enjoyable for our players.”

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 1 Starts Now

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 5 News, Windows PC News, Xbox Series X News

The Solar Crown competition is now open! KT Racing and NACON are pleased to announce the launch of the first season of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam).

With the launch of this first season, the most competitive players can now embark on a series of races and challenges to climb the ranks, accumulate Solar Points and climb to the top of the leaderboard in the hope of becoming the next Solar King/Queen. The top-ranked players who reach the Solar Court at the end of the season will win an exceptional car: the Pininfarina Battista. This first season also includes a 25-level Solar Pass, available to all players, featuring exclusive rewards (car cosmetics, skins, emotes and more) as well as an Audi RS e-tron GT for players reaching the final Solar Pass level.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown also welcomed its first major patch, designed to bring significant improvements to the gameplay experience on PC and consoles. In addition, this patch reinforces overall server stability, optimizes performance and corrects numerous technical issues and bugs. The studio continues to work on future updates for the game, aimed at responding to community requests and improving the overall gaming experience.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is now available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam).

Read all about the First Major Patch on the dedicated Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1249970/view/4692277806498011584

Exploding Kittens VR Meta Quest Launch Trailer

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

POW. MEOW. Mayhem has arrived! Exploding Kittens VR, Saber Interactive’s latest virtual reality experience based on the wildly popular social-strategy card game, is now available on Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2 for $19.99. Grab your headset and play your favorite hilarious and chaotic card game in this new and immersive VR experience, developed under license from Asmodee Entertainment and published by Saber.

Exploding Kittens VR supports up to 15 players through a vibrant social hub, as well as multiplayer games for up to five players, and a solo mode against bots. Force your rivals to draw the dreaded Exploding Kitten and claim victory as the last player standing! You can also personalize in-game avatars, explore the social hub, and enjoy a range of fun mini-games exclusive to Exploding Kittens VR.

Key Features

Experience Your Favorite Card Game Like Never Before: Socialize with friends and make new enemies in this laugh-out-loud VR strategy experience based on the hit card game.
Master a Variety of Tools to Win: Use a slew of tools to strategically outsmart your opponents and come out on top. Look into the future, steal items from other players and deny their moves, defuse an Exploding Kitten at a crucial moment, and more!
Three Unique Game Modes: Battle it out in either classic or blitz mode for up to five players, or against your biggest rival in duel mode.
Engage with Immersive Social Hub: Discover an array of exciting activities in the social hub, including mini-games, character customization and more!

First released in 2015, the original Exploding Kittens card game was a breakout success as the most-backed Kickstarter campaign of all time, followed by multiple adaptations across multimedia, including video game consoles, mobile devices, and even an animated television series streaming now on Netflix.

Corsair Unveils K70 CORE TKL and TKL Wireless Keyboards

1 month ago

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Peripherals News, Trailers / Videos

CORSAIR^® (Nasdaq: CRSR) is thrilled to announce two new additions to its K70 CORE series: K70 CORE TKL and K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS. A fresh tenkeyless profile meets the smooth typefeel and premier performance of the original K70 CORE, for versatile gaming that never runs out of deskspace.

Pre-lubricated CORSAIR MLX Red v2 switches feel silky smooth, with satisfying sounds that endure for every battle-tested keystroke, up to 80 million clicks. Within K70 CORE TKL, two layers of premium sound dampening foam reduce unwanted pings and clacks for refined typing acoustics.

With ultra-fast SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS, K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS brings the reliability and speed of a wired connection, with the convenience of a cable-free desktop. Users can play for up to 890 hours via SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS, or up to 2,400 hours over Bluetooth^® – which adds up to literal months between charges. Otherwise, they can switch to USB to recharge while they play.

K70 CORE TKL series includes an option to enable FlashTap, a brand new SOCD system with modes that prioritize the first or last key pressed. FlashTap gives competitive gamers an advantage in skilled movements like rapid strafing and mirroring, making every move faster and easier to master.

With one convenient click of a button, K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS enters Game Mode, activating game-optimized settings and reducing distractions. Easily mispressed keys lock for focused gameplay. RGB lighting stills to static color, mitigating latency and visual noise, so gamers and their keyboards can lock in. Players can easily stay in the zone for hours on end with a comfortable magnetic cushioned palm rest.

Each keyboard includes a handy multi-function tactile rotary dial that offers even more accessible setting changes, such as volume, zoom, backlighting, and scrolling. A detachable USB Type-C cable makes for effortless gaming and better portability.

For gamers seeking the perfect balance between performance and typefeel in a tidy frame, the K70 CORE TKL series is endgame.

Availability, Warranty, and Pricing

The CORSAIR K70 CORE and K70 CORE WIRELESS gaming keyboards are available immediately from the CORSAIR Webstore and the CORSAIR worldwide network of authorized online retailers and distributors.

Each keyboard is backed by a 2-year warranty, alongside the CORSAIR worldwide customer service and technical support network.

For up-to-date pricing, please refer to the CORSAIR website or contact your local CORSAIR sales or PR representative.

Web Pages

To learn more about CORSAIR K70 CORE TKL gaming keyboards, please visit:

K70 CORE TKL:

https://www.corsair.com/k70-core-tkl-rgb-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS:

https://www.corsair.com/k70-core-tkl-wireless-rgb-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

For a complete list of all CORSAIR gaming keyboards, please visit:

https://www.corsair.com/c/keyboards