Author - Jerry Paxton

WARHAMMER III Thrones of Decay DLC Out Now

SEGA® Europe Ltd and The Creative Assembly Ltd, have today released the Thrones of Decay DLC pack for Total War: WARHAMMER III. In a showdown of mohawks, maggots and magic, the pack welcomes new content for the Empire, Nurgle and Dwarfs including legendary lords, battle units, campaign features, as well as free content for all owners of the base game.

ELSPETH VON DRAKEN, THE DRAGON RIDING MAGISTERIX (EMPIRE)

The Dark Lady of Nuln, Elspeth Von Draken is one of the most powerful Amethyst Wizards of the age. It is said that she is so suffused with magical power that she stands on the periphery of life and death.

Campaign Features:

  • Imperial Gunnery School: As the armoury of the Empire, Wissenland & Nuln offer special unit upgrades and powerful abilities in return for Schematics earned from the damage such units inflict on the battlefield.

  • Gardens of Morr: A vigilant protector of the Empire, Elspeth establishes these sacred sites in limited number across visible friendly or neutral Empire settlements, providing instant travel to those locations at a cost and with a cooldown.

Battle Playstyle:

  • Riding her powerful Carmine Dragon, Elspeth is deadly in every sense of the word. She manipulates the battlefield from range with her innate magical abilities from the Lore of Death before charging into the enemy ranks with her dragon and two-handed Pale scythe.

New Units:

  • The Empire ranks are being bolstered by an assortment of arms such as the Marienburg Landship, Steam Tank Volley Gun, Nuln Ironsides, Hochland Long Rifles, Knights of the Black Rose, Master Engineer (Lord), Engineer (Hero) and the indomitable Theodore Bruckner (Legendary Hero).

TAMURKHAN, THE MAGGOT LORD (NURGLE)

A sentient maggot within the rot-bloated corpse of a powerful Ogre Tyrant, Tamurkhan is one of the greatest ever champions of Nurgle. He has but one aim; to spread death and disease in the name of the lord of pestilence.

Campaign Features:

  • Tamurkhan’s Chieftains: Tamurkhan must amass an unstoppable warhost that will bring ruin to the world. As such, he embarks on a deadly journey to dominate and recruit powerful warlords from across the Chaos and Norscan tribes to increase the power of his faction.

Battle Playstyle:

  • Besieging the battlefield atop his mighty Toad Dragon, and wielding a mighty two-headed axe, Tamurkhan is a tank of a warrior who is deadly in combat. His Feast of the Maggot Lord ability triggers upon death, dealing life-sapping damage upon the enemy to keep him in the thick of battle a little longer.

New Units:

  • The bloated ranks of Nurgle ooze strength with the addition of units such as Kayzk the Befouled (Legendary Hero), the Chaos Lord of Nurgle (Lord), the Chaos Sorcerer of Nurgle (Hero), Plague Ogres, Rot Knights, Toad Dragons, Pestigors, and Bile Trolls.

MALAKAI MAKAISSON, THE SLAYER ENGINEER (DWARFS)

A defiant mixture of brain and brawn, Malakai Makaisson was once a member of the legendary Engineers Guild before disaster saw him ejected. Eternally shamed, he took up the Slayer’s Oath with the sole aim of seeking redemption through a dignified and bloody death.

Campaign Features:

  • Spirit of Grungi: Malakai’s armies march beneath the airborne machine known as the Spirit of Grungi, a legendary airship that the Slayer Engineer can upgrade on the move to increase his battle prowess and even call upon in battle.

  • Malakai’s Adventures: As he seeks the glorious doom that all Slayers desire, Malakai Makaisson uses his deadly exploits to test and improve his latest engineering innovations in the most perilous battles he can instigate.

Battle Playstyle:

  • Malakai primarily serves the Dwarfs as a ranged support Lord, tossing explosives toward the enemy with the Cinderblast Cluster Bomb, blasting them to bits with his shotgun, and, if anyone gets too close for comfort, smacking them in the face with a massive spanner.

New Units:

  • Engineering excellence meets bearded bravery, the dwarf ranks are bolstered by Garagrim Ironfist (Legendary Hero), Daemonslayer (Lord), Dragonslayer (Hero), Doomseekers, Goblin Hewer, Thunderbarge, Grudge Raker Thunderers and Slayer Pirates.

Deceit 2 Free to Play on Steam, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5

Deceit 2 is a matchmade social deduction horror game where two among you have been Infected. While the Infected do the bidding of the malevolent Game Master, the Innocent must work together to escape the Ritual and deduce who is plotting against them. Suspect someone? Rally your team to initiate the Banishing Ritual. To make things even more chaotic, you can now also play as a third team, the Cursed, who are solely out for themselves. When it’s time to Banish someone, choose wisely; a false accusation can sow seeds of doubt and turn allies into enemies. Your choices shape the game, making every match a unique battle of wits. Can you outplay the Game Master and escape the Ritual, or will you become another piece in his twisted game?

The recently launched Werewolf DLC, as well as all available content of Deceit 2, is also present in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of Deceit 2, and players are able to seamlessly team up with anyone, regardless of their platform. The Werewolf DLC includes the Wyrtorn Terror, a werewolf, and the first Terror to be added since the game’s initial launch. It also includes The Chemist role, a neutral Curse that must poison all other members of the group to win the Ritual. The new Project Wurgen map, first released for the PC launch, is available to everyone for free, and Season One, titled “Humble Beginnings”, is currently underway, bringing a myriad of new skins, loading screens, and more unlockables.

Key Features:
  • Gripping matchmade social deduction game: test your strategic thinking and powers of deception.
  • Dynamic social sandbox: an ever-changing set of tools and scenarios ensure that every Ritual is always different.
  • Rewards that keep coming: progression keeps the hunt for cosmetics fun, and new Seasons bring themed rewards, both free and with the Season Pass.
  • Consistent content updates: nine playable humans, two maps, two terrors, and six different roles, with more additions to come.
  • Everyone is welcome: the Ritual is open for anyone who dares as the game is now free-to-play.

Deceit 2 is currently available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Those who purchased the game on Steam ahead of the free-to-play conversion received the Werewolf DLC, 3 Crypt Keys, in-game currency, and the Season One Pass for free at launch, which they can start enjoying today. Join the official Discord for events, discussion, and more behind-the-scenes information!

Spirit Halloween Unveils New Spooky Fun for Halfway to Halloween

Spirit Halloween has unleashed even more spooky delights as part of their Halfway to Halloween celebration. To give fans a first look of the nightmares the upcoming season has in store, the iconic retailer unveiled two animatronics and two collectibles.

  • Mars Attacks Atomic Ray Gun with PosterStraight from the cult-classic Mars Attacks, this officially licensed Atomic Ray Gun may be an earthlings’ only chance at surviving a Martian invasion. This prop features functioning fog, intergalactic lights and sound, and comes with a black-light-activated collectible poster.
  • Clowning Around Animatronic: Standing at 7 feet tall, this creepy clown takes play time to a whole new level. Featuring a side to side turning waist and head and a moving mouth with downright diabolic phrases, onlookers will scream in terror as they watch this animatronic flail its victims up and down.
  • Rick Ratman Animatronic: Don’t stand too close to this rat-infested zombie animatronic, or you could become the little critters’ next treat. With side-to-side movements and stomach-churning sound effects, this 6’3” creation is a rat-phobic nightmare come to life
  • Nightmare Harvester: A take on a fan-favorite, Nightmare Harvester takes new form as a 6-inch statue. A must-have for any Spirit Halloween fan, this figure is the perfect addition to any collection – just don’t let it steal your soul.

Street Fighter 6 Akuma Gameplay Trailer

Unleash your inner demon when the one, the only, the legendary Akuma joins the Street Fighter™ 6 roster starting on May 22, across PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam! Dropping right alongside Akuma are three significant new updates:

  • Fight with style when Outfit 3 hits the clothing rack for all Year 1 Characters, including Rashid, A.K.I., Ed, and Akuma. Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners will automatically receive these including their colors 1-10 on May 22.
  • The moves they are a-changin’ as the highly anticipated battle balance updates for all characters hit the streets. We’ll have more details to share about this in the upcoming weeks.
  • Check out the new digs with the newest stage in Street Fighter 6, Enma’s Hollow, where Akuma resides to continue his hellbent training. Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners will automatically receive this stage on May 22.

Akuma drops straight into the action across all three Street Fighter 6 game modes, including World Tour where you can learn more about his story, Battle Hub where you can apply his moves to your own avatar, as well as the classic Fighting Ground experience. Check out his throwback Outfit 2 style as well, inspired by his debut look in Super Street Fighter™ II Turbo.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers Highway Patrol Expansion – Highway Duties Trailer

On June 18, 2024, fans of the acclaimed game Police Simulator: Patrol Officers by astragon Entertainment and Aesir Interactive can get out of the city and onto the new highway, when the Highway Patrol Expansion will be released, alongside the new Gold Edition! Prepare for taking over the challenges and tasks of a highway patrol officer – the new Highway Duties Trailer introduces some of the most exciting ones!

About the Highway Patrol Expansion:

The Highway Patrol Expansion for Police Simulator: Patrol Officers expands the game with the Brighton Highway district, introducing new tasks like high-speed monitoring and cargo checks. It also adds car theft chases and tools like spike strips. Players must be ready to combat fires at accident sites and can use two new vehicles: the vintage-style Interstate Police Vehicle and the Endurance Police Vehicle, a vehicle equipped with a car-stopping snare net!

About the Gold Edition:

The Police Simulator: Patrol Officers Gold Edition is especially interesting for newcomers as it combines the base game with the Garage Bundle, including 6 vehicle DLCs, as well as the brand-new Highway Patrol Expansion! Pre-order the digital Xbox version or purchase the retail version to also receive the Special Interstate Police Vehicle Skin for free!

Availability:

The Highway Patrol Expansion will be available on June 18, 2024 for PC, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series S|X and Xbox One and can already be pre-ordered on Steam and for Xbox. The main game is required to play the expansion. The Police Simulator: Patrol Officers Gold Edition will be available digitally for PC, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series S|X and Xbox One on June 18, 2024 and can now be pre-ordered for Xbox. In selected countries the Gold Edition will also be released in retail for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series S|X and Xbox One and is now available for pre-ordering.

Biomutant Nintendo Switch Gameplay Trailer

Post-apocalyptic Wung-Fu Fable RPG Biomutant is coming to Nintendo Switch on May 14, 2024. To give players a glimpse of the action, unedited gameplay footage has been released. The footage showcases combat, various skills, and traversal by land, air, and sea, culminating in an epic boss fight against the ferocious 3-headed creature “Porky Puff”.

Recorded in Docked Mode, the footage displays gameplay in 1080p (with Dynamic Resolution) at a stable 30 FPS. Handheld Mode will feature 720p (with Dynamic Resolution) at a stable 30 FPS.

Enjoy a 20% Pre-Order Discount!
Biomutant is set to release on Nintendo Switch™ on May 14th, 2024, at a suggested retail price (SRP) of €39.99 / $39.99 / £34.99, which includes the Mercenary-Loadout DLC. However, by pre-ordering, you qualify for a 20% discount, bringing the price down to € 31.99 / $ 31.99 / £ 27.99.

Pre-Order Now: https://biomutant.thqnordic.com/#order

Biomutant is already available for PC, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One™, and Xbox Series

EPIC Entertainment Group Unveils Expanded Hersheypark Dark Nights Partnership

EPIC Entertainment Group, an award-winning producer of themed entertainment, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its partnership with Hersheypark Dark Nights for the third consecutive year. Building upon their successful collaboration, EPIC will take over the Costume, Make Up, and Talent departments, spearheading in-person and virtual auditions and casting for hundreds of scare actors, specialty performers, make-up artists and wardrobe specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Halloween seasons.

Beginning in June, EPIC Entertainment Group will launch its nation-wide talent search with two days of open casting calls in the Los Angeles area. From there, the tour will journey across Pennsylvania, with additional stops scheduled in Philadelphia, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Hershey, before extending to New York. EPIC boasts a solid history of iconic scare performances coast to coast.

“Our team excels in this space. With over a decade of experience producing Dark Harbor at The Queen Mary in Long Beach and Dark Horizon in Orlando, we’ve mastered the craft of immersive storytelling and delivering exceptional guest experiences,” shared Charity Hill, Partner, EPIC Entertainment Group.

EPIC Entertainment Group is already celebrated for its design contributions to Dark Nights attractions such as “The Descent” and “Midway of Misery.” While leading production, stage management, and technical direction; EPIC has been engaged for an expanded role to include make-up direction, costume direction, and talent direction.

“Since the inception of Dark Nights, EPIC has been a valuable partner helping us to design and execute a world-class experience for Hersheypark guests,” shared Brewer Lister, Managing Director of Hersheypark Special Events, Entertainment, and Guest Experiences. “We appreciate gaining their added expertise and support for haunt attractions, and look forward to growing Dark Nights for many years to come!”

Steve Sheldon, Partner, Epic Entertainment Group adds, “We’re thrilled to be a part of the Hersheypark team and to continue building on what has been an incredibly successful partnership since Dark Nights was introduced in 2022.”

Dark Nights will return to Hersheypark for its third and most terrifying season yet on Friday, September 13th.

For a full list of audition dates, virtual audition submissions and more information visit www.darknightcasting.com.

To learn more about EPIC Entertainment Group and all their Halloween happenings, please visit www.epicentertainmentgroup.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sand Land Sandstorm Trailer

SAND LAND, a new action RPG based on the classic manga by Akira Toriyama, creator of DRAGON BALL and DR. SLUMP, is now available worldwide. The first game based on the IP is coming shortly after the anime series debuted for US audiences on Hulu, bringing a new world created by the legendary artist to transmedia. Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. and developed by ILCA Inc., SAND LAND puts players in a post-apocalyptic desert world suffering from water shortage and controlled by ferocious armies. The game launches today with in Standard, Deluxe, and Collector’s editions for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via STEAM®. For more information visit the official website https://playsandland.com/.

In SAND LAND, dive into a desert world where both humans and demons are suffering. Players take on the role of the Fiend Prince, Beelzebub, Sheriff Rao, and demon Thief as they set off on an adventure in search of a Legendary Spring hidden in the desert. Introducing himself as a “super evil fiend”, Beelzebub has a pure heart like a little boy but has superhuman strength and telepathic abilities. Rao, a small-town sheriff, seeks the aid of demons to save all of Sand Land from the water shortage. Thief, a wise old demon with thieving abilities also accompanies Beelzebub and Rao on their adventure. Whether roaming this vast world in the game’s variety of vehicles or traveling by foot, players will encounter dangers as well as helpful characters while uncovering SAND LAND’s many secrets.

SAND LAND features:

  • Vehicles Beyond Your Imagination – Players can use their tact and imagination to develop tanks and other vehicles for their adventures utilizing a wide array of part combinations.
  • Base Building – Build up your base of operations into a thriving city with the help of the people you meet along the way in the vast desert.
  • Combat Variety – Combat comes in two flavors in SAND LAND: melee and vehicular combat. In melee combat, players control Beelzebub who has special abilities that he can use during battle. In vehicular combat, players will have access to tanks, cars, motorcycles, and more.

Spirit Halloween Unveils Axe-clusive Giveaway to Lizzie Borden House

Spirit Halloween, the nation’s largest Halloween retailer, is dusting off the cobwebs to kick off a weeklong celebration of Halfway to Halloween, officially declaring the start of the 2024 spooky season.

For its first scare of the year, the brand is offering fans the chance to win a stay in one of the nation’s most haunted houses – the notorious Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA. In collaboration with US Ghost Adventures, Spirit Halloween will give one lucky winner and up to 12 members of their coven a private stay in the horror-filled house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

With the house all to themselves (not including ghostly residents, of course), the winning group will enjoy all the makings of a haunting holiday, including:

  • An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings
  • A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear
  • A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room
  • A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course
  • The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II
  • Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

For even more to scream about, Spirit Halloween fanatics eager to step back inside their favorite store should mark their calendars for Thursday, August 1 for the Grand Opening of the brand’s flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. The annual event is a must-do for Halloween fans – with exclusive early reveals, games, treats, themed photo ops, and activities for the whole family – fans will make memories that will haunt them forever.

For those who would rather die than miss out on anything Spirit Halloween, keep an eye on Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and SpiritHalloween.com to be the first in the know on reveals and news all week long.

Pacific Rim Pinball Announced

Go big or go extinct. Prime your senses for a neural handshake and step into the cockpit of a Jaeger. It is on you to cancel the apocalypse when Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX on May 16!

Play through all the excitement of the first Pacific Rim movie and use your pinball skills to strengthen the link between Raleigh and Mako while resisting the double event of Leatherback and Otachi – if you can get the ball to the bumpers you may even drift with the Kaiju! Wield those flippers well and you might even overload the reactor of Gipsy Danger and seal the Breach once and for all.

“The scale and the stakes are always big in Legendary Entertainment’s franchises,” said Mel Kirk, COO of Zen Studios. “Translating the epic action of the film into the confines of a pinball cabinet proved quite the challenge, and we might have failed – this pinball experience will burst out of the machine and your screen!”

Pacific Rim Pinball becomes available May 16 for Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PlayStation 5|4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

For more information and updates, visit zenstudios.com.

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