Author - Jerry Paxton

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2023 Dates Extended

2023/03/30

All the rain has made the Boysenberries bloom! As a result, Knott’s is extending the Boysenberry Festival three additional weekends. Guests can enjoy the unique boysenberry-inspired food and wine festival daily, now through April 16, and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 21-23, April 28-April 30 and May 5-7.

National Boysenberry Day: On Monday, April 3, Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating National Boysenberry Day to commemorate its historical roots and the little berry that started it all, the boysenberry. In 1932 Walter and Cordelia Knott put their stamp on the berry world by being the first to harvest the boysenberry successfully. The Knott family then began selling boysenberry jams, jellies, and preserves, and the popularity of their products later led to the birth of Knott’s Berry Farm.

Today all the boysenberries in the world can trace their roots back to Knott’s. To show love to the berry that placed our park on the map, Knotts invites guests to dress their “berry best” with formal, purple-themed outfits for National Boysenberry Day. During the event, guests are encouraged to dress in bowties, gloves, suits or pin-up skirts. Guests entering the park will receive a commemorative National Boysenberry Day button to mark the occasion. At 3pm on the Calico Mine Stage, guests dressed in their berry best will have the opportunity to participate in the Berry Style Stroll to show off their festive outfits and be a part of the special group photo to honor this national holiday.

WHEN: Monday, April 3, with a special photo opportunity occurring at 3pm on the Calico Mine Stage

WHERE: Knott’s Berry Farm – 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620

Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator Official Launch Trailer

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

NACON and studio Cyanide are pleased to announce that their new LIFE series simulation game, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator, is now available for PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC in America. The game allows players to immerse themselves in the life of a restaurant owner and progress to the point where they can hope to be selected by the MICHELIN Guide and even receive its famous culinary awards: to do so, they must excel in the kitchen, choose the best ingredients and rely on their team to satisfy their customers every day.

An immersion in the daily life of a chef

Players put on their apron and immerse themselves in the life of a restaurant owner with all the realism that the LIFE range seeks to offer. From selecting ingredients to choosing suppliers, managing the brigade and decorating the kitchen, the game offers a management and simulation experience that meets the expectations of budding cooks.

As in the real world, players must prepare for the arrival of an anonymous inspector who may select them for inclusion in the famous MICHELIN Guide. In order to faithfully reflect the eminence of the MICHELIN Guide awards, Chef Life also offers restaurants that are honored with the award the opportunity to receive an official outfit and plaque associated with the award in-game.

A restaurant in your image

In order to create a restaurant that resembles them, restaurant owners have a great deal of freedom to make decisions for their establishment. The decoration of the dining room, the layout of the dishes, the choices made allow their cuisine to reflect their personality!

Finally, whether their goal is to achieve culinary excellence or to be the family restaurant that brings their neighborhood to life, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator fulfills all the aspirations of gourmets!

A know-how to master

The varied and iconic recipes challenge players to test their mastery of French and Italian gastronomy. Improving their simple recipes to make them gastronomic dishes, adapting their menu to the seasons and to the expectations of their customers allow the players to reach their goals.

Many criteria are used to judge the excellence of their cuisine according to the famous methodology of the anonymous inspectors of the Guide, based on the choice of products, the mastery of culinary techniques and the harmony of flavors. In addition, the consistency of the quality of the experience offered to customers will be evaluated.

Becoming a Starred Restaurant

If their restaurant is up to par, players can hope to be selected by the MICHELIN Guide. This initial recognition rewards the good management and quality of their establishment.

Next, players may decide to covet the Bib Gourmand, an official distinction awarded to players whose restaurant offers affordable prices while ensuring high quality dishes.

Or, depending on his or her ambition, he or she may covet the iconic Etoile du Guide MICHELIN. In this case, it is the excellence of the cuisine and the perfect respect of the criteria of the famous Guide that will determine if the restaurant deserves the title of Etoile Restaurant.

Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator is now available on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Hunt: Showdown Update 1.12 Out Now

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Hunt: Showdown, the award-winning, high-stakes, tactical PvPvE FPS from Crytek, received a substantial new update today. Available now on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, Update 1.12 adds two Questlines with all-new rewards, a range of improvements and bug fixes, and dramatically improves the new player onboarding experience with two bonus tutorials.

New Tutorials

Two new tutorials enable gamers to get up to speed with Hunt’s unique bounty-hunting gameplay quickly and easily, with Doug Cockle from The Witcher franchise voicing veteran Hunter/tutorial guide John Victor. The Basic Tutorial explains Hunt’s core mechanics, including controls, gunplay, monsters, and more. Upon first completion, players will receive a Tier 1 Hunter, as well as the rewards earned during the tutorial. Players can then go on to complete the Advanced Tutorial or access it separately later. In the Advanced Tutorial, Hunters will find a Clue to locate a Boss Target, then fight and banish it before extracting with their reward. Both tutorials allow players to hone their skills quickly before taking the fight to the bayou.

New Questlines

Update 1.12 also adds two new Questlines—The Ward of the Reptilian (available March 29 through May 1, 2023) and Vengeance of the Skinned, which will follow soon after. Each Questline offers Hunters new activities and valuable rewards to earn across six acts, including unlocking new weapon variants, Legendary equipment, and more. For the first time, players can complete quests within Questlines together, meaning that other team members can now contribute to each other’s progress during a match. For example, if your quest is to “Kill enemy Hunters,” your teammate’s kills will also count towards completing the quest.

New Wildcard Contract

Building on the success of the Devil’s Moon Live Event, which introduced the Inferno, a map-altering set of wildfires, Update 1.12 adds a new Wildcard Contract option which, when selected, allows Hunters to join a queue of other players who wish to hunt in the bayou during the Night Time of Day.

Solo Player Improvements, Combat Logs & More

Update 1.12 adds damage history to combat logs, as requested by members of the Hunt: Showdown community. Players can now see up to 90 seconds of activity before their demise to understand how they were killed and what they can do better next time, with detailed stats included. The update also adds new Solo-only conditional effects for specific Traits, to help level the playing field for those who dare to take on teams of Hunters alone. Audio, gameplay, and weapon improvements also arrive in the update, alongside various bug fixes.

Players can read the complete list of changes in the Update 1.12 patch notes, as well as learn more about the game, by visiting www.huntshowdown.com. Hunt: Showdown is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Civilization VI: Leader Pass Rulers of England Pack Out Now

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

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

The final DLC pack for Civilization VI: Leader Pass – Rulers of England Pack – is now available! Fill out your growing collection of monarchs with the Rulers of England Pack*, which includes Elizabeth I (England), Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway), and Victoria – Age of Steam (England). Check out the First Look here; specific details about the Leaders are also available below:

Elizabeth I (England)

Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ascended to England’s throne at the age of 25. Her reign is widely regarded as something of a Golden Age in English History. Under Elizabeth’s rule, the Anglican Church was established as the official church of the country, Sir Francis Drake defeated the Spanish Armada, and important literary figures including William Shakespeare popularized Elizabethan theater as an integral part of English culture that endures to this day. In-game, Elizabeth I tries to have as many trade routes as possible, and prefers civilizations that trade with her cities.

New Ability: Drake’s Legacy

England’s Trade Route Capacity is increased by 2 after acquiring your first Great Admiral.

Trade Routes to city-states provide +3 Gold for every specialty district in the origin city.

+100% Yields from plundering Trade Routes.

Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway)

Born into the Norwegian royal family, Harald Sigurdsson served in King Olaf II’s army until he was forced into exile following defeat in the Battle of Stiklestad. He subsequently spent many years fighting as a mercenary across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. When he returned to Norway he co-ruled alongside his nephew Magnus. Despite his storied life as a great warrior and leader, he’s perhaps best known for failing to conquer England in 1066, when he was defeated and killed by King Harold II’s army. Harald is protective of city states and dislikes any civilization that attacks them.

New Ability: Varangian Guard

- (Base game) 75% Discount on levying units, and all units pay 2 less maintenance.

(Rise and Fall & Gathering Storm DLCs) 75% Discount on levying units, and levied units receive Culture, Faith, and Science from kills equal to 50% of the opponent’s combat strength.

Victoria – Age of Steam (England)

At just 18 years old when she became Queen, Victoria was the first English monarch to reside in Buckingham Palace. The British Empire expanded greatly during her reign, spanning a quarter of the world’s land and population. At home, industrialization had a profound effect on society during this period, thanks in part to steam-powered machinery that let the emerging working class mass-produce goods on a previously impossible scale. Victoria’s Industrial Revolution agenda results in her trying to build up industry and liking civilizations that also focus on production.

New Ability: Age of Steam

+10% Production in cities for every Industrial Zone building in that city.

+2 Production to all Strategic Resources.

With the release of the Rulers of England DLC pack, Civilization VI: Leader Pass** is now complete and available across Windows PC via Steam, Epic and Windows Store, MacOS via Steam and the Mac App Store, and iOS via the App Store. Civilization VI: Leader Pass adds 18 new playable leader selections to Civilization VI, offering players more ways to rule. For more details, visit www.civilization.com.

MLB 9 Innings 23 2023 Season Update Out Now

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Mobile News, News, Trailers / Videos

MLB 9 Innings 23, the globally popular mobile baseball game licensed by MLB and MLB Players, Inc., begins a new season today with a major update. Developed and serviced by Com2uS, the leading global online game development and publishing company, MLB 9 Innings 23 stars legendary players Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. as this year’s featured athletes while boasting new historic players and collectable legends, plus the most recent major league information, player date, and league schedules so fans can play along with the 2023 season in real time.

The new season trailer features superstar center fielder Mike Trout, legendary outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., and star of the classic coming-of-age sports comedy The Sandlot, Patrick Renna. Watch the trailer on YouTube or Mike Trout’s Instagram page.

“MLB 9 Innings is what the pros play throughout the baseball season,” said Trout. “Appearing alongside Griff and Patrick to showcase a game I love is a dream, and I know baseball fans will be thrilled by the action they can take on-the-go this season with MLB 9 Innings 23.”

Com2uS celebrates the launch of this new season update with special in-game events beginning April 1. Recruit five Historic Players from the exclusive shop using points earned in-game. The shop’s inventory varies on a monthly basis; either recruit duplicate individuals from among the Historic Players or swap them for player-boosting upgrade materials. Plus, all fans who log into the game by April 30 will receive free rewards like the Team Select Diamond Pack, Premium Skill Change Tickets, and Upgrade Tickets.

MLB 9 Innings 23 reflects accurate real-life information for the 2023 MLB season, including player statistics, uniforms, stadiums, and the actual league schedules. Recruit players who took part in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) through the in-game WBC Shop until April 8. Celebrate the history of baseball alongside its present by collecting new player cards featuring six legends, including Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.

“MLB 9 Innings 23 has endeavored to capture all the changes in the major leagues as the new season has begun,” commented Jihoon Han, Head of Game Business Group, “We hope players will enjoy the true fun of baseball in MLB 9 Innings 23 with historical heroes.”

Since 2016, MLB 9 Innings has been among the top 10 selling sports games in 83 countries on Google Play and in 57 countries on the Apple App Store. MLB 9 Innings 23 is available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

World War Z: Aftermath Against All Odds Update Out Now

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Saber Interactive has released the free “Against All Odds” update for World War Z: Aftermath, the ultimate co-op zombie shooter inspired by Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster film. Available today on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, this latest update adds a host of fresh content, including new “Jerusalem” and “New York” Horde Mode maps, seven new mutators for Challenge Horde Mode, and a new melee weapon: the baton.

The “Against All Odds” update also adds the freedom to play as any character in all PvE episodes for the first time. AI party members have been improved, as well, and can now use heavy weapons when playing alongside you.

Additionally, two new paid DLC packs are available today: the Deadly Vice Weapon Skin Pack and Rat Packs Weapon Skins Bundle. Each DLC is available for $4.99 and contains four specially themed weapon skins.

Finally, World War Z: Aftermath players on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One can unlock a bonus in-game weapon skin and exclusive collectible trinket when they register on PROS (Prism Ray Online Services). PROS is a new platform powering online services for select upcoming games from Saber Interactive and a variety of other game providers. To sign up, players can visit https://prismray.io.

Powered by the next generation of Saber’s dynamic Swarm Engine™, World War Z: Aftermath lets you play on your own with AI squadmates or in co-op for up to four players with full crossplay between PC and consoles. Take on hordes of ravenous zombies with all content from World War Z: Game of the Year Edition, including full episodes in New York, Moscow, Marseille, Jerusalem, and Tokyo, plus two new campaign episodes in Rome (including Vatican City) and the Kamchatka peninsula. Experience the heart-pounding immersion of Aftermath’s optional first-person mode, decimate the undead with a new melee system, and level up eight unique classes with distinct play styles and customizable loadouts.

Neverwinter Menzoberranzan Module Available Now

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

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

Today, during Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Direct, Gearbox Publishing and Cryptic Studios shared a new trailer revealing that Neverwinter’s 25th module, Menzoberranzan, is available now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The new expansion for the free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG brings the epic conclusion of the two-part storyline and campaign written in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore — that was first introduced in the previous module, Northdark Reaches. For the first time ever in Neverwinter, players will be able to explore the drow city of Menzoberranzan, the fabled home of the legendary Dungeons & Dragons character Drizzt Do’Urden. Inspired by R.A. Salvatore’s hit trilogy book series, The Way of the Drow, players will encounter beloved D&D characters, including Drizzt, and experience the events that occur between the final two books, Glacier’s Edge and Lolth’s Warrior.

Following the events of Northdark Reaches, Jarlaxle Baenre, leader of the Bregan D’aerthe mercenary company, has returned to the legendary City of Spiders, Menzoberranzan, after being reunited with the illustrious scout Braelin Janquay. The stench of civil war looms on the horizon, and rumors of a long-forgotten artifact threaten to turn the tides in Lolth’s favor. The Underdark will succumb to chaos if such power falls into the wrong hands. To stop the civil war from becoming a reality, you’ll need to join the ex-drider forces of the Blaspheme and delve into the darkness once more to save the great city of Menzoberranzan.

Menzoberranzan introduces plenty of playable content and exciting updates for all Neverwinter adventurers, including:

New Adventure by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore – Join the revolution and experience the epic conclusion of a two-part storyline and campaign written in collaboration with New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore
- New campaign lets you experience the events that occur between the final two books of The Way of the Drow series, Glacier’s Edge and Lolth’s Warrior.
Menzoberranzan Adventure Zone & Campaign – For the first time ever, explore the drow city of Menzoberranzan, the fabled home of the legendary Dungeons & Dragons character Drizzt Do’Urden. In this new zone, you’ll need to avoid drow patrols and evade assassins as you assist the drow rebellion.
- The adventure zone includes the following new features:
  - New Quests – Embark on epic quests, encounter beloved Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms characters, including Drizzt Do’Urden and experience the great city of Menzoberranzan.
  - New Bosses – While exploring this new zone, expect to encounter both friend and foe in challenging battles, including the deadliest bosses within Menzoberranzan, and take on heroic encounters.
  - New Rewards – By successfully completing quests, you can unearth new epic rewards including new Underdark weapons, artifacts, mount insignias and combat enchantments.
New Trial – Drawn to the power of the Eye of Odran, the Beholder deity Gzemnid has taken physical form within his reliquary. Challenge him in a New Trial, a celebration of 10 years of Neverwinter!
Quality of Life Improvements – This new module introduces new quality of life improvements, including balancing updates to companions, new Insignia-specific updates to the mount system and new rewards for all appointment store events

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG featuring fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding lands, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is available on PC and is free to play digitally on Xbox (Xbox Live Gold membership not required) and PlayStation (PlayStation®Plus not required) consoles.

© 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All Rights Reserved. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Neverwinter, Forgotten Realms, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries, and are used with permission.

Not For Broadcast Console and VR Launch Trailer

2023/03/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

The National Nightly News is broadcasting on all channels today, as developers NotGames and publisher tinyBuild proudly announce that the sizzlingly satirical news-editing hit Not For Broadcast is live on Xbox One, Series S/X plus PlayStation 4 & 5 consoles, with new “Live & Spooky” DLC available for consoles & PC.

Not For Broadcast is also out on Meta Quest 2/Pro headsets and Steam VR for your most immersive, chaotic and disastrous news-editing experience yet. Take a peek at everything that’s fit for the airwaves in the new trailer below:

Dive into the utterly bizarre world of British live television today in Not For Broadcast. Set in an alternate 1980s, become the editor for Channel One’s National Nightly News show. Switch between camera feeds, bleep out dangerous (or just plain rude) ideas, and decide what stories are fit to go nationwide. Not like it could completely change the course of history, right?
Whether on PC, console or in VR, Channel One’s editing desk interface is a dream to use. Hit those buttons, turn those dials and play the ads of your choosing one VHS at a time. Just don’t let ratings drop, or you’re out of a job.

Curious how we ended up with a new FMV game in 2023? Ponder no longer, and let developers NotGames explain in their musical history video below. You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll want to buy their games!

The History of NotGames

Also available today on PC and Consoles: The new Live & Spooky DLC, first of three new chapters coming in the Not For Broadcast season pass. Return to the editing room in this special show, taking news-anchor Patrick Bannon on a mysterious mission to a ‘haunted’ backlot. Clearly there’s no such thing as ghosts, but supernatural schlock makes for great ratings.

This one’s a bit more involved than your usual broadcast as you lead Patrick and crew from room to room. Whether you’re digging up old secrets or keeping things fresh with a little bit of spooky editing wizardry, this one’s in your hands, and how it all ends depends on your choices.

Not For Broadcast is out now on Xbox and PlayStation stores, accompanied by the new Live & Spooky DLC, and priced at $24.99 for the base game or $39.99 including the season pass. Not For Broadcast VR is also available separately on Steam and the Meta Quest store.

Entire Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Franchise Now on Steam

2023/03/29

Jerry Paxton

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

One of the most-played 3D strategy games in videogame history finally comes to Steam. Matrix Games and Battlefront are proud to announce that from now on the entire Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy franchise is available on Steam.

Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy is considered a 3D strategy classic. Produced by Battlefront since 2011, the Battle for Normandy franchise lets players recreate World War II battles in an exceptionally realistic, dynamic way: from D-Day to the liberation of the north of occupied France, to the Allied assault of the Market Garden for the bridges of Holland and Belgium. A total of four campaigns, 21 standalone scenarios, and a plethora of quick battles will keep you glued to Combat Mission’s battlefields for dozens of hours. With the four DLC available for Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy, players can control British, American and German troops, for a total of almost 100 different tanks and military vehicles.

“After the extraordinary success of the Steam versions of Combat Mission: Cold War and Shock Force 2, the release of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy is the natural next step, which bears witness to the excellent, lasting partnership between Matrix Games and Battlefront. A peerless classic amongst 3D strategy games had to be on the most important PC market store as well as on our Matrixgames.com store,” said Marco Minoli, Matrix Games/Slitherine CMO.

All the latest in the Steam version. As well as being more accessible and constantly updated to the latest version available, the Steam version of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy lets you play multiplayer with Matrix Games/Slitherine’s proven proprietary PBEM system, and to participate in free online tournaments organised at Slitherine.com. The Steam version is fully compatible with previous versions of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy.

The entire Combat Mission franchise has a discount of up to 40% to celebrate Battle for Normandy launch on Steam.

Outer Terror Public Demo Out Now

2023/03/29

Jerry Paxton

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

The survival horror game Outer Terror is confirmed by its publisher VoxPop Games, Inc. for full release on Steam April 20th. Coming off a successful week at Game Developers Conference where Outer Terror debuted in the MOME (Made in New York) GDC 2023 booth, players worldwide can now play a free demo that is available now through April 7 on Steam.

Inspired by classic Pulp Horror comic books and B-movies, Outer Terror is a frantic bullet hell casual game with rogue-lite elements, swarming with cosmic creatures like possessed toasters and rabid rabbits that players need to take out – all while trying to stay alive on their survival journey!

Battle an onslaught of deadly otherworldly monsters while exploring overrun cities in Outer Terror. Stack and assemble an arsenal of weapons and blast apart each horrific creature that comes your way. Most importantly Don’t Die! As you explore invaded cities, through each of the five comic chapters that make up Outer Terror.

Game Features:

- Play through the anthology of Outer Terror, each of the five chapters inspired by classic horror stories features its own signature character and storyline.
- 10 playable characters each with their own trademark weapons and badass skills.
- Explore massive maps to discover survivor hold outs and collect treasures that lead you to massive boss encounters with elite creatures from beyond, ghouls, robots, and otherworldly abominations.
- Stockpile an arsenal of weapons and then blast apart seemingly endless waves of demonic cosmic creatures!
- Don’t Die! Play through each chapter and battle off hordes of enemies including the vampiric polar bear, lifelike toasters, the remains of a pet rabbit and more!
- Hop online or invite your friends over to experience online and couch co-op gameplay modes.

Check out the free Steam demo now, of the upcoming rogue-lite that pays homage to the B-movies and Golden Age horror comics of the 80’s and 90’s, and wishlist Outer Terror in preparation for its release on April 20.