NEW YORK (February 21, 2018) – Major League Soccer (MLS) has released further details for the inaugural eMLS Cup, the new competitive EA SPORTS™ FIFA 18 league kicking off at PAX East, the enormously popular gaming culture festival in Boston that takes place this year from April 5-8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. MLS’s premier gaming event will feature elite FIFA players representing 19 MLS clubs vying for the eMLS Cup trophy, spots in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, and a series of other prizes.*
Players will be divided into two conferences, with ten clubs in the Eastern Conference and nine in the Western Conference. Competitors will select their squad of 11 starting players, seven bench players and five reserve players. Each team must have three MLS players on the field at all times, including two players from the Club that they represent.
The eMLS Cup will begin with preliminary rounds on Thursday, April 5, and Friday, April 6, taking place at eMLS HQ at PAX East. Each competitor will play the other competitors in their conference once, with the top eight players from each conference advancing to seeded knockout rounds on Saturday, April 7. The Conference Championships and eMLS Cup Final will take place on Sunday, April 8. Saturday and Sunday’s matches will be held on the PAX Arena Main Stage and live-streamed on PAX’s “PAXArena” Twitch channel (twitch.tv/paxarena). The eMLS Cup Final will also be live-streamed on MLS channels, including www.MLSsoccer.com.
The eMLS Cup finalists will win berths in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup. The top 32 competitors in the Global Series Playoffs will advance to the FIFA eWorld Cup in August, where the winner will be crowned the undisputed FIFA 18 World Champion.
For more information on eMLS Cup, including participating clubs and player signings, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
PAX East is an annual festival that celebrates the gaming community with exhibits, panels, tournaments and more. For further details, visit http://east.paxsite.com.
*Eligibility restrictions apply for EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series Playoffs. See official rules for details. Final terms and structure subject to change.
CALABASAS, CALIF. – February 21, 2018 – Assetto Corsa Competizione, from Kunos Simulazioni and indie publisher 505 Games, will be speeding onto Steam Early Access this summer. Featuring an extraordinary level of simulation quality that allows players to experience the real atmosphere of the GT3 series, players can compete against official drivers, teams, accessing to all cars and circuits with the highest level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Taking full advantage of Unreal Engine 4, Assetto Corsa Competizione will ensure the highest quality rendering with photorealistic weather conditions and graphics to reach a new standard in driving realism and immersion racing. Players will experience highspeed torque as they get behind the wheel of luxurious speedsters including Ferraris and other prestigious GT cars reproduced with an outstanding level of detail. Motion capture technology is used to create the animations of mechanics and drivers in an even more realistic fashion and guarantee a high level of player engagement during races, pit stops and driver changes.
Assetto Corsa Competizione will be zooming onto Steam Early Access this summer, allowing players to test in advance features and content that will be progressively disclosed. The final version of the game will include:
MULTIPLAYER AND SINGLE PLAYER CAPABILITIES: Offering a well-structured ranking system, Assetto Corsa Competizione will evaluate individual performance and driving behavior to reward the most virtuous drivers and promote fair play in online competitions. Efficient matchmaking functions will ensure players can compete with opponents of similar skill level and easily find and join races online. Leaderboards will allow players to compare single lap performance with virtual pilots from around the world with the same car, circuit and weather conditions. Career, Championship and Free Play modes will also be available, offering a customized racing experience for all skill levels.
REALISTIC WEATHER CONDITIONS: Competitions of different durations, from Sprint 60’ races to the famous Spa 24H Endurance race, Assetto Corsa Competizione will give players the opportunity to compete in different moments of the entire 24-hour arc under a dynamic weather system, thanks to a highly realistic graphical reproduction of weather conditions and visibility.
ACCURATE CIRCUITS: With laser scan technology, every official circuit is recreated with the highest level of precision: All curbs and details perfectly fit their real counterparts to grant a gaming experience as faithful to reality as possible.
ADVANCED GRAPHICS AND AUDIO EFFECTS: Unreal Engine 4 guarantees photorealistic rendering and with multi-channel audio sampling of real GT cars, Assetto Corsa Competizione conveys captivating and immersive acoustic surrounding and realistic environmental effects.
Recently, I got the chance to play some of Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming RPG, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Having been a fan of the first Pillars of Eternity as well as Obsidian’s last RPG, Tyranny, I was looking forward to seeing how Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire would play. Our preview build saw our characters start at level 7 and did not include the intro/tutorial area. Once the game had started up and my group of adventurers found themselves in a strange land just having docked at port, the character creation screen appeared so I could give my group some individuality. Character creation is pretty straight forward, but it should be known that Obsidian Entertainment has added the ability for characters to multi-class! This is such a cool addition to the game and adds a lot of replayability to find out what combinations work best together, etc. Also, creating your characters is much more forgiving to new players as there are several places where abilities are explained a bit.
Combat has been overhauled in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire with a focus on more important encounters rather than numerous combat sessions with hordes of throwaway monsters. The combat is still in real-time with the ability to pause it and issue commands, though part of me wishes they would include a full turn-based mode with initiative, etc. That more tactical approach to isometric RPG combat is something I always loved in various games of my youth. This must have been some sort of thought among the developers as, while the combat is not turn-based, it definitely has been slowed down slightly in comparison to the first Pillars of Eternity title. This is a terrific choice as combat in the first game could get so crazy it was easy to lose track of where each character was and what was happening overall. Another combat addition for Deadfire is that character skills and spells recharge after every fight! Also, spells have been further enhanced by allowing players to re-target them in mid-casting! It was always an annoyance in the first game where targets would move out of the fray while your wizard was mindlessly casting away at an place with no enemies.
Visually, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire looks great for this kind of game, and the camera seems somewhat closer than in the previous game. This gives the game a more intimate feel – especially when taking into account that your maximum party limit has been decreased to 5. You end up caring a lot more about your individual characters and the story in general. Speaking of which, the overall quest writing and progression system have been greatly-improved in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Now when talking with NPCs, you can hover your mouse cursor over certain words and symbols to get a brief definition. Additionally, side quest quality has increased quite a bit, with plenty of twists and turns that I didn’t expect to find. Usual side quests end up being somewhat simple in comparison to the main plot of the RPG. Not in this case, the world is replete with things to do and quests to complete.
A big addition to the Pillars of Eternity world with Deadfire is the ship management and ship to ship combat systems. Now you captain your very own sea vessel across the high seas, which is basically your home base/stronghold for the game (that we know of). While this opens up your options as a player in terms of deciding where to go and what to do, the system itself does take a little getting used to. You will have to care for the needs of your ship’s crew (those mangy bilge rats need food and money) as well as modify your vessel to stay alive. There are multiple ship types to eventually command, so I am sure those will each have their strengths and weaknesses. In traveling around the seas, you can also run into random encounters which present consequences all their own. Ship to ship combat is handled in an intriguing narrative manner, in which you are presented the combat encounter in a sort of book. You are presented with a number of options as combat unfolds and it is one of the most intriguing ways I have seen combat play out in a game before.
Overall, Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, is going to be a must-play RPG for both fans of the first game as well as Obsidian’s previous RPG, Tyranny. Deadfire’s gameplay has been optimized in many ways over the first game, and I look forward to playing the finished product when it launches on April 3, 2018 for the Windows PC platform.
BURBANK, Calif. (February 20, 2018) — Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi—the next action-packed chapter of the Star Wars saga— Earned critical acclaim and the No. 1 spot atop 2017’s list of highest-grossing films. The visually stunning film welcomes the return of original characters, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3PO and further explores the deepening journey of the saga’s new members, Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren. Now families can bring home the movie digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD™ and via Movies Anywhere on March 13, two weeks before the 4K Ultra HD™ Blu-ray, and Blu-ray™ disc on March 27. This release also marks Disney’s first title available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in both Dolby Vision™ HDR and Dolby Atmos® immersive audio, delivering consumers a transformative viewing experience.
Director Rian Johnson takes fans on an intimate journey into the creation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in a feature-length documentary, explaining his unique interpretation of the Force, detailing the painstaking process of creating Snoke, and deconstructing action-packed scenes from the film such as the epic space battle and the final confrontation. Johnson also reveals two exclusive scenes, featuring Andy Serkis as Snoke prior to his digital makeover, as well as 14 never-before-seen deleted scenes, in addition to his audio commentary.
Bonus features include*:
The Director and the Jedi – Go deep behind the scenes with writer-director Rian Johnson on an intimate and personal journey through the production of the movie—and experience what it’s like to helm a global franchise and cultural phenomenon.
Balance of the Force – Explore the mythology of the Force and why Rian Johnson chose to interpret its role in such a unique way.
Scene Breakdowns
Lighting the Spark: Creating the Space Battle – Get a close-up look at the epic space battle, from the sounds that help propel the action, through the practical and visual effects, to the characters who bring it all to life.
Snoke and Mirrors – Motion capture and Star Wars collide as the filmmakers take us through the detailed process of creating the movie’s malevolent master villain.
Showdown on Crait – Break down everything that went into creating the stunning world seen in the movie’s final confrontation, including the interplay between real-word locations and visual effects, reimagining the walkers, designing the crystal foxes, and much more.
Andy Serkis Live! (One Night Only) – Writer-director Rian Johnson presents two exclusive sequences from the movie featuring Andy Serkis’ riveting, raw on-set performance before his digital makeover into Snoke.
Deleted Scenes – With an introduction and optional commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
Audio Commentary – View the movie with in-depth feature audio commentary by writer-director Rian Johnson.
* Digital bonus offerings may vary by retailer.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is packaged several ways to ensure fans get the most out of their in-home viewing experience. The Multiscreen Edition (formerly the Blu-ray Combo Pack) includes Blu-ray, and a Digital copy, giving viewers the flexibility to watch the film on different devices. Those with 4K Ultra HD capability may opt for a 4K UHD Collector’s Edition, including 4K Ultra HD disc with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Blu-ray disc, and a digital copy (where available). Dolby Vision delivers greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors. Dolby Atmos places and moves audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. Together on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc, viewers will practically feel the Force in their own home.
DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
FEATURE RUN TIME: Approximately 152 min.
RATING: PG-13 in U.S.; PG in CE; PG in CF
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
AUDIO:
4K UHD (US): English 7.14 Dolby Atmos; English 7.1 Dolby Audio™; English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Audio
4K UHD (Canada): English 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos; English 7.1 Dolby Audio; English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French 7.1 Dolby Audio
Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio Language Tracks
DVD: English 5.1 Dolby Audio, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio Language Tracks
Digital 4K UHD: English Dolby Atmos (where available), English 7.1 Dolby Audio (where available), English, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio (where available)
Digital HD: English, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio (where available)
SUBTITLES:
UHD / BD: English SDH, French & Spanish
DVD: English SDH, French & Spanish
Digital: English SDH, English Closed Caption, French & Spanish (where available)
Over at the official PlayStation blog, developer Polyarc has confirmed that their E3 2017 hit, Moss, will be released on February 27, 2018 only on the PlayStation VR platform. In addition, they released the game’s launch trailer!
Moenchengladbach/Germany, February 19, 2018 – Until now truck and logistics fans were only able to discover the endless freedom of the famous US highways in TransRoad: USA exclusively on PC. Today developer Deck13 Hamburg and publisher astragon entertainment are very happy to announce the release of their challenging business simulation for macOS® – now available for 24.99 Euro/24.99 USD/22.99 GBP on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/494670/TransRoad_USA/.
Three exciting game modes (campaign, quest and sandbox), up to five AI-controlled competitors, 37 US-American cities and a potential client base consisting of 77 businesses from 14 industries await the ambitious entrepreneur on the challenging way to his very own logistics empire in TransRoad: USA. Other features include seven different trailer types, hundreds of trucks, lots of drivers and of course a wide range of interesting challenges such as economic upturns, financial crises, demanding (and therefore especially lucrative) special orders as well as tricky missions in the quest and campaign modes.
The game’s freely zoomable 3D map ensures that the virtual manager will always stay on top of things when it comes to his trucks, contracts, clients. How about a little bit of relaxation between difficult decisions? The truck camera allows he player to follow individual trucks on their way across the whole country and to enjoy the lovingly modeled scenery. 19 famous landmarks such as the Hoover Dam, the Statue of Liberty or the Golden Gate Bridge can also be discovered by the player and will create a feeling of really travelling across the USA.
In addition to its own country music inspired soundtrack TransRoad: USA offers its players an internet radio plug-in that will give them the opportunity to add their favorite radio stations to the game and thus create the perfect musical score for their very own trucking adventure.
TransRoad: USA for macOS® is available now for 24.99 Euro/24.99 USD/22.99 GBP on Steam™.
For more information about the development of TransRoad: USA please visit us on:
Universal Studios Hollywood once again celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year with the help of the Po and friends from the Kung Fu Panda films. Most of the Lunar New Year events are located inside the Universal Plaza area of the upper lot. You can take photographs with Po and Tigress, speak with a very cool Mr. Ping at Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop – where you can also buy special Lunar New Year food items! My favorite of the bunch were the stir-fry noodles but the pot stickers were also really good.Feng the Palace Artist’s Studio is an area in the Universal Plaza where you can learn to draw your favorite characters from the Kung Fu Panda films. Each audience member is lent an easel and drawing instrument and you just have to follow along with the instructor.
Additionally, there are martial arts stage demonstrations throughout the day which showcase some very talented people. There are also traditional wishing trees setup for you to write down and leave your wishes on for good luck! The plaza is absolutely stunning decked out for the celebration and park decorators should be commended for their efforts. Outside the Universal Plaza, the Lunar New Year celebration continues as guests can meet a Mandarin-speaking Megatron characters outside the Transformers: the Ride cue area in the lower lot. Also, you can take pictures with the Minions all dressed in traditional Chinese attire.
Of course, you are still able to access all of the wonderful attractions you have come to love at Universal Studios Hollywood, the Lunar New Year celebration is in addition to all that good stuff. Heading over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, they are still selling the legendary “hot butterbeer” drink, which is absolutely a must on a blustery day. It warms you up and tastes delicious. You can also checkout the Animal Actors stage show which features some highly-trained animals of all kinds. The studio tour is also a favorite of movie lovers and fans of the park in general. If you get the chance, I’d check it out on a weekday as you might see some stuff being filmed! The Shrek 4D attraction, now closed, is being transformed into the Dreamworks Theater, which is eventually going to house a new Kung Fu Panda short film and feature interactive effects and elements. Construction is currently underway on that attraction.
Overall, Universal’s Lunar New Year celebration is a whole lot of fun for the entire family and is well worth your time to check out. The Universal Studios Lunar New Year Celebration runs from now through February 25th, 2018. After that, it’s gone, so don’t wait!
REDWOOD CITY, California – February 16, 2018 – Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and the imaginative Swedish studio Zoink Games announced that Fe, a seamless narrative adventure game is now available for download to players worldwide on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Origin for PC. Fe is the first game to launch as part of the EA Originals program, announced at EA PLAY 2017, which aims to bring players unique and memorable gaming experiences from the best independent studios.
Named after the game’s protagonist, players will run, climb, and glide through the Nordic forest as the cub-like creature, Fe. Uncover the secrets of Fe’s origin while protecting the ecosystem from the menacing machines, the Silent Ones. As Fe embarks on a voyage of discovery, the wordless experience requires Fe to learn to speak the language of the forest by singing in tune with various fantastical plants and animals, each of which offers unique gameplay benefits that will help along the journey.
“In Fe, sounds connect every living thing in the diverse ecosystem,” said Klaus Lyngeled, CEO and Creative Lead at Zoink Games. “The forest holds a multitude of secrets to be uncovered by connecting with the flora and fauna. As a wordless experience, the entire story is up for the players’ own interpretation as they move through the forest at their own pace. Fe is a beautiful, connected world that players will never want to leave.”
Uncover the mysteries of nature in a world worth exploring as Fe happens upon ancient ruins, hidden artifacts, secret places, and new powers. Each experience offers a hand-crafted short story, wrapped in a visually stunning, memorable, and fun environment. Discover Fe’s origin and learn that nothing is what it first seems.
Fe is rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now for $19.99 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Origin for PC, and Nintendo Switch. To find out more on Fe, please visit the blog at https://www.ea.com/games/fe. Visit https://www.EA.com/EA-Originals for information and to keep up-to-date on EA Originals.
February 16, 2018 – Empires Apart has a release date: 29th March. Fast games, faster match ups. If you want to play a deep and intense real-time strategy game, Empires Apart is the choice. You begin with few resources and fewer villagers, and you have to create the strongest civilization. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but in half an hour you can fully develop your city and raise an army to wipe out enemies out.
Six factions, six different ways to win: every faction has unique abilities and units. Aztec warriors get better every time they score a kill, but have no cavalry. French knights can unleash a devastating charge, Chinese rely on their renown skill in ranged combat, Mongols can literally move their city around the map, Byzantine infantry can disrupt enemy lines before their Kataphraktos attack the enemy – but all factions should fear Arabs and their priests, as they can “convert” enemy troops.
Empire Apart is releasing on Steam with the aim or giving new life to the classic RTS genre.
San Francisco, CA– February 15, 2018 –Viveport, the HTC VIVE™ global app store and the world’s only VR subscription service, today announced new benefits for Viveport subscribers that increases the overall value of their membership. On March, 22nd, Viveport Subscription will add promotional benefits and increase the monthly price from $6.99 to $8.99. All current Viveport Subscription members and those who sign up before March 22nd will keep their $6.99 price point for at least the rest of 2018.
“We are constantly looking to add value to Viveport Subscription membership and enhance the experience for our growing customer base,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport. “Vive continues to have the best content available in VR, and our new perks for Viveport Subscription members makes it even easier to discover great content while keeping their costs down.”
Subscribers will get access to exclusive promotions and discounts every month starting in February 2018. To kick off the new membership benefits available to subscribers, Viveport will be sending a free title to all current subscribes this month. Viveport will continue to add value to Subscription through additional benefits and perks as the service grows.
“Viveport Subscription has gained incredible momentum and traction among consumers as well as developers,” said Steiber. “Our subscription catalog has grown to over 375 titles, which is more than 600% increase since we started the service. We are always looking to support the developer ecosystem and with the subscription increase, developers will now be earning an additional ~22% from their title in the Subscription catalog. Our exclusive promotions on select titles will also give developers another avenue for marketing their games to our most engaged audience.”
The new price increase will take effect on March 22, 2018 across the 60+ countries served by Viveport. However, current subscribers and those who purchase a subscription before March 22, will be locked in at the current price through at least the end of the year.
