Author - Jerry Paxton

SnowRunner Vehicles Coming to Dakar Desert Rally

Two amazing Saber Interactive games are coming together for one high-octane off-roading experience. Dakar Desert Rally, the biggest open-world racing game based on the largest rally race on the planet, is introducing a new fleet of vehicles and challenges inspired by the blockbuster off-road game, SnowRunner. The “SnowRunner Trucks” DLC is free to download today on all platforms for owners of the Dakar Desert Rally Season Pass. It is also available to purchase standalone for $9.99.

Get behind the wheel of five of SnowRunner’s most massively mighty trucks, capable of taking on any challenge: the TUZ 16, TUZ 108, TUZ 420, ZiKZ 605R, and YAR 87. Overcome extreme open-world environments in either Free Roam mode or Rally Raid competition. Put your skills to the test against the elements with nine new stages and two new events exclusive to the “SnowRunner Trucks” DLC.

Today also marks the release of Patch 1.7 for Dakar Desert Rally, rolling out a number of general game fixes, improvements, and simulation tools like the new steering wheel wizard. You can find the complete list of patch notes here.

Dakar Desert Rally authentically captures the intense scale and thrill of one of the world’s most challenging off-road events across over 20,000 square kilometers of diverse terrain with dynamic weather. Choose from some of the sport’s most renowned racing teams, or create your own and build up your garage with a long line of cars, bikes, trucks, quads and SSVs from the world’s top manufacturers. Forge your path to victory across a variety of game modes, including an arcade-style Sport mode for quick pick-up-and-play action, Professional and Simulation modes for a true rally experience, and online multiplayer for up to four players for the ultimate competitive challenge.

Dakar Desert Rally is available on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. For more information, check out DakarTheGame.com, and #DaretoDrive by following the game on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and Facebook.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Antonov An-225 Mriya Aircraft Available for Purchase

This morning on Xbox WireMicrosoft Flight Simulator announced that as part of ongoing digital preservation efforts, the world’s largest aircraft, the Ukrainian-built Antonov An-225 Mriya is available in the in-game marketplace on PC today for $19.99. All proceeds will go to the Antonov Corporation to re-build the An-225.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is an ultra-heavy lift jet transport aircraft featuring six engines, holds the record as the world’s longest plane and many other size-related aviation records. Only one Mriya was ever completed, and it was rendered catastrophically inoperable in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Efforts are underway to attempt to rebuild the aircraft and fly it again.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya is available in the in-game marketplace on PC today. It will be available for Xbox Series X|S and on Xbox Cloud Gaming starting in late March. For more information about Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to Xbox Wire and follow us on Twitter for the latest news and updates.

Arrow Streaming Service Unveils March 2023 Releases

Arrow Video is excited to announce the March 2023 lineup of their subscription-based ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

In March ARROW are proud to take subscribers into a deep dive into the work of some of cinema’s most eclectic and exciting filmmakers, including Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Roeg, Mike Hodges, Jeffrey Combs and more.

Arrow March 2023 Lineup

On March 3, ARROW presents two documentaries from Paul Joyce: Dennis Hopper: Some Kind of Genius (UK/IRE/US/CA), an entertaining and intimate interview with the legendary star of Apocalypse Now and Blue Velvet whose directorial debut, Easy Rider, changed Hollywood forever; and Nothing As It Seems: The Films of Nicolas Roeg (UK/IRE/US/CA), an insightful look at the formidable British director behind cult classics Walkabout, Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don’t Look Now and The Witches.

Keeping with the spirit of celebrating auteurs, March 3 kicks off the Seasons with Re-Animated: The Jeffrey Combs Collection. Cult film legend Jeffrey Combs’ mere presence makes any film he’s in automatically 27% better, and whose talent at making any character absolutely unforgettable makes anything he’s in a must-see.

Re-Animated: The Jeffrey Combs Collection collects together some of his most memorable roles, from Dr. Herbert West to Doctor Mordrid and including his incredible turn as a put-upon father who reaches his breaking point versus a Castle Freak.

Titles Include: Castle Freak, Doctor Mordrid, Lurking Fear.

To commemorate over fifty years of bloodsoaked thrillers, on March 10 ARROW launches Nico Mastorakis: Hellas Raiser.

Greek genre film god Nico Mastorakis has been banging out pulpy thrillers jam-packed full of excitement, action and gore since the 1970s. To celebrate the arrival of his cyber-thriller .com for Murder on ARROW, here is a season of some of Mastorakis’ best. From his telekinetic Giallo debut, Death Has Blue Eyes; to his Video Nasty, Island of Death; James Earl Jones battling underwater terror in Bloodtide and Meg Foster vs. a sickle-wielding psycho in The Wind; sit back and prepare yourself for all-out entertainment from the Hellas Raiser himself.

Titles Include: .com For Murder, Island of Death, Nightmare at Noon.

Barbarella Forever!

On March 17, ARROW invites subscribers to take a look at a trio of documentaries focusing on cult classics and those who defined them: Barbarella Forever! (UK/IRE/US/CA): a never-before-seen look behind the scenes of the making of the sexy and swinging sci-fi cult classic, Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda; Mike Hodges: A Film-Maker’s Life (UK/IRE/US/CA): an intimate work concerning the life and work of recently deceased British genre filmmaker Mike Hodges; and Fall Breakers: The Making of The Mutilator (UK/IRE/US/CA): a retrospective documentary on the making of the 1980’s slasher horror splatter cult classic The Mutilator (1984).

Also on March 17, enjoy a Season of tune-based terror: Death By Stereo.

Turn this collection on with music and audio-based ARROW features, shorts and turn the extras up to 11!

From sound as a weapon in LFO, to a caged female house band in Blood Dolls, Death By Stereo features wild musical numbers, feuding punk bands and musicians in danger, as well as music videos from effects legend Screamin’ Mad George, a singalong Re-animator dance anthem (for real) and even Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti discussing the score for Dario Argento’s Deep Red.

Titles Include: LFO, Burst City, Hellbent.

Horror Movie Survival Guide

The final Season of the month comes courtesy of our friends at the hit Horror Movie Survival Guide podcast. Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble have been in training to be Final Girls for over 200 episodes now, so they know a thing or two about horror. Come with us now, as they delve into the ARROW archives to Select their favorite films for Horror Movie Survival Guide Selects.

Titles Include: The Deeper You Dig, Season of the Witch, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The Hills Have Eyes, The Crazies, Blood Feast, Ringu, Things To Come, Blind Beast, Horrors of Malformed Men, Two Witches, The Stylist, Vampyres, Puppet Master, Children of the Corn, The Italian Connection, The Devil’s Rain, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

The final release of March celebrates Hong Kong’s premier action choreographer of the 1970s, Sammo Hung. The all action director and actor’s 1979 feature gave his Peking Opera brother-in-arms, acrobatic ace Yuen Biao, his first chance at leading man status: Knockabout. A thrill-a-minute action spectacular that would pave the way for later masterpiece, Hung’s film launches on March 28 (US/CA).

Combining Hung’s hard-hitting choreography with the Mo Lei Tau style of humor that was increasing in popularity at the time, Knockabout is a thrill-a-minute action spectacular that would pave the way for later masterpieces such as Hung and Biao’s subsequent collaboration, the Wing Chun tour-de-force The Prodigal Son.

Making of Barotrauma Trailer

After an Early Access journey filled to the brim with updates, the sci-fi u-boat sim Barotrauma is finally going to emerge into version 1.0 on Steam on March 13th, with lots of new features and a wonderful community on board. The game is on track to entice even more brave submariners to dive into Europa’s depths with its huge variety of u-boats and missions, disgusting enemies, varied biomes and hilarious ragdoll physics. As Barotrauma is approaching its 1.0 release, the game reached another major milestone: more than 2.5 million players already call this superb submarine spectacle their own.

Barotrauma is a sci-fi submarine sim with both a single-player mode as well as co-op with up to 16 players, who navigate the depths of Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa and fulfill various missions. Together with their active and passionate community, developers FakeFish and Undertow Games have greatly expanded and improved the game since its Early Access launch in summer 2019: They overhauled the campaign and tutorials, added new monsters, missions and outposts, improved graphics and environments, implemented a scripted event system and much much more. All of this was made possible with the feedback and support of more than 30,000 Discord members as well as 60,000 player-made entries on the Steam Workshop. To show their deep devotion to their players and their fanbase the devs even added a player-made submarine to the base-game as part of a community competition.

Full list of updates since EA launch:

  • New graphics and environments
  • Campaign overhaul
  • Explorable outposts
  • Wrecked submarines, abandoned outposts and improved alien ruins
  • Submarine upgrading and switching
  • More and new monsters and missions
  • New scripted event system
  • Talent system for character progression
  • Reworked tutorials

The community is especially looking forward to the introduction of rival factions with version 1.0 and the new ending of the campaign. Joonas Rikkonen, Barotrauma’s lead developer, on the Barotrauma community states: “Barotrauma has been a great community-assisted effort for almost a decade now, and we’re thrilled to be reaching 1.0 after all these years. We can’t wait to hear what our players think about the faction overhaul and the real ending of the campaign, and look forward to making more updates even after this release.”

Paradox Announcement Show 2023 Official Trailer

Paradox Interactive, a developer and publisher of announcements about announcements, today revealed an upcoming Announcement Show which will air on March 6, 2023, at 18.00 CET and feature world-first reveals of brand-new games from the publisher’s network of studios and partners.

The show, presented in partnership with Xbox, will premiere on Paradox’s YouTube and Twitch channels, and will include the debut of new games from Seattle-based Harebrained Schemes, the master storytellers behind The Shadowrun Trilogy and BATTLETECH; Paradox Tectonic, the Berkeley-based studio working with industry veteran Rod Humble; and Colossal Order, the Tampere-based developers of the genre-leading global hit Cities: Skylines.

Details about the Paradox Announcement Show and its program can be found today on the show’s website.

“I don’t want to say we have too many announcements, but it’s hard to choose which one has me most thrilled,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Talking directly with our players about our games, sharing their excitement for what’s coming next, comparing how many hours we’ve played – it’s something everyone at Paradox profoundly enjoys. I’m also eager not to have to keep these announcements secret for much longer.”

In addition to reveals of new games, the Paradox Announcement show will feature new content for a variety of existing titles in the Paradox library, with new expansions, free updates, as well as news from the Paradox Arc publishing initiative. For updates on the show, fans can visit the website or follow Paradox Interactive on their social media platforms.

About Paradox Interactive

The Paradox group today consists of both publishing and internal development of games and brands. Paradox has a broad portfolio of games and owns the most important brands, including Stellaris, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Cities: Skylines, Prison Architect, Victoria, Age of Wonders and the World of Darkness catalog of brands.

Since 2004, the company has published its games all over the world, initially through physical distribution but primarily in digital channels after 2006. Paradox games are developed primarily for PC and console platforms, but the company also releases games on mobile. The largest markets today include the US, UK, China, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. In total, Paradox games have over five million players each month.

For more information, please visit http://www.paradoxinteractive.com

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Launch Trailer

Today, KOEI Tecmo and developer Team NINJA released the final demo for their highly-anticipated action-RPG, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The demo will be available from Feb. 24 through March 26, 2023 and is available across all systems the game is scheduled to release on, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and on PC via Windows and Steam®.

The final demo features two early stages of the game that were not featured in the first demo, including Chapter 1: Village of Calamity along with Chapter 2: Two Chivalrous Heroes. Both chapters showcase the electrifying combat and intense fighting of a demon-plagued, fantasy Three Kingdoms, as an anonymous militia soldier fights his way through waves of monsters and enemy soldiers in this Later Han Dynasty thriller.

Online multiplayer will also be available in the demo, and by transferring the cleared saved data from these early stages to the main game, players will earn the in-game item “Crouching Dragon Helmet” upon the game’s release.

To help celebrate the final demo, KOEI TECMO also unleashed the game’s epic launch trailer, showcasing some of the historic warriors from the Three Kingdoms featured throughout the adventure.

Players who purchase either the physical or digital version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty by March 16 will receive special “Baihu Armor”, while those who pre-order the game digitally will receive both the early purchase bonus along with the pre-order bonus: “Zhuque Armor”.

A limited-edition SteelBook version of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will also be available at launch. The SteelBook Launch Edition includes an exclusive collectible case along with bonus DLC items “Crown of Zhurong” and “Crown of Gonggong”.

For more information on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, visit the official site, Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/koeitecmous and Follow us on Twitter @WoLongOfficial and @koeitecmoUS.

Dungeons & Dragons Golden Archive Owlbear Figure Pre-Order Date

Hasbro exclusively revealed the brand new Dungeons & Dragons Golden Archive Owlbear figure based on the upcoming film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which will be available for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse starting March 1st! For a first look at the new figure, please check out Toy Book’s feature, “From The Tabletop To The Toy Department: Hasbro’s D&D Goes Mainstream.”

Crafted by Mitchel Wu Toy Photography, the Toy Book cover is designed to capture the theme of the cover story, “Dungeons & Dragons: From the Tabletop to the Toy Department.” The Owlbear stands tall alongside Edgin the Bard atop D&D campaign materials. In the background, eagle-eyed readers may catch some Easter eggs, including Autobots and Decepticons from this summer’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Additional new D&D products were also unveiled, including The Golden Archive action figures, the Player’s Handbook Metal Sign, Cartoon Classics, the Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, Avalon Hill’s The Yawning Portal and the NERF x D&D Collection.

Square Enix Octopath Traveler II Launch Trailer

SQUARE ENIX® today released OCTOPATH TRAVELER™ II, the second standalone entry in the critically acclaimed OCTOPATH TRAVELER RPG series, for the Nintendo Switch™ system, the PlayStation®5 (PS5™) console and the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) console, with PC via STEAM® launching later today.

Developed by the creators of the critically acclaimed original, which has sold over three million copies worldwide*, OCTOPATH TRAVELER II introduces players to the brand-new world of Solistia, where eight travelers with unique storylines and motivations must navigate treacherous lands, conquer enemies in strategic turn-based battles and navigate the perils and promise of a new industrial era.

OCTOPATH TRAVELER II tells a brand-new epic story, set in a new World independent from the original title. Players will be introduced to eight original characters and experience all-new features and gameplay elements. OCTOPATH TRAVELER II is the perfect entry for newcomers to the series, while also preserving the charm of the original game for existing fans by improving upon the series’ iconic HD-2D visuals, which feature a striking blend of retro 2D characters in a beautiful 3D world.

New and returning gameplay features and elements include:

  • Break & Boost Battle System – Players must act strategically to exploit enemy weaknesses to “Break” them to inflict more damage, and “Boost” their travelers to enhance their abilities.
  • Path Actions – Players can interact with NPCs throughout the world in various ways by using actions unique to each character, such as challenging people as the Warrior or stealing belongings as the Thief. Path Actions will vary depending on the protagonist and whether it is day or night.
  • Brand-New Story and Characters – Players can embark on a grand adventure in the new land of Solistia and experience the intertwined stories of eight new travelers: Hikari (Warrior), Agnea (Dancer), Partitio (Merchant), Osvald (Scholar), Throné (Thief), Temenos (Cleric), Ochette (Hunter), and Castti (Apothecary).
  • Day/Night Cycle – The townscapes and Path Actions available to each character will change depending on if it is night or day, creating more opportunities for exploration and discovery.
  • Latent Power – A new battle element in which characters can unleash a powerful ability once the ability’s gauge fills up during combat.
  • Crossed Paths – Additional stories will unfold between the protagonists as their journey progresses, further intertwining their narratives.

The OCTOPATH TRAVELER II Prologue Demo is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. The Prologue Demo allows players to choose any of the eight protagonists to start their journey with and play for three hours. Save data can be carried over to the full game once purchased.

OCTOPATH TRAVELER II is now available on the Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®4, with PC via STEAM® launching later today. The game is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. For more information, visit: https://www.octopathtraveler2.com

Venom DLC Now Available for Marvel’s Midnight Suns

2K and Marvel Entertainment announced that Redemption*, Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ second post-launch DLC featuring Venom, is now available worldwide on Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

In Redemption, Venom, the deadly amalgam of Eddie Brock and an alien symbiote, joins the Midnight Suns to right the wrongs he committed under Lilith’s demonic influence. Blood-sucking vampyres have infested the sewers beneath New York City, but even they quake in fear at the sight of Venom’s pitch-black claws and razor-sharp teeth. With help from the Midnight Suns, Venom is fighting to regain control of his actions and rid NYC of the undead scourge—but unshackling himself from one manipulative demon has attracted the attention of another. Included in Redemption:

  • New Recruitable Hero: Venom, a savage symbiote wielding 10 unique Hero Abilities
  • New Story Missions: Continue the fight against the vampyre threat in New York City
  • New Abbey Upgrade: Whisper Web
  • 3 Additional Hero Skins, 7 Abbey Outfits, and 2 Swimsuits for Venom

Venom is recruited by completing his first story mission “The Devil’s Due,” which becomes playable after completing the “Shattering Expectations” mission at the end of Act One.

On the battlefield, Venom starts off each encounter with a big damage bonus in the form of Ravenous. Ravenous is a unique mechanic to Venom; he starts off with three stacks and each stack increases his base offense. Using an Attack or Heroic uses one stack of Ravenous, which then gets refilled a bit each turn. This makes Venom particularly bursty as a character – he requires careful play order management to maximize his damage potential, but his abilities can allow him to sustain longer periods of intense power.

Building Venom’s Whisper Web upgrade in the Abbey unlocks the ability to use Intel to modify general missions, applying a random modifier such as switching the mission leader and decreasing the mission difficulty. Upgrading Whisper Web adds an additional reward to the mission, such as Credits, Blueprints or Essence.

Redemption is available today for Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is rated “T” for Teen. For more information on Marvel’s Midnight Suns, visit www.midnightsuns.com and sign up for the 2K newsletter, become a fan on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, follow on Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using the hashtag #MidnightSuns.

Firaxis Games is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

* Redemption DLC pack available for individual purchase, requires base game. DLC pack also included with Marvel’s Midnight Suns Season Pass which is included with the Legendary Edition and available to purchase separately.

Living with Chucky Official Trailer

Living with Chucky takes an in depth look at the groundbreaking Child’s Play franchise from the perspective of a filmmaker who grew up within it. Featuring interviews with cast and crew such as Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Alex Vincent, creator Don Mancini, and much more, this personal film recounts the dedication, creativity and sacrifice that went into making the franchise and its long-lasting impact on the horror community.

Storming into pop culture in the late 1980s, the three-foot menace known as Chucky, proved that Child’s Play was anything but. The horror film went on to spawn six sequels, a television series, a reboot, comic books, a video game and merchandise.

Written and directed by Kyra Elise Gardner, daughter of legendary special effects artist Tony Gardner, Living With Chucky looks back at the groundbreaking horror franchise by those there from the beginning. The documentary details the history of the Child’s Play films by the cast and crew, in addition to Gardner’s own relationship with the series and the impact it had on her family. Gardner, who grew up alongside Chucky the killer doll, seeks out other families involved with the Child’s Play films as they recount their experiences working on the franchise and what it means to be a part of the “Chucky” family.

FILMMAKER KYRA ELISE GARDNER

With a dad in special effects makeup, blood and guts became a normality for Kyra at a young age. Combat nursing was her first goal, but she soon discovered that real blood is way grosser than the fake stuff. She’s been pursuing a career in directing since attending Florida State’s film program and plans on creating quirky fantastical films from the lore of her unconventional childhood.

Feature documentary, 100 Minutes, USA (2022)