Author - Jerry Paxton

Creation Entertainment Unveils 55 Year Tour Edition of Their Annual Star Trek Convention

2021/07/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News

Star Trek fans from around the world will set their coordinates for Las Vegas on August 11 – 15 at the Rio Suites Hotel for the galaxy’s largest annual Convention. This gathering marks the 55th Anniversary of Star Trek, and over 15,000 are expected to be in attendance. This year also marks the 50th Anniversary of show producer Creation Entertainment, innovators of the in-person fan experience.

This five-day event will feature numerous highlights including:

  •  A tribute is planned for superstar William Shatner (legendary Captain Kirk) for his milestone 90th birthday. Featured will be a video tribute to his amazing career, narrated by the man himself, as he shares some of his favorite memories! Creation will also be sharing his convention highlights throughout the years.
  •  Top Starfleet-worthy celebrities set to appear include headliners: classic Star Trek’s George Takei (Sulu, Thursday and Sunday), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura, Saturday), and Walter Koenig (Chekov, Friday only); Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery, Sunday only); Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, Sunday only); and in his first Trek appearance, six-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer (Captain Morgan Bateson from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Saturday only).
  •  Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday will be given a special tribute as we celebrate and honor the life and career of the legendary creator of Star Trek.
  •  Several unique science panels by leading industry expert Dr. Mohamed Noor, Dean of Natural Sciences at Duke University and science consultant for Star Trek, will focus on how real-life science equates with the Star Trek universe. Dr. David Williams, renowned planetary geologist with Arizona State University and consultant of many NASA planetary missions, will discuss the exploration of our solar system and its many diverse planets, moons and asteroids and as well as the past and future exploration of Saturn’s largest moon.
  •  The late Leonard Nimoy, who would have turned 90 this year, will be honored with a special fine art photography exhibit as well as video footage of his convention appearance highlights.

In addition to celebrities, the non-stop theatrical show will include behind-the-scenes presentations, costume and trivia contests, no-minimum bid auctions of unique collectibles and one-of-a-kind items, and special fan-made music videos. The exhibit hall will boast major companies and distributors selling and displaying sci-fi collectibles from across the universe.

Along with nighttime themed parties, the Saturday Night Gala Celebration will return with the Nevada Pops Orchestra. This special night features Maestro Richard McGee and a 45-piece orchestra who will honor Gene Roddenberry’s 100th birthday and his legacy and impact. Special quest conductors will be Dennis McCarthy (Grammy Award-winning composer) and Jeff Russo (Emmy Award-winning composer know for his score of “Star Trek: Discovery”). Anthony Rapp (Star Trek: Discovery) and Isa Briones (Star Trek: Picard) will perform with the orchestra. The concert will take place Saturday, August 14 at 9:30 p.m. (a separate ticket of $75 is required for general admission).

Want to get married in Las Vegas style? Now you can say “I do” on the Original Series Bridge or The Next Generation’s 10 Forward replicas. Wedding packages start at $1500 (include ceremony and photo session at location) and can accommodate up to 50 guests.

For cosplayers, Saturday is the day! The Costume Competition with celebrity judges, special on-stage costume panels, the annual Costume Parade throughout the convention, and a number of cosplayer meet ups are all scheduled. Garak’s Tailor and Repair will be returning to handle any emergency costume repairs for free throughout the weekend.

General admission tickets are available in advance (www.creationent.com) or at the door and start at $65 for a single day. Show hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (times are tentative).

For further information, call Creation Entertainment, 818/409-0960, or visit our website at www.creationent.com.

Become a part of the community, and follow the convention online:

The Witcher: Monster Slayer Launch Trailer

2021/07/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Mobile News, News, Trailers / Videos

Available now for free on iOS and Android, The Witcher: Monster Slayer is a brand new game set in The Witcher universe. Developed and published by Spokko, the game challenges players to take on the role of a freshly trained witcher adept and step out into a dark fantasy realm using only their mobile phone. Using advanced AR features, as well as their location and the time of day, players will be able to hunt down over 100 witcher-world monsters both old and new.

By logging in to the game no later than July 28th, 11:59 PM CEST, Android and iOS users will find the Kaer Morhen Steel Sword in their inventory. This weapon increases the number of Experience Points gained from killing monsters by 10%, and will surely aid new witchers beginning their journey on the Path.

https://thewitcher.com/us/en/monster-slayer

The Witcher: Monster Slayer is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. For more information, please visit the official website and follow the game on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Vacation Friends Official Trailer

2021/07/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Movie News, News, Trailers / Videos

The trailer and poster are available now for 20th Century Studios’ “Vacation Friends,” debuting August 27 streaming globally as a Hulu Original in the U.S. and a Star Original on Star on Disney+ in select international markets. The film stars John Cena (“F9,” “The Suicide Squad”), Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”), Yvonne Orji (“Insecure,” “Night School”), Meredith Hagner (“Search Party,” “Palm Springs”), Robert Wisdom (“The Alienist,” “Ballers”), Andrew Bachelor (“The Babysitter,” “Holidate”) and Lynn Whitfield (“Greenleaf,” “Madea’s Family Reunion”). “Vacation Friends” is 20th Century Studios’ first film to have a global release on the Hulu and Disney+ streaming platforms.

In this raw and raunchy comedy, straight-laced Marcus and Emily (Howery, Orji) are befriended by wild, thrill-seeking partiers Ron and Kyla (Cena, Hagner) at a resort in Mexico. Living in the moment, the usually level-headed couple lets loose to enjoy a week of uninhibited fun and debauchery with their new “vacation friends.” Months after their walk on the wild side, Marcus and Emily are horrified when Ron and Kyla show up uninvited at their wedding, creating chaos and proving that what happens on vacation, doesn’t necessarily stay on vacation.

Directed by Clay Tarver (“Silicon Valley”), “Vacation Friends” was written by Tom Mullen & Tim Mullen and Clay Tarver and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. The producers are Todd Garner (“Tag,” “Playing with Fire”) and Timothy M. Bourne (“Love, Simon,” “The Hate U Give”), with Steve Pink and Sean Robins serving as executive producers.

The film will also be available in Latin America as part of the new Star+ direct-to-consumer service launching on August 31st in the region.

Escape from Naraka NVIDIA GeForce RTX Reveal Trailer

2021/07/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Escape from Naraka is a unique first-person action-platformer with exotic Balinese themes, inspired by local mythologies and legends. Published via Headup, the small Indonesia-based development team, Xelo Games, will launch their game next Thursday, on July 29th.

Powered by Unreal Engine 4, players will encounter a beautifully created first-person action-platformer set in a gigantic Balinese temple including real statues, and inspired by real mythology, and creatures straight from legend.

If you’re going to play Escape from Naraka on a Nvidia GeForce RTX PC, you can enhance your experience with ray-traced reflections, ray-traced shadows, RTX Global Illumination and performance-accelerating NVIDIA DLSS! Check out these effects in action in this new RTX video:

“It’s a great honor to work with Nvidia. Like a dream coming true!”, adds Irfan Sarwono, Game Director of Xelo Games. “Since it’s a mix of runner and platformer including Steam Leaderboards, and it is up to the player to achieve the best possible time, the extra FPS won’t hurt. DLSS? Check! Ray-Tracing? Check!”

Wishlist now if you are a fan of games like SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell, Dark Deception, or DOOM! For more information, check out the official Twitter page and feel free to discuss the game with the developers on Discord.

Company of Heroes 3 Battle Briefing Videos

2021/07/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

With last week’s announcement of Company of Heroes 3, the pre-alpha preview is currently available to play for free (!) until August 3rd by signing up at companyofheroes.com. The game is still in the early stages of development, and Relic Entertainment are looking for as much feedback as possible to help make this the best game in the Company of Heroes franchise to date. But we also know that if you’re new to strategy games in general or Company of Heroes in particular, there can be a lot of new concepts and mechanics to take on board.

To help with that, Relic Entertainment have created a pair of Battle Briefing videos to bring you up to speed on the basics of Company of Heroes 3 as well as the brand-new Dynamic Campaign Map & optional Full Tactical Pause feature. With both of these in your toolkit, there will be nothing standing in the way of your campaign to retake mainland Italy from the entrenched Axis forces!

The videos can be found on YouTube here:

 

Midsummer Scream’s Awaken the Spirits! Panels Announced

2021/07/20
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, News

Halloween favorites including Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, LA Haunted Hayride, Delusion, Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest, and Winchester Mystery House will have presentations about their upcoming events during Awaken the Spirits!, Midsummer Scream’s “pop-up” event August 14-15, 2021 at the Pasadena Convention Center. The schedule, along with a list of special guests, vendors, and other surprises, is now available on the event website and through the Fan Guru app.

Saturday, August 14 will feature presentations by Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, Winchester Mystery House, LA Haunted Hayride, and Delusion: Reaper’s Remorse. A special panel commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the feature film Thir13en Ghosts will kick-off the day with special guests including Producer Erik Olsen, Special Makeup Effects Designers Howard Berger and Norman Cabrera from KNB EFX Group, and Composer John Frizell.

Sunday, August 15 includes presentations from Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Fright Fest, voice and mo-cap cast from the best-selling horror video game Resident Evil: Village, a 30th Anniversary retrospective of legendary home haunt Rotten Apple 907, and a deep dive into how Epic Entertainment and Mycotoo (the teams behind Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor) bring horrifying creature and stories to life.

Both Saturday and Sunday will conclude with a 60-minute Home Haunt Update featuring many of Southern California’s most epic and beloved home-grown Halloween attractions each day, and what their “comeback” plans are for 2021.

All weekend, guests can explore a sprawling show floor, including over 200 spooky vendors and displays, including a brand-new experience from Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights that will put your horror fandom to the test and see how brave you are!

Awaken the Spirits! is the first large-scale event that Midsummer Scream has produced since 2019. Hosting this convention-style pop-up is a thrilling endeavor, bringing the haunt and horror community together again for a weekend of socializing, cosplay, shopping, presentations, and fun!

Saturday General Admission tickets for the event have already sold out; Sunday, Weekend, and VIP tickets are still available, but are going fast!

To purchase tickets visit midsummerscream.org/awaken and download the Fan Guru app for a full schedule, list of speakers and vendors, and event map: https://fanguru.app.link/CoODSmJLJhb

The event will also be the first chance for guests to purchase tickets for Midsummer Scream’s holiday horror convention, Season’s Screamings, to be help December 17-19, also at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Midsummer Scream and the Pasadena Convention Center are working in accordance with all CDC, state, and City of Pasadena guidelines governing requirements for events and gatherings of this type.

For breaking information about Awaken the Spirits! and other upcoming Midsummer Scream events, follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @midsummerscream and sign up for the newsletter at MidsummerScream.org.

Death’s Door Launch Trailer

2021/07/20
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Grim reapers Acid Nerve (Titan Souls) and soulless publisher Devolver Digital have disobeyed their parents and opened Death’s Door, unleashing the off-beat action-adventure onto unsuspecting Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC owners today.

Death’s Door marks the long-awaited return of Titan Souls developers Acid Nerve and thrusts players into a quirky and curious world where Crows are in charge of collecting the souls of the dead.

“We can rebuild them. We have the technology. We can make them better than they were. Better, stronger, faster. And hopefully more profitable,” remarked Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker.

Explore a land full of twisted inhabitants and countless secrets, bringing hope to the weird and wonderful characters you’ll meet along the way. Wield and upgrade melee weapons, arrows and magic as you track down and defeat colossal tyrants with stories and motivations of their own.

For more soul searching, visit playdeathsdoor.com.

Back 4 Blood PC Features Trailer Released

2021/07/20
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Warner Bros. Games and Turtle Rock Studios today revealed a new Back 4 Blood trailer showing off the co-op zombie shooter’s Ridden-slaying action running on PC. The new video highlights several features coming to the PC version of the game at launch, including 4K resolution, uncapped framerate, NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), ultrawide and multi-monitor support, cross-play, and various other graphics and visual quality options. Back 4 Blood will be available for PC via the Microsoft Store, Steam and Epic Games Store on Oct. 12.

The upcoming Back 4 Blood Open Beta will begin with an Early Access portion from Aug. 5-9 for those who pre-order the game. Players can also register at Back4Blood.com/Beta for a chance to get into the Early Access portion, but please note, website registration does not guarantee Early Access entry as codes are limited. The Open Beta will continue from Aug. 12-16 and be available for all players. Both Open Beta portions will be playable on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One Consoles, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and PC, including cross-play and cross-gen support. For more information on the Open Beta, visit Back4Blood.com/Beta.

2K Reveals NBA 2K22 New Features

2021/07/20
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Today, 2K revealed an initial look at some of the new features coming to NBA® 2K22, with more deep dives coming in August and September, to reveal even more of what’s new in the next version of the best-selling NBA basketball simulation video game.

Check out the NBA 2K22 feature reveal Courtside Report for the full reveal here: https://nba.2k.com/courtside-report/nba-2k22-features-update-1.

  • Gameplay – On-court gameplay movements will give players more control on how they score the ball to improve offensive moves and combos and how they counter those moves on the defensive end;
  • Seasons – Across fan-favorite experiences, Seasons will allow players to extend and enhance their hoop ambitions long after the game’s launch with more content, more rewards, and more ways to play;
  • MyTEAM – An evolved experience gives MyTEAM players more ways to build and compete with their own dream teams. New challenges, rewards, and events make every Season fresh and unique;
  • New City* – The biggest online basketball community is getting a makeover. Step into an all-new City teeming with life, activity, and interactivity;
  • New Neighborhood – On PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms, players will compete in an all-new Neighborhood built on the spacious decks of a sailing cruise ship;
  • MyCAREER – The all-new City* and MyCAREER become one in a ground-breaking narrative experience on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles;
  • MyNBA* & MyWNBA* – Build a winning franchise by making sure the staffing is just as strong as the hooping.

NBA 2K22 will be released on September 10 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. For more information, please visit the NBA 2K22 official site.

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant Announced

2021/07/19
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Today, Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, an upcoming free-to-play FPS blending fast-paced 6-v-6 arena combat with faction-based abilities. XDefiant will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®4, as well as on Stadia, Luna and Ubisoft Connect, with full crossplay expected at launch. Players can register now at www.playxdefiant.com to get the latest news, updates and a chance to play in early tests. The initial test begins August 5, and players are encouraged to sign up quickly for a chance to play first.* Additional tests are planned for this winter.

During the past 21 years, the Tom Clancy universe has become a major part of Ubisoft’s history and a reference for tactical shooters and immersive universes. Ubisoft is proud to announce the expansion of the Tom Clancy universe with a game that will let all the fans play with – and against – some of the most recognizable maverick groups from across fan-favorite franchises.

Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco and led by seasoned FPS expert Mark Rubin (executive producer) and Ubisoft San Francisco veteran Jason Schroeder (creative director), XDefiant offers an all-new experience to Tom Clancy games. Factions and characters, “Defiants,” are inspired by Tom Clancy games and beyond. Whether players are looking to play competitively or casually, XDefiant has something for everyone.

XDefiant, a Ubisoft Original, is a new take on the competitive FPS genre that offers players a high-octane gameplay experience, combining fluid and visceral combat with unprecedented freedom and personalization. XDefiant will immerse players at the forefront of the Tom Clancy universe at iconic locations in the throes of technicolor chaos, with maps mixing indoor and outdoor environments, ensuring smooth gameplay and unpredictable engagements.

Additional features include:

  • Personalized Playstyle: Players can personalize their Defiant to match their playstyle. Players can choose a faction with unique traits, abilities and ultra, then select from an arsenal of primary and secondary weapons, attachments, and a device to complete their loadout – and even tweak it on the fly (after respawning) to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield.
  • Competitive Clashes: The game offers a variety of competitive 6-v-6 arena and linear game modes, such as Domination and Escort. Combine that with a large pool of uniquely designed maps in rotation and no two matches will feel the same.
  • Diverse Factions of Defiants: XDefiant will initially feature factions such as the Wolves (Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon), Echelon (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell) and the Outcasts and Cleaners (Tom Clancy’s The Division) battling across iconic locations. Additional Defiants will be added as the game evolves, drawing on a range of characters and abilities from the Tom Clancy universe … and beyond.

Players can go to www.playxdefiant.com to register for upcoming news, information and game tests (the first test begins August 5*).

* August 5 test only available for PC in the United States and Canada. Additional tests will be available later this year.