Author - Jerry Paxton

JAWS on the Water Returns to Austin

2021/06/23
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Movie News, News

Just when everyone thought it was safe to get back in the water, “JAWS on the Water” is coming back to Austin, TX for multiple screenings beginning July 3, following a much-missed pandemic hiatus last summer.

Alamo Drafthouse has partnered with High Beam Events and the newly resurrected Action Pack Entertainment to bring the legendary screening experience back to Volente Beach on Lake Travis for a triumphant return beginning Saturday, July 3rd, and tickets are on sale now!

The ultimate summer event that made CNN ask, “Could there possibly be any scarier way to watch JAWS?” returns for an immersive, unforgettable screening experience– a huge inflatable outdoor screen is placed at the water’s edge with intrepid viewers watching the movie while floating in inner tubes, with who-knows-what swimming in the inky depths below. As everyone watches Chief Brody and crew on the hunt for the Great White, floaters might feel something tug on their toes as scuba divers provide an added thrill to the proceedings.

There are some pandemic-era changes to the event this year, most notably the organizers were not able to create new collectible inner tubes for the audience to float in, so everyone is encouraged to bring their own tube or inflatable device (but no floating doors, as this isn’t a screening of TITANIC).

Doors to Volente Beach’s water park will open at 5:00pm, allowing for plenty of time for beach play, water slides, food and drink, and anticipation or dread for sundown before the movie commences. Capacity is more limited than in previous years to allow more space for social distancing between attendees. Tickets are expected to go fast, so get your fins, and get ready to welcome back summer!

JAWS On The Water

Dates:
Saturdays, July 3, 10 & 17

Location:
Volente Beach Resort & Waterpark
16107 Farm to Market Road 2769
#Suite D
Leander, TX 78641

TICKETS ON SALE NOW at:
jawsonthewateratx.eventbrite.com

Aliens: Fireteam Elite Launch Date Revealed

2021/06/23
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Cold Iron Studios and 20th Century Games, today revealed that Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the new cooperative third-person survival shooter set within the Alien universe, will release on August 24, 2021 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4 and Steam™. Pre-orders are now available across all platforms, with two editions available for purchase.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite will retail for $39.99, where players will fight through four unique campaigns as a fully customizable Colonial Marine against waves of terrifying Xenomorph and Weyland-Yutani Synthetic foes, choosing from an extensive variety of classes, weapons, gear and perks.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Deluxe Edition) is also available for $69.99. This edition includes the Endeavor Pass and the Endeavor Veteran Pack. The Endeavor Pass will contain four cosmetic DLC bundles — including class kit skins, weapon colors, head accessories and more — that will be released alongside free major gameplay updates! The Endeavor Veteran Pack will contain over 20 cosmetic items, including armor kit skins, emotes, weapon colors and decals. The Endeavor Pass and Endeavor Veteran Pack will also be available for purchase separately.

Pre-ordering either edition of the game also grants access to the Hardened Marine Pack, which includes a Bandana head accessory, Red Digital Camo weapon colors, 3 weapon decals, and a “Chestburster” joke emote.

Details about each edition and full pre-order information are available here.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Additional information can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Discord, YouTube, or the official website at www.AliensFireteamElite.com.

Bohemia Interactive Kicks Off 20 Years of Arma Celebration

2021/06/23
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Windows PC News

June 22, 2021 is an incredible milestone for Bohemia Interactive, marking 20 years since the studio debuted its legendary Arma franchise. Initially called Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Assault, Arma: Cold War Assault was released on PC and firmly planted both the Arma and Bohemia flag in the gaming industry. For the next 20 days, the developer and publisher will celebrate their illustrious history and the fans that brought them to this point with rare insights, gifts, and surprises.

Click me. I dare you!

Arma not only provided gamers with a beloved military first-person shooter, it layed a foundation for modding that was vigorously embraced by the game’s fanbase. Over the years, the creative Arma community utilized the platform to enhance the mil-sim experience with their own creations, created unique role-play adventures, innovated within the survival genre, and even contributed to the birth of the battle royale gaming genre. Additional key highlights you can see in the Arma 20th Anniversary infographic below include:

  • Top 3 Workshop Mods of All Time
    • Community-Based Add-ons (CBA_A3)
    • Community Upgrade Project Terrains (CUP)
    • Red Hammer Studios mods (RHS)
  • Over 1.1 Billion Hours Played of Arma 3
  • 2002 – First Official Modding Tool — Oxygen — Available
  • 2013 – The Birth of the Legendary DayZ Mod
  • Top 5 Pro-Arma Countries
    • USA
    • Germany
    • Russian Federation
    • UK
    • China

On June 22nd, Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel, Creative Director Ivan Buchta, and Arma 3 Community Manager Niles George hosted a 2-hour event where they revisited old memories, played some iconic Arma missions live, and unveiled some great news for fans! The VOD is available to watch on the official Arma YouTube channel.

While Marek and Ivan shared memories about Arma’s development of the three flagship Arma titles over the years, Niles took viewers on a journey through iconic missions in Armed Assault, Arma 2, and Arma 3. Even though there was only a limited amount of space in the stream itself, special guests like Jay Crowe, Dean Hall, and one of the series’ founding fathers Jan Hovora shared heartfelt messages via pre-recorded video messages.

Additionally, Bohemia announced that Arma: Cold War Assault is free on Steam and GOG for 2 days alongside the launch of the Arma Anniversary Bundle, which features every Arma title.

With 20 years of legacy in the rearview, the Bohemia Interactive team has plenty to celebrate. The 20-day commemoration is in full swing, so fans should keep their eyes on the Arma blog and follow the conversation on Twitter, and Discord for special content and social media activities that will bring fans together and revisit Arma’s epic journey.

*Operation Flashpoint(R) is a registered trademark of Codemasters

War Mongrels New Gameplay Trailer

2021/06/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

War Mongrels, the grisly WWII real-time tactics game from publisher and developer Destructive Creations, launches pre-orders for a limited edition to be delivered in September, alongside its digital release on PC. PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One versions will follow. Thirteen minutes of new gameplay released today show a taste of the tough conversations War Mongrels hopes to inspire.

Destructive Creations plans to only produce 1,944 copies of the limited edition, and pre-orders open today at 1944.warmongrels.com. Prepare for hard-hitting WWII authenticity with an elaborate limited edition full of high-quality extras:

  • Huge, heavy ammo crate containing everything else
  • Personalized mug (choose a nickname or motto) with a coaster resembling barbed wire.
  • Concrete desk organizer built to look like a wrecked tank with a dedicated space for mobile phones and stationary like pens
  • Metal poster featuring War Mongrels’ vintage-inspired key art
  • Destructive Creations magnet crafted in the image of an atomic mushroom explosion
  • Dog tag imitating authentic German dog tags from WWII
  • War Mongrels T-Shirt
  • And of course, a game key! But expect a surprising, era-appropriate format…

The new gameplay video highlights a later section, some time after protagonist Manfred witnesses the horrific results of Hitler’s regime firsthand and abandons his post. Now a freedom fighter, he’s joined by Lead, a member of the “Silent Unseen,” a group of elite special-operations paratroopers of the exiled Polish army. Destructive Creations weaves inspiration from real-life characters and stories into the game, including Manfred himself. His story is loosely based on that of Manfred Zanker, who refused to “risk his life for a madman with a mustache“.

The pair infiltrate an SS internment camp to procure damning evidence of German War Crimes and rescue a member of the resistance. While skulking through the shadows, Lead and Manfred whisper in argument about Manfred’s ignorance. Lead dismantles Manfred’s desperate clings to Hitler’s propaganda, including the supposed execution of 50,000 Germans by the Polish. Listen in as Manfred tries to justify his past, until Lead and other teammates help open his eyes.

The two use every tool at their disposal: cigarette packs to distract guards, stealthy melee kills, and sniper rifles for loud but effective kills. War Mongrels displays information with an intuitive system designed to make stealth fast-paced and strategic. Vision cones and line-of-sight indicators provide a window into the Nazi’s tactics. Carefully consider routes and actions, then pause time with Planning Mode to queue up commands and then execute them all at once.

“While War Mongrels hopes to expose how terrible people have used history to paint themselves in a better light, we wanted to have some fun with the limited edition,” said Marcin Stanek, Business Development Manager at Destructive Creations. “We’ve enjoyed coming up with such premium packages, and we know our fans will love them.”

War Mongrels will be available on PC in September in both digital and limited edition formats. Players can pre-order the limited edition now for $ 249 USD/ 199 EUR (worldwide shipping included). PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One versions will follow. War Mongrels will support English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Chinese (Simplified + Traditional) language subtitles at launch with an English voiceover. For more information, please visit the official War Mongrels website and follow Destructive Creations on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

World of Tanks Gets Massive Artillery Update

2021/06/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

One the more massive updates has arrived in World of Tanks. Update 1.13 sees major reworking of core mechanics, impacting the ammo types of HE shells and SPG (self-propelled gun) countermeasures, as well as other changes and additions, such as a brand-new mode, the eagerly anticipated Season 5 of Battle Pass and interface improvements.

The biggest change that players will notice is the new capabilities they now have to evade attacks from the shell launching artillery tanks. SPGs have changed a great deal since their inception in World of Tanks, and it became clear more artillery countermeasures were needed to level the playing field. With the latest update, tankers will now have 3 new tactical features to help evade attacks from above: Sound Detection is a new Commander-only perk which will warn those in the danger zone that an artillery shell is incoming through a special indicator, brighter shell tracers will allow players to better gauge from where an SPG has fired and the field of fire markers will let tankers know where an SPG recently fired (this marker will appear on the minimap for 10 seconds).

SPGs are also affected. Artillery now has three available shell types to the battle, each with varied trajectory and velocity, granting a greater variety of tactical opportunities to “arty” players. Additionally, the SPG ammo interface has been updated and the Intuition perk has been reworked, meaning quicker changes of shells for all vehicle types.

Update 1.13 also sees the introduction of the reworked HE (high-explosive) shell mechanics on the main server. Now, HE shells will deal damage at the point of impact, meaning that damage will be calculated at the point of contact with the armor, unlike before which was based on a shell-burst sphere. Those playing heavily armored vehicles will certainly appreciate this change, as HE shells will inflict less damage to their frontal armor from now on. Additionally, they will also now be able to penetrate screens, tracks and the wheels of wheeled vehicles as well as insignificant and/or destructible objects, like fences, for example.

And there’s still more coming with Update 1.13. A brand-new game mode, Recon Mission, will allow tankers to test maps that are in the later stages of development, a collection of Premium vehicles and Clan Wars reward tanks are being rebalanced (as well as the Minsk map), Season 5 of Battle Pass is ready to challenge players, and a selection of interface improvements have been introduced.

For more information about Update 1.13, visit worldoftanks.com.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Gameplay Trailer

2021/06/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

In a new trailer released today, Capcom revealed a more in-depth look at the core gameplay and new gameplay mechanics featured in The Great Ace Attorney™ Chronicles. The trailer showcased classic Ace Attorney courtroom and investigation sequences while delving into two new gameplay experiences: “Summation Examination” and “Dance of Deduction.” The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles will summon players to the courtroom when it releases in North America and Europe on July 27. The game will be available for MSRP $39.99 on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Steam.

In the latest trailer, fans are given a front-seat look at the vibrant world, captivating characters and thrilling gameplay that await them in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Players will assume the role of an aspiring Japanese attorney named Ryunosuke Naruhodo, an ancestor of the courtroom legend himself, Phoenix Wright. With the help of his legal aid Susato Mikatoba and London’s great detective Herlock Sholmes, Ryunosuke will solve the mysteries behind 10 high-stakes cases set in the late 19th century during Japan’s Meiji Period and England’s Victorian Era.

The series’ core gameplay involving Investigations and Courtroom Battles returns. During Investigations, players will visit the scene of the crime to gather evidence, converse with witnesses and search for clues. In a new addition to the series, Ryunosuke will team up with Sholmes to engage in a show-stopping “Dance of Deduction.” In these new sequences, players are tasked with correcting Sholmes’s outlandish conclusions to uncover the true facts of the case.

The fate of the accused rests in Ryunosuke’s hands during Courtroom Battles. In the courtroom, players must present evidence, question key witnesses and make their case to secure a “Not Guilty” verdict. New to the series is “Summation Examination,” in which players must point out the inconsistencies between jurors’ statements in order to move the case forward.

Today, Capcom also released the first video in its “Case Preview” series on Twitter and other social media platforms. Fans can expect new case previews every week leading up to the game’s launch, with each video highlighting a different case in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is available to pre-order today on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam. Players who purchase the game by Sept. 1, 2021 at 9:59 AM PDT will receive the “From the Vaults” Early Purchase Bonus – a collection of 54 art and music pieces that contains some never-before-released content.

Planet Zoo: Africa Out Now

2021/06/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Get ready to welcome five new iconic animals to Planet Zoo, including the curious Meerkat, the endearing Fennec Fox and the striking Southern White Rhino. Zookeepers can care for their latest inhabitants and welcome guests to a rich and vibrant zoo with over 180 new scenery pieces, creating a paradise for both animals and guests alike! Players can also test their zookeeping skills with a fresh new challenge: a timed scenario taking place in a picturesque oasis bazaar.

Planet Zoo: Africa Pack is out now on Steam for a suggested retail price of $9.99.

Update 1.6 brings a range of extras and improvements to the game, including behavior updates, habitat webcams, vista points and a free Timed Scenario set in gorgeous Guatemala.

Read more about the 1.6 Update here: www.planetzoogame.com/news/planet-zoo-1-6-update.

The Mysterious Benedict Society TV Spot

2021/06/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Movie News, News, Trailers / Videos

Today, Disney+ announced that “The Mysterious Benedict Society” will premiere on Friday, June 25 with two episodes. Character posters and a new television spot highlighting Tony Hale’s dual roles of twin brothers Mr. Benedict and L.D. Curtain are also now available.

After winning a scholarship competition, four gifted orphans are recruited by the peculiar Mr. Benedict for a dangerous mission to save the world from a global crisis known as The Emergency. Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance must infiltrate the mysterious L.I.V.E. Institute to discover the truth behind the crisis. When the headmaster, the sophisticated Dr. Curtain appears to be behind this worldwide panic, the kids of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” must devise a plan to defeat him.

“The Mysterious Benedict Society” stars Tony Hale, Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, Ryan Hurst, Gia Sandhu, Seth B. Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho and Marta Kessler.

The series is executive produced by Sonar Entertainment, 20th Television, Jamie Tarses, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Deepak Nayar, David Ellender, Matt Loze, James Bobin, Matt Manfredi (writer/creator) and Phil Hay (writer/creator). Showrunners for the series are Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.

World of Warships: Legends June Update Trailer

2021/06/21
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Today American battleships are arriving in force during the new update to World of Warships: Legends as the defining features of a new campaign. In addition, a special bureau project, and a whole alternate battleship tech tree branch arrive in early access. Beyond plenty of USN representation, there is also a trio of German aircraft carriers coming plus a new season of Arena.

The new “Georgia On My Mind” campaign presents the fast American battleship, Georgia. Based on a preliminary design for the Iowa-class battleships, Georgia boasts an incredible top speed for a battleship with six monstrous 18-inch (457 mm) guns. Using these features in concert, Georgia can effectively brute force her way through many engagements. Apart from her offensive ability, she has comparable defenses to the Iowa with an improved repair party and signature American anti-aircraft firepower. There are 100 milestones to complete in the campaign over the next five weeks; players who finish the campaign with admiralty backing will earn the Georgia along with a pile of rewards.

A new line of American battleships is joining the fleet starting from Tier IV in early access. Firepower is the name of the game for these heavy hitters — the lightest you get is a salvo of ten 14-inch (356 mm) guns at Tier IV with Nevada, working your way up to an absurd salvo of twelve 16-inch (406 mm) guns aboard Kansas at Tier VII. The first three battleships: Nevada, Tennessee, and North Carolina, are available in this update in early access and can be obtained through new USN battleship containers. Kansas arrives in the next update. USN battleship containers can be earned through the campaign and the new bureau project: Star-Spangled Fleet.

The Star-Spangled Fleet bureau project is here just in time for Fourth of July celebrations in the United States. Throughout this all-American project, there are free permanent camouflages for American battleships of both tech trees, but the ultimate prize is a free premium American battleship—Oklahoma. This is the sister-ship to Nevada and was one of the fateful battleships irreparably sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor and is brought back to fighting form in World of Warships: Legends.

For something entirely different, the update brings a new set of German aircraft carriers, the Rhein at tier III, Weser at tier V, and August von Parseval at Tier VII. These somewhat mythical carriers bring new armament to the high seas: Armor Piercing Bombs. These can be used to deal significant damage to the citadels of enemy ships. Their torpedo bomber armament focuses on light targets with high-speed torpedoes with short range. These new flattops are available to unlock immediately via the tech tree, be sure to try them out in the new update.

Last, but certainly not least, we have a new season of Arena opening from June 24th to July 12th. This fan-favorite is returning with a twist—the Arms Race mode. In this edition of Arena, players will have to compete for various buffs and bonuses for their ships around the map in battle. Each one will give your team’s ships an edge over the enemy, allowing you to get the upper hand in the four-way duel. Go out there, play a few battles, and see how well you can place on the leaderboard!

June and July are set to be a freedom-packed month for World of Warships: Legends with lots of new content to dominate the seas. Be sure to try the new ships and Arena and turn the tide.