Author - Jerry Paxton

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Pushed Back to 2022

2021/01/27
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

NACON and Daedalic Entertainment are pleased to announce that they have signed a co-publishing and distribution agreement for the game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Developed for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch™ and PC, the game will be released in 2022.

The two companies decided to join forces to ensure that the game will meet the expectations of fans of The Lord of the Rings and fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles. The universe will be faithfully represented thanks to the partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises, the company that holds the adaptation rights to the novel series by J.R.R. Tolkien.

As soon as it was announced in spring 2019, the game generated an enormous amount of attention amongst players and fans, and achieved a high profile through the first video showcase last fall:

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a story-driven action adventure. Take on a perilous journey as Gollum, chasing the only thing that is precious to him. Climb, leap and sneak your way past dangers or into advantageous spots. Gollum is skillful and sly, but also torn by his split personality. It is up to you to decide whether the darker side of Gollum takes over or if there is a spark of reason left in what once was Sméagol.

Fallout 76 Gets Inventory System Update

2021/01/27
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Just released for Fallout 76, The Inventory Update kicks off a new year of upcoming content, improvements, fixes, community requests, and so much more for the ever-growing online RPG.

The Inventory Update Overview Video

Stash Increase
The Inventory Update addresses one of the most frequent requests from the community, highlighted by a whopping 50% increase to player Stash to a maximum of 1,200 pounds. Players can fill it up to their heart’s content with gear, Junk, and anything else they come across in the wasteland.

Pip-Boy Updates
The Inventory Update also includes UI improvements and updates to the Pip-Boy. Three new tabs are added to the Pip-Boy Inventory menu: “New,” “Armor,” and “Food/Drink.”

New – This tab will keep track of all the items players gather during a play session, sorted by newest to oldest.

Armor – Armor receives its own menu tab so that players can keep their gear separate from their other Apparel.

Food/Drinks – Food and drinks are now split out from “Aid” into their own Pip-Boy Inventory tab. Chems and Serums will remain in “Aid.”

Stack Weight
From now on, when players select any stackable item in their inventory, its Item Details in the Pip-Boy will show how much total weight that stack is consuming. This change allows players to see quickly and easily what in their inventory is taking up significant carry weight.

Vending Machine Map Previews
The tooltip when previewing another player’s Vending Machines on the Map will now show the number of 1, 2, and 3-star legendary weapons and armor that player is selling. Additionally, it will no longer display any empty categories.

Looking ahead, the return of the fan-favorite Fasnacht event and a new Valentine’s Day-themed event are set to arrive in February.

Main Assembly Official Launch Trailer

2021/01/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Team17 and Bad Yolk have announced that creative sandbox, Main Assembly, has today left Steam Early Access. Featuring a comprehensive array of freeform building tools, players can now construct an even more significant number of intricate machines and robots thanks to a brand new update launched alongside the game’s full release. The Final Frontier content introduces players to zero gravity, with a new sandbox map that includes a space station, a new space-based challenge level, the ability to add rocket engines and lasers to creations, and cosmetics so the in-game drone can cosplay as an astronaut.

Main Assembly has continually expanded during its Early Access phase, adding aquatic systems, environments, and Bot Brawls (a new game mode for players to battle against each other and their creations through online multiplayer) to the game over the last few months, regularly providing more activities for players.

Main Assembly key features:

  • Freeform building: Construct any robot or contraption imaginable and customise them with numerous cosmetic parts
  • Solo & multiplayer sandbox gameplay: Work individually to collect 156 stars in 24 single-player challenges or compete against each other in online multiplayer activities. Share inventions over Steam Workshop, and enjoy endless gameplay possibilities
  • Powerful visual programming: Harness the power of Main Assembly’s visual programming language to set up unique controls for creations, and even automate them with various types of sensors
  • Advanced physics: Experience aerodynamics and robot destruction; fly, drift, and destroy your creations.

Joel Jonsson, CEO and Creative Director, Bad Yolk, said:

“The road through Early Access has been incredibly rewarding, and we’re now at the point where we’re ready to unleash the full potential of Main Assembly. Working on the zero gravity content was the one giant leap we wanted to make before we left Early Access, and now there are a whole host of tools and toys to play with, letting players create bots great and small to experiment with and use in the sandboxes and challenges. We can’t wait to see what else players can come up with!”

Louise Chamberlain, Producer, Team17, said:

“At Team17 the collaboration with Bad Yolk has yielded some really incredible results, and we’re now ready to lift-off with a brand new update that will usher in the full version of this incredibly detailed sandbox. We’ve had a huge amount of fun creating bots and machines and increasing the amount of challenges, maps, and freeform building tools available to players, so all that’s left to do is to let players loose with the creative tools!”

Snowtopia Early Access Launch Trailer Released

2021/01/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Publisher Goblinz Studio (Legend of Keepers, As Far As The Eye) in collaboration with Fractale, and developer TeaForTwo Games today announced that ski resort tycoon game Snowtopia is available now on Steam Early Access. Traveling to ski resorts is an impossible dream for most this year, so Snowtopia is bringing the mountain to you. In the game, players will build their dream mountain ski resort, from forest trails and lifts, to those all-important apres-ski terraces. Ski, build and chill – the mountain is calling you!

Clip on your skis and jump straight into Snowtopia here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124260/Snowtopia_Ski_Resort_Tycoon/

There’s no business like snow business

Snowtopia makes resort building accessible and fun for all. There’s no money in the game, creating a new twist on the genre where resources are managed differently and the focus is squarely on skier satisfaction. The game’s snappy creation tool lets you drop pistes easily on the mountain side and add the right kind of ski lift for the terrain, while keeping an eye on the queues of impatient ski nuts of course.

Running a successful resort brings more skiers of all kinds to sample the slopes, terraces and tartiflette, so make sure you’re ready for them. Fix broken lifts, groom the pistes and run enough ski patrols to keep your visitors safe. Happy skiers will show their appreciation by joining the volunteers running the resort, making sure everything on the mountain stays in perfect shape.

During Early Access an avalanche of new features will be added to the game, including, yes, avalanches, plus dynamic weather, snow cannons, ski schools, more buildings, and new staff models. Modding is also planned for the coming months, so players can customize their dream ski resort down to the last icy detail.

Stay up to date with all the latest news on Snowtopia:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/teafortwogames

Snowtopia official website: https://www.playsnowtopia.com/

Star Trek Online: House Reborn Launch Trailer

2021/01/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Today, Perfect World Entertainment Inc., a leading publisher of live service games, and Cryptic Studios announced that Star Trek Online’s newest season, House Reborn, is available on PC and will release on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One at a later date. The beloved free-to-play MMORPG celebrates 11 years of expanding the emblematic Star Trek Universe for Captains around the globe with House Reborn, a brand new content update which kicks off Part 1 of the finale to the game’s epic Klingon War. The new season introduces two exciting featured episodes centered around Star Trek: Discovery’s L’Rell (voiced by Mary Chieffo, who originated the role) and Tenavik (voiced by guest star Sam Witwer). Captains will also discover a brand new Klingon Recruitment System, a Special Anniversary Event to earn the new Alliance Temer Rader and a complete revamp of the Klingon experience, including remastered environments, missions, stories and more. Plus for the first time ever, Star Trek Online will allow players of all factions to command any ship.

“It is truly amazing to witness how Star Trek Online continues to resonate with people after 11 years,” said Yoon Im, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment. “The Cryptic Studios team is incredibly passionate about Star Trek and has done a tremendous job of bringing the films and shows to life in the game. We could not be more thrilled to celebrate this milestone with them and our devoted players.”

“We feel so honored to be on this journey after 11 years,” said Andre Emerson, the game’s executive producer. “Each new year brings more Star Trek content than ever before and we feel like we’re just getting started. None of this would even be possible without the constant support from our players, and we would like to thank them dearly for it.”

After the Klingon Empire broke apart in House Shattered, J’Ula, matriarch of House Mo’Kai, travels to the sacred planet of Boreth. Plagued with guilt, she tracks down Tenavik (voiced by Sam Witwer from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, under the guidance of Kenneth Mitchell, who originated the role), the Klingon outcast who was first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery, with hopes that he can lead her to enlightenment. The journey won’t be an easy one, however. Players will be tasked with guiding J’Ula along her spiritual voyage, one where she will not only have to face ghosts of the past, present and future, but also descend into the pits of the Klingon underworld Gre’thor itself. There she will seek guidance from L’Rell, the famed Klingon warrior who played a pivotal role in the first few seasons of Discovery (voiced by Mary Chieffo, who originated the role). Captains will also reunite with General Martok (played by J.G Hertzler from Deep Space: Nine), Adet’Pa (voiced by Rekha Sharma from Star Trek: Discovery) and Aakar (played by Robert O’Reilly from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

All this takes place across two brand new featured episodes. House Reborn also introduces a ton of new playable content for PC players to explore and exciting updates exclusively for Klingon characters. A full list of game features released with today’s update includes:

  • Two Brand New Episodes – In “Knowledge is Power,” Captains will play as J’Ula and return to the sacred planet, Boreth to seek guidance from Tenavik, before heading to Gre’thor to seek out guidance from L’Rell in “Leap of Faith.”

  • Klingon Recruitment System – Players who start a new Klingon Captain will now earn several rewards for all Captains on their account.

  • Klingon Revamp – This past summer, Star Trek Online began a full revamp of the Klingon Defense Force faction. With today’s update, all mission content exclusive to Klingon Captains is now fully remastered, including most environments, stories and missions, cutscenes and voice-overs from Star Trek actors like Michal Dorn (Worf) and Shannon Cochran (Lady Sirella). Updated content also includes:

    • Remastered Tutorial – Players will discover treachery aboard their ship and take command from a traitorous captain.

    • Empire Story Arc (5 missions) – Captains will travel across the empire and uncover a plot to overthrow the Empire.

    • Warzone Story Arc (4 missions) – After discovering the traitors of the Empire, players will join forces with Worf and House Martok.

    • Fek’lhir Story Arc (3 missions) – Once thought to be a legend, the Klingon demons known as the Fek’liri return to attack Qo’noS. Players will join forces with Kahless and send them back to Grethor.

  • Anniversary Event – Captains will be able to explore numerous episodes, patrols, and TFOs associated with the Klingon Civil War, and earn a new Alliance Klingon Bird of Prey.

  • Cross Faction Flying – For the first time ever, Federation Captains will have the ability to command Klingon Ships and Klingon Captains can command Federation ships. To unlock this feature, players will need a Klingon character who has reached level 65.

  • Free Discovery Uniform – To celebrate Star Trek Online’s 11th anniversary, all PC captains will be able to claim a free uniform from Star Trek: Discovery for a limited time.

Check out the third season of Star Trek: Discovery: https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/

Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition Out Now on PlayStation 4

2021/01/26
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News

Meridiem Games is thrilled to announce that Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition, the classic story driven interactive drama from Quantic Dream, is out now on PlayStation®4 as a special retail boxed edition across Europe and Australia.

Fans of classic story driven interactive dramas can now rediscover one of the first highly acclaimed titles from French developer and publisher Quantic Dream. The story of Fahrenheit follows Lucas Kane who finds himself hunted by police detectives Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles after fleeing the scene of a murder with no memory of what happened. What follows, is a thrilling, story driven adventure where your choices have a direct effect on how the story unfolds.

This special edition of Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition will include a specially created case and sleeve, a sticker set, high quality printed artbook and a thank-you letter written by the team at Quantic Dream. This boxed edition will retail for £24.99 GBP / €29.99 EUR / $49.99 AUS (suggested retail price) and is available to purchase in specialist gaming stores across Europe and Australia now.

For over two decades Quantic Dream, founded by industry visionary David Cage, is best known for their use of cutting-edge motion capture technology to create story driven interactive dramas including the critically acclaimed titles Heavy Rain™, Beyond: Two Souls™ and Detroit: Become Human™.

The PlayStation®4 retail boxed version of Fahrenheit: 15th Anniversary Edition is available to purchase in specialist gaming stores now for £24.99 GBP / €29.99 EUR / $49.99 AUS (SRP).

For more information on Meridiem Games please visit the official site at www.meridiem-games.com

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Passes 29M in Revenue and The Trial Oculus Trailer

2021/01/25
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, Mobile News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Skydance Interactive today announced that The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners surpassed more than $29 million in revenue on all platforms since its initial launch on January 23, 2020, making it one of the best selling VR games of the year. The survival horror VR game has been praised for its visceral, physics-based combat, original storyline and deep crafting system, and became a global top seller upon its release for PC VR, PSVR and most recently, Oculus Quest platform. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners was also recognized by critics for its innovative gameplay and received several award nominations, including “Best VR/AR Game” at the 2020 Game Awards.

In addition, Oculus Quest players can look forward to the launch of The Trial game mode on February 4, 2021. The free update will challenge players to face off against relentless waves of walkers in wire-free gameplay that enhances the game’s visceral combat like never before. As players survive each round, they’ll be rewarded with points based on their performance, which they’ll use to purchase a variety of weapons and crafting items to plan for the next, increasingly difficult wave of enemies.

Following The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ release on the Oculus Quest platform in October 2020, the game quickly became one of the top sellers on the platform, with the Quest version selling 10x more than the game on Oculus Rift and Rift S.

Developed by Skydance Interactive in partnership with Skybound Entertainment, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners drops players into an original new story in The Walking Dead universe, set in the unforgiving and infested remains of New Orleans. Players will embark on a gruesome adventure as they fight for survival against not just walkers, but the constant threats of violence, disease and famine, and make gut-wrenching choices along their journey that will determine the future for everyone left alive in NOLA.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Standard Edition is available for $39.99 via the Oculus Store, Steam, PlayStation Store and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ official website.

Lust from Beyond Pushed Back and New Dev Diary Video

2021/01/25
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, Halloween, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Lust from Beyond is a first-person psychological horror with bold occult and erotic themes, set in a unique world inspired by the works of Lovecraft, Giger, and Beksinski. The game takes place in the same universe as Lust for Darkness, however, playing it is not required to understand Lust from Beyond. The game is another title from the same universe, overflowing with horror and erotica. In the embedded video you can get more information about the game and the whole “Lust” world.

Watch the first in our series of Developer Diaries. Stay tuned for the next episodes. We hope it can make the waiting for a final game more pleasant.

Lust from Beyond launches on February 25th. We’ve decided to give us additional time to polish the game and bring a truly immersive product that we all will be proud of and which will give you a lot of satisfaction.

Thank you for your patience! And keep in mind you can already dive into our gloomy FPP horror and experience the expansion to Victor Holloway’s story. There are two stand-alone, free-to-play introductions to the full version of Lust from Beyond available on Steam.

Game features:

▫️ Bold erotic themes merged into horror convention
▫️ Gameplay from the point of Victor Holloway, the Seeing One
▫️ World inspired by the works of Lovecraft, Giger, and Beksiński
▫️ Exploring a graphically advanced environment

▫️ Interactive items and ingenious puzzles
▫️ Running from and fighting otherworldly monsters!
▫️ Rich sound and music design

WandaVision Episode 1 and 2 Original Soundtracks Out Now

2021/01/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Windows PC News

Walt Disney Records releases today WandaVision: Episode 1 Original Soundtrack and WandaVision: Episode 2 Original Soundtrack. Debuting Jan. 15 exclusively on Disney+, Marvel Studios’ “WandaVision” has already won high praise from both critics and fans. The third episode debuts today.

The digital soundtracks feature score by composer Christophe Beck (“Frozen 2,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”) and the original theme songs are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (“Frozen”). The Oscar®-winning songwriters penned unique songs for several episodes in the series, spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

Beck composed and produced all score tracks on each WandaVision album. On composing unique scores for all nine episodes, Beck said “For each era, the music is a loving homage to the sitcom scores typical of the time period. This involved not only the instrumentation, but also the composition style.”

According to Beck, the score features instruments that were typical of the era being represented in a given episode. Early episodes feature small orchestral ensembles, while later episodes embrace a rock-pop style. Beck also utilized period-specific recording and mixing techniques to achieve the authenticity filmmakers wanted.

In addition to writing the theme and songs, Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also produced each song. The theme for the first episode, said Anderson-Lopez, was written to evoke the dawn of television. “We wanted to have an optimistic group of voices singing jazzily (though not too jazzily!) about the love between these two — and the main question of the first episode, whether two Avengers in love can pass for normal in a typical American suburb,” she said.

Lopez described the second episode’s theme as “sexier” and “flirtier.” “We decided to put lots of raunchy trombones commenting,” he said, “and in one part we also used my favorite ’60s keyboard sound, the RMI Rock-si-chord—a sort of electric organ harpsichord sound.”

The WandaVision Original Soundtrack album producers are Kevin Feige, Matt Shakman and Dave Jordan. The albums for Episodes 1 and 2 will be followed by WandaVision: Episode 3 Original Soundtrack available on January 29, with subsequent albums to follow one week after each episode of the series airs.

WandaVision Original Soundtrack release dates follow:

  • Episode 1 soundtrack release date: 1/22
  • Episode 2 soundtrack release date: 1/22
  • Episode 3 soundtrack release date: 1/29
  • Episode 4 soundtrack release date: 2/5
  • Episode 5 soundtrack release date: 2/12
  • Episode 6 soundtrack release date: 2/19
  • Episode 7 soundtrack release date: 2/26
  • Episode 8 soundtrack release date: 3/5
  • Episode 9 soundtrack release date: 3/12

RIDE 4 Hits Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X Platforms

2021/01/22
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox Series X News

Milestone announced today that RIDE 4, the latest chapter of its beloved franchise dedicated to all two-wheel lovers, is finally available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Players who purchased the PlayStation®4 version of the game are now able to download the PS5™ version at no extra cost until April 30, 2021, including all DLCs already purchased. Xbox One players can automatically download the Xbox Series X|S version at no extra cost thanks to the Smart Delivery feature.

Thanks to the powerful next generation hardware, RIDE 4 is now capable of amazing performance, both for resolution and frames-per-second. Players now have the chance to ride 200 HP bikes through smoother gameplay running at 60 FPS and resolution up to 4K. The incredible quality of models and the density of details will now shine like never before. Additionally, players who really live for competition will experience online races with 20 riders competing for victory and glory.

On PS5, players will also have the opportunity to play RIDE 4 with the innovative PS5 DualSense™ controller. Its advanced haptic feedback will push the gameplay experience in a new immersive way, letting riders feel vibration, gas and brakes in the most realistic way possible. Moreover, the SSD guarantees improvements in terms of loading times, shorter waiting before races and also a much faster streaming of textures. This means an adrenaline-filled riding experience that players won’t forget.

RIDE 4 features a cutting-edge level of visual fidelity thanks to original CAD and 3D scans of real models, bringing to life the most iconic bikes of the world. A renewed career mode will bring players into fast paced challenges all over the world, culminating in the Ultimate Championship with the most powerful Sportbikes, enriched by the new Endurance Mode, the hardest challenge that riders can face. Dynamic Lighting, weather conditions and Pit Stops for tires and fuel management will enhance reality and simulation. A.N.N.A., an acronym for Artificial Neural Network Agent, a revolutionary Artificial Intelligence based on neural networks, has now been improved to push players through an incredible level of challenge. Last but not least, players who want to be unique and recognizable will have access to a deeper editor for bikes, suit and helmet.

RIDE 4 is now available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, featuring a free upgrade on PS5 until April 30, 2021, and Smart Delivery on Xbox systems.