Author - Jerry Paxton

Alamo Drafthouse Announces Re-Opening Dates for 15 Locations

2021/04/29

“Theaters are coming back.” – That’s what Matthew McConaughey affirmed on Sunday’s Oscars telecast while standing in front of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s iconic South Lamar location in Austin. Beginning with a May relaunch of their Brooklyn and Los Angeles locations, at least fifteen of the cinema-eatery’s theaters will be back online this summer. That will (re)double the circuit’s footprint to over thirty theaters across the country, and bring the Dallas, Omaha, San Francisco, Lubbock, Laredo, and Yonkers areas back into the lineup.

Tickets will be on sale soon at drafthouse.com/nyc for shows at Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn beginning Friday, May 7th. Both Alamo Drafthouse Los Angeles and Austin’s Mueller location are both scheduled to reopen Friday, May 28th, with tickets on sale beginning May 17th.

“This past weekend’s box office wasn’t just the biggest for our theaters during the COVID era – in fact, it would have been pretty healthy in ‘the old days’ era,” says Shelli Taylor, Alamo Drafthouse CEO. “It’s so gratifying to see audiences so enthusiastically embracing not just our theaters but our industry as a whole.”

Recent box office success of DEMON SLAYER, GODZILLA VS KONG, and MORTAL KOMBAT, and an increasingly exciting slate of upcoming first run films that includes A QUIET PLACE PART II, F9, and BLACK WIDOW will continue to propel Alamo Drafthouse beyond COVID. The company’s trademark approach to repertory programming has also been essential in offering diverse options for moviegoers. Alamo Drafthouse’s “Support Local Cinemas” series was introduced in March and included cast reunions for THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy hosted by Stephen Colbert and DAZED AND CONFUSED hosted by Jack Black. These pre-recorded conversations were produced by Alamo Drafthouse and shared worldwide with any theater that requested them – completely for free.

Refining the Alamo Drafthouse experience
Operating during the COVID era has been an immense challenge for all movie theaters – struggles that will continue even once the industry and the world has returned to a sense of ‘normalcy.’

“We’ve spent the last eight months refining what we think is the safest and most relaxing cinematic experience possible,” says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and Executive Chairman. “We are thrilled to finally be able to bring what we’ve learned to New York, Los Angeles, and many other theaters for what we hope is the home stretch, and a colossal season of big movies.”

After reopening last August, Alamo Drafthouse reinvented its entire operating model to create the safest possible indoor gathering place – safer even than supermarkets, bars, and restaurants. The endeavor required dramatically enhanced safety protocols, HVAC upgrades, and state-of-the-art technology upgrades. Many of Alamo Drafthouse’s COVID-era innovations, including pre-ordering food and beverages and Your Own Private Alamo personal theater bookings, will remain part of the company’s model going forward.

Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn reopening May 7th
Tickets will be on sale soon at drafthouse.com/nyc for Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn’s first week of shows. The company also plans a special bonus – the first 3,000 guests to attend will receive a free scratch-off ticket good for free food and fun surprises.

The theater’s reopening weekend programming includes a mix of exciting new films and the company’s quintessential repertory programming, leading off with MAMMA MIA! For Mother’s Day, and New York City’s first opportunity to see the LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Cast Reunion hosted by Stephen Colbert. The theater will also show new releases like Guy Ritchie’s WRATH OF MAN, the new Sesame Street documentary STREET GANG, and the smash hits MORTAL KOMBAT and DEMON SLAYER.

Throughout May, Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn’s programming will also spotlight several iconic Brooklyn or New York City films, starting off with Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING, Diana Ross-led THE WIZ, Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Walter Hill’s THE WARRIORS, and – as a nod to theater homebase City Point Brooklyn’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue – screenings of director Julie Cohen’s THE RBG.

Alamo Drafthouse Reopenings
A full list of planned reopenings through the month of July is below. Details on additional theaters – including brand new locations – will be announced later this year.

April 28th
Springfield, MO

May 7th
New York, NY (Brooklyn)

May 28th
Los Angeles, CA
Austin, TX (Mueller)

June
Dallas / Fort Worth, TX (Cedars, Lake Highlands, Richardson)
Denver, CO (Westminster)
Omaha, NE
San Antonio, TX (Stone Oak)

July
Austin, TX (Village)
Laredo, TX
Lubbock, TX
San Francisco, CA
Yonkers, NY

Currently Open
Austin, TX (Lakeline, Slaughter Lane, South Lamar)
Central Virginia (Charlottesville)
Corpus Christi, TX
Denver, CO (Sloans Lake)
El Paso, TX (East El Paso, Montecillo)
Houston, TX (LaCenterra)
Northern Virginia (Ashburn, Woodbridge)
Phoenix, AZ (Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe)
Raleigh, NC
San Antonio, TX (Park North)
Winchester, VA

Tickets and additional details
drafthouse.com

Alamo Drafthouse – Safety Protocols
https://drafthouse.com/covid-safety

Your Own Private Alamo
https://drafthouse.com/theater-rental

Alamo On Demand
https://ondemand.drafthouse.com

Follow Alamo Drafthouse:
Facebook facebook.com/AlamoDrafthouse
Twitter twitter.com/alamodrafthouse
YouTube youtube.com/alamodrafthouse
Instagram instagram.com/drafthouse
On Demand ondemand.drafthouse.com
Website drafthouse.com

Total War: ROME REMASTERED Launch Trailer

2021/04/29

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Out now, Total War: ROME REMASTERED lets you relive the legacy that defined the award-winning strategy game series. With new and improved features such as fully overhauled visuals, ultra-high-definition resolution support, an expanded faction roster and improved accessibility, there has never been a better time to revisit a true classic.

Improved Visuals:

ROME REMASTERED ushers the classic strategy title into the modern gaming era with full 4K visuals*, native support for ultra-high-definition resolution and overhauled environment, battlefield, and character models.

*4K resolution and ultra-high fidelity unlocked by downloading the Enhanced Graphics Pack here.

New Gameplay Content:

Wage war across new fronts with 16 previously unplayable factions to play on top of the original 22 and send the new Merchant agents on missions to establish lucrative trade networks across the map, buy out rival Merchants, and assert your empire’s economic power.

Modernized Features:

Players can exercise more control than ever with new features such as a tactical map during battles, plus heat maps and icon overlays in campaign mode. Existing mechanics have also been improved, including an overhauled diplomacy system, wider camera zoom levels throughout the game, and camera rotation on the campaign map.

Improved Help Systems:

A swathe of improved support has been added, including a redesigned tutorial, a new in-game Wiki, expansive advice and tooltips, and improved accessibility for color blind players.

Cross-platform Multiplayer:

Players can enjoy cross-platform PVP multiplayer between Windows, macOS and Linux, a first for the Total War franchise.

Complete Original Content:

ROME REMASTERED includes the Barbarian Invasion and Alexander expansions in glorious new detail, and players will also gain access to the original ROME: Total War Collection (only playable on Windows).

In case you missed it, we recently recruited comedian Phil Wang for a new series called Total War: Guide To Invading Britain. Watch as he attempts the improbable task of trying to invade Britain like the Romans did, starting off with him getting to grips with the basics.

Watch Episode 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvRNy2IbC-8&t=112s&ab_channel=TotalWar

Episode 2 – Combat (May 5th), Episode 3 – Culture (May 12th), Episode 4 – Defence (May 19th)

Retail Information:

Release date: April 29, 2021
Standalone SRP: $29.99/£24.99/€29.99
Loyalty Discount SRP: $14.99/£12.49/€14.99

Store Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/885970/Total_War_ROME_REMASTERED/

Dustwind – The Last Resort Console Announcement Trailer

2021/04/29

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Z-Software GmbH, a game development studio, most know for Autobahn Police Simulator series, is happy to announce that it will be releasing a console version of its real time post-apocalyptic tactical game, Dustwind – The Last Resort. The game will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

After the apocalypse the civilization as we know it has come to an end and the few people left alive have to fight each other in order to survive. These are hard times in the wasteland! You are the nameless heroine! A vicious assault has hit you hard. Without your memory and hopelessly outnumbered you go on a crusade, fighting your way through your tormentors in order to take revenge. If you don’t act carefully and clever, you won’t stand a chance! During this adventure, it will occur to you that it’s not only your own fate that is at stake but much, much more…

The emotional story campaign will lead you through intense 16 missions, each one raising the stakes even higher than the last one. Collect weapons and gear, develop your character based on your gameplay preferences, and become a leading figure in these dark times!

You’ll have to make quick tactical decisions if you want to survive! Sneak, aim for bodyparts, use varied weapons and ammo, drive vehicles, deploy turrets and barricades, use the environment to your advantage, trick and flank your enemies and set or disarm traps!

Dustwind is a post-apocalyptical realtime tactic action game and was first released 2018 for PC (Steam). The Last Resort is the single player experience of Dustwind with new controls and reworked UI for a great console experience.

The game will be released in summer 2021 on Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Amnesia: Rebirth Adventure Mode Out for PlayStation Gamers

2021/04/29

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

Frictional Games is excited to announce that Amnesia: Rebirth Adventure Mode is now available as a free update for PlayStation players. The new mode lets you enjoy the game’s rich adventure story without the threat of monsters or darkness. In addition to the new Adventure Mode, this update carries an upgrade for PS5 players delivering a smoother visual experience with the game running on higher frame rates – 60 FPS as opposed to 30 FPS which is the cap for PS4 consoles.

The stunning visual effects and lighting in Amnesia: Rebirth Adventure Mode are the same as in the original game that launched in October 2020. The main difference being the removal of monster encounters as well as increasing illumination in all dark areas which result in a highly enjoyable adventure experience where the player can sit back, explore, and solve puzzles.

What’s Adventure Mode?

Amnesia: Rebirth Adventure Mode is a new way to experience the fantastic quest of Tasi Trianon with its captivating narrative, cool environments, unique theme, and challenging puzzles, without the anxiety-inducing, and very distressing elements present in the original game.

“The game still has its very serious theme and sometimes unnerving ambiance, but the new mode feels a lot more like an Indiana Jones type of adventure in places where it would otherwise be more of a horror experience,” explains Fredrik Olsson.

The game is still the same at its core. Following the story of Tasi Trianon, she finds herself in the desolate landscape of the Algerian desert, battling against her fears and pain as she fights to save the ones closest to her. Amnesia: Rebirth will take you through a wide variety of uncanny environments, from scorched deserts and dark caves to forgotten ruins and alien landscapes.

How is Adventure Mode different?

The new mode removes all life-threatening encounters with monsters, as well as the harrowing sound and visual effects that would affect Tasi’s fear levels. The environments are now lit up to a point where you won’t have the same feeling of claustrophobia and trepidation, allowing you to explore freely without worrying about monsters or Tasi’s mental state.

In addition, Adventure Mode includes a number of bonus puzzles that add up to the experience of a true lovecraftian mystery adventure novel.

“We believe that anyone who loves a good story-driven adventure game will be stoked about this new mode. Not everyone is into horror and we don’t want that to block people from experiencing Tasi’s story,” comments Fredrik. “We did something very similar when we released the Safe mode for SOMA. It was extremely well received and opened up the game to a much broader audience, something we hope will happen with Rebirth as well.”

Without spoiling anything for you, expect a creepy adventure thriller game that takes you on a journey through a wonderfully crafted world. The game conserves much of its dramatic essence going full out with a compelling story – a tense, slowly-building plot to uncover the mystery surrounding Tasi’s situation and her fight for survival.

Adventure Mode is now out on Steam, GOG.com, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation Store.
For more information, visit the official website at http://amnesiarebirth.com/ or follow on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

E3 2021 Announces Hosts for Digital Event

2021/04/28

Jerry Paxton

E3, Geek News, News

E3 has officially enlisted a trio of well-known video game industry personalities to host the all-virtual global event, taking place Saturday, June 12 through Tuesday, June 15. Greg Miller, Jacki Jing and Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez will guide the four-day broadcast, providing expert-level commentary, publisher and developer interviews and much more.

More on this year’s E3 2021 hosts can be found below:

● Greg Miller – Co-founder of online entertainment outlet Kinda Funny, Miller has become one of gaming’s most sought after hosts for various events across the industry. Known for his often comedic and insightful takes, Miller has deep ties to video and podcast content on video game culture, film, television and comics.

● Jacki Jing – Emmy-nominated TV journalist and current on-camera host and producer seen on IGN, Nerdist, Funimation and Anime News Network, Jing has hosted several red carpet events and conducted dozens of celebrity interviews for AAA feature films.

● Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez – One of the top professional esports commentators, host for multiple fan-favorite games including Fortnite, Halo, Valorant and Overwatch, as well as commentator for NBC’s “The Titan Games.” Mendez recently announced he will also be bringing his comedic styles to G4.

Visit www.e3expo.com for more updates about E3 2021, including registration dates, portal and app details and more.

The Sinking City Enhanced Released on Xbox Series X

2021/04/28

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

Frogwares have surprise launched an Xbox Series X and S enhanced version of The Sinking City. The HP Lovecraft inspired, story-rich, free investigation horror game comes to the Xbox store with multiple enhancements and improvements that utilize the console’s power and functionalities.

This digital-only version of the game rolls out on Wednesday, April 28th, 2021. The game is solely published by Frogwares themselves.

A gameplay video showcasing loading times, graphic comparisons and additional features was also released.

Confirmed Improvements:

Frogwares has confirmed the following improvements and features for the Xbox Series X|S version:

4K (3840×2160) resolution
60 frames per second
Improved graphical fidelity
Improved loading times
Additional quests – part of the Merciful Madness DLC (included in Deluxe Edition, or as a separate purchase)

New Adjusted Price

Frogwares has continued with it’s adjusted price approach with this release and will drop the price of the new Xbox versions to 49.99 USD for the standard edition and 64.99 USD for the Deluxe Edition.

“As the sole owner and publisher of The Sinking City on Xbox Series X and S, we’re keeping with our idea to price our games in a region that feels fair to players.” – Serge Chervonnyi, Head of Production

Regarding a potential upgrade for existing owners of the game on Xbox One, Frogwares have issued this statement: https://frogwares.com/the-sinking-city-next-gen-release-statement/

Titan Quest on Mobile Now Has Controller Support

2021/04/28

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Mobile News, News

The latest Titan Quest patch finally unlocks controller support on Android and iOS. It was no easy task, but we did what we do and made it possible: Lead your Summoner, Huntress, Conquerer, or whatever hero you play on all compatible devices by the means of an external controller. You may even switch between touch and controller input on the fly!

We heard your desperate calls and implemented several other features. Stand in awe!

We added the enemy highlighting effect from the PC version to mobile, changed the attack button to show the currently used weapon,
changed the XP bar design and now it can show the current XP status permanently, added subtitles to the cutscenes for the supported languages, added an option to reset the player position in the pause menu, fixed NPC sound being broken after using fast game speed, fixed getting no gold when selling items at The Gambler. And last but not least we fixed many, many other bugs, crashes and quest/cloud save issues, and did improve the game in general.

Second Extinction Launch Trailer

2021/04/28

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Systemic Reaction has released the intense co-op first-person shooter Second Extinction on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Microsoft Store for PC today via Xbox Game Preview for $24.99. The game is also available to download for free through Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Players can experience Second Extinction on Xbox Series X at 4K|60 FPS, as well as on mobile devices via xCloud. Xbox and Microsoft Store players get full access to all content available in Second Extinction through Steam Early Access going forward, starting today with the launch of the new Pre-season 4 update on all platforms.

Today’s Pre-Season 4 update introduces:

New Playable Character — Jack: A new Enforcer joins the fight. Voiced by Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones), Jack is the ultimate team player, charging headfirst into danger.
New Tutorial: A perfect way for new players to dive in. You’ll be slaying dinos in no time!
Season Contracts: Complete new challenges across the map and reap the prizes.
New Rewards: Earn shiny new cosmetics, nameplates and more to celebrate your victories.

Second Extinction pits teams of up to three players against swarms of bloodthirsty dinos in fast-paced battles across Earth’s post-apocalyptic wastelands. Equip a range of uniquely powerful weapons and abilities and fight on your own or with friends against monstrous dinosaurs long thought extinct — now mutated and deadlier than ever! The War Effort is Second Extinction’s community-driven global metagame: by completing missions and activities around the world, you’ll directly impact the threat level and challenges players face.

Second Extinction first debuted on Steam Early Access last fall. Since then, the game has continued to grow with frequent content updates guided by community feedback, introducing new weapons, challenges, dino mutations, War Effort emergence events, gameplay improvements and more.

For more information, visit www.SecondExtinctionGame.com, and follow @2nd_Extinction on Twitter.

WE ARE SYSTEMIC REACTION

Small but fierce, we started as a group of veterans from within Avalanche Studios Group. Based in Stockholm and Malmö, we focus on crafting new and empowering games with unique settings. Drawing from our experiences within the industry, we want to create games that appeal both to us, and to you — our players. We want to play in a sandbox that lets your creativity thrive.

Our focus is freedom, exploration, and a drive to create games like the ones that kept us up at night as kids. We’ve got Generation Zero launched and Second Extinction on Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access — with even more to come. Join us in the sandbox!

Poker Club Gets The River Update

2021/04/28

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 5 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News, Xbox Series X News

Ripstone Games today announced that The River update for Poker Club is out now for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms. Poker Club is also planned for release on Nintendo Switch later in 2021 and will launch feature complete with other platforms.

The River update adds new features, new content, and incorporates a completely fresh visual look that comes from a combination of player feedback and learnings from the team since launch. Every month players can expect fresh content, new tournaments, new features and quality of life changes to keep Poker Club evolving with its community.

Poker Club is designed to be the ultimate community-focused Poker experience and the best place to play poker on PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms. With The River update, Ripstone have laid the foundation to push the game further and given players the tools to build their community, win featured tournaments and bring friends together for unforgettable Poker Nights. Ripstone have prepared a video highlighting these exciting new community features:

Key Features for The River update

Brand New Venue: The Manor House will be available as a new locale to play in. Fashioned after classic British stately homes complete with polished wooden interiors, dark leather furniture and subtle mood lighting, it exudes understated elegance.

Poker Nights 2.0: Hosting your ultimate Poker night couldn’t be easier. The River will give host players more control and customisation over their private multiplayer matches, including spectator options. Gathering the whole crew to the table will be hassle-free with the new invite code system and full support for platform friend lists on Steam and Xbox (and coming soon to PS4 & PS5).

Streamlined UI and UX: During play, expect to see a much more stream-lined TV-style experience that clearly displays pertinent information about your hand and your opponents, without getting in the way of your immersion at the table. It’s now easier than ever to invite friends to a table too – you can do it from the pause menu overlay or even select an empty seat at a table and invite them to join you.

Exclusive Community Event Prizes: Starting with our Golden Decade event, there’s never been a better time to get involved in the Poker Club community and have the chance to show off your love for the game with special gear! Community events like tournaments will now include special prizes and content like exclusive custom trophies, new outfits and table accessories. Setting up your own community is easy and using apps like Discord allows for great engagement outside of the game, with Ripstone empowering new communities with exclusive rewards.

Gameplay Upgrades: Besides the headline features, there’s a huge amount of other additions such as new updates to AI, refined player labelling, leaderboard updates, improved matchmaking in the single-player tour, graphical upgrades and performance improvements to make Poker Club the ultimate simulation of poker.

More every month: Since the game launched late last November, the team has been hard at work bringing updates to the game every month. The Poker Club community on Discord has been a driving force for each update, providing feedback and requests that have directly been incorporated into the updates for the game. Players can expect continued updates in the future, and the team is looking forward to further expanding the experience to make Poker Club the #1 poker community on consoles and PC.

Fallout 76 Locked & Loaded Out Now

2021/04/27

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

Locked & Loaded, the newest free update for Fallout 76, is live now for all players. The update kicks off Season 4 with a brand-new Armor Ace themed Scoreboard and introduces highly-anticipated community features including S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts and C.A.M.P. slots, as well as expanding Daily Ops and additional quality of life improvements.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts

One of the most common requests from the community is now a reality. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts enable players to completely reset a character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes allowing for quick build overhauls. Beginning at level 25 players can create and save custom S.P.E.C.I.A.L. point allocations and Perk Card assignments, and then switch between them.

To swap Loadouts, edit Perk Cards, or S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points, simply visit a Punch Card Machine. Punch Card Machines can be built in C.A.M.P. or found at Train Stations around Appalachia to make changes on the go. Players can have up to two S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts per character.

C.A.M.P. Slots

Until now players were limited to 1 C.A.M.P. With C.A.M.P. Slots, players can build multiple different C.A.M.P.s, each with its own location, build budget, custom name, and even a unique map icon. Players can set 1 active C.A.M.P. at a time and easily switch among them using a new C.A.M.P. Builds widget or the C.A.M.P. icons on the map.

Managing inventory items for sale has also never been easier. Vending Machines now feature a large pool of item slots that are shared for every instance across all your C.A.M.P.s. Display Cases will be separate per C.A.M.P., allowing you to showcase different items at each one.

Season 4 – “Armor Ace in Cold Steel”

Season 4 kicks off today with a new Scoreboard and 100 ranks to achieve. As players complete quests, challenges, and events, they’ll advance along the Scoreboard and follow alongside Armor Ace as he embarks on a new seasonal adventure while claiming a ton of new rewards along the way. This season brings with it items that are making their debut as rewards, such as Mannequins, Tadpole Badges, Sugar-free Nukashine, and Rad Ant Weight Lager. Players can also expect new Power Armor and Weapon skins, new C.A.M.P. items, and new cosmetic outfits.

For more information on Season 4 rewards and all the details on what’s new with today’s Locked & Loaded update, please visit fallout.bethesda.net.