Author - Jerry Paxton

EVERSPACE Hardcore Mode Out on Windows 10

2017/12/07

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

Hamburg, December 6, 2017 – Today, Hamburg-based indie developer ROCKFISH Games launch the standalone Hardcore Mode for EVERSPACE™ players on Xbox One and the Windows 10 Store. This free update to the arcadey roguelike 3D space shooter (Xbox Metacritic 84) provides a brand new challenge for pilots who have successfully surmounted every obstacle the game has thrown at them. Rather than merely being a maddening new difficulty level for the game’s primary story, Hardcore Mode comes in the form of a brand new, standalone experience.

Doing away with the precious permanent ship improvements players have unlocked with credits earned from each run in the normal game mode, Hardcore Mode runs begin with a fixed set of perks that can only be upgraded as sectors are completed. Adding to the constant sense of danger this squishiness affords, players will have to chose from a series of “handicap” modifiers each time they enter a new sector. This could be anything from fuel leaking, combat not pausing while repairing or crafting items, jump suppressors in every location, or even a peculiar retro game mode with visual and sound effects like it’s 1991, again.

This means players will have to contend with more than just their hostile surroundings as they fight tooth and nail on their way to Hardcore Mode’s revamped end sector and final battle. Those who played EVERSPACE as part of Xbox Game Preview may even notice some familiar mechanics in the new final battle, given fans’ passion for a gone-but-not-forgotten encounter from the game’s early days, but it wouldn’t be Hardcore Mode without there being a healthy number of twists.

Whether it’s veteran pilots looking for a challenge worthy of their flight chops, or returning pilots looking to face down some space-faring punishment, EVERSPACE’s Hardcore Mode offers a fresh experience on Xbox One and Windows 10 that’s sure to keep players looking over their shoulders.

“We are excited about Hardcore Mode bringing a fresh challenge to veteran Everspace pilots on Xbox One and Windows 10 including continued XPA support,” said Chris Charla, Director ID@Xbox at Microsoft. “Everspace has come a long way since it launched as Xbox Game Preview more than a year ago and we can’t wait to hear what else Rockfish got up their sleeves for the future of Everspace.”

“By releasing Hardcore Mode on Xbox One, we successfully delivered on our last remaining promise from our Kickstarter in 2015,” said Michael Schade, CEO and co-founder of ROCKFISH Games. “But, there is even more to come. Currently, we are migrating the project to Unreal Engine 4.17 to support Xbox One X in native 4K resolution It will come as another free upgrade right in time when the highly-anticipated EVERSPACE – Encounters add-on will be released on the entire Xbox One family of devices in Q1 next year.”

Bohemia Interactive Sandbox Game Ylands Now On Steam

2017/12/06

Jerry Paxton

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

Prague, Czech Republic, December 6, 2017—Bohemia Interactive, today, announced the official release of its new sandbox adventure game, Ylands, on Steam Early Access. The beautiful open-polyworld of Ylands completely unleashes players’ creativity to craft, explore, and create anything they have ever imagined. Bohemia’s hardcore titles, Arma and DayZ, are known for their huge open terrains, lots of gameplay freedom, many opportunities for content creation, and their involved community. While this family-friendly title might look like a very unusual addition at first sight, Ylands aims to bring exactly those elements that made Bohemia successful to a brand new group of gamers.

The game can be found here on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/298610/Ylands/

Ylands is a unique sandbox game that lets players explore their creativity. Players can seamlessly switch between single and multiplayer modes while exploring uncharted ylands, laying siege to castles, engaging in naval battles, taking part in car races, crafting monumental structures or quirky things like crab armor, cheese walls and much more. Ylands lets you live your childhood fantasies and create your own new adventures.

Another powerful feature of the game is the Ylands Editor. With interactive scripting and thousands of objects to play with, it makes Ylands much more than yet another sandbox game. It’s a platform where players can create their own games and share them with others through the custom-made Workshop.

“You don’t need any special skills or knowledge to become a creator in Ylands – if you have an idea, that one creative spark, you’re all set,” said Aleš Ulm, the Creative Director of Ylands. “We can’t wait to see what players think about our game and hope that together we’ll shape it into something unique” he added.

Ylands is now available for purchase and play, and as a special bonus early birds will get a 20% discount from now on until December 11 (normal price: €15 / $15 / £13). With the core features already implemented, the developers are planning to spend roughly six months in Early Access, mostly polishing gameplay and multiplayer aspects so it can be released later in 2018.

EVGA Unveils GeForce GTX 1070 Ti FTW ULTRA SILENT

2017/12/06

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Hardware News, News

December 6th, 2017 – Take on today’s most challenging, graphics-intensive games without missing a beat. The EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti delivers the incredible speed and power of NVIDIA Pascal – the most advanced gaming GPU architecture ever created. This is the ultimate gaming platform.

Featuring an all-new 2.5 slot cooler and ultra silent fan profile, the EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti FTW ULTRA SILENT gives you the best of both worlds – Cool, silent running and game-changing performance! The larger heatsink efficiently removes more heat, which allows your fans to run at a lower and quieter speed. Alternatively, the improved cooling gives you more headroom to overclock and improve performance without worrying about heat.

Learn more https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=08G-P4-6678-KR

The 17th Door Presents Haunted Holiday Treasure Hunt of Absurdity

2017/12/05

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Halloween, News

December 5, 2017 – The 17th Door Presents “Haunted Holiday Treasure Hunt of Absurdity”! 4 nights only – December 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th (Opening THIS Friday!)

Your favorite holiday takes a demonic turn in this Christmas themed interactive haunted house! Expect this year’s Christmas edition to be scary, creepy, nasty yet fun and freakin’ hilarious!… Not your average holiday activity. (Not recommended for kids or young teens)

Paula has a new cellmate and he wants to watch you be bad or good. Visit Santa and his seedy elves this holiday season at Perpetuum Penitentiary where Santa serves his sentence while his elves continue to ‘serve him’. Santa is making his list and you do NOT want to be on his naughty side. Journey through what will be an unforgettable treasure hunt in search of gifts that will help you make the nice list. Santa may be locked up, but Christmas must go on.

The Treasure Hunt

As a group, you will collect or earn gifts as you proceed through our 17 rooms of terrifyingly intense holiday absurdity. To earn gifts your group will be performing tasks, solving riddles, consuming “treats”, exchanging items with twisted characters, or just surviving something horrible. Each person will be given a stocking that they carry to hold these gifts in their travels. You will win or lose as a group. The more gifts you earn the better your chance at making the “Nice List” and receiving a free prize!

Dreadnought PlayStation 4 Launch Trailer

2017/12/05

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos

HOUSTON and BERLIN – Dec. 5, 2017 – Grey Box, Six Foot and independent developer YAGER have officially released the class-based spaceship action game Dreadnought on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. Players who download the title for free today through the PlayStation®Store can grab the console-exclusive Hactar hero ship and two themes for free. PlayStation®Plus members can also receive a bonus Dead Man’s Hand Decal and Emblem as part of the “Dreadnought Maverick” DLC bundle.

“Dreadnought delivers an exciting blend of team-based competitive and cooperative action combined with gorgeous visuals and a galaxy of customization choices. There’s never been a better time to hop into the captain’s chair and start your adventure,” said Mike Donatelli, Product Director at Six Foot. “This next leap forward is just the beginning for Dreadnought, and we’ll be continuing to provide players with new content, experiences, features and improvements in the future.”

As part of today’s Dreadnought launch on PlayStation®4, captains will be introduced to day and night variations for a new game map – Amirani – as well as voice chat, optional aim assist functionality, a new bonus reward for first win of the day and all-new trophies to earn and add to their collections. Previous major updates during the open beta period added a revamped training mode called Proving Grounds, Onslaught mode, which pits players against each other and an AI faction, and the console-exclusive co-op Havoc mode, which features its own unlockable Junkyard Prince hero ship available only on PlayStation®4.

Created for PlayStation®4 by lead developers YAGER and Six Foot and co-developer Iron Galaxy Studios, Dreadnought puts players in command of massive capital ships on the front lines of all-out team battles across a variety of multiplayer game modes. Five distinct ship classes, specializing in tactical roles like frontline assault, long-range bombardment, strategic support and more, offer captains unique powers to exploit the enemy team’s weaknesses and claim victory. There are more than 50 playable vessels to master, each customizable with an array of weapons, modules, coatings and decals.

Dreadnought is also currently in free open beta on Windows PC and rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. For the latest updates on all platforms, visit www.dreadnought.com, and follow the game on Facebook, Twitter and Twitch.

For Honor Xbox One X Enhanced Features Trailer

2017/12/05

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox One News

December 5, 2017 – Today, Ubisoft announced that For Honor will receive an update introducing improvements for Xbox One X on December 5. The free update will provide improvements to water reflections, draw distance, shadow resolution and texture filtering as well as enabling 4K resolution. Full details of the update can be found here: https://forhonor.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/news-community/152-315304-16/patch-notes-xbox-one-x-v116

For Honor was recently updated with Season Four: Order & Havoc, which introduced two new heroes, two new maps, a new 4v4 Tribute mode, ranked Dominion mode, new customization items and several gameplay updates. This update is now available across all platforms.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with other Ubisoft studios,* For Honor offers an engaging campaign and thrilling multiplayer modes. Players embody warriors of the three Great Factions – the bold Knights, the brutal Vikings and the deadly Samurai – fighting to the death on intense and believable melee battlefields. The Art of Battle, the game’s innovative combat system that puts players in total control of their warriors, allows them to utilize the unique skills and combat style of each hero to vanquish all enemies who stand in their way.

For more information about For Honor, please visit forhonorgame.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ForHonorGame and on Twitter at twitter.com/ForHonorGame.

For the latest on For Honor and other Ubisoft games, please visit ubiblog.com.

Attack on Titan 2 Release Date and New Trailer

2017/12/04

Jerry Paxton

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

Burlingame, Calif. — December 4, 2017 — Today KOEI TECMO America proudly revealed that ATTACK ON TITAN 2 will be released on March 20, 2018 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system; Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft; Nintendo Switch™; and on Windows PC via Steam®!

To celebrate the news KOEI TECMO America shared an action-packed new trailer, giving a taste of the thrilling narrative players can come to expect from ATTACK ON TITAN 2. In addition, they have unveiled new details on additional playable characters: Hitch Dreyse, Marlo Freudenberg, Mina Carolina, Nile Dawk, Thomas Wagner, Annie Leonhart, Bertholdt Hoover, Reiner Braun, the Armored Titan, the Colossal Titan, the Female Titan and a Mysterious Titan form.

Players will be able to create their own custom Scout in ATTACK ON TITAN 2, an all-new addition to the series, offering a fresh perspective on the events of both seasons of the worldwide anime hit, Attack on Titan. With enhanced Titan movements, Scouts will have to strategically use a plethora of new abilities in order to survive; from evade-style attacks like the hook drive ability, to long-rage sneak attacks – carefully strategized with the help of the new monocular tool!

Additional RPG elements have been implemented into ATTACK ON TITAN 2’s Town Life segments; allowing players to build relationships with their favorite characters from the Attack on Titan universe to gain a deeper understanding of their comrades.

To keep up to date with the latest news on ATTACK ON TITAN 2 please visit the official site at www.koeitecmoamerica.com/attackontitan2, Like www.facebook.com/koeitecmous, and Follow us on Twitter @koeitecmous

Plantronics RIG 800LX Wireless Xbox One Headset Review

2017/12/04

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Reviews, seal of excellence, Tech News, Tech Review

Plantronics has been making headsets for a long while, and . The Plantronics RIG 800 series is made up of two models: The 800LX is for PC and Xbox One gamers while the 800LS is for PlayStation 4 gamers. Recently, we got the chance to take a look at the Plantronics RIG 800LX and we were very impressed by its performance. In terms of design, the Plantronics RIG 800LX features dark black, silver, and gray colors and a mostly-plastic frame which lightens up the unit considerably. It features a lot of angular cuts making for a very futuristic look – one that will certainly illicit conversation in your LAN parties or tournaments.

Installing the Plantronics RIG 800LX is very simple. You just plug the wireless dongle into your available USB port – it works this way on both the Xbox One and Windows PC platform. While you don’t need to do so, at that point you should go to your Xbox or Windows store apps and redeem your code for Dolby Atmos. The code is only redeemable once but works on BOTH platforms once redeemed (it’s tied to your Microsoft account)! So that’s a nice bonus for those of you who game on both your Xbox One and PC rigs.

One of the most interesting things about the Plantronics RIG 800LX is that it features an activation code to unlock Dolby Atmos. What is Dolby Atmos? Well, Dolby Atmos is an object-based multi-dimensional surround sound algorithm that not only simulates sound on the horizontal plane, but also sound above and below you. This might sound too good to be true, but I am excited to say it is indeed the case – with games and films that support the technology… Gears of War 4, Battlefield 1, Crackdown 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Overwatch are some of the games which support the tech and you won’t be disappointed in them. As I understand it, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 also supports the tech, but I have yet to test it with that game. Playing Overwatch on the PC is incredible and the sense of sound above and below you is pretty darn cool to say the least. Even if you don’t use the Dolby Atmos code (which I don’t know why that would be the case) the Plantronics RIG 800LX has some nice, crisp sound that makes for great game and music playing.

With Plantronics advertising a 24 hour battery (more on that later), it is clear that they mean for the gamer to wear the RIG 800LX for a long period of time. Comfort goes, the Plantronics RIG 800LX has numerous features built into the unit to make sure it rests comfortably on your head. First, it has an auto-adjusting fabric headband which conforms to the shape of your head. This is far more comfortable than the hard headband that most headsets subject gamers to. Also, the height of each ear cup can be adjusted to accommodate the gamer’s face. Everyone has different facial measurements and there is a very good chance that you will be able to make the RIG 800LX conform to yours.

As far as controls go, the Plantronics RIG 800LX allows you to adjust both game and chat volume via two dials on the left ear cup. On the left ear cup you will also find the swivel down boom mic, which features noise cancellation and makes for some very clear audio pickup. Your fellow squad mates will be able to hear you, loud and clear. On the bottom of the right ear cup you will find a push button which toggles between the four different equalizer settings: Pure is your basic, balanced sound curve. Seismic increases your bass a lot and can end up making your sound somewhat “muddy”. Intensify was a great way to pump up the lower end sound without the drawbacks of the Seismic mode. Vocal is, as it would seem, be all about the vocals and boosts up the higher end of the spectrum for chat purposes. You can tell what mode you are in as the headset will chime a certain number of “beeps” to indicate each one.

If I could change anything about the Plantronics RIG 800LX it would be to replace the swiveling boom microphone with a plug-in boom micrphone. Even though the mic can swivel up when not in use, you can’t just remove it. It is permanently fixed to the headset. I prefer having the option to remove my boom microphones – however, your mileage may vary on that, it’s my own pet peeve.

Internally, the Plantronics RIG 800LX features a battery capable of a company-rated 24 hours of use. Now, did I stay up for 24 hours straight to test this? NO! I need to get sleep like everyone else. I can say, however, that it did last for four days of evening use before needing to be recharged, so I have no doubt that it can live up to their rated 24 hours. This is very refreshing, as I hate having to plug my wireless peripherals in all the time.

Overall, the Plantronics RIG 800LX is an excellent set of wireless gaming headphones for $149.99 dollars. It is available now at various online retailers and would make for a great holiday present for the gamer in your family.

Plantronics RIG 800LX Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#0637e8″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#0637e8″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#0637e8″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#0637e8″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#0637e8″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 Stars)

KWA Ronin 10 Inch SBR Airsoft Gun Review

2017/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, Geek News, News, Reviews

Some weeks ago, KWA unveiled a new line of airsoft guns called the Ronin series. This series is made up of both their generation 2.5 and generation 3 AEGs, albeit with a cool-looking M-LOK rail system and some updated features. I picked up the Ronin 10 inch SBR from Evike for $339 so that I could take a closer look at it and see how it stacks up compared to the rest of the KWA family as well as some of the newer AEGs on the market.

KWA’s generation 2.5 airsoft guns feature a rotary hop up which won’t lose its adjustment easily during heated gameplay, a radiused and reinforced gearbox for stability and strength, variable performance system, magazine cut-off system, and a switch life extender unit that prevents trigger contact burnout. The additions to the Ronin line up when compared to KWA’s basic gen 2.5 rifle, the VM4A1, are cosmetic: You’ll find a solid M-LOK rail system, PTS grip, PTS flip up sights, and a PTS Enhanced Polymer Stock. Additionally, this rifle came with one of the new K120c 30/120 magazines equipped with the special follower that interacts with the rifles’s cut-off system. Additionally, the Ronin 10 features an ambidextrous fire select lever for you left-handed shooters out there.

If you have yet to see KWA’s variable performance system in action, it is pretty intriguing. Basically, the airsoft rifle was engineered with a way to mechanically adjust the pressure on the spring. This is accomplished via a screw where the buffer tube attaches to the receiver. KWA is smart and include the long hex driver to accomplish these adjustments right in the box. Each twist of the screw adjusts your velocity by +/- 2.5 FPS. The Ronin 10 is rated at adjustments from 380 all the way to 430 FPS, so it is very flexible if you need to go from, say, many local fields’ rule of a 400 FPS limit to various milsim events’ 450 FPS limit. Sure, you can’t get to the 450 limit, but 430 is a whole lot better than 400, allowing you to shoot heavier BBs and increasing your joule rating. What I like best about the variable performance system is that it is mechanically-driven. It doesn’t need a computer chip to calculate velocity and draw that much more power from your battery.

Speaking of batteries, you can easily run a decent-sized 11.1v LiPo battery in the Ronin 10 thanks to its PTS stock with crazy amounts of storage space and the rifle’s switch life extender feature. Putting that extra voltage through the rifle will not burnout your trigger contacts like it can do on airsoft rifles without electronic switches or MOSFET units.

KWA Ronin 10 with Lucid Optics Scope and PTS Foregrip

In play, the KWA Ronin 10 SBR handles beautifully thanks to its shorter length and lighter weight. The outer barrel flash hider sticks out of the 10 inch rail system a tiny bit, making the gun easy to maneuver around corners. It should be noted that if you need a Ronin specifically-built for CQB or indoor purposes, KWA has you covered. You can always pick up the Ronin 6 PDW airsoft gun, or, simply swap out the upper receiver and barrel from your Ronin 10 with the shorter length one! This modularity is one of the hallmarks of the Ronin line, and I can’t wait to pick up extra upper receivers of various lengths whenever they end up selling them. KWA’s tried and true rotary hop up is very accurate and the sheer amount of performance one gets right out of the box with this AEG is remarkable.

If instead of use in CQB games, you would like to have a DMR platform, KWA is releasing a Ronin 3 RECON RM4 airsoft rifle a bit later this year. That rifle will feature a longer handguard and barrel assembly while also featuring KWA’s generation 3 ERG (Electric Recoil Gun) system. Additionally, the new Ronin rifles of the generation 3 variety will ALSO feature the variable performance system.

Overall, the KWA Ronin 10 inch SBR airsoft gun is an excellent airsoft purchase for field play. With its variable performance system, you can adjust it from local field limits to milsim limits with ease and its excellent build quality coupled with light weight make it a breeze to carry around and operate. The KWA Ronin series is available now for $339 dollars from most airsoft retailers!

KWA Ronin 10 inch SBR Airsoft Gun Review

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 stars)

Universal Studios Announces EVE New Year’s Eve Event

2017/11/30

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

Universal City, California, November 30, 2017 – Universal Studios Hollywood rings in 2018 with Hollywood’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration, EVE, on Sunday, December 31, 2017, with extended theme park hours to 1:00 a.m.

The New Year’s Eve event, the first ever for Universal Studios Hollywood, is included in the price of theme park admission and invites guests to spend the day and night enjoying its many popular rides and attractions with a special park-wide countdown party featuring multiple entertainment hubs with DJs and live music, starting at 9:00 p.m.

Universal Plaza, Simpsons Plaza located adjacent to “The Simpsons Ride” and an area near “Jurassic Park—The Ride” will transform into three uniquely-themed electrifying party hubs that will culminate simultaneously at midnight with a traditional New Year countdown and a spectacular fireworks display.

Food and beverages, including specialty desserts, champagne, beer and wine, as well as 2018 memorabilia will be available for purchase.

With its festive environment, guests can toast the New Year with the spirit of the holidays already resonating throughout Universal Studios Hollywood. “Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry PotterTM” introduces “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts TM Castle.” Several times each night, guests can enjoy amazing images inspires by the Harry Potter films as they come to life in breathtaking digital light projection on the backdrop of Hogwarts castle. And with extended hours on December 31, guests can celebrate the final day of “Grinchmas™” with The Grinch, his faithful dog Max and a roster of Who-ville Whos.

More information is available at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com. Like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios on Instagram and Twitter.