Author - Jerry Paxton

Harmonix Announces Chroma for PC

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Cambridge, MA – February 17th, 2014 – Today, Award-winning developer Harmonix announced an original free-to-play, music-driven, first-person, multiplayer shooter for PC – Chroma™. Developed in partnership with Hidden Path Entertainment (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Defense Grid: The Awakening), Chroma completely reimagines the classic Arena FPS formula, infusing fast-paced shooter action with music-driven gameplay.

“Chroma has been a dream project of mine for some time,” said Harmonix co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos. “Watching the teams at Harmonix and Hidden Path begin to bring this vision to life has been tremendously exciting. We’re also thrilled to release an alpha version of this game and to evolve it in collaboration with our players. We can’t wait to hear what people think of this new approach to both first-person shooters and music games.”

Chroma is an all-new entry into PC Game development for the team behind cultural phenomena including Rock Band and Dance Central. With technology powered by Unreal Engine and a partnership with experienced shooter developers Hidden Path, Chroma aims high, even in its alpha release.

“Truly new experiences in video games are very rare,” says Mark Terrano, Chief Creative Officer/Founder of Hidden Path Entertainment. “At Hidden Path Entertainment we were delighted to help Harmonix realize their dream of a musical shooter, and are looking forward to the next step – seeing it continue to evolve with the energy, input and creativity from the game community!”

Harmonix has begun accepting applications for a limited Closed Alpha. Participants will get an early look at Chroma while it’s still in development, and will be able to give feedback to help shape the game! Interested players can register at http://www.playchroma.com.

Key game features:

  • Music-driven FPS gameplay – Music matters. Chroma features innovative first-person shooter mechanics that tie the game’s soundtrack directly to combat, traversal, and more.
  • Music is your weapon – Unleash streams of sound and music with your arsenal and bring the musical landscape to life in battle! From deep wobbling bass to the crunch of an electric guitar, crushing metal drums to poppy synths, choose a weapon load-out that reflects your musical tastes and personal style and take your sounds into battle.
  • Band together – Your team is your band: Join up with your friends and battle for glory.. Master multiple classes, each with their own unique musical gameplay mechanics and perks, and lead your team to victory.
  • Conquer shifting terrain – “Change Ups” at major musical moments dramatically alter the landscape of the battlefield in real time both physically and strategically, raising sniper towers, adding cover, and more in sync with the music.
  • Free-to-play, but not “pay-to-win” – Free to jump in and play with deep customization, but smartly designed to preserve a fun and fair experience for all players.
  • Chroma will be available free-to-play on PC via Valve’s Steam platform in 2014. For more information and updates, head to http://www.chromagame.com, follow @ChromaOfficial on Twitter, and at http://www.facebook.com/ChromaOfficial on Facebook!

New Bound By Flame Game Mechanics Trailer

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February 14, 2014 — Bound by Flame, the most ambitious RPG to date from Spiders studios due for release on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC in Q2 2014, is revealed today in meticulous detail in a new video! After a thrilling Epic Story Trailer that described the universe and the back story of the title, this trailer focuses on the game mechanics, the hero’s human/demon duality, combat, the bestiary, the “craft” system and much more.

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In this overview of the many possibilities Bound by Flame has to offer, we discover the great freedom of action given to the player, where the various decisions and different choices he makes during his quest or his attitude to the other characters will affect his experience in the game and the world around him. The player’s reaction to the flame demon that possesses him and his tendency to reject its influence or allow it to consume his soul to gain more power will also significantly affect his experience during the adventure and exert a strong influence on his relationships with his companions and his approach to combat.

This latest video also uses numerous gameplay sequences to reveal a little more of the spectacular and tactically complex combat in Bound by Flame. The battles will also be the focus of the next Bound by Flame video trailer to be released in the coming weeks!

Bound by Flame will be available on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC in Q2 2014.

LEGO The Hobbit Key Art Released

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment sent out this official key art for their upcoming LEGO The Hobbit this morning – enjoy! LEGO The Hobbit, will be available this Spring for Xbox One, Xbox 360,  PlayStation 4,  PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, as well as Windows PC platforms.

Click it!

THIEF Soundtrack Release Date

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New York (February 14, 2014) – Sumthing Else Music Works, the premier record label dedicated to licensing and distributing video game soundtracks, proudly presents THIEF™ Director’s Cut Original Soundtrack featuring the original music score from the highly anticipated next generation action-stealth videogame published by SQUARE ENIX and developed by Eidos-Montréal, the award winning studio behind the critically acclaimed DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION®. The THIEF Original Soundtrack is scheduled for a worldwide physical release on February 25, 2014 to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works, and simultaneously for digital download at iTunes, Amazon.com, Sumthing.com, and other digital music sites.

Composer Luc St. Pierre’s dark, ominous and atmospheric original score for THIEF draws on a variety of dramatic musical influences including classical orchestra recorded with the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague, as well as electroacoustic compositions and electronic soundscapes. Music samples are available at www.Sumthing.com.

Garrett, the Master Thief, steps out of the shadows into The City. With the Baron’s Watch spreading a rising tide of fear and oppression, a mysterious sickness grips the streets. Led by Orion, the voice of the people, the citizens rise in bloody revolution.

Garrett’s thieving skills are all he can trust as he walks the fine line between politics and the people, entangled in layers of conflict. With time running out, the Master Thief unravels a terrible secret from his dark past that ultimately threatens to tear his world apart.

THIEF is released for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on February 25, 2014 in North America and on February 28, 2014 in all other regions. For more information on THIEF visit www.thiefgame.com.

For more information on Sumthing Else Music Works and its complete catalog of soundtracks, visit www.sumthing.com, like us at Facebook.com/SumthingElseMusicWorks and follow us on Twitter @SumthingDigital.

Arma3 Zeus DLC Trailer

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Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday 13th February 2014 — Bohemia Interactive, creators of the award-winning Arma™ series and DayZ™, today announce their first planned DLC for Arma 3: Arma 3 Zeus. Made available in the second quarter of this year, the free Zeus DLC delivers a new form of multiplayer, in which players can take on the role of Game Master and curate the online battles of other players. The concept is further introduced in the DLC’s reveal trailer.

Improvisation is the ultimate key to success in Arma 3 Zeus. Inspired by popular tabletop games such as ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, a limited number of players can assume the role of Game Master, and influence the multiplayer experience of those with boots on the ground. Watching the battlefield from a bird’s-eye view, wielding an intuitive real-time editor, Zeus can create, manipulate or expand mission content to generate new stories and a flow of challenges. The result is incredibly dynamic, unscripted combat gameplay – and multiplayer sessions which are filled with unexpected, challenging, and creative events.

The Zeus multiplayer concept works across all familiar multiplayer game types, such as Team Deathmatch and Sector Control, where players can either work with or go up against Zeus. The most distinctive game type in Arma 3 Zeus, however, is ‘Zeus Game Master’. Here, Game Masters are entirely free to create objectives, spawn units, and steer players across Arma 3’s massive Altis and Stratis terrains.

On top of the diverse range of official Zeus scenarios that will be available, Arma 3 Zeus can also be implemented into player-created multiplayer scenarios.

“The best thing about Arma 3 Zeus is how naturally it fits within the game. Dynamic combat, massive islands, and editing features – it was all there. But now we’ve added an interface which gives players full control over the multiplayer experience”, said Zeus’ Design Lead Karel Moricky. “The Zeus system is pretty modular too, so community creators can easily use it in their missions. Or take it apart and turn into something completely different. There are no rules, only those you make yourself.”

While the reveal trailer already gives a taste of what to expect, the Arma 3 development team will also be hosting an official ‘Arma 3 Zeus Gameplay Reveal’ livestream this Saturday, February 15th, at 17:00 UTC. During the livestream, Zeus’ Design Lead Karel Moricky and Arma 3’s Creative Director Jay Crowe, alongside other core members of the Arma development team, will be giving a one-hour demonstration of how it is to play as Zeus and what it’s like to be one of Zeus’ subjects. The session will be streamed live from Bohemia Interactive’s HQ in Prague onto Arma 3’s Twitch.tv channel.

For more information about Arma 3 Zeus, please visit zeus.arma3.com. Also be sure to keep track of the Arma 3 social channels (FacebookTwitter) and stay up to date of all the latest developments.