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First Look at Character Art for Critical Role’s The Legend of Vox Machina

Today, Critical Role revealed a first look at the character art for The Legend of Vox Machina, the upcoming Amazon Original animated series from Critical Role and Titmouse. The reveal was made via the latest installment of Critical Role’s behind-the-scenes digital series, The Legend of The Legend of Vox Machina. It was also announced that Phil Bourassa (Young Justice, Batman: Bad Blood, Justice League) is the lead character designer.

The Amazon Original series The Legend of Vox Machina follows a group of second-rate adventurers on a quest to save the realm from terrifying monsters and dark magical forces. Throughout the first season, our characters will face undead giants, overthrow a sinister necromancer, and confront a powerful curse that has taken root inside their own group. Through it all, they learn how to function as a team, and discover they’re much more than that: they’re family.

The Legend of Vox Machina stars the Critical Role cast of Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O’Brien, Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham, who are reprising their roles; they also serve as executive producers, alongside Brandon Auman (Star Wars: Resistance) and Chris Prynoski (Metalocalypse), with Sung Jin Ahn (Niko and the Sword of Light) joining as supervising director. The Emmy award-winning animation production company, Titmouse is the animation partner.

In 2019, Critical Role launched The Legend of Vox Machina as a Kickstarter campaign for a 22-minute animated special produced by Emmy Award winning studio Titmouse, reaching their original funding goal within minutes. The campaign continued to gain traction thanks to Critical Role’s passionate fanbase, becoming the most-funded TV, film or animated project in Kickstarter history and raising over $11.3M. The fan support led to an increase of 24 episodes across two seasons, with Amazon Prime Video serving as the exclusive streaming home for the animated series.

For more information on the original Kickstarter campaign click here.

Thrustmaster Unveils T-GT II Racing Wheel for PlayStation 5

Thrustmaster is thrilled to unveil the T-GT II, its first racing wheel officially licensed for PlayStation®5 console. This new wheel is an even more advanced version of Thrustmaster’s T-GT (launched exactly four years earlier), providing Gran Turismo™ Sport gamers on PlayStation®4 console and PlayStation®5 console with the most breathtakingly realistic racing simulation experience currently available.

This new edition of the T-GT has been refined and perfected thanks to over 23,000 hours of intense work.

The challenge was to improve the racing wheel’s design to allow gamers to experience a level of precision and durability never seen before. This has resulted in the introduction of the groundbreaking T-DCC (Drift Curve Calculation) and T-RTF (Real Time Force feedback) systems, as well as the inclusion of new internal AEC-Q-certified components.

Drift management is a must in the quest for sim racing excellence — whether in competitions specifically dedicated to the art of drifting, or in rally and GT-style racing. Successfully managing one’s drifting is hugely important for all drivers who need to carefully control their car’s skidding in turns.

T-GT II employs a unique technology allowing for real-time drift curve calculation (T-DCC), thereby maintaining the responsiveness of both the wheel and the car in the game under all circumstances. This built-in T-DCC feature allows drivers to focus their attention on making very precise movements, to always stay one step ahead while at the wheel.

The Real Time Force Feedback (T-RTF) system reduces force feedback calculation times, allowing for instant responsiveness.

Force feedback effects are managed in real time by a built-in processor. This means the effects do not depend on the game itself to avoid any hiccups in responsiveness — and the best part is that this holds true for all games, both on PlayStation®5 console and PC. In this way, Thrustmaster’s proprietary T-RTF technology allows users to enjoy gameplay without any dead zones or latency.

In order to ensure the maximum levels of durability and quality over time, T-GT II features a brand-new electronic design with AEC-Q-certified printed circuit boards, from the real-world automotive industry.

T-GT II is to meet the needs of the world’s most competitive expert racers who use their racing simulation gear as real work tools — throughout extremely long training sessions, and incredibly intense competitions.

As the first Thrustmaster racing wheel officially licensed for PS5 console, T-GT II also ushers in a significant step forward in terms of its pedal set — thanks to integration of super high-quality components from the European automotive industry, combined with the use of a new, even more precise brake pedal spring with improved durability.

Thrustmaster brings its A-game to PlayStation®5 console

Featuring Thrustmaster’s renowned T-40VE brushless motor

Imagethat provides highly-precise force feedback and consistent torque throughout races, the T-GT II also includes the much-loved T-DFB* (Depth FeedBack) force feedback system that was pioneered by its predecessor. This advanced depth-perception feature on the force feedback axis, guarantees the precision of data between 30 Hz and 100 Hz, and avoids information loss associated with standard Force Feedback systems.

Like its predecessor, T-GT II includes all the other now-legendary technologies and features popularized by the T-GT that have paved the way for its success since 2017:

  • T-LIN system that ensures the force felt by the user is 100% proportional to the force determined in the game.
  • T-F.O.C. technology that allows the motor to respond dynamically and swiftly to requests for increased torque, while reducing drops in power.
  • T-MCE super-efficient cooling system that maintains linearity and dynamics with the powerful T-40VE motor.
  • T-TURBO power supply that delivers constant power, and massive peak power of 400 watts.
  • The Official GT wheel wrapped in real leather, featuring two mini-joysticks and four on-the-fly, selectors natively recognized in Gran Turismo™ Sport, differential braking adjustment, traction control, fuel mapping; and torque management.

The T-GT II Pack (servo base + wheel) edition will be available at suggested retail prices of £599.99 / $699.99 / €649.99 worldwide, in Q4 2021.**

The T-GT II servo base (on its own) will be available at suggested retail prices of £449.99 / $549.99 / €499.99 worldwide, in Q4 2021.**

Aliens: Fireteam Elite Launch Date Revealed

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.

War Mongrels New Gameplay Trailer

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

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

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

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

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

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.