June 28, 2018 – The official Tour de France 2018 video games are available today in retail stores and for download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Play as the greatest champions and live an exciting Tour de France 2018 on consoles, or step into the shoes of a sports manager on PC to lead your favorite pro team to victory. Today, discover the Launch Trailer of the official Tour de France video games, and get ready for a new cycling season!
In Tour de France 2018 on consoles, play as the greatest champions and hit the official track of Le Tour 2018! Dive into the intensity of this legendary race where you’ll need to attack, follow the best trajectories, and carry out the finest racing tactics to lead your team to victory and earn the mythical Yellow Jersey LCL!
This year, experience a brand new game mode: Pro Leader, where you create your own rider and bring him to the top of his career by completing objectives to improve and gain new responsibilities from season to season! The simulation aspect of the game goes even deeper thanks to your new team Progression System, an improved Fitness Peak System for your riders, and a more aggressive and realistic AI, making this year’s sprints and breakaways as competitive as ever.
Along with the new official route from Le Tour 2018, new races and Classics, such as the mythical Paris-Roubaix, are joining the long list of roads you will have to ride to prove you are the best cyclist!
In Pro Cycling Manager 2018 on PC, step into the shoes of a sports manager and lead your pro cycling team through a challenge-packed 2018 season where you’ll compete in more than 200 races and 500 stages around the world, including famous Tours such as La Vuelta and the iconic Tour de France. It’s up to you to make all decisions for your team: hiring the best cyclists and staff, contract negotiations, sponsoring, race scheduling, training… During the race, choose the finest tactics to lead your riders to victory. Play solo or online multiplayer in leagues or clans with up to 16 players and prove to everyone who is the best pro cycling manager!
Your Manager skills will be tested even more this year with advanced contract and new negotiation management in Career mode, thanks to new sponsors negotiations, in-depth transfer, and newly-added recruitment mechanics. A deeper progression system arrives this year in Pro Cyclist mode, with more possibilities than ever to personalize and build your cyclist, as riders now get a double specialization from the beginning of their career – one main and one secondary! Experience enhanced in-race immersion with many improvements, including bigger breakaways and more realistic and aggressive AI during sprints.
Earlier this month I was treated to a special, up-close look at Razer’s new Huntsman Elite, a gaming keyboard equipped with the company’s new opto-mechanical key switches. The media event at their Irvine, CA office was guarded by a strict NDA that made us wait until June 28th to post anything about it. Thankfully, the embargo has lifted, Huntsman Elite keyboard announced and now we can bring your our full review of this revolutionary product!
When talking about gaming keyboard technology, it all started with variations of membrane-based models. Mechanical keyboards were very expensive at the time and the keys were not responsive enough to make it worth consumer cost. The Cherry MX Black key switch was heavy and simply not suited for gaming. In 2008, the Cherry MX Red switch appeared and opened the doors for practical and responsive mechanical gaming keyboards. Since then, some key switch enhancements have been made but a lot of the new tech went into how companies could make the keyboards more attractive with lighting upgrades such as Razer’s Chroma technology.
Enter: the Razer Opto-mechanical key switch. A Razer creation, the opto-mechanical key switch is powered by infrared beams that are broken when the mechanical switch is resting and solid when the key is depressed. It is quite amazing – there is actually an infrared beam under EVERY key on the PCB. This means faster response times, better roll-over protection, as well as the capability to pair the infrared beam system with several types of mechanical switches down the line – depending on what kind of a keyboarding experience the user desires (Clicky or Quiet).
While the Huntsman Elite is a game changer internally, it also signals a new paradigm for Razer when looking at its externals. Razer keyboards have long had a similar profile and overall style. The Huntsman Elite ushers in a brand new design style that is classy, sleek, and eye-catching. According to the folks at Razer, this new style sets the tone for upcoming products as well, so it should be exciting to see what they bring out. The Huntsman Elite feels very well-built and durable with an aluminum frame hefty weight. It also features a cool, multi-function wheel and other media keys that can be programmed to a variety of functions. By default, the wheel adjusts your sound volume (and pressing the button toggles mute) – it is a very clever control that becomes very easy to rely on.
Something that makes the Hunstman Elite even cooler is the magnetically attached (and removable) padded wrist rest. It’s extremely comfortable and a great addition to the keyboard to enhance gamer usability. However, it’s not just a wrist rest, mind you, this wrist rest is equipped with Razer Chroma lighting and adds to your keyboard lighting once you have attached it. This magnetic docking system could be used for a variety of accessories in the future as it supplies power as well as information. Razer is tight-lipped on all its plans but I could tell they are thinking up some winners. Of course, the Huntsman Elite still is equipped with Razer’s tried and true braided cord. This cord is strong and flexible, and the braiding will definitely hold up better than the rubber insulation of most gaming keyboards. It’s a minor feature of the keyboard, but one that I believe to be of the utmost importance in my peripherals.
In terms of performance, I have gotten to use the Razer Huntsman Elite for several weeks now and I don’t even a little regret making it my primary keyboard. This is an incredible product that has light, clicky, and responsive key switches as well as great lighting. They are the lightest mechanical key switches I have used, which is nice because it allows you to connect that infrared beam quicker than you would be able to with other types of mechanical key switch. FPS, MMORPG, and even MOBA titles are all well-served by the Huntsman Elite – I literally could not find a game that the keyboard didn’t make better (sorry for the double negative). Besides its gaming applications, I found that typing on the Huntsman Elite was a very pleasant experience and I was actually typing a lot faster than normal thanks to the light key presses. I hope Razer can set some Huntsman Elites set up as demo units in various retail outlets as these key switches really need to be used to be believed.
The Razer Huntsman Elite is fully compatible with the Razer Synapse control suite, and the software allows for some excellent Chroma customization, and is fully compatible with other Chroma devices. One of the cool things on display at the Razer office was a Chroma enabled room, which had just about every Chroma device imagined working together to bring a truly impressive display. The Razer Chroma lighting on the Huntsman Elite is strong: It goes all the way around the keyboard and is very bright. Razer Chroma allows you to customize lighting effects based a number of criteria, from in-game cues when playing your favorite game – but it doesn’t stop there. You can even tie Razer Chroma to work as a sort of visual graphic equalizer for your music, pulsing and changing hue with the beat.
Overall, the Razer Huntsman Elite signals a new front-runner in the gaming keyboard market. Take it from me, After you have used the opto-mechanical keys of the Huntsman Elite, you will be hard-pressed to return to other key solutions – whether they be completely mechanical or membrane-based. Also, once would think that the Huntsman Elite would cost an extreme amount, what with the futuristic key switch system. Well, at $199.99, the Huntsman Elite does cost a bit more than most high-end gaming keyboards. However, given the technology, capabilities, and performance of the Elite, I don’t think this is out of the question. Should that price point be a bit out of your reach, Razer is also offering the Huntsman gaming keyboard at $149.99 – which still comes with the new opto-mechnical keys sans some extra chroma lighting, the media keys, and the wrist rest.
June 27, 2018 – Publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer IguanaBee are pleased to reveal that the first playable version of their title Headsnatchers, an outlandish lively multiplayer party game, will be available through Steam’s Early Access program on July 10th, 2018. Inspired by some of the wackiest Japanese gameshows, Headsnatchers enables players to snatch each other’s outlandishly, cartoony heads and use them to compete in a series of insane minigames. Ever wanted to try slam-dunking your buddie’s head in the basketball arena or flushing them down a giant toilet? Here’s your chance in Headsnatchers!
Gameplay modes include single-player zombie castle conquest, 4-player couch-mode local play (perfect for parties), as well as 4-player online multiplayer (for when you want to party from afar). There are tons of freaky heads for players to choose from, however, our comprehensive head-design tool allows players to concoct even crazier ones – the sky’s the limit!
The Headsnatchers Early Access Trailer can be viewed here:
“We had a lot of fun showing this game at PAX East where people were in fits of laughter playing it. We are eager to start receiving players’ feedback in this early access phase and to polish the game with final tweaks”, says Erik Schreuder, CEO of Iceberg Interactive.
Headsnatchers Early Access key features include:
• Online and Local Multiplayer mayhem, supporting up to 4 players
• Four game modes, 25+ unique levels of frantic fun
• Single-player Zombie mode, for when you want some me-time
• Customize your character by choosing from 100+ loony heads
• Create your own heads using the visual editor
Stay up-to-date with the latest Headsnatchers news and information on the official website http://www.headsnatchers.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/headsnatchers, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HeadsnatchersKO, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/headsnatchers, on Reddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/Headsnatchers/, and on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/iceberginteractive
June 26, 2018 – Players can enjoy the wild road as they explore the huge, varied, action-packed, and beautiful playground of the United States in The Crew 2! The Gold Edition is available to play now on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC.
The Crew 2 will let players experience the thrill of the American motorsports spirit inside a fully redesigned USA. The game’s playground pushes physical boundaries to let driving and open world fans test their skills in nonstop competition and exploration. From coast to coast, drivers will explore America and compete to become the greatest motorsports champion by collecting a wide variety of exotic cars, bikes, boats and planes, and dominating the motorsports scene on the land, on the water and in the air. They will find challenges and inspiration among four different motorsports families: street racing, off-road, pro-racing and freestyle, and will be given a broad set of options among a wide selection of vehicle types.
All other editions of The Crew 2 will launch worldwide on June 29, 2018 on PlayStation® 4 system, Xbox One and PC.
LONDON, UK (June 26, 2018) – SQUARE ENIX® is excited to announce that THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT™, an all-new original narrative experience demo set in the highly successful, award-winning LIFE IS STRANGE™ franchise, is OUT NOW on XBOX ONE®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 and Windows PC.
THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT is available digitally and completely free on a permanent basis for everyone. It is completely free of charge, and does not require any additional purchases to enjoy the full experience.
Watch THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT launch trailer here:
9-year old Chris is an ordinary boy who really wants to be a superhero. With the help of his toys and a big imagination, he turns a normal Saturday into a series of exciting adventures, but he is not prepared for what today has in store for him, today something truly extraordinary will happen…
As a self-contained original story in the LIFE IS STRANGE universe from developer DONTNOD Entertainment, THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT not only takes the first steps into the world of LIFE IS STRANGE 2, it features links to the brand-new story of the highly anticipated upcoming sequel.
LIFE IS STRANGE 2 is coming to XBOX ONE®, PlayStation®4 and Windows PC on September 27th, 2018.
THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT contains mature language and themes.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (JUNE 26, 2018) — Award-winning online game developer and publisher Wargaming is proud to announce today the global release of World of Tanks: Mercenaries, the most significant evolution to date in the World of Tanks franchise on consoles. Available exclusively on PlayStation®4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, World of Tanks: Mercenaries kicks off an explosive story campaign set in an alternate-history where World War II never ended. The new campaign features powerful new vehicles, unique hero crews, additional maps and more. Jump into World of Tanks now, and discover the global phenomenon that’s enthralled over 15 million players on consoles alone, or re-introduce yourself to a radical expansion to one of the world’s most popular free-to-play console games. There’s never been a better time to enter the World of Tanks.
World of Tanks: Mercenaries invites players to join a new fight in a world where history has been rewritten and lawlessness has taken hold. Endless wars have left the world fractured, and in the vacuum of power left by the destabilization of global powers, soldiers and civilians fight for themselves, taking up contracts to become soldiers of fortune. Anyone can rise up and become their own hero in this new age of Mercenaries.
Combining the strengths of history’s most powerful war machines, the new Mercenary “nation” and Tech Tree were born. Mercenaries collect parts from captured and abandoned vehicles on the battlefield to create a new breed of tanks, giving players the opportunity to earn powerful, never-before-seen Mercenary vehicles through the brand new Contract system. Fulfilling certain in-game objectives, such as destroying a number of tanks from a specific nation in multiplayer battles, will unlock vehicles from the fascinating new armada.
World of Tanks: Mercenaries introduces a unique Mercenary crew with their own backstories, playstyles and specialized vehicle. Want to unleash a hellish fury on your enemies with a Japanese freedom fighter? Storm Hunter is your woman — she rides into battle in the furious Heavy Tank, Needle. How about pestering enemies with an erratic and aggressive barrage of shells? Crazy Snake is your guy — get him with the mighty light tank, Stubbs! Five vehicles are available at launch, and the Mercenary nation will continue to expand its ranks in the weeks to come.
A brand-new console-exclusive War Stories campaign — The Heist — kicks off the Mercenaries universe, joining an existing saga of epic story-focused alt-history PvE missions. The Heist is an action-packed tale of espionage that follows a motley crew of Mercenaries contracted to set up, execute and escape from a raid on a secret war facility. Their mission is to steal nuclear material for a client who harbors his own atomic ambitions, but the crew soon finds itself at the mercy of the combined powers of the United States and the Soviet Union. Journey into danger with The Collector, Don Quixote and Borscht, and see if they can make it out alive with a paycheck in hand! Players can expect adrenaline-fueled tank battles as they tackle this story alone — like a true Mercenary — or band together with friends for co-operative online multiplayer action!
The Mercenaries universe has a far-reaching impact across the entire World of Tanks game, with the addition of revamps to fan-favorite multiplayer PvP battle maps to fit in with the new world. Players can explore, fight through and discover the strategic intricacies of battlegrounds ravaged by war and time in eight new Mercenary-themed maps. World of Tanks: Mercenaries is the future of World of Tanks on home consoles. Expect more electrifying Mercenaries content in the future, including new additions to the Mercenary Tech Tree, new Crews, new maps and regular in-game events.
June 26, 2018 – Get ready to fight for your life on July 12th as Multiverse Inc. releases Seeking Dawn – its sprawling, VR, feast-for-the-eyes – on Oculus and HTC Vive, with support for PlayStation VR launching later this year.
In this first-of-its-kind, full-length, VR title, players will be able to dive into a rich single-player story, or partner with up-to three others to experience 20-hours in a single playthrough of heart-pounding, adrenaline-inducing, multiplayer battles in a sprawling Survival setting. By partnering with friends or finding teams through online match-ups, squads can work together and develop advanced tactics to flank and outmaneuver opponents to gain the upperhand. A sophisticated AI will see enemies adapt to every fighting style, ensuring that combat is kept challenging and unexpected as players must find new ways to survive deadly encounters.
Set in the technologically advanced but war-torn 23rd century, join James Weston on assignment as he investigates the disappearance of an allied team on an alien world where opposing military forces are rumored to be active. With only the voice of his ship’s testy captain in his earpiece to keep him company, Weston will have to piece together various clues about what transpired on this planet, with his journey taking him from eerie caverns to otherworldly forests and beyond, and uncover deadly secrets that will turn the tide of war.
Seeking Dawn is available for pre-order at $35.00USD on the Multiverse Inc. website, which allows the first 500 early adopters to jump into the beta ahead of the crowd. This sprawling, VR survival game will be available on July 12th, 2018 on Oculus and Steam for $39.99USD.
BURBANK, Calif.–June 26, 2018— Nickelodeon is bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, INVADER ZIM and more to life at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2018 through one-of-a-kind virtual and real-world experiences that will have fans saying, “Cowabunga”! Headquartered at its 1,800 square-foot booth (#4113) on the convention floor, Nickelodeon will showcase: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the all-new, reimagined series that follows the band of brothers as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City;the upcoming INVADER ZIM original TV movie; the return of Double Dare, a reboot of the iconic game show; the hit animated series The Loud House, which follows 11-year-old Lincoln Loud’s life with his 10 sisters;and Reptar from Rugrats, who will tower over Nick’s space.
Select fans have the opportunity to interact with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live,” a virtual reality experience that immerses users in the Turtles’ iconic New York City world and allows them to have a conversation with Mikey or Donnie—voiced live on the scene by Brandon Mychal Smith and Josh Brener, respectively. More details will be available soon for this off-site opportunity.
The “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live” experience is created by Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab, the network’s division that spearheads research and development efforts around new technologies such as virtual reality, mixed-reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence for Nick and its audience. Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab debuted Slime Zone, its first social virtual reality experience at IMAX VR centres globally in 2018, and recently announced a financial investment in Dreamscape Immersive, the location-based VR startup, whereby both entities have committed to produce an experience using Nick’s IP for kids and families.
Each day of the Comic-Con International convention, Nickelodeon’s booth will feature: a towering New York City cityscape, featuring the bright lights, energy and iconic billboards of Times Square; a hidden Turtles lair, housing a gif opportunity; the Double Dare hamster wheel, where fans can take photos with the iconic obstacle course challenge; a photo opportunity with life-size characters from The Loud House; a 23-foot-tall, Reptar hovering above a retail area; INVADER ZIM-themed transaction zone, featuring exclusive Nick-themed collectibles and custom t-shirts and totes; costumed-character appearances; and autograph signings with the voice casts and creators from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, INVADER ZIM, SpongeBob SquarePants and more.
Nickelodeon will present two panels: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, featuring the new voice cast and a sneak peek at the upcoming series; and INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus!, a reunion with the original voice cast celebrating the new TV movie.
The following is the full rundown of Nickelodeon’s activations:
PANELS
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Thursday, July 19,1:45p.m. – 2:45p.m. (Room: 6A): Rise up! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back with Nickelodeon’s brand-new mutation of New York’s half-shell heroes with a panel that celebrates the latest incarnation of Turtles and reinvention of the world famous franchise. Joining the discussion is the new voice cast–Omar Miller as Raph, Ben Schwartz as Leo, Josh Brener as Donnie, Brandon Mychal Smith as Mikey, Kat Graham as April O’Neil, and Eric Bauza as Splinter–along with the co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, and legendary voice director Rob Paulsen. The panel will feature never-before-seen clips from the upcoming series and be moderated by Keely Flaherty (BuzzFeed).
INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus!
Friday, July 20, 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. (Room: 6A): Fans will strap on their tuna-filled jetpack, prepare their bladders for imminent release, and start singing the doom song as their favorite Irken invader returns to San Diego with a panel that dives into Nickelodeon’s forthcoming new movie, INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus. Original series creator Jhonen Vasquez, art director Jenny Goldberg, and voice talent–Richard Horvitz (ZIM), Rikki Simons (GIR), Wally Wingert (Almighty Tallest Red) and Kevin McDonald(Almighty Tallest Purple)–will present behind-the-scenes art and exclusive brand-new footage. The panel will be moderated by Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry, Nerdist).
DAILY BOOTH ACTIVITY
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Experience: Attendees can step inside the Turtles’ secret lair under the streets of New York City for a gif opportunity.
Double Dare Hamster Wheel: Fans can take photos with the iconic obstacle course challenge.
The Loud House Photo Opp. Enter the Loud family’s living room, sit on the couch and take a group photo with Lincoln Loud and his 10 sisters.
Customized T-Shirt and Tote Station: Fans can purchase a t-shirt and tote from the retail shop and customize it on the spot with characters and art from their choice of seven fan-favorite Nick shows: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, Double Dare, INVADER ZIM, Hey Arnold! and Rugrats
Autograph Signings: Signing opportunities with Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice talent and executive producers, SpongeBob SquarePants’ Tom Kenny, INVADER ZIM voice talent and creator, and the Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel cast.
Costumed-Character Appearances: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel will make appearances at Nick’s booth at select times during the convention.
Retail: Attendees can purchase Comic-Con exclusive figures and collectibles, the summer edition of the Nick Box, t-shirts, pins and more.
Giveaways: Enter for a chance to win special prizes over the course of the convention.
Nickelodeon, now in its 39th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years.
20th Century Fox has released a new, red band trailer for Shane Black’s upcoming The Predator, due out in theaters September 14, 2018.
And for fans headed to San Diego Comic-Con next month, the cast and filmmakers will be presenting exclusive, new film footage in Hall H on Thursday, July 19th. Stay tuned for more info. Additionally, they have released a new poster to go with this trailer!
Rotterdam, The Netherlands – June 26, 2018 – Today SOEDESCO and Triangle Studios announced that gamers can soon hit the road in trucking experience Truck Driver! Unlike any other trucking experience, Truck Driver is completely focused on the career mode. By valuing the ‘game’ aspects over the ‘simulation’ aspects, SOEDESCO aspires to bring the fun-factor back into the trucking genre. The game will be available both digitally and physically, for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, PlayStation®4 as well as PS4 Pro, and Steam®.
Watch the teaser trailer:
The story behind Truck Driver
SOEDESCO released a video today in which they give a look behind the scenes at developer Triangle Studios and show some of the first Truck Driver gameplay footage. In the video they explain that Truck Driver focuses on the player’s experience as a truck driver and their interaction with the local community. Players get to meet all sorts of unique characters and build relationships with them by successfully completing transport jobs, to fully experience the eventful career life of a trucker.
Additionally, CEO of developer Triangle Studios Remco de Rooij shares that they gained a lot of experience from their previous collaboration with SOEDESCO, which inspires them to approach the process a bit differently this time. For example, they promise to involve the community more closely in the development process and point out that they will invite field experts to help them create a great truck driving experience.
Truck Driver features:
Enjoy a trucking experience focused on your career as a truck driver
Build stronger relationships with the local community with each job
Customize your truck with tons of parts and tune it to your liking
Explore a vast open world and watch it progress with you
Navigate through beautiful landscapes and fully explorable cities.
