Primal Carnage is Releasing on October 29th

Oct 24, 2012

The thunderous rumbling of prehistoric beasts is upon us – Reverb Publishing and Lukewarm Media are pleased to announce that Primal Carnage will be shipping to PCs everywhere on Monday, October 29th. Gaming journalists and lucky beta participants have been enraptured with the vicious and quick-paced combat found in Primal Carnage, and in less than a week gamers everywhere will be able to take on each other in a class-based multiplayer experience 65 million years in the making.

Primal Carnage can be pre-ordered now at the Primal Carnage website, Steam, GameStop, GamersGate, and Rain. When players pre-order they will have instant access to the beta as well as receiving an exclusive in-game feathered raptor skin to be made available when the game launches. More information on the beta can be found here.

Primal Carnage is the dinosaur title for which the world has been waiting. Dinosaurs take center stage in this class-based online multiplayer shooter featuring fast-paced combat between a team of humans brave enough to stand toe-to-toe with hordes of some of the most vicious animals ever to walk the face of the earth. Players can choose to take on both sides of the battle as either the human classes utilizing an arsenal of distinct and unique weaponry or inhabit the body of one of these menacing and powerful dinosaurs intent on leaving a trail of blood and destruction in their wake.

Primal Carnage key features include:

• Rendered in stunning beauty using the Unreal Engine, players will wage war between man and beast in five large, open and varied environments
• 10 playable classes (five Human, five Dinosaur), each with unique skills and abilities
• Play from both first-person (Human) and third-person (Dinosaur) perspectives providing a contrasting gameplay experience for both teams
• Multiple achievements and an extensive DLC roadmap

MSI Reloads Arsenal of Gaming Laptops with Windows 8

Oct 24, 2012

“MSI’s combination of superior gaming components and an upgraded operating system allows users to fully immerse in the gaming world without sacrificing affordability and performance,” said Andy Tung, vice president of sales for MSI US.  “Windows has been a staple in the personal computing world and the new version promises to improve performance and re-engage users through a new interface.”

Halo 4 gets a Season Pass, called War Games Map Pass

Oct 24, 2012

With the highly anticipated launch of “Halo 4” on Nov. 6 less than two weeks away, Microsoft and 343 Industries today unveiled that there will be more content to come in the months post-launch, and the “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass is your ticket to getting it all at a 15 percent discount. Stoking the excitement for launch, 343 Industries also premiered the gameplay launch trailer for “Halo 4, available now on Halo Waypoint.

Retailing for $24.99 USD (2,000 Microsoft Points), the “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass confirms your access to three War Games map packs as they become available in December, February and April, and represents a savings of more than 15 percent versus purchasing the packs individually. In addition, Map Pass purchasers will receive two bonus in-game helmets, as well as a unique in-game emblem.

Exploring new worlds and wonders, all three Map Packs provide classic “Halo” combat and exciting ways to experience the new feature-set of “Halo” Infinity Multiplayer. Descriptions and tentative release dates are as follows:

• Crimson Map Pack (December release timeframe)

o   Maps: Wreckage, Harvest, Shatter

o   Description: Witness the chaos of a clash of civilizations in Wreckage, with its blend of claustrophobic spaces and dangerous exposures and venture into the human colony environs of Harvest, and explore a human foray on an alien moon in Shatter.

• Majestic Map Pack (February release timeframe)

o   Maps: Landfall, Monolith, Skyline

o   Description: Landfall’s emphasis is on infantry battles against a glittering ocean on a distant world, while Monolith exposes you to the naked vacuum of space – and the firepower of opposing teams, and Skyline’s distinctly industrial feel provides new challenges in somewhat familiar, but occasionally confined spaces.

• Castle Map Pack (April release timeframe)

o   Maps: Daybreak, Outcast, Perdition

o   Description: Daybreak is set in a military facility against the backdrop of an idyllic mountain range, while Outcast plunges you into the warrens, canyons and arches of an alien edifice, and Perdition takes players into the heart of an urban sprawl, with tactical speed and situational awareness its key features. 

[box_light]Also included in the “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass are two unique in-game helmets (‘Scanner’ and ‘Strider’) that feature new geometry, and an exclusive in-game emblem (‘Falcon’). The “Halo 4” War Games Map Pass is included as part of the Limited Edition “Halo 4” game.[/box_light]

Battlefield Heroes celebrates Halloween

Oct 24, 2012

Get ready for the fear of the year starting this Friday, October 19th! This Halloween season, EASY Studios will be unleashing a fiendish collection of dark weapons, ghoulish costumes and horrifying new pets for its leading browser-based Play4Free title, Battlefield Heroes. With more than 7 million registered users, Battlefield Heroes offers intense, fast-paced shooter action.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse Multiplayer Screenshots

Oct 23, 2012

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, where there’s tons more in store for gamers in the Multiplayer Challenges. Invite up to four friends to play as Family Guy favorites, including Peter, Brian, Quagmire, Meg and more, as you head into an epic battle or sent on wild team mission. Designed with the fans in mind, the challenges ring true to Family Guy spirit with plenty of unexpected gags and cameos at every turn. There are various challenges, but here’s a few sneak-peek screenshots where wild free-for-all Family Guy madness takes over.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 systems on November 20 in North America. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/Familyguythevideogame. For more information on the animated series, check out www.familyguy.com. This game is rated M (Mature) by the ESRB.

Hillbilly Horrors Halloween Event for Killing Floor

Oct 23, 2012

They are coming. I can hear the distant sound of banjo music and pork rind chomping. It was only a matter of time before it happened… Killing Floor has been overrun by redneck zombies!!! Yep, it is that time of year once again: Halloween. And, here at Tripwire Interactive, we can’t have Halloween without a barrel of fun for Killing Floor. So we’re happier than a pig in slop to bring you the brand new Hillbilly Horrors event, which starts on the 23rd October and runs through to 6th November. Free to everyone who owns Killing Floor, as always. With a big ol’ sale to go along – 75% off Killing Floor and 50% off all DLC for the duration of the event.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/BrCYBWdxrT8]

Elemental: Fallen Enchantress is now available

Oct 23, 2012

Stardock announced today that the long-awaited fantasy strategy PC game, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, is now available. Fallen Enchantress offers players an immersive new world to build or destroy as they try to conquer the land and its inhabitants. Enter the world of Elemental and create a sovereign with unique talents and abilities along with a faction to align yourself with in an effort to bring the world under your control.

The land is not simply waiting to be claimed, it must be conquered. The lands of Elemental are teeming with monsters, bandits and ancient creatures who will not willingly give up their hold on the world.  In addition, other factions are pursuing the same agenda at the same time raising the stakes.

Highlights include:

• A new game every time. Players can choose the world conditions and have a world randomly generated with randomized opponents, monsters and quests.
• Unique factions to play with or against. Each faction has its own special units, abilities and powers that require different strategies to achieve victory – or to resist against.
• Massive scale. Players can zoom in and see individuals working in their cities or zoom out to see the known world presented in a real-time cloth map in one smooth transition.
• Computer players that get better the more you play. The multi-core AI makes use of the character, factions and units players create in previous games.
• Custom Scenarios. In addition to the epic sandbox game, Fallen Enchantress also supports custom scenarios. The game includes the scenario “The Fallen Enchantress” to introduce players to the backstory.
• A strategy game in an RPG world. Fallen Enchantress introduces elements normally found in role playing games such as quests, loot drops, moral dilemmas, unit customization and much more.
• Unique Locations. The world generator will randomly place one of several unique areas that contain special resources to use. These “Wild Lands” have their own powerful guardians who must first be defeated before the treasures within can be exploited.
• Multiple paths to victory. Players can win through diplomacy, questing, sorcery, or good old fashioned military conquest.
• An interactive tutorial. To introduce new players to the world of “4X” strategy games, Fallen Enchantress includes an in-depth tutorial to ease players into the Elemental world.
• Advanced modding tools. The game ships with a rich array of modding tools including a map editor, tile editor and particle editor to provide players with the means to create new races, quests, spells and scenarios which can be easily shared with other players.
• All-star development team. Fallen Enchantress reunites Stardock’s Galactic Civilizations team and is designed by Derek Paxton, the author of the acclaimed Civilization IV mod “Fall From Heaven”. The Fallen Enchantress scenario was created by the Civilization V designer, Jon Shafer, and the lore, backstories, and dialog were written by fantasy author Dave Stern.

Fallen Enchantress is $39.99 new and free for those who purchased War of Magic in 2010.

It is available direct from its home page (www.fallenenchantress.com) as well as on Steam, GameStop, GamersGate and elsewhere.

To learn more:

• Fallen Enchantress homepage: http://www.fallenenchantress.com
• Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/216390
• GameStop: http://www.impulsedriven.com/elementalfe

TERA Unleashes Masquerade Mayhem upon Players Beginning Today

Oct 23, 2012

En Masse Entertainment, the company behind the highly acclaimed action MMO, TERA, is celebrating Halloween with almost two weeks’ worth of spooky in-game events for players to enjoy. Beginning today, TERA players will be able to participate in exclusive Halloween-themed events, which will remain live in game until November 5.

With Masquerade Mayhem, tricks and treats are aplenty. Players will be able to get their tricks by throwing pies at Gourdo, a pumpkin NPC floating from town to town. Pies are collected by slaying monsters in game, with TERA’s famed Big-Ass Monsters dropping the most pies—each pie gives a chance to win a collection of random in-game items, including one of three ghoulish Halloween-themed in-game masks. Show Gourdo no mercy!

It wouldn’t be Halloween without a treat, and players are getting a tasty snack in the form of an all-new dungeon. Their objective in the dungeon? Protect the candy at all costs! If players successfully protect their candy basket from waves of marauding monsters of the macabre, they will be rewarded with Halloween cake, which gives the chance to unlock rare in-game items.

For more information, please visit the Masquerade Mayhem event site: http://tera.enmasse.com/masquerade-mayhem/

Hotline Miami – Out Now, Watch the Launch Trailer

Oct 23, 2012

A splash of neon and blood hits PCs everywhere today with the release of the award winning, top down fuck-‘em up Hotline Miami by Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital. Available now through a variety of digital download retailers for $9.99, Hotline Miami combines breakneck action with stylized visuals and a driving soundtrack layered on an intense narrative that delivers one of the year’s most compelling indie games.

“Development has been both exciting and challenging but we can’t be more thrilled to finally release Hotline Miami,” said developer Jonatan Söderström. “Dennis and I are incredibly proud of the game and are looking forward to people’s reactions to the story and questions posted to the player.”

Gamers will step into the neon-soaked underground of 1980s Miami as bizarre messages on your answering machine seem to be urging you to commit terrible acts of violence against a nameless group of armed thugs. Overflowing with raw brutality and skull crushing close combat, Hotline Miami demands sharp reactions and a creative approach to navigate a gauntlet of 20 multiscreen missions. Wield 35 different weapons, collect 25 game-altering masks, and unveil a dark, surreal storyline that will force you to question your role in this murderous spree.

“Hotline Miami has machine guns, expensive drugs, monster trucks, tiger fur rugs, and an attractive you blonde hungover on your couch,” said Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker. “It’s like they took my weekends and made a video game.” 

[youtube=http://youtu.be/UgXM7ivgYTo]

The hotline itself can be reached by texting +1 786 519 3708 or tweeting @HotlineMiami. Leave a message. Visit HotlineMiami.com for more on the game and Dennaton.com for more on the collaboration between Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin.

Mode 7 opens a music store, Chiptune Rush

Oct 23, 2012

Frozen Synapse developers Mode 7 are proud to unveil their latest side-project: an independent web store for chiptune artists.

Chiptune is, traditionally, music made using the sound chips of vintage computers and game consoles.  Over recent years, the term has come to encompass music that incorporates these sounds but is created on more modern hardware.

It’s a genre which attracts many game composers, Mode 7’s own Paul Taylor (aka nervous_testpilot) among them: his _ensnare_ chiptune side project features prominently on the store; proving decisively that you can never have too many silly aliases.

Also included in the launch line-up is the soundtrack to hit indie game Dustforce by Lifeformed, as well as much of Disasterpiece’s game soundtrack catalogue.

Even if you have no prior knowledge of chiptune it’s easy to take the plunge, as Chiptune Rush offers a free bundle in exchange for signing up for updates:

http://chiptunerush.com/2012/10/free-bundle/

“As are probably not aware, lots of people in the world enjoy music on a daily basis,” blithered Paul Taylor, earlier today.  “We aim to insert glorious square waves into their ears and then wiggle them about a bit until money falls out.  Our plan is to create a one-stop-shop for amazing chip music and help to get some of these brilliant artists the recognition they deserve.”

Take a look over at www.chiptunerush.com

GamrRank Teams With Xfire, Adds Meta-Achievements and More

Oct 22, 2012

GamrRank Adds Xfire

We are excited to announce that we have just teamed up with Xfire, the world’s leading social experience for PC gamers, which allows you to connect with friends directly in-game across more than 2,800 titles. Xfire also tracks all of your in-game hours, screenshots and videos – the perfect ingredients for a killer GamrRank score!

If you haven’t already, download the Xfire client for PC and add it to your GamrRank profile to rank up. It’s free and easy to install and integrate, so get started now!

This is great news for League of Legends and Minecraft fans, as we will now use Xfire data to push up your GamrRank. There are other advantages to Xfire such as the ease of sharing screenshots, video and chatting with friends of those games.

Challenges and Medals Make Gaming Even More Fun

Are you up for a real Challenge? We have just launched a brand new section of GamrRank called Challenges, designed for the achievement hounds out there. Our first feature release for this section will be Medals. Medals are “meta” achievements/trophies across the top of a game or multiple games, and therefore will combine some form of Play and or Say. When you fulfil the requirements of any particular Medal, the Medal will be unlocked into your GamrRank profile and can be shown off to the world.

Medals are there as a way to show off your gaming skills in addition to adding value to your rank. With a Medal in hand you can claim top spot amongst your favourite franchises and be counted high in your gaming communities, clans and friends! Each GamrRank Medal reflects something a little different about you as a gamer but all of them add to your GamrRank.

Perfect every race across the Forza series or get respect from 1000 people, or check out all sorts of other Challenges to see how else you can earn Medals.

We want to hear from you on what type of Medals you want to see, so fill in our handy little form to get your Medals in; you never know – your name might be up in lights!

ASTRO Gaming Supports The Revolution with Assassin’s Creed III with Exclusive Speaker Tags

Oct 22, 2012

ASTRO Gaming, a division of Skullcandy, and creators of premium video gaming equipment for professional gamers, has announced that the studio is supporting the upcoming launch of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III on October 30 with six sets of exclusively designed  speakers tags for its award-winning ASTRO A30 and A40 Audio Systems.  Developed with direct input from Ubisoft, the ASTRO Gaming Assassin’s Creed III speaker tags will feature artwork pulled directly from the game to ensure an authentic and iconic representation of the latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed universe.

“ASTRO Gaming has entirely reinvented what gamers today can expect from a modern gaming headset.  Whether it’s our mobile-fluent and street-savvy ASTRO A30 or our professional grade, audiophile quality ASTRO A40, our headsets and speaker tags deliver unsurpassed audio fidelity, vocal clarity and customizable style,” said Brett Lovelady, Founder of ASTRO Gaming.  “In the same way, Ubisoft has completely redefined action gaming with the Assassin’s Creed franchise.  And, we’re thrilled to be able to offer our fans an opportunity to deck out their cans and show their support for one of the most exciting releases of the year – Assassin’s Creed III.”

ASTRO Gaming speaker tags provide customers with an opportunity to truly personalize their listening experience with magnetically interchangeable custom-made art designed specifically for the studio’s award-winning A30 and A40 headsets.  ASTRO headset owners can create their own speaker tags using the ASTRO Customizer or choose from dozens of pre-existing and highly stylish tags, including several eye-catching series by Upper Playground, iam8bit, Penny Arcade and more.

[box_light]ASTRO Gaming Assassin’s Creed III speaker tags are available now directly through the company website at www.astrogaming.com – three sets for the ASTRO A30 for $19.99 each and three sets for the ASTRO A40 at $24.99 each.  Bundles including the ASTRO A30 and A40 Audio Systems and the Assassin’s Creed III speaker tags are also available for $209.99 and $259.99, respectively. [/box_light]

The Mystical New Shaolin Team is Set to Challenge the Hero Academy!

Oct 22, 2012

Robot Entertainment has announced that a new Shaolin team will be enrolling at the Hero Academy in November. New details offer players a first look at the unique abilities of the combo-focused team. The Shaolin team will be accompanied by the release of new avatars and free Shaolin team-specific challenges.  The Shaolin team also brings with them a free new playing field that will go into automatic rotation for all players. In addition to the deadly new team, a new premium Challenge Collection will be available for 99¢. The Challenge Collection contains 30 challenges that mix and match team units for an exciting twist on Hero Academy’s offline puzzles. The Shaolin team and the new Challenge Collection will be available on Steam and the iOS App Store in November.

The Shaolin Heroic Team Details

From heroic schools in the east comes a balanced team who turns their enemy’s powers against them. The mystical warriors of the Shaolin team have defeated countless enemies in their own land. Now they hope to test their skills at the fabled Hero Academy. The Shaolin’s heroes reduce the strength of their enemies, and can combine their attacks for additional damage.

Team Bonus: Each unique unit that damages an opponent in the same turn deals successively higher damage.

Heroes

• Monk – A melee brawler whose attack reduce a single enemy’s maximum health by 25%.
• Windblade – Her attack chains to additional enemies.
• Poisoner – Her attack weakens the opponent’s Defense and Resist.
• Taoist – A Healer who can resurrect, clear debuffs from allies, and remove buffs from enemies.
• Shadow – Turns the tide of battle by reviving KO’d units into specters to fight on his side. 

Spells and Equipment 

• Dragon – Cast this spell to summon a dragon that breathes fire along a row, dealing damage to three squares directly in front of the target.
• Combo Potion – A consumable that heals an ally for 1000 health and makes their next attack worth two combo points.
• Bamboo – Place a destructible bamboo tile that blocks enemy line of sight.