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Archived News:
BANDAI NAMCO announces PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2, a new installment in the
maze-running series that started back in the pre-arcade days. This is coming in
September to PCs via Steam as well as to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Here's
a trailer
showing off the latest incarnation in the series, and here's word:
Currently under development at BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. in Tokyo, Japan;
PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2 features new eye-popping 3D mazes with unique
visuals, a wide variety of dynamic mazes, the new ability to bump ghosts, and
the addition of intense giant sized ghost boss battles. PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP
EDITION 2 will also build upon PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX’s “Chain Eating”
mechanics by enabling fans to build up to four ghost trains before chowing down
for maximum chompage points. PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2 returns with the fan
favorite Score Attack mode where players need to gather as many points within a
specified time and a new Adventure mode that will have players chasing fast
moving fruit, battling big bad bosses, and experiencing fun new ways of playing
PAC-MAN.
“Terrific gameplay is always in fashion and after 36 years as a videogame icon,
PAC-MAN still brings fun and smiles to the faces of countless gamers around the
world.” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing at BANDAI NAMCO
Entertainment America Inc. “PAC-MAN has always promoted friendly competition,
and we’re chomping at the bit to see PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION 2 ignite
friendly rivalries among friends and families to achieve the highest score.”
Continue here to read the full story.
UbiBlog
announces the release of Anno 2205: Orbit, the second DLC pack for
the strategy sequel. Here's word on the DLC and the accompanying patch:
Anno 2205: Orbit – Anno’s second major DLC release – is now available,
along with a free update for all Anno 2205 players. In Anno 2205: Orbit, players
will leave the confines of the planet and head towards space, where they will be
tasked with building and maintaining a modular space station. Before getting
there, they’ll have to train and prepare their citizens on the planet below for
life amongst the stars by placing Orbital Institutes in their cities, as well as
Arctic and Moon sectors. Doing so creates three types of astronauts – biologist,
physicist, and engineer – that represent different facets of the space station.
Upon entering orbit for the first time, players will have access to the space
station’s main module. From there, they can unlock up to 12 different module
types to build, customize, and optimize their station. As the station grows,
players can earn additional Expertise, which can then be used to unlock new
bonus effects for other regions via the Nexus.
Even if you don’t own an Anno 2205 Season Pass, the patch arriving alongside the
Orbit DLC will have some new features, including Steam achievements and
time-limited summer events with new ornaments. For more information on Anno
2205, check out our previous coverage:
A first developer diary
video for Urban Empire, the upcoming simulation publisher Kalypso Media and
developer Reborn call a "city ruler." They also announce a January 17, 1017
release date and that pre-purchases of the game are now being accepted
on Steam, an advance
commitment that comes with a 15% discount and a Half Timbered Building Pack with
some rustic buildings. Here's word on the game's loose take on politics that
puts you in command of a 200 year mayoral dynasty: In Urban Empire you
take control of a mayoral dynasty and lead your city and people through 200
years of history. Establish infrastructures, plan city districts, debate
political decisions at the town council, bribe or blackmail your opponents,
empower the democratic rights of your people or ignore them and reign supremely
by yourself – the decision is yours!
Beginning in the 1820s, establish your city through five different eras, each
with its own threats and opportunities. Master the challenges of the centuries,
face political struggles, experience world-changing events and pioneering
inventions, and create your own unique Urban Empire!
Urban Empire is a city ruler, pioneering a new breed of strategy game that
combines city builder features with political scheming and adds profound social
and historical events into the mix, creating a whole new gameplay experience
where players must employ strategic planning and political savvy to successfully
grow their cities in their role as Mayor.
Continue here to read the full story.
There's more on the upcoming season 7 for Diablo III
on Battle.net where they
outline the rewards for participants. They say the new season is coming soon, as
version 2.4.2 is now on the PTR, and they
previously
announced season 7 will begin on August 7th. Here's word on this season's
cosmetic rewards: "In Season 7, we’re continuing the tradition of introducing
new cosmetic rewards with each Season! In addition to an exclusive Portrait
Frame and the usual rotating pieces of the Conqueror’s Transmogrification set,
Season 7 will include a unique cosmetic pet for players who complete the fourth
chapter of the Season Journey."
Publisher Square Enix and developer DONTDOD Entertainment announce that the
first episode of Life is Strange will be released tomorrow as a free download
for Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
This trailer
celebrates the news with a look at the game and its accolades. "By making the
first episode of Life is Strange free, we’re really excited to welcome new
players to the world of Arcadia Bay and our passionate, vibrant community," said
Square Enix's Jon Brooke. "We’re incredibly pleased with the awards that the
series has won to date as well as the support that our community have given us
throughout the campaign." Here's a refresher on the game: LIFE IS STRANGE
follows the story of Max Caulfield, a photography senior who discovers she can
rewind time while saving her best friend Chloe Price. The pair soon finds
themselves investigating the mysterious disappearance of fellow student Rachel
Amber, uncovering a dark side to life in Arcadia Bay.
Continue here to read the full story.
A
tweet from Rocket League announces another new milestone for the surprise
mechanized sports game. Word is: "Congrats everyone! We've officially reached 19
million players for Rocket League! We are humbled by your passion. Thank you!"
Thanks
GameSpot.
Blizzard announces to
mark this year's 25th anniversary of the company they have unveiled a giant
Arthas statue in Taiwan, saying this bad boy stands 14 feet tall and weighs two
tons. They say this celebration will extend to Heroes of the Storm in an
upcoming patch for the MOBA, offering
this previously released
trailer to show off a related mount and skin combo coming this month. Word
is: "To coincide with the introduction of Arthas to the real world, we are also
bringing an epic new Mystic Kingdoms Arthas skin and Crimson Hare mount combo to
the Nexus based on the iconic East Asian hero, Guan Yu! The new Mystic Kingdoms
Arthas skin embodies Guan Yu’s honor, loyalty, and strength and has been made a
reality thanks to a collaboration between the artists at Blizzard Entertainment
and our partner in China, NetEase Games." Continue here to read the full story.
Happy birthday to my good buddy MrKawfy! Looking forward to seeing him to
celebrate, but in the meantime, let me take this opportunity to wish him well
and remind him that he is still a monkey.
R.I.P.:
Pro Skier Dies During Film Shoot for Ubisoft's New Game Steep. Thanks
Player Attack.
R.I.P.:
Garry Marshall, 'Happy Days' creator and 'Pretty Woman' director dies at 81.
The new patch is live in the Windows edition of Overwatch, updating
Blizzard's multiplayer shooter and adding Ana, a support
sniper who is the game's newest character. The new version also brings other promised
changes, including a new restriction for competitive mode that only allows one
of each character on each team. There are also changes to make overtimes to go
faster and a bunch of hero balance tweaks, including buffs for D.Va and
Zenyatta.
This post has the complete patch notes.
Developer nDreams announces the release of The Assembly, their "first-person
interactive story" that has an optional virtual reality upgrade for Oculus Rift
and HTC Vive. They celebrate the news with
this
trailer they say spotlights the game's "thought-provoking story and tense
atmosphere." The Assembly is available from
Steam,
Oculus,
Green Man Gaming,
Humble Store, and
GamersGate. Here's word: With The Assembly, nDreams have set out to make the most convincing
interactive story in VR to date by combining realistic graphics with life-like
positional audio and an intuitive in-game UI. Even so, every interactive story
needs a narrative that captures the player’s imagination, which is why The
Assembly has been set against a backdrop of current events and real-life
societal anxieties. In today’s world, life-changing technology is being
developed at a rate where laws and institutions can’t keep up. This can lead to
all kinds of difficult decisions regularly being made by people on all ends of
the spectrum and in The Assembly, players will need to make tough choices that
have repercussions in the game. Having this as the foundation for The Assembly’s
story allows the game’s creators to ask players whether it's possible for one
person to make a real difference, while also challenging their views of the
Assembly and its members.
nDreams has designed The Assembly to be an ideal introduction to virtual
reality, but one that gamers will still recognize as a fully-fledged videogame.
The game includes a range of control schemes to suit both novice and more
experienced VR gamers alike, enabling players to freely explore The Assembly’s
cohesive world in comfort, without ever having to leave their chair.
Continue here to read the full story.
Stardock now offers new Campaign DLC for The Political Machine 2016, adding
historical candidates and other new features to their election simulator. These
politicians come to the present with their own viewpoints on current issues,
allowing them to participate in the 2016 election. The DLC also adds a ladder
and other new challenges.
This page has all the details and links on where to purchase this.
Simultaneously, Stardock
also announces the release of a new patch to update the base game to version
1.2. This adds ranked multiplayer matchmaking, an election simulation mode, and
the "Brexit" as a new event ripped from recent headlines.
Slitherine announces the release of Old Grudges Never Die, the debut episode of
Command LIVE, an expansion for Command: Modern/Air Naval Operations that brings
scenarios based on recent real-world conflicts to the strategy game.
This page has the details and a
recent trailer, and
here's word: The first DLC to be released under this name is Old Grudges
Never Die. Players take control of either Russian or Turkish forces in the
attempt to maintain national honor and pride, while keeping a lid on hostilities
to prevent the outbreak of larger conflict.
This scenario follows on from the real events of November 2015, when a Russian
Su-24 was shot down by a Turkish F-16. The consequent geopolitical situation and
the interests at stake, including the involvement of NATO, Syrian and rebel
forces and ISIS, create a set of circumstances where every false move can end up
in a bloodshed.
Continue here to read the full story.
Blizzard is getting set to launch season 7 for Diablo III (they grow up
so fast don't they?) and to help players prepare, they have issued a
an article with a first
look at what to expect. Here's a bit on what's changed from last season:
Similarly, the steps that unlock Haedrig’s Gift, a special bundle of Set
items unlocked throughout the Season Journey, will differ slightly with this
season. Rather than tying the rewards to specific steps of the Season Journey,
Haedrig’s Gifts are now tied to completing certain chapters. Remember that each
bundle will contain two (or, in some cases, three) pieces of one of your class
sets.
Chapters II, III, and IV will all reward you with one Haedrig’s Gift. In
addition, Chapter IV will also be the reward step for the new Portrait and
cosmetic item for Season 7. We’ll go over these rewards in more detail in the
Season Reward blog.
Steam News announces the
release of I am Setsuna,
calling this "a great homage to the JRPG masterpieces of yesteryear," and saying
it is "inspired by the timeless classic Chrono Trigger."
This post has more details, and here's a bit: I am Setsuna tells the
story of Setsuna; a young woman of incredible inner strength and the sacrifice
she must make to save the people of her land. She lives on an island and this
island had a custom.
To maintain peace, once a decade, a sacrifice was offered to a fiend on the
island. However, one year, the fiend grew violent before the next sacrifice was
due. Those living on the island were afraid and tried to calm the fiend by
offering a sacrifice; Setsuna, chosen because of her powers of enchantment.
Setsuna must leave with her safeguards for the farthest land, where the ceremony
of sacrifice will be held.
Videogamer has word from Capcom that the original Dead Rising is
coming to PCs as well as Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (thanks nin). They also tell
them Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is coming to Xbox One and PS4, but it
is not clear if either of these will be a remaster or just a port of the
original. Word from the developer/publisher is, "Capcom will be bringing Dead
Rising to Xbox One, PS4 and PC. In addition, Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2:
Off the Record will make their way onto Xbox One and PS4. We will have more news
to share soon."
GSC Game World announces a September 20th release date for Cossacks 3,
the next installment in their Windows real-time strategy series. Here's the
info-packed announcement: Today GSC Game World announces the release date
of the sequel to the award winning Cossacks series, Cossacks 3. It will launch
worldwide on the 20th of September 2016, exclusively for PC at retail. Leaning
on the history of the 17th and 18th century, the real time strategy game awakens
colossal mass battles with up to 10,000 soldiers simultaneously on the
battlefield.
This remake of the classic game, that originally launched in 2000, contains all
of the elements that distinguish the successful Cossacks games and combines them
with contemporary 3D-graphics. Cossacks 3 provides the player with infinite
tactical options, including not only the construction of buildings, the
production of raw materials, but also the broad selection of various units and
the influence of the landscape.
Twelve nations, 70 different unit types, 100 research opportunities, and over
140 different historical buildings are available to the player. Besides the
battles ashore, players can build an armada and attack their enemies at sea.
Cossacks 3 offers five historic single player-campaigns and up to eight players
can fight each other in multiplayer-mode on one map. The player can forge
alliances with or against others as well as challenge the computer. Randomly
generated maps provide endless variations and can be adapted to the gamer’s
needs.
FEATURES RECAP
- 12 nations
- 70 different types of units
- 100 research opportunities
- 140 different historic buildings
- Battles ashore and at sea
- Five historic singleplayer campaigns
- Multiplayer mode for up to 8 players
A new Maserati DLC pack for
Car Mechanic Simulator 2015
is now available on Steam
for the Windows and OS X garage sim. As can be inferred from the name, this
offers the chance to get in on the big bucks fixing exotic imports. The pack
includes the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale, the Maserati Sebring, and the
Maserati Quattroporte, and word is, "Experience them in superb quality and
astonishing level of details. Repair, drive, buy, sell and contemplate them." Here's
a trailer. Continue here to read the full story.
-
Flat Heroes -- Steam Greenlight. "Flat Heroes is a minimalistic, super
intense action game starring squares for 1 to 4 players. It features a
delightful control that allows players to move around the scenario in a
super fluid way allowing them to beat all the challenging scenarios that its
cooperative mode offers." Here's
a trailer.
- Crucial Ballistix Elite Memory DDR4-2666 BLE2K8G4D26AFEA on
Benchmark Reviews.
- EVGA X99 FTW K Motherboard on
Modders-Inc.
- HiFiMAN Edition X Planar Magnetic Headphones on
techPowerUp.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Graphics Card on
Hardware Asylum,
Hardware Canucks,
HardwareHeaven,
LAN OC,
Overclockers Club,
PCGamesN,
PC Perspective,
Phoronix (Linux),
Techgage,
techPowerUp,
TechSpot, and
Vortez.
- OnePlus 3 Smartphone on
Techgage.
- QNAP TurboNAS TS-531P-8G NAS Server on
Nikk Tech.
- Razer ManO'War Headset on
Vortez.
- Seagate BarraCuda Pro 10TB Helium HDD Capsule on
AnandTech.
- SilentiumPC Fortis 3 Malik Customs Cooler on
Technic3D.
- SteelSeries Apex M500 Keyboard on
pcGameware.
- Tesoro GRAM Spectrum RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard on
Legit Reviews.
A few years ago I was put on to the fact that the Logitech G400 mouse was the
current incarnation of the beloved MX518 model of days gone by. I recently
cleaned some palm salsa off the old dear, which got me to thinking I should
worry about its eventual replacement. Turns out I am already behind the curve,
as these are already discontinued, and the remaining stock has been marked up
considerably. What they say is the current model of this mouse is the G402,
which has a different appearance and somewhat different specs, so I'm not sure
how similar this actually is to what I want. On the bright side, I don't
actually need a replacement right now, so I have some time to figure this out.
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