NEW MULTIPLAYER AND COMMUNITY UPDATES ACCELERATE GAS GUZZLERS EXTREME ON STEAM 

Veteran publisher Iceberg Interactive released a significant update today to its combat racing game Gas Guzzlers Extreme (PC) via Steam, highlighted by new voting options and in-game chat functions to improve multiplayer functionality, new camera angles, and more. Gas Guzzlers Extreme is developed by accomplished Croatian game studio Gamepires, and provides gamers with a multitude of thrilling combat racing single-player and multiplayer modes.

The new updates include:

• Muting/unmuting voice chat enabled
• Kick voting feature added
• Number of laps in racing modes can be changed through voting
• Implemented various new camera angles
• Car horns implemented

“Iceberg Interactive and Gamepires are dedicated to continually adding content and updating the franchise, to satisfy our ever-expanding fan-base,” Iceberg Interactive CEO Erik Schreuder said. “These updates are just the tip of the iceberg (pun intended).”

The full 1.0.4 patch log can be found in the Steam Community Hub here (steamcommunity.com/app/243800/announcements).

Gas Guzzlers Extreme can be purchased in the Steam store page here: store.steampowered.com/app/243800. Gamers interested in a boxed copy of the game can purchase Gas Guzzlers Extreme in retail or from the Iceberg shop, www.iceberg-games.com.

Stake Your Claim in 1849, A Gold Rush City Management Sim Coming to PC, Mac, and Tablets in May

Be one of the first to find gold in early access beta, on sale now at IndieGameStand.com

SAN FRANCISCO – February 19, 2014 – “There’s gold in them thar hills!” In 1849, hundreds of prospectors flocked into California with dreams of striking it rich in the Gold Rush. In May 2014, indie developer SomaSim plans to recapture that thrilling era with 1849, a city management game for PCs, Macs, iPads, and Android tablets — but brave pioneers can grab a pickaxe and start digging for gold today in an early access beta for PC & Mac: https://indiegamestand.com/store/788/1849/

With all of the peril and possibility of the new frontier, 1849 challenges players to build a thriving mining empire in 19th century California. Inspired by SimCity and other classic simulation games, 1849 is set within 20 real Gold Rush-era cities, each with unique topography and natural resources that influence how they grow. Transform Northern California from a rugged backwater into an economic powerhouse: build mines, establish farms, attract workers and keep up with their ever-increasing needs, set up trade networks from the High Sierras to San Francisco and beyond — and best of all, strike it rich!

With a campaign mode featuring 20 unique scenarios and an endless sandbox mode, 1849 promises hours of addictive fun in a compact indie package. Screenshots released today show off the Old West flavor of 1849‘s mining camps. Other locations will include wooded outposts, riverside settlements, and bustling cities, all with a rich visual style informed by surviving Gold Country architecture and period photographs. Catch a glimpse of 1849‘s detailed world at the official website: http://www.somasim.com/1849

SomaSim’s founders, Robert Zubek and Matthew Viglione, have been fans of simulation games since childhood, when they enjoyed games like Caesar, Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and SimCity on computers that could be overpowered by today’s tablets. With 1849 they are striving to create an experience as immersive as those classics, and just as fun in small bursts as in marathon sessions.

The $9.99 early access beta (https://indiegamestand.com/store/788/1849/) starts players out with five scenarios and will add 15 more over the next three months. Eager to build an active community of 1849 prospectors and pioneers, SomaSim will use beta players’ feedback and suggestions to refine the final game between now and its May release. 1849 is also up for voting on Steam Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=217009121

About SomaSim

SomaSim is a San Francisco-based indie studio founded in 2013 to create immersive simulation games for modern devices and audiences. Their first game will be the Gold Rush-themed 1849, releasing for PC, Mac, iPad, and Android tablets in May 2014. Lead developer Robert Zubek has previously worked at EA, Three Rings Design, and most recently Zynga, where he was a founding team member on both CityVille and Farmville 2. Writer and designer Matthew Viglione comes from a book publishing background and has extensive experience working in non-profits. Together they designed 1849 to recapture the magic of the simulation games they loved as kids. Learn more at http://somasim.com.

SomaSim Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somasimgames

SomaSim Twitter: https://twitter.com/somasim_games

TEAM NINJA AND DARK HORSE COMICS LAUNCH PART TWO OF THE YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z DIGITAL COMIC SERIES

A River of Fire Awaits Yaiba as The Legend of the “Heartless” Sword Continues 

Team NINJA and Dark Horse Comics today launched part two of the three-part YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z digital comic series continuing the saga of the cyborg ninja’s legendary sword named “Heartless”. Part two finds Yaiba continuing on his quest to attain the mystical “Heartless” sword, encountering a new ally along his way. With different motivations, but both ultimately in the name of revenge, the two must work together in unexpected ways to conquer “the River of Three Crossings” and reach the Storm Temple.

Initially released digitally with an all-new full color print comic to be available with first run retail releases of the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft versions on March 18, 2014, the series is brought to life by Writers Tim Seeley and Josh Emmons, Artist Rafael Ortiz, Colorist Carlos Badilla with special cover art by James Harren. The comic will be available for free download at the Dark Horse Digital Store, www.digital.darkhorse.com, as well as through the Dark Horse Comics app (available through iTunes & Google Play). Additional information can be found at: https://digital.darkhorse.com/profile/4128.yaiba-ninja-gaiden-z-2/.

In YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z, players will battle fierce zombies as Yaiba, a cyborg ninja who will do anything to get revenge and stay alive. Cleaved in two, he is brought back to life with cyber-technology. Brandishing his ninja sword and the mecha weapons in his cyber arm, he slaughters zombies with brutal, over-the-top abandon. Step into a stylized living comic book where stunning graphics depict a world gone mad. Hordes of undead can only be stopped by Yaiba’s willingness to use any means necessary to get the job done. Will he kill by turning his cyber arm into a razor chainsaw for slicing up undead—or just rip off an opponent’s arms to use as zombie nunchucks? Both possibilities fill Yaiba’s heart with twisted laughter in this collaboration between famed developers Team NINJA and comcept’s Keiji Inafune.

YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z will be available for the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft March 18, 2014 and Steam® (PC) on March 21, 2014. This title has been rated M (Mature) by the ESRB.

For access to the cover and first two pages of the issue #2 of the YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z digital comic, visit: https://app.box.com/s/97sezw4p7z45pu7onf88

More information about YAIBA: NINJA GAIDEN Z can be found at www.YaibaNGZ.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ and Twitter https://twitter.com/YaibaNGZ.

For more news about Team NINJA, visit http://teamninja-studio.com, and don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/teamninjastudio and follow us on Twitter @TeamNINJAStudio.