Paramount Pictures Australia have released the official teaser poster (visible to the right, click to enlarge) for Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson & Anthony Hopkins.
The film is a high budget, action-heavy take around the biblical tale of the titular hero (played by Crowe), who built the Ark in order to protect Earth’s inhabitants – or, at least two of each species – from the coming Great Flood. We all know the story, but it will be interesting to see a big screen version from such a phenomenal director… it has to be better than Evan Almighty, right?
NOAH comes out on the 27th of March, 2014. The first trailer will be unleashed tomorrow, but in the mean time, Paramount have also shared two 6-second teaser clips to whet the appetite. I nearly wrote “wet” there instead… you know, because of the water and all… aren’t you proud of my restraint?! Anyway, check them out below (one in-line, the next embedded at the bottom).
Are you a beach person? Nah, me neither… the sand, the blue bottles… who needs it?! I’m not getting pissed on! But, a virtual beach where I don’t have to worry about cleaning sand out of, well, crevices… I’d readily become a digital beach bum. And with Rockstar‘s free November 19 (the 20th for ANZ) GTA Online ‘Beach Bum’ update, you’ll want to do the same. New customisation options will allow you to wear suitably rad hairstyles, apparel and tattoo appropriate for a day in the sun. There’s also new weapons, jobs and vehicles being included. Read on for the official breakdown from the developers themselves.
New Jobs
The Beach Bum update will bring a slew of new action-packed Jobs to GTA Online next week. These include new beach-themed Races, Deathmatches, Parachutes, Last Team Standings, Survivals as well as Gang Attacks for those who enjoy a good territorial skirmish.
Better not kick sand in the wrong face. Beach blankets may run red by the time the sun sets on Vespucci.
Here are just a few of our favourite new ones that are on the way:
“Grass Route II” (Race): In this sequel to the original popular Grass Route Race, go off-road in an epic heat starting on the North bank of the Zancudo River through the treacherous wetlands with a triumphant finish on the beach in North Chumash.
“Survival on Del Perro Pier” (Survival): Skip the ferris wheel for a deadlier kind of thrill ride as you take on waves of relentless enemies at this beach-front attraction.
“View of Vespucci” (Parachuting): This leap sends you from 2,980 feet, down towards Vespucci Beach, weaving through palm trees to land on the basketball courts of the rec centre. If you’ve got skills, it’s possible to freefall through the first few checkpoints before even opening your chute.
“Paleto Beach” (Team Deathmatch): The locals complain that not a lot happens in this sleepy town, so do them a favor and wake ’em up with a barrage of gunfire exchanged between you and a rival team. This Team Deathmatch takes place right on the romantic shoreline for 4-8 players.
“Sundae Driving” (Bike Race): Sure to be a new fan-favourite motorbike race, menace Vespucci Beach on your two-wheel rocket, taking breakneck corners as you try and best the competition.
Expect these and lots more Jobs to be added to Grand Theft Auto Online next week.
New Vehicles
Hit the shore with four sand-and-surf-ready vehicles perfect to take on the all new Beach Bum Races and Vehicle Deathmatches: the BF Bifta dune buggy, the rugged Canis Kalahari off-road truck, the Bravado Paradise beach camper van and making a special return to the GTA series, the fast and stylish Speeder speedboat. All four vehicles will be available at no in-game cost, with the land-based vehicles accessible from the southernsanandreassuperautos.com website and the Speeder available via docktease.com on your in-game phone (call Pegasus for delivery). These vehicles are also available in Story Mode for Michael, Trevor and Franklin to enjoy – to access them, visit your garage property and the Marina property for the vehicles and the boat respectively.
Take to the seas and waterways in the classic, nimble Speeder.
New Weapons
Expand your arsenal with two new free weapons – the compact yet deadly SNS Pistol and the brutal new Broken Bottle melee weapon which is quite effective at delivering the appropriate message in up close and personal encounters. Each weapon will be available gratis from any Ammu-Nation location in GTA Online and will be added straight into each of the three characters’ inventory in Story Mode.
Beach bums with attitude. Hit the coast with all new customization options to style up your GTA Online character.
New Customization Options
You’ll be able to deck out your GTA Online character with all new beach-ready customization options including stylish board shorts, neon surfer attire, wild tribal tattoos, shaggy hair for that West Coast laissez-faire vibeand more…
This is just the first of many new content updates we’re working on for Grand Theft Auto Online in the weeks and months ahead. Please stay tuned here at the Newswire for word on the forthcoming Content Creator, full on cooperative Heists, and GTA Online’s take on Capture the Flag – plus info on some exciting new Story Mode updates as well. We’ll have new info to share on all of this very soon.
This update comes after a slew of important fixes in the last. Has your GTA Online experience been smoother since?
Meltdown is the story of a man and his guns, in space, destroying evil robots. It is a little cliché, but it is definitely a fun experience. It has some awkward to learn controls, and repetitive visuals and audio the game has its flaws, but they are easily overlooked when compared to how fun this game is, especially with its awesome drop in/drop out multiplayer mode.
Story
Meltdown places you in the role of Zed, a soldier who is tasked with shutting down the core of the Meltwown-Classed Base Platform; Orion. Orion is suffering from an AI malfunction that is causing all the robots and machinery on the platform to go haywire.
The story is told out in a fully voice acted cinematic that sets up the premise of the game. However it is pretty basic and really only serves as a plot point to introduce the game rather than drive it along. All in all, while it is a fun introduction, the game wouldn’t be any better or worse off without it.
Gameplay
Meltdown is an action based run and gun shooter. Tapping on an area of the screen will have Zed running off in that direction. While the controls seem intuitive and familiar, they can take some getting used to. In most tap to move games, your character will always be oriented in the middle of the screen, but that isn’t the case with Meltdown. The result is frequently needing to switch which hand you will be tapping the screen with. While this feels cumbersome in the beginning, you will quickly adjust to the system, especially as the attack mechanics are made to accommodate.
Instead of simply pressing or holding down on the screen to shoot, Meltdown features an on/off system. When your gun is switched to On, you will immediately start shooting whenever there is an enemy within range. This serves to take away a lot of the confusion from the movement controls, but sometimes you can encounter a few problems with this method.
You don’t have any direct control over where you are shooting, only that you will be shooting the closest enemy. Only shooting the closest enemy means that you may find yourself firing at a different enemy that you intended. It is a small problem, but one I found happening more frequently in later levels where there are more enemies swarming you.
The game comes pre-packed with 30 different stages to keep you going for a long time. At the end of each stage the player is ranked based on damage sustained, enemies eliminated and time taken and given a score. Killing enemies also awards you money which can be spent between levels on upgrading your weapons and purchasing new ones. There are a tonne of different weapon options to choose from, and with two firearm slots and a melee spot there is enough to customise your character to suit your own play style.
The downside is that some of the items required for upgrades can sometimes be a little scarce, almost convincing you to spend real-world money to upgrade through the game’s shop. However even after playing to level 30, I didn’t feel forced to head to the store, just that there was one available if I chose to.
What is perhaps the best draw for Meltdown is its awesome co-op multiplayer. By starting your game online, you will have players join in and help you with the robot killing mayhem. Additional players can really speed up your times and improve your overall level scores, as well as having a tonne of fun doing so. Furthermore, it is drop in/drop out play that doesn’t interrupt the game at all while you play.
Visuals & Audio
Visually, Meltdown is by no means a killer app, but it isn’t a bad looking game. Zed is outlined in a medium black boarder that helps him stand out from his surroundings. Since this game is set in space, aboard a largely AI controlled platform, there are a lot of silvers and metallic colour littering the backdrops.
The backdrops and enemy models are reused in every stage, just moving and shuffling around where they are located, so the game can look a bit repetitive. Honestly though, usually you are trying hard to not get hit that you wont often notice or really care that the same sandbags have been used for the last 5 stages.
Audio wise, the initial cut scene is voice acted, but aside from that there isn’t much to go on with sound effects. Robots clank and grind along, and guns make a surprisingly realistic sound. However the real sound comes from the 8-bit style soundtrack which is just awesome. Mixing a rock n roll style tune to 8-bit gives this game a unique sound that just works.
Overall
Meltdown isn’t a perfect game, but it is a fun game. It has its share of flaws, but most of these are easily overlooked due to the amount of good that this game does. Repetitive visuals and clunky controls hold this game back from being a must-have on your mobile device, but one cannot overstate the awesome co-op mode available to players, and with 30 levels already available, with more coming soon there is a lot of value to be had here.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
LEGO Friends will welcome players to Heartlake City for some fantastic summer fun. You’ll get to meet Stephanie, Andrea, Emma, Mia, and more, each with their own styles and personalities. Play soccer, work in the science lab, rock out on stage, and more! You’ll build friendships as you explore and interact with the girls of Heartlake City. You can even train and groom pets!
Be meet the girls, check out the video below this article. You can also check out the images in the gallery below. Also remember to check out ther official website here!
Namco Bandai Games have just begun streaming nine different videos for their upcoming 3DS game; One Piece Unlimited World Red. Each of these nine videos centres on a different member of the Straw Hat crew. The aim of these videos is to show all of the viewers the different ways that these particular characters can be used and, in turn, you can determine who your favourite will be. I personally think this is a fantastic idea considering the game seems like it should be played in a multi-player fashion with each of the people playing choosing a different Straw Hat member to play as throughout the game while levelling up and making it their own. The game is set for a Japanese release on the 21st of November and even though there is no talk of a Western release surely you can all still enjoy the short gameplay videos we have below.
Titan Comics as well as comic creators Monty Nero and Mike Dowling are extremely excited to announce that Issue Two of the brand-new yet extremely popular comic, Death Sentence, has completely sold out around the world, much like what happened to the first issue of the comic which is an incredible feat to have been achieved in only one, now two, issues! This means great things for both the creators and the publisher of the comic considering the series’ second issue must now go back into print with hundreds and thousands of fresh comics in the process of being re-designed and printed with a brand new cover.
You may still be able to find the second issue around comic book stores but, at this point in time, they are fairly rare. The new prints of Issue Two are not set for a release until December the 11th, which is just in time for Christmas, but can still be ordered through Diamond’s Preview Plus issue #1101 with the item code: SEP138356. That also goes for the first issue which has the item code: SEP138036. This is an incredibly exciting time for all those with connections to the comic and for all of us fans, Death Sentence is taking off in a fantastic way and there is absolutely no slowing it down! Below you can check out all the cover variations from Issues One and Two as you anticipate the new releases coming your way.
After watching the CGI trailer for the action-packed, upcoming first-person-shooter, Deadfall Adventures, I didn’t think that things could get much crazier. Though clearly, Nordic Games are not a company that likes to take a subtle approach to advertising because they have proven me extremely wrong with their second of three trailers featuring actual gameplay from the new title.
Less than a week ago the first gameplay trailer, ‘Sahara‘ was released, but today’s trailer showed off a completely different set of weather effects and a whole new in-game environment. As James Lee Quatermain, maybe the best named character in video game history, continues his quest for the Heart of Atlantis, he will have to battle through hoards of zombies and Nazis as he traverses the treacherous landscape of the Arctic region. This game definitely looks like it will be like no other, but whether that turns out to work in its favour or whether Nordic has bitten off more than they can chew has yet to be seen. Find out on November 15th as Deadfall Adventures launches on the Xbox 360 and PC, but first don’t forget to check out the ‘Arctic ‘ trailer below.
Fighter Within is an upcoming Xbox One exclusive fighting game by Ubisoft that utilises the, almost, full capabilities of the Xbox’s Kinect to allow you as a player to take full control of a crazy and quirky fighter. Beat down your friends in a way that, in reality, would land you in jail for a very long time but, using the game to do so, it becomes a simple yet awesome street fight where you can determine who really is the better fighter.
Ubisoft only just released a brand new trailer for the game that is just as informative as it is goofy and, as a fan of the PlayStation over the Xbox, is making me consider getting and Xbox One just for this game. Fighter Within is set for a release on the 22nd of November, which isn’t too far away, on the Xbox One but as of right now all we have are a few trailers to scratch that fighting itch so head down to our Featured Video Section just below to check out the “Inside The Game” trailer and be ready to get your fight on!
Kingston Digital Ships Latest Secure USB Flash Drive to Further Protect Data for Enterprises
Sydney, Australia– November 14, 2013 – Kingston, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of the DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0 (DTVP) secure USB Flash drive, as well as the DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0 Anti-Virus, which helps enterprises safeguard business data and set security policies for end-users at an affordable price point. DTVP 3.0 provides 100-percent hardware-based encryption of confidential information and is also available separately with ClevX DriveSecurity™ powered by ESET anti-virus protection. The anti-virus engine utilises ESET’s NOD 32® proactive award-winning technology, which protects corporate end-users wherever they work or plug in.
As the workforce becomes more mobile, businesses must take the appropriate steps to educate their employees and establish security policies so sensitive data cannot be accessed by unauthorised users or cybercriminals. Kingston’s DataTraveler® Vault Privacy 3.0 USB Flash drive provides affordable business-grade security with 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption using XTS block cipher mode, which offers stronger protection than CBC and ECB modes. It is the first-to-market hardware-encrypted secure USB Flash drive with USB 3.0 performance.
DTVP 3.0 is available with optional, easy to deploy and easy to use (no installation required) anti-virus protection from ESET/ClevX that protects the drive’s contents from viruses, spyware, Trojans, worms, rootkits, adware and other Internet-borne threats. The ESET NOD32 anti-virus engine provides instant alerts and comes with a five-year pre-activated license.
“At ESET, we are proud to be joining forces with one of the global leaders in memory products. With ClevX DriveSecurity, Kingston USB sticks add another important layer of protection and we are confident that ESET technology will offer further benefit to Kingston and PC users,” adds ESET Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Ignacio Sbampato.
There are many examples of breaches involving lost or stolen USB Flash drives resulting in large security leaks. The likes of targeted attacks such as the notorious Stuxnet worm and Flame virus continue to loom. Recent examples include:
In the United Kingdom, the Greater Manchester Police Department was fined £150,000 (AUD$255,974) by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office after an officer brought a Flash drive home containing personal information of more than 1,000 individuals with links to serious criminal investigations. The drive was stolen when the home was burglarised. The stolen device was not encrypted or password protected.
In India, the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy experienced a breach of their highly-secure, non-Internet connected PCs/ Malware hidden on a secret folder within a USB drive collected information when a user inserted it into a Naval Command PC. Classified data pertaining to sea trials of the country’s first nuclear missile submarine was stored on the drive until it was plugged into an Internet-connected PC so it could be transmitted to another foreign country.
In the United States, a contractor in charge of developing North Carolina’s Medicaid billing system lost an unencrypted USB drive containing the personal information of more than 50,000 nationwide providers, which included full names, Social Security numbers, addresses and dates of birth.
“Many enterprise organisations take security and protecting confidential information extremely seriously, yet still fail to set or follow all security policies,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “With the latest DTVP 3.0 security features and optional anti-malware protection by ESET coupled with best practices, organisations can better safeguard confidential data. Kingston has also helped enterprises future proof their investment by implementing fast USB 3.0 speeds and designing controllers which allow NAND to be interchanged without requalification and certification of security features.”
For more information visit www.kingston.com.
Kingston DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0 and DataTraveler Vault Privacy Anti-Virus Features & Specifications:
· Read-Only Access Mode: when selected, access files in Read-only Mode to avoid potential Malware risks
· Enforced password protection: complex password is user set with minimum characteristics to prevent unauthorised access
· Secure: drive locks down and reformats after 10 intrusion attempts
· Easy to use: no admin rights or application installation required
· Customisable: preload content, password length, maximum number of password attempts and internal/external serialisation numbering
· Co-Logo available
· TAA Compliant
· Business-Grade Security: 100 percent of stored data is protected by hardware-based, 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in XTS mode
· Durable design: resilient protection for data in a waterproof aluminum casing
· USB 3.0: latest USB standard guarantees backwards compatibility with USB 2.0
· Capacities: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
· Speed: USB 3.0:
o 4GB: 80MB/s read, 12MB/s write
o 8GB, 16GB: 165MB/s read, 22MB/s write
o 32GB: 250MB/s read, 40MB/s write
o 64GB: 250MB/s read, 85MB/s write
USB 2.0:
o 4GB: 30MB/s read, 12MB/s write
o 8GB–64GB: 30MB/s read, 20MB/s write
· Dimensions: 77.9mm x 22mm x 12.05mm
· Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
· Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)
· Minimum System Requirements:
o USB 3.0 compliant and 2.0 compatible
o Two (2) free drive letters required for use
· Guaranteed: 5-year warranty with free technical support
Grinding Gear Games Partners with Garena Online to Bring Hit ARPG, Path of Exile, to Asia
Additionally, Path of Exile Releases First Post-Launch Update, Version 1.0.1
Auckland, New Zealand – November 12, 2013 – Following the successful release of their popular action RPG Path of Exile, Grinding Gear Games today announced that they have partnered with leading Southeast Asian publisher Garena Online to bring Path of Exile to gamers in Asia. Closed Beta is set to begin on November 14, 2013.
Garena Online is publishing Path of Exile in Asia, to give players a better gaming experience, beginning with a separate realm for the Malaysia and Singapore regions. This partnership is expected to expose millions of new gamers to Path of Exile while providing a version appropriate to the cultures and languages of these territories. Existing users who already play Path of Exile in areas that Garena will represent are able to continue to play the game on any desired server.
“We’re extremely excited about our partnership with Garena because they have demonstrated that they excel at bringing Western games to an international market,” said Chris Wilson, Managing Director of Grinding Gear Games. “We anticipate that this new audience will benefit the global Path of Exile community, and will allow us to expand the game even faster.”
First Post-Launch Update is Live
Grinding Gear Games also announced that Path of Exile’s first post-launch update, Version 1.0.1, is now live. This robust update brings forth various new items, gems, achievements, and microtransactions, as well as Descent: Champions, the newest race event for the upcoming Race Season Five, which begins November 16. Seven biweekly content updates are planned between now and Path of Exile’s first major expansion, which will debut in March 2014.
Grinding Gear Games will regularly release videos to expand on and complement these updates, including patch previews, upcoming gameplay trailers, Developer Diaries, and a Build of the Week segment directly from Chris Wilson. Interested players should check out the Path of Exile YouTube page. Key features for Path of Exile Version 1.0.1 include:
Descent: Champions – This sequel to the highly popular Descent league has players create special characters to conquer difficult and elaborate dungeons not found in the main storyline. Forks in progression and a starting selection of league-specific unique items are among the main additions to this challenging new race event.
Three new microtransaction effects including the Scion Dance Animation, Golden Spectral Throw, and Force Field Discipline Aura
Three new player aura gems and one new support gem
Five new unique items
Eight new vendor recipes
New achievements
Regular video segments from Grinding Gear Games
Dozens of other small enhancements
Path of Exile has already garnered a ton of critical acclaim in existing markets since its official launch on October 23, 2013, including top scores in recent reviews from leading game sites IGN and GameSpot.
About Path of Exile
Path of Exile is an online PC action role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world. Featuring ethical microtransactions, the game is free-to-play, but never pay-to-win. Playing as one of seven character classes, players find themselves banished for their past misdeeds to the dark fantasy world of Wraeclast. There, they encounter hundreds of species of opponents laden with loot and mysterious artifacts as they explore the abandoned continent. www.pathofexile.com
Key features include:
A dark and deep action RPG
Unlimited character combinations with the game’s gigantic skill tree
Combine skill gems to create unique combat strategies
Explore a dark and gritty world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective
Download and play for free, but never pay-to-win
Explore randomly generated levels for nearly infinite replayability
Craft weapons, magic items and even end-game maps to become more powerful
Cooperate or compete with thousands of other Exiles in a persistent online world
Ascend online ladders in every game mode
Battle in PvP tournaments for worldwide recognition
Steam and Twitch integration
About Grinding Gear Games
Grinding Gear Games is an independent game studio founded in 2006 and based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its team members come from various countries and have a diversity of backgrounds ranging from artificial intelligence and software security to industrial design and professional tournament gaming. GGG recently released its flagship title, Path of Exile, and is committed to ongoing expansion and new content releases for the critically acclaimed game. You can find more information about Grinding Gear Games at www.grindinggear.com.
About Garena Online
Garena is a leading online game service provider. Its flagship online game platform, Garena+, is the largest social platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, designed for online gamers to meet, chat and play games with each other. Garena has introduced the latest premium online games on Garena+, including the award-winning League of Legends and other premium game titles, such as first-person shooter game Black Shot, real-time strategy game Heroes of Newerth and massively-multiplayer-online football game EA SPORTS™ FIFA Online 3.
For more information, please visit www.garena.com.
Paramount Pictures Australia have released the official teaser poster (visible to the right, click to enlarge) for Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson & Anthony Hopkins.
