Monthly Archives: April 2015

Elsword Reveals Critter Carnival Event

KOG Games today announces the launch of the fuzzy, fun and fantastic Critter’s Carnival Pet Dungeon and Events, going on April 15 – 28, 2015 in Elsword!

Elsword Critter Carnival
Ready for the hunt! The monstrous Wild Rider suddenly appeared, bearing tooth, claw and an appetite for destruction. After raining down destruction upon the land of Elrios, it vanished just as quickly. The heroes of Elsword won’t stand by and wait for reinforcements, and the plan to take the fight to The Wild Rider and tame the wild beast. Glave, in his new role as the Critter Tamer, is at the ready to provide our heroes with a Soul Stealer Stone necessary to capture the monster.

 

Ready up, brace yourself, grab a map and locate the Wild Rider’s hideout in Joaquin’s Laboratory of Alchemy. Word has it, this lab is the site of gruesome experiments, and Evil Joaquin will sure get in your way.

 
What to do:

Find The Wild Rider | After defeating Evil Joaquin in the Laboratory of Alchemy dungeon, players still have to find the Wild Rider! However, not everyone who enters the lab has a chance of finding it. If our heroes are lucky enough to happen upon The Wild Rider, they better be ready to defeat it!

 

Acquire The Wild Rider’s Hideout Map | During the event period, players that log into Elsword will receive a Map with the location of the hideout in their in-game Mailbox after waiting one minute. This Map allows players to enter Joaquin’s Laboratory of Alchemy. Players will receive 4 of these maps daily.

 

Glave The Critter Tamer | Let Glave’s critter know-how give you the advantage over The Wild Rider. Glave offers the Soul Sealer Stone; a quick slot consumable item. Use it on the Wild Rider when it has less than 20% HP, and you will beat the critter instantly. But use it sooner than that and you’ll make the beast tougher to control. Successfully using the Soul Sealer Stone will also earn you either a Corrupted Wild Rider’s Soul or Pure Wild Rider’s Soul which can be used to acquire your own mount.

 

Crafting Wild Rider’s Soul | Bring 20 Wild Rider’s Soul Sculptures and the equivalent number of Mystery El Shards to Glave and generate a Corrupted Wild Rider’s Soul. This is a cube that contains a random time-limited or permanent mount. You can open it right away or keep collecting these to ultimately craft a Pure Wild Rider’s Soul which contains 1 permanent mount from a list of eight kinds.

Elsword Critter Carnival

In addition to this awesome Dungeon Event: Back by popular demand – Retro Life Crystals are returning to the shop in Elsword. 20 of Elsword’s most popular pets are being offered in the shop for a very limited time. If you miss them this time around, they may never return again.

 

Learn more about Elsword at their official site.

Alcatraz Available In-Game for Defiance Before June 12 TV Premiere

Alcatraz Available In-Game for Defiance Before June 12 TV Premiere

Trion Worlds announced today that Alcatraz, the next major in-game update for the free-to-play interconnected video game and TV series Defiance, is now live. Ahead of the Defiance television SyFy show’s season 3 premiere, the “Alcatraz” content update sees Ark Hunters migrating west in search of a new beacon of salvation. The Rock, a now prison-turned-island-base and symbol of authority, has become a hub for daring Expeditions and raids against threats all across the New Frontier and beyond, and it’s up to players to battle deep into this new staging territory against Votan and humans alike.

Defiance’s Alcatraz content update adds brand-new features to the game, including the all-new Expeditions feature, allowing players to participate in a gauntlet of co-op matches against increasingly tough enemies for even greater rewards. Players will also be introduced to Cyber Rigs, systems that augment players’ natural abilities and allow further customization and upgrades to weapons, shields, vehicles and more via the use of Cyber Chips. More updates from the Alcatraz update are outlined in a preview post on the Defiance blog here.

Krosmaster Takes on a New Milestone

Krosmaster Takes on a New Milestone

Today Ankama announced a new milestone for the Krosmaster brand with the start of the beta for the new version of the online game and of the season 3 blind boxes, available in stores in France and selected countries on the 20th of April.

Krosmaster is the 3rd brand launched by Ankama based on the Krosmoz universe after DOFUS and WAKFU. The Krosmaster IP first started in 2012 as a boardgame and a range of figurines inspired from its 2 sister IPs. An online game based on the boardgame rules was launched simultaneously in order for boardgame players to train before the competition and take part in online tournaments. As of today, Krosmaster is one of the fastest growing boardgame brands, with more than 3 million figurines sold and direct store distribution in more than 10 countries.

The beta of the new fully animated 3D version of Krosmaster Arena is now available on the website www.krosmaster.com. Players can now discover the multiplayer game that brings the greatest warriors from DOFUS and WAKFU onto one board! The game offers an enhanced experience and more features: more than 100 collectible figurines, 4 game modes, 6 different environments and a PVP arena.

The season 3 blind boxes will hit the stores in France and selected countries on the 20th of April. The series is composed of  16 figurines, 8 rares and 8 commons, and the major theme this time will be the  Island’s Monsters, with most of the set being exotic creatures from the Krosmoz universe. Ankama decided to push forward the  tribal aspect of this expansion, giving players an occasion to make original and flavorful teams. This is why the season 3 is composed of four different families: the undead Piwates, the savage Kanniballs, the brutal Minotors and the dragon-tastic Dreggons. Each family has its own original power, shared by all its members!

The full launch of Krosmaster Arena is scheduled for this summer on PC, Mac, Linux and mobile devices.

WildStar Business Model Change Speculation Begins

Carbine’s announcement today of (amazing!) new items being offered only for new players who pick up a physical copy of WildStar on today’s date or later is driving speculation that this is an overt attempt to liquidate the last of the ‘buy to play’ shelf stock of the game.

WildStar Free to Play

It’s no secret that WildStar experienced quite the troubled start, and, despite multiple efforts and promotions from Carbine, the game has not yet quite recovered from its tailspin. With rival Elder Scrolls Online paving the way into the buy to play space, it seems necessary for WildStar to act and soon. Thus recent news of Australian EB Games and JB Hi-Fi (source – games.on.net) getting the orders to pull their hard copy stock seems to point that a free to play model is more likely than the buy to play route.

 

More hard facts on this story are likely to emerge before we’re through the summer. For full details on the new retail item pack, check the official post.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance Launches April 30

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance Launches April 30

Ascendance, the second massive DLC pack for Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare (2014’s top-selling console video game in the world, according to the NPD Group and Gfk based on physical game unit sell-through), is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC on April 30. The definitive DLC package, with its four new thrilling maps, the formidable OHM, a 2-in-1 directed energy light machine gun/shotgun, the OHM Werewolf custom variant, and the all-new Exo Grapple ability and playlist delivering a faster way to reach strategic vantage points or a brutal secondary weapon to take down the competition, exclusively on Ascendance maps.

  • Perplex: Get vertical in Sydney as you fight to dominate this five-story modular apartment complex. Take the high ground or blast through the close-quarters interior in this small to medium sized map. Adapt your strategy mid-match when construction drones shift apartment modules, creating new routes and cover positions.
  • Site 244: A spacecraft has crash landed, spilling its mysterious cargo under the shadow of Mt. Rushmore, USA. This medium to large three-lane map allows for any style of gameplay, focusing combat through the space ship’s fuselage and around the debris-littered landscape. Use the map-based scorestreak to crack open an alien spore and instantly enhance your perks and exo abilities.
  • Climate: Fight your way through a futuristic man-made utopia in this lush, climate-controlled enclosure. In this small to medium sized circular map, land and water routes channel frenetic combat around the central island structure. Watch your step when the river water changes from an asset into a deadly bubbling obstacle.
  • Chop Shop: Think fast as you make your way through the black market exoskeleton industrial complex and engage in fast-paced shootouts in this medium sized, symmetrical map. Activate the map-based scorestreak to take control of an Advanced Repulsion Turret that radiates a deadly microwave EMP to help lock down key areas.

The exo zombies saga continues in the all-new episode, Infection, as the four Atlas employees, portrayed by the returning celebrity cast of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading), Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror, Scream), and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Wolf of Wall Street) fight tooth and nail through undead zombie hordes. Located on the outskirts of an Atlas facility, the new exo zombies episode introduces a slew of never-before-seen undead masses, a robust arsenal of new traps and armaments and everyone’s favorite fast food joint, Burgertown.

 

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Ascendance is also included in the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass*, where fans can get all four epic DLC Packs planned for the year, as part of the discounted bundle offered at a suggested retail price of $49.99 – a discount of $10 off the individual purchase of all four DLC Map Packs**. The Ascendance DLC Pack also includes the OHM 2-in-1 directed energy light machine gun/shotgun and the OHM Werewolf custom variant.

Grand Chase Says Farewell as Last Day Stream Approaches

KOG Games, a leading developer and publisher of popular free-to-play action MMORPGs, today announced that the popular side-scrolling MMORPG fantasy epic Grand Chase will end service in North America today.

Final Stream

“Grand Chase had a tremendous impact and paved the way for so many MMOs that it is simply time to say goodbye and allow players to embrace these new experiences,” said Eugene Kim CEO of KOG Games.  While it’s the end of Grand Chase, it’s only the beginning of what we at KOG Games have in store for our community.”

To thank its loyal community for years of fun and mayhem, Grand Chase will host a farewell Livestream and post a special “Thanks and Goodbye” video from the Developers and GM’s, numerous Grand Chase tournament champs and more.  Fans are invited to join the special guests and look back in the final hours of the beloved Grand Chase today April 15th from 6pm – 9pm PDT.

Players can also check out the Grand Chase tribute blog where KOG has collected the history, images, music and more!  Fans can learn more about the lore and download their favorite images. (http://grandchase.elswordonline.com/2015/04/grand-chase-tribute-blog/)

Grand Chase launched in Korea 12 years ago and followed with a North American launch 7 years ago. Grand Chase was a force to be reckoned with in the fighting game genre, and it was home to some of the best competitive players in the world.  KOG wants to thank its strong community of players over the years and while this marks the end of Grand Chase this is only the beginning of what’s in store for KOG!

Elsword is currently welcoming all Grand Chase players to Elrios! This includes a completely free, character level boost (completely free) for Grand Chase players with max level characters, in-game item rewards, an awesome cash item compensation package and more.
For more details, please visit: (http://en.elswordonline.com/welcome-grand-chasers/)

Killing Floor 2: Digital Deluxe Edition & PC Specs Revealed

Killing Floor 2: Digital Deluxe Edition & PC Specs Revealed

Tripwire Interactive today announced that its highly anticipated co-op sci-fi horror FPS game, Killing Floor 2, will also have a Digital Deluxe Edition offering exclusive additional in-game content. Players wanting to expand their Zed slaying experience will be able to purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition of Killing Floor 2 for $39.99 (US), £26.99 (UK), €36.99 (EU) as a Steam Early Access title starting on April 21, 2015. Killing Floor 2 is the sequel to the highly successful 2009 PC title, KILLING FLOOR, which has sold over 3 million units since its release.

Killing Floor 2 Digital Deluxe Edition adds the following to the base game:

  • DJ Scully character, with unique voice pack and set of face/body skins
  • Additional cosmetic items (each with multiple selectable variants):
  • “Scullyphones” headphones for DJ Scully, Mr Foster, Hayato Tanaka and Donovan Neal
  • 3D Glasses for Ana Larive and Hayato Tanaka
  • Bowler Hat for Mr. Foster and Reverend Alberts
  • Killing Floor 2 Soundtrack
  • Killing Floor 2 Digital Artbook

Players who purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition will receive all of the exclusive content listed above, PLUS a copy of the original Killing Floor 1 game.

The base edition of Killing Floor 2 will be available for PC via Steam Early Access starting on April 21, 2015 for $29.99 (US), ₤19.99 (UK) and €26.99 (EU). All of the additional DDE content will be made available to buy separately at a later date.

 

PC SPECS for Killing Floor 2

Tripwire Interactive has also unveiled the recommended PC requirements for the Killing Floor 2 so gamers can be ready for the Early Access launch:

 

Minimum

  • CPU: Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz or Phenom II X2 545
  • GPU: GeForce GTS 250 or Radeon HD 4830
  • RAM: 3GB
  • OS: Win7 64

 

Recommended

  • CPU: Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz or Phenom II X4 955
  • GPU: GeForce GTX 560 or Radeon HD 6950
  • RAM: 4GB
  • OS: Win7 64

 

Beta period closing

As a reminder, the special pre-Early Access beta period for Killing Floor 2 is set to end this Thursday, April 16th, in preparation for the Early Access launch next Tuesday, April 21st.

 

Players are encouraged to visit the Official Tripwire Interactive Killing Floor 2 Forums and leave their Early Access feedback – http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/forumdisplay.php?f=182