Is Microsoft’s Don Mattrick Going to Zynga? (Updated)

Chris Hare
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Is Microsoft’s Don Mattrick Going to Zynga? (Updated)

Update

Zynga has today announced that the Company has appointed Don Mattrick as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective July 8, 2013. Mattrick has been at the forefront of the industry and brings more than 30 years of executive experience developing, building and managing profitable entertainment businesses.

Original Story

Rumour is the Don Mattrick, the most senior executive within Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, has allegedly announced his intention to leave the Microsoft.  According to The Wall Street Journal, Don Mattrick is departing to take up the role of chief executive officer at social games group Zynga.

Xbox One

Man of Steel Update for Mobile Game

Chris Hare
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Man of Steel Update for Mobile Game

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the first update for the Man of Steel action-adventure mobile game, which features a batch of exciting new story content and a new suit for Superman that is available for purchase.

In the new chapter of Story Mode, General Zod has released the World Engine and only the Man of Steel can stop it. Players will witness a new action-packed cinematic scene followed by players taking on the role of Superman to see if they can defeat this menacing threat. The World Engine serves up a new challenge to Man of Steel players with the introduction of a brand new combat mechanic.

Man of Steel

 

Along with the additional story content, Superman fans can also check out the new Skin Suit, pulled straight from the “Man of Steel” film, which will give players a boost to Kal-El’s power, health, and damage resistance. The Man of Steel mobile game is available now on the App Store for iPad, as well as Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android smartphones and tablets for £2.99. The iPhone and iPod touch version is available for £1.99.

The Man of Steel mobile game is based on DC Comics’ iconic Superman character and inspired by the Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures feature film “Man of Steel.” The game is a 3D-brawler that lets players combat General Zod and his invading Kryptonian forces on both ground and air in a fast-paced mobile adventure.

Three UK Makes Pay As You Go as Easy as 321

Chris Hare
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0
Three UK Makes Pay As You Go as Easy as 321

Three 321 Pay as you go

Have you or someone you know had problems working out the price for  Pay As You Go is the past. Then Three UK believe in keeping things simple as well as offering the customers great value for money.

Three don’t believe you should have to convert your credit to get the most for your money (not unless you want to anyway!)  Neither do Three think you should have to pay high base rates just because you choose not to buy an add-on. That’s why we’ve decided to go back to basics and make things as simple as 3-2-1.

Thomas Malleschitz, marketing director at Three said: “Consumers are forced into choosing where they want best value – whether that’s calls, texts or internet. Our new rates strip things right back to basics with a simple, clear and transparent rate for calls, texts and internet use that offers clear value across the board. It’s important to us that our Pay As You Go customers can use our Ultrafast network to chat, text and enjoy the internet without making a trade-off on value. This is Pay as You Go in its purest form.”

As top-up plans were originally, You will pay 3p for each minute of talk time, 2p a text and 1p for 1MB of data. That’s it. And every penny of credit you add to your account will go to paying for those functions. “Credit lasts until every penny is spent,” claims the Three. The new 3.2.1 Pay as you go starts today (1st July).

Download Issue 14 of The MagPi Digital Magazine for lovers of the Raspberry Pi

Andrew Edney
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Download Issue 14 of The MagPi Digital Magazine for lovers of the Raspberry Pi

If you have, or are interested in the Raspberry Pi, then you might want to download the new issue of The MagPi digital magazine.

14

This is how the Raspberry Pi guys describe the magazine:

The MagPi, a free online magazine dedicated to the Raspberry Pi, whose first issue was released a few days ago, is a perfect example of that. It’s been put together entirely by volunteers, guided by Ash Stone, Jason “Jaseman” Davies, Meltwater and other names you may recognise from the forums and comments on this site. I was broadly aware they were up to something, but I was amazed at the scope of what they sent me to look at earlier in the week, and I’ve been really, really impressed by the first issue. There are Debian and Puppy guides, articles on computing history, ideas for robotics projects, tutorials in Scratch and Python (with code you can type in yourself, just like in the good old days), features about the Raspberry Pi itself, and other goodies to dig into. I really can’t recommend it enough, and if you haven’t been lucky enough to get to the head of the queue, you don’t need a Raspberry Pi to find it useful (you might actually find the magazine good preparation before yours arrives).

It is a really interesting read – so go download it today, and let us know what you think!

Download the new issue of The MagPi here Check out the videos we made with Eben Upton Check out our unboxing of our Raspberry Pi

Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within Out Now for PC

Chris Hare
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Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within Out Now for PC

Nordic Games has announce the point and click adventure sequel Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within is out now for Windows PC.

The cinematic tale takes players on another epic exploration across Shanghai in the late 1800s.
With a story packed full of twists and turns, players will be led on a bizarre yet comical adventure and, as usual, nothing will go Keane’s way.

Jack Keane 2

Featuring state-of-the art 3D graphics, Jack Keane will continue to delight in his light-hearted, humorous way that made fans adore him in the original game. Whilst hunting for treasure along with his companion the beautiful Amanda, Keane will come across old friends as well as meeting new faces including a number of villains and an elegant city girl by the name of Eve, who will become one of his new distractions.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzAbzjNOVas?feature=player_embedded%5D

“It is another great adventure gem that will be coming out of Germany to an international audience this year, further enriching The Adventure Company’s (a Nordic Games division) portfolio,” said Philipp Brock, PR Manager at Nordic Games. “We are excited to be bringing back Jack Keane to all the fans who adored him in the first instalment of the story. It’s a mysterious adventure that has a great deal of charm and will appeal to both fans of the series and newcomers alike.”

“It’s great to be working alongside Nordic Games on the second adventure for Jack Keane,” said Florian Stadlbauer, Executive Director at Deck 13. “With this game we’ve aimed to revolutionize the traditional point and click genre by expanding traditional rules but still remaining true to the genre to make it a truly 21st century adventure game.”

Several years after Jack Keane’s first adventure he is drawn to the Chinese City, Shanghai because of its hidden treasure within. His travels will take him inside the notorious Shanghai prison walls for the adventure of his life.

Developed by Deck 13, Jack Keane includes state of the art 3D-graphics, gripping action sequences and the typical bizarre Jack Keanesque humour. Using the Fledge engine the games sequences are fast paced and have been combined with iconic point and click gameplay.

Jeane Keane is out now for Windows PC, priced £24.99.

 

Dark Matter on Kickstarter has released New Video Demonstrating it

Chris Hare
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Dark Matter on Kickstarter has released New Video Demonstrating it

Interwave Studios has released a new mini-video demonstrating how light works in Dark Matter, its in-development Metroid-like, intense sci-fi side scrolling game that combines the twitch mechanics of a first person shooter with an adventure platformer. Dark Matter is on Kickstarter trying to fund £50,000 for this project.

Dark Matter

Dark Matter is a modern, tense reimagining of classic platforming action games, with a deep storyline and tactical combat.

Dark Matter is at its core a modern descendant of Metroid. It is a game driven by the same progressively unlockable level mechanics, but with a supercharged atmosphere where light and darkness play a vital role in enemy AI, and the player’s survival.

Dark Matter is a tough side scrolling action game where sometimes the best action is to know when to not attack, or when to lure an enemy into a mag-lock door, rather than rush into a room guns blazing.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsIOKWWhkIU?feature=player_detailpage%5D

 

  • Dark Matter is a single player, 2.5D adventure platformer.
  • Experience an all new setting and story.
  • Combat requires aim and consideration as well as reflexes.
  • Dark Matter’s controls were designed to be instantly accessible to hardened FPS players, as well as console gamers.
  • Find up to six weapons, equip one of four ammo types in each, and customize them with your favourite modules.
  • Dark Matter will be available for PC, Mac and Linux at launch.
  • Dark Matter is fully localizable. It will launch in English, Dutch, German and Italian.
  • We will distribute DRM-free downloads as well as Steam keys (if and when they become available) to all backers.

Exclusive interview with James C Burns (the voice of Sgt Woods from Black Ops) at E3 2013

Andrew Edney
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Exclusive interview with James C Burns (the voice of Sgt Woods from Black Ops) at E3 2013

At E3 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down with actor James C Burns who plays Sgt Woods from the Call of Duty Black Ops series.

Exclusive Interview with James C Burns

James not only does the voice of Sgt Woods, but he also did the mocap for him too!

OldManWoods

In the interview we talk about Sgt Woods, the possibility of a Black Ops 3, that music video at the end of Black Ops 2, his Redacted comic book and his Nam Zombies movie, amongst others things.

So over to James:

And thanks again to James for taking the time to talk to me and to Turtle Beach for arranging everything.

The Turtle Beach Heroes and Villains panel at E3 2013

Andrew Edney
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The Turtle Beach Heroes and Villains panel at E3 2013

Back at E3, Turtle Beach gathered some of the best known names in voice acting for a panel called Heroes and Villains.

CDW Turtle Beach Heroes and Villians panel

The panel consisted of Nolan North, Troy Baker, James C Burns, Steve Blum and David Eddings.

Over to the guys:

Do you have a favourite character voiced by one of the guys? Let us know who it is by leaving a comment below.

Testing an EE 4G Sim Card in London

Andrew Edney
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Testing an EE 4G Sim Card in London

With EE rolling out 4G around the country, we had the chance to take one of their 4G sim cards out for a spin.

CDW - EE Speed Test -1

I used the 4G sim card in an unlocked HTC One smarphone so that I could ensure maximum compatibility.

The sim worked straight away and I was surprised that I actually managed to get 4G in various parts of Surrey. The screenshot at the top of the article shows my download speed test at 26299 kbps even though I only have one signal bar.

I took the sim into London, where I was expecting it to work perfectly. This is the result of the test at Waterloo Station – 35521 kbps, not a bad speed if I do say so myself.

CDW - EE Speed Test -3

I set up the wi-fi tethering on the HTC One and connected my iPhone 5 to and ran another speed test – I still got a very high sped for 32.13 Mpbs.

CDW - EE Speed Test -4

Using my normal 3 sim card all I could get in Waterloo Station at that time was 0.06 Mbps, so I think you will agree that is quite a difference!

CDW - EE Speed Test -5

There were times however when I was a little disappointed with the performance. As I mentioned, I expected Central London to have amazing speeds, but I could be standing on one side of the road with 4G and yet on the other side of the road I would only have 3G. And this happened quite a lot so I think EE have a little ways to go yet in getting consistent performance.

So if you are in an area that gets EE’s 4G coverage and you want high speed then you should seriously consider a sim card from EE, although price wise they are not the cheapest if you are not going to use it much or you are in an area that doesn’t get 4G!

Here are the current prices for a 12 month Sim only deal:

EE prices

Learn more about the various EE options by visiting the EE website.

Are you using EE’s 4G service? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Elgato Game Capture HD 1.3.2 software update now available

Andrew Edney
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0
Elgato Game Capture HD 1.3.2 software update now available

Elgato has released an update for its Elgato Game Capture HD device.

Game_Capture_HD_Solutionshot_04_thum[1]

What’s in this update:

Tons of small improvements, including better pass-through reliability with certain TV sets.

Screen Shot 2013-06-29 at 15.21.41

The Elgato Game Capture HD 1.3.2 software update is available as a free download at http://gamecapture.com for PC and Mac.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Pack out now

Andrew Edney
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0
The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Pack out now

Summer is officially here and it’s time to make your escape in the hottest expansion pack to release from The Sims Studio. Maxis announced that The Sims 3 Island Paradise Expansion Pack for PC/Mac is now available across retailers in the UK and on Origin.com.

TS3_IslandParadise_LaunchDay_3

For the first time ever, players can dive beneath the waves and explore what lies on the ocean floor, build and cruise along on their very own houseboat to discover uncharted islands or create and run a five-star resort experience. With so many innovative features introduced for the first time in The Sims PC gaming franchise, The Sims 3 Island Paradise truly opens up a world of new possibilities for players to discover on land and in sea.

TS3_IslandParadise_LaunchDay_1

In The Sims 3 Island Paradise, players can snorkel and scuba dive beneath the sea where they will discover an aquatic world filled with sea life, collectibles, caves and sunken treasure. Underwater explorations can lead to many new adventures including befriending mermaids, spotting legendary sea monsters and potentially life-threatening encounters with sharks.

For players looking to move around and explore the different islands, a houseboat may be their perfect new abode. These fully customizable floating homes make a first time appearance in any Sims game and give players the option to extend their explorations by living a life fully at sea or by breaking away for a day’s escape.

It’s not all fun in the sun though. Players seeking management opportunities will reap the benefits of building and owning their own resort. Be it a family-friendly resort of waterslides and buffet tables, a romantic retreat with bungalows in the sand, or a singles resort that features pool bars, players will make management decisions that will affect their resort’s success. Whether it’s adding in pools and fire walk pits, upgrading guest rooms or selecting from daily beverage specials, players will be able to fine-tune their resort’s amenities based on feedback received from customer reviews.

TS3_IslandParadise_LaunchDay_1

Players looking to add a little heat to their island getaway can order The Sims 3 Island Paradise on Origin and get the Carnaval Costumes Pack, featuring two exclusive outfits to make any tropical night more festive. Female Sims will be the life of the party in a feather-clad costume while male Sims can spread their wings like a peacock in an ostentatious ensemble.

The Sims 3 Island Paradise is PEGI rated 12 and is available now on PC/Mac at retailers in the UK and on Origin.com. To learn more about The Sims 3 Island Paradise, visit http://www.thesims.com/en_GB/the-sims-3-island-paradise.

Total War: Rome II PC specs revealed

Andrew Edney
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Total War: Rome II PC specs revealed

SEGA have released the specs for the PC version of Total War: Rome II and you are going to need a lot of hard drive space.

8268Carthage_panorama_FINAL_thumb

  • Minimum:
    • OS: XP/ Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8
    • Processor:2 GHz Intel Dual Core processor / 2.6 GHz Intel Single Core processor
    • Memory: 2GB RAM
    • Graphics:512 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible card (shader model 3, vertex texture fetch support).
    • DirectX:9.0c
    • Hard Drive: 35 GB HD space
    • Screen Resolution: 1024×768
  • Recommended:
    • OS: Windows 7 / Windows 8
    • Processor:2nd Generation Intel Core i5 processor (or greater)
    • Memory: 4GB RAM
    • Graphics:1024 MB DirectX 11 compatible graphics card.
    • DirectX:11
    • Hard Drive:35 GB HD space
    • Screen Resolution: 1920×1080

As well as releasing the specs, they have also created a vast panoramic screenshot of the Battle of The Nile, complete with bellowing war-elephants, thundering Ballista and terrifying camel-charges, as the armies of Ptolemy and Caesar clash on Egypt’s shores. You can view this 30000×4087 behemoth here on the Panoramic hub page.

Total War: Rome II will be available September 3rd 2013.

Hands-on review of the Fractal Design Node 605 Computer Case

Andrew Edney
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Hands-on review of the Fractal Design Node 605 Computer Case

We are big fans of Fractal Design and we recently got our hands on the new Node 605 case and so it’s time for our review.

CDW Review of the Fractal Design Node 605 computer case - 14

The Node 605 Case

Here is how Fractal Design describe the Node 605:

The Node 605 highlights a minimalistic, sleek Scandinavian appeal which is designed to integrate into your home theatre equipment.

Featuring a stunning exterior appearance accompanied by a modern, black interior with sound and vibration dampening materials, the Fractal Design Node 605 supports a full ATX motherboard as well as a graphics card up to 280mm in length.

Cleverly hidden behind the access panel on the solid 8mm thick aluminum front panel are two USB 3.0 ports, a FireWire port and a multi-format card reader for multiple formats.

Who Are Fractal Design?

This is how Fractal Design describe themselves:

The concept – Design

The concept of Fractal Design is to provide products with an extraordinary design level, without compromising the important factors of quality, functionality and pricing. The computer of today has come to play a central role in most people’s home, creating a demand for appealing design of the computer itself and its accessories.
Our main product areas are computer enclosures, power supplies, cooling, and Media Center-products, such as Home Theatre-enclosures, keyboards and remote controls.

Designed and engineered in Sweden

All Fractal Design products have been thoroughly designed, tested and specified in our Swedish head quarter. The well known ideas of Scandinavian design can be found through all of our products; a minimalistic but yet striking design – less is more.

Visions and goals

Our vision is to have a constant, healthy growth together with our partners worldwide. Our goal is to be widely recognized for our designed products and to have them available in all major market regions within EU and US. We should be a good alternative to the already established retail brands of today. It’s of great importance for us that our partners understand the values of Fractal Design, therefore we are putting great effort into choosing the right partners from the start. We will work actively to maintain sales territories and profitable business for our partners.

The way to reach our goals

In the competitive market of today, it’s not enough to just provide excellent products. Regular and well planned marketing activities in close cooperation with the channel and the available media, are key points to succeed. We are well experienced in marketing brands in the IT business, and we will use this to create efficient marketing tools – to gain a bigger market share and good earning possibilities for our channel.

Sony Released 64 Games for PS+ in Year One Of Instant Game Collection

Chris Hare
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0
Sony Released 64 Games for PS+ in Year One Of Instant Game Collection

Yesterday Sony revealed on there blog that in first year of the PS+ Instant Game Collection , Sony had 64 individual games which were offered free of charge to PS+ subscribers.

Playstation Plus in One Year

(Picture from the PlayStation Blog)

Here is a few list of game that Sony published via PS+ in year one of Instant Game Collection.

  • Anomaly Warzone Earth (PSN)
  • BioShock 2 (PS3)
  • BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend (PS Vita)
  • BloodRayne Betrayal (PSN)
  • Borderlands (PS3)
  • Choplifter HD (PSN)
  • Chronovolt (PS Vita)
  • Closure (PSN)
  • Darksiders (PS3)
  • Demon’s Souls (PS3)
  • Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita)
  • Double Dragon Neon (PSN)
  • Dungeon Defenders (PSN)
  • Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PSP)
  • Foosball 2012 (PSN/PS Vita)
  • Germinator (PS Vita)
  • Gotham City Imposters (PSN)
  • Gravity Rush (PS Vita)
  • Guardians of Middle-Earth (PSN)
  • Hard Corps: Uprising (PSN)
  • Infamous 2 (PS3)
  • Jet Set Radio (PSN)
  • Joe Danger 2: The Movie (PSN)
  • Just Cause 2 (PS3)
  • King of Fighters XIII (PS3)
  • Knytt Underground (PSN/PS Vita)
  • Labyrinth Legends (PSN)
  • Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (PSN)
  • LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
  • Malicious (PSN)
  • Mega Man 9 (PSN)
  • Mega Man 10 (PSN)
  • Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X (PSP)
  • NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (PSN)
  • NFL Blitz (PSN)
  • Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (PS Vita)
  • Outland (PSN)
  • Pac-Man CE DX (PSN)
  • PayDay: The Heist (PSN)
  • Pinball Arcade (PSN/PS Vita)
  • Plants vs. Zombies (PS Vita)
  • Quantum Conundrum (PSN)
  • Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
  • Renegade Ops (PSN)
  • Resident Evil 5 (PS3)
  • Retro City Rampage (PSN/PS Vita)
  • Rochard (PSN)
  • Saints Row 2 (PS3)
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (PSN)
  • Sideway: New York (PSN)
  • Sleeping Dogs (PS3)
  • Spec Ops: The Line (PS3)
  • Super Street Fighter IV (PS3)
  • Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PS Vita)
  • The Cave (PSN)
  • The Walking Dead: The Game (PSN)
  • Tekken 6 (PSP)
  • Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PS Vita)
  • Vanquish (PS3)
  • Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown (PSN)
  • Warhammer 40k: Space Marine (PS3)
  • WipeOut 2048 (PSN/PS Vita)
  • Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone (PSN)
  • Zombie Tycoon II: Brainhov’s Revenge (PSN/PS Vita).

So what game did you get in year one of Sony PS+ Instant Game Collection?

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