It’s been five years, but Dungeon Siege III is finally in production! Square Enix has partnered with Obsidian Entertainment to bring us the latest installment in the Dungeon Siege series.
The other good news is Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games will remain involved throughout the development process to provide key insight and game continuity. That said, Obsidian Entertainment was a perfect choice to carry the DS torch forward with a great track record on a host of other major RPG franchises including KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Fallout, etc.
Needless to say, we’re really excited to be working with both Obsidian Entertainment and Gas Powered Games again.
Check out some of the latest concept art for Dungeon Siege III:
The editors at Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) got to spend some time with ASTRO Gaming’s latest on-ear, on-the-go, headset — the A30 Audio System – this past month.
The result: an 8.5 out of 10!
ASTRO was just shy of an Editor’s Choice award…something we plan to rectify next time around!
Overall, the editor’s loved the new ASTRO cans. Here are some quotes:
“…you’ll love what you hear.”
“…at this price point you won’t do a whole lot better than the A30s. The sound quality is amazing: the basses boom, the highs are wonderfully clear, and all of it comes from a pair of super-comfy headphones.”
“Amazing sound quality.”
“Incredibly comfortable headset to wear.”
That about says it all. The review appears in the July issue of Official Xbox Magazine.
Aaaahhhh…Words cannot adequately express my contentment with ASTRO Gaming and their insanely awesome products. Yes, ASTRO is a client. Yes, we at Maverick are soulless schills. Yet, their products remain insanely awesome in light of this seeming contradiction.
Put it this way, I use my ASTRO A40s every single day for hour after hour at work and then I turn around and use them for hour after hour of play. Awesome! I never leave home without my ASTRO A30s (in black) and they’ve now traveled all over the U.S., Europe, Africa and even Asia. Still insanely awesome!
So, how does ASTRO repay my love for their products?! By working with Konami to make a Special Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Edition ASTRO A30 complete with custom silver color and MGS speaker tags, is how! Needless to say, I want them…and you should too.
Hit the jump for more info on the new MGS:PW-themed ASTRO A30s and an opportunity to pick up a copy of the game for only $20!
Square Enix has just announced Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, which is the very first ORIGINAL Final Fantasy title developed for the Nintendo DS. And, while the NDS hasn’t had any new Final Fantasy titles for…well…ever! the remakes of old classics on the NDS have been nothing short of fantastic. What’s even more exciting is that the team behind the critical and commercially successful remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV for the NDS is the same team developing FF4HOL.
Pretty freakin’ awesome!
So, in short, New Final Fantasy adventure on the NDS this fall; same team who made the excellent FFIII and FFIV; new characters and tales; and, a really cool new “storybook” art style!
Without further ado, check out some of the new screens for FF4HOL:
The hit parade for ASTRO Gaming’s latest on-ear headset the A30 Audio System continues with an Editor’s Choice Award from PC Gamer whose editor’s gave the new cans a phenomenal score of 96%.
Here’s are a few comments from the reviewer at PC Gamer:
Astro’s A40 Audio System (97 % April 2008) might have been improved by including a small pet goat that coughed up wads of $20 bills every time you spanked it; other than that, they were-and are perfect for gamers who want a headset that does more than just reproduce great sound in games.
The earcups still rotate flat against your Chest when not in use, and the new “supra-aural” earcups rest gently on top of your ears rather than around them; they’re comfy, even after hours of continuous troubadour-stabbing in Assasssins Creed 2 , and leave your ears drier as well.
And, the sound is just about as good as you’ll ever get without actually being aboard the SSV Normandy while the ship is buzz-sawed into pieces by the Collectors.
And, while they’re both expensive, the way I see it, nothing’s more expensive than money spent on hardware you don’t love.
The review appeared in the June issue of PC Gamer, which is on shelves now.
NY Times, NY Post, G4TV, Tech-Gaming, Kotaku All Agree The Experience of NIER is Unique and A Trip Worth Taking
Seth Schiesel's NIER Review in NY Times Dove Deep Into Story and Mature Content
NIER continues to surprise and delight reviewers across all levels and genres of media from the New York Times to Kotaku to GamePro to G4TV. We’re really excited to see all of the great coverage coming out and also to see that reviewers are taking the time to evaluate the game on its entire experience, rather than getting hung up on individual points of contention.
Let’s face it, this is just a highlight reel of some cool reviews, so let’s get to it…
The New York Times, as seen above, said: “…if you reduce Nier to its constituent parts, there are plenty of games that surpass it in each area. But Nier never feels disjointed and it stands as an achievement in using many different styles of gaming in the service of a coherent, compelling whole.”
The NY Post weighed in with a B+, saying: “On its surface, Nier is just an action RPG. Below that, however, is a wonderfully complex tale with characters you’ll root for.”
GamePro joined the fray, judging the game to be a “…fun title in its own right, creatively melding hack-n-slash gameplay with traditional RPG elements, and topped off with a bizarre, yet engrossing story.” 3.5/5 stars
Kotaku, which doesn’t assign scores, agreed, saying in their very positive review: “As I played, I was pleasantly surprised to find a complex action role-playing game with some big ideas, a daring storyline, flashy combat, and enough extra content to satisfy even the most obsessive compulsive role-playing fan.”
Tech-Gaming agreed, awarding NIER with a B and saying: “While the title does have a few niggling faults, it is also delightfully compelling as hours evaporate with each subsequent dungeon.”
This is all great news for NIER. Have you tried the game yet? You should. Learn more at www.NIERGame.com or go ahead and find out more right where you spend your day hiding from work responsibilities at www.facebook.com/NIERgame.
As always, you can also follow MavPR on Facebook; come see what we’re up to! EAVB_OEOOMRNSTT
Square Enix’s Latest Action-RPG Surprises Reviewers With Story and Depth
We’ve been really excited for the past few months as we continued to work on NIER with Square Enix. The game had so many spoilers and so much content to hide it presented quite a challenge when it came time to demo and show it off. It was so fun to take it on tour twice and never mention key plot points like the Shadowlord, multiple books and critical story arcs. The goal? To leave people wanting more and create some suspense during review playthroughs.
And we couldn’t be happier to see that the reviewers have enjoyed it as well. While some express consternation over not being fully briefed prior to review, others have embraced what the game has to offer – namely an engaging story, multiple endings (one of which is truly epic), and unique characters.
As with any game, it has its strong points and weak points, but the overall experience has proven to be more than the sum of its parts for most reviewers. As a result, it’s fair to say that NIER is rolling into “sleeper” territory. Just check out some of the reviews: Strategy Informer, GamingUnion, Bitbag, and PSXExtreme all weigh in with 8/10 scores. Other outlets like Zeitgeist apply no score but talk about the amazing story and characters.
If you haven’t checked out NIER, you really should!
We Pwn Media and Show Off DLC FPS Awesomeness in San Francisco…
We just completed a nice preview event in San Francisco with our partners at Ignition Entertainment for their upcoming FPS Blacklight: Tango Down. It’s always fun doing hands-on with competitive shooters – me loves to pwn media.
So, what’s BLTD, you ask? The short of it is this — a multiplayer-focused, Unreal Engine 3-powered, near-future FPS that will available only through digital download for an expected price of $15.
Yes – Unreal tech, tons of modes and maps PLUS co-op, for a quick $15. My nephew is pretty stoked about this one already. And rightfully so.
There is a good looking man in this photo. Unfortunately, he's the one IN the GAME.
So, we’ve been working with Square Enix on their upcoming Action-RPG NIER for quite a while now, releasing cool videos, feature assets packs and providing product demos. Sure, we haven’t said SQUAT about the story details… but we’ve been setting the stage for some big reveals.
But you know what? That wasn’t enough. Oh, no, we had to go all the way, and put a public face on the game. And that face? None other than MavPR Partner, Matt Frary.
BREAKING NEWS: PR Firm Finds Client’s Product to be “Awesome”
Ya ya… but in this case, it happens to be TRUE. If you haven’t seen the news and review pouring in about the ASTRO Gaming A30 Cross-Gaming Headsets, you’re missing out. Especially if you happen to be one of the following people on this earth:
Xbox360 or PS3 Gamer
PC Gamer
DS, PSP Gamer
iPod/iPhone, Blackberry User and Gamer
Skype User
Music Listener
Movie Watcher
OK, so I know you’re covered in that list. And if you are, than you already know how hard it is to find headphones that can let you listen and talk through Xbox Live, move to your PC, and then still be cool looking enough and flexible enough to plug into your iPhone and take out on the streets.
