We’ll be in Germany next week with Square Enix helping them to show off the game at GamesCom in Cologne.  In the meantime, enjoy the newest trailer, which shows off gameplay publicly for the very first time.

ASTRO Gaming Scout Backpack reviewed by Wired's Game|Life

If ASTRO Gaming has a peripheral to its award-winning A30 and A40 Headsets and Audio Systems it would have to be their Transport Series of gaming equipment bags.  Wired’s Game|Life was so intrigued by the studio’s gear hauling accessories that they decided to give the ASTRO Gaming Scout Backpack a spin.

The end result was a hearty recommendation from Wired and an 8 out of 10!

Read on for some quotes:

The Scout Backpack is mandatory gear for the geek on the go.

the Scout Backpack is designed with the gamer in mind. From the outside, the bag appears modest. But inside, it is lined with a buttery fabric that softly cradles all your gear.

The Scout’s versatile front compartment will make geeks truly happy.

While I moved around airports, the backpack’s exterior pockets — one for sunglasses and another ideal for quickly stowing a boarding pass and smartphone — got a lot of use.

the Scout’s convenient and thoughtful storage solutions have convinced me to permanently ditch the flimsy and uncomfortable shoulder bag I’ve previously been using to lug my nerd stuff around the country.

Seriously consider this bag for your next geek outing. Penny Arcade Expo is, after all, right around the corner.

WIRED Dazzling array of pockets that will hold anything a geek might want; luxurious inner lining protects your investments.

TIRED Thick fabric can get you a bit sweaty during prolonged use.

GameSpot's Exclusive Look Hits on the X360 Page

GameSpot - along with a handful of other outlets – nabbed a private demo with us last week and had a chance to delve deeper into Square Enix’s upcoming action game, Mindjack.  All of this during a first look preview tour Maverick put together in San Francisco.

While all of the outlets we visited will be posting their thoughts on the game shortly, including 1UP, Gamepro, GamesRadar, Worthplaying, and many more, GameSpot is first out of the gate with their exclusive first break, along with a new video and exclusive video interview with Square Enix’s Johnny Fournier.

If you’re not familiar with Mindjack, it is an unusual game that combines single and multi-player action in to a unifying, intense and always different experience.  The way I try to explain this is imagine that you fire up your single player campaign as normal but at any time, you might discover the enemies your are battling and squad mates fighting by your side are controlled by other gamers somewhere in the world through Xbox Live and Playstation Network.  Now THAT’s good AI.

Take a look at the video interview on GameSpot below – some pretty cool stuff happening in the world of Mindjack.  And be sure to visit the game on it’s Facebook Page and “Like” away!

Dungeon Siege III for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3

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:

ASTRO Gaming A30 Audio System in July OXM

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.

ASTRO Gaming MGS:PW Edition A30 Headset

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!

Astro Gaming

In the meantime, here are a few more images of the custom MGS:PW A30:

On Ear Action

Stealthy, Black

Hidden in the Snow, White

Standing Next to a Steel Drum, Silver

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light for NDS

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:

Astro Gaming A30 Audio System in June PC Gamer

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.

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.”

G4TV came through with a 4/5 in their review that went on X-Play.  Is this because of someone’s dashing face appearing on that show earlier this year?  Decidedly yes, in my humble opinion… but it could just be the game too…

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

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!