Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that Facebook has bought Occulus Rift for $2 BILLION. View the press release below.
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The Used are streaming their upcoming album "Imaginary Enemy" on Pandora (http://bit.ly/1lalMNY), Youtube (http://bit.ly/1h20ICk), and Amazon (http://bit.ly/1oFGF2v) today - a week before its release date, April 1st, 2014.
The original Dark Souls is one of my favorite titles of all time. Truth be told, I hated it the first time I picked it up. I couldn’t even defeat the first boss, and in a fit of geek rage I took the game back to the store, vowing to play something more enjoyable. This decision to give up so easily haunted my pixilated nightmares. Six months later I attempted it again and I’ve never looked back, it’s slowly become one of my favorite games of all time. The main reason: it’s so damn rewarding. Sure, it’s tougher than leather, but also completely fair, impatience and bad timing are your greatest enemies, not the gigantic bosses who can (and will) demolish your health bar in one well-timed combination.
Needless to say the sequel had a lot to live up to.
Thankfully From Software hasn’t made many changes to the original formula that still feels so close to perfection. The game is a lot prettier graphically than the original, oceanfront hub Majula is certainly a more visually comforting place than Firelink Shrine, though both areas function exactly the same. Bosses are consistently brutal and seem to appear a lot more frequently, and normal enemies can still take your souls after one ill-timed blocking attempt. Prepare to die. Often.
Dark Souls 2 also never holds your hand or provides more information than absolutely necessary. I’ve had numerous friends restart entirely after finding out they were using items the wrong way or making character builds that just don’t succeed in combat. I even completely respec’d my own character after I realized that a very strong shield was needed to get past a certain boss. Granted, you can locate tons of information on the internet, but that takes away all of the gratification earned by figuring things out for yourself. Playing this with a walkthrough will completely rob you of one of the most worthwhile and demanding gaming experiences out there.
One major tweak that might infuriate gamers is the new health bar reduction. When you die, a small portion of your health bar is permanently removed. The only way to restore it is with a very rare item called an effigy; these also essentially replace humanity from the first game. This new twist on the formula made me a lot more cautious at first, but eventually I just learned to function with half a health bar at all times.
The other major change is the ability to fast travel from the very beginning of your quest. The player didn’t gain this ability until roughly halfway through the original and it definitely changes the overall pacing of the game for the better. I was never faced with conquering one boss to move forward, there were always at least three paths open to me I could utilize at any time. This overcomes the sheer frustration I felt on the first title when I was stuck in Anor Londo for over a week trying to best Orenstein and Smough. There are always multiple options in Dark Souls 2, which in a title this exhausting can never be a bad thing.
Dark Souls changed the way I play video games. Every other modern game seems undemanding in comparison, and certainly not half as fulfilling. When I walk up to an unopened treasure chest I always take a precautionary swing. Always. Even if I think there is no danger, I do it just in case the chest turns into a toothy monster ready to devour me down to the marrow. I expect a trap around every corner because there usually is one. It’s made me a shaky, paranoid mess and I’ve begged for and enjoyed every single second of it.
Dark Souls 2 is more addictive than pure heroin. I’ve never done heroin, but I have a few friends that have. I’m basing this statement on how quickly they were willing to sell me their game collections to obtain more heroin.
Fine Fine Titans are a four-piece female fronted post-hardcore ensemble hailing from the Great Lakes region of Grand Rapids, Michigan. With a full lineup in place and undeniably killer EP on the horizon, Fine Fine Titans are about to shake things up in 2014.
Indie Cindy, the band’s first full studio album since 1991’s Trompe le Monde, will be released in late April (April 23/Japan, April 28/UK/Europe/International, April 29/North America) on the band’s own independent label, Pixiesmusic (marketed and distributed worldwide by [PIAS] Recordings). Pre-orders for most configurations can be placed beginning today at iTunes, Amazon, and other online retail outlets. Listen to a new song below.
In an interview at GDC, Nigel Lowrie confirmed that Hotline Miami is coming to PS4 with Cross-Buy support; watch the interview below
Photo Credit: Alternative Press
Dangerkids, a heavier version of Linkin Park (think Hybrid Theory and Meteora) were a perfect choice to open the Take Action tour. Their catchy songs and Innerpartysystem vibe kept the crowd excited and energized. The band was very grateful for the crowd's support (including mine) and were excited to see such amazing feedback for the opener. Their drummer Katie Cole killed it (yes they have a girl drummer). Their singers Andy Bane and Tyler Smyth kept the crowd engaged while jumping around and singing/rapping/screaming their hearts out. You should check out their debut album Collapse if you haven't already. This is a band to follow and keep an eye on. To anyone who is lucky enough to get this band for Vans Warped Tour should definitely check them out.
Setlist:
Dust
Countdown
Paper Thin
We're All In Danger
Hostage
Light Escapes
Waking Up
Australian powerhouse I Killed The Prom Queen began with their vocalists screaming their Beginning of the End intro from their new album Beloved was a great beginning to their surprisingly short set. The guitars on Thirty One and Sevens and Sharks in Your Mouth were on point. There was a problem with the sound so the vocals could barely be heard but from what I could hear but none-the-less, the set was full of energy and excitement. To the disappointment of myself and the other members of the crowd, their set was cut short after Calvert Street due to them taking so long setting up but I still enjoyed their set.
Setlist:
Beginning of the End
Sharks in Your Mouth
Thirty One and Sevens
Calvert Street
The Ghost Inside: with their opener being their most popular song Engine 45, the crowd was pumped from the start. With the whole room was screaming "If it's a war you came to see you will never see a waved white flag in front of me" how could you not be excited. Playing some old school favorites like Chrono and Faith and Forgiveness made this a great tour to see The Ghost Inside. While they skipped This is What I Know About Sacrifice due to timing concerns, was still an amazing experience. Remember to catch The Ghost inside on all the dates of the Vans Warped Tour this summer!
Setlist:
Engine 45
Unspoken
Chrono
Between The Lines
The Great Unknown
The Conflict
Thirty Three
Dark Horse
Faith and Forgiveness
As a household metalcore name, The Devil Wears Prada never disappoints. From the very beginning with the green lights and the fog machines spilling pancake smelling fog (yes, you read that right, the fog smelled like pancakes) truly set the mood. The band comes on stage without a normal intro and dives into the first song of the night, Sailor's Prayer. When Escape (the intro to 2011's Zombie EP) began, the lights switched to red and created the effect of zombies and blood which was really amazing. After a few more songs, Mike Hranica (lead vocalist) went offstage and grabbed a guitar and dove into Kansas which is the instrumental interlude from 2012's Dead Throne. The band then went into a jam session of sorts which was different from anything id heard from them previously. The session led perfectly into War and the crowd was still settled down so you could perfectly hear Hranica scream "I'm fighting the war, rather than war itself. Jeremy DePoyster (clean vocalist/rhythm guitar) never disappoints with his amazing choruses that have whole venue singing along. Fast forward to the band's encore which consisted of Mammoth (From Dead Throne) and a fan-favorite Danger:Wildman which consists of Mike Hranica screaming "I know a ghost" for the beginning of the song which would give anyone chill bumps. Prada's performance was by far the best of the night and remember to check them out the entire summer on the Van's Warped Tour!
Setlist:
Sailors Prayer
Escape
Untidaled
Assistant To The Regional Manager
Gloom
Care More
Martyrs
Outnumbered
Kansas (with Outro Jam session)
War
Born To Lose
8:18
First Sight
In Heart
-Encore-
Mammoth
Danger: Wildman
The Sound Of Animals Fighting have announced they will release "Tiger and the Duke" and 'Lover, The Lord Has Left Us…' on vinyl for the first time. View more info below
The fifth installment in Relapse’s exhaustive reissue campaign of DEATH’s immensely influential catalog is Leprosy, the band’s titanic second album. Originally released in 1988 Leprosy was a pioneering album, building upon the thrash sounds of Metallica and Slayer but adding a previously unheard level of raw extremity. These songs are the roots of an entire genre: death metal. While this was only the second record DEATH released, it immediately cemented them as heavy metal icons. View the tracklist below
Yellowcard has signed to Razor & Tie for a worldwide multi-album deal that will see the release of a new studio album this Fall.
The band comments, “We are beyond excited for what lies ahead. There are so many amazing opportunities on the horizon for us, and we are stoked to have a new partner in Razor & Tie.”