Month: October 2014

Just Announced Hardware for 31 October 2014

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

Hardware | Donster | October 31, 2014 |

Historical Article: Clipped Wings of the Rising Sun

Japan’s Aircraft Carrier Operations in WWII

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

The bright sunny brilliance of a warm Pacific Ocean early June day was marred by the angry black mushrooming flak shell bursts of anti-aircraft fire as the remaining American Douglas Devastator torpedo planes of USS HORNET’S Torpedo Squadron 8 swung into their final low level attack runs on the four Japanese aircraft carriers of the Midway invasion task force. Previous torpedo attacks had proven fruitless so far as the combat air patrols of Zero fighter planes had attacked the earlier torpedo bomber formations like so many swarms of enraged bees, shooting down virtually every one of them. This latest attack proved no exception. The last remaining torpedo plane, piloted by Ensign George Gay was rocked by flak bursts, but he grimly pressed on with his attack as Japanese Zero’s attacked him from all quarters. He heard his back seat radioman gunner shout over the plane’s intercom. “Mr Gay! I’m hit!!” and then, nothing more. Gay himself was wounded in the hand and leg by machine gun bullets. As he pulled the plane’s manual torpedo release lever, he felt the aircraft’s aileron controls go slack, obviously shot away by Japanese machine gun fire. There’d be no returning to the carrier now. The badly damaged plane, its engine coughing and blowing black smoke, bucked and lurched along, gradually losing most of its remaining altitude. Gay somehow managed to fly his terminally damaged plane a few more miles before crashing it into the ocean. The torpedo plane sank like a rock and he only just managed to keep from being carried down with the plane to the ocean bottom, surfacing with his yellow seat cushion and attached un-inflated life raft. He later remarked how he had a “ring-side seat” for what happened next.

Military History | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Battlefield 5 (or Whatever Comes After Hardline) Won’t Release Until Fall 2016

EA announces a release window for the next game in the Battlefield series.

Source: GameSpot

The Battlefield game that follows Battlefield Hardline won’t be released until the last quarter of 2016, roughly two years from now, Electronic Arts announced today.

During a conference call with EA investors today, CEO Andrew Wilson revealed the release window for whatever the next Battlefield game might be–Battlefield 5 or otherwise. “Battlefield 4 continues to add new players and engage existing fans a year after launch,” Wilson said. “As a result of the extended services and content updates that we provide, it’s clear that players want to experience the games we’re delivering for longer periods of time. Looking into next year, we will ensure that our players have enough time between releases to fully explore the depth and innovation in our shooter titles.”

With Hardline now confirmed to be launching in March, we won’t see another Battlefield game pushed out just six or seven months later, as some fans worried. “Following this launch, our next Battlefield experience is planned planned for launch in Q3 FY17,” Wilson said, referencing the period that spans October-December 2016. “We want to give Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline players more time to enjoy these games and immerse themselves in a game, the live service, and the community.”

Hardline was expected out this month before being delayed until early 2015. EA has said previously that it doesn’t want to annualize the series, similar to what Activision has done with Call of Duty.

This announced timeline for the next Battlefield would put about a year and a half between Battlefield releases (BF4 in October 2013, Hardline in March 2015, and the next game in late 2016), but would mean that new Battlefield games debuted in consecutive years.

Battlefield 4 First-Person Shooters | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Assassin’s Creed: Unity Interactive Trailer

Ubisoft has unveiled a revolutionary new interactive trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Co-created by the community, the CGI trailer offers a breathtaking dive into the French Revolution, and showcases fan made Assassin’s flooding the city of Paris.

Over several months, the community created and voted for their favourite Assassins that would feature in the trailer. Over 200,000 Assassins were designed, with the top 1,400 making the cut. At any moment in the trailer, the community can pause and zoom in on any Assassin, allowing them to spot their creations in action. A gigapan will also be released that features every single Assassin’s in the one image.

“The Assassin’s Creed universe lives through its fans’, and this trailer is an amazing opportunity for them to be part of the campaign. They can see their own Assassin running through the streets, breaking into buildings and parkouring on Paris’ rooftops” said Guillaume Carmona, Marketing Director at Ubisoft EMEA. “We wanted to take the interactive and social aspect of gaming to the next level.”

As well as the Assassins themselves, 15 secrets have been included in the trailer, allowing access to exclusive footage and content upon discovery.

The trailer was created as part of Ubisoft’s ‘Unite’ campaign and can be viewed HERE.

Action/Strategy Assassin's Creed: Unity | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass Unveiled – Video

Source: CVG

Activision has released a new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass video detailing what players will get for paying up-front for additional DLC content.

The Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass will cost $50 and will grant buyers access to four DLC packs planned for release throughout 2015 – Havoc, Ascendance, Supremacy, and Reckoning – each one containing new multiplayer content, typically including maps and modes.

Season Pass holders will also get early access DLC weapons, and will get an additional DLC multiplayer map on launch day. Called Atlas Gorge, the map is an enhanced remake of Call of Duty 4′s Pipeline map, and the focus of the above video.

The $50 Season Pass will represent a $10 discount on buying the expansions separately at $15 each. The first DLC expansion, Havoc, is set to drop in January.

Activision recently announced that customers who purchase Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare digitally on Xbox 360 or PS3 will be able to download the new-gen version within the same console family for free.

The Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare release date is November 4 on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare First-Person Shooters | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

EA and Visceral Games Confirm Battlefield Hardline Release Date

Electronic Arts has announced that Battlefield Hardline, a Battlefield title in the works at Visceral Games, is scheduled to be available on March 17 in North America, March 19 in Europe and March 20th 2015 in the UK.

In a crime drama filled single player story, Miami is embroiled in a drug war and Officer Nick Mendoza has just made Detective. Alongside his partner, veteran detective Khai Minh Dao, he follows the drug supply chain from the streets to the source. In a series of increasingly off-the-books cases the two detectives come to realise that power and corruption can affect both sides of the law.

In multiplayer, the world is simple. You’re on one side of the law or the other – a baton or bat, stun gun or rifle, armoured police truck or powerful muscle cars. But either way, teamwork is going to be essential if you’re going to want to pull off that perfect heist or big time bust in this new take on Battlefield multiplayer.

Battlefield Hardline will be available for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PC via Origin™, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Get more game information at the official Battlefield Hardline website.

Battlefield Hardline First-Person Shooters | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Company of Heroes 2 Launches Free Observer Mode and Mod Tools

Today, SEGA and Relic Entertainment are launching a brand new update for the award-winning real-time strategy game Company of Heroes 2 adding two new community features to the game – Observer Mode and Mod Tools. The update will go live on STEAM at 2PM PST.

Observer Mode allows players to sync up and watch live multiplayer matches as they unfold. The feature will let them view games from a variety of different angles, at different speeds and player perspectives and grants access to live data that was previously inaccessible. It provides viewers the opportunity to analyze strategies and learn from the best players in the world. Players can also broadcast their feed through our integrated Twitch interface and showcase their skills to a broader audience.

Mod Tools are an eagerly awaited addition to Company of Heroes 2’s roster of community centric features and will equip the modding community with even more opportunities to create their own custom content. Allowing players to modify existing content to refine the game experience and giving them options to establish their own win conditions and game rules will ultimately create even more and diverse content available for everyone to enjoy.

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Vehicle Pack Now Available

Lobsters of Doom!!!! Strike that. Crabs of Doom!

Battlefront.com has announced the release of the Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Vehicle Pack for Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy.The Sherman Crab anti-mine tank is just one of a number of unusual and exciting vehicles included in the Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Vehicle Pack (for PC and Mac OSX)! How about the Churchill VII Crocodile or the French Char B-2(f) flamethrower tanks? Or the Churchill AVRE with a massive 290mm “Petard” mortar! The CM:BN Vehicle Pack includes over a dozen oddball vehicles that were too fun to leave out of the game.

The Vehicle Pack requires the base game upgraded to v3.0 but no other modules (however, to access module specific vehicles, that module is required; for example, you can’t access the British vehicles if you only have the base game and no modules).

The Vehicle Pack doesn’t include any missions or campaigns. The vehicles can be used right away in any new QuickBattle or in the editor to make your own scenarios and campaigns.

The Vehicle Pack updates your game engine from v3.00 to v3.10. It includes a number of bug fixes and other improvements to the engine that will also be part of future free patches.

Click here for complete vehicle information and more details!

Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Cougar 700K Gaming Keyboard Review

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

A couple of months ago we reviewed a new mouse from Cougar and despite it being their first real entry into the high end gaming peripherals market it was rather impressive. Today in our Cougar 700K Review we find out if they can repeat that with a new high end keyboard.

Read The Review Here

Gaming Keyboards Hardware | Donster | October 29, 2014 |

Just Announced Hardware for 29 October 2014

Hardware | Donster | October 29, 2014 |