Author: Donster

Square Enix Collective is delighted to announce that Battalion 1944, the old-school WW2 FPS from Derby based studio Bulkhead Interactive, has entered Early Access on Steam.

The shooter – which is designed to replicate the feel of the best FPS games from the 1990s – albeit with all the extra grunt and gloss of a modern day game – recently enjoyed a successful beta weekend as a sign off before its Early Access debut. Now, however, is when things ramp up.

“It’s no exaggeration that Battalion 1944 is the game I’ve always wanted to make,” says Joe Brammer – Studio Lead at Bulkhead Interactive. “We’ve enjoyed success at Bulkhead before, but we’re all gamers who grew up playing the best FPS games, so the idea of making one that stripped things back to the competitive nature of the shooters of old has been a dream come true. “What’s even better is seeing the reaction of the gamers who have been able to play it so far – it seems they’re as excited as we are.”

Bulkhead Interactive previously worked on The Turing Test back in 2016, a celebrated puzzler also published by Square Enix Collective.

“For us, Battalion 1944 represents a step into an entirely new genre,” offers Phil Elliott, Director of Indie Publishing at Square Enix Limited. “Square Enix Collective was set up with the intention of releasing indie games from a wide range of studios working on a diverse line up of titles, and Battalion 1944 and its focus on an old school FPS ethic is something we’ve never done before. We’re sure it’s going to be a major asset in our line-up for years to come.”

Battalion 1944 will retail on Early Access for £11.99/€14.99/$14.99. Those who backed Battalion 1944 back when it was on Kickstarter will get exclusive skins and multiple cosmetic and vanity focused loot crates.

Battalion 1944 is available on Early Access today.

More game info available at the Battalion 1944  website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

CI Games finally released the long-awaited multiplayer update for Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 last week. Although not mentioned publicly in the patch notes, the Polish publisher also eliminated the Denuvo protection from the game. For those readers who don’t keep up with the Warez scene, Russian cracker BALDMAN cracked Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 one month after its release. Many would agree that there wasn’t any point in keeping the anti-tamper tech in the game. But now, with it gone completely, DSOGaming re-tested the game to see whether there were any performance gains without Denuvo.

To make a long story short, the DSOGaming team noticed a significant reduction in the game’s loading time. However, they weren’t completely certain if the reduction was a product of the removal of Denuvo or game optimizations done by the developer. The previous performance issues still haunted the game, and there were zero improvement in graphics performance. This was expected to a certain degree taking into account that Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is a GPU intensive title after all. It might be a different story with games like Watch Dogs 2 or Assassin’s Creed Origins, since they are more demanding on the processor. Now, we just have to wait until Ubisoft removes Denuvo from them.

DISCOVER TWO ADDITIONAL OPERATORS AND A NEW CO-OP EVENT

Today, UBISOFT revealed the first details of “Operation Chimera” and “Outbreak Event”, the opening content of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege Year Three. Two new operators, specialists in biohazard situations and playable in adversarial multiplayer, will have to face a major threat in the game’s first co-op event, Outbreak.

This time, the Rainbow team faces an entirely different threat: an infestation of unknown origin is attacking the small town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The danger is so high that the authorities have quarantined the entire town, trapping civilians and soldiers inside. Pushed to its limits, team Rainbow calls in some of the very best biohazard specialists currently in operation within the World’s elite national CTUs.

These hot zone specialists from France and Russia respectively, are experts in matters of biological warfare and veterans of numerous conflicts involving bio-chemical weapons. They are Rainbow Six’s best hope against the dangers lurking in the Quarantine Zone.

Outbreak, a four-week brand new co-op event

In Outbreak, the first seasonal event for Rainbow Six: Siege, players will choose their best team of three to enter the devastated town of Truth or Consequences and neutralise the threat. From exploding monstrosities to hulking horrors, the Rainbow Six team will face something never-seen before. These armoured monsters will bring the fight close and push the destruction engine to new heights. Players will have to find new ways of using their arsenal against a foe that doesn’t take cover and engages instantly in close combat. Watch the new Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Six Siege – Outbreak: Space Capsule Trailer HERE.

“Operation Chimera” will be available on TTS from February 19th and on all platforms on March 6th while “Outbreak” will be playable on PC on the second day of the Operation Chimera TTS, on February 20th. It will then be available on all platforms from March 6th to April 3rd inclusively.

To learn more about our two upcoming Operators and Outbreak event update, be sure to tune in to the livestream during the Six Invitational finals happening in Montreal on February 17th and 18th: https://www.twitch.tv/rainbow6

For more information about the game or news on the upcoming title update, please visit www.rainbow6.com.

Source: Blue’s News

A new live-action trailer for Official Call of Duty: WWII celebrates tomorrow’s PlayStation 4 release of The Resistance, the DLC pack that will come to other platforms in about a month. The clip surrounds 17 seconds of gameplay footage with a couple of minutes of sketch comedy that seems to clunk along aimlessly. Word is: “Hide in plain sight. Operate under the cover of darkness. It’s time to live the spirit of The Resistance.”

Call of Duty: WWII is available on disc at a number of retailers, digital download via Steam, or at the Call of Duty: WWII official website.

Source: Blue’s News

Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles – Episode 2 is now available on Steam, offering more DLC for the alternate-history World War II shooter sequel. Here’s word on The Diaries of Agent Silent Death, which is the second of three planned DLCs for the game:

Your mission to liberate America from the Nazis has only just begun. Continue the fight in The Diaries of Agent Silent Death, the second in a series of three DLC packs available as part of the Wolfenstein® II: The Freedom Chronicles.

Play as former OSS agent and assassin, Jessica Valiant, AKA Agent Silent Death! Hot on the trail of a sinister plot, Valiant finds herself in the offices of Paragon Pictures, Tinseltown film studio turned Nazi propaganda machine. Stalk, shoot and stab from the shadows in pursuit of your prey in the Diaries of Agent Silent Death!

Only you can overcome the Nazi threat in…The Freedom Chronicles!

Watch the Wolfenstein II: The Diaries of Agent Silent Death trailer here.

Eighty years ago, the people of China rallied together to fight a ruthless invader – another in a long line of invaders. For a brief moment, the post-revolutionary squabbles that followed the end of the imperial line were put aside to defend the nation. But that is just one possible timeline. History is not fixed, and Paradox offers you the chance to change it once again with the release of Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger on March 8.

Waking the Tiger is the next expansion for Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling World War II grand strategy wargame. With new focus trees, revised battle systems and new alternate historical paths for the major Axis powers, Waking the Tiger will shake idle generals from their slumber.

Click here to watch Game Director Dan Lind and friends explain what’s coming in Waking the Tiger!

Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger includes:

• Chinese National Focuses: Divided and under threat, China has great reserves of manpower and diplomatic flexibility.
• Chain of Command: Unite your armies under a field marshal who can take advantage of the many skills of the generals under his direction.
• Decisions and Missions: Historical decisions and national missions give you new places to spend Political Power, as you deal with domestic politics or start special projects.
• General Traits and Abilities: Generals’ traits can now unlock powerful Command Power abilities, allowing great flexibility and creativity.
• Updated Axis Focus Trees: Alternate historical paths for the German Reich and Imperial Japan, including parliamentary rule in Japan and the return of the Kaiser to Germany.
• Acclimatization: Over time, troops will learn how to survive in the desert or harsh winters, giving these veterans an edge on the battlefield.
• And More: Capturing battlefield equipment, and a revitalized air war system that has room for Volunteer air wings.

Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger will be available on March 8, 2018, and, as usual, the release will be accompanied by a free major update for all Hearts of Iron players.

Click here to pre-order Hearts of Iron IV: Waking the Tiger and gather up more game information!

As unique as the people who crew, run and command them, submarines have served their naval arms for over a hundred years in times of peace and in times of war, in one of the most hostile environments on earth: the deep seas.

In wartime actions such as fleet battles, convoy interdiction or commerce raiding, or in peace- or crisis-time “black operations” like covert intelligence or insertion & extraction of special forces, spies and other individuals, submarines have been always seen as the tip of the naval spear and an incomparably flexible asset in modern operations.

Alone or in wolf-packs, armed with conventional or nuclear weapons and packed with the most sophisticated surveillance systems, these massive steel sharks incarnate the ancestral fear of the peril coming unseen from the depths.
Will you step down the hatch ladder and join the Silent Service?

WarfareSims and MatrixGames are proud to announce The Silent Service, the fourth DLC/Standalone to be released under the Command label!

In this new thrilling installment we turn our attention from the air- and surface/ground-centric conflicts of Shifting Sands to the depths of the high seas, as you’ll explore the progression of submarine operations from the Korean War right up to today’s headlines. Witness first-hand how technological advances like the snorkel, nuclear power, cruise and ballistic missiles, silencing measures and advanced sensors, computers and weapons have radically expanded both the remit and capabilities of the submarine platform – and how its hunters above and below the waves improved their own gear and tactics to keep up in the race.

Eighteen standalone scenarios (six of them in a WW3 mini-campaign), played either in ascending difficulty or chronological order, walk you through the nuances of modern submarine operations, in control of a wide range of submarine classes from both the East and West, in conditions ranging from peacetime to crisis to all-out war.

• 18 intense standalone scenarios (six of them part of a WW3 mini-campaign) written by Rory Noonan, CMANO community veteran: each scenario is accompanied by era-authentic mission briefings placing you into the scene of action
• A wide range of introductory tutorials, designed to teach you how to get into the game in an approachable and accessible way
• Underwater warfare utilizing CMANO’s award-winning simulation engine – with new wrinkles specific to the submarine domain

Get more information about Command: The Silent Service from its official Product Page!

Command: The Silent Service can be played as a separate game (with the possibility to upgrade it to the base game with all the available database and scenarios at any point in time). Alternatively, it can be integrated as a new set of scenarios for owners of the original Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations Game of Year Edition!

Matrix Games are pleased to announce Slitherine’s first tactical air-combat game, based on the tabletop masterpiece and Origins Awards Winner created by Scott Fisher: Check Your 6!

While staying true to its physical counterpart, the game has slightly adapted its mechanics to enhance the digital experience and deliver a game with incredible replay value.

Developed by The Lordz Games Studio and Moonlit Studio, Check Your 6! will take you right at the heart of World War II.

With 14 aircraft, 8 for the Axis and 6 for the Allies, fighting over 18 different missions that are playable from both sides, the game gives you the opportunity to be replayed multiple times. The WEGO turn-based gameplay makes every game of Check Your 6! different as each move has a dramatic impact on the final battle results.

Check Your 6! also features hotseat and real-time online multiplayer mode, where you’ll be able to fight against your friends and foes.

To watch the announcement trailer, view screenshots and find out more about Check Your 6!, please visit the games official webpage.

Check Your 6! will be out on our site and Steam on March 15th, so stay tuned!

By Sean Sinha @ Legit Reviews

EKWB is a Slovenian manufacturer of high performance water cooling parts and accessories designed to meet the needs of the most discerning PC enthusiasts. EK gets their name from the initials of their founder, Edvard Konig, who began designing and manufacturing water blocks back in the late 1990’s, eventually producing and manufacturing his first line of waterblocks in 2003. Since their inception, EKWB has built a reputation for making some of the best water cooling components in the industry and they also have a lineup of AIO cooling solutions for users who don’t want to get involved with full loop water cooling. Today, I am looking at the EKWB M.2 NVMe Heatsink, a product designed to reduce temperatures of M.2 storage devices while also giving a unique aesthetic to a typically green or black sticker-covered M.2 drive.

Read The Review Here

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the latest update to its GeForce software. Version 390.77 WHQL drivers come game-ready for four of the week’s hottest game releases, including “Metal Gear Survive,” “Black Desert Online,” “Kingdom Come: Deliverance,” and “War Thunder.” It adds or updates SLI profiles for “DiRT 4,” “Hot Lava,” “Metal Gear Survive,” and ” Ode.” The drivers address several issues specific to Windows 10, such as display corruption/blanking when, for example, multiple displays are connected to a GTX 780 Ti SLI setup; G-Sync displays connected to TITAN V with its memory being overclocked; or a BSOD crash when “Gears of War 4″ on GeForce 10-series GPUs.

You can download the new GeForce 390.77 WHQL Game Ready Graphics Drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.