Author: Donster

By Bruce Kuklick @ WWII Magazine

In the late evening and early morning of November 12-13, 1942, the United States and Japan engaged in one of the most brutal naval battles of World War II. Minutes into the fight, north of Guadalcanal, a torpedo from Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze ripped into the port side of the American light cruiser USS Juneau, taking out its steering and guns and killing 19 men in the forward engine room. The keel buckled and the propellers jammed. During the 10-15 minutes the crew was engaged in battle, sailors vomited and wept; to hide from the barrage, others tried to claw their way into the steel belly of their vessel. The ship listed to port, with its bow low in the water, and the stink of fuel made it difficult to breathe below deck.

Read on…

Source: Blue’s News

Activision announces the full release of Continuum, the second map pack for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. This was released one month ago for PlayStation 4 and now comes to the Windows and Xbox One editions of the first-person shooter. This adds four multiplayer maps, including a modernization of one from Modern Warfare 2, as well as a new installment of the zombie saga. There are details on the Call of Duty website and previously released trailers show off the multiplayer maps and the Shaolin Shuffle zombie episode. Here’s the pitch:

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Continuum, the second DLC Map Pack for the game, is available now on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC. Continuum delivers four new maps, including the return of one of the most beloved maps from Modern Warfare 2, Rust, re-imagined for today’s generation with an ultramodern look. The new DLC pack also features “Shaolin Shuffle,” the next chapter of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies experience set in 1970s disco era New York.

Shaolin Shuffle, features the return of Willard Wyler, the mysterious movie director villain. This time, Wyler has trapped the four protagonists inside a new horror film, set in the unforgettable 1970s. Players face all-new zombie enemies across a variety of disco-era New York locations, including subways, flashy nightclubs and a martial arts dojo headed up by the “Shaolin Sister.” In addition to hallmark Call of Duty action, Shaolin Shuffle introduces four unlockable fighting styles, each with its own set of unique combat moves. The four playable characters return, and are voiced by the same actors from the original story, but now take on funky, over-the-top roles from the ‘70s era including “the Punk Rocker,” “the Sleazebag,” “the Street Poet,” and “the Disco Chick.”

In addition to the Shaolin Shuffle, Continuum includes four new multiplayer maps:

• Turista: A plush spa and resort, Turista is nestled in the middle of a giant skeleton of an ancient creature. With sniper spots scattered across a majestic, central waterfall, Turista also boasts tight interiors for fans of close-quartered combat and a three-lane design that caters to a variety of play styles.
• Scrap: Set in an abandoned junkyard on the Moon, Scrap features a combination of extended sightlines and tactical pathways that reward players who engage in both long and short-range combat.
• Archive: Fast, frenetic action sets the pace in Archive, a post-futurist art gallery where tight engagements contrast with open exterior battlegrounds in this wide three-lane style map.
• Excess: Perched atop a gilded penthouse in a sprawling future metropolis, Excess is a small, circular map re-imagined from the classic Modern Warfare 2 map, Rust, that retains the intense, fast-paced combat from the original.

Source: Blue’s News

Steam now offers early access to Flight Sim World, a new flight simulator with an emphasis on realism. You can judge whether this flies in this trailer with a brief look at the game. Here’s the pitch:

Flight Sim World®, developed by specialist simulation developer and publisher Dovetail Games, has now been released into Steam’s Early Access program.

Take control of your exquisitely modeled aircraft from take-off to landing through a variety of dramatic weather conditions. Either fly with friends in multiplayer mode, or fly solo from over 24,000 airports worldwide.

If you are new to flight simulation, learn the basics while working towards obtaining your in-sim qualifications in our true-to-life flight lessons. For those who demand more of a challenge, a series of complex missions will push your skills to their limit.

As part of Flight Sim World’s release into Steam’s Early Access program, regular updates will be delivered over the coming months – including a weather system upgrade, flight planner expansions, and enhanced multiplayer functionality. Additionally, the Flight Sim World team will be collating and acting on player feedback for the complete duration of the early access period.

“The flight sim community is a fountain of experience and expertise and early access is our way of drawing upon that knowledge to make Flight Sim World the best it can be,” said executive producer Stephen Hood. “With this release, we are forging a brighter and more vibrant future for flight simulation.”

Fellow wargamers, if you can’t wait to challenge yourself in desert warfare, then we have a news for you! Desert War: 1940 – 1942 is about to enter its beta testing phase, and we ask players to help us in important stage!

If you are of a mind to contribute to polishing the game, then look no further and apply by clicking here!

From the product page:

“Desert War is an operational level, ground-centric wargame that recreates the epic tank battles fought between the Axis and Allies for possession of Libya and Egypt.

It consists of a series of historical and “What-if” scenarios that allow the players to explore the ebb and flow of the actual conflict.”

It’s 2018, the near future and the World is on the verge of a Third World War.

Tensions in the Korean peninsula region are erupting on a scale rarely seen before. Many countries have pursued particularly muscular policies in recent years, hardening a situation, ready to light the fuse at any moment.

China’s political elites are seeing the chance to fulfill their ambitions of a Chinese sphere of influence over the Pacific, and even if the United States are refocusing their military efforts in a revamped War on Terror, they haven’t left their interests in the region unprotected.

Now the question is not when, but who will be the first to strike?

Chains of War, the latest installment in the C: MANO series is finally here! Be ready to face the apocalypse of an ultra-technological war, where all the rules have been subverted!

Tactical EMP weapons, railguns, high-energy lasers, communications disruption by network/cyber-attacks– and more! – have been implemented, making Command: Chains of War more challenging and realistic than ever!

Load mobile forces on ships, aircraft and even submarines, and unload them on any suitable point on the battlefield, with the new “Cargo, landing and airdrop operations” feature!

Watch the official Command: Chains of War launch trailer here.

Are you ready for the next generation of war? Grab the game now!

By Kyle Bennett @ HardOCP

What happens when you rope yourself in to doing a gaming chair review? You take your time, do it right, and make sure your butt spends at least a few months in the chair before you write your review. My butt has been in the VertaGear Triigger 350 Gaming Chair for over 3 months, and here are my thoughts.

Read The Review Here

By Thomas Ran @ Tom’s Hardware

The ZM-K900M replaces the ZM-K700M (which we reviewed earlier) as Zalman’s flagship keyboard. Adding in more lighting options and switch choices, the K900M expands on the market that the K700M targeted. The keyboard is still obviously aimed at gamers, with flashy visuals and gamer-typical marketing features such as n-key rollover (NKRO) and a high polling rate, but the addition of clicky (Blue) and tactile (Brown) options may actually please gamers disappointed at the Cherry MX Red-only K700M.

Read The Review Here

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD released the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.5.2 drivers. These drivers improve performance of “Prey” a further 4.5 percent, compared to 17.5.1 drivers, as tested on a Radeon RX 580 8 GB graphics card. The drivers also address some critical bugs, beginning with random hangs or application crash noticed on “NieR: Automata,” excessive level load times noticed on “Forza Horizon 3,” a bug related to multi-GPU setups where displays plugged into the second graphics cards where the first (primary) graphics card disappears from the device list; and a bug with Radeon RX 550 which causes the system to hang when entering sleep or hibernate states.

You can download the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.5.2 drivers here.

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.

• ASUS Intros the ROG STRIX X370-F Gaming Motherboard
• Sharkoon Skiller SGS3 Premium Gaming Chairs Now Available
• Sapphire Adds Radeon RX 560 PULSE to Lineup
• Lian Li Launch Their New PC-O12 Chassis
• Acer Z35P Monitor Does 3440×1440 at 120 Hz and G-Sync
• EK Water Blocks is Releasing New Gaming Series Kits
• Reeven Introduces Kiran RGB LED Fan Series
• Swiftech Introduces Universal SLI/CrossFire Bridges In ECO and LE (Luxury Edition)
• MSI Teases X299 Gaming Pro Motherboard
• Cougar Teases New Kit – Amazing Looking Chassis

Paradox Interactive and Eugen Systems Bring Historical Weight to WWII Tactical RTS

Two giants of historical strategy put their love of the past on display in Steel Division: Normandy 44. The World War II themed real-time strategy game from Paradox Interactive and Eugen Systems is rooted in a deep appreciation of history and an understanding of the limits and possibilities of games.

In a new behind-the-scenes video from Eugen Systems, Creative Director Alexis Le Dressay and his team expand on the research that went into the development of Steel Division: Normandy 44. Division battlegroups, unit design and map choice are all based on attention to period detail and historical accuracy.

Players can now pre-order Steel Division: Normandy 44 for $39.99/£34,99/€39,99, or the Deluxe Edition for $59.99/£49,99/€59,99. Both versions include two historical aces as a pre-order bonus, giving division leaders new cosmetic faces to put in command of their vehicles.

Pre-ordering Steel Division: Normandy 44 also gives players access to the multiplayer beta, which allows players to face off on the battlefields of Normandy with Steel Division’s unique battlegroups in advance of launch. Steel Division: Normandy 44 will receive its final pre-launch beta update this afternoon, which will add two new divisions (the British 6th Airborne and German 352.Infanterie Division) and maps of Odon and Carpiquet for players to master!

Steel Division: Normandy 44 will be available on Steam and the Paradox store on May 23, 2017.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, and to pre-order the game, please visit the official Steel Division: Normandy 44 website.