Author: Donster

Just Announced Hardware for 5 December 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 | December 5, 2014 |

Historical Article: Hellfire on a Frozen Sea

The David vs. Goliath naval battle between destroyer HMS Glowworm and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

A fierce Force 10 late winter gale blew across the icy, storm swept Norwegian Sea on the early morning of 7 April 1940 as the solitary British destroyer HMS. Glowworm, badly hit and blazing brightly from numerous shell hits from German heavy cruiser and destroyer gun fire emerged from behind her own smokescreen to confront her five attackers. She was now running at a full flank speed of 38 knots to present an impossible and nightmarish spectacle to the nearby German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. Many of Hipper’s crewmen’s jaws dropped open in shock and awe at what was about to befall them. The heavy cruiser had already successfully dodged 2 salvos of Glowworm’s torpedoes, before hitting the British destroyer a number times with her main and secondary gun batteries, setting the ship afire. Glowworm’s Captain Lt. Commander Gerard Roope, noting Hipper’s position, now deliberately cut across the cruiser’s bow, before putting his helm hard over to deliberately ram the cruiser. Glowworm’s bow slammed into the Hipper just abaft her anchor, scrapping along its starboard side for over 150 feet, The collision ripped away both most of Glowworm’s own bow and a good deal of armor plate from the Hipper’s side. One of Hipper’s torpedo mounts was sheered away overboard and the cruiser shipped over 500 tons of seawater through the rents in her hull, but was able to contain the damage. Not so the Glowworm. Even though ablaze from stem to stern a few of her guns were still in action as she continued to hurl their hatred at the German enemy. The out of control fires quickly reached the destroyer’s ammunition magazine and the ship exploded in a fitful roar to capsize and quickly disappear into the Norwegian Sea’s dark, icy depths. Of Glow-worm’s crew of 146 men, only 40 souls survived to be plucked out of the near frozen water by Hipper’s crew. Lt Commander Roope was momentarily one of those few survivors. He grabbed at one of the life lines thrown to him, but exposure and fatigue overcame him and he dropped back into the water to disappear into its depths, never to be seen again. He later was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. When regarding fighting men of this bravery and caliber, one tends to immediately think of the adage of the Emperor Napoleon who said: “Audacity, audacity, above all audacity.”

Read on…

Military History | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West Gets Teaser Trailer and Twitch Stream

War in the West is coming in just two days! We have already shared with you a wealth of information on the game, as the guys from 2by3 Games have been answering your questions on the forums and we have also released to AARs to show you some of the gameplay. But there is more!

Tomorrow on 20:00 CET/ 14:00 EST, we will be playing a scenario live for all to watch! This will be the ultimate possibility to get familiar with the game and see some actual gameplay in progress! During the stream, we will cover the basics of the gameplay, as well as some of the new major features in the game.

To get you in the mood, we have also prepared a trailer, made of authentic World War II footage! Watch it here to get a taste of the war on the Western Front!

The live stream will be live here.

Click here for more information on War in the West.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Balance Patch Coming

Source: Blue’s News

Michael Condrey tweets about plans for a title update for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare coming to the Windows edition of military shooter. Word from the Sledgehammer Games honcho is this will rebalance the game and address some exploits, though an exact ETA and patch notes are still forthcoming:

#AdvancedWarfare TU @X1/PS4 +PC Stay tuned for notes incl weapon balancing, ranked play updates, map exploits & spawn fixes, optimizations +

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare First-Person Shooters | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Total War: Attila The Red Horse Video

total-war-attila-box As the old power of Rome starts to crumble, there is opportunity in being the aggressor for those who seek it. In this latest cinematic trailer from Total War: Attila, we see the Sassanid Empire exploiting the confusion around it and striking out in war on its neighbours.

The game itself will contain a number of new features around army management and waging war to bring further depth to this key aspect of the Total War experience. Most notably, players will have to consider the very real risks of keeping their armies in line against mounting losses, disloyal generals and fragmented food supplies.

A rogue commander can entice other wavering characters to mutiny, one of the triggers at play in the rich, new civil war system. Dark times call for dark measures, and amongst a variety of tactics players can employ to reduce the risk of such division, the brutal Roman practice of ‘Decimation’ (the systematic slaughtering of a tenth of an army) will restore temporary order at a high price.

For more information about Total War: Attila, log on to www.totalwar.com.

Strategy and Wargaming Total War: Attila | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Cougar 600M Gaming Mouse Review

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

Over the last couple of months we have taken a look at various items from Cougar. Starting with their 700M mouse and matching pad which won our performance award, then more recently their high end keyboard… a gold award winner. Today in our Cougar 600M Review we find out if they can add to those awards.

Read The Review Here

Gaming Mice Hardware | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Galax GeForce GTX 980 HOF Review

By Parm Mann @ HEXUS

Galax has already dipped its toe into GTX 980 waters with the recently reviewed SOC, but it turns out the company was merely whetting our appetite in anticipation of the range-topping GTX 980 HOF. Hall of Fame cards under the previous Galaxy and KFA2 brands were renowned for lavish design and lofty overclocks, and the Galax GTX 980 HOF is no exception. Finished in white with silver and black highlights, this is without a doubt one of the most eye-catching GTX 980s we’ve seen thus far. And of course, if you’re planning a snow-white build this winter, this is the card to consider.

Read The Review Here

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Just Announced Hardware for 2 December 2014

Hardware | Donster | December 2, 2014 |

Assassin’s Creed Unity Free DLC Offered; Season Passes Discontinued

Source: Blue’s News

An Update on Assassin’s Creed: Unity from Yannis Mallat details a dramatic gesture from Ubisoft to compensate customers for launch problems with Assassin’s Creed: Unity along with word of the release of the promised third patch for the stealth/action game (thanks Guile). Word is they will now give the Dead Kings DLC to everyone who owns the game. They will also give season pass holders a free game, and while they say: “Season Pass holders will continue to have access to a variety of additional content, including Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China,” they also say: “We are discontinuing sales of the Season Pass.” All the details are in an Assassins Creed: Unity Offer FAQ, and here’s the overview:

We’ve been working hard to fix the problems players are reporting, and the patches we have released so far have resolved many of them. Today, we’re releasing our third patch, which fixes a variety of specific issues related to the game’s stability and performance, matchmaking and connectivity, gameplay and menus. You can find the release notes on that patch here: Patch 3 Notes

To show our appreciation for your continued support, we’re making the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Unity Dead Kings DLC free for everyone. For Season Pass holders, we will also offer the choice of one additional game from a selection of Ubisoft titles for free. More details on the offer for Season Pass holders can be found here: AC Unity FAQ

In addition to the latest patch and this offer, we are committed to delivering further fixes for other issues you’ve raised. In the meantime, please keep your feedback coming – it has been both humbling and incredibly helpful as we continue working hard to improve the overall quality of the game. We are hopeful that with these forthcoming updates, everyone will be able to truly enjoy their Assassin’s Creed Unity experience.

We will continue striving to make Assassin’s Creed one of the most ambitious and innovative franchises on the market, and we thank you for your continued loyalty and support.

Action/Strategy Assassin's Creed: Unity | Donster | November 27, 2014 |

Pre-campaign Launches for the Forthcoming World War II Strategy Game

Players who pre-order will gain access to the upcoming Closed Beta

Nival, an independent game developer renowned for their strategy games, have today launched a highly enticing pre-order campaign for Blitzkrieg 3. This long-awaited next installment to one of their most beloved franchises is set to innovate and elevate the strategy genre on PC.

Players who pre-order Blitzkrieg 3 will not only receive either a 10% discount on the Tactical Edition or 30% discount on the Strategic Editions of the game, they will also be automatically eligible to be among the first to get their hands on the game itself when the Closed Beta Testing launches this winter.

“We have high expectations for Blitzkrieg 3, for the game overall and particularly for its asynchronous multiplayer. We are striving to restore the interest in the RTS genre in general” commented Timur Suzi, Head of the Nival Studio in St. Petersburg.

Suzi continued, “The pre-order campaign is not only an opportunity for players to acquire exclusive in game content, but it’s also the chance to take part in the closed beta test which will start this winter. This means that it is also an opportunity to take part in developing Blitzkrieg 3, since we will be finalizing the game based on the opinions and feedback of the closed-beta participants.”

Blitzkrieg 3 is set to release in the first half of 2015. You can view the new pre-order trailer HERE.

For more information on Blitzkrieg 3 and to pre-order the game head to the games official website.

Blitzkrieg 3 Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | November 27, 2014 |