Author: Donster

New missions, legacy features and AI characters all on their way for the ‘castle sim’ sequel

A new Q&A video has been released for Stronghold Crusader 2, answering questions on downloadable content and other post-release feature updates. Firefly answers questions put to them by players on new single player content, multiplayer modes, forthcoming updates and Steam Workshop:

The latest release in Firefly’s series of question and answer videos, made possible by the developer’s successful move to self-publishing on Steam and other indie-friendly platforms, aims to answer the biggest questions from fans on the future of Stronghold Crusader 2. Since its move to self-publishing Firefly has enjoyed an open and transparent relationship with players, from social media and forums to public game shows and community nights. These improved player-developer relations helped massively in the development of Stronghold Crusader 2 and continues to be a source of inspiration and fun for the Anglo-American developer.

What new game modes will be introduced post-release? Will these updates be free? When can players expect new AI characters? What features and characters will return from Crusader 1? Will there be new Crusader Trail missions? The freedom of self-publishing has allowed Firefly to be completely honest with fans of the franchise, answering these questions and revealing more detail about the future of the franchise.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is available now on Steam.

Armageddon must not be lost!

A massive Space Hulk is drifting towards Armageddon with a fearsome Ork army on board. Led by the infamous and megalomaniacal Ork Warlord of Waaagh!

Ghazghkull, the Orks are prepared to land on the planet and invade this precious Imperial Hive World. This colossal conflict for dominance of the planet is known as the Second War for Armageddon! In Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon, players have the opportunity to relive this epic fight between the Orks and Imperial forces including the troops of the Armageddon Steel Legion and three chapters of Spaces Marines: the Salamanders, Blood Angels and Ultramarines.

Today we are overjoyed to announce that the game is finally released and available on both our sites and Steam! In this hex-based, turn-based strategy game developed by Flashback Games and The Lordz Games Studio, players will fight alongside iconic characters such as Commander Yarrick and Lord Dante to repel the Ork invasion, protect the hives, and eventually liberate the planet from this perfidious alien attack. But the Orks are well equipped and hard-boiled soldiers, therefore only those commanders able to expertly combine their units, take advantage of their special traits and abilities, and understand the assets and dangers of their environment will have a chance to save Armageddon!

Thanks to its epic story-driven campaign with more than 30 scenarios, over 300 unit types, a multiplayer mode in which players can command both Ork and Imperial forces, and a powerful map editor, fans of Warhammer 40,000 should prepare themselves for a long and heroic journey across the surface of Armageddon!

We are offering a $10 discount to the early adopters during the week of the launch! We are also going to offer a free Steam key to anyone who bought a copy of the game from the Matrix Games or Slitherine store, once the game is available on this digital platform!

Get more information on Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon from its gripping trailer and its official Steam page.

An Exo Zombies survival co-op experience is coming to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC in 2015.

The first chapter of Exo Zombies is included with the Havoc DLC pack or as part of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass. Get the Season Pass for access to four exciting DLC packs at one great price, each delivering a collection of new, thrilling multiplayer content, bonus weapons and more.

Watch the video HERE.

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

A few months ago Corsair changed their gaming brand name to something a bit more straightforward, Corsair Gaming. As part of that process they took existing peripherals, refreshed them and overall this was a successful process with several winning awards on our site. Today though we get something brand new to look at in our Corsair Gaming Sabre RGB Optical Review.

Read The Review Here

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

We always like to see products from brands we have never tested before. Seeing new things is always fun but often we find that there is a fresh take on product design, even on fairly simple products. Today that could be the case as we look at a new universal cooler in our CRYORIG H5 Review.

Read The Review 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.

• Speedlink Announces Kudos Z-9 Gaming Mouse
• Phanteks Intros Two New CPU Coolers
• Shuttle Announces XPC Barebone SH97R6
• Super Talent Unveils its DDR4 DRAM Modules
• Lian Li Offers Windowed Version of PC-Q33
• Cooler Master Announces Seidon 120V Ver 2 CPU Cooler
• Fractal Design Announces Define R5 Chassis
• ENERMAX Launches LIQMAX II Series Liquid CPU Coolers
• Tesoro to Unveil New Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
• Acer B326HK Has 32-Inch 4K Panel

Franchise Tops $10 Billion in Sales Worldwide, Life-to-Date

Sales and Engagement Up Over Last Year Through First Week

Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., today announced that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the biggest entertainment launch of the year, besting not only all other video games, but also the biggest movies, music and books launched in 2014.

“Since Activision created the Call of Duty franchise in 2003, franchise revenues have exceeded $10 billion in sales worldwide, far exceeding box office receipts for such household movie franchises as Hunger Games, Transformers, Iron Man and Avengers, combined,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “Advanced Warfare is the biggest entertainment launch of 2014 in terms of revenue, surpassing all movie, music and book launches this year.”

“We poured our hearts into making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare an epic ride and we are pleased with the performance,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Sales and engagement are up through the first week compared to last year. Season Pass sales are up, as well. The game has been very positively reviewed and the response from fans has been tremendous. We believe Advanced Warfare will be the most successful game of the year and we thank our fans for making it the biggest entertainment launch of the year.”

Activision also confirmed that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the highest-selling digital launch in console history according to Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and internal Activision estimates.

Engagement for Sledgehammer Games’ newest entry to the franchise is based on statistics from the first week after launch according to internal estimates, with gamers playing more than 370 million online matches in its first week of release and levelling up over 200 million times in Advanced Warfare online multiplayer mode.

Biggest entertainment launch of the year is based on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare retail and digital sell-through and reported movie, music and book gross sales, each for the first week following initial launch, according to publicly-available data, retail customer sell-through information and internal Activision estimates. Sales increase of Advanced Warfare versus last year is based on sell-through in week after initial launch.

For the latest intel, check out the official Call of Duty website.

Marking the 12th piece of additional free content released for Rome II since launch, players will find their game updated via Steam today with the new, free playable faction of Massilia. A wealthy trading-state of Greek colonists situated on the north-western coast of the Mediterranean, Massilia has embraced Gallic culture and military techniques to form a unique and fascinating independent faction.

Also available for purchase today on Steam, the Black Sea Colonies Culture Pack brings three further hybrid factions to Rome II’s Grand Campaign, custom battles and multiplayer. Cimmeria, Colchis and Pergamom all claim Greek heritage, but their settlement away from their homelands has wrought subtle changes to their culture. Each faction enjoys unique traits, strengths and hybrid unit Rosters that reflect their culturally diverse civic and military aspects.

Additionally, the latest patch will drop at the same time, consisting of further balancing changes to unit strengths based on community feedback.

You can find full details of Massilia and the Black Sea Colonies Culture Pack here.

Meet the Tanks and Vehicles of World War II in a New Developer Diary Video

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio today released a new developer diary video for Hearts of Iron IV, the upcoming World War II strategy game for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs. The video features a visit to the “Arsenalen” museum of military vehicles in Sweden, where Hearts of Iron IV’s Project Lead, Dan Lind, invites eager commanders to join him on a tour of how different tanks were used to turn the tide of war – and how different nations pursued tactics of quality vs. quantity.

This tour is connected to new game discussion and in-game footage as details about industry, war experience and vehicle production are revealed.

Click here to watch the new video.

Hearts of Iron IV challenges players to face the brutal conflict of World War II in a multifaceted grand strategy game, where history can be fully relived or rewritten from the perspective of a global superpower attempting to change the world – or a small nation simply trying to survive. Players will have to involve themselves in every facet of wargaming, from diplomacy with authentic historical figures to production and resources, along with battles on land, sea, and air. The most authentic real-time World War II simulation is scheduled to release next year for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.

The “Rush to the Front” reward campaign for Hearts of Iron IV is still going strong, and ambitious generals who would like to obtain rewards for signing up, including the chance to participate in the Hearts of Iron IV beta ahead of the game’s launch, can still do so by visiting www.heartsofiron4.com.

Battlefront.com has released the 3.11 patch for Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy for both PC and Mac! The patch is NOT compatible with the 1.0 or 2.0 branches of the game. You need to have the 3.0 Upgrade installed in order to be able to use this patch. The patch updates the base game and any modules or packs you may have installed automatically.

Click here for patch features list and to download.