Starbreeze Publishing and developer Lion Game Lion today released RAID: World War II on Windows PC via the digital distribution platform Steam. This thrilling period shooter combines the fun and exciting cooperative gameplay, stealth mechanics and superb sound design for which Starbreeze and Lion Game Lion, led by game director Ilija Petrusic (co-founder of OVERKILL Software and lead level designer of PAYDAY: The Heist and PAYDAY 2), are well known.

RAID’s unique character classes, hero special abilities, customizable weapons and uniforms, and real-world war-torn locations bring this surreal conflict to life as players fight for their freedom against the dastardly Nazi regime through sabotage, robbery and assassination. Four prisoners of war, freed by an ominous secret British intelligence officer named “Mrs. White,” must band together to take down Hitler and his Third Reich once and for all.

Players will utilize key game features to save Europe from the Nazi threat and get rich, including:

• Class-based Gameplay – Choose from four different classes – Recon, Assault, Insurgent or Demolitions – each with their own highly developed skill tree that allows for various play styles;
• War Cries – Each character class can unleash their own powerful War Cry to buff themselves or the entire team;
• Character Customization – RAID’s four heroes represent the main combatants from the European theater of WWII: Great Britain, the USA, Germany and the Soviet Union. Each character possesses a unique look and customizable uniform;
• Lethal Weapon Modifications – The Second World War was infamous for arming the world with experimental weapons that went “bang” in deadly fashion. RAID: World War II gives players access to an array of precision killing machines complete with upgrades like custom barrels, stocks, fore grips, optic sights and much more to satisfy a variety of tastes;
• Operations Mode – Play through extended versions of your favorite missions with the “Operations” gameplay mode. Operations challenges players through a chained series of highly modified raids, featuring new storylines and added content and objectives;
• Challenge Cards – By participating and completing successful raids, players will earn Challenge Cards that allow them to customize the rules of a raid in a give-and-take fashion. For example, enemy ammo drops will increase, providing players with more ammunition to hold enemies at bay; however, the damage inflicted by enemies will be greater;
• Real-world Locations – Travel through real-world locations across war-torn Europe. From the mighty flak towers dominating the heart of Berlin to the idyllic bridge over the Elbe, players will bring destruction to the Nazis in every corner of Hitler’s Reich.

Aspiring raiders have two ways they can begin the fight against the Reich on Steam:

RAID: World War II Standard Edition at $39.99, which includes the full base game.

RAID: World War II Special Edition at $64.99 which includes the full base game plus:

• A special in-game version of the Apple Red Kübelwagen car
• A RAID: World War II comic book available in-game and as a PDF
• A decorative bomb for the camp
• The RAID: World War II original soundtrack
• The special melee weapons “Marching Mace” and “The Admiral’s Dagger”
• Four exclusive special edition jackets for the characters
• RAID: World War II digital art book
• Four exclusive RAID: World War II wallpapers
• The golden Lion Game Lion logo

For more information, visit www.raidworldwar2.com.

WarfareSims and MatrixGames are proud to announce Shifting Sands, the third DLC/Standalone to be released under the Command label!

Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, … few places in the world could claim the title of being one of the most conflict-ridden regions such as the Eastern Mediterranean. Religious and geopolitical fractures are ravaging the region since the end of the British Mandate over Palestine in 1948.

Countless conflicts have erupted all over the years -in particular between the State of Israel and its Arab neighbours – constantly changing warfare’s nature.

Only fast-thinking commanders will be successful, in a world where threats are never static and last conflict’s triumphant strategy will lead you to disaster in the next!

Command: Shifting Sands traces the history of the Arab-Israeli conflicts following the proclamation of the State of Israel: from the sidelines of the Suez crisis, through the lightning Six-Day War, the guerilla-like War Of Attrition and the strategic surprise of the Yom Kippur War, all the way to the historic Osirak raid and the epic air battle over the Bekaa Valley.

• 17 campaign scenarios (14 historical and 3 hypothetical) written by Paul A. Bridge, ex-Royal Navy officer and author of the award-winning “Northern Inferno” campaign.
• Witness the dramatic changes in warfare hardware and tactics first-hand: the combat debut of the modern anti-ship missile and the countermeasures to it, the revolution in offensive counter-air operations, the emergence of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) and the development of SEAD (suppression of enemy air-defences) systems and tactics to deal with the new threat.
• Explore the great historical what-ifs of the Middle East theatre: The US responds forcefully to the attack on the Liberty, the Soviet and US fleets clash over their supported allies, and Israel resorts to nuclear weapons as the defensive fronts collapse.

Get more information about Command: Shifting Sands from its official Product Page!

Command: Shifting Sands 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!

Source: TechPowerUp!

Mozilla is announcing that the latest version of its Firefox browser, Firefox 57, is just too good for just another numbered release. The improvements under the hood are so great, they say, and the performance improvements over previous Firefox releases are so grand, that only one name would have been enough to convey this message. That’s why the latest Firefox release has been christened “Firefox Quantum“.

Mozilla are saying their new Firefox Quantum browser delivers 2x the score in Speedometer as their previous Firefox 56. The new, refined browser didn’t appear overnight, though; it’s seen numerous improvements under the hood through the application of the Goldilocks principle to browser design, straddling an approach between increased performance and acceptable memory usage. Multi-process and optimized memory footprint are part of the secret sauce, but a new, super-charged CSS engine written in Rust goes a long way. Prioritization of the open tab also helps this increased speed, while (Mozilla says) reducing memory utilization by 30% when compared to Chrome.

Read on…

Sim155 Ltd. has announced that Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) v810.4 update for the flight and naval combat simulator game is expected to be available in early October. This new update will contain a richer environment, with more buildings, lush vegetation, and a host of custom objects including power lines, lighthouses, water tanks, ATC towers, rigs etc. Lighting has been added to roads, runways, taxiways and buildings, illuminating villages and cities for superior immersion. The cockpit lighting in the AV8B Harrier II has also been updated, including night illumination.

Check out the new Combat Air Patrol 2 “Terrain Lights Promo” HERE.

Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) is a flight and naval combat simulator game for PC (Steam/Windows) where you pilot the AV8B Harrier II. After initial flight and tactical training you will be pitched into an immersive scenario against aggressive ground, sea and air based enemies. Use your skill as a pilot and your tactical awareness to engage in dogfights, carry out ground attacks and command your fleet to ultimately ensure the safety of your comrades and the final capitulation of the enemy. Strategic decisions such as commanding your fleet on the tactical map and your performance in the air will affect the final outcome: Go ‘gung ho’ with a full out assault and the outcome will be in the balance or plan ahead and the end result will be your ultimate victory.

You can follow the development of Combat Air Patrol 2 via its Steam Community Hub and at the games official website.

Intel has released the Core i9-7980XE 18-core flagship processor, and the i9-7960X 16-core processor. At a price of $1999 and $1699, these new processors are for the multi-tasker and gamer with very deep pockets. We have gathered a number of published reviews, and you can visit those sites via the links provided below.

• PC PERSPECTIVE
• LEGIT REVIEWS
• HARDWARE CANUCKS
• HOT HARDWARE
• EXTREMETECH
• ARS TECHNICA
• TECHSPOT
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• PC GAMER
• TWEAKTOWN
• OVERCLOCKERS CLUB
• HEXUS

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.

• Gigabyte Announces Z370 Chipset based AORUS Motherboards
• Intel Unveils the 8th Generation Core Desktop Processor Family
• Intel Announces Availability of Core i9-7980XE and Core i9-7960X
• GeIL Announces EVO X ROG-certified RGB Gaming Memory
• HyperX Starts Shipping Cloud Alpha Headset with Dual-chamber Technology
• Colorful Announces New CP600 iGame Series PCIE SSD with SMI Controllers
• G.SKILL Releases New GDS v2.0 Software Update for KM780 RGB & KM570 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
• GeIL Announces EVO X ROG-Certified RGB Gaming Memory
• G.SKILL Releases AMD Compatible Trident Z RGB Kits
• MSI to Launch New Custom Version of GTX 1080 Ti – The Gaming X Trio
• Enermax Releases Their Equilence Tempered Glass PC Case

Activision has released a pair of “Meet the Allies” mini-trailers from Call of Duty: WWII.  One trailer introduces Major Arthur Crowley, while the second introduces French Resistance fighter Rousseau.

• Call of Duty: WWII – Meet the Allies: Crowley - After years of fighting in the British Expeditionary Force, Major Arthur Crowley serves as a part of the Special Operations Executive, where he executes covert missions behind enemy lines.
• Call of Duty: WWII – Meet the Allies: Rousseau - A highly skilled French Resistance fighter, Rousseau will do whatever it takes to fight off the Axis powers in France and avenge the ones she’s lost.

Get more game information at the official Call of Duty: WWII website.

Second Wave and Closer Combat Now Available from Eugen Systems and Paradox

Paradox Interactive today launched the first DLC for Steel Division: Normandy 44. Second Wave, the first DLC since the tactical RTS game’s release in May 2017, is now available on Windows PCs for $7.99. Today’s update also features a new free game mode, “Closer Combat”, the first of several free updates coming this year, as announced in the content roadmap.

Check out the Steel Division: Normandy 44 – Second Wave release trailer HERE.

The Second Wave DLC rolls out four new divisions, including two Allied: the 4th Armored Division (US) and 1st Special Service Brigade (UK), and two Axis: 9. Panzer (DE) and 16. Luftwaffen (DE). Second Wave also includes an exclusive ace – Lt. Col. Creighton W. Abrams and his famous thunderbolt M4 tank, along with 35 new units, including the legendary M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer!

Closer Combat, based on the Conquest Mode aims to make the beginning of battle more authentic by restricting the vehicle rush to the center of the map. This gives players more time to define strategy and more control on unit placement. In Closer Combat mode:

• All transported units can be purchased and deployed without a vehicle.
• Deployment zones are closer to each other than in other modes.
• Players earn points once they control 52% of the battlefield (instead of 51%).

Other new features in today’s update include a remastered, more accessible first campaign mission, a new shortcut to toggle “slow-mo” in single player mode, and official servers for 4v4 games, to help reduce lags induced by the peer-to-peer mode, along with more balancing and more bug fixing.

For more information on Steel Division: Normandy 44, visit the games official website.

Players can dive into in-game events throughout September

World of Warships is celebrating its second anniversary! Over the past couple of years, the game has gone from strength to strength with the help of its passionate community. Just two years ago, World of Warships launched with 10 maps and 90 ships from Japan and the US. Now, players can take to the seas with 228 ships across 10 nations and a massive 30 battle arenas.

World of Warships didn’t just introduce more vehicles and battlefields—the game significantly stepped up its graphics, added weather effects like fearsome storms, as well as added PvE missions and clan functionality.

“I’m really excited about the sheer amount of work the team has done over two years,” said Arthur Plociennik, World of Warships Executive Producer. “We’ve stepped up our game by cooperating with our players and channeling their feedback to improve and evolve their experience. So far, we delivered many updates and have big plans of moving further.”

In celebration of the game and its community, World of Warships will launch several fantastic in-game festivities that will run throughout September.

For the more information, visit the official World of Warships website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA today released the latest version of their GeForce graphics drivers. Version 385.69 of their drivers is a Game Ready, WHQL-certified release that brings official support for Project Cars 2 and Total War: WARHAMMER II which are both coming out in a matter of days. Simultaneously, this release also optimizes performance in the open beta for Call of Duty: WWII, EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone, FIFA 18, Forza Motorsport 7, From Other Suns’ open beta, Raiders of the Broken Planet, as well as Star Wars Battlefront 2′s open beta.

This release also features a security update for specific driver components that went unnoticed until now, and also identifies and fixes multiple bugs. A full list of changes and updates can be found here, whereas NVIDIA have also created a page to go over the salient features for the aforementioned games here.

You can download the new GeForce 385.69 WHQL drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.