The highly anticipated return of the storied ACE COMBAT series seeks to enlist fighter pilots across multiple platforms

Leading interactive entertainment media publisher and developer BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is excited to announce that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will be coming to Xbox One and STEAM®. Already announced for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown puts gamers in the cockpit of advanced war planes and delivers fierce air combat experiences through photorealistic visuals, intense dog-fighting action, and a multitude of authentic and futuristic aircrafts to fly, all encompassed in an immersive storyline.

Developed by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.’s in-house Project Aces team based in Tokyo, Japan and utilizing Unreal Engine™ 4 with a unique and brand new dynamic feature, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown applies the latest evolution of its graphics engine in conjunction with the power of the latest generation of gaming consoles and PCs to create immersive aerial battlefields. Fully rendered clouds fill the skies while highly detailed cityscapes enhance the sense of supersonic speed, setting the stage for highly exhilarating aerial battles. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will provide an arsenal of ultra-modern and near-future super weapons for players to wield, while presenting formidable enemies for pilots to vanquish in the air. Aces who have proven their aerial combat prowess in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown’s campaign mode can take their dogfighting skills online for furious online multiplayer battles. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown also marks the return of Sunao Katabuchi as the lead writer behind the fictional storyline that players will experience in the game. Previously, Sunao Katabuchi wrote the storylines for both Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies and Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is currently rated PEGI 16. The game will be coming for the PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM. PlayStation 4 system players will be able to play portions of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown and experience exclusive features developed specifically for the Sony PlayStation®VR. To find out more about Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, head over to the games official website.

CI Games presents the first in a two-part series of videos on sniper tactics for Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3. In this gameplay video, players will learn more about scope calibration, positioning, and the drone itself.

Watch part 1 of the Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Sniper Tactics video here.

In the main story of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, the player takes on the role of Jonathan North, an American Marine dropped into the Republic of Georgia to accomplish a highly classified Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) mission. But, his personal mission is to find his kidnapped brother.

Standing in his way are enemy Separatists that are currently destabilizing the country. It’s up to Jon to accomplish his mission, discover the whereabouts of his brother and to take down any foes looking to stop him using the following sniper tactics:

Scope Calibration
Check the distance to your target and set the elevation on your scope accordingly to compensate for bullet drop. Check the wind indicator as well as the wind influences whether the bullet will drift to the left or right. When all is set, exhale and take the shot.

Positioning
Take advantage of Jon’s surroundings to maximize his effectiveness in an area. Use the environment to reduce weapon sway while aiming. Crouching and lying down also reduces weapon sway. Sniper bullets are strong and can penetrate multiple targets if lined up correctly, and special sniper bullets can even penetrate walls and other barriers.

The Drone
Recon is critical to planning your mission prior to infiltration of an area. The drone can locate and mark enemies, sabotage objects and enemy devices. A simple flyover of the area can expose weak points in the enemy encampment allowing Jon to take out his enemies with deadly precision.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is story of brotherhood, patriotism, and betrayal in the most complete sniper experience ever released. Take the role of an American sniper named Jonathan North, who drops into enemy territory in northern Georgia as the country is dissolving into a bloody civil war. Explore large open-world maps with dynamic weather conditions, and a day and night cycle that impacts play and player decision-making. Customize weapons, equipment, accessories, vehicles, and a drone, and utilize the three pillars of gameplay to your liking: Sniper, Ghost, and Warrior.

To learn more about Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, visit the games official website.

“Keep the sand out of your weapons, keep those actions clear. I’ll see you on the beach.”

Game studio Driven Arts just released Days of War on Steam Early Access for $24.99 / €24,99. This release comes with a great surprise; 100 player battle events!  Watch the Early Access trailer, a homage to Saving Private Ryan, here.

Steam Early Access

Desiring a classic fast-paced WW2 FPS in the style of Day of Defeat, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty 2 and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, game studio Driven Arts has built the next generation of class-based multiplayer shooter: Days of War. After being funded on Kickstarter last year by a group of like-minded fans, Driven Arts has released Days of War on Steam Early Access while it completes development on the game. Watch Early Access gameplay trailer here.

Days of War offers a classic style approach to the WW2 shooter genre, re-introducing fast-paced battles ranging from highly tense 12 player competition to bigger scale 32 player firefights.

Alongside the Early Access launch and the given roadmap, Driven Arts is announcing the introduction of epic 100 player battles on Omaha Beach. Although the feature is still in development and not added to the base game yet, Lead designer Lee Snodgrass says: “We love tight competitive gameplay more than anyone, but World War 2 was defined by its massive battles and invasions, and we want to bring that experience to Days of War with 100 player combat”.

The first 100-player-battle weekend event is announced on Steam between the 3rd and 5th of February. Players can see more details in the Steam Hub.

To celebrate this milestone, 100 Steam keys will be given away via Facebook and Twitter. To participate, follow the social media channels, where instructions will follow soon.

You can find the official Days of War website here.

Order of Battle returns to its roots with this DLC and it expands to the icy waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, pitting the Kriegsmarine against the might of the Royal Navy and its allies.

Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine features a subject rarely touched upon by other games and never with such level of detail: you will follow the German navy in its years-long campaign to challenge the Allied supremacy of the sea.

This will put you in situations which you’ve never faced before in the Order of Battle series. You will fight as the underdog and support land operations, perform convoy-raiding missions, lure enemy ships into deadly ambushes and make extensive use of submarines. Fight through historical and what-if scenarios alike and demonstrate you are the real master of the seas!

The game will feature iconic ships such as the Bismarck and the Scharnhorst, introduces a wide range of submarines, naval bombers, flying boats, gun boats, destroyers, cruisers, and it’ll be even possible to make use of the Graf Zeppelin carrier!

Kriegsmarine will start its beta soon. We are looking for willing and active beta testers to help us finding bugs and give us suggestions. We need your help, so if you’re interested click here and join the beta.

This beta will also be the first testing phase of the new skirmish mode, a much-anticipated feature in Order of Battle.

Learn more about Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine at the games official webpage.

Paradox Development Studio and Hearts of Iron IV continue their musical synergy with Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton. Best known for their songs about real historical events and the human side of war, Sabaton has licensed ten new songs for Hearts of Iron IV, each illustrating a moment of World War II with passion and power chords.

Highlights of this second music pack for HoI4 include 40:1, a song honoring the brave but futile defense of Wizna by a Polish army far outnumbered by invading Germans, and To Hell and Back, the story of highly decorated war hero Audie Murphy and his struggles with PTSD. The full music list follows:

• Ghost Division
• Resist and Bite
• Coat of Arms
• Uprising
• Screaming Eagles
• 40:1
• Panzerkampf
• Smoking Snakes
• To Hell and Back
• The Last Battle

The Sabaton music pack is available now for $5.99 (or €5.99) at the Paradox Store and on Steam.

By MAC @ Hardware Canucks

Buyers of Intel’s new Kaby Lake processors already have a huge number of Z270 options but the ASUS Maximus IX Hero stands apart with an awesome combination of features and pricing. The Maximus IX Hero that are reviewing today represents the most affordable entry into the ROG family, with a suggested retail price of about $230 USD. Despite sitting behind the Maximus IX Code and the Maximus IX Formula – which feature various additions ranging from full-body shielding, to onboard Wi-Fi, to MOSFET water blocks, and greater RGB LED lighting – the Maximus IX Hero shouldn’t be overlooked since it features a very healthy specs list.

Read The Review Here

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the 378.49 version of their Game-Ready GeForce drivers. Highlights include the optimal gaming experience for Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Conan Exiles early access, and the For Honor closed beta, as well as the VR-enabled version of Obduction.

You can download the new GeForce 378.49 Game-Ready GeForce drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.

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.

• Noctua, Phanteks, Cryorig Announce Free AM4 Upgrade Kits
• Razer Updates the World’s Best Mechanical Gaming Keyboard: The Razer BlackWidow
• Mushkin Enters Peripheral Market With Carbon KB-001 Keyboard
• Superflower Announces the Upcoming “Double Forward Platform” for their PSUs
• Colorful iGameGTX1070 X-TOP-8G Graphics Card Launched
• AOC Launches 35-inch 21:9 Agon AG352UCG GSYNC Monitor
• Toshiba Confirms Spin Off of Its NAND Flash Production Business
• Microsoft Confirms Upcoming “Game Mode” on Windows 10 “Creators” Update
• ASUS ROG Swift PG258Q 240Hz Monitor Releases in February
• ASUS Designo Curve MX34VQ Ultra-Wide QHD Monitor Launched
• Logitech Announces MK850 Performance Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Plus, five stupid things you can do, but probably shouldn’t.

By Ian Higton @ Eurogamer

Since Sniper Elite 4 was announced early last year, I’ve had several opportunities to go hands on with the game. Just before the Christmas break, however, I was invited along to developer Rebellion’s studios for my most extensive play session yet.

In the first video you’ll be able to watch my valiant attempt at completing Sniper Elite 4′s first level, San Celini. It’s a mid-sized sandbox that offers multiple routes and plenty of vantage points for some impressive long-range sniper kills.

It all starts off pretty well and I manage to demonstrate a couple of new additions to the series, including silenced ammo for your rifle, which allows you to take out a few targets without having to worry about using environmental sounds to mask your shots.

However, as with most things I do, chaos was close at hand and, as time for my hands on started running out, the pressure to rush through increased, resulting in a panicked firefight inside a swanky Italian villa. Hardly the stealthiest of approaches, but a good chance to show off some grenade and assault rifle kills.

Watch the videos and read more of the article here.

Ubisoft  reveals details about Last Stand, the upcoming third expansion for Tom Clancy’s The Division. They have released this teaser trailer. Some info on the new expansion:

In Expansion III: Last Stand, we’re adding new ways to compete with other players and a new way to experience the Dark Zone, in a brand new separate game mode! Compared to the open and unstructured nature of the Dark Zone you’ll find in the game right now, Last Stand is session based and features clear objectives and win conditions, while still incorporating aspects of the Dark Zone such as PvE enemies and Landmarks.

When the situation in the Dark Zone escalated, as the outbreak spiraled out of control and all semblance of civilization collapsed, the Joint Task Force was forced to withdraw from the area, leaving behind important tactical terminals; SHD tech data relays loaded with operational information. Now, Rogue agents are closing in on those relays and if they manage to get their hands on the information, it would be catastrophic for the SHD and the mission to save New York.

It will be your job, together with a group of seven other Division agents, to stop that from happening.

Find out more about the Last Stand expansion here via the Tom Clancy’s The Division Intelligence Annex.