By Fraser Brown @ The Wargamer

ArmA 3 is a gargantuan toybox for military connoisseurs, as much a platform for the creation of diverse scenarios – from survival sandboxes to duelling tanks – as a game itself. ArmA 3: Apex, then, is a new compartment in that toybox. Slide out the drawer and you’ll be able to pick up and play with VTOLs, AK-12 assault rifles, Prowler light strike vehicles and sexy night vision goggles.

But it’s more than just these new toys, however. If you’ve grown tired of the idyllic but sometimes war-torn fictional Greek archipelago created for the core game, then good news! There’s a whole new set of islands to explore in the stunning South Pacific locale of Tanoa. Bid farewell to the gentle rolling hills and seemingly infinite fields of Altis and Stratis, and prepare to spend a lot of time in the humid jungle and striking beaches of your new home.

Read on…

1C Game Studios is excited to announce that IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Moscow is available digitally starting from today. The game can be purchased at our website in two editions, Standard and Premium, for the price of $49.99 and $79.99 correspondingly. For additional information on both editions please visit www.il2sturmovik.com.

The game is also available via Steam as DLC for the previous title IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Moscow is a combat flight simulation dedicated to the Battle of Moscow, one of the most decisive battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. This new project from 1С Game Studios continues the next generation of combat flight simulations with the latest development technologies – from a new higher level of physics modeling, damage modeling and aerodynamics to modern modes of gameplay with detailed, immersive environments.

The Russian-based Battlestate Games Studio has announced the start of its technical Alpha testing of Escape from Tarkov, its hardcore online game. First players, those who have claimed their eligibility for participation by pre-ordering the game from the official website – have already been admitted into the game.

Further admittance of eligible players will be conducted in waves, every new wave being formed with one or two day intervals in chronological order: first players who pre-ordered the game, will also be the first to try it. The avant-garde of the Escape from Tarkov heroes will be welcomed by two already familiar raid locations “Factory” and “Customs”, and they’ll come across 15 types of weapons and a wide variety of equipment and supplies.

The main purpose of the technical Alpha testing is for the developers to fine-tune the basic mechanics over high loads, exploring the locations for possible issues, hunting for bugs that are likely to occur in the early stages of testing both in offline and online modes. Along with collecting player feedback, the developers will be optimizing the Escape from Tarkov Alpha version game performance, fixing the discovered issues and adding new content. At this point, the online game mode already includes the majority of essential features, including inventory management, trade, medical treatment, weapon modding and ballistics. Also, players will be able to check out the daylight and weather changes with impressive weather effects.

Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore story-driven MMO featuring elements of FPS and RPG. The events take place in the Russian city of Tarkov, which has been sealed of by roadblocks and sunk into the chaos of local warfare between private military companies. Escape from Tarkov’s Hazardous Environment Combat Simulator employs a number of custom system modules to create incredibly immersive gameplay and make players feel the reality of what is happening in the game.

Square Enix and Avalanche Studios today announced that Just Cause 3: Bavarium Sea Heist, the third and final content pack of the AIR, LAND & SEA Expansion Pass, will be available to all expansion pass holders from August 11 and will go on sale as a separate add-on for everyone else from August 18. To celebrate the release, a brand new launch trailer is now available.

“Our aim with the Air, Land & Sea Expansion Pass was to completely alter the way players tackle the game and we’ve achieved just that,” said Marcus Andrews, Lead Designer of the Air, Land & Sea content at Avalanche Studios. “Each of the three packs of new tools allows the player to wreak havoc in fresh, creative, and unique ways that ensures both new and existing fans of Just Cause 3 will have hours of additional content and an enormous number of ways to approach any situation”.

Brave the dangerous waters of West Medici in your new rocket boat and infiltrate the Stingray, a mysterious research facility, home of the rarest and strongest weapon ever created by the Eden Corporation. This content pack includes a brand new location to explore, missions, a new challenge type, the heavily armed rocket boat and the devastating “Eden Spark” lightning gun.

• Liberate the Medici coastal waters of Scolio, home to Eden Research stations and the mysterious “Stingray” base.
• Drive the deadly rocket boat “Loochador”, using its multi-lock missile launchers and miniguns to defeat the formidable Black Hand Fleet.
• Infiltrate the Stingray base to steal the deadly “Eden Spark” lightning gun and unleash elemental death on your enemies in all new storyline and missions.
• Power up the Eden Spark further with mods earned in the “Boat Invader” challenge.

The Just Cause 3: Bavarium Sea Heist content pack is priced at $5.99 / €5.99 / £4.99 whilst the entire AIR, LAND & SEA Expansion Pass is available for $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99.

More game information available at the official Just Cause 3 website.

We have received from the Command LIVE News Report editorial team their second dispatch (.PDF), and as expected, this time is entirely focused on the Brexit situation!

A truly in-depth analysis, essential to better understand the military implications for NATO and Europe after this extremely important referendum.

Stay tuned for further updates! Get more information about You Brexit, You Fix it from its official product page!

AMD has released their latest graphics card, the Radeon RX 460, built for e-sports and low-power systems. We have gathered up some reviews featuring the RX 460 from ASUS, Sapphire and other manufacturers. You can check out the reviews via the links posted below.

• HOT HARDWARE
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• PC WORLD
• GURU3D
• BIT-TECH
• LEGIT REVIEWS
• HARDWARE HEAVEN

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.

• AMD Releases Radeon RX 460 Graphics Card
• PowerColor Announces the Radeon RX 460 Red DRAGON
• GIGABYTE Announces Radeon RX 460 Graphics Cards
• ASUS Releases Republic of Gamers Radeon RX 460 STRIX Gaming Cards
• Sapphire Launches New NITRO Radeon RX 460 & Radeon RX 460 Graphics Cards
• Republic of Gamers Announces GT51CA Gaming Desktops with GeForce GTX 10-Series Graphics
• Sharkoon Announces the Rush ER2 Gaming Headset
• Mad Catz Announces New Range of RAT Gaming Mice
• Aqua Computer Announces Kryographics TITAN X Pascal Water Block
• OZONE Launches the Raze Z90 5.1-channel Headset
• Seagate Introduces 10GB/s PCIe SSD And 60TB SAS SSD

Take a look at the inspiration and passion that went into the creation of the guns and gadgets of World War I.

Source: Battlefield.com

Making a Battlefield game set during World War I has been a dream for a number of the developers at DICE, so for the past decade, many of them have been doing background research. They’ve been looking into the world, the events, and – importantly – the weapons.

Take a look at the inspiration and passion that went into the creation of the guns and gadgets Battlefield 1.

The weapons you’ll use in Battlefield 1 were, at one time, the peak of engineering, and inspired many of the powerful armaments used in modern warfare. They’ll still feel unique, though, and you’ll notice a definite difference between the machine guns in games like Battlefield 4 and the ones you’ll use in Battlefield 1. “It is a different experience,” explains Creative Director Lars Gustavsson. “It’s much more up-close and personal.”

You’ll be able to try the weapons for yourself when Battlefield 1 releases on October 21 (or October 18 if you pre-order the Early Enlister Deluxe Edition). Also, don’t forget to sign up for Battlefield Insider to get early access to the Battlefield 1 Open Beta.

New Vehicles Including Tanks and Planes Plus Reinforcements and New Squadron Battles

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be celebrating summer with a spectacular display of firepower by adding to its extensive vehicle selection with new destructive tanks and planes for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

Two more tanks from the 1960’s era roll in, the American M60A1 will be the top-tank of the US medium tank tree and the formidable Soviet T-62 will be the top-tank of the USSR medium tank tree. The American M60A1 provides good, aggressive gameplay for tankers that like a full on fight due to its frontal armour. This extends a degree of life expectancy to give players time to retreat or send one back down the pipe in kind while the enemy is busy reloading. The Russian T-62, although slower than the previous T-55, makes up for its lack of speed with its 115mm gun which is effective with any kind of shells and packs a huge punch.

The American Thunderbolt gets P-47N-15 modification in this latest update transforming it into one of the fastest piston-engine aircraft in the game. Easily maneuverable, even at high speed, this latest modification makes the plane one to experience.

Additional vehicles added include the German Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär, the Japanese Ki-100 – which provides a dangerous enemy for F6F4 Hellcats and even Mustangs – and the Canadian tank M4A5, along with several updated models of aircraft.

‘The Road to Glory’ update also introduces a new crew feature for ground forces – ‘Reinforcement’. Tankers who have lost one or more crew members in the battle can call a new crew member as a replacement. In Arcade mode players can call a new soldier in any part of the map, providing at least one crew member is still alive. In Realistic and Simulation modes players face the challenge of only being able to call in reinforcements when they are on a capture point. In staying with the true, accurate nature of War Thunder, players must wait for repairs or reinforcements to arrive before they can move again.

Additionally an updated system of squadron clan battles has been added, providing squadron fighters with seasons that last two months. At the end of each season the top 20 squadrons will receive anywhere from 3,000 to 30,000 Golden Eagles based on overall ranking and the top 100 squadrons will be able to receive additional rewards, such as unique decals, 3D decals and other ensigns.

Lastly, the “Operation S.U.M.M.E.R.”, which kicked off Friday, July 22 and concludes August 21,allows players to complete different tasks in the game to earn unique vehicles: the M3 Grant and two absolutely new ones – the Soviet experimental tank KV-220 and an American fighter aircraft, the F7F-3.

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Sudden Strike is back! Kalypso Media and Kite Games are thrilled to announce the return of the beloved Real Time Strategy series; complete with bigger battlefields, more units, better graphics, new scenarios and legendary commanders with individual abilities – all of which makes Sudden Strike 4 the most tactical and authentic title in the series to date!

Developed as a fully-fledged series entry and not a remake or reboot, Sudden Strike 4 sends you off on three extensive campaigns set amongst the battlefields of World War II. Commanding the British and American, German or Soviet troops, you will lead over 100 different units into battle, including the German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian T-34 tank, the British Hawker Typhoon fighter plane and the notorious German Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger. In a first for the Sudden Strike series, you can now choose from one of nine individual commanders, such as George Patton or Bernard Montgomery, who will each allow for different approaches to combat and boast unique abilities.

Prove your tactical expertise in over 20 demanding single player scenarios, the challenge-focused skirmish mode, and the competitive multiplayer mode. A new reward system rewards clever and tactical play, awarding the player with skill points and bonus content, such as historical film footage of the era.

Features of Sudden Strike 4:

• Sudden Strike 4 offers realistic real-time strategy gameplay with tactical depth and a historical setting
• Three campaigns with over 20 missions to test your tactical skills and determining the outcome of significant WWII battles
• As one of nine commanders, lead your army on the battlegrounds of the biggest military conflict in history
• Command more than 100 authentic units – including the Königstiger tank, the Katyusha rocket launcher and the Hawker Typhoon fighter plane
• Pit yourself against other commanders in the competitive multiplayer mode
• The PC version features modding support with Steam Workshop integration

Sudden Strike 4 is available for pre-purchase today on Steam. Along with a 15% discount, those who pre-purchase Sudden Strike 4 will receive: an exclusive skirmish map, ‘The Battle for Kursk’ – one of the biggest tank battles of World War II! A digital copy of the official soundtrack recorded by the Hungarian Studio Orchestra. The Official Digital Art Book featuring the game’s fantastic artwork, including the work of Simon Robert, best known for his work on the hit TV series Game of Thrones!

Sudden Strike 4 offers countless ways to vanquish your opponents. Exploit the weak spots of tanks, set up an ambush, occupy buildings with infantry, outmanoeuvre the enemy with clever positioning or unleash devastating air strikes – how you approach each mission is up to you!

Watch the trailer for Sudden Strike 4 here.