New Trailer Shows Soviet Stand Against Fascist Aggression

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio today announced the start of the pre-order for Hearts of Iron IV, the latest grand strategy game about one of the worlds most destructive conflicts. World War II is at your fingertips as you guide your nation, plan your research, build you forces and design sweeping battle plans that will put the world at your feet.

To illustrate the alternate history possibilities of Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox has released a trailer that posits a Japanese attack on a heretofore triumphant Soviet Union. Watch it here.

If you are among those prepared to heed the call of war, eager generals can sign on today. There are three game editions available for Hearts of Iron IV:

• The Cadet edition is a standard Hearts of Iron IV release, but a pre-order will come with a new icon for the official Paradox forums and a new wallpaper.
• The Colonel edition includes everything the Cadet version does, and also one extra icon and a special Tank Pack to add variety to the vehicles running through your enemy lines.
• The Field Marshal edition includes everything from the lower ranked versions as well as an exclusive forum avatar and an expansion pass that will include the first two Expansion DLC packs for Hearts of Iron IV, whenever they are released.

Every pre-order comes with additional rewards no matter which version you choose to buy:

• German March Order – music pack, composed by Andreas Waldetoft.
• Allied Radio – music pack, composed by Tobias Gustafsson.
• Hearts of Iron: War Stories Gamebook – a branching interactive narrative where the player’s choices matter. War Stories is written by Aaron Rosenburg and features a young British RAF pilot during the Battle of Britain.

In addition everyone who purchases Hearts of Iron IV will receive a free DLC, the Poland: United and Ready National Focus Pack. This DLC gives Poland a unique national focus tree , several 3D vehicle models, 2D art and additional leader portraits, fleshing out the experience of playing as the nation. The Poland: United and Ready DLC will be available for all players, no matter when they choose to purchase a copy of Hearts of Iron IV.

Hearts of Iron IV is the latest version of one of Paradox Development Studio’s most popular series. Take control of any nation in the world and guide it through humanity’s most trying hours. With a new and improved battleplan system, you will be able to direct sweeping movements of troops through steppes, deserts and jungles. Area and mission based systems take the micromanagement out of naval and air combat.

For prices in your region, please check the Paradox Store or your preferred digital retailer. For more information please visit the Hearts of Iron IV website.

Reviews of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition have hit the web. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition is the first gaming GPU based on the company’s new Pascal™ architecture — providing up to 2x more performance in virtual reality compared to the GeForce GTX TITAN X. Pascal offers massive leaps in performance, memory bandwidth and power efficiency over its predecessor, the high-performance Maxwell™ architecture. And it introduces groundbreaking graphics features and technologies that redefine the PC as the ultimate platform for playing AAA games and enjoying virtual reality.  We have collected a large number of reviews and we’ve posted the links to them below for your convenience.

• HARDOCP
• HARDWARE CANUCKS
• PC PERSPECTIVE
• TECHPOWERUP!
• TWEAKTOWN
• GURU3D
• HOTHARDWARE
• OVERCLOCKERS CLUB
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• NEOSEEKER
• EUROGAMER

Source: Blue’s News

Digital Combat Simulator website now offers the DCS: SA342 Gazelle, a new helicopter for Digital Combat Simulator World, the a free-to-play combat game. Here’s a trailer showing the whirlybird in action.

The SA342 Gazelle is a light scout/attack and transport helicopter. It was introduced in 1968 as a result of cooperation between Aérospatiale and Westland Aircraft. Operated by 23 countries, the Gazelle has served in combat operations across the world including the 1991 Gulf War, 1982 Lebanon War, Syria, and other conflicts.

The Gazelle is powered by a single turbine engine that is connected to three glass-fiber reinforced plastic main rotor blades with a bearingless main rotor developed by Bölkow GmbH. It is also the first helicopter which features the famous Fenestron tail rotor.

The version featured in DCS is the anti-tank version that is armed with four HOT 3 anti-tank guided missiles. Later, free upgrades to this module will feature Gazelle versions armed with a GIAT machine gun, rocket pods, Mistral anti-aircraft missile, and sniper team in rear compartment.

Key Features of DCS: SA342 Gazelle:

• Accurate and highly detailed six-degrees-freedom (6DOF) cockpit and external model
• Mouse interactive cockpit with authentic systems modeling
• Fully modeled weapon system including weapons sight and HOT 3
• Exciting and challenging campaign
• Interactive training missions
• AFM (Advanced Flight Model) that simulates all flight phases and characteristics of the Gazelle
• Inclusive flight manual
• Gazelle skins covering many countries

Source: Blue’s News

Steam News announces everyone can play Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer for this weekend until Sunday at 4:00 pm EDT. Here’s word on the free weekend, the corresponding sale, and the game:

Play Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer for FREE starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time. You can also pickup Black Ops III at 40% off the regular price!*

Also, save 25% off the Digital Deluxe Edition

If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play Call of Duty: Black Ops III Multiplayer. If you don’t have Steam, you can download it here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 combines three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies, providing fans with the deepest and most ambitious Call of Duty ever. The Campaign has been designed as a co-op game that can be played with up to 4 players online or as a solo cinematic thrill-ride. Multiplayer will be the franchise’s deepest, most rewarding and most engaging to date, with new ways to rank up, customize, and gear up for battle. And Zombies delivers an all-new mind-blowing experience with its own dedicated narrative.

*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time

Source: Blue’s News

Another game is free this weekend as you can play Arma 3 on Steam through Sunday afternoon with no obligation. Here’s word:

Spread the word: you can play Arma 3 for FREE this entire weekend on Steam!

Be deployed to the Mediterranean Republic of Altis & Stratis, and enlist for Bootcamp, create your own scenarios in the 3D Editor, or head straight into multiplayer with friends. How? Just visit your Steam Library, search for “Arma 3″, and LMB fire at that Install button.

In addition, to sign up for extended duty, this weekend you can purchase Arma 3 at its lowest price ever. Take advantage of the massive 50% discount on the Arma 3 base game (which was already reduced in price just 3 weeks ago), or 33% off the Arma 3 Apex Edition (includes Arma 3 + DLC + Apex). And if you already own Arma 3, you can now also get the Karts DLC, Helicopters DLC, and Marksmen DLC (or all of them together in the DLC Bundle) at half price!

Get more game info at the official Arma 3 website.

Coming soon, new update will provide new destructive capability for new ground vehicles, letting players carry out precision guided missile strikes

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that War Thunder’s next major update will introduce new tanks armed with guided missile weaponry. This type of missile will bring a totally new destructive capability ground battles in War Thunder, thus expanding the number of tactics and strategies players can employ. Players can fire missiles and guide them the whole way to the target until impact.

One of the first guided missile tanks planned to appear in the next update is the Soviet IT-1. Based on the hull of the T-62, it was the first and the last Soviet tank that had no guns at all – its only armament was 15 missiles ready to destroy an enemy vehicle, even if it was hidden on the other side of a hill. Most of the other nations in War Thunder will also get new guided missile tanks in the next update. Check out the developers’ blog for more information about upcoming additions: http://warthunder.com/en/devblog/

War Thunder also now supports Oculus Rift CV1, available since the last update, so players are able to play the game in exciting combat scenarios in VR. Available for both air and ground battles, Virtual Reality provides pilots and tankers with as much immersion as possible so that a player flying an aircraft in the game can experience similar feelings to what a real WW2 pilot would have experienced. With Oculus Rift CV1, fighters have detailed cockpits and instrumentation panels, providing important tools for controlling the aircraft whilst flying in a cockpit view. The detailed 2K resolution of the Oculus Rift CV1 lets players see enormous landscapes from the cockpit of their aircraft, leaving the enemy no place to hide.

To try War Thunder with the Oculus Rift CV1, download War Thunder, tick “Full client” and “Oculus Rift” in the game launcher, wait until the download is complete and run the game. Pick your favourite vehicle and join the battle. Virtual Reality is available for any aircraft or tank mode in War Thunder. Join multiplayer battles, try out the single or co-op missions or test the most breathtaking maneuvers in test flight. For a deeper level of immersion, a flightstick and throttle are highly recommended.

For more information on Oculus Rift CV1 support for War Thunder see the devblog page here.

Check out the destructive capabilites of the anti-tank guided missile here.

For a look at the first two vehicle additions and updates to the next major War Thunder update, check out the devblog page here.

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

Above the Clouds, Below the Seas, In the Factories

With the release of Hearts of Iron IV only weeks away, the developers behind Paradox’s newest grand strategy wargame want to imprint on your mind the scale of the task that lies ahead for desktop generals around the world.

The newest video developer diary emphasizes how Hearts of Iron IV will be the total strategy game for a total war. Victory will depend on your armies, but not on them alone.

Hearts of Iron IV is the latest version of one of Paradox Development Studio’s most popular series. Take control of any nation in the world and guide it through humanity’s most trying hours. With a new and improved battleplan system, you will be able to direct sweeping movements of troops through steppes, deserts and jungles. Area and mission based systems take the micromanagement out of naval and air combat.

And, as you would expect from a Paradox game, history is only a rough guide. You can rewrite the past through your daring charge to Berlin through Denmark, or a desperate assault on the Japanese home islands.

Hearts of Iron IV will be available on June 6, 2016.

For more information on Hearts of Iron IV, check out the games official website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA released its latest GeForce “Game Ready” drivers. Version 365.19 WHQL comes with optimization for “Doom” (2016), “Homefront: The Revolution,” and “Master of Orion.” This includes optimization, SLI profiles (if the game engine supports it), and GeForce Experience optimal settings. This is perhaps the last driver release before NVIDIA GeForce 10 Series.

You can download the new GeForce 365.19 WHQL drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD posted its second Radeon Software Crimson Edition release for this month, version 16.5.2 Beta. The drivers add optimization for “DOOM” (2016), the season’s hottest shooter and a revival of the epic FPS franchise. The drivers also add CrossFire profiles for “Battleborn,” letting it take advantage of multiple GPUs, and dual-GPU graphics cards, such as the Radeon Pro Duo. The drivers also fix texture corruption issues in “Star Wars: Battlefront,” and “League of Legends” in CrossFire mode.

You can download the Radeon Software Crimson Edition version 16.5.2 drivers 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.

• ZOTAC Teases GeForce GTX 1080 PGF Edition and New FireStorm Utility
• MSI X99A GAMING PRO CARBON with Front USB 3.1 Type-C and U.2 Released
• Colorful Announces One of the First GeForce GTX 1080 Video Cards
• First Custom GeForce GTX 1080 is here, GP104-400 Confirmed
• NVIDIA to Focus on 2-way SLI with GeForce “Pascal”
• New Polaris10 and Polaris11 Specifications
• Lian Li PC-09 Dual Compartment Chassis Announced – VIDEO