Treasures, too, in upcoming Europa Universalis IV expansion

With the release of Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado only days away, lead designer Martin Anward has moved to the front of the camera to describe the many changes coming in the latest expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s hit historical empire-building game.

In this seven minute video, Anward describes the new mechanics for Central and South American native states, including three new religions that promise to challenge even the most experienced desktop monarchs. Anward also goes into great detail on the Nation Designer and alternate starting maps that will be available for the first time in El Dorado.

Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado is scheduled for release on February 26, 2015 and will be available on many popular digital storefronts, as well as the Paradox Store.

For more information, please visit www.europauniversalis4.com.

By Ian Cutress @ AnandTech

As the motherboard reviewer at AnandTech, I speak to my contacts at the motherboard manufacturers on a regular basis. All the recent talk has had a heavy sprinkling about thoughts, opinions and implementations of USB 3.1. To add to our recent testing, ASUS is today announcing the launch of their USB 3.1 PCIe card along with a variety of motherboard bundles either featuring onboard USB 3.1 or a bundled USB 3.1 card. We stuck the card in the Rampage V Extreme to run the numbers with an ASUS dual mSATA USB 3.1 enclosure.

Read The Review Here

By Christian Eberle @ Tom’s Hardware

Nearly every monitor manufacturer has a 28-inch TN Ultra HD monitor in its line-up. Today we’re looking at Monoprice’s CrystalPro 4K. Even though it’s based on the same part as its competitors, you get quality that matches or exceeds those displays.

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.

• ASUS Announces Best, Fastest and Most Comprehensive USB 3.1 Solutions
• Vero M1 600W Modular PSU Announced by Silentium PC
• Philips Intros BDM3470UP 34-inch 21:9 Monitor
• QPAD’s New Mouse Boasts 16.8 Million Improvements
• BIOSTAR Promotes Family of Gaming Hardware with Gaming Motherboard and VGA Combo
• XIGMATEK Announces Dark Knight II CPU Cooler
• Class Action Lawsuit Filed against NVIDIA over GTX 970 Memory Issue
• NVIDIA CEO on GTX 970 Fiasco: It Won’t Happen Again

The Capture of the U-505

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

TIME: 1109 Hours.

DATE: 4 June 1944

LOCATION: 150 nautical miles off the Cape Verde Islands.

The US Navy Hunter-Killer group had the U-Boat submarine’s location down cold. Using high-frequency direction (Huff-Duff) and sonar (ASDIC) triangulation from the destroyer escorts, it was only a matter of time before they’d find and sink the submarine. Unfortunately the U-boat was now dangerously well inside the task force screen of 5 destroyer escorts – USS Pillsbury, Flaherty, Jenks, Pope and Chatelain. In response, the task force’s nearby escort aircraft carrier USS Guadalcanal sheered off and moved away at high speed while launching two Wildcat fighter planes and a TBM Avenger bomber to aid in their search for the elusive submarine. Chatelain fired her hedgehog anti-submarine launcher at the submarine because the shallow running submarine’s depth would not allow the depth charges to sink quickly enough to strike the U-boat. Following the detonation of hedgehog charges, a large oil slick came to the surface and a patrolling plane overhead radioed: “You struck oil! The sub is surfacing!” The U-boat broke surface less than 700 yards from Chatelain and the destroyer immediately opened fire with her automatic weapons on the injured and wallowing submarine. The submarine’s crew abandoned ship in the hail of gunfire as the U-boat continued to slowly circle at around 7 knots. Chatelain fired a single torpedo at the submarine but missed. Aboard the USS Guadalcanal the carrier’s executive officer spoke to task force commander Captain Daniel Gallery as he pointed at the submarine, now riding high at the bow but low at the stern. “What do we do with her Skipper?” Gallery quickly answered. “I want to take this bastard alive.” He paused but a moment further before giving the electrifying cry not heard in the US Navy for well over a hundred years. “AWAY ALL BOARDING PARTIES! BOARDERS AWAY!”

Read on…

Summer 1943 – The Soviet and German High Commands gather their strength for what they both believe will be a decisive battle. The Wehrmacht wants to retake the initiative on a front that tends to bog down due to the fierce resistance of the Red Army.

Players will be able to relive the key moments of this huge air-ground operation on the Eastern Front in Battle of Kursk, the first expansion of Battle Academy 2, which release is announced for March 26th.

Battle of Kursk offers two campaigns with a carryover system. Often requested by the community, this carryover approach will allow the players to keep units from one scenario to another, forcing them to not be too fool-hardy in order to complete the campaigns!

Get more information on Battle Academy 2: Battle of Kursk from its official product page.

New details, trailer outline seven-step guide to attaining zombie slaying nirvana

Think you already know the Zombie Army series? Think again.

With two games in the franchise and a huge fanbase, Rebellion have already proved they know a thing or two about serving up intense and brutal zombie shooters, but with the forthcoming release of Zombie Army Trilogy they’ve upped the gore and a whole lot more…

• Brand new third campaign: the series comes to an apocalyptic conclusion with five exclusive new missions for 1-4 players across bone-chilling new environments.
• Two stunning remastered campaigns: feast your eyes on ten missions with updated animations, dynamic physics, and improved lighting, shadows and visual effects.
• Terrifying new enemy types: face blood-splattered Chainsaw Elites, Panzer Zombies, Armoured Skeletons … and more!
• Four new player characters: choose to play as one of four fearless female sharpshooters with their own back story.
• Tactical zombie dismemberment: now players can liberate zombies from their limbs to slow them down, or stomp on exposed craniums for an instant kill!
• Challenging new Horde Mode: five dedicated maps with infinite waves of undead and impossibly tense 1-4 player action.
• Unified online community: team up online and take on any mission, from any campaign in the series. Compare kills with new combos, scores and leaderboards.

To see this seven-step guide to attaining zombie slaying nirvana in action check out the new trailer right here.

Zombie Army Trilogy is released digitally for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 6 with a retail version also available in some regions.

As a thank you to those fans who supported the series on PC, Rebellion is still offering an exclusive discount of up to 60% to owners of the first two Nazi Zombie Army games via Steam.

Stop by the official website, www.ZombieArmy.com for more game information.

New German ground attack aircraft enter combat

Wargaming today announced that update 1.7 for its flight combat MMO World of Warplanes has been released in Europe and will be available to players from North America on February 19.

A new branch of German ground attack planes has been added to the mix, including the iconic Junkers Ju.87G Stuka and the Messerschmitt Me. 265 prototype.

Lower tiers of the new branch feature more classic ground attack planes, and middle tier planes are equipped with impressive major caliber weapons. For higher tiers there is a swift increase in speed, and players will find that they are excellent, all purpose vehicles.

Update 1.7 also introduces two new game locations, “Province” and “The Observatory”, both available for tiers 5–10. “Province” transports players to an Italian-themed warzone during spring. Here they can find snaking valleys of canyons and plateaus, littered with several towns and connecting bridges. “The Observatory” is a European-themed battleground. In this harsh winter environment, players can soar across mountain ranges to discover a wide canyon marks the center of the map.

For more information on World of Warplanes Update 1.7 and to register for a free account, visit the games official website.

Set sail for adventure, guarding treasure fleets and unlocking the secrets of the Amazon. Sacrifice vassal kings to angry gods to stave off Doomsday. Or, stand outside history, and create a new nation from scratch. More wonders of alternate history are coming very soon.

Europa Universalis IV expands again on February 26 with the release of its El Dorado expansion. This, the fifth expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling historical grand strategy game, adds greater depth to the New World as your European explorers and conquistadors seek wealth and glory in South and Central America.

With the new Nation Designer, Europa Universalis IV players will be able to create custom challenges anywhere on Earth. Randomized nations with up to 32 user-designed creations open amazing new possibilities for both multiplayer and single player experiences.

El Dorado adds greater depth to the Aztec, Mesoamerican and Incan cultures with new religions and mechanics to help them prepare for the inevitable foreign invasions. Can you ward off Doomsday and hold off the Spanish armies?

El Dorado also introduces a system to automate exploration at sea and on land, where your hardy adventurers will encounter new events and decisions in their quest for cities of gold. There are also treasure fleets, changes to vassal management and many minor changes – as well as the usual pile of content free to all Europa Universalis IV players that accompanies every Paradox Development Studio expansion.

For more information on Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado please visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

By Stace Harman @ Eurogamer

There’s a lot riding on the arrival of Total War: Attila. While the eponymous anti-hero and fearsome leader of the Huns is borne on box and horse alike, this title also carries with it the hopes of the long-running series’ significant fan base. After the learning process necessitated by Total War: Rome 2‘s post-release incremental updates, this is The Creative Assembly and Sega’s chance to prove their reach no longer exceeds their grasp, and they can launch a stable, balanced and content-rich title straight off the bat.

Read on…