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Just Announced Hardware for 13 January 2015

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.

Hardware | Donster | January 13, 2015 |

Rebellion Announces Zombie Army Trilogy

HITLER’S BACK FROM THE DEAD AND HUNGRY FOR BLOOD!

Achtung! Berlin is burning and Adolf Hitler has risen from his grave to gather an army of Undead Super Soldiers who are poised to spill blood and guts across Europe. Only one thing stands in their way – you, and the fleshy sacks bristling with guns and explosives you call your best friends.

Zombie Army Trilogy, rising early 2015, gives Xbox One and PlayStation 4 gamers their first chance to experience the blood-pumping co-op shooter series that became a cult sensation on PC. Former enemies become allies as the living fight against the dead.

Packed with apocalyptic new content and two eye-popping remasters Zombie Army Trilogy also includes the never-seen-before third instalment in the series and a brand new horde mode, delivering the ultimate package for fans of adrenaline-fuelled gunplay and harrowing intensity.

Zombie Army Trilogy will be self-published by Rebellion on all formats and will be available for download via Xbox Live, the Playstation Network and Steam for PC. A retail version will also be available.

Battle through 15 gut-wrenching missions spanning THREE epic campaigns across the irradiated, demon-infested ruins of World War Two Germany.
Wrestle the occult powers in the campaign and across FIVE terrifying horde maps. Face the horrors alone or fight back-to-back in 2-4 player online co-op.
Fight as elite sniper, Karl Fairburne or one of EIGHT playable heroes including FOUR new female characters, armed with over 25 iconic weapons and explosive traps.
Take on legions of Undead Super Soldiers, Armoured Skeletons, Zombie Snipers, Chainsaw Elites, Fire Demons and more, before facing the demonic Hitler himself in a final stand to decide the fate of mankind!
Bask in the gruesome glow of the infamous X-Ray Kill Cam, and watch in gory detail as rotting flesh and organs are shredded from the inside.
Experience haunting environments and intense-action, all framed in bloody beautiful 1080p.

For PC gamers, Zombie Army Trilogy will be available to pre-order today via Steam or the Rebellion Gamestore.

As a thank you to the fans that made the series a cult hit, Rebellion are also offering an exclusive loyalty discount to owners of the first two Nazi Zombie Army games via Steam before launch.

The official website, www.ZombieArmy.com has been unleashed on the interwebs with more information, a teaser trailer and FREE content including an exclusive MP3 album of atmospheric compositions from the game’s soundtrack by Nick D Brewer.

Shrapnel Games Announces Annual January Sale

Start 2015 with Strategy Game Savings!

We are one week into the new year and already the temperatures are plunging. Time to settle in, stay out of the cold and cozy up to your monitor while playing the very best in independent strategy gaming. January is the time that Shrapnel Games offers you a look at their complete inventory of war and strategy games at discounted prices. You can save on our current inventory from January 8th thru January 22nd!

Take advantage of our annual sale to procure our hit new release Approaching Infinity. Released on December 15th, this game is already garnering praise from the space exploration and adventure gaming community. This is a rogue-like game of stellar exploration, planetary investigation, starship battles, diplomacy, crafting, commodity trading, and much, much more. Get it today at the sale price of $34.95.

Wargamers will appreciate such titles as War Plan Pacific, Salvo! and the Enhanced Edition of winSPWW2. All three of these titles are on sale for $34.95. War Plan Pacific is an exciting game that will remind gamers of the classic Victory in the Pacific. From Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan in a single session, War Plan Pacific plays fast yet retains a sense of history. Salvo! is an Age of Fighting Sail strategy game, while winSPWW2 is the game that should be on every tactical fan’s hard drive.

Gamers will also want to look at winSPMBT: Main Battle Tank ($33.95) and World Supremacy ($23.95). World Supremacy is a game of global conquest set in the modern era and winSPMBT is the Windows version of Steel Panthers Main Battle Tank. Both of these titles are on sale all month long.

Hardcore strategy gamers looking for the very best in modern warfare simulations will appreciate the entire ProSIM line of games being on sale. BCT Commander ($14.95), Air Assault Task Force ($34.95), ATF: Armored Task Force ($19.95), The Falklands War: 1982 ($34.95), Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War ($34.95) and The Star and the Crescent ($34.95). Take on a serious wargame with the micro-title, Battle Group Commander, for only $9.95.

Then there are the lighter strategy games. Perfect for the beer and pretzels crowd, you have Bronze, Air Command 3.0 and Space HoRSE for only $24.95.

Of course there is Scallywag: In the Lair of the Medusa, a single-player, action orientated dungeonbash of unlimited potential for $19.95. And finally, look for the pen and paper RPG optimized for the digital age, Total Eclipse by Disrupted Gears – also on sale now!

Remember the sale prices are in effect thru January 22nd! For more information on any of the games, including checking out demos, be sure to stop by www.shrapnelgames.com and view our complete catalog. There you’ll find full details on the individual titles, bonus items, and links to purchase.

Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | January 8, 2015 |

GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion Motherboard Review

By Ian Cutress @ AnandTech

When we ask the motherboard manufacturers about overclocking, most of them say that it is an integral part of their hardware line-up as well as a point to distinguish themselves from the competition. I have been a big fan of the cheaper overclocking oriented models in the mainstream markets, and in order to emulate the success that GIGABYTE has made in that area today they are releasing the X99-SOC Champion aimed at the Haswell-E overclocking crowd. We managed to get a sample in for a launch day review.

Read The Review Here

Hardware Motherboards | Donster | January 8, 2015 |

Just Announced Hardware for 8 January 2015

Hardware | Donster | January 8, 2015 |

Assassin’s Creed: Unity Free DLC, Dead Kings, Launching Next Week

Join Arno On A Journey To The Underground Tombs Of Former French Kings

Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed: Unity – Dead Kings, the downloadable campaign that continues Arno’s story after the events of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, will be available for free to all purchasers of Assassin’s Creed: Unity for the Xbox One games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC on January 13, and on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system on January 14 2015.

After the events of Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Arno leaves Paris for Saint Denis, a mysterious city that holds the crypts of deceased French kings. Sent on a mission to the extensive underground of the Basilica, Arno will face a faction of new foes, the Raiders, populating its catacombs. Equipped with a lantern and a new powerful weapon, the Guillotine gun, Arno will have to navigate the dangerous passageways to uncover the darkest secrets of the city.

In addition to a fully-fledged main single-player campaign, Assassin’s Creed: Unity – Dead Kings also offers new open world activities and side missions, including new Murder Mysteries, enigmas and cooperative missions. Both single-player and cooperative modes enable players to unlock new weapons, gear and outfits that carry over between Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Assassin’s Creed: Unity – Dead Kings.

For more information and to view the Assassin’s Creed: Unity – Dead Kings trailer, please visit the official Assassin’s Creed website.

Action/Strategy Assassin's Creed: Unity | Donster | January 6, 2015 |

Just Announced Hardware for 6 January 2015

Hardware | Donster | January 6, 2015 |

Historical Article: Silent Otto Kretschmer

WWII’s highest scoring U-boat ace

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

Otto Kretschmer was without a doubt the greatest and most gifted U-boat Captain ever to serve in the German Navy in WWII. He was known as “Silent Otto”, not only for his reluctance to make small talk, but also his reluctance towards making regular radio contact with the U-boat headquarters. In addition he was also a firm believer in the “silent running” of his U-boat if being searched for by Allied destroyers while submerged. Kretschmer was something of an anomaly during the age of the cold hearted Nazi “supermen,” in that he believed in the traditional values of sea warfare: those of chivalry, fair play and doing all possible to relieve the suffering of a vanquished foe. During his career in WWII, it was common for Kretschmer upon encountering a life boat filled with the men he’d tried to sink and kill only hours earlier, to surface his submarine alongside to give them food, water, blankets and a compass heading towards dry land. On one such occasion he encountered a single British sailor in a life raft who was suffering from the advanced stages of hypothermia exposure. He had the man brought aboard, taken below, bundled in hot blankets and given a hot mug of tea. As the man gradually came out of shock, he thought he’d been taken aboard a British submarine and marveled at his good fortune. Given how many of Kreschmer’s crew were fluent in English and that the German submariners wore no insignia while wearing basic overhauls in lieu of uniforms, it took quite a bit of convincing to get the sailor to believe he was actually aboard a German U-boat. The survivor was eventually placed upon another life boat they encountered, one filled with other Allied sailors and a single extremely haughty British officer. When Kretschmer called down to the life boat, asking if they had provisions aboard, the British officer offered up an unprintable and less than desirable response. Undeterred, Kretschmer ordered food and water to be placed aboard the life boat. After giving the survivors a compass heading for the nearby coast of Ireland, Kretschmer saluted the officer and bid him “Good luck!” The British officer, upon realizing the extremely generous nature of the gifts of food and water, returned the salute and wished the Germans “Good Luck!” in return as the U-boat sailed away.

Read on…

Military History | Donster | January 5, 2015 |

The Broadening Horizons of Total War

How The Creative Assembly is planning an all-out assault in 2015.

By Stace Harman @ Eurogamer

This year the Total War series turns 15, and as recompense for making so many of us feel so horribly old The Creative Assembly is celebrating with a birthday blowout of new Total War titles. The recent release of the Wrath of Sparta content pack for Total War: Rome 2 is followed on 17 February by the next major release in the franchise, Total War: Attila – but the ferocious Hun does not ride alone. Instead, he’s flanked by two less traditional Total War experiences aimed at bringing in new players via the hit-and-miss gift horse of free-to-play.

Read on…

Strategy and Wargaming Total War: Attila | Donster | January 5, 2015 |

Chain of Command Is Gearing Up For ‘Operation Early Access’ In 2015

BitBunch is relentlessly continuing the development of Chain of Command WWII RTS.

The company had a great year in 2014, marking the announcement of Chain of Command. We have built the core engine technology on top of which the game’s features are being developed and put together a great team of game development professionals. BitBunch has also launched Twitter and Facebook accounts for Chain of Command, so commanders from all around the world can get latest updates from the HQ.

In 2015 we will release more and more details on Chain of Command: what it will look like, what it will sound like and most importantly: what it will play like. You can expect to see more art work, models, and textures such as the one featured in this press release: the first rendered in-game model, featuring the German Panzer Mark III tank. Our tanks are still in the hangar, but we are getting them ready to roll out!

“We are working hard on software development and environment generation,” said BitBunch co-founder, George van Venrooij. “Chain of Command is an ambitious project, with historical accuracy and innovative gameplay being its main distinguishing features. We are really excited to work towards launching the first demo version in 2015.”

In Q2 2015, we plan to release an early access version of Chain of Command to a limited group of users. Set in May 1940, this version will put the player in command of a German Panzer division in its attempt to cross the Meuse River and break through the French lines during the infamous “Blitzkrieg” in the West. This version will not only provide our community with the first taste of battle in Chain of Command, but will also help BitBunch gather valuable feedback for our development process. More details will follow as soon as they are declassified.

We expect 2015 to be a very exciting year so we are looking forward to it. To stay up to date with all news, large and small, follow Chain of Command on Twitter @CoCHQ, and click here to ‘Like’ the Chain of Command/BitBunch page on Facebook.

As always, feel free to get in touch with us via www.bitbunch.eu.

Chain of Command Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | January 5, 2015 |