Dovetail Games, the multi award-winning developer and publisher of the Train Simulator series and Dovetail Games Fishing, today gave flight sim fans a lift for the holiday season with the announcement that Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition will launch on December 18 at a spectacular introductory price.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition delivers an authentically accurate aerial experience for simulation enthusiasts and those with a passion for all things flight. Pilots can climb into the cockpits of over twenty aircraft, from commercial and fighter jets to single-engine private planes and helicopters. More than 80 missions will test players in a variety of ways, including search and rescue challenges, test pilot scenarios, races and more. The game features updated multiplayer functionality, Windows 8.1 support and over 24,000 airports, delivering a beautiful, connected world and vast horizon begging to be explored.

First released in 2006, Microsoft Flight Simulator X’s arrival on Steam marks the first exciting steps in the global licensing deal between Dovetail Games and Microsoft announced earlier this year. In addition to distributing Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition, Dovetail Games is also working on its own original titles based on Microsoft’s flight technology, carrying on nearly three decades of tradition established by this award-winning franchise. Dovetail Games and partners will also be launching a range of add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition on Steam in the New Year.

Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition will be available on Windows PC via Steam on December 18.

There’s something momentous on the horizon, and you’re just the salty-dog to get the job done. We’re looking for a few good sailors to join us in testing the latest build for World of Warships! We’ve got a cargo hold full of keys to distribute, so scope the information below and get in on all the high-seas action!

• Begins: Friday, December 12 at 15:00 PST / 18:00 EST
• Ends: Sunday, December 14 at 23:59 PST / 02:59 EST on December 15

“This weekend with World of Warships, we are starting with a new model of testing and are looking forward to seeing the results of this new approach,” states Daniil Volkov, World of Warships Development Director. “The game is still in the early stages of development. Opening it to a larger audience will allow us to get a lot of relevant feedback that will be instrumental in defining player expectations and outlining what we are to focus on in the coming months.”

The event will feature three classes of military vessels, offering players the chance to experience the unique “Rock-Paper-Scissors” approach to naval combat. Players will have the opportunity to command American cruisers and destroyers as well as Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.

Once they’re up and running, you’ll be able to head to any one of our media partners’ sites for details on how to secure a ticket aboard this weekend’s World of Warships testing event.

• IGN
• Gamespot
• MMORPG
• Curse (requires login)
• TenTonHammer

Activating Your Key
After you’ve run the gauntlet and secured your key, it’s time to click on this link and follow the directions! Please keep in mind that there is a non-disclosure agreement and an embargo on any media impressions or reviews at this time.

Watch the first World of Warships gameplay video HERE.

New game world launched featuring warfare across a European world map, adds capacity for tens of thousands of extra active players

Firefly Studios has opened a ‘Europe’ game world to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of active players who log in every month to their castle MMO. Accurately based on the current day map of Europe, this new world is a direct response to requests from the community for more game worlds on a grander scale than those based on single countries. Since launch more than 3.5 million players have signed up to play Stronghold Kingdoms, two years since launch it remains one of the most actively played games on Steam.

Expanding Kingdoms with the addition of a new ‘Europe’ world provides both new and experienced players with the opportunity make their mark on an untouched landscape. ‘Europe’ promises extraordinary riches to those who take control of the 33 different countries in this persistent game world, stretching from the warm and inviting coasts of Portugal to the cooler and unforgiving trenches of Eastern Ukraine. As one of the most popular free-to-play games on Steam, Kingdoms will continue to grow through releases of new map types, community-driven updates and larger expansion-style feature updates coming in 2015, working with players to remain the leader in its genre.

With monthly active players in the hundreds of thousands, Stronghold Kingdoms continues to be enjoyed by fans and Firefly as a small independent developer. Although Kingdoms already has players from over 100 different countries, Firefly plans to expand into further territories and release new types of game world in 2015. Players enjoy the ability to build a castle near their real life home town and engage in local and country-wide politics, something Firefly is keenly aware of. New worlds will continue this trend by allowing players to expand their empire, dominate nearby regions and eventually rule over entire continents. Currently the largest game world on offer, ‘Europe’ features 33 different medieval countries and a fully persistent game world to be claimed by players, in an often brutal fight for domination and glory.

Stronghold Kingdoms can be downloaded and played for free at the Stronghold Kingdoms website.

New Expansion Brings More Role-playing Options to Rulers Everywhere

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio today announced that Crusader Kings II: Way of Life, the next expansion for the award winning strategy franchise, will be released on December 16th via digital storefronts worldwide. Way of Life will be available on PC, Mac, and Linux for $7.99.

Way of Life delves into the role-playing aspects of Crusader Kings II, giving players the ability to fine-tune their methods of seduction and break ups, and also the ability to set a Focus for your character that will influence the types of events that befall your character during their lifetime. Featuring hundreds of new events as well as over 20 new event pictures, Way of Life will give players control over their characters in ways never before available—for better, for worse, or for entertainment.

PRESS RELEASE

By Parm Mann @ HEXUS

Fractal Design‘s venture into the world of liquid cooling has been common knowledge for a number of months – we brought you a sneak-peek way back in March – and said coolers are now ready to make their retail debut.

Three ‘Kelvin’ models are officially launched today. The Kelvin T12, featuring a 120mm radiator, is priced at £75 and represents Fractal’s entry-level solution. The Kelvin S24 includes a 240mm radiator at a cost of £90, while the range-topping Kelvin S36 offers a triple-fan 360mm radiator for £105.

Fractal has a good selection of price points covered, and it’s the middle-of-the-pack S24 that’s first under the review spotlight.

Read The Review Here

The latest major release of our drivers are available as a free upgrade for AMD customers. In addition to releasing new versions of the system software at regular intervals, AMD has released an AMD Catalyst™ Omega special edition software update that will include enhancements to enrich the user experience.

Why? Today’s hardware and software have become highly interconnected and interdependent dynamically interacting to shape a cohesive computing unit. This symbiotic relationship between hardware and software is vital to the ongoing evolution of future computing devices. New software becomes incorporated into an existing generation of hardware, enabling faster, more capable, and more reliable performance.

Get more information about the AMD Catalyst Omega special edition software 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.

• Fractal Design Intros Expandable T12, S24, and S36 Water Coolers
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 with GM206 GPU in January
• EK Introduces Water Blocks for GIGABYTE X99 Series Motherboards
• EK Releases ASUS GTX 970 Strix Full-Cover Water Block
• ADATA Clicks Off a Stylish New UC340 USB 3.0 Flash Drive
• Samsung Announces SSD 850 EVO Series Featuring 3-bit V-NAND
• Marvell Announces DRAM-less NVMe SSD Controller

Source: Blue’s News

The Fighter Collection announces DCS: Bf 109 K-4 Kurfürst is now available for sale on the DCS E-Shop, offering the latest addition to DCS World. Here’s a new trailer, and here’s the deal:

Like previous DCS World titles, DCS: Bf 109 K-4 Kurfürst features a painstakingly reproduced model of the aircraft, including the external model, fully interactive cockpit, mechanical systems, and a Professional Flight Model (PFM). Along the lines of our DCS: P-51D Mustang and DCS: Fw 190 D-9 Dora titles, DCS: Bf 109K-4 Kurfürst places you behind the controls of a powerful, propeller-driven, piston engine combat aircraft. Designed long before “fly-by-wire” technology was available to assist the pilot in flight control or smart bombs and beyond visual range missiles were developed to engage targets with precision from afar, the Kurfürst is a personal and exhilarating challenge to master. Powerful and deadly, the last production model of the only single-engined German fighter to see service throughout World War II, the Kurfürst provides an exhilarating combat experience to its drivers, and a worthy challenge to all fans of DCS: P-51D Mustang.

Newest episode of video tutorials explains canopy roll

Wargaming today announced a brand new series of video tutorials for the flight action MMO World of Warplanes, aimed at providing players with guidance on how to pull off some of the most iconic and acrobatic maneuvers to ever grace the skies. From canopy rolls, basic loops combat turns and the legendary Immelmann turn, each of the four new videos will give World of Warplanes players a crash course in improving their aerial prowess and look great while doing it.

Besides giving players the skills to look great in combat, the video series will also shed light on using these incredible maneuvers in actual combat situations. Whether evading fire from enemy planes or using techniques to flank enemy squadrons, this new video series will give all of World of Warplane’s virtual pilots the opportunity to take their game to the next level.

The canopy roll, the focus of the first episode of the series, is an evasive maneuver that helps shake enemies off your tail and avoid potentially devastating damage. The three types of canopy roll, mastery of the game’s controls, and knowing exactly when to pull off the maneuvers will be just a few of the details revealed in the video.

• www.worldofwarplanes.com (North America)
• www.worldofwarplanes.eu (Europe)

The new definitive wargame of the Western Front is out now!

“The enemy must be annihilated before he reaches our main battlefield…We must stop him in the water…destroying all his equipment while it is still afloat.” (Erwin Rommel – German Field Marshal)

4 years after the release of War in the East, Gary Grigsby is moving the action to the Western Front with his new grand operational/strategy masterpiece: War in the West! In this monster wargame, players will take command of both Allied and Axis forces and relive the biggest operations in Italy, France, The Netherlands, and the other main battlefields that took the Allies to the gates of Berlin.

Renowned developer 2by3 Games has used all its talent and experience to create a deep historical simulation with an incredible level of realism. Order of Battle, logistics, air war, weather, terrain features… all of the ingredients that made this front unique are included in this wargame, and players can dig into all the details to make their plans come together. To help you get up to speed, five video tutorials and a Player’s Handbook along with introductory scenarios complement the full game manual and grand campaigns. Defeating the German army or defending the Atlantic Wall is a very challenging task, and both players and AI have multiple assets and possibilities to rewrite history… forever!

The game features 3 main campaigns and 7 smaller scenarios for a comprehensive coverage of combat in Western Europe between July 1943 and mid 1945.

Today we are very excited to announced that the game is finally available on the Matrix Games Online Store! Such a game deserved a special treatment in terms of packaging so connoisseurs of beautiful objects will be pleased to know that the physical edition of the game comes with an impressive hardbound color printed manual of more than 300 pages!

For holiday shoppers, please note that we expect the physical copies to start shipping out on December 16th.

Get more information on Gary Grigsby’s War in the West from its launch trailer and its official product page as well as the many after action reports in the official forum.