Set in 432 BC at the outset of the Peloponnesian War, Wrath of Sparta is an entirely new campaign expansion for Total War: Rome II and the earliest period that Total War has ever attempted.

As the legendary warriors of Sparta are called into open conflict against an arrogant Athens by scheming Korinthos and Boiotia, Wrath of Sparta challenges you to dominate the Hellenic world. However, while the City States vie for control of their homelands, across the Aegean sea the vengeful Persian Empire watches its old foe closely…

Across a bespoke campaign map focussing on a highly-detailed ancient Greece, the Greek Islands and the Ionian Coast, this campaign pack features all new tech-trees, battlefield and naval units, great wonders and famous Greek heroes. In addition, a flavour-packed focus on ancient Greek culture is delivered through many iconic athletic competitions and festivals.

Wrath of Sparta is a campaign pack like no other, and brings this desperate conflict to life in thrilling detail across hundreds of hours of gameplay.

For more information, catch the latest episode of community show Rally Point or the store page HERE.

Author: Sebastian Peak @ PC Perspective

In the last few years NZXT has emerged as a popular choice for computer builds with stylish cases for a variety of needs. The newest member of the H series, the H440, promises quiet performance and offers a clean look by eliminating optical drive bays entirely from the design. While this might be a deal-breaker for some, the days of the ODD seem to be numbered as more enclosures are making the move away from the 5.25″ bay. But we aren’t looking at just any H440 today, as NZXT has sent along a completely custom version designed in alliance with gaming accessory maker Razer to be “the ultimate gamer’s chassis”. In this review we’ll look at just what makes this H440 different, and test out a complete build while we’re at it. Performance will be as big a metric as appearance here since the H440 is after all an enclosure designed for silence, with noise dampening an integral part of NZXT’s construction of the case.

Read The Review Here

By Josh Jackson @ PureOC

Noctua is a name synonymous with the idea of a nearly perfect fan. Some would say they are too pricey, but most people who have owned one usually deem the cost worth the quality of the product. In fact, the only quibble I’ve seen consistently stick with Noctua fans is the color scheme. While beige and brown provide a unique aesthetic that clearly defines the brand, it hardly fits in most color schemes that builders decide on for their rigs. Just when all hope was lost that we would ever see anything different, Noctua decided to give us two new colors in their arsenal of fans; a grey scheme for the Redux line and a black/brown scheme for their Industrial line. Before we dive into the fans, let’s learn a little bit about the company behind the magic.

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 GeForce GTX 980 ROG Matrix Platinum
• Xigmatek Announces TYR-SD962 CPU Cooler
• Antec Launches GX300 Entry-level Chassis
• Raijintek Releases Morpheus Core Edition VGA Cooler – VIDEO
• COUGAR Launches 600K Gaming Keyboard
• ASUS Announces PB279Q: 10-bit, 4K Monitor With 100% sRGB Color Gamut
• TRENDnet Ships Home Smart Switch with Wireless Extender
• Amped Wireless Releases Next Gen Wi-Fi Power & Range with AC1750 Router
• Sceptre Announces Availability of 27-inch E275W-1920 LED 1080P Monitor

The David vs. Goliath naval battle between destroyer HMS Glowworm and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

A fierce Force 10 late winter gale blew across the icy, storm swept Norwegian Sea on the early morning of 7 April 1940 as the solitary British destroyer HMS. Glowworm, badly hit and blazing brightly from numerous shell hits from German heavy cruiser and destroyer gun fire emerged from behind her own smokescreen to confront her five attackers. She was now running at a full flank speed of 38 knots to present an impossible and nightmarish spectacle to the nearby German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. Many of Hipper’s crewmen’s jaws dropped open in shock and awe at what was about to befall them. The heavy cruiser had already successfully dodged 2 salvos of Glowworm’s torpedoes, before hitting the British destroyer a number times with her main and secondary gun batteries, setting the ship afire. Glowworm’s Captain Lt. Commander Gerard Roope, noting Hipper’s position, now deliberately cut across the cruiser’s bow, before putting his helm hard over to deliberately ram the cruiser. Glowworm’s bow slammed into the Hipper just abaft her anchor, scrapping along its starboard side for over 150 feet, The collision ripped away both most of Glowworm’s own bow and a good deal of armor plate from the Hipper’s side. One of Hipper’s torpedo mounts was sheered away overboard and the cruiser shipped over 500 tons of seawater through the rents in her hull, but was able to contain the damage. Not so the Glowworm. Even though ablaze from stem to stern a few of her guns were still in action as she continued to hurl their hatred at the German enemy. The out of control fires quickly reached the destroyer’s ammunition magazine and the ship exploded in a fitful roar to capsize and quickly disappear into the Norwegian Sea’s dark, icy depths. Of Glow-worm’s crew of 146 men, only 40 souls survived to be plucked out of the near frozen water by Hipper’s crew. Lt Commander Roope was momentarily one of those few survivors. He grabbed at one of the life lines thrown to him, but exposure and fatigue overcame him and he dropped back into the water to disappear into its depths, never to be seen again. He later was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. When regarding fighting men of this bravery and caliber, one tends to immediately think of the adage of the Emperor Napoleon who said: “Audacity, audacity, above all audacity.”

Read on…

War in the West is coming in just two days! We have already shared with you a wealth of information on the game, as the guys from 2by3 Games have been answering your questions on the forums and we have also released to AARs to show you some of the gameplay. But there is more!

Tomorrow on 20:00 CET/ 14:00 EST, we will be playing a scenario live for all to watch! This will be the ultimate possibility to get familiar with the game and see some actual gameplay in progress! During the stream, we will cover the basics of the gameplay, as well as some of the new major features in the game.

To get you in the mood, we have also prepared a trailer, made of authentic World War II footage! Watch it here to get a taste of the war on the Western Front!

The live stream will be live here.

Click here for more information on War in the West.

Source: Blue’s News

Michael Condrey tweets about plans for a title update for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare coming to the Windows edition of military shooter. Word from the Sledgehammer Games honcho is this will rebalance the game and address some exploits, though an exact ETA and patch notes are still forthcoming:

#AdvancedWarfare TU @X1/PS4 +PC Stay tuned for notes incl weapon balancing, ranked play updates, map exploits & spawn fixes, optimizations +

As the old power of Rome starts to crumble, there is opportunity in being the aggressor for those who seek it. In this latest cinematic trailer from Total War: Attila, we see the Sassanid Empire exploiting the confusion around it and striking out in war on its neighbours.

The game itself will contain a number of new features around army management and waging war to bring further depth to this key aspect of the Total War experience. Most notably, players will have to consider the very real risks of keeping their armies in line against mounting losses, disloyal generals and fragmented food supplies.

A rogue commander can entice other wavering characters to mutiny, one of the triggers at play in the rich, new civil war system. Dark times call for dark measures, and amongst a variety of tactics players can employ to reduce the risk of such division, the brutal Roman practice of ‘Decimation’ (the systematic slaughtering of a tenth of an army) will restore temporary order at a high price.

For more information about Total War: Attila, log on to www.totalwar.com.

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

Over the last couple of months we have taken a look at various items from Cougar. Starting with their 700M mouse and matching pad which won our performance award, then more recently their high end keyboard… a gold award winner. Today in our Cougar 600M Review we find out if they can add to those awards.

Read The Review Here

By Parm Mann @ HEXUS

Galax has already dipped its toe into GTX 980 waters with the recently reviewed SOC, but it turns out the company was merely whetting our appetite in anticipation of the range-topping GTX 980 HOF. Hall of Fame cards under the previous Galaxy and KFA2 brands were renowned for lavish design and lofty overclocks, and the Galax GTX 980 HOF is no exception. Finished in white with silver and black highlights, this is without a doubt one of the most eye-catching GTX 980s we’ve seen thus far. And of course, if you’re planning a snow-white build this winter, this is the card to consider.

Read The Review Here