The time has come! Stronghold Crusader 2 is now in beta and set for release on Steam on 2nd September 2014. To celebrate reaching this stage in development we have put together an E3 trailer with fresh footage of the game at beta, including many of the new features that set Crusader 2 apart from the original game.

The game is essentially finished with all our core systems in place including co-op, unit abilities and dynamic events like the tornado and locust swarm. Self-publishing comes with its own set of challenges but one of the great advantages is that we can release when we are ready, when the bugs have been squashed and the game is worthy of the Crusader name. After taking the game to several public shows over the past nine months we are very happy with the game’s feel. The team has been tweaking areas of gameplay such as unit balance and castle destruction in direct response to feedback received at these shows and it has made a huge difference. Players are telling us it feels like the original Crusader in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay and just hearing that is hugely encouraging.

The whole team feels as though we have managed to make a game that expands on the original Crusader without changing what people found so enjoyable about the original. It is mission accomplished on that front and we still have time for a lengthy beta period to polish everything off before launch. Having to be so vague about our release date, at least until recently, was frustrating but we only wanted to give a specific date once we knew the game would be finished and up to the kind of standard players expect. Soon there will be a great Stronghold game available on Steam, one we can’t wait to get into the hands of players.

More game information can be found on the official Stronghold Crusader 2 Website.

Battlefront.com has released patch v1.05 for Strategic Command WWI Breakthrough! Patch 1.05 contains numerous bug fixes, game enhancements and even brand new Decision Events!

Players can now form the Polish Legion in Austrian service, and General Haller’s Polish Blue Army in France, as well as enjoying numerous other improvements. As always, player feedback has provided much of the inspiration for these changes.

All previous improvements are of course included as well, such as numerous improvements to the new 1870 Franco-Prussian War campaign to increase its historical accuracy and playability, as well as significant changes to game balance in 1939 Storm over Europe to give the Axis a much better chance of victory.

Click here to jump to the games download page.

By Mike @ PureOC

Things have been getting a thorough rustling in the case market in recent history. Every form factor from ITX on up to XL-ATX, has been getting some new life breathed into their respective segments with cases replete with features and styling that no one thought possible. NZXT, not being one to rest on their laurels for very long, have introduced a little something new to the ATX mid tower segment. It’s something they like to call the Phantom 240.

Read The Review Here

By sk_spooky @ Hardware Heaven

Today we will be taking a look at the Raptor M45 gaming mouse from Corsair. The M45 is a mid-range gaming mouse from their Raptor range which looks to satisfy the needs of enthusiast gamers, especially FPS players.

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.

• CYBERPOWERPC Teams Up with Newegg to Launch $299 “Everyman Quad Core” System
• GIGABYTE Z97X-SOC FORCE LN2 Dominates at Computex 2014 OC Events
• Spire Announces the Air Force 120 LED Fan
• Transcend Unveils MTS Series M.2 Solid-State Drives
• GALAXY and EK Introduce the Liquid Cooled GeForce GTX 780 Ti HOF V20
• AOC Unveils the g2770Pqu 27-Inch 144 Hz Gaming Monitor
• Lian Li Releases Two Modular Chassis: PC-V359 and PC-Q36
• ASRock Z97 OC Formula Sets Two New World Records
• EIZO Introduces FORIS FS2434 Gaming Monitor with 6 mm Ultra-Slim Frame
• Aerocool Adds Three New Color Models to Dead Silence Cube Series
• Wireless Mouse from Rapoo Uses a Laser Sensor and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
• Silicon Power Presents the USB 2.0 Touch T06 & USB 3.0 Jewel J06 Flash Drives
• Linksys Launches Pro Series Wireless Access Point

Visceral Games, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio and makers of the critically-acclaimed Dead Space series, today unveiled Battlefield Hardline, taking the award-winning Battlefield franchise to a new world filled with new ways to play. Coming October 21 in North America and October 24 in the  United Kingdom, Battlefield Hardline puts players right in the middle of the war on crime in the gritty and glamorous streets of Los Angeles and Miami, allowing gamers to live out their fantasy of being a cop or a criminal. The fantasy begins today in a bold move – Visceral Games is making Battlefield Hardline playable now for the public in a closed multiplayer beta on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and on Origin™ for PC. Players can sign up for a chance to play HERE.

Delivering an all-new canvas for the best-in-class first person action gameplay the Battlefield franchise is known for, Battlefield Hardline sees Visceral Games bring its critically-acclaimed single player storytelling pedigree to provide an engaging story in a setting reminiscent of modern TV crime dramas. In multiplayer, fans will feel the thrill of the heist or the satisfaction of the ultimate bust with new twists including new modes, weapons, vehicles and gadgets.

Get more info at the official Battlefield Hardline Website.

Ubisoft has announced the development of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, the latest in the best-selling Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will be available in 2015 on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

Development of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is being led by Ubisoft Montreal. Inspired by real world counter-terrorist organizations, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle of lethal close-quarters confrontations. For the first time in a Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six game, players will engage in sieges, a new style of assault where enemies have the means to transform their environments into modern strongholds while Rainbow Six teams lead the assault to breach the enemy’s position. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege gives players unprecedented control over their ability to fortify their position – by reinforcing walls and floors, using barbed wire, deployable shields and mines, and more – or breach the enemies’ using observation drones, sheet charges, rappelling, and more. The fast pace, lethality and uniqueness of each siege sets a new bar for intense firefights, strategic gameplay and competitive gaming.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege also features a technological breakthrough that redefines the way players interact with a game environment. Leveraging Ubisoft Montreal’s proprietary Realblast engine, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege incorporates procedural destruction that is realistic and unscripted, meaning the environment reacts authentically, distinctively and dynamically, based on variables like the caliber of bullets or the amount of explosives used. This advance allows players to leverage destruction in meaningful ways. Walls can be shattered, opening new lines of fire. Ceilings and floors can be breached to create new access points. This ability to modify the level design in real time enables players to create new gameplay opportunities directly within the game level.

The Rainbow Six: Siege website is currently under construction, but you can get a look at the game by watching the Rainbow Six: Siege E3 2014 Gameplay Trailer linked below.

WATCH VIDEO IN HD (Hosted by YouTube – 06:33)

A new gameplay trailer for Armored Warfare has been released by developer partner Obsidian Entertainment. The trailer showcases the new role system and the types of tanks players will command in battle in the team-based modern military vehicle combat game.

“The roles of the Main Battle Tank (MBT), Recon and Artillery units in Armored Warfare will offer players an endless amount of strategies in taking on the competition in a given match. Players must weigh the cost-benefit of each role in every scenario. MBTs are bruisers that can dish out damage and take it, Recon tanks sweep swiftly throughout levels to help flank enemies and spot them for artillery strikes, while Artillery units rain destruction on enemies from a distance.”

WATCH VIDEO IN HD (Hosted by YouTube – 01:25)

To learn more about Armored Warfare, visit the official Armored Warfare Website.

Wargaming today announced the addition of a new game mode in World of Tanks. The new World Football Championship game mode will be available from June 12 through July 13, offering players a custom sport tank, special achievements and all new team-based, football themed gameplay.

The World Football Championship mode features 7-minute 3 vs 3 team battles on a reworked version of Himmelsdorf which has been transformed into a football field. The objective is to score a goal using vehicles and shells and to defend their own goal from enemy players. The only tank available in the new mode is the custom created Tier 1 T-62A Sport that will be given to all registered players for free.

Tankers will also get the “Football Player 2014” medal, awarded for exceptional performance in the new mode and will be able to earn Experience points by completing special missions.

WATCH VIDEO IN HD (Hosted by YouTube – 01:16)

Get more game info at the official World of Tanks website.

By: Hilbert Hagedoorn @ GURU3D

One of the most talked of processors this year has to be the product we are reviewing today. The Core i7-4790K. Dubbed and known as a Devils Canyon the new K model processor it finally has arrived in the highlands of that mystic land called Groningen in the Netherlands. Okay, lame puns aside, Intel last week announced a couple of K model processors. The Core i7-4790K will replace the 4770K as flagship processor. By itself that normally means a 100 MHz speed-bump, but know that for the 4790K things really are quite a bit different.

Read The Review Here