First-Person Shooters

Today, Ubisoft announced that Operation Velvet Shell, the first free update of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege Year 2, will be available for Xbox One, Sony Playstation®4 and Windows PC from February 7th, 2017. Year 2 pass holders will instantly receive the two new Operators of the Spanish Counter Terrorist Unit as well as their four signature weapons skins. Non-Season Pass owners will be able to unlock them using the ‘Renown’ in-game currency or R6 Credits from February 14th, 2017.

The new Coastline map featuring Operation Velvet Shell
In Operation Velvet Shell, players will assume the role of two Spanish operators from the Grupo Especial de Operaciones and attempt to regain control of the Ibiza coastline using their unique tactical expertise:

• Mira has proven her strength and endurance in tactical situations, but her best asset is her technical expertise. Her specialty is creating Black Mirrors, nearly indestructible horizontal one-way windows that can be punched into barricades or destructible walls. Combined with the Vector 45 ACP and ITA12L as her primary weapons, enemies can rapidly go from “spotted” to “dead.”
• Jackal has developed his expertise in tracking down High Value Targets and intercepting narcotics shipments with the G.E.O.s. Equipped with the C7E and PDW9 as primary weapons, Jackal can also activate his Eyenox Model III headset to track enemy footprints. The more recent the prints, the “hotter” they’ll appear in Jackal’s view, so if you see bright red bootprints, there’s likely an enemy nearby!

Additionally, as part of the ongoing commitment to enrich the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Six Siege playing experience, Year 2 will start with a new dynamic navigation interface, making player activity such as challenges, news and boosters available in the same place. Xavier Marquis, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Six Siege Creative Director explains, “We are working hard on ensuring the game’s longevity. We are here to stay so want to make sure that you’re getting comfortable”.

To learn more about Operation Velvet Shell, please visit www.rainbow6.com/VelvetShell

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege is currently available worldwide for consoles and Windows PC. More information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, is available on rainbow6.com.

By  Joe Donnelly @ PC Gamer

Due in just under two weeks, Rebellion’s Sniper Elite 4 has teased a number of steadily impressive trailers—some story-focused, others showcasing snippets of in-game footage. When it arrives on February 14, the incoming third-person tactical shooter will support DirectX 12.

Billed as the “defining World War 2 game for a generation”, DirectX 12 support should mean faster load times, prettier and shinier reflections, shadows and textures, and “enhanced” frame rates for Sniper Elite 4′s war grounds. It’ll still of course support DirectX 11, however those interested in pushing the game to its limits can do so at launch.

“We’ve worked really hard to make Sniper Elite 4 our biggest and best game ever,” says Rebellion’s Co-founder Chris Kingsley in a statement. “And now the power of DirectX 12 on PC means we can take things even further for our fans who want the best sniper experience in the world. We’re turning everything up to 12!”

While Sniper Elite 4′s narrative-leaning trailers have been interesting enough, I was really taken by the “101″ trailer which landed earlier this week. The idea of timing shots against environmental background noise, as well as judging the movement of bullets in the wind sounds like a challenge I’ll enjoy trying/failing to perfect.

Get an Early Preview of the Game in the Shoes of Jon North

Beginning today and lasting until Feb. 5, a special Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 beta is available worldwide for PC players on Steam. Players can still register (till the end of day) here and get exclusive access to two single-player missions in the beautiful open-world setting of the Republic of Georgia: Cut Off and Blockout.

In honor of the beta kick-off, CI Games invites everyone to watch a new video highlighting what players will get to experience in the beta.

“We’d like to give everyone who registered for the beta a big THANK YOU. You have to throw away everything you know about the series, since Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is a redefinition of the franchise developed from scratch and with a much-higher budget,” said Marek Tymiński, CEO of CI Games. “This beta includes two single-player missions from the beginning of the game, and is just a glimpse of what you’ll experience in the full open-world game. Every bit of feedback you give is invaluable to us, and we’ll listen closely to all comments. We’re committed to making Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 one of the best games you’ll play this year, and will do everything we can to meet your expectations. It’s a real treat to know the game will soon be played by so many of our fans.”

Below are descriptions of the two missions available in the beta:

Cut Off
The Separatists control a large antenna array, which lets them use satellites to track enemy movements and communicate with distant outposts. Jon needs to infiltrate this compound and manually reposition the dishes to intercept the satellite signal. Gaining access to enemy communications would give Jon and his team a tactical advantage over the enemy, as well as possible intelligence on his brother, Robert.

Blockout
Jon’s cooperation with the local resistance, the Rotki Lions, gave him the location of one of the targets from his Most Wanted list – a list containing the names of war criminals that Jon can neutralize to bring justice to the people of Georgia. The target is Ivan Krustchev. He’s hiding out in an abandoned apartment complex, surrounded by his guards. How will you complete this mission? Will you use your sniper rifle from the opposite building, storm the outpost with your assault rifle, or sneak past the guards and quietly take out your target?

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 launches on the PlayStation®4 system, Windows PC and Xbox One on April 4, 2017.

To learn more about Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, visit the games official website.

Today, Ubisoft announced that it is working on a ground-breaking documentary, which is set to offer one of the most revealing insights to date into the drug trade in South America, and the battle to contain it. Scheduled to release on March 6th, 2017, the feature length film, titled “Wildlands”, will showcase the real stories behind Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands’ fictional Bolivian setting. The documentary provides a fascinating insight and wider context to the inspirational themes in the videogame, further highlighting the incredible lengths that the Paris based development team has gone to in order to create a truly believable setting.

This feature length documentary explores the real-life stories of key figures, who have been at the centre of the war on drugs from the past thirty years. Viewers will accompany narrator Rusty Young, author of New York Times best-seller, Marching Powder, as he meets the people, who have been involved in shaping the cocaine trade in South America, many of whom are telling their stories for the first time. Travelling from Bolivia, and up through to the United States, he will listen to the fascinating stories of characters from both sides of the law, from the coca farmers, through the drug supply chain, to the Special Forces soldiers fighting the war on drugs – to get a raw snapshot of drug trafficking and production in South America.

Developed in partnership with Chief Productions, Wildlands captures the stories of some of the most influential voices on the matter. For the very first time, these diverse characters are brought together to give a broad perspective on a global crisis. Bolivia, Colombia and North America form the landscape for this complex story of the battle between law enforcement and criminal organisations seeking to monopolise a multi-billion-dollar illegal industry.

Wildlands introduces the compelling, unbelievable, and often devastating, life stories of a number of individuals, including – George Jung: The man known for hooking North America on cocaine, George Jung was a major player in the cocaine trade during the 70’s and 80’s and was immortalised by Johnny Depp in the movie ‘Blow’. Adam Newbold: A former Navy SEAL with over 20 years’ combat experience, Adam has worked throughout South America. Tomas McFadden: Reformed drug trafficker, and subject of “Marching Powder”, reveals the tricks of his trade, which saw him become a prolific smuggler, until the day he was arrested with 5kg of cocaine at La Paz airport – leading to a lengthy stay at the notorious San Pedro Prison.

Alongside these individuals, Wildlands introduces traffickers, smugglers, money launderers, informants and law enforcers that shape the complex jigsaw forming the criminal underworld profiteering from this thriving industry and those seeking to defeat it.

Developed by Ubisoft Paris, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, the latest installment in the critically acclaimed franchise, is a tactical military themed shooter videogame set in a massive and stunningly rendered open-world set in a near-future vision of Bolivia.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands will be available on March 7th 2017 for Microsoft Xbox One, PlayStation®4 entertainment system and Windows PC.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, please visit www.ghostrecon.com.

For more details on the ‘Wildlands’ Documentary, please visit www.ghostrecon.com/wildlands.

New gameplay trailer details all you need to know about the most expansive World War 2 game ever

With Sniper Elite 4 just two weeks from launch, Rebellion has released a brand new gameplay trailer profiling the highly anticipated World War 2 shooter in detail.

Captured entirely from in-game footage, this six-minute ’101′ trailer showcases all-new gameplay from Sniper Elite 4‘s extensive feature set, including:

• An expansive campaign for 1-2 players: Explore 1943 Italy and fight alongside the brave men and women of the Resistance. Hunt down a terrifying new weapon that threatens the entire Allied fightback.
• A deep and rewarding sniping simulation: deliver pinpoint assassinations at extreme distance, adapting to wind and gravity, and adjusting for range with scope zeroing.
• Traverse massive environments featuring hundreds of enemies and vehicles: Find your ideal sniper’s nest, outmanoeuvre your enemies or hunt them up close. Combine suppressed weapons with deadly traps to torment enemy formations and isolate priority targets.
• Employ a massive, personalised arsenal including iconic World War 2 rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, explosives and heavy weapons. Adapt your loadout for each mission and upgrade core attributes like scope magnification, stability, recoil, muzzle velocity and more.
• Challenging online co-op & multiplayer modes set across six gorgeous custom-designed maps. Take on dedicated co-op modes for up to 4 players and prove your mettle across 7 competitive modes for up to 12 players.

It’s time to deploy, sniper. It’s time to liberate Italy and set the wheels in motion for victory in Europe.

Sniper Elite 4 releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC on February 14 2017.

For more game info head to the Sniper Elite 4 website.

Ubisoft has announced that the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Closed Beta will be available from February 3rd – 6th, 2017, on current-gen consoles and PC. Pre-load will start on February 1st. Players waiting to see what it truly takes to become a Ghost can still sign-up to have a chance to participate in the Closed Beta at GhostRecon.com/Beta. Each selected player can invite up to three friends to join their team on the same platform.

The Closed Beta will introduce players to near-future Bolivia as they explore Itacua, a flourishing and mountainous province. As Ghosts, players will work together to take down key members of the Santa Blanca drug cartel as they dismantle the criminal organisation. Similar to the full game, all the content in the Closed Beta will be playable with up to three friends via four player co-op, or in single player. Players are free to utilise any variety of vehicles, tactical equipment and weapons to get the job done.

Set in the largest, action-adventure open world ever created by Ubisoft, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands takes place in Bolivia, a few years from now, as the country has been turned by the vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel into a narco-state. Players are tasked with eliminating the cartel by any means necessary. The massive and responsive open-world encourages a variety of playstyles, allowing players the freedom to choose how they execute any and all missions.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, please visit ghostrecon.com.

CI Games presents the first in a two-part series of videos on sniper tactics for Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3. In this gameplay video, players will learn more about scope calibration, positioning, and the drone itself.

Watch part 1 of the Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Sniper Tactics video here.

In the main story of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, the player takes on the role of Jonathan North, an American Marine dropped into the Republic of Georgia to accomplish a highly classified Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) mission. But, his personal mission is to find his kidnapped brother.

Standing in his way are enemy Separatists that are currently destabilizing the country. It’s up to Jon to accomplish his mission, discover the whereabouts of his brother and to take down any foes looking to stop him using the following sniper tactics:

Scope Calibration
Check the distance to your target and set the elevation on your scope accordingly to compensate for bullet drop. Check the wind indicator as well as the wind influences whether the bullet will drift to the left or right. When all is set, exhale and take the shot.

Positioning
Take advantage of Jon’s surroundings to maximize his effectiveness in an area. Use the environment to reduce weapon sway while aiming. Crouching and lying down also reduces weapon sway. Sniper bullets are strong and can penetrate multiple targets if lined up correctly, and special sniper bullets can even penetrate walls and other barriers.

The Drone
Recon is critical to planning your mission prior to infiltration of an area. The drone can locate and mark enemies, sabotage objects and enemy devices. A simple flyover of the area can expose weak points in the enemy encampment allowing Jon to take out his enemies with deadly precision.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is story of brotherhood, patriotism, and betrayal in the most complete sniper experience ever released. Take the role of an American sniper named Jonathan North, who drops into enemy territory in northern Georgia as the country is dissolving into a bloody civil war. Explore large open-world maps with dynamic weather conditions, and a day and night cycle that impacts play and player decision-making. Customize weapons, equipment, accessories, vehicles, and a drone, and utilize the three pillars of gameplay to your liking: Sniper, Ghost, and Warrior.

To learn more about Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, visit the games official website.

“Keep the sand out of your weapons, keep those actions clear. I’ll see you on the beach.”

Game studio Driven Arts just released Days of War on Steam Early Access for $24.99 / €24,99. This release comes with a great surprise; 100 player battle events!  Watch the Early Access trailer, a homage to Saving Private Ryan, here.

Steam Early Access

Desiring a classic fast-paced WW2 FPS in the style of Day of Defeat, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty 2 and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory, game studio Driven Arts has built the next generation of class-based multiplayer shooter: Days of War. After being funded on Kickstarter last year by a group of like-minded fans, Driven Arts has released Days of War on Steam Early Access while it completes development on the game. Watch Early Access gameplay trailer here.

Days of War offers a classic style approach to the WW2 shooter genre, re-introducing fast-paced battles ranging from highly tense 12 player competition to bigger scale 32 player firefights.

Alongside the Early Access launch and the given roadmap, Driven Arts is announcing the introduction of epic 100 player battles on Omaha Beach. Although the feature is still in development and not added to the base game yet, Lead designer Lee Snodgrass says: “We love tight competitive gameplay more than anyone, but World War 2 was defined by its massive battles and invasions, and we want to bring that experience to Days of War with 100 player combat”.

The first 100-player-battle weekend event is announced on Steam between the 3rd and 5th of February. Players can see more details in the Steam Hub.

To celebrate this milestone, 100 Steam keys will be given away via Facebook and Twitter. To participate, follow the social media channels, where instructions will follow soon.

You can find the official Days of War website here.

Plus, five stupid things you can do, but probably shouldn’t.

By Ian Higton @ Eurogamer

Since Sniper Elite 4 was announced early last year, I’ve had several opportunities to go hands on with the game. Just before the Christmas break, however, I was invited along to developer Rebellion’s studios for my most extensive play session yet.

In the first video you’ll be able to watch my valiant attempt at completing Sniper Elite 4′s first level, San Celini. It’s a mid-sized sandbox that offers multiple routes and plenty of vantage points for some impressive long-range sniper kills.

It all starts off pretty well and I manage to demonstrate a couple of new additions to the series, including silenced ammo for your rifle, which allows you to take out a few targets without having to worry about using environmental sounds to mask your shots.

However, as with most things I do, chaos was close at hand and, as time for my hands on started running out, the pressure to rush through increased, resulting in a panicked firefight inside a swanky Italian villa. Hardly the stealthiest of approaches, but a good chance to show off some grenade and assault rifle kills.

Watch the videos and read more of the article here.

CI Games introduces Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, the most complete sniper experiences in the market to date. Each character has his or her unique experiences and motivations, both professionally and personally. How each of the characters’ goals and personality quirks conflict or compliment each other makes for a deeper richer player experience. Jon North is dropped into a hot conflict zone in the Republic of Georgia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Georgia is of critical strategic importance and is sliding into the chaos and slaughter of civil war. Jon’s JSOC mission is to neutralize the Separatist Leaders who are destabilizing the country.

Personally, Jon is coming to grips with the capture and presumed death of his younger brother, Robert, nearly two years ago. Jon was present at the attack and was unable to save Robert. Recent intelligence chatter puts a very much alive Robert in Georgia, in an area controlled by Separatists. Jon believes he has a second chance to do right by his brother.

Jon is a Marine first, and deeply committed to the relentless pursuit of his professional mission. Frank Simms, Jon’s long-time JSOC handler, is sympathetic to Jon’s personal goal, as long as Jon completes his official assignment. Jon chooses a team who will help him accomplish both.

His first pick is Lydia Jorjadze, an ex-Georgian SFB and mercenary. Lydia is a battle-tested veteran who fought bravely at Jon’s side in Afghanistan. Their passionate affair ended when Jon abruptly disappeared after emerging from a deadly firefight. Lydia agrees to help Jon, with a personal agenda of finding out what really happened in Afghanistan.

Raquel Shein, a deadly MOSSAD agent, also agrees to help if Jon will help her find Sergei Flostov. Flostov is a brilliant rogue scientist conducting forbidden experiments. The Israelis want to find him and shut him down.

As the team eliminates Separatist Leaders, and teams with the Georgian Resistance, a mysterious high tech sniper, named Amazi, both thwarts and assists them. Jon fights through a treacherous web of criminal, military, and shadowy terrorist forces.

You can sign up for the Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Open Beta here. Beta players will be given a chance to experience the beautiful open-world setting of the Republic of Georgia and get exclusive access to two single-player missions: Cut Off and Blockout. The Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Beta will officially begin on February 3, 2017.

To learn more about Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, visit the games official website.