First-Person Shooters

Sabotage, the First DLC Map Pack for the Game, Features Four New Multiplayer Maps, Including Re-imagined Fan-Favo urite Modern Warfare 2 Map, Afghan

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Sabotage, the first DLC pack for the game, is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Sabotage delivers four new, epic multiplayer maps, including the return of one of Call of Duty’s most famed maps from Modern Warfare 2, Afghan, re-imagined for a new generation. The new DLC pack also features “Rave in the Redwoods,” the next thrilling chapter of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies experience that continues the macabre narrative and takes players into a new decade: the 1990s.

Rave in the Redwoods takes fans through a new storyline taking place in an abandoned lakeside summer camp. The four playable characters return, and are voiced by the same actors from the original story, but now take on fresh, over-the-top roles from the ‘90s era including “the Hip Hop Wannabe,” “the Kandi Raver,” “the Grunge Rocker,” and “the Westside Gangsta.” Willard Wyler, the enigmatic movie director villain, has once again trapped them inside a twisted horror movie where the protagonists must fight the undead against zombie ravers who have turned the campgrounds into a techno-fueled nightmare.

In addition to the Rave in the Redwoods zombies content, Sabotage also includes four new multiplayer maps:

• Renaissance – Set in Northern Italy, Renaissance pits players against each other on the narrow streets of Venice surrounded by classic architecture and buildings. The map promotes continuous action through the canals and neighbourhoods of this iconic city.
• Noir – A dark, grimy city map inspired by futuristic Brooklyn at night, Noir is a classic three-lane map set against a backdrop of a dystopian future. Noir is filled with cafes and parks surrounding a brutal downtown warzone.
• Neon – A virtual training centre designed for urban warfare, Neon is a unique, digitised battle arena where cars and other structures spawn out of thin air and enemies dissolve into hundreds of pixels when defeated. Middle-lane sightlines cater to long-range players, while the perimeter of the map allows for quick counter-attacks in close-quarter action.
• Dominion – A re-imagining of the classic Afghan map from Modern Warfare®2, now set on Mars, Dominion retains all the memorable landmarks and gameplay of the original. Anchored by the crashed ship in the centre, Dominion offers enhancements designed to fully engage the new movement system of Infinite Warfare.

The Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Sabotage DLC Map Pack is available now for a great value via the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Season Pass, which can be purchased on its own or obtained as part of the Legacy Pro or Digital Deluxe editions of the game. The Season Pass gives discounted access to four Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare DLC Map Packs released during 2017. Season Pass owners receive 10 Rare Supply Drops upon purchase plus 1,000 bonus Salvage Credits to craft new prototype weapons, as well as immediate access to the R-VN Energy Rifle base weapon for use in the game’s multiplayer and zombies modes.

*DLC map packs are not currently sold individually on the PC.

For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.

By Tyler Wilde @ PC Gamer

I tried playing Sniper Elite 4 as a pure stealth game, carefully sneaking past patrols and waiting for a plane to roar overhead to mask the crack of my rifle as I debrained my first fascist officer. But a little while later some wandering putz spotted me and so I sniped him, too. And then my minimap turned red and everyone got all aggro and so I just went ahead and sniped them all. Cut to me standing at the top of a lovely hill on the Italian countryside with a brand new moat of bodies at its base.

Sniper Elite 4 became much more fun when I started treating it less like a stealth game and more like a shooter with some sneaking. It isn’t as playful or full of gadgets as Hitman or Metal Gear Solid 5. You can lure enemies out of cover with sound and set explosive traps on bodies, but there are no boxes to hide in and no non-lethal options. I wouldn’t expect any in a game that delights in slow-mo x-ray shots of bullets crashing into foreheads and tumbling out the backs of skulls. That’s the Sniper Elite way, and it’s never been better at doing its own thing than it is in Sniper Elite 4.

Read on…

GATHER YOUR SQUAD OF UP TO 4 PLAYERS AND START THE FIGHT FOR THE WILDLANDS

Today, Ubisoft® announced that the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Open Beta will be available to all players from February 23rd to 27th, 2017, on current-gen consoles and PC. Players eager to jump into the Ghost’s boots and tame the Wildlands will be able to pre-load the Open Beta starting this Monday, February 20th, 2017.

Each player entering this Open Beta will get access to an exclusive mission – the “Unidad Conspiracy” mission, in which players will spark a war between the Unidad, a local corrupt militia group, and the Santa Blanca cartel – by playing the full game before March 31st, using the same Ubisoft account.

The Open Beta will introduce players to two provinces among the 21 of the final game: Itacua, a flourishing and mountainous province where the grip of the cartel is looser, ideal to perfect your sniping skills and get introduced to the Wildlands. Montuyoc, set in the snowy Altiplano, and the second province available in this Open Beta, is much more challenging – players who have suppressed the Itacua bosses will gain XP and skills boosts allowing them to face this dangerous area, home to Santa Blanca elite training centers. Players can of course confront Montuyoc right away… at their own risk.

As in the full game, all the content in the Open Beta will be playable with up to three friends on the same platform via four player co-op, or in single player. Players are free to utilise a large 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.

The Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands PC Specs and System Requirements have also been announced today, along with a new “Open Beta” trailer, so please visit Ubiblog to get the full details and watch the trailer!

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, please visit the official Ghost Recon: Wildlands website.

Source: Kotaku

Numerous changes are coming to Battlefield 1 as part of a winter update. Alongside the expansion pack They Shall Not Pass, the game will see changes to class rankings and the addition of combat ribbons.

In a blog post today, the Battlefield 1 team outlined some new additions that will come in the game’s winter update. Chief among these are combat ribbons. In previous titles, ribbons were in-game commendations given to players for completing certain tasks in a round.

Read more and watch the “New Guns” video hosted by Kotaku.

Source: Blue’s News

Steam News announces that Sniper Elite 4 is now available on Steam, offering the latest installment in this sharpshooting series. Word is: “Discover unrivaled sniping freedom in the largest and most advanced World War 2 shooter ever built. Experience tactical third-person combat, gameplay choice and epic longshots across gigantic levels as you liberate wartime Italy from the grip of Fascism.” Here’s more on the game:

Discover unrivaled sniping freedom in the largest and most advanced World War 2 shooter ever built. Experience tactical third-person combat, gameplay choice and epic longshots across gigantic levels as you liberate wartime Italy from the grip of Fascism.

Set in the aftermath of its award-winning predecessor, Sniper Elite 4 transports players across the beautiful Italian peninsula, from sun-drenched Mediterranean coastal towns, to ancient forests, mountain valleys and colossal Nazi megastructures.

Covert agent and elite marksman Karl Fairburne must fight alongside the brave men and women of the Italian Resistance and defeat a terrifying new threat with the potential to halt the Allied fightback in Europe before it’s even begun.

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

1943. Outnumbered and deep behind enemy lines, an elite specialist hunts a Nazi Officer through the streets of Southern Italy.

There’s a time to be stealthy and a time to be lethal. A time to go low and a time to go high. A time to strike and a time to move … TIMING IS EVERYTHING!

Sniper Elite 4‘s launch trailer shows agent Karl Fairburne use all of his cunning, adaptability and ruthless precision, just as players can when Sniper Elite 4 launches on February 14th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC!

Season Pass Detailed

Rebellion today also revealed that the Sniper Elite 4 Season Pass will give players access to ALL 12 of the game’s post-launch content packs, including 4 full campaign missions for 1-2 players!

The Season Pass includes the following:

ALL PRE-ORDER BONUS CONTENT

• Target: Führer campaign mission – Infiltrate a secret Mediterranean U-boat facility and use wits and creativity to take out the target in over 30 ways.
• Camouflage Rifle Skin Pack – Blend into the lush environments of wartime Italy with highly detailed skins for all seven of the game’s starting rifles, for use in any mode.

THREE HUGE NEW CAMPAIGN MISSIONS
• A completely new three-chapter campaign, separate from the main storyline, which features massive, diverse new environments that eventually lead Karl out of Italy for a thrilling finale.

THREE CONTENT-STUFFED EXPANSION PACKS
• Each expansion pack will be released alongside a campaign mission, and they’ll each include 3 new weapons, 8 new weapon skins and 2 new characters.

WEAPON AND CHARACTER PACKS
• Three further weapon packs – including silenced weapons, famous wartime Allied rifles, and equipment for taking on foes at close quarters…
• Three new characters for use in both co-op and multiplayer.

As previously announced, all new multiplayer maps and modes released after launch will be FREE for the whole community.

The Sniper Elite 4 Season Pass will be priced $34.99 / €34.99 / £29.99 and will be available at launch.

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

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.