Month: May 2022

The F-14 fighter and the battlecruiser HMS Hood will be part of the “Danger Zone” update

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the online military action game War Thunder will receive a major Danger Zone content update in mid-June. For the first time ever, players will be able to take to the skies in the long-awaited F-14 Tomcat, legendary US fourth-generation fighter jet and star of the popular Hollywood movies. The update will introduce dozens of other types of military vehicles ranging from the battlecruiser HMS Hood to the exotic South African G6 Rhino self-propelled howitzer. New “Abandoned Town” and “South-Eastern City” maps will also be added to the game.

Watch the “Danger Zone” update teaser trailer HERE.

The F-14 is a twin-engine variable-sweep wing jet fighter that was in service with the US carrier-based aviation from 1974 to 2006. American F-14s took part in the wars in Vietnam (in the final stages), Iraq and Yugoslavia. In addition, the F-14 fighters are still in service with the Iranian Air Force – these machines were tested in action on the fronts of the Iran-Iraq war, where they scored dozens of air victories.

The first modification of the F-14 in War Thunder will be the F-14A, equipped with an excellent set of air-to-air missiles. In addition to the Sparrow AIM-7E and F, as well as the Sidewinder AIM-9D and G that are already familiar to the players, the F-14A will feature the AIM-9H (a further development of the G version) and the AIM-54A Phoenix, a long-range missile with an active radar guidance system (both missiles will appear in the game for the first time). In addition, the F-14A has a 20mm M61A1 cannon with a rotating barrel, as well as bombs and unguided rockets in case it needs to attack ground targets.

The battlecruiser Hood was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1920, becoming the largest warship in the British Navy. Eight 15 inch guns are capable of inflicting devastating damage to any enemy, including battleships. The main caliber is supplemented by an auxiliary battery of seven twin 4 inch all-purpose guns, as well as 40mm guns, machine guns and torpedo tubes. Due to its size and powerful armament, the ship was nicknamed the “The Mighty Hood” and became a symbol of the power of the British Empire, but at the beginning of World War II, she was tragically sunk in battle with the German battleship Bismarck.

The G6 Rhino is a self-propelled howitzer on a wheeled chassis with a 155mm gun that can quickly change position and unleash huge high-explosive projectiles (regular and with remote fuzes) on the enemy. The large caliber and weight of the explosives allow even inaccurate hits to cause significant damage from the blast wave and overpressure.

The Danger Zone update will also introduce other new features, including two new vehicle tech trees, as well as new graphical and weather effects. Detailed information about this will be available on the game’s official website in the coming weeks.

Visit the official War Thunder Website for more game information.

Microsoft announces that Microsoft Flight Simulator has released the long-awaited “Top Gun: Maverick” expansion. Develop the skills required and navigate the complexities encountered by actual Top Gun pilots in authentic locations including the most challenging landing – on an aircraft carrier. This offering will push your piloting abilities to the limits—and beyond.

The “Top Gun: Maverick” expansion contains:

• A “Top Gun: Maverick Edition” livery for the F/A-18E Super Hornet.
• Three training missions for the Super Hornet that will allow you to master radical flight maneuvers including unrestricted take-offs, split S maneuvers, and low altitude, high-speed maneuvering through complex terrain.
• Five high-speed, low-level challenges that require utmost skill to navigate just above mountains and traverse through canyons.
• A carrier deck landing challenge, one of the most demanding operations in the world of military aviation.
• A never-before-unveiled hypersonic aircraft that can attain speeds of Mach 10 and altitudes greater than 150,000 feet above sea level.
• A mission to roar into the stratosphere

Sniper Elite 5, the latest game in the award-winning franchise is available now on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4 & 5, Steam and Windows Store. Developed by Rebellion, one of the world’s most successful video games developers and publishers, Sniper Elite 5 offers an unparalleled tactical sniping experience as you fight your way across the most immersive maps ever featured in the series, with many real-world locations captured in stunning detail.

The new Launch trailer to celebrate the release of Sniper Elite 5 is available to view HERE.

Sniper Elite 5 takes place in the events around D-Day in France, 1944, as our hero Karl Fairburne joins a covert US Rangers operation to weaken the Atlantikwall fortifications along the coast of Brittany. There he makes contact with French Resistance, and they begin to uncover a secret Nazi plot that threatens to turn the tide of the war back in the Nazi’s favour: Operation Kraken. It is now down to Karl to reveal exactly what the Axis forces are planning and end Operation Kraken, and the mastermind behind it, Abelard Möller, before it can be launched.

Rebellion CEO, Jason Kingsley said: “We are extremely proud to be releasing Sniper Elite 5 today and cannot wait for players to get their hands on the game. The franchise continues to go from strength to strength and the entire team at Rebellion has done a fantastic job to create the best game in the series to date. We are particularly proud of the new Invasion Mode which we think will be a real fan favourite. The tension and challenge that the invasion creates really intensifies and heightens the gameplay experience.”

SNIPER ELITE 5 GAME FEATURES:

• Expansive Campaign – real-world locations have been captured using photogrammetry to recreate a living, immersive environment with multiple infiltration and extraction points. Side missions, hidden collectables and kill list targets provide a whole new perspective on each mission. Take on the Nazi plot solo or work with a partner, with improved co-op mechanics allowing you to share ammo and items, give orders and heal each other.
• Invasion Mode and Co-op – invade another player’s Campaign as an Axis sniper and engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse, providing a new dimension to the challenge as you stalk your prey. Invasion Mode can be toggled on/off in the game menu. The entire campaign is also playable in 2 player online co-op with players able to share items and ammo and revive each other.
• Weapon customisation – find Workbenches hidden in the missions (each mission has 3 to find) to customise and upgrade virtually every aspect of your weapon – change scopes, stocks, barrels, magazines and more. Rifles, secondaries and pistols all have a huge variety of options. On top of that you can select the ammo to suit your target, from armour-piercing right down to non-lethal.
• Adversarial multiplayer – customise your character and loadout and earn XP, medals and ribbons as you take on intensely competitive 16 player battles that will really test your sharpshooting skills. If co-op’s more your style, you can team up with up to 3 other players against waves of enemies in Survival mode.
• Full crossplay – crossplay enables you to seamlessly play co-op, Invasion Mode and adversarial multiplayer with other players on all other formats.
• Enhanced Kill Cam – more realistic and grislier than ever, the trademark X-ray kill cam returns, showing you the true destructive power of each shot. Bones deflect bullets unpredictably, ripping a new path through enemy bodies. SMGs and pistols can also trigger kill cams, including multiple shots in dramatic slow motion. The frequency with which a player sees Kill Cam can be changed in the game menu, including the ability to switch it off entirely.
• Advanced gunplay – factor in rifle stock and barrel options along with gravity, wind and heart rate while you line up your sights on the target. For the first time in the series iron sights have been included for SMGs and pistols.
• New traversal mechanics – Karl can now use zip lines, slide down slopes and shimmy along ledges to reach the perfect vantage point, or to sneak past sharp-eyed enemies. Enhanced climbing abilities now allow you to explore hidden areas in the game map and unlock alternative routes.

Sniper Elite 5 is available now on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4 & 5, Steam and Windows Store. To keep up to date with all the latest Sniper Elite 5 news please visit sniper.com.

At long last, the collaboration generations of Ace Combat fans have been waiting for is finally ready for deployment. We’re excited to announce that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will deliver Top Gun themed aircraft, emblems, and the “Top Gun Anthem,” “Danger Zone” in multiplayer mode as part of its TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set available today!

The TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set paid DLC package will feature new playable aircraft, including the F/A-18E Super Hornet | Top Gun: Maverick (The Boeing Company) and the F-14A Tomcat | Top Gun: Maverick (Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation), from the movie. Additionally, there will be a special Top Gun: Maverick collaboration emblem and to top things off, the aforementioned “Danger Zone“ (arranged by Keiki Kobayashi) will be available as background music in multiplayer mode.

Head over to YouTube to check out the new trailer featuring the contents of the TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set paid DLC package in action.

The TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set DLC includes:

New playable aircraft

• F/A-18E Super Hornet | Top Gun: Maverick (The Boeing Company)
• F-14A Tomcat | Top Gun: Maverick (Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation)
• 5th Gen Fighter | Top Gun: Maverick
• Dark Star
• F-14A Tomcat
• F/A-18E Super Hornet

Emblems and Callsigns from the film

• Total of 10 Emblems including Maverick, Hangman, Payback, Rooster, and Bob, along with two logos from the film.
• Total of 12 Callsigns including Goose, Cougar, and more!

Music based on classic tracks for play in multiplayer mode

• “Top Gun Anthem“ (arranged by Keiki Kobayashi)
• “Danger Zone“ (arranged by Keiki Kobayashi)

Additionally, two new editions of ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN are now available only on Steam:

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN – TOP GUN: Maverick Edition

• ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN game
• Playable Aircraft F-104C: Avril
• TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN – TOP GUN: Maverick Ultimate Edition

• ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN game
• Playable Aircraft F-104C: Avril
• Additional content included in Season pass
• TOP GUN: Maverick Aircraft Set
• 8 popular emblems of the series

For more information about each edition, please visit the official website or via Steam.

Matrix Games have announced that Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1943 is out now, and with it comes the turning point in the most brutal part of the war.

Will you be able to change history and lead Germany to victory? Or will overcoming the Russian defences prove too problematic to attempt? Either way, this extensive DLC will offer hours of tactical depth and challenge to keep you engaged right up until the final moment.

As with other Axis Operations content, you’ll be able to jump right into this DLC with your existing core. If you don’t have one, don’t worry, as you can also play with our specially tuned premade core.

Panzer Corps 2: Axis Operations 1943 is available now on the Slitherine store, Steam, Windows Store, Epic Games and GoG.

It is 1943. Between the brutal stalemates, brutal winter and armies of marauding tanks, the Germans find themselves pinned or retreating throughout Russia.

But, as spring of 1943 approaches, the wehrmacht perhaps has some cause for optimism. The lessons of the last few years have surely been learnt. The Russians have surely taken incalculable losses. Surely a well thought out strike now could see the end of the war.

Watch the launch trailer HERE.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the GeForce 512.95 WHQL Game Ready drivers. These come with optimization for the RTX and DLSS support for “Hitman 3,” “Sniper Elite 5,” and “My Time as Sandrock.” A handful of issued were addressed with this release. Flags and banners flickering in Racedriver: Grid 2019, is fixed. Direct3D-related crashes in Adobe Premiere Pro were fixed. You can now adjust image-sharpening for Adobe Premiere Pro in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

You can download the GeForce 512.95 WHQL Game Ready drivers via GeForce.com.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD released the Software Adrenalin 22.5.2 beta drivers. These come with optimization for “Sniper Elite 5,” the latest Year Two update of “Hitman 3″ that adds real-time ray tracing, and a handful new Vulkan API extensions. The drivers also extend Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) to the Ryzen 6000 series processors with Radeon 600M-series iGPUs based on the RDNA2 graphics architecture. RSR gets a new feature that lets you adjust sharpness using a slider. AMD also introduced several under-the-hood optimizations for DirectX 11 for the RDNA2 architecture, which means up to 8 percent performance increase across the board on Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs in all DirectX 11 games.

With this release, AMD also introduced Privacy View, a feature that tracks your eyes using your web-camera, and only reveals those portions of the screen with clarity, which you’re looking at. The company also introduced additional optimizations for “Watch Dogs: Legion,” for Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR), adding anywhere between 6 percent to 24 percent higher frame-rates, depending on the GPU.

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.5.2 drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

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.

• MSI Reveals the MEG 342C QD-OLED Display at Computex 2022
• GIGABYTE Provides the Perfect Thermal Solution for Socket AM5 Motherboards
• ASRock Announces X670 Motherboards, Radeon Graphics Cards, and Small Form Factor Cases
• Phanteks Announces Upcoming Products Including New Chassis, Accessories, and Coolers
• EK Unveils EK-Quantum Vector² for RTX 3090 Ti TUF Gaming and ROG Strix
• LG Launches New UltraGear Gaming Monitors, Including 48-inch OLED Version
• NZXT Announces the New-Generation H7 Case
• ASUS Previews RT-AXE7800 Router at Computex, 6 Antennas!
• Antec Launches its New Cannon Elite-Tier Chassis Design
• SteelSeries Launches the Arctis Nova Pro-series of Headsets
• ROCCAT Launches Burst Pro Air, a Lightweight 81g Wireless Mouse
• addlink Unveils the AddGame SPIDER X5 DDR5 RGB Memory and AddGame A95 and A90 Lite SSDs
• Kingston Announces FURY Beast RGB DDR5 Memory
• Team Group Adds T-Force Delta RGB in DDR5-6600 and DDR5-6000 CL30 to Lineup
• Upgrade Your Build, MSI Unveils the Latest Motherboards and PC Components
• MSI Unveil Its New Lineup at COMPUTEX 2022 Online
• Linksys Unveil New and Affordable WiFi 6 Mesh Solutions
• MSI Announces X670 & X670E Motherboards for AMD Zen 4 Ryzen 7000
• ASUS ROG Launch World’s First 500Hz Gaming Monitor
• COUGAR Unveils Duoface RGB Middle Tower with Glass and Mesh Front Panels
• Biostar Shows Off X670E Valkyrie Mobo at Computex 2022

Rebellion, one of the world’s most successful video games developers and publishers, has today release a new Sniper Elite 5 video that reveals further details about the stealth options that will be available to players when the game is released on May 26th. Offering insight from the development team as well as from the game’s military advisor and motion capture artist Paul Biddiss, the new Spotlight trailer features interviews and gameplay footage showcasing the new traversal, sneaking and takedowns in Sniper Elite 5, including new non-lethal options. The new Spotlight video is available to watch HERE.

Paul Biddiss, the military advisor and action coordinator for a number of high-profile movies and TV shows, provided his expertise to the Sniper Elite 5 development team as well as being the motion capture artist for Karl Fairburne, helping to ensure the highest possible level of authenticity to his movements and takedowns. Speaking about his involvement in the game Paul said: “All the takedowns are realistic to the training that was given to SOE operatives… everything is realistic. There is no embellishment.”

The new video also gives details of the other stealthy options open to Karl including new traversal mechanics which open up hidden areas of the maps as well as giving the player alternative routes to approach their objectives. The player will also have to consider the audible distance of both their weapon and ammo when taking a shot if they want to remain undetected.

For Sniper Elite 5 the player will have a host of non-lethal options at their disposal including the ability to incapacitate the enemy with non-lethal takedowns and ammunition. These options provide the player with even greater scope to approach each mission and game scenario in a way that best suits their playstyle and their objective.

The latest game in the award-winning franchise, Sniper Elite 5 will release simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 & 5, Steam and Windows Store on May 26th 2022.

To keep up to date with all the latest Sniper Elite 5 news please visit sniper.com.

Source: Blue’s News

Arma Reforger is already available in Early Access on Steam, offering a new Windows Cold War shooter as the latest installment in the Arma series. This comes just a couple of days after rumors first emerged about its existence. This post has an outline of what this offers, saying it represents “the beginning for the evolution of the Arma franchise.” Word is: “Arma Reforger, currently in Early Access, offers you a glimpse of things to come. Functioning as a creative platform, you can modify and adjust the experience with the tools given to you. Remember, this is just the beginning for the evolution of the Arma franchise. It’s going to be an exciting journey, and we’re glad to have you with us!” This kicks off the road to Arma 4, and this trailer takes a look at that. Here’s the elevator pitch on the new game:

Powered by the new Enfusion engine, Arma Reforger lets you fight for supremacy over 51 km2 of incredible island terrain in an authentic Cold War setting, or create unique scenarios in real-time with the Game Master curation mode. Return to Everon, the war-driven microstate from the hit game that started it all, Arma: Cold War Assault.

Arma Reforger is the first step towards Arma 4 and a versatile, creative, fully-moddable platform for the future, offering a glimpse of things to come.