Author: Donster

Players Can Now Pay Monthly Fee to Access All Heart of Iron Content

In the six years since the release of Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy wargame has expanded many times to reflect the size and complexity of World War II. More detailed army and naval management, as well as new espionage and resistance systems have been added, not to mention the many new alternate history paths for the major nations of the world in this tumultuous time.

If you own Hearts of Iron IV but have found it hard to keep up with this growth, Paradox Interactive has introduced a subscription model for players unable or unwilling to commit to six years of added content. This is especially helpful for new players who are unsure where to start when buying expansions or country packs.

Watch the Heart of Iron IV subscription video HERE.

Available only to Hearts of Iron IV owners through Steam, the expansion subscription gives players access to:

• Five expansion packs: Including the naval themed Man the Guns and the recent Eastern Front focused No Step Back
• Two Country Packs: Adding new national focuses for Central European and Eastern Mediterranean nations.
• Sound Packs: Including period music and historical speeches, as well as two song packs from the Swedish metal band, Sabaton.
• Cosmetic Packs: Special cosmetic skins for Allied and Axis Armor, new ship models and planes of the Eastern Front.
• All upcoming expansions and content

This subscription is available now on Steam for the suggested monthly retail price of $4.99/£3.99/€4.99.

Source: Blue’s News

The US Government is planning to shut down the servers for America’s Army, a military first-person shooter launched as a recruiting tool on July 4, 2002. The game’s official website declares mission accomplished, saying the last choppers will lift off on May 5th. This post has platform-specific details, saying private servers should still be able to run the Steam version after that, but player stats will no longer be available. Here’s the big picture:

The free-to-play America’s Army PC Game represented the first large-scale use of game technology by the U.S. government as a platform for strategic communication and recruitment, and the first use of game technology in support of U.S. Army recruiting. Three mainline titles and more than 20 million AA players later, the series’ original purpose continued. There have been over 30 million objectives completed, 180 million successful missions accomplished, 250 million teammates assisted, and many more in-game achievements attained in AA:PG alone.

As time has passed and AA has fulfilled its mission, it is time to shift our focus to other new and innovative ways to assist the Army with comms and recruitment.

Your court is the heart of your kingdom, and now, in Crusader Kings III: Royal Court, you will be able to engage in vital affairs of state in a new game area to awe visitors with your splendor and display marvelous items and artifacts. The first major expansion for Paradox’s award-winning grand strategy role-playing game is now available.

Decorate your court with works of art created by master craftspeople or with rare artifacts captured or inherited across the generations. Hear the pleas of your subjects as they ask for royal favors or mercy, while maintaining a court grand enough to reflect a reputation appropriate for someone of your stature.

On a less personal note, reshape your society with dynamic and dramatic cultural options. Change your realm’s habits and practices to better suit a large multicultural empire or strike your own path, forging an original culture as old ways prove unsuitable for new circumstances.

Watch the Crusader Kings III: Royal Court Release Trailer HERE.

Features of Crusader Kings III: Royal Court include:

• Royal Throne Room: A visual representation of your royal court will reflect all the accumulated majesty and prestige of your dynasty. Only kings and emperors have royal courts, so climb the ladder of power to bask in your own majesty.
• Hold Court: Interact with vassals and courtiers as they come to you with their problems, seeking a royal judgment.
• Grandeur: Increase the quality of life at your court with fancier trappings and better food, all the better to impress your rivals and attract higher quality guests.
• Inspired People: Talented artists, craftspeople and thinkers can be commissioned to work on new projects, adding treasures and artifacts to your court. The higher the grandeur of your court, the better the quality of creator you will attract.
• Court Artifacts: Put your arts and crafts on display, and pass these items of great renown down the family line. All artifacts can be stolen in war, building a legacy of ownership and personal claims down the centuries.
• Hybrid Cultures: Make the most of a multicultural realm, developing a new way of life that is specifically adapted to your varied population and geography.
• Cultural Divergence: Split from your traditional culture, adapting it into something new that better fits your situation or aspirations.

As always, this expansion is released with a major update free for all Crusader Kings III players. This update adds more detail and context for the game’s culture system, as well as the addition of minor court positions, a character inventory system for weapons and armor, new events and a way for you to design your own custom coat of arms.

Learn more about Crusader Kings III: Royal Court at the expansions official website.

Source: Blue’s News

Crytek tweets “a Crytek announcement,” which seems like it’s in its wheelhouse. The tweet includes a 45-second teaser video that shows off a little destruction that’s reformed into an image of the numeral “4.” This includes a tagline: “Join the journey. Become the hero.” It’s hard to mistake this for anything but a tease for Crysis 4. But there’s no guesswork required, as this press release confirms the news. CEO Avni Yerli tells us this “truly next-gen shooter” is “still in early development.” He also reassures Hunt: Showdown players they are not forgotten: “I also want to let Hunt: Showdown players know that we have some great things planned for you too, this year.” Here are the scant details we have about Crysis 4 so far:

Right now the game is in the early stages of development so it will be a while yet, but we wanted to bring you the news at this time as we are so hyped for the future, and to let you know that we will be listening to our community.

Crytek has a proud history of working with our community to develop the games you want to play. Crysis is incredibly important to so many people – it’s beloved by gamers everywhere, and some of those working in the industry today are doing so because of the original game – so we want to make sure the next instalment in the franchise lives up to all of your expectations. Make sure to join our socials and get involved!

NVIDIA has launched its new Geforce RTX 3050 graphics card. The review embargo has been lifted, and we have gathered together a number of reviews on various custom cards from different manufactures. Here’s a bit from NVIDIA:

The GeForce RTX™ 3050 is built with the powerful graphics performance of the NVIDIA Ampere architecture. It offers dedicated 2nd gen RT Cores and 3rd gen Tensor Cores, new streaming multiprocessors, and high-speed G6 memory to tackle the latest games.

Check out the reviews via the links listed below.

• TECHPOWERUP! - ASUS GeForce RTX 3050 STRIX OC
• HOT HARDWARE - EVGA GeForce RTX 3050 XC Black
• ETEKNIX - Inno3D RTX 3050 Twin X2 OC 8GB
• GURU3D - Palit GeForce RTX 3050 DUAL OC
• TECHPOWERUP! - Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming OC
• WCCFTECH - MSI GeForce RTX 3050 Gaming X 8 GB
• ETEKNIX - Zotac RTX 3050 Twin Edge 8GB
• TECHPOWERUP! - Palit GeForce RTX 3050 StormX OC

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.

• Phanteks Launches Eclipse P600S and Evolv X Matte White Edition Cases, Along with Gen4 PCIe Riser Cables
• be quiet! Expands Pure Power 11 FM Series with 850 W & 1000 W Models
• BIOSTAR Announces New B660 & H610 Series Motherboards
• Logitech Unveil its G413 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
• G.SKILL and ASUS Sets New DDR5-8888 CL88 Overclocking World Record
• Akasa Announces Alucia H4 CPU Tower Cooler
• Cooler Master Launches HAF 500, MasterBox TD300 Mesh, and MasterBox 500 Cases
• Sharkoon Announces Skiller SGH50 Gaming Headset
• ZALMAN Launches Alpha Series AIO CPU Coolers with “Triple Flow” Pump Innovation
• PowerColor Announces Radeon™ RX 6500 XT Graphics Cards
• Sapphire Announces PULSE Radeon RX 6500 XT Graphics Card
• EK Announces Vector² Water Blocks for ASUS ROG Strix Cards
• SilentiumPC Gear Announces the Introduction of Three New Desks
• Antec Unveils its NX700 Mid-Tower Case
• EVGA Announces the Z690 CLASSIFIED Motherboard

Rebellion, one of the world’s most successful independent studios, has today released a new CGI trailer for Sniper Elite 5, the latest instalment of the award winning franchise, hinting at the new Invasion Mode which allows players to drop into each other’s Campaign to take the role of an Axis Sniper with high rewards on offer. Created by Rebellion’s dedicated production company Rebellion VFX, the new trailer utilises both in game and bespoke VFX assets with a tailored audio mix to create a stunning cinematic which can be watched HERE.

Invasion Mode will bring a whole new dimension to the game’s intense drama and add increased diversity to the tactics that players will have to employ in order to complete their mission. The invading Axis Sniper will have the sole aim to eliminate the player while the Allied Sniper will gain an extra objective: take out the invader. Invasion Mode will also be available in co-operative play increasing the challenge for the Axis invader as they now have two Allies to track down, but offering greater rewards.

Chris Kingsley, CTO at Rebellion, commented: “Invasion Mode is a fantastic addition to the gameplay experience of Sniper Elite 5. A human controlled invader can act in ways that are so diverse and unpredictable, which adds to the challenge and ramps up the tension even further. The player will be informed that an invading Axis Sniper has joined their game and from that point on it becomes an extremely intense, high stakes game of cat and mouse.”

Chris continued: “For those players who just want a solo gameplay experience there will be the option to switch Invasion Mode off, but we recommend that everyone gives it a try at some point. We have been having a lot of fun with it in the studio, jumping into each other’s games and finding innovative, stealthy ways to take each other out.”

Invasion Mode will enable some unique skills for both players. The Axis invader can use of the AI Axis forces to help locate the Allied player. Tagging an Axis soldier will enable ‘Eagle Eyes’ which means that if that soldier spots the Allied Sniper then their last known location will be displayed on the map. The Axis Sniper can also instruct nearby soldiers to ‘Stay Sharp’, increasing their awareness. For the Allied Sniper, each level has invasion phones scattered around the map which the player can use to discover the last known location of their opponent. But beware, as not only can these phones be booby trapped, but overuse will raise suspicions and reveal the player’s location.

Successful Axis Snipers will be rewarded with weapons, items and skin unlocks while Allied Snipers can earn weapon and character skins by killing their opponent. You will also be awarded with additional XP for having Invasion Mode enabled.

Recognised for its unparalleled tactical sniping experience, Sniper Elite 5 will release simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4 & 5, Epic, Steam and Windows Store in 2022. Players will reprise the role of elite marksman Karl Fairburne as they travel to France in 1944 tasked with the mission to uncover and destroy the Nazi’s latest plan: Operation Kraken.

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

Prepare for Landing — Atari Brings Back the Best of Classic Flight Simulators with Solo Flight, F-15 Strike Eagle, Harrier Jump Jet, Dog Fight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare, and The Ancient Art of War in the Skies

Atari®, one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers, today announced the release of five classic flight simulation games on Steam. The collection includes two titles from revered game designer Sid Meier — Solo Flight and F-15 Strike Eagle, along with three other popular titles from the golden age of gaming: Harrier Jump Jet, Dog Fight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare, and The Ancient Art of War in the Skies. The games will be available individually and in special bundles for Windows PC via Steam.

The MicroProse™ flight simulation titles, re-released by Atari, will be available on Steam individually for $6.99 each. Strike Eagle and Ancient Art of War launch today with Solo Flight, Harrier Jump Jet, and Dogfight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare scheduled for release next week. Bundles are available, including a special Sid Meier collection, with limited-time discounts. Customers can purchase these bundles immediately, adding the new releases as they become available via Steam’s “Complete The Set” offer.

Flight Combat Collection — $20.97 (25% off)

• Strike Eagle, Harrier Jump Jet, Ancient Art of War, and Dogfight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare

Sid Meier Collection — $26.21 (25% off)

• Conflict in Vietnam, Crusade in Europe and Decision in the Desert, Solo Flight, and Strike Eagle

MicroProse War Simulation Collection — $39.14 (30% off)

• Conflict in Vietnam, Crusade in Europe, Decision in the Desert, Solo Flight, Strike Eagle, Harrier Jump Jet, The Ancient Art of War, and Dogfight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare

Source: Ubisoft

Rainbow Six Extraction is out now, pitting players against a deadly, mutating alien threat in a whole new tactical PvE co-op experience. Featuring full cross-play, cross-save, and cross-progression, the game is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Amazon Luna, Stadia, and the Ubisoft Store on PC, as well as via Ubisoft+. It is also playable on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

Extraction stars a select line-up of Operators from Rainbow Six Siege who have been reworked with new abilities and attributes to help them better take on the Archaean parasite. The 13 different mission types across 12 containment zones pose an ever-shifting challenge, as players face 13 enemy archetypes and a host of mutations that make each incursion unpredictable. Team up with up to two other players, or take on solo missions as you level up your Operators’ loadouts and abilities, and progress to unlock new REACT tech gadgets, cosmetic customization items, and more.

For more information about Rainbow Six Extraction, please visit the games official website.

Ubisoft’s Siege spin-off is a thrilling and messy take on zombie co-op.

By Morgan Park @ PC Gamer

It’s a mean game that can produce some great thrills, but its strict rules make some awkward design choices stick out. Extraction is also a smaller game than I anticipated—Ubi’s decision to lower its price to $40 and introduce it to PC Game Pass at launch makes sense now. I really liked mastering each of the dozen objective types and maps, but missions start to get samey really fast.

Read the Review Here