Deception IV – Blood Ties Coming to PS3 and PS Vita this March

Chris Hare
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Deception IV – Blood Ties Coming to PS3 and PS Vita this March

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Tecmo Koei Europe announced today that upcoming title Deception IV: Blood Ties will be released across Europe on the 28th March 2014 for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita.

In this imaginative follow up to the classic Tecmo title ‘Devil’s Deception’, first released in 1996 on the PlayStation, players can get a taste of what it’s like to play on the side of evil. Much like its predecessors, Deception IV: Blood Ties is a strategy focused action game revolving around a deceitful main character known as the Devil’s daughter who, assisted by three Daemons, defeats her foes through trickery.

Deception IV follows the story of Laegrinna, an animated fragment of an imprisoned Devil’s soul, as she battles her enemies by mischievously luring them into strategically placed traps. From rolling boulders and spiked walls to spring boards, Iron Maidens, human cannons, falling bathtubs and banana peels, the player can choose from a multitude of dramatic, sadistic, and comical traps in order to finish off an enemy

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Setting traps is not enough though, as they need to be activated in turn. Timing also plays an important role, as an untimely activation could result in Laegrinna falling into her own trap or allow her rivals to catch up her. Depending on the manner an enemy is killed or captured the Devil’s three servants: Veruza, Caelea and Lilia (each representing a different aspect of cruelty: Sadistic Torment, Elaborate Death and Humiliating Demise) reward points and upgraded traps

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Players will be able to upload their combos online (PlayStation 3 version players can upload their videos to or challenge other players to beat their highest-scoring, funniest, or sadistic combos. Other network elements include leaderboards for total Ark (points accumulated in a level), clear time etc as well as uploading and downloading user created missions (Cross-Quests). PlayStation Vita boasts a few additional features and using the touch screen to select and activate traps

Dragon’s Prophet receives huge update

Chris Hare
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Dragon’s Prophet receives huge update

For all dragon fans and fantasy lovers, 2014 is beginning on a high note. The online role-playing game Dragon’s Prophet developed by Runewaker
Entertainment and published by Infernum Productions just received a major update for mounted combat. A trio of healing, tanking, and damage skills are now available for dragons, which allows for a more dynamic combat experience and creates entertaining fights for players to enjoy.

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Whether a player wants to specialize in a single area or be more versatile, it’s entirely up to them! But that’s not all: The update also includes the new high-level dungeon “Shrine of Handras”, which offers fresh obstacles for Osirans to overcome.

The new features give the game more depth, let the players develop an even stronger relationship with their dragons, and results in a more dynamic flow of combat!” says Marco Neubert, Director of Brand Management.

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Another highlight of the patch is the legendary Dungeon “Shrine of Handras“. Explorers will find the entrance to the fully submerged instance in the southeastern region of Olandra. Inside the shrine, brave adventurers will find a number of belligerent water monsters, dangerous whirlpools, and five fearsome bosses. Only those who have paved the way through the algae forest, past sunken ships and giant clams, will face the final battle with the dragon Handras.

.         Markoran the Salt Scorned
o        Thick with muscles, this boss attacks with its octopus-like arms and uses dark ink to confuse the attacker.
·        Oxient the Razorshell
o        Brandishing a huge anchor, Oxient traps players inside the large air bubbles he creates.
·        Mezani the Shrouded Spines
o        With wings that overshadow the whole battlefield, Mezani circles from above and attacks the player with strong swirls and strikes.
·        Akeno the Vortex
o        Akeno is a titan on the field of war. Even the strongest heroes have to hide when he attacks. He can toss around players with ease by ramming into them.
·        Handras the Indigo Fog
o        The skeletal dragon Handras is the final boss of the dungeon and exhibits a special, mysterious heart in his chest. Only when the puzzle around the heart is solved do the heroes have a chance of defeating the boss dragon.

Company of Heroes 2 Free Steam Weekend and more

Chris Hare
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Company of Heroes 2 Free Steam Weekend and more

SEGA has announced that its award-winning strategy game Company of Heroes 2 will receive a massive STEAM promotion this weekend, including free offerings for new as well as current players. During the STEAM Free Weekend, prospective new players now have the chance to try out the popular RTS (real time strategy) game by simply hitting “play” in their STEAM library. The entire base game will automatically appear in every user’s library for free that started yesterday on the 16th January, 2014, 10 am PST and Sunday, 19th January, 2014, 1PM PST.

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During the same period, all paid multiplayer commanders for Company of Heroes 2 will be available for free as well, including for those players participating in the free trial. Additionally, SEGA also announced that Company of Heroes 2 will be seeing a 66% off sales promotion over the weekend, offering the game at USD 13.59/£ 10.19/€11.89/AUSD 16.99.

Closer Look at the Characters from Dark Souls 2

Chris Hare
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Closer Look at the Characters from Dark Souls 2

Have a look at the latest screenshots from Dark Souls 2, lots of new characters from Drangleic appear through this new batch of Screenshots.

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•             3 old ladies and the Housekeeper: Milibeth.

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•             Emerald Herald, the mysterious lady.

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•             One of the few Drangleic survivors who wanders endlessly with his furniture on his back: Merchant Hag Melentia.

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•             A cursed lost undead blacksmith: Blacksmith Lenigrast.

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•             A cursed Knight from Mirrah: Lucatiel of Mirrah.

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•             An apostol called blue knight: Blue Sentinel Targray.

Along with the new characters, lot of new items, features and places are shown, among them:

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•             The Deep Pit, a complicated 3 dimensional map.

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•             Majula, a place at the extremity of Drangleic.

•             A Human Effigy, an item that could save more than one life.

•             And much more $B!D(B

DARK SOULS II will be launching in Europe and Australasia on March 14, 2014 on the PlayStation 3  and Xbox 360 with the PC edition to follow shortly in 2014.

Review: RESOGUN

phillvine
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Review: RESOGUN

For those of you luckily enough to own a PS4 (and according to Sony there’s quite a few of us now) Resogun is free to play. So at least you’re guaranteed something to play!

Essentially you will scroll left and right on a cylindrical map blasting shooting and dodging your way through waves of enemies. Your primary goal is to save humans, although it’s not always obvious why a human has died or if one even needs saving. It’s definitely satisfying to rush in and bravely destroy the enemy to save someone but it’s not always obvious when this should happen. Simply moving your ship over a human will pick them up and then you must transport them safely to a checkpoint to save them.

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There are small visual clues that show you when and where to be but in a game like this a huge unsubtle beacon wouldn’t look particularly out of place. Amongst all the explosions and lasers it can be pretty difficult to see what to do. Luckily losing humans makes little impact on the gameplay and will just reduce your score. It’s satisfying when it all goes well but can be a tad frustrating at other times.

But at least the difficulties are (surprisingly) very well done. Players of Super Stardust HD will certainly appreciate it. If you want you can progress through the game with very little chance of complete failure. And if you want you can make life very difficult for yourself. The only exception being the last level which can get pretty tricky even on the lower difficulties.

There’s still a challenge to be had but only if you go looking for it. And even if the higher difficulties aren’t enough for you, you can always go for high scores and slowly climb your way up leader boards.

If you look at it, since the very dawn of game development a primary goal has been to essentially reduce visible squares. But Resogun’s looks makes a particular point of showing off its squares. Rather than exploding realistically anything you destroy will burst into a pleasing shower of sparks and cubes. There’s barely a curve in sight and it looks great. High definition certainly helps but Resogun is a brilliant game to show what the PS4 can do.

And to go along with all the visual thrills is an upbeat and punchy soundtrack that adequately reflects the pace of the gameplay. Resogun is certainly energetic and that’s simply not possible without a suitable soundtrack. Luckily Resogun delivers and doesn’t allow the music to break the pace.

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Addictive score beating gameplay and good looks makes Resogun a great game to have on the PS4’s starting line-up. There’s an endless energy to Resogun’s explosions and vibrant lighting ensuring the pace stays high. It’s a great launch game to show off some PS4 goodness and it’s totally free for Playstation Plus members. So if you haven’t already get over to the store and give it a try.

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Tetris Coming to Xbox One and PS4 This Year

Chris Hare
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Tetris Coming to Xbox One and PS4 This Year

Today, Ubisoft and The Tetris Company announced a partnership to develop the iconic Tetris franchise for digital channels on Xbox One and the PlayStation4. The Tetris franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2014 and has sold hundreds of millions of units worldwide across more than 50 different platforms since its launch in 1984. Tetris-branded products are available in more than 50 languages and in 185 countries around the world.

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“We welcome Ubisoft to the Tetris family. I am 100% sure they will develop one of the best versions of the Tetris game ever,” said Henk B. Rogers, managing director of The Tetris Company, LLC.

“We’re very excited to start working with this world-renowned brand, and can’t wait to combine Ubisoft’s expertise and all the capacities of next-gen consoles to create an exciting new Tetris experience for fans,” added Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO.

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare Delayed by a week

Chris Hare
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Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare Delayed by a week

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare is coming to Xbox One, and Xbox 360 has been delayed by a week now its out on 25th February in North America and starting 27th February in Europe.

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare is a 3rd person shooter like no other. It is the only game where you shoot peas from your face, invade the skies as a garlic drone and… get to play as a zombie with a dolphin gun! Crazy Dave also wants you to know that plants will have all-new reinforcements – Ice Pea, Hot Rod Chomper, Future Cactus and Mystic Sunflower – characters outfitted with special abilities, new gameplay mechanics and cool costumes.

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More Brainzzzzz… A brand new gameplay developer diary launched today that showcases four-player co-op gameplay mode Garden Ops where the Yeti and Giga-Gargantuar bosses make their debut in Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare! In Garden Ops, you play in squads of four working together to defend a garden base until Crazy Dave arrives to extract our heroes. Successfully defend the garden through the 11 zombie waves and earn huge rewards.

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare – 4 Player Co-Op Gameplay with Developer Commentary

One of the most anticipated games of 2014, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare features three distinct modes – two 12v12 competitive multiplayer modes called Garden & Graveyards and Team Vanquish, and the four-player co-operative mode Garden Ops. In Garden & Graveyards, plants must defend their garden bases from zombies attempting to turn them into spooky graveyards. Players can also square off in Team Vanquish as they try to send the other team to the compost pile.

New DLC Characters for Adventure Time

Chris Hare
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New DLC Characters for Adventure Time

D3Publisher  and Cartoon Network Enterprises today announced downloadable content (DLC) for Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!, that features three new playable characters including Peppermint Butler, Gunter, and King of Mars.  The DLC is available for Xbox 360 at £1.29 per character, and on the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo´s Wii U, at £1.59 per character.

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW! is a brand new action adventure game from the creative minds of Adventure Time series creator Pendleton Ward and game developer WayForward.

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For more information on Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!, please visit http://www.namcobandaigames.eu

About Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!
The adventure begins with a completely new storyline staged in the Land of Ooo as players help Princess Bubblegum save the Candy Kingdom by exploring the mysteries surrounding a massive Secret Royal Dungeon.  In Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!, play as multiple fan-favourite characters from the show with up to four players, including Finn, Jake, Marceline, Ice King, and more and showcase your best attack moves with special abilities and skills to defeat baddies throughout the dungeon.

SpellForce 2 – Demons Of The Past out now

Chris Hare
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SpellForce 2 – Demons Of The Past out now

Nordic Games announced today that players can conclude the story to the SpellForce 2 storyline with the final stand-alone add-on SpellForce 2 – Demons Of The Past, out today priced £17.99. The game is available as a boxed version and a digital version (online in the course of today on different ESD-platforms).

The final instalment in SpellForce 2 brings the story to an epic end where players will battle it out to save the land of Eo. Demons Of The Past is a stand-alone adventure with a play time of more than 25 hours, and uniquely blends RPG and RTS, offering five new worlds (8 in total) for players to explore. Players can enjoy the game in either single player or multiplayer mode which includes Campaign, Free game (co-op), Skirmish and Domination plus the new Survival mode. In Survival mode, enemies will attack the player(s) wave after wave up to the big guy.

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“We are extremely proud of the conclusive part of SpellForce 2. The additional time that was spent on the game tied the loose ends together and allowed the team to implement features that enables players to become fully immersed by the SpellForce experience,” said Gennaro Giani, Localization and Production Manager at Nordic Games. “We responded to the feedback we received when we released SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny, so that the issues that players experienced in that game are not reflected in Demons of the Past.”

The evil wrath of Zazhut continues to weigh heavy over the land of Eo, but it is down to the player, an Elder of the Shaikan to save it. Meeting characters new and old along the way they will either be of help or hindrance.

SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny was released for PC in 2012. Joining forces with a group of diverse heroes and a dragon as trustful companions, players fight to gain information about this mysterious new enemy and thereby discover their own true destiny. Players assume the role of a young man who is supposed to release the entire world of Eo from the threat of a new and nameless evil.

 

Total War: ROME II Assembly Kit Beta goes live

Chris Hare
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Total War: ROME II Assembly Kit Beta goes live

A Beta version of the ROME II Assembly Kit, a suite of mod-tools specifically designed to help modders get creative with ROME II, is free to download now in the Tools section of Steam.

TWRII_Assembly_Kit

The Assembly Kit contains a series of tools to help modders edit ROME II’s database and variants, and process data such as textures, models, animations and campaign-game start positions. A suite of exporters also enables users to then edit unit models and animations using third party software.

To get modders started, The Assembly Kit comes packaged with example data, such as naval vessels, soldiers, animation sets, and the complete ROME II database backend. When a mod is complete, it can be uploaded directly to the Steam Workshop via the ROME II launcher, where over 1000 user-created mods can already be found.

Beyond the Beta phase, Creative Assembly aims to expand The Assembly Kit over time with further tools as they are developed. Early documentation and instructions on how to grab the Kit are available on the ROME II wiki:

StarTech Thunderbolt laptop docking station

Chris Hare
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StarTech Thunderbolt laptop docking station

StarTech.com, has announced the availability of their new Thunderbolt Docking Station (SKU: TBDOCKHDPBC), which enables users to transform a Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook or Ultrabook laptop into a powerful full-featured workstation, through a single Thunderbolt cable. The new docking station can be positioned vertically or horizontally to best suit the desk space, and includes a 1-meter Thunderbolt cable to provide a ready-to-connect docking solution right out of the box.

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The docking station is the first from StarTech.com to feature a Thunderbolt host connection, and includes numerous high-performance peripheral connections including an integrated USB 3.0 hub with UASP support, 3.5mm stereo mini-jacks for speaker and microphone support as well as both HDMI and Thunderbolt outputs. The Thunderbolt output port allows for up to six Thunderbolt devices, including an additional display, to be daisy-chained, all connected to a docked laptop through the single host cable connection.

“Our Thunderbolt docking station offers users a simple, fast and flexible solution for quickly expanding their MacBook or Ultrabook connectivity options” said Carey Cline, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com’s Laptop Docking Station product line. “Based on the outstanding performance capability of the Thunderbolt host connection, this dock makes it easy to turn a laptop, such as a MacBook or Ultrabook, into a highly scalable workspace over just a single cable, making it well-suited to a wide range of applications, especially hot-desking. Our Thunderbolt Docking Station offers many unique features that users have been asking for such as multiple USB 3.0 device connectivity, full USB 3.0 speed throughput and the inclusion of a 1m cable to make it a complete, out of the box solution.”

Features of the TBDOCKHDPBC Thunderbolt Docking Station include:

  • Thunderbolt output, daisy-chainable up to six Thunderbolt-equipped devices
  • High resolution support: 1920×1080 through HDMI, 2560×1440 through Thunderbolt
  • Integrated 3-port USB 3.0 hub, with UASP support, full USB 3.0 throughput per port
  • Host connection supports full Thunderbolt throughput, up to 10Gbps
  • 10/100/1000 Mbps compatible Gigabit Ethernet port
  • Weighted stand for vertical positioning
  • Speaker and Microphone support via 3.5mm stereo mini-jacks
  • Includes 1m Thunderbolt cable
  • Plug/port compatible with Thunderbolt 2-equipped MacBook laptops and Thunderbolt 2 devices

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MSRP for StarTech.com’s TBDOCKHDPBC Thunderbolt Docking Station is $279.99 (USD) in the United States, $288.99 (CAN) in Canada, £214.99 (GBP exc. VAT) in the UK. The docking station will be available CDW, Amazon.com, Newegg.com, PC Connection, and Insight and will also be distributed by Ingram Micro, SYNNEX, Tech Data, D&H and ASI.

ASUSTOR Announces ADM 2.1 Beta Program

Jim McCarthy
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ASUSTOR has announced a new beta program for ADM 2.1, adding some really useful features.  Read on for details!

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ASUSTOR has announced a new beta program for ADM 2.1, adding some really useful features.  ADM is a well-executed operating system, giving ASUSTOR NAS units a useful and rich experience.  There are gaps to the current functionality, though, compared to competitors like QNAP, Synology and NETGEAR.  ASUSTOR’s ADM 2.1 beta should close most of the remaining gaps.  Here is the press release:

ASUSTOR Launches ADM 2.1 Beta Program

ASUSTOR releases ADM 2.1 Beta Program featuring all new MyArchive storage technology, thumbnail previews and the My Computer function for File Explorer, added Bluetooth support, multiple new NAS Apps and the music streaming AiMusic mobile app. All users are welcome to download and experience the beta for themselves.

Taipei, Taiwan, January 16th, 2014 – ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced the release of the ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) 2.1 Beta Program for all of its NAS devices (2, 3, and 6 Series). All ASUSTOR users are welcome to download the beta firmware from the official ASUSTOR website and experience all the brand new features firsthand.

The ADM 2.1 Beta Version expands the core functionality of the system and includes newly expanded support for Bluetooth devices along with MyArchive, an exclusive new storage technology developed by ASUSTOR. Furthermore, a number of in-house developed Apps have been added to ASUSTOR’s App lineup that are sure to please both business and home users alike.

Additional information on the new features in the ADM 2.1 Beta Version is as follows:

New Core Features

  • File Explorer: File now provides users with thumbnail previews of files, drag and drop file transfers from computer to NAS, high-speed file transfers of large files through their web browser, and the My Computer feature which allows users to seamlessly transfer files between their computer and NAS from within File Explorer.
  • MyArchive: The revolutionary MyArchive feature allows users to use hard disks as removable storage archives. Users can simply plug in an archive when they need it and swap it out for a different one when they don’t.  MyArchive truly provides “plug and play” convenience as users are free to swap between different data collections and even share terabytes of media archives with friends. Furthermore MyArchive allows users to save power as the archives that are not in use can be taken out for storage and do not have to be always powered on.
  • Bluetooth Support: ADM now features support for Bluetooth devices including speakers, keyboards and mice.  Users will be able to stream music from the NAS to their Bluetooth speakers using SoundsGood, while keyboards and mice will bring added convenience to the ASUSTOR Portal experience.

New Apps from App Central

  • Takeasy: Takeasy allows users to conveniently download online videos and playlists from sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, YouKu, Tudou and more. Users have the option of selecting the type of video file and video quality that they want. Furthermore, Takeasy features online playback which allows users to instantly play any downloaded videos.
  • VPN Server: ASUSTOR’s VPN Server App allows an ASUSTOR NAS to act as either a VPN server or client, allowing users to quickly establish secure connections. VPN Server supports commonly used PPTP and OpenVPN protocols, gives users the ability to instantly view and disconnect connections when acting as a VPN server, and supports the ability to disconnect and automatically connect upon system startup when acting as a VPN client.
  • Antivirus: ASUSTOR’s antivirus App stops malware from infecting the NAS, user accounts and other external devices. It effectively protects critical data on the NAS and prevents malware from spreading by providing automatic virus definition updates and quarantining of infected files.

New Mobile App

  • AiMusic: Available for both iOS and Android, AiMusic integrates with ASUSTOR’s SoundsGood App to allow users to stream music from their NAS to their mobile device, letting them enjoy their entire music collection while on the go. AiMusic also allows for the creation of different types of playlists and also allows for the downloading of songs to the mobile device for offline listening.

New Chrome/FireFox Add-on

  • Download Helper: Download Helper is an add-on for Google Chrome and FireFox that allows users to right click on any download link and then instruct their NAS to download the file for them. Download Helper also provides a simple management interface, allowing users to quickly view the status and execute simple management tasks on all their downloads.

For more information about the ADM 2.1 Beta Program, please visit: http://www.asustor.com/betaProgram

If you are running an ASUSTOR NAS unit, go ahead and download the beta to see how ADM 2.1 will stack up.  I will; stay tuned for my impressions soon.

Rockstar Taking Aim at GTA Online Cheaters

Chris Hare
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Rockstar Taking Aim at GTA Online Cheaters

As part of today’s GTA Online maintenance period, Rockstar are removing the counterfeit GTA$ from the game’s economy. Anyone that innocently received GTA$ as a result of these exploits but did not engage in cheating to acquire it will not face any further action, the funds will just be removed , and you’ll be able to keep any items you currently own.

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Those who actively engaged in cheating and exploiting the game in this manner will, however, be subject to in-game penalties at Rockstar discretion. This may include being placed in isolated cheater pools or banned from GTA Online altogether.

Should you ever encounter someone in GTA Online that appears to be taking advantage of exploits in your session, Rockstar are asking that you alert them directly via the in-game reporting functionality. In the Pause menu, under the Online tab, select Players and scroll to the offending player. From there, select Report and choose Exploits from the violation options.

 

War Thunder: new tanks and map available for Ground Forces

Chris Hare
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War Thunder: new tanks and map available for Ground Forces

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that an array of new tanks has been added to the second wave of the Closed Beta for the Ground Forces expansion in War Thunder.

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Players can now test their tank warfare skills on, among others, Tiger I, IS-1, KV-2, SU-85, T-34-85 and Jagdpanzer IV.  The update also includes the release of Kuban – a brand new, challenging map that is available to all players in Ground Forces.

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All new tanks waiting to be tested in Ground Forces include:

USSR:

  • KV-2 1939
  • IS-1
  • T-34 1942
  • T-34-85      (D-5T)
  • SU-85

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Germany:

  • PzKpfw III      Ausf.M
  • PzKpfw IV      Ausf.H
  • Jagdpanzer      IV (L48)
  • PzKpfw VI      Ausf.H1

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