Company of Heroes 2 Open Beta begins today

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Relic Entertainment today announced that the Open Beta for its eagerly anticipated real time strategy game, Company of Heroes 2 will launch later today and run until 18th June.

Featuring the title’s critically acclaimed multiplayer mode, the Open Beta will allow players to experience competitive and co-operative gameplay on six of the game’s maps. The Open Beta will also allow gamers to test out the first 45 levels of the game’s progression and bulletin system.

As an added incentive players who participate in the Open beta will get to retain all progression and unlocks earned during this period, if they purchase the game within the first 60 days of launch and play it on the same Steam account as the beta.

Greg Wilson, Producer of Company of Heroes 2 commented: “We have been working hard since the Closed Beta balancing and improving all areas of the game as well as adding new matchmaking servers. COH2 has had one of the most successful Beta programs we’ve ever run at Relic and the support of the fans has been a critical factor in making the game more balanced and stable for launch.”

Underpinned by the cutting-edge Essence 3.0 Engine, Company of Heroes 2 brings tactical strategy to life like never before, thanks to the realistic ColdTech weather system, the revolutionary dynamic line of sight system TrueSight, and realistic destructibility.

Company of Heroes 2 will be available for PC on June 25th 2013. For more information check www.companyofheroes.com,

And check out our interview with Quinn Duffy from the Eurogamer Expo last year:

What do you think of Company of Heroes 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT Announcement Trailer released

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MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach. A new take on the action/adventure genre, MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT challenges players to solve possibly the hardest case of all… their own murder.

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MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT sees players take the role of Ronan O’Connor, a detective with a checkered past, whose life is brought to an untimely end by a brutal and relentless killer. Unable to move on and stuck in the limbo world of Dusk, he won’t find peace until he can bring his killer to justice from the afterlife.

Using his new-found supernatural abilities, Ronan is free to explore the town of Salem, Massachusetts, from his shadowy afterlife. Unable to communicate with the detectives on his case, Ronan must read the minds of the living, influencing their thoughts and actions. As part of his investigation, he must interrogate the ghosts of Salem’s past citizens to piece together the puzzle, while battling demonic spirits to save his soul and uncover the shocking truth about who is responsible for his death.

Here is the trailer:

What do you think of the game? There will be lots more news on MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT next week at E3 so stay tuned for some exclusive content.

‘Fantasia: Music Evolved’ coming to Xbox One and Xbox 360

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Fantasia: Music Evolved has been announced for Xbox One and Xbox 360. A collaboration between Disney Interactive and Rock Band and Dance Central developer Harmonix, the Kinect title is a reimagining of the 1940 animated movie.

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The Shoal area features coral and underwater creatures that play musical notes.

Players will become Yen Sid’s apprentice, and must explore themed worlds, perform songs and create remixes.

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Players will become Yen Sid’s apprentice in Fantasia: Music Evolved, and can visit his workshop.

Over 25 tracks will feature, many of which are contemporary songs, including ‘Some Nights’ by fun., ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen and ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ by Bruno Mars, as well as orchestral tracks reminiscent of the original Fantasia.

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Worlds can be explored by using a hand-controlled cursor with Kinect, that tracks X, Y and Z movement by waving and pushing the hand towards the screen.

One world shown was an underwater area named ‘The Shoal’. You are brushing over coral and sea horses to create procedural sounds with the cursor, solving a basic puzzle will open up ‘performance portals’ to play songs.

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During a performance, the player must wave or push their arms in the direction of arrows that appear on the screen in time with the music.

At certain points the track can be remixed by being given the choice of additional instrument types – such as acoustic, classical, bluegrass and 8-Bit – which are subsequently layered over the existing track.

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Fantasia: Music Evolved will be available in 2014 and will be playable at the E3 gaming expo next week.

Halo: Spartan Assault Launches on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in July

The award-winning “Halo” franchise continues with “Halo: Spartan Assault.” Available in July for $6.99 ERP, only for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.

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“Halo: Spartan Assault” brings “Halo’s” rich storytelling and best-in-class action, audio and graphics to touch-based devices for the first time in franchise history.

“With ‘Halo: Spartan Assault,’ we wanted to take ‘Halo’ out of the living room and create a brand new experience that was built specifically for a different screen,” said Dan Ayoub, Executive Producer on “Halo: Spartan Assault.” “This is an opportunity for us to define what makes ‘Halo’ unique on mobile platforms and really raise the bar for what is possible.”

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Developed by 343 Industries in conjunction with Vanguard Games, “Halo: Spartan Assault” is a top-down, action shooter that provides an accessible, pick-up-and-play experience for “Halo” fans and newcomers. It uses an intuitive and simple control scheme that combines touch with console-like controls, and there’s also the flexibility to use a mouse and keyboard on Windows 8 PCs and tablets.

“We went through multiple control scheme iterations before arriving at something that we felt was perfect,” said Ayoub. “We designed a system that is adaptive and helps bring that old-school flavor of fast and frenzied twin-stick shooting to life.”

Set between “Halo 3” and “Halo 4,” “Halo: Spartan Assault” gives you control of either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis on 25, action-packed single-player missions featuring battles never before seen in the “Halo” universe.

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“This is Palmer’s first Spartan Op,” said Ayoub. “The story follows her first major mission after her transformation from an ODST to a Spartan-IV and gives more insight into the character that fans got to know in ‘Halo 4.’”

Equipment load outs can be customized with “Halo’s” iconic arsenal of armor abilities and weapons, including the Magnum, Assault Rifle, Spartan Laser and more. Fan-favorite vehicles, such as the Wraith, Scorpion, Ghost and Grizzly, can also be commandeered to even the odds against the Covenant onslaught.

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“Halo: Spartan Assault’s” campaign is developed for replayability, with competitive leaderboards, weekly challenges, difficulty modifier Skulls, and more than 40 earnable in-game Achievements and Medals. You can even progress your Spartan Career in “Halo 4” by playing “Halo: Spartan Assault” to gain experience points (XP), all-new Achievements and emblems, and more integration features will become available after launch.

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If you’re still hungry for more, 343 Industries has you covered. Not only will be additional in-game content be available through the Microsoft Store in the months following launch, but 343 Industries has also teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to create a separate, three-part comic series, “Halo: Initiation.” “Halo: Initiation” reveals how Commander Sarah Palmer became a Spartan-IV and connects directly with the events of “Halo: Spartan Assault.”

Mirror’s Edge 2 Domains Switched to EA Servers

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EA has switched the domain names for Mirror’s Edge 2 and 3 to its own servers, making it seem even more likely that we’ll see a sequel at E3.
The domains were actually created in 2008, however the namesevers were switched over to EA in May 2013.

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Mirror’s Edge has already been spotted on EA’s help website, while quite a few retailers have also listed the game up for pre-order. Many are suggesting that it’ll be an Xbox One exclusive, although time will tell.

Lionhead teasing remake of original Fable (Updated with Screen Shots)

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Lionhead has now announced Fable Anniversary for release later this year on Xbox 360.
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Check out the new screens and press release:

Nearly a decade ago, Microsoft and Lionhead Studios took the gaming world by storm with Fable, a unique, fantasy role-playing game that gave players unprecedented freedom to make meaningful choices with permanent consequences.

Now, Lionhead Studios invites you to relive the magic with Fable Anniversary for Xbox 360, a modern remastering of the best-selling Xbox classic featuring stunning graphics, almost instant loading times, an all-new interface, Achievements, Xbox SmartGlass support and more.
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“We’re really excited to bring Fable to Xbox 360,” said Ted Timmins, Lead Designer on Fable Anniversary. “It’s the game that the Fable community has been asking for, so we wanted to make sure Fable Anniversary delivered the definitive Fable experience for both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise.”
In Fable Anniversary, you play as The Hero, an orphan whose destiny you shape through in-game decisions that influence not only his development as a hero, but the fate of the entire realm. In addition to Fable’s original storyline, Fable: Anniversary includes the expansion pack, Fable: The Lost Chapters.
Fable Anniversary uses the power Xbox 360 to bring Fable to life like never before. The graphics are substantially updated with new lighting, textures, models, facial and cut scene animations, and more, all in 1080p HD resolution. In addition, Fable Anniversary includes a new interface, save system and nearly non-existent loading times, making the immersive journey through the dangerous and mysterious world of Albion even more seamless.
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Fable Anniversary also brings Achievements to Fable for the first time. “We’re doing something that’s not been done before,” said Timmins. “Fable has always been about choices and consequences, so we’re trying to put that into our Achievements.”
While Fable Anniversary introduces modern improvements, Timmins emphasized each one was designed to enhance a gameplay experience that remains true to its roots.
“It’s probably the hardest part of the job. We needed to keep Fable the same, but also make it different,” said Timmins. “It was a case of playing through the game over and over and writing down a list of the things we wanted to address in order to bring Fable to a 360 quality level that people expect.”
And of course you can still punt chickens.
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Original Xbox Version Vs. the New Fable Anniversary Edition for the Xbox 360
“There’s now a leaderboard for this,” explained Timmins. “So you can actually find out who the best chicken kicker in Albion is.”

Fable Anniversary launches only on Xbox 360 this holiday season.
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Lionhead is teasing a remake of the original Fable. The game originally appeared on Xbox, although never made the jump to Xbox 360.
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In the teaser below we see Fable villain Jack of Blades, while also getting more than a few looks at all of the requests for a remake. Why would we get this video without a remake? It’s happening and by the looks of things on Xbox 360.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EhswZYju0s?feature=player_detailpage%5D

 

The original Fable was released on Xbox in 2004, and was followed up by an extended version Fable: The Lost Chapters on PC in 2005.

It was followed by sequels Fable 2 and Fable 3 on Xbox 360 in 2008 and 2010.

‘Defiance’ Plague Crossover Event Goes Live Are You Ready

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Defiance has introduced a new crossover event that ties in closely with the events of the Syfy television show. Players are being tasked with eradicating a mysterious illness that has arrived in San Francisco before the plague reaches the town of Defiance in the TV series.

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The free update features a range of new content, including the Plague Sieges missions, eight additional emergencies, two bonus pursuits, a new data recorder and an extra mission series that runs from 10th June to 17th June.

Defiance players must work together to eradicate infected foes and help discover a cure before the outbreak hits in the television show during an episode scheduled to air on 17th June.

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Available for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3, Defiance reached the milestone of 1 million registered users early last month.

Intel Launches the New Haswell CPU at Computex Taipei 2013

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Intel Corporation today introduced its ground-breaking 4th generation Intel Core Processor family delivering a wave of new Ultrabook and emerging 2-in-1 devices that deliver a PC when you need it and a tablet when you want it.

Speaking at Computex Taipei 2013, Executive Vice President Tom Kilroy said Intel has more than 50 different 2-in-1 designs in the pipeline across a range of price points, including premium Ultrabook 2-in-1s powered by the new Intel Core processors, and other designs powered by forthcoming processors based on the company’s 22nm Silvermont microarchitecture.

“Today we deliver on the vision set forth 2 years ago to reinvent the laptop with the introduction of our 4th generation Intel Core processors that were designed from the ground up for the Ultrabook and serve as the foundation for a new era of 2-in-1 computing,” said Kilroy. “We made one of the most seismic changes to our roadmap ever to build these new Core processors that deliver the stunning performance of the PC and the mobility of a tablet in one device. The new processors power the most exciting 2-in-1 designs to-date.”

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Kilroy also highlighted momentum in ultra-mobility, pointing to Intel’s next-generation 22nm quad-core and most powerful Intel® Atom™ system-on-chip (SoC; codenamed “Bay Trail-T”) yet for tablets coming this holiday, the company’s forthcoming 4G LTE multimode solution and its next-generation 22nm Atom SoC (codenamed “Merrifield”) for smartphones.

“With the new Intel Core processors introduced today, our next-generation Atom SoC for tablets and other 22nm products coming soon, the advances in Intel architecture are accelerating the pace of innovation, enabling new experiences and powering some of the best mobile devices coming to market this year,” said Kilroy.

New Intel Core Processors Foundational to 2-in-1 Computing, New Experiences

Designed first and foremost with the Ultrabook in mind and based on the company’s flagship 22nm Haswell microarchitecture, the 4th generation Intel Core processors deliver a 50 percent increase in battery life in active workloads over the previous generation1. This is the largest generation-over-generation gain in the company’s history, equating to over 9 hours of battery life in active workloads1 for some Ultrabooks based on the new processors.

Intel’s newest Core processors are the first SoCs for PCs with stunning performance, and power a variety of innovative devices, including Ultrabook, 2-in-1 and portable all-in-one designs. Systems based on the quad-core version of the new Core processors are available now, with additional versions available in the coming months.

The 4th generation Intel Core processors also have built-in graphics that deliver discrete-level performance, or up to 2 times the performance of Intel’s prior generation. Offered on select versions of the new Intel Core processors, Intel® Iris™ graphics bring the Ultrabook and other mobile PCs to life with built-in, eye-popping visual experiences.

Select Ultrabooks powered by 4th generation Intel Core processors will deliver the Intel performance people expect combined with the mobility and responsiveness of a tablet, making them the premium, ultra-versatile 2-in-1 devices. With touch capability and a keyboard, the system adapts to the user and also offers full application compatibility. People can lean forward to work and lean back to relax using just one device.

Kilroy also showcased progress in bringing human-like senses to 2-in-1 and other Intel-based devices through the addition of touch, voice and facial recognition and other technologies. Called perceptual computing, these technologies take advantage of Intel processing power to make interaction with devices natural, intuitive and immersive.

He demonstrated immersive, short-range gesture and voice-based interaction by giving new Intel Core-based Ultrabook 2-in-1 devices “eyes” with the Creative Senz3D* peripheral camera, noting general availability for the camera starting next quarter. Looking to the future, he said Intel is working on an integrated solution to build 3-D depth camera technology directly into future Intel-based devices targeted for the second half of 2014.

Accelerating Fast: Tablets, Smartphones and LTE

Intel’s 22nm low-power, high-performance Silvermont microarchitecture is enabling the company to accelerate and significantly enhance its tablet and smartphone offerings.

For tablets on shelves for holiday 2013, Intel’s next-generation, 22nm quad-core Atom SoC (“Bay Trail-T”) will deliver superior graphics and more than two times the CPU performance of the current generation. It will also enable sleek designs with 8 or more hours2 of battery life and weeks of standby, as well as support Android and Windows 8.1.

For the first time, Kilroy demonstrated Intel’s 4G LTE multimode solution in conjunction with the next-generation 22nm quad-core Atom SoC for tablets. The Intel® XMM 7160 is one of the world’s smallest3 and lowest-power multimode-multiband LTE solutions and will support global LTE roaming in a single SKU.

With a number of phones with Intel silicon inside having shipped across more than 30 countries, Kilroy previewed what’s coming. He showed for the first time a smartphone reference design platform based on “Merrifield,” Intel’s next-generation 22nm Atom SoC for smartphones that will deliver increased performance and battery life. The platform includes an integrated sensor hub for personalized services, as well as capabilities for data, device and privacy protection.

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So with the new Intel Haswell you will get more from your battery life, better performance overall on the new device using a Haswell CPU.

So in brief the Haswell chips will enable hardware developers to produce thinner laptops and two-in-one devices that run for longer and use significantly less battery power.

Intel says that the chips use CPU cores that require just six watts of scenario design power, meaning that they will run on “cooler, quieter, fanless” computers.

The new processor is said to offer a 15% performance boost over its predecessor, Ivy Bridge, as well as a 50% increase in active-use battery life and up to three times more standby time.

The integration of a new GPU dubbed Iris will offer twice the level of performance during complex tasks, such as 3D gaming or encoding HD video, eliminating the need for a separate graphics card in many cases.

Microsoft Are Ready With Halo 5, Fable 4 and Banjo-Kazooie for E3

Microsoft’s are ready big time with this E3, a E3 slate has apparently been leaked. Halo 5, Fable 4 and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty Land will be among the games unveiled at the event, according to a post by a NeoGAF forum user.

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An image was also posted showing the logos for some of the games.

The full list also includes Killer Instinct, Forza Motorsport 5, Quantum Break, Halo: Spartan Assault, Ryse, Crackdown 3, Fortnite, Dead Rising 3, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dying Light, Prey 2, Homefront 2, Beyond Good & Evil 2, Mirror’s Edge 2, Rainbow 6: Patriots, Brother in Arms: Furious Four and League of Legends.

Skype for Windows 8/RT updated again with video messaging

Skype for Windows 8 has been updated again, this time bringing with it video messaging following the recent preview.

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This update contains:

– Video messaging
– General fixes

Download Skype from the Windows Store

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag novel, art book and strategy guide announced

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Today, Ubisoft revealed new publishing products based on the universe of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, a novel published by Penguin Group, an art book published by Titan Books, and a strategy guide published by Piggyback and Prima Games.

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Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, the new novel

The new Assassin’s Creed novel, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag will be published by Penguin Books in the UK on November 7th, and by Ace Books in the US on November 26th with localized versions to follow.

Story summary

The Golden Age of Piracy – a time when greed, ambition and corruption overcomes all loyalties – and a brash young captain, Edward Kenway, is making his name known for being one of the greatest pirates of his time. In the brilliant new novel, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, discover the story of how Edward, a young privateer, became one of the world most deadly pirates and was drawn into the centuries-old battle between the Templars and the Assassins.

The Art of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, the official art book

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The new Assassin’s Creed art book, The Art of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, is published by Titan Books and will be available in English on October 28th.

The recently announced Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag sees a sea change for the franchise with a harsh new setting in the Golden Age of pirates. With intricately detailed environments and finely honed and evocative historical re-imaginings, this is a world into which you can immerse yourself and feel the echoes of the past come to life. Continuing in the footsteps of this already world-renowned franchise, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag brings to life a time of enormous diversity and passion, ensuring it will be the biggest and best release yet. Highlights in the game, and in the art book, include one of the largest never-before-experienced nautical gameplay ever offered, with an amazing range of locations and action.

A special slipcase edition will also be available, limited to 500 copies and including two exclusive Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag concept art prints, signed by the artists.

The official Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag Strategy Guide

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The Assassin’s Creed IV official strategy guide, on sale from the launch day of the game, will be available in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.

This guide is published by Piggyback across EMEA, and Prima Games in the US.

Created by the team working on the highly acclaimed guides to Assassin’s Creed III, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Assassin’s Creed® Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed II, this book will provide all information players could need to finish fully the game, or to enjoy a more in-depth gameplay experience:

• 100% Complete achievement guide

• All the game’s secrets

• A revolutionary walkthrough

• A story analysis

• A multiplayer strategies dedicated section

• Tables and statistics for an in-depth understanding of game mechanics

As a bonus, the strategy guide also includes a map poster covering all in-game locations.

Asus Releases the Fonepad Note

Asus has announced a new hybrid device dubbed the Fonepad Note. The 6-inch Android tablet, touted as a rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Note range, offers phone functionality via a 3G radio.
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Powered by a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 1.6GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, the Fonepad Note comes with a 1080p IPS display and a dedicated stylus.

The device features an 8-megapixal camera on the rear, a 1.2-megapixel shooter on the front, and comes equipped with a pair of stereo speakers.

The Fonepad Note also comes with Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system on board, as well as a host of software designed to take advantage of its stylus interface.

Asus is yet to announce pricing or a release date for the product.

Want an Arma 3 Alpha Lite Steam Code? We have 200 to give away

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Our friends at Bohemia Interactive have given us 200 steam codes for Arma 3 Alpha Lite, would you like one?

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While the Arma 3 Alpha leads Steam’s Top Sellers chart since launch, Bohemia Interactive  also made a free invite-only variant available. The Arma 3 Alpha Lite is a limited version of the Arma 3 Alpha – providing people with the opportunity to try out the singleplayer showcase missions, a selection of weapons and vehicles, and the scenario editor. Unlike the regular Arma 3 Alpha, the Arma 3 Alpha Lite does not feature a multiplayer component or modding support, and does not include access to the Arma 3 Beta and complete game later on. To participate in the Alpha Lite, people need to be invited by those who have purchased the regular Arma 3 Alpha, or you can get one from us.

To claim a code, just click on the Contact Us link at the top of the page and ask us for one – simple as that. Hurry though as yhe Arma 3 Alpha Lite will be discontinued on June 18th, 2013.

Learn more about Arma 3 from their website.

App Update: Chrome browser for iPhone and iPad version 27.0.1453.10

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If you are fan of Google’s Chrome browser you can now get it as an app for both the iPhone and iPad and it’s just been updated to version 27.0.1453.10.

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Browse fast with Chrome, now available on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Sign in to sync your personalized Chrome experience from your computer, and bring it with you anywhere you go.

What’s New in Version 27.0.1453.10

Improved voice search!
-Say what you want and get results back without typing
-Faster voice recognition with text streamed on the fly
-Get answers spoken back to you with web results tailored to your questions
Faster page reloading
-Pages reload faster even when the network is slow or unavailable
Stability / security improvements and bug fixes

Have you tried it yet? Be sure and let us know by leaving a comment below.

Download Google Chrome for iOS now