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Total War: Rome II release date announced, collector’s edition and pre-order bonus detailed

Bobby Gooding — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:31:56 +0000

It's been revealed. The next instalment of the Total War franchise will land on September 3rd, 2013. A limited run of Total War: Rome II collector's editions will also be available, with some extra content available for those who pre-order. It looks as though the pre-order bonus is going to come as some free day-one DLC, which others will be able to purchase additionally. It's entitled the Greek Culture Pack, and adds three new playable factions to the game; Epirus, Athens and Sparta. A list of participating retailers is available over here.

The collector's edition details:

The collector's edition will be limited to 22,000 copies, with a unique Roman numeral on each SteelBook case to show which number you have. There's also a bunch of other Rome-related stuff in there, including a kit to build your own working siege catapult model! Here's the full contents:

Numbered copy of Total War: Rome II -- The most ambitious and expansive game in the Total War™ series to date, ROME II brings the statecraft, politics, intrigue, diplomacy and epic battles of the ancient world to life in thrilling detail. This version comes in a debossed Steelbook™ case, laser-etched with your unique collector’s number in Roman numerals.
Tabula set -- The Roman forerunner to Backgammon, this Tabula set comprises 30 bone-effect game-pieces supplied in their own burlap drawstring bag, while the board is built into the base of the Collector’s Edition box.
Tesserae Dice -- Three replica bone-effect dice for use in a variety of games. The design is based on original Roman Tesserae, found at the archaeological site of Herculaneum.
Total War Cards: PUNIC WARS -- Designed from the ground up to echo elements from ROME II, Total War Cards is a game of skill and luck for two players. Involving combat, territorial control, resource management and technological development, PUNIC WARS consists of 58 high-quality playing cards and a game-board printed with the PUNIC WARS tech-tree.
Canvas Campaign Map -- A reminder of the worlds you must conquer, this ribbon-tied canvas map depicts each of the 57 provinces of the ROME II campaign.
Roman Onager -- A complete, fully-functional Onager, or Roman siege catapult. This easy-to-assemble kit is constructed from weathered wood and steel, measures 26cm x 12cm x 12cm, and is capable of unleashing mall projectiles at a variety of inanimate objects which may have affronted the glory of your empire.

Full details and retailers that will be selling the collector's edition are listed over here.

Unboxing the Qpad 5k mouse and CT mouse pad

Bobby Gooding — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:57:58 +0000

Yesterday I put up a couple of new unboxing videos up on the YouTube channel, taking a look at a couple of products from Qpad; the 5K Pro Gaming Laser Mouse and the CT Pro Gaming Mouse Pad. Here they are for anybody who only follows us here on the website:

Qpad CT Pro Gaming Mouse Pad unboxing:

Qpad 5K Pro Gaming Mouse unboxing:

The Sims 4 announced for 2014

Bobby Gooding — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:47:01 +0000

EA and Maxis have just announced The Sims 4. Having launched SimCity, they're returning to their other massive PC franchise -- with The Sims 4 being slated for a release on PC & Mac platforms sometime in 2014. Details are slim aside from a webpage in 'Simlish' where you can sign up for email updates. There's also this small description in the announcement email we received from EA:

The Sims 4 celebrates the heart and soul of the Sims themselves, giving players a deeper connection with the most expressive, surprising and charming Sims ever in this single-player offline experience. The Sims 4 encourages players to personalize their world with new and intuitive tools while offering them the ability to effortlessly share their creativity with friends and fans. The Sims franchise is fueled by the passion and creativity of its millions of fans around the world. Their continued devotion to the franchise ignites the fire of creativity of the team at The Sims Studio, driving them to continually improve and innovate on one of the world’s most popular simulation games that has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.

Let's just hope they've learned a few lessons after the SimCity launch. Will you give them another chance with The Sims 4?

Anno Online closed beta key giveaway

Bobby Gooding — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:57:11 +0000

Update: As of 4pm BST on May 7th, we've got no keys left. If we can some more, we'll post here again. Follow us on social media to hear about it right away.

Ubisoft have kindly given us a bunch of keys for the closed beta of their upcoming browser-based strategy/city-building game, Anno Online. This new game in the popular series is playable completely within your web browser, and will implement a guild system that allows you to work alongside other players to make the very most of your island. To enter for a key, just leave a comment below. Please ensure you comment with a Disqus account that's linked to a valid email, as that's how we'll send you a key. We'll update this post if we run out, and keys will be sent in batches (so don't panic if your inbox doesn't get an email immediately). In the meantime, here's a trailer to see what it's all about.

Watch Dogs Due November 22 in Europe

Joe Marsden — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:36:17 +0000

Ubisoft have announced that their third-person open world title will be hitting European store shelves on November 22nd for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U. The announcement came alongside a brand new gameplay trailer that also mentions that Watch Dogs is "also coming to current generation consoles". Video source YouTube.com via Eurogamer.net Also announced today were a total of four special editions of which you can find the details of below, with the Vigilante Edition and Special Edition being GAME exclusives in the UK. [gallery columns="4" ids="13201,13202,13203,13204"]

Ironhammers On Air #7: PC Gaming Podcast

Bobby Gooding — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:29:44 +0000

Download the MP3 here.

Episode 7 of our weekly PC gaming podcast is here. This week, we discuss the latest news, what we've been playing, and our topic of the week asks you (and us) who is the best PC gaming peripheral manufacturer.

PC Gaming News:

Topics include; Dota 2 surpasses League of Legends in the west (maybe), Nvidia launch GTX 650 Ti Boost edition, Logitech use science in their new range of peripherals, PC sales decline faster than ever, Grid 2 multiplayer shown off, Microsoft employee fired after a Twitter rant, next round of Steam Greenlight games have been greenlit.

What we've been playing:

Games include; Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Cubemen 2, LOTRO's new war steeds.

Topic of the Week:

After saying goodbye to Simon so he can navigate a local storm, we ask you who you think is the best (or worst) PC gaming peripheral manufacturer, before discussing our own thoughts on the topic.

Subscribe and follow the podcast:

If you enjoyed the show, you can subscribe on iTunes or via RSS, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Oh, and of course come and check out the website, Ironhammers.org. Also, follow us on Google+ so you can see whenever we hold a Hangout and get involved in the discussion.

Machines at War 3 is now out for PC

Bobby Gooding — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:14:35 +0000

Indie developer, Isotope 244, has today launched Machines at War 3 for Windows and Mac. It's a real-time strategy sequel to Land Air Sea Warfare, which was hugely well received on the iOS platform and was chosen by Apple as the very first 'iPad Game of the Week'. Here's how James Bryant of Isotope 244 explained it in an email to me:

"Using retro strategy and heart-pounding action, Machines at War 3 lets you battle and outsmart enemy forces as a military commander. You’re joined by a fiery officer named Samantha Vice, who helps you maneuver through 21 intriguing campaign missions. Your objective: Uncover why your country’s secret research team — the Omicron Initiative — has disappeared."

It sounds fun, and I've got a copy here, so stay tuned for a full review here on Ironhammers. If you're keen to get it before my written verdict appears, it's available directly from the Isotope 244 website for $19.99. Here's a trailer so you can see it in action:

Ironhammers Overclocked #4: PC Gaming Podcast

Simon D. Ivanoff — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:09:42 +0000

Download the MP3 here.

Ironhammers Overclocked is a new, secondary podcast from us guys here at Ironhammers. Taken care of by us US members, it broadcasts at more of a US-friendly time (Mondays at 10pm CT), and supplements Ironhammers On Air by focusing a little more on the hardware side of PC gaming. Our US hosts Simon and Charlie discuss their weekends events and gaming, before going on to discuss PC gaming peripherals -- and further trying to narrow down their number one peripheral manufacturer.

Subscribe and follow the podcast:

Metro: Last Light PC requirements detailed

Bobby Gooding — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:18:06 +0000

Will you be able you run Metro: Last Light on your PC? As you probably know, Metro 2033 was well known for putting gaming PCs through their paces. Now, the minimum requirements and recommended requirements for Metro: Last Light have been announced ahead of its launch on May 14th. The game will take full advantage of DirectX 11, as well as being optimised for various Nvidia features such as PhysX and Nvidia 3D Vision. That said, here's the full list of minimum requirements, recommended requirements and optimum requirements for the game.

Minimum Requirements

Windows: XP (32-Bit), Vista, 7 or 8
CPU: 2.2 GHz Dual Core e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 2GB
Direct X: 9.0c
Graphics Card: DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant e.g. NVIDIA GTS 250 (or AMD equivalent e.g. HD Radeon 4000 series) or higher

For 3D Vision Support:

NVIDIA GTX 275 or higher
120Hz Monitor
NVIDIA 3D Vision kit for Windows Vista, 7 or 8

Recommended Requirements

Windows: Vista, 7 or 8
CPU: 2.6 GHz Quad Core e.g. Intel Core i5
RAM: 4GB
Direct X: 11
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 580/660 Ti (or AMD equivalent e.g. 7870) or higher

For 3D Vision Support:

NVIDIA GTX 580/660Ti or higher
120Hz Monitor
NVIDIA 3D Vision kit for Windows Vista, 7 or 8

Optimum Requirements

Windows: Vista, 7 or 8 CPU: 3.4 GHz Multi-Core e.g. Intel Core i7 RAM: 8GB Direct X: 11 Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 690 / NVIDIA Titan For 3D Vision Support:

NVIDIA GTX 690
120Hz Monitor
NVIDIA 3D Vision kit for Windows Vista, 7 or 8

UK retail version of The Walking Dead coming next month

Bobby Gooding — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:59:03 +0000

Telltale Games have teamed up with Avanquest Software to launch a boxed retail version of The Walking Dead in the UK. The boxed version will launch on the 10th of May, and will contain all five episodes of the game series, which was previously only available as a digital download in this region. It's probably less of an issue for us PC gamers, seeing as we're already very accustomed to buying digital games. However, I know there's still some of you out there who love your boxed copies, and die-hard The Walking Dead fans will probably want this one on their shelf. The UK boxed version of The Walking Dead will launch at an RRP of £19.99 on PC, and £29.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3.