NEWS: Battlefield 4 DLC Naval Strike Release Date Announced

The next batch of DLC is set for a late march release date, whilst premium members can gain access two weeks prior.

Revealed through the official Battlefield website is a wealth of information regarding what players can expect in the latest DLC, titled 'Naval Strike' - featuring water-based combat set on four new maps taking place in the South China Sea. The blurb describes various ways of taking on opponents:

"Blow open a crashed passenger plane and capture fishing villages across the tropical Lost Islands. Drop a submarine on your foes as you infiltrate a naval base or rush between shipping docks and rocky islands on the massive Wave Breaker map. Wage war across stormy seas in the largest ocean stretch in any Battlefield map yet with Nansha Strike. Storm an abandoned cliff-side resort, or get lost in the breathtaking vistas in Operation Mortar."

Also included is "the fan-favourite, Titan Mode from Battlefield 2142" as well as new weaponry, assignments, a hovercraft vehicle, and various gadgets. It should be noted further that those who carry a premium membership are able to download the DLC two weeks prior before its public release.

NEWS: Call of Duty: Ghosts - All Perks Revealed

A new perk system is taking over CoD: Ghosts, offering an "incredible level of customization."

Activision are changing the way perks are used in Ghosts, enabling for a huge amount of customization - there will now be in categories with different perks in each - every perk will have a point value attatched, and the player will use their points to assign the particular perks they wish to utilize. 

The official CoD website describes the new system in further detail:

"Each of the 35 available Perks is weighted with a point value of 1 through 5. Your loadouts naturally have a pool of 8 points to spend on Perks, up to a total of 12 depending on your loadout choices.

In addition to the initial 8 points, a single Perk point is tied to the Primary Weapon slot, Secondary Weapon slot, Lethal and Tactical. Take away any of these items for an additional Perk point, allowing a maximum of 12 points to spend. If you're a Perk fanatic, you're welcome to forego all the weapons equipment, starting each spawn with only a knife in hand and 12 points worth of Perks. It's your choice."

Essentially, perks with higher point values are often much more useful, but will take up a lot of your points to spend - so you could equip the highest perk under the speed category, and take advantage of what's to offer, or you could buy low-costing perks to make yourself an all-rounder; there really is room for lots of customization here. A look at the perks taken from the site can be seen below.

Speed

Outrun and outmaneuver enemy players. Speed Perks are all about getting the lead and staying ahead. Examples include:

• Sleight of Hand: Faster reloading.
• Stalker: Move faster while aiming.

Handling

Dexterity and control drives the Handling Perks, improving actions and accuracy. Examples include:

• On the Go: Reload while sprinting.
• Steady Aim: Increased hip fire accuracy.

Stealth

Stealth Perks aid you in staying out of sight, maintaining a low profile and engaging on your terms. Examples include:

• Takedown: Kill enemies without revealing their death locations.
• Incog: Resistance to targeting systems including: Recon, Thermal Scope, Tracker Sight and Motion Sensor. No name or red crosshairs when targeted.

Awareness

Keep in tune with your surroundings. Awareness Perks help you survey the environment and detect enemy players. Examples include:

• SitRep: Detect enemy explosives and tactical equipment.
• WireTap: Utilize all active enemy and friendly SAT COMs on the field.

Resistance

A hardened endurance reduces the effects of fatigue. Resistance Perks keep you going through tough engagements. Examples include:

• Focus: Reduced weapon sway when aiming down sights and reduced flinch when hit.
• Blast Shield: Increased resistance to explosive damage.

Equipment

Tacticians swear by their gear, and Equipment Perks ensure you have the best tools on hand. Examples include:

• Extra Tactical: Additional Tactical equipment.
• Extra Attachment: Extra attachment for your weapons.

Elite

Elite Perks offer special abilities that affect your loadouts in a variety of ways. Examples include:

• Gambler: Spawn with a random Perk.
• Ping: Activate a sonar ping upon killing an enemy, revealing nearby hostiles.

NEWS: Battlefield 4 - PC Pre-Loads Available This Week

PC gamers will have the chance to pre-load Battlefield this week, "at least 24 hours before launch".

EA are offering PC users who pre-ordered the game to pre-load Battlefield 4 a day before the game is released - the official Battlefield twitter said:

"Now accepting #BF4 preloads in Europe! Pre-order #BF4 for PC on Origin and you can preload the game immediately."

Although the tweet specifies Europe, a list of other countries eligible can be found on the EA website - the territories involved include East and Central Asia, North and South America, Russia, Australia, European Union, New Zealand, India, United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Japan.