Jake's Blog

1/6 Greatest Tank Battles - Desert Storm

2012-03-30T06:20:00.001-07:00

On the morning of August 2, 1990 the mechanized infantry, armor, and tank units of the Iraqi Republican Guard invaded Kuwait and seized control of that country. The invasion triggered a United States response, Operation DESERT SHIELD, to deter any invasion of Kuwait's oil rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia. On August 7, deployment of U.S. forces began. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 660 and 662 condemned Iraq's invasion and annexation and called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces. On August 20 President Bush signed National Security Directive 45, "U.S. Policy in Response to the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait," outlining U.S. objectives - which included the "immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait," and the "restoration of Kuwait's legitimate government to replace the puppet regime installed by Iraq."
A U.N. ultimatum, Security Council Resolution 678, followed on November 29, 1990. It stipulated that if Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not remove his troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 a U.S.-led coalition was authorized to drive them out. Early in the morning of January 17, Baghdad time, the U.S.-led coalition launched air attacks against Iraqi targets. On February 24, coalition ground forces begin their attack. On February 27, Kuwait City was declared liberated, and with allied forces having driven well into Iraq, President Bush and his advisers decided to halt the war. A cease-fire took effect at 8:00 the following morning.
The history of the Gulf War has a multitude of components - including internal decisionmaking as well as diplomatic, economic, and conventional military activities. This briefing book primarily focuses on the intelligence, space operations, and Scud-hunting aspects of the war. It also includes a report describing how Desert Storm affected China's view of future warfare, a document that raises questions as to what lessons other nations have drawn from U.S. military engagements in the Middle East and the Balkans.

Military Tuesday: Tiger 1 Renders by Kyoshi Harada

2012-03-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Tiger I Renders submitted by Kyoshi Harada, enjoy!

Military Tuesday : Tiger I Renders by Kyoshi Harada

Japanese 3D military modeller Kyoshi Harada has updated his Polygon Model site recently with cutaway renders of arguably the most well-known German tank of WWII – the PzKpfw VI Tiger I in sand-brown colours. According to PanzerAce, This particular Tiger I is commanded by SS-Unterscharführer Willi Otterbein of the 1st Company of the 101st (Heavy) SS Panzer Battalion. The famous tank ace Michael Wittmann was the commander of the 2nd company of this same battalion.

While I’ve seen event more detailed diagrams of the Tiger in books, these renders are probably some of the best that you’ll find online plus they’re rendered in sufficiently high detail (especially the turret) for identifying stuff like the armoured periscopes for the gunner and commander as well as appreciating the size of the Maybach HL230 engine and the massive breech of the 88mm KwK 36 L/56 cannon of the Tiger I. The stowage areas for the cannon rounds are also shown clearly in these renders.

Download these wallpaper-sized renders at Polygon Model or read more about the Tiger I at The Armour Site.

Survival horror market too small, says Resident Evil dev

2012-03-23T15:08:00.003-07:00

Survival horror market too small, says Resident Evil dev

March 23, 2012 10:49AM PDT

By: Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor

Series should become increasingly action-oriented to succeed in the West, according to Resident Evil: Revelations producer.

In recent years, the Resident Evil franchise has strayed from its survival horror roots into the action genre, and it's not likely to change course, according to the producer of the newly released 3DS game Resident Evil: Revelations.

Resident Evil isn't likely to back off the action angle anytime soon.

In an interview with Gamasutra, Revelations producer Masachika Kawata said the series needs to follow the path taken in Resident Evil 4and Resident Evil 5, and even "take that a step further."

"Looking at the marketing data [for survival horror games] … the market is small, compared to the number of units Call of Duty and all those action games sell," Kawata said. "A 'survival horror' Resident Evil doesn't seem like it'd be able to sell those kind of numbers."

Kawata added that it's not necessary to make the series Call of Duty-like, but suggested that there may be room for the series to try the old survival horror approach or entirely new territory through a spin-off or side game. For example, the franchise branched out into the third-person squad-based shooter market with this week's debut of debut ofResident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/survival-horror-market-too-small-says-resident-evil-dev-6367738

GameStop not expecting GTAV in 2012

2012-03-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

GameStop not expecting GTAV in 2012

March 22, 2012 11:28AM PDT

By: Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Company president Tony Bartel says 2012 outlook doesn't include Rockstar Games' new open-world action game.

When will gamers get their hands on Grand Theft Auto V? Not in 2012, according to GameStop. In a question-and-answer session today that followed the company's latestearnings report, president Tony Bartel said GTAV is not factored into the retailer's 2012 forecast.

GameStop isn't betting on GTAV for 2012.

Bartel was responding to an analyst's question regarding which titles will drive the lion's share of revenue in 2012 for GameStop. Bartel listed off Ghost Recon: Future Solider, FIFA 13, NCAA Football 13, Madden NFL 13, Borderlands 2, Halo 4, Assassin's Creed III, Resident Evil 6, Max Payne 3, a new Call of Duty game, and Prototype 2 as titles the company is "banking on" for 2012.

"In terms of GTAV, we don't have followed information that we can share at this point so we have not put that into our forecast. We would adjust our estimate if we had knowledge that GTA was coming out [in 2012]."

Last week, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said GTAV is likely to ship in March 2013. He said shipping the game in that window will be advantageous for Rockstar, because it is far from the releases of new entries in the Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty franchises.

As for GTAV, Rockstar revealed the game in October 2011, but no mention has yet been made concerning a launch window or platform(s) for the title. Last month, the developer said details regarding the game are months away.

Rockstar has provided brief glimpses at GTAV thus far. The game will be set primarily in present-day Los Santos, a fictional town modeled on Los Angeles. Rockstar has also said that GTAV boasts the largest scope of any installment in the franchise to date.

By: Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He lives in Connecticut, works out of the company\'s New York City office, and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/gamestop-not-expecting-gtav-in-2012-6367553

BioShock movie loses another director

2012-03-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

BioShock movie loses another director

March 23, 2012 11:27AM PDT

By: Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo drops out of captain's chair for forthcoming motion picture based on 2K's popular shooter series.

The film adaptation of 2K Games' first-person shooter BioShock has hit another snag. As reported by Indie Wire, director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has dropped out.

It's not too shocking that the BioShock movie has hit another snag.

"To be honest, by now, I'm completely out of that, and developing other stuff," Fresnadillo told the site at a press junket for his new film Intruders. "Right now it’s on hold. The studio and the video game company, they have to reach some kind of agreement about the budget and the rating."

Fresnadillo (28 Days Later, Intact) became the BioShock film director after Pirates of the Caribbean captain Gore Verbinski moved to a producer role.

The BioShock film was first announced in 2008, with Verbinski attached to direct. Production was halted the following year due to concerns over the project's ballooning $160 million budget. Verbinski clarified the film's fate last year revealing that the BioShock movie's budget would only be approved for a PG-13 take on the material, a compromise he felt was unacceptable.

Last November, BioShock creator Ken Levine weighed in on the matter. He said a BioShock movie needs to give seasoned fans what they want, and for the uninitiated, something that effectively represents the game. Ultimately, Levine said he feels no rush to bring Rapture to the big screen.

By: Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He lives in Connecticut, works out of the company's New York City office, and loves extra chunky peanut butter.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioshock-movie-loses-another-director-6367749

Arma 3 teaser trailer

2012-03-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

Arma 3 teaser trailer! This game has some awesome graphics. Hopefully the game play lives up to how it looks.

Assassins Creed 3 Revelations | OFFICIAL E3 teaser trailer (2011) Woodki...

2012-03-13T06:07:00.001-07:00

Assassins Creed 3 Revelations E3 2011 Teaser

Halo 4 Trailer (E3 2011)

2012-03-12T21:03:00.001-07:00

Halo 4 Release Trailer at E3 2011

"HALO 4" Official Trailer - New Halo 4 gameplay footage! (2012)

2012-03-12T19:21:00.001-07:00

Here is the Halo 4 behind the scenes with the team at 343 industries, enjoy!