The last portion of GameSpot's look at the new races in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors is online, featuring details of the Korean race from the upcoming add-on pack for Age of Empires II. The preview contains a brief history of the Korean empire, along with a look at all the new units, complete with screenshots.

Monolith's Jason Hall updated his .plan pointing to a FAQ of sorts he's added to the official Sanity: Aiken's Artifact web site, which seeks to explain the "talent packs" for the game, some of which will be sold online (while others will be free). Here's an excerpt that deals with the inevitable question if those who buy the "talent packs" have an inherent advantage over other players:

No we are not selling anyone or giving anyone a tactical advantage, because there will always be a FREE talent available to people that is able to COUNTER any bought talent.

You see the trick of mastering Sanity in multiplay is in picking your "play deck" out of all of your available cards right before you go into a multiplayer game. If the server you are logging in to is only allowing 10 talents to be used, you need to pick wisely. It doesn't matter that someone has some bought talents in their full deck...You will always have the counter for it...the REAL question is, ARE THEY USING IT RIGHT NOW IN THE 10 TALENT LIMITED DECK GAME? If so, you better equip yourself with the counter talent! That's ok, you have the COUNTER talent, but the trouble is, there is no way to know if you should use it until AFTER you are in the game playing. So if you picked a bad "play deck" for this round, too bad! If you picked the proper COUNTERS for your opponent’s talents and some good offensive talents to boot, yea!

This is the whole point and strategy of a limited deck game! It is about "play deck" selection, and developing well rounded deck groupings that try to anticipate and cover as many bases as possible based on your play style!

Daily Radar has conducted an interview with American McGee, talking with him about (what else?) American McGee's Alice. American says that he is confident the game will meet its October release date, and talks about the game's relation to Lewis Carroll's Alice books, their decision to use a third person perspective, and there's even a question about the multiplayer component which was recently scrapped (story) to which he has this to say:

With games like Q3 Arena and Unreal Tournament cornering the market on really tight, slick multiplayer, it doesn't make much sense for us to take development time away from the single-player game in order to create something we know can't possibly compete with a multiplayer only game. I think that Half-Life showed you could create an amazing well-done single-player game, release multiplayer later on and not suffer the consequences. This is not to say we're planning on doing a multiplayer component to Alice.

PC.IGN interviews Ken Levine, talking with the creative director at Irrational Games about Freedom Force, their upcoming RPG. Ken explains why they chose the NetImmerse engine over other popular ones, goes into some detail about the customization options (you'll be able to make your own heroes) and even reveals that at one point he actually worked for Marvel Comics (joining the ranks of other former Marvel employees in the gaming industry, such as Raven's Brian Pelletier).

A new (if brief) preview of Giants: Citizen Kabuto is online at Daily Radar, featuring a look at the game's multiplayer. This, like the other batch of previews from the last few days, is based on a playable build of the full game, and contains new screenshots as well as a description of each of the races and the overall multiplayer experience. If you want still more Giants, PC.IGN has seven new screenshots from the game, taken from their beta copy, and nine more are up at GameSpot.

The first of PC.IGN's three days of Crimson Skies is online. Tonight's installment consists of a rundown of six of the various aircraft at your disposal in the game, and more are promised in tomorrow night's edition.

• Startopia
  Mucky Foot keeps sending out images and this time Gamecenter are the lucky recipients of seven new screenshots of Startopia to show off this upcoming 3D strategy game.
• Covert Ops
  More news on SpecForce today, as they have also posted two new screenshots of Rainbow Six: Covert Ops along with the box cover and more details of this game and reference guide hybrid.
• Metal Fatigue
  Just before the game will hit stores in the US, Sharky Extreme has posted a preview of Metal Fatigue along with more screenshots from Zono's 3D RTS.
• The Conquerors
  French site Gamer Instinct has posted a preview of Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors, the upcoming expansion pack to Ensemble's acclaimed RTS. The text is in French (so take a Babel Fish along) but the screenshots are made of those universal pixels.

Version 1.0 of the Weapons Factory Arena mod for Quake III Arena has been released. This new version (which is included on this month's PC Gamer CD) is not a beta, and contains a ton of bug fixes, improvements to the Nurse class HUD and id's "callvote" system in addition to other changes. The initial download includes ten "official maps" and two "freelance map packs" are also available on the mod's downloads page.

The first screenshots from Hidden & Dangerous 2 have surfaced at Czech gaming site BonusWeb. These are the first shots available anywhere, and show off some of the detailed environments capable with their new engine. Thanks SpecForce, who have posted a translated portion of the text on their news page (as Babel Fish doesn't do Czech). Update: a complete English translation is now also available on BonusWeb.

Those playable builds of Giants: Citizen Kabuto are making the rounds, and Gamers.com has posted six new screenshots from the game, and nine more are available at GamePro.com. Gamers.com's screenshots are in 640x480, while GamePro.com's are even lower resolution at 400x300.

GamePower has posted a new preview of Hitman: Codename 47, the upcoming third person action game of questionable morals from developers IO Interactive. The preview contains several new screenshots (except for the familiar-looking last one) and a Q&A with "various members of the team", discussing the engine and the game's influences.

Matrox has released several new beta drivers this evening for their G400 and G400 MAX cards. Version 5.11.017 for Windows 2000, version 6.01.015 for Windows 9x and version 4.51.022 for Windows NT4. Thanks FileFlash for the tip.

Loki Software has updated their Linux demo of Descent 3 with a fix for the network code. The update is available as a patch for those that already downloaded the demo, or as a full package for new users. Thanks LinuxGames, who have a mirror of the patch available at 3D Downloads.com.

• Operation Bravo
  SpecForce has posted three new screenshots of Spec Ops 2: Operation Bravo, the tactical shooter expansion pack that will be released in the Spec Ops: Platinum compilation, as well as a free download.
• Panzer General III
  The first screenshots and details of Panzer General III: Scorched Earth are online at Adrenaline Vault, announcing this 3D wargame by SSI.
• Thandor
  GameSpot UK has posted a brief preview of Thandor looking ahead to the 3D RTS by German developers Planet 4, illustrated with a bunch of new screenshots.
• Kingdom Under Fire
  The official Kingdom Under Fire site has been updated with a new screenshot on the frontpage, as well as a feature on three of the heroes in Phantagram's upcoming role-playing RTS.
• Startopia
  Eight new screenshots of Startopia (and a familiar one, for those counting along) are up at GameSpy.com, showing more scenes from Mucky Foot's upcoming 3D strategy game.
• Arcanum
  Newly opened fansite Terra Arcanum offers three new images of the isometric role-playing game Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura by Troika Games.

A new Q&A with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford is up at Half-Life World, discussing the upcoming Dreamcast version of Half-Life that they are working on in conjunction with Captivation Digital Labs. The inevitable question about whether or not the port will contain multiplayer is in here, and Randy says that, "everyone involved in this project is taking a lot of time and care to determine what the best presentation of the Half-Life multiplayer game will be on the console."

Version 0.4b of the Grinbots for Heretic II have been released. This latest version adds blade-only AI for melee deathmatch, teamplay support, and a number of other tweaks and fixes.

Titanium Angels fansite Titanium Technology has conducted a Q&A with Mobius Entertainment's Justin Johnson, talking with him about this upcoming third person action game. Justin explains some of the features of their internally-developed Revelation engine, and touches on some other game-related issues, including the enemy AI and word that the game will appear on the Playstation 2 before the PC version is released.

After having started their series of MDK2 walkthroughs at level 4, Interplay comes full circle by posting the final installment, covering level 3 "What Is the BFB?!" in BioWare's third-person shooter.

GameSpot UK has posted seven screenshots from Hellboy: Dogs of the Night, an upcoming adventure game from Dark Horse and Cryo Interactive, based on the Mike Mignola comic of the same name. Two of the shots have been posted here before, and a higher resolution version of the "cemetery" screenshot is available at Hellboy.com along with a few other previously unseen screenshots (scroll down to the game section, and go to their open image directory). Update: GA-Source's John Bergerud sends word that only one of GSUK's shots are new, and all of them are from an old build of the game.

Vicarious Visions has released another set of Terminus patches, bringing their space combat sim up to version 1.6. This release brings a slew of fixes and improvements to all platform editions of that game, as well as a few Linux and Mac specific changes, and includes significant multiplayer changes so that both servers and clients are required to update.

German gaming site GamesZone received a fully playable build of Heavy Metal: FAKK2 from Take 2 Europe, and they have posted a preview with their impressions of the game, complete with plenty of new screenshots. The text is entirely in German, of course, but that's what Babel Fish is for, isn't it?

The oddly named MoHo was revealed this morning by publisher Take 2. It is an "all-action arcade style" game with a unique visual style in development at Lost Toys, a company founded by former Bullfrog employees. Five screenshots from the game, along with the official announcement are available at ActionTrip. Update: more information and screenshots can be found on the official website (Flash required). Thanks GA-Source.

A new Q&A with Monolith's Jason Hall is up at Stomped, talking to him about the just-released Sanity demo, their plans for "talent packs" and the status of the full game. According to Hall, the game "should go gold by the end of this week" but the final decision is up to Fox Interactive as to when the game hits store shelves.

Another one of GameSpy.com's "crunch mode" articles is online, this time covering the state of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn as the team ramps up to finish the game. The article contains quotes from a number of developers at BioWare, describing how hectic their days have become, and the challenges they face after the success of other recent RPGs.

French site Actu Jeux has posted six new screenshots of Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2, offering some very high resolution (1600x1200) views of the third-person action game that is nearing completion at Ritual. Thanks ShugaShack. In related news, the Levelord updated his .plan to mention that they have enough playtesters now (story), so you can stop spamming him.

An update to the official Strifeshadow site adds a bunch of new info and media for this multiplayer RTS by Ethermoon. A new race, The Accursed, is revealed by way of a description, an MP3 that sets the story, new units and a Windows wallpaper.

New additions to the Star Trek: New Worlds webisodes page further the back-story in the upcoming 3D real-time strategy game by 14 Degrees East and Interplay. The story now runs through Klingon Episode 2 (the link to the third episode seems misdirected back to the first), and you'll need Flash to view them.

The latest installment in the Q&A series on Master of Orion III @ The Atrium is a chat with Quicksilver designer Floyd Grubb about his work on this upcoming space strategy game, his previous experiences in the field, and a few other topics.

PS2.IGN has learned by way of Epic's Mark Rein that the upcoming Playstation 2 port of Unreal Tournament will no longer support four player split screen multiplayer or support for USB modems. It will, however, support two player split screen and while it's not mentioned, most likely multiplayer over the system's firewire jack. They also have plans to support Sony's ethernet adapter, and they will release a patch for this when the add-on is released (although Sony has yet to commit to a date, so this could be a ways off).

Strategy guide publisher Sybex has posted an article that provides a behind the scenes look at Icewind Dale. While brief, the piece covers the game's complete development cycle, from the original design document to the final product. Also, a Q&A with Black Isle studios artist Jason Manley is up at Ice Winds of Dale, talking with him about his work on the portraits in the game, along with his background in the industry. Thanks to RPG Vault for both of those.

The Corporation's Tropico Interview talks semi-formally with the CEO (and lead designer/lead programmer) of Pop Top Software (referring to Phil Steinmeyer only as "Mr. Steinmeyer") about progress on Tropico, Pop Top's upcoming strategy game set in Central and South America that will feature all manner of political intrigue.

Eurogamer.net's Carmageddon 2000 preview looks ahead at the upcoming car carnage game, illustrating the piece with several screenshots. Also, for cars with less carnage (as long as you avoid crashing), Infolder.com's Exclusief Grand Prix 3 screenshots speak the universal language on this natively Belgian site, showing off six shots (and a photo of the box) of this racing simulation.

ION Storm's Noel Stephens updated his .plan with word on testing on the foreign version 1.2 patch for Daikatana that's currently in the works, saying the English 1.1-1.2 patch should be available around the same time, or "perhaps a little earlier due to the fact that the differences between 1.1 to 1.2 are so minor it shouldn't take as long to test."

This page on The Infoceptor has posted some information they've discovered while scouring through the data files included with Diablo II which they say is evidence of plans to release an expansion pack for Diablo II. The data describes new weapons, monsters, an acid damage type, as well as two new player classes, a Druid and an Assassin. While they say this is proof that an expansion is planned (going so far as to speculate such an announcement will take place at ECTS), it is also possible that these are bits of data left over from things that were removed from the game design in earlier stages of development (like Quake's vestigial dragon), though the info is fairly detailed, including skill trees for the new classes, and the name of the content, "expansioninput.txt," certainly supports the expansion pack theory.

• NVIDIA & ELSA
  This press release sent along by NVIDIA details their new partnership with fellow-all-caps graphic card developer ELSA to create products for the workstation segment of the marketplace.
• Amiga & Matrox
  This Amiga press release announces that Amiga and Matrox have formed a strategic alliance. There aren't any real details, but it does seem to indicate this will solve some sort of "3D fiction" problem we've currently got, as it offers this quote: "3D is a relatively new thing for the Amiga, and with what Matrox have up their sleeves, the next wave of Amigas are going to turn 3D fiction into 3D reality." Thanks Amiga.org.
• GeForce Tweaking
  Setting up your GeForce for good performance on OcShoot is another GeForce tweaking guide.
• Integration Protest
  Tech-Junkie's Why Gamers Shouldn't Buy Integrated Mainboards covers this topic, in case the reasons were not obvious already.

A new version 0.3 of the Clockbot is now available, updating this Quake III Arena AI opponent that relies on the "chaos engine." The new release address some problems, including the 'out of ammo' bug, adds new map support, and a new server browser, among other things.

The Weapons Factory Arena Website has word that because the issue of PC Gamer with the new version of WFA may be in subscriber's mailboxes earlier than expected (as in today), they plan on releasing a patch for the mod that will apparently be required to get the mod to install properly. The plan is to release the patch tonight, a change from their original target of August 1, the original planned street date for the magazine. You can hang in irc.enterthegame.com in channel #wfa if you want to stalk the release. Also, Crossfire interviews Curtis Wyant discussing Navy SEALs for Quake III Arena. Finally, CheckOut.com Games Mod World Strike Force feature looks at this tactical mod for UT, making comparisons to Counter-Strike for Half-Life, and finding many kind words for the project, sentiments which are shared by many fans who don't have such obvious potential for bias (Strike Force is hosted by CheckOut's partner GameSpy).

This page on Cached.net offers demos from DC-Con 7, which took place this past weekend. Also, Gamepig.com's QuestArena write-up recaps the experiences of an attendee at QuestArena, held a couple of weeks ago in O'Fallon, Illinois. The article recaps the event and the tourney, which was won by RazerCPL winner Fatality, and includes some demos of some of the matches. Finally, GameWeek.com's Online-Athletes: A Different Approach To Online Gaming offers a profile of this pro gaming league.

In addition to word that a patch is due soon (details on the patch are on Interplay's site, thanks A Talent For War), an update to the official Star Trek Klingon Academy website also offers a status report on the Mission Builder for the game, which was scrapped during development, as they ultimately utilized a scripting language to create the game's missions. Last we heard, status of the mission builder was up in the air, but the post saying that (story) by since-fired Raphael Hernandez has been removed, and the update now declares the mission editor a dead project, though they do plan to release the scripting source code as an unsupported release so that editing types can hack out their own single- and multiplayer missions.

• Beach Head 2000 on GamesMania and Electric Playground.
• Colin McRae Rally on The Corporation.
• Dark Reign 2 on GameZone.
• Demise: Rise of the Ku'tan on RPGDot.
• Diablo II on EuroGamer.
• Earth 2150 on FiringSquad.
• Enemy Engaged: RAH-66 Comanche versus KA-52 Hokum on Dogfighter.
• Evolva on The Game Guy and Game Revolution.
• F1 World Grand Prix on Games Domain.
• Heroes of Might & Magic 3: The Shadow of Death on games xtreme.
• Icewind Dale on GameZone.
• KISS Psycho Circus: the Nightmare Child on GameSpy.com and The Game Guy.
• Metal Fatigue on Adrenaline Vault.
• Star Trek: Klingon Academy on Games Domain.
• Terminus on GameVortex (thanks ATFW) and Gamer's Pulse.
• Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption on The Game Guy and Machinima.
• Warlords: Battlecry on Gamecenter.

• Abit BX-133 RAID 440BX motherboard on GamePC.
• AMD Duron 650 MHz CPU on SystemLogic.net.
• AOpen AK72 motherboard on 3d Accelerated.com.
• AOpen CDRW9832 CD-R/W on Tech Extreme.
• Card Cooler XT cooler on The Tech Zone.
• Chaintech CT-6OJV motherboard on iXBT Labs.
• D-Link USK NIC/Hub on BoomGames.
• Mouse Bungee on PlanetHardware.
• NinjaMicros Gold Finger Overclocking Device on gamesmack.org.
• Plextor PlexWriter 12/10/32A CD-R/W on HardwareCentral.
• Socket A heatsink/fan roundup on HardOCP.

• Birdman's Lair has posted the files SpaceOrb 360 owners will need to get support for KISS Psycho Ciurcus: The Nightmare child going on their oddball controllers...
• DungeonSiege.Org has posted another response from Chris Taylor in a new series of reader-submitted questions about Dungeon Siege, currently in the works at Gas Powered Games. Today's answer concerns spell targeting...
• SimHQ.com interviews Guillaume Lelevé, project manager at Guillemot/Thrustmaster about their F-22 2000 HOTAS controller...
• Game-Interviews.com interviews Robert Westmoreland talking with the CEO of On Deck Interactive (the man behind Deer Hunter) about this new value publishing project, backed by Gathering of Developers...

Today is the second anniversary of Sinday, the release of the Sin demo, an event I will always recall with a smile due to how it went down on my end, which involved me and Redwood at Rogue's offices playing around with their Quake II mission pack, basically unable to leave and let the Rogue folks in peace because we were waiting for the word that the demo was released, which we didn't want to risk missing. It's not good to ignore Felix Unger's sage wisdom: "Never overstay your welcome, or you'll never be welcome to stay over." Okay, it's no "When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me," but still worth remembering.

Link of the Day: Micro$haft T-Shirt. Wear your BSoD proudly on your chest. Thanks Ant.
Story of the Day: PlayStation2 times 10 (thanks Phil "Cain" Hall). "Sony Corp’s game-making unit, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCE), said on Tuesday it has developed a commercial-use computer for the high-speed creation and transmission of digital graphics."