There is a new interview on Charr: the Grimm Fate online at HQGaming, talking to Fate Studios lead designer Stephan Cam about their upcoming MMORPG. Stephan explains they're still in the process of licensing an engine but that the game's fundamental design has been completed, and he talks about some specific gameplay features, such as terrain deformation, their server plans, and the proverbial more.

• Wolfenstein
  A new E3 preview of Return to Castle Wolfenstein on PC Zone UK recalls what they saw of Gray Matter's upcoming first-person shooter at the show.
• Freedom Force
  Freedom Force E3 2001 Report on RPG Vault recaps their impressions of the superheroic tactical RPG being crafted at Irrational Australia.
• Games Domain
  Games Domain has posted their Civilization III preview based on the E3 demo, and the special E3 2001 Edition of the GD Rant is also online.
• Stratos Group
  Similiarly, Stratos Group also looks ahead to Civilization III by looking back at the show, and summarizes the conference on "How to Break into Gaming".
• QuarterToSpin
  GameSpy's GameSpin column offers impressions from the show floor this week, while the author's "other" site Quarter to Three has produced a steady stream of 60 second game previews over the past week.
• Shaky/FuzzyCam
  As is their way, Czech site BonusWeb has posted another ShakyCam video, this time capturing the Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal presentation on virtual celluloid, while GamesFirst offers Sarah's E3 Diary which is heavily illustrated with photos.
• Recaps
  Stardock project manager Brad Wardell posted his in-depth E3 2001 Report looking back at the entire show from an insider's viewpoint. Also, A Look At Tactical Shooters / Racing at SimHQ is online with looks at Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Operation Flashpoint, Soldier of Fortune II, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon and more (thanks AlliedAssault.com). And Yet Another Best and Worst of E3 Article on Gamer's Press is, uhm, just that.
• Miscellaneous
  Fanboy Meets Developers: A True Story on Dimensions of Arcanum remembers three days of Arcanumania.

• Throne of Bhaal
  Baldur's Gate Haven has posted no less than 20 new screenshots of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal which they captured from a preview build of BioWare's upcoming isometric RPG expansion.
• Etherlords
  Another trio of new Etherlords screenshots has been added to Freelancer's gallery for this 3D turn-based strategy game in development at Nival.
• Jumpgate
  GameSpyDaily has posted seven new screenshots of Jumpgate, offering more galactic scenes in the massively multiplayer space sim in the works at NetDevil.
• Anarchy Online
  There are some new Anarchy Online screenshots illustrating a story in the ongoing beta of Funcom's MMORPG, but you can't access the remainder unless you subscribe to their site.
• IL-2 Sturmovik
  More screenshots of IL-2 Sturmovik are online at Dogfighter, sporting new aerial scenes in the WWII flight sim by 1C Maddox Games.

Gamasutra has conducted an interview with Minh Le, who is better known simply as Gooseman to the legions of Counter-Strike fans out there (thanks Shacknews). Minh talks about the development of the mod-turned-retail game, and he also comments on cheating, whether or not he'll ever work on a game in another genre (don't bet on it), his experience firing some of the guns that are represented in CS and more.

More Dune today, as Dune Generations Q&A on GameSpot is actually a fairly lenghty conversation on the massively multiplayer game by Cryonetworks that is again based on the works of Frank Herbert. Communications manager Tiphaine Locqueneux is at hand to talk about the development team, the game's structure and features, such as the three dynasties and the prestige points, and some of the technical aspects.

GameSpot has posted a movie of Earth and Beyond, the massively multiplayer space RPG currently docking at Westwood Studios. The movie offers the first in-game footage, a somewhat intermittent collage of gameplay sequences lasting a bit over two minutes, and it's available as a 24 MB download in MPEG format or the usual streaming choices. And if you're interested, they also have movies of SimsVille and Sid Meier's SimGolf. Update: The Earth and Beyond movie has been removed as it was not yet ready for prime time.

The official Frank Herbert's DUNE site offers a new movie trailer of this third-person action adventure by WideScreen Games and Cryo. The site is Flash-only so direct links to a suitable page aren't possible, but you can find the movie in two different, high-res MPEG formats in the Goodies section, and it features a bit under a minute of gameplay footage, mysteriously obscured by cinematic images in the largest of the two movies. Thanks FED2k for the tip.

The folk at the newly-unveiled Eve-Online.org were able to pay a visit to Crowd Control Productions in Reykjavik, Iceland, and they have posted an interview with Reynir Hardarson, the art director on the upcoming massively multiplayer title EVE. The interview is divided into smaller sections that deal with the different aspects of the game, and for those that aren't familiar with EVE yet, the site also has a preview online that contains a good look at its overall gameplay.

Fan page The Bridge has conducted a Q&A with Parker A. Davis, the senior producer of Star Trek: Bridge Commander. Parker explains how Bridge Commander differs from the other Star Trek games that are out there (or on the way), the frequency and quality of the game's cut-scenes, what the team would like to include if given the chance and more.

Version 1.6 of the Strike Force mod for Unreal Tournament has been released. This latest release contains a large number of new features, including new weapons and equipment, three new game modes, 48 (!) new maps, a customizable HUD and lots more. All of these features come at a price of course, as the mod is a whopping 254 MB. Separate downloads are available for PC, Linux and Mac users.

AVault is reporting that Sierra Studios and Valve Software have canceled the Dreamcast version of Half-Life. No official word has come down from Sierra on this matter, and their solitary source is EBGames' technical support, so take this with a grain of salt. Still, its mysterious yoinking from EB's listings (just weeks before its planned release) does seem to hint at a cancellation, as the game has been plagued by delays and Blue Shift, the exclusive single player mission that was created for the port, will be released in the near future for the PC.

Leading the Win32 releases for a change, Loki Games offers the new version 22859 patches for TRIBES 2 for download from their ftp server. There is a client patch clocking in at 7.1 MB and a server-only patch at 3.4 MB, and this release brings a series of gameplay improvements, plugs a few memory leaks, adds some optimizations and fixes a few more bugs, all detailed in the accompanying changes list. Update: The patches have been removed as they were not intended for public release, and there is now a reverse patch (3.5 MB) in case you already upgraded.

• Red Faction
  Another update on the official Red Faction site sports a new screenshot of the twice-a-week, and introduces a new weapon in Volition's destroy-everything first-person shooter, the Remote Charge.
• Independence War 2
  PC Arena has posted a gallery of 15 new Independence War 2: the Edge of Chaos screenshots as well as a new pair of gameplay movies, offering both static and moving views into this space combat sim that is nearing completion at Particle Systems.
• Alone in the Dark
  Spanish site GamesReview has posted their Alone in the Dark: the New Nightmare preview (so stick that Babel Fish in your ear) that is accompanied by a new set of screenshots in that universal language, and a few more new images (along with some from the preview) can be found here.

Voodoo Extreme has conducted an interview with Funcom's Ragnar Tornquist, talking with him about their upcoming massively multiplayer title Midgard. The game is still in its earliest stage of development, but nonetheless Ragnar talks about their plans for the overall gameplay, how it differs from Anarchy Online (Funcom's other MMORPG), its use of Norse mythology and more.

It's like Deja Vu all over again as Yogi Berra would say, because if Mimesis Online Developer Diary, Part 2 on RPGVault has a familiar flavor to it, it's probably because the new diary is written by Derek Handley, and covers a lot of the same ground as in his Mimesis Online Development Diary 2 on RPGDot mentioned yesterday (story), including the reason the game's name and focus has changed from the days when the project was known as Exodus Online, while going on to fill in some more details about the plotline they are choosing to follow in the re-worked version of the game.

• Itanium Mining
  Intel Itanium Released on IntelZone is a press release announcing the imminent availability of Itanium-based systems. Just as the Motels taught us what happens when you take the "l" out of "lover," we now learns what happens when you take the "t" out of "titanium."
• New Distributed Client
  A new Distributed.net Client is now available for download. Thanks File Flash.
• Fan RPM Monitoring
  There's a Fan RPM and Power Splitter article on Overclockers Australia showing how to get RPM monitoring on cooling fans with 3 pin-to-molex connectors.
• CPU Temperature
  Probe yer CPU on ProCooling offers tips on how to accurately assess the temperature of your CPU.

Interplay in Discussions Regarding Acquisition of Company is a press release that offers little more detail than can be found in that title, something they are obviously not trying to keep quiet for whatever reason. If they were trying to keep the buyer a secret, then they better hope the information on PC Zone is incorrect, where they speculate that Pacific Century Cyber Works, a Chinese Consortium, may be the interested party, though they admit that "there is every reason to suspect that Microsoft may be looking to acquire a big-name developer." Meanwhile, Computer and Video Games is basically confirming this latter report, their headline is "Interplay sold to Chinese mega-company," and they say "the buyout will be confirmed within 10 days."

Starfighter Special Edition E3 Interview on Gamespot Australia is online as well as GameSlice's E3 2001 Console Showdown. Also, Robotech is Back on Cube.IGN.Com has word of the upcoming next generation Robotech game. Meanwhile, GameCube Production Estimates on Core Magazine look at production estimates for key 'cube components, while CNet interviews Peter Main (thanks Planet GameCube), talking with "Nintendo's point man in the console wars" (I would have said "Main Man," myself). Finally, The Xbox Launch Countdown on XBox.IGN.Com is underway, in case you wanted to watch the seconds tick off one at a time for the next five months waiting for MS' console system.

A new version 1.6 of the class-based Art of War teamplay modification for Quake III Arena is now available. The new version adds a bunch of new graphical features, as well as a few gameplay changes intended to tweak a couple of the mod's classes to make them more fun to play.

A new version 1.5 of the SCTA modification is now available, updating the Super Configurable Team Arena. The What's New section offers a list of changes, which include a new optional off-hand grappling hook, the ability to change starting health & armor, the ability to rebalance/scramble teams after each map, and more.

The Global Warfare beta 1 user guide is online with vital information if you are to succeed at play in the Global Operations modification for Half-Life. Also, this page on the Mucky Foot Productions website has tips for folks having trouble with the Startopia demo (thanks Szyslak) including a file that will add updated video card support.

There's a RUNE Coop Interview on MadOnion.com talking with the folks at work on the Rune modification that will add operative teamplay to the hack-and-slash gameplay of RUNE in a very detailed Q&A (thanks Voodoo Extreme).

There's a Half-Life: Blue Shift Editing Q&A on Valve Editing Resource Center talking with David Mertz of Gearbox Software about what will be involved in creating levels for Blue Shift, their upcoming Half-Life follow-up.

• Conflict Zone on Gamerush.
• Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul on Computer Games Online.
• Fly! II on GameSpot.
• Hitman: Codename 47 on The Interrogator.
• Myst III: Exile on Games Domain.
• Pearl Harbor: Defend the Fleet on GamePower.
• The Moon Project on EuroGamer.
• Tropico on Gamers Pulse.
• Z: Steel Soldiers on GameSpot UK.

• Asus CUV266 versus ECS P6IPA motherboards on Dan's Data.
• AVGS System Cooler on RipNet-UK.com.
• Budget Video Card round-up (Visuarvivor) on EuroGamer.
• Gainward CARDEXpert Golden Sample VIVO TwinView video card on Digit-Life.
• Hercules Prophet III GeForce3 video card on Got Apex?.
• JustCooler FA-100 Fan Check on TacoNuts.
• Leadtek Winfast Enhanced GeForce 2 GTS on Nikeotronik.
• Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro 2 Joystick on Broken Pixel.
• OCZ Monster 3 Socket A cooler on GideonTech.com.
• Philips Acoustic Edge 5.1 Sound Card on Envy News.
• Road Warrior Q-Drive External Hard Drive on XS Underground.
• Seagate Barracuda 180 GB hard drive on x-bit labs.
• Visiontek GeForce 3 video card on XGR.

• The Spain Quake 3 Arena principal has a collection of over 150 Quake III Arena wallpapers they've collected from all over...
• FilePlanet has a Counter-Strike parody tune for download called CS Thumping based on that Tubthumping dealie that may have been played on the radio once or twice way back when...

Happy birthday to our own Jason "loonyboi" Bergman, who, no matter how many years pass, seems to stay remarkably younger than me (I'll have to have the research department look into this). Chris Morris points out today would also have been the 93rd birthday of Mel Blanc, and is also the 43rd birthday of Ted McGinley (yes, the Patron Saint of Jump The Shark).

We had a little more pop culture game yesterday, the semi-news-related quote was from the Little Rascals (looks like ICGhost was the only one to catch that).

Finally, in an homage to one of my favorite pop culture bits, in a scenario reminiscent of Caddyshack, I find that the odd holes I've been finding on occasion in my backyard were just warning shots for the full assault... yesterday there were so many holes in my lawn I counted them just to shock myself--there were no less 45 of them(!), ranging from about a half-inch to two inches in diameter. I'm not sure what creature is responsible for the digging, but they aren't dens -- it looks like they're digging for something to eat. I know there are grub poisons to spread on lawns where there is a problem with predators digging them up, and I'm guessing that we do have grubs--but we also have a puppy who spends a lot of time in that yard, so using poison has no appeal here. Anyway, the holes are probably too large to be made by gophers, but, as I said, I'm taking this in the pop culture direction, and until they are identified, I'm calling them gophers, as this is all starting to make me feel like Carl in Caddyshack... "Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers they'll lock me up and throw away the key!" Sandy: "Not golfers, you great fool! Gophers... rodents!" Carl: "We can do that... we don't even need a reason."

Link of the Day: Fork-you.com. Thanks Ian.
Story of the Day: You, too, can riot -- in new video game based on WTO here (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Thanks Chris Johnson.
Weird Science: Geneticist: We Descended From 33 Daughters of Eve (Reuters). Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].
Auction of the Day: Marvel Comics' Board Room Doors!