There's a story called Black & White: Creature Isle - Details on PC Games Online, which, in spite of all that English is a German language site. The article has details in their native Deutsch on Black & White: Creature Isle, an upcoming add-on for Black & White. Unfortunately, they are too clever for those of us who don't sprechen Sie Deutsch, as they run a JavaScript that prevents running the page through AltaVista's BabelFish, though pasting the text from the page into the translation box on that page will work. Doing so will reveal that Lionhead seems to be shooting for an October release, and the quote from Peter Molyneux makes reference to the add-on offering enhancements to the creature's AI. In addition to the preview they have also posted some screenshots and some mehr screenshots.

• Dungeon Siege
  There's a new Dungeon Siege screenshot on PlanetDungeonSiege showing off "the winter environments, new monsters, (glowing) spell effects, flying creatures, and party formations."
• Dark Age of Camelot
  The featured screenshot on DarkAgeofCamelot.Com is new, as is this screenshot on Camelot Vault, and this one on CamelotHQ, all showing off Mythic Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG.
• Paradise Cracked
  There are three new Paradise Cracked screenshots on FREELANCER showing off a build of Buka Entertainment's upcoming action/RPG that they will be showing at ECTS.

RPGDot has posted a movie trailer of Gorasul: The Legacy of the Dragon, an isometric role-playing game being crafted at German developers Silverstyle. The movie comes as an 18.2 MB download in AVI format and sports a bit under three minutes of gameplay footage, accompanied by suitably medieval-like music.

The Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor preview on PC.IGN.Com has been updated once again offering their reflections after playing a "near-final" build of the upcoming D&D RPG. Topics include the time warp option that allows you your choice ranging from true turn-based gameplay all the way through full real-time, the simplified interface, the game's interactivity, party dynamics, the role of the DM, and more. Included are a few new screenshots.

There's a Cultures preview on PC.IGN.com taking a look at this upcoming game they describe by saying "Cartoony little Vikings make it into a quirky strategic town building and economic sim." The preview discusses a bit of the micromanaging of the cartoony little folk's lives that comprises the gameplay (in some corners qualifying this as a "god-game," perhaps), along with a feel for some of that quirkiness (like your ability to prompt breeding amongst your people, and even pick the gender of their offspring), as well as other gameplay elements like resource management, interaction with other cultures, and more, summing up by paradoxically calling the game "interesting" and commenting on the patience its slow pace requires in the same breath.

GameSpy.com previews Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles with another preview of the upcoming cross platform game from French developer In Utero. The article, like the recent spate of others like it, is based on first-hand impressions after a visit to the publisher to check out the game, which is already available in Europe.

There's a Deus Ex 2 preview on PC.IGN.com that, admitting that "the game is being shielded from the scrutinizing eyes of the press at the moment," offers what is also admittedly "pure speculation at this point," about the upcoming first-person action/RPG follow-up in the works at ION Storm Austin. Since, as they point out, "smart money says late in 2002" is a good guess at the release date, chances are if their speculation is way off-base, you'll have forgotten by then.

• Rambus Slash
  Rambus slashes royalty rate for SDRAM customer (ebn). Thanks Boycottrambus.com.
• S3Tweak
  A new version 1.16i of the S3Tweak utility is now available from Savage News.
• Any Palomino is a Pal o' Mine-o
  There's an AMD Palomino Performance Preview on FiringSquad.
• 8KHA Configuration
  There's a Config Guide for the EPoX 8KHA motherboard on TecCentral that is also available in its original German as well as translated into French.

The King of Donkey Kong (now there's a monarch for you) is an interview with Nintendo's superstar designer Shigeru Miyamoto. The Dark Arena preview on Pocket.IGN.Com looks ahead at a GBA FPS that will offer pre-rendered FMV sequences(!). There are some new Buffy the Vampire Slayer screenshots as part of this Computer and Video Games re-launch Buffy exclusive. South Korea Rejects Video Games on Core Magazine, saying "The South Korean government has canceled plans to open their marketplace to videogame consoles such as the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 following Japan's refusal to revise controversial history textbooks." Finally, Square comments on Nintendo on GameSpot reiterates SquareSoft's plan to release Final Fantasy XI on multiple consoles.

3DActionPlanet interviews Tony Ray talking with a programmer on the PunkBuster Online Countermeasures that look to eliminate as many forms of online cheating as possible. Also, the plan is to release version 1.3a of the Front Line Force Half-Life modification tonight, and they have posted details of an IRC release party.

PC.IGN.Com's Throne of Bhaal Guide is online, offering tips on the Baldur's Gate II add-on for the cost of a free registration. Also, the weekly update to the Star Wars Galaxies FAQ, putting an answer to the question "What sorts of resources do we mine, and do they run out?" There's a Throne of Bhaal: Watchers Keep Walkthrough on Baldur's Gate Haven.

The Invasion: 1955 website has the release of the source code from this uncompleted Half-Life modification that at one point was highlighted in a PC Gamer article about the hottest upcoming mods. Thanks xen0blue.

• Alone in the Dark: the New Nightmare on GameSpy.com.
• Anachronox on GamePower.
• Anarchy Online on GameSpot.
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal on Intelligamer.
• Diablo II: Lord of Destruction on Game Revolution.
• Emperor: Battle for Dune on Adrenaline Vault, FiringSquad, and Sharky Extreme.
• Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns on GameStats.
• Legends of Might and Magic on Outer-Edge.
• Shogun Total War: the Mongol Invasion on PC Gameplay UK.
• Star Trek: Away Team on Gamitopia.
• Sudden Strike on UK Gamer.
• Summoner on Neoseeker.

• ABIT Siluro T400 video card on Digit-Life.
• Ace 112C Media Port on The Tech Zone.
• Artic Silver II Thermal Compound on Blue Screen of Death.
• ATI RADEON VE video card on RIVA Station.
• Compex DS1216 10/100 16 Port Desktop Switch on GideonTech.com.
• CPUfx Water-Cooling Kit on 3DSpotlight.
• Cyber Cooler P-10000 cooler on Overclockedcafe.
• EverGlide Mouse Skatez on Adrian's Rojak Pot.
• EPoX 8K7A motherboard on NeoSeeker.
• FrontX Computer Port Xtension on AtlantaOC.
• Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 video card on HotHardware and accelenation.com.
• IBM 60GXP 60GB hard drive on TechnoYard.
• Intel 1.8Ghz Pentium 4 CPU on Active Hardware.
• NVIDIA GeForce 3 video card on SavageGamers.

• The TORN Designer Diary, Chapter 8 on RPG Vault offers another look at progress on this upcoming RPG from Black Isle Studios, with lead designer Dave Maldonado talking a bit more about the game's music, and, taking a page from Lenscrafters, managing to write the diary in about an hour...
• Instant Replay: Building a Game Engine with Reproducible Behavior on Gamasutra written by Patrick Dickinson of Awesome Developments, discusses the implications of trying to develop a replay system for your game engine...
• Answers from our very own Frans have been added to the Junkyard Gaming Site Interviews that now offers such responses from staff members of a dozen websites...
• Servers @ Games Fusion offers a web-based interface that can report on any Half-Life, Unreal Tournament or Quake III Arena server...
• There's now an Anarchy Online Free Period Time Extension Request Petition looking to get comped until the kinks are worked out. Also, there's a Stop Glamorizing School Violence Petition that looks to kill the planned Columbine Modification for Half-Life. Thanks GamersUnitedNetwork...

Things seem to be back to what passes for normal once again for me... I planned on getting this morning's update online shortly after midnight in the manner of loonyboi (who would normally be doing this update, for those feverishly scoring at home), but until a short time ago, a vast majority of the web was inaccessible to me, site after site serving up 404-not found messages (had any of those pages had a shock the monkey banner on them I'd have just decided it was a new trend in web design). I think we've all experienced this before, one 404 and you assume the site is down, but the second 404 inspires suspicions that are confirmed by the third and subsequent errors that there's a problem, but enough pages still show up that you know it isn't on your end. I'm guessing it may have been a fiber cut (just because it usually is in these cases), but I can't find any news of one, so maybe it was something local.

Link of the Day: What was Number 1 on the day you were born. Thanks TN. Of course I'm a golden oldie (Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean).
Follow-up: Goblertoys. This was an LoD a couple of years ago, but has been redesigned (Flash now required). Thanks Cloud.
Story of the Day: Cat Mauls Man Showering Parrot (ABC). Wow! Thanks Darenth and Dan Leadbetter.
Bonus Story: Hey! (Quack) Over here! (Quack) (CBC News). Besides the more positive animal tale, I like this story because it uses the phrase "mother duck," and it's not even being euphemistic. Thanks Gordon Freeman.
Media of the Day: This Associated Press Photo showing the lengths some go to try and pass border checks. Thanks Ras.