XIII is Golden is the press release, naturally enough arriving on the 13th, announcing that XIII is gold, and the cross-platform cel-shaded shooter featuring a conspiracy-laden theme and the voice talents of folks like David Duchovny and Adam West is set to launch this month. The PC and PS version will ship on November 18, with the GameCube and Xbox versions to ship on the 24th ("As an added bonus, the first 300,000 units of XIII Xbox will ship with a two-months free Xbox Live(tm) account."). Here's a bit more:

As a secret agent suffering from amnesia, players unravel clues behind their true identity, while uncovering sinister plots against themselves, the U.S. government, and the recently assassinated U.S. president. XIII features the deepest story line of any first-person shooter, and players will be immersed in the game's graphic-novel world as they decide who is friend and foe in the ultimate government conspiracy. The game's cel-shaded graphics showcase its unique visual style, which pays homage to its comic roots. XIII also features a variety of exciting gameplay modes, including stealth, all-out action, collaborative gameplay, and innovative multiplayer modes.

XIII is the first online first-person shooter for the PlayStation 2 system, and is also online for Xbox Live and the PC. The game features several innovative multiplayer modes in addition to classic Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag modes for the PC version. The Power Up mode is a custom Deathmatch multiplayer mode exclusive to the PlayStation 2 system, and includes unique pick-ups, including "invincibility" and "invisibility." In the Hunt mode, players chase a running target throughout the map, gaining points by hitting the target. Sabotage is a team multiplayer mode exclusive to Xbox, where two teams compete to take control of different strategic points in the map. Players are able to compete against up to 16 players over LAN and eight players via the Internet. In addition to featuring these innovative multiplayer modes, the PC version also includes an exclusive map editor.

Big Huge News (thanks Frans) has word on the availability of a new auto-update, plans for the corresponding manual patch, and a recommendation about which users should try to update using which version:

Patch 3 is available via the auto update process when you log on to our in-game matchmaking. It will update your game to version 02.03.11.0302. A stand alone version of the patch should be available for download later today, so if you have had trouble with the auto updating process before, this alternative is on its way.

We suggest Win98 and WinME users use the stand alone version of Patch 3 to install. The patch will likely not install the first time on systems using those operating systems and need to be run a second time for a successful install. This was an issue with the game code and not something wrong with the patch itself.

A pair of new Painkiller movies are now available, showing off the anesthetized gameplay in People can Fly's upcoming first-person shooter. The catacombs movie is 18 MB, available on Gamer's Hell, Happy Puppy (registration required), and Worthplaying; while the Train Station movie is 12 MB, available on Gamer's Hell, Happy Puppy, and Worthplaying.

A demo version of V-Rally 3 is now available, offering a sample of the all-wheel drive excitement of Eden's imminent rally racing game. The demo is a 63 MB download, available from this FTP server (direct link), or one of the mirrors on 3D Gamers, Boomtown (registration required), FileFront, Filerush, Fragland.net, Gamer's Hell, Loadedinc (registration required), or Worthplaying.

Thanks Frans.

• UFO: Aftermath
  The UFO: Aftermath Support Page has assorted international patches for the Czech, French, Hungarian, Polish, and the Spanish versions of the xenophobic strategy game to accompany the previously released English (story) and German (story) versions of the patch.
• SFC: Orion Pirates
  The Taldren Forums are offering downloads of new Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates patches and a server update bringing the game up to version 2.5.5.2. Thanks Starfleet Universe.
• Airport Tycoon 3
  Global Star Software now features a new patch for Airport Tycoon 3 that "fixes a number of the issues that were brought up with Tech Support and the Global Star Software Forum."
• Secret Service: Security Breach
  This Activision Value Support Page is where to find a new patch for Secret Service: Security Breach addressing issues with ATI RADEON accelerators in 4D Rulers' recently released first-person shooter.

"Shrapnel Games is extremely pleased to announce that Illwinter Game Design's turn- based fantasy epic, Dominions II: The Ascension Wars, is now available and has begun shipping worldwide. Legions of hungry fans from around the globe are eagerly awaiting this title, judging by the massive number of pre-orders that Shrapnel received. In fact, hot on the heels of Space Empires: Starfury's pre-release sales record, Dominions II has just set a new company record for pre-orders!"

• Frontier 1859
  HomeLAN Fed's Frontier 1859 Q&A talks with Cosmic Origins' Daniel McMillan about Frontier 1859, their upcoming MMORPG that will take gamers back to the dusty days of the wild west.
• Dark and Light
  Warcry News Network's Stephane Quilichini Q&A is a chat with one of the cofounder of NPCube to learn more about pans for Dark and Light, and how they plan on competing with "literally hundreds of other MMOG titles." (Literally?)
• Spartan
  Warcry News Network's Spartan Q&A tracks down J.D. McNeil of Slitherine Strategies to discuss plans for Spartan, their upcoming turn-based strategy game, offering some lengthy, detailed answers about the game's concept and gameplay.

• Battlefield: Vietnam on GameMarshal.
• Castle Strike on Gamer's Hell.

Nintendo to Debut New Game Machine Next Year (thanks HomeLAN Fed) reports: "Nintendo Co., the world's biggest maker of hand-held game players, plans to introduce a new video- game machine in Japan next year to stem losses and defend its share of an $8 billion market for hardware and software. The device will be unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition next May in Los Angeles, Senior Managing Director Yoshihiro Mori told reporters in Osaka. He didn't say whether it will be a new GameBoy hand-held or a version of the Kyoto-based company's GameCube home-use console." Also, "Microsoft Game Studios today announced that NBA Inside Drive 2004 for Xbox® has gone gold and is scheduled to slam dunk into stores in North America on November 18 for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S)." Meanwhile, this report and this one on Halo.Bungie.Org and this one on Gamesindustry.biz emphatically quash speculation on places like Gigex, clarifying that reports of an imminent Xbox Live! enabled version of Halo, or even Halo 2, are completely false (thanks Pat & Frans).

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Intel Centrino 2 to offer 533MHz FSB - report.
• SCO, IBM battle heats up.
• Chip Design Reverses a Hot Trend.
• Futuristic displays are coming into focus.
• UN urges wi-fi for all.
• Share 'True Crime,' do the time.
• Korea: Beeping Prevents Peeping.
• Keeping Watch for Interstellar Computer Viruses.
• Dan's Data letters #73.

SavageGaming announces their "Create a Savage World" contest: "a competition in which players and fans of the S2 Games RTSS, Savage, are faced with the task of creating a new world (map) for the game. The contest features many prizes, including hardware from the contest's official sponsor, nVidia. The contest grand prize is an nVidia GeForce FX 5900 Series graphics card. S2 games, Savage's creators, have also agreed to consider including the winning map as an official part of the game (to be released in future patches)."

• American Conquest: Fight Back on Gamer's Hell.
• Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour on PC Gameworld.
• Curse of Atlantis: Thorgal's Quest on Game Industry, GameSpot, and GameShark.
• Dark Fall Online on The Laser.
• Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna on ActionTrip.
• Empires: Dawn of the Modern World on GameZone.
• EverQuest: Lost Dungeons of Norrath on TechTV.
• F1 Challenge '99-'02 on GameSpot.
• Final Fantasy XI on GameSpy.
• Hidden & Dangerous 2 on Gaming Nexus and (in German) on JustGamers.de.
• The Hobbit on IGN and 1Up.
• Homeworld 2 on Rojakpot.
• The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on Telefragged.
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne on TechTV and spinXero.
• Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Breakthrough on Khabal Gaming.
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time on 1Up.
• Railroad Tycoon 3 on Gamers With Jobs and Gamezilla.
• Savage: the Battle for Newerth on The Adrenaline Vault.
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas on GameZone.
• Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria on FiringSquad.
• WWII: the Battle of Britain 1940 on Fappin.

• APC Back-UPS 725 on NextGen Electronics.
• Aspire X-SUPERALIEN Aluminum Case Video on 3dGameMan.
• ASUS K8V Deluxe Athlon 64 K8T800 Motherboard on OCWorkbench.
• Biostar K8NHA Pro Motherboard on AMDZone.
• Bytecc Aluminum Mobile HDD Enclosure on Ninjalane.
• Danger Den Maze 4 vs D-Tek Whitewater Water Blocks on GruntvillE.
• Gainward Ultra 1800-XP Video Card on GamePC.
• Logitech IO Pen on Hard Extreme.
• OCZ PC4200 Dual Channel Performance Series Memory on SubZeroTech.
• OCZ EL PC4200 DDR533 Dual Channel Memory on PCStats.
• Northgate M8060 Centrino Notebook on Hardware Pacers.
• Sapphire Radeon 9800 XT Video Card on PC Hardware.
• Swiftech H20-8501 Series Liquid Cooling Kit on ipKonfig.
• Vantec Vortex Hard Drive Cooler on GideonTech.
• Zippy EL 715 Illuminated Keyboard on Systemcooling.

• Jellyvision has released You Don't Know Jack, Volume 6, and a playable demo of the latest installment in the trivia game series is available for download...
• GameSpy's Splinter Cell Promotion offers the stealth Tom Clancy game for free to their paid subscribers...
• Laying Down the Virtual Law. Thanks Mike Martinez...
• Smile, Gamers You’re in the Picture (registration required). Thanks Mike Martinez...
• Academics Can Be Fun and Games. Thanks Mike Martinez...

Auntie Em! Auntie Em! It's a twister!!! Well, maybe not a twister, but trees are falling, power lines are down, there are delays at the local airports, all due to unusually high winds in these parts today. It's a little bothersome even here in the blue tower, a brick edifice in the grandest tradition of the prudent third little pig, as the huge fir tree in our yard is swaying so much that branches are beating on the window and air conditioner in my office.

I think I'll warn Toto, err Hudson the wonder dog to stand by in case we need to head down to the storm cellar.

Play Time:	All-Star Football on the EASPORTS Website. Basketball. Thanks markus friedl.
Link of the Day:	Church Sign Generator. Thanks Soppky42.
Stories of the Day:	Truck driver crashes semi while changing clothes. Thanks Miguel Gonzalez. Girl Scouts trap beaver, anger activists. Rings director cuts wizard scenes.
Science!:	Billy the Kid’s DNA sparks legal showdown. Clinton? Nasal Spray’s Use to Curb Hunger Is Found Safe in Small Test (registration required). Cocaine? Program might settle cloud seeding debate.
Image of the Day:	The Matrix: Spammers. Thanks Travis Fischer.
Media of the Day:	The Making of a Brick. Thanks Enahs.
Auction of the Day:	1 Drink + 1 Kiss + Partygirl No SEX but FUN. Thanks Sam.
Follow-ups:	Eaten missionary's family head for Fiji. Thanks pcurt001. Diebold with a Vengance.
	Thanks Mike Martinez.