The LucasArts Official Site has brief word that Armed & Dangerous is in stores now for both the PC and the Xbox. Here's the announcement on the matter they sent along that also outlines plans to release additional content for the game soon:

Armed and Dangerous(TM), an outrageous and blast-happy LucasArts action game is in stores now for Xbox and PC. With very strong review scores and positive accolades pouring in, Armed and Dangerous is set to steal all the laughs and keep the holiday season very jolly indeed!
To make the season even merrier, in the coming weeks LucasArts will offer a playable PC demo as well as additional downloadable levels of explosive, over-the-top Armed and Dangerous fun for Xbox through Xbox Live and for PC via the Internet. Stay tuned for more information and details regarding the Armed and Dangerous demo and downloadable bonus content coming soon.

Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter for the PC to Ship to Retail for the Holidays is the press release with the latest chapter in the saga of trying to get Warthog Studios space combat/first-person shooter hybrid onto store shelves in North America after both the N.A. and GameCube versions were axed this past summer (story). Here's a bit:

MumboJumbo, a subsidiary of United Developers, LLC, announced today that the sci-fi action shooter Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter(tm) will be shipping to retail stores nationwide for personal computer systems. The product, to be published and distributed by MumboJumbo, is currently in production and expected to hit retail shelves in early December. MumboJumbo signed an agreement with Vivendi Universal Games earlier this month for the PC publishing and distribution rights.

Against a futuristic backdrop of corporate, religious and political intrigue, players will take up the quest of Mace Griffin, once a valued member of an elite police force, The Rangers. Griffin becomes the unsuspecting pawn in a sabotaged incident that kills his comrades and disbands the Rangers, and earns him a 10-year stint behind bars. Emerging from prison hardened and bitter, he becomes a bounty hunter, a vocation that gives him access to classified information and a means to aggressively search for the people who set him up to fall. The character of Mace Griffin is being brought to life by hard rock front man, actor and spoken word artist, Henry Rollins.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Patch notes for upcoming 1.01 patch on the BioWare Forums is a post with details on the upcoming patch for the star Wars RPG (thanks Worthplaying). Saying if all goes well the patch will be released within a week, along with this clarification: "Please keep in mind that development on this patch was locked on November 25th and it was sent for testing. This means any issue that was fixed after November 25th will not be in this patch."

A new Painkiller trailer is online, showing off the anesthetic qualities of gunfire. The trailer can be found on 3D Gamers, Filerush, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying. Also, a new movie from Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc is now online. Milla Jovovich is nowhere to be found, but the clip does show off a minute of gameplay from Enight's upcoming action/strategy game, the 8 MB download is available on Gamer's Hell and Worthplaying. Update: DreamCatcher sends word that the Painkiller movie was leaked, and was not intended for public distribution.

Beyond Good & Evil Now Available for Xbox and PC announces that the PC and Xbox versions of this action/adventure are both now available: "Beyond Good & Evil is set in the future on the planet of Hillys, which has fallen under siege by a ruthless alien race. Despite the assurances of the Alpha Section defense squad, the war drags on, terrorizing the once-beautiful planet and crushing the faith of the people. From the rubble of a tiny island rises Jade - a rebellious young action reporter left traumatized by a brutal attack." Also, this from Battlefront: "The wait is over! Combat Mission: Afrika Korps is now shipping, two days earlier in fact than the expected release date. More details about the game and how to order can be found here: www.battlefront.com/products/cmak/cmak.html."

It looks like you picked the wrong week to quit smoking, as a playable demo for Airport Tycoon 3 is now available, offering the chance to try your skills at running an airport. The 112 MB demo can be downloaded from Gigex, or the mirrors on 3D Gamers, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

A new dedicated Linux server for Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is now available, updated the penguin-powered Star Wars shooter server to version 1.04a. The 400 KB download is available on 3D Gamers, Gamer's Hell, and Worthplaying.

IL-2 Sturmovik Website now offers downloads of a new version 1.21 patch for IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles, 1C Maddox Games' World War II combat flight simulator. In addition to tweaks and bug fixes, the update also includes a half-dozen new maps. There is a full updater as well as a patch to update version 1.11. Both patches are mirrored on 3D Gamers.

The Medal of Honor Allied Assault Website has news of plans for a new patch for the Breakthrough expansion for this World War II shooter (thanks Frans). The update describes the bugs that will be exterminated, a new weapon, new player skins, and the pair of new maps that will be included.

Atari Ships "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" (thanks Frans) is the press release announcing that Judgment Day is nigh, and that this Terminator first-person shooter is now appearing in stores, presumably naked and looking for sunglasses. Here's a bit:

Atari shipped "Terminator®3: War of the Machines(TM)" today to retail stores for the personal computer, a single-player and online multiplayer first-person shooter set in the ravaged battlefields of the Tech Com-versus-SkyNet conflict. Developed by Hungary-based Clever's Games, "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" allows up to 32 players to face off online as either technologically-advanced SkyNet Terminators or battle-hardened Tech Com Special Forces in an epic multi-player struggle for supremacy.

A post on the Shacknews Forums by Ritual's Tom "ParadoX" Mustaine outlines their failed attempt to generate interest in a sequel to Sin, their Quake II-engine shooter, bearing out the Latin proverb: "Indulgent gods, grant me to sin once with impunity. That is sufficient. Let a second offence bear its punishment." (thanks World of Quotes). Here's the deal:

We were working Sin2, but there was no publisher interest in today’s game market. Even have a really slick demo in a next generation technology (beyond Quake3.)

Maybe it can happen in a few years when the next round of "resurrect old game franchises" mentality resurfaces.

Until that day....

This Shadowbane Press Release announces that Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos expansion for Shadowbane is now gold, and Wolfpack Studios' MMO add-on is expected in North American stores as early as December 9 (thanks Frans). Here's a bit:

The expansion for Shadowbane, the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for the PC, will provide fans with an intense, hardcore experience featuring new high-level content, and a new race, the Nephilim, a chaotic fusion of demon and man that has arisen from the forces of darkness. In addition, the expansion provides new character classes, disciplines, an additional character slot, new macro zones, and enhanced environmental graphics like blood storms, acid rain, and tornados.

• Lords of EverQuest
  There's a Lords of EverQuest Q&A on Loadedinc talking with James Parker of Sony Online Entertainment about their just-released EQ RTS game. Topics of the general conversation include familiar locales, influences, resource management, and more. There's also a single Q&A with James on EverQuest Vault.
• Wish
  Warcry News Network's Wish Q&A #2 continues their conversation with Dave Rickey of Mutable Realms, going further into the technology that will power the "ultra" MMORPG.

• Painkiller on HomeLAN Fed.

• Horizons: Empire of Istaria on Horizons Vault.
• Perimeter on Warcry News Network.
• Space Hack on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.

This Anarchy Enterprises Webpage announces development of Age of Castles, a 2D castle building (and moving!) game where the goal is to build a following of one billion(!) people. Thanks Frans.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• FBI Seeks Wiretap Capabilities for Phone Calls Made Over the Internet.
• Arm core targets WLan and Bluetooth chips.
• Hacker Enters Not Guilty Plea.
• Worm Aims to Disarm Spam Fighters and Spammers unleash e-mail worm to disable critics.
• HP preps online music store.
• Slashdot | Dell To Techs Don't Help Customers Remove Spyware.
• AOL fights spyware in coming software upgrade.

• Rockstar Games Ships Max Payne 2 The Fall of Max Payne for the PlayStation 2. Thanks Frans.
• There's an Inside Halo 2 Movie on Halo.Bungie.Org that debuted at the X03 event in France, that was previously not available online. Thanks Frans.
• Nintendo GameCube Hits No. 1. Thanks Enahs.
• Star Wars Battlefront Preview for PS2 from the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Thanks Ant.
• Gizmodo: Sony cuts features from the PSX. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• "Leading video games developer and publisher Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that Pac-Man vs. has begun shipping to retail outlets nationwide. Packaged with Pac-Man World2, the newest entry into the Player’s Choice library, Pac-Man vs. is now available exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube™ and uses the special connectivity feature to link the Game Boy® Advance to the Nintendo GameCube."
• "Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced that The Sims™ Bustin' Out for the Game Boy® Advance has shipped under the EA Games brand in North America. For the first time, Game Boy Advance players will be able to experience the zany and unpredictable world of The Sims™. Players can take direct control of their Sim to explore 20 all-new Game Boy Advance exclusive locations as they work their way from rags to riches. The Sims Bustin' Out Game Boy Advance version will support connectivity with the Nintendo GameCube™ version scheduled to release in mid-December."

• Armed & Dangerous on 1Up and Games Domain.
• The Black Mirror on Gaming Nexus.
• Broken Sword: the Sleeping Dragon on Wickedtoast.
• Call of Duty on The Laser.
• Civilization III: Conquests on Strategy Informer.
• Deus Ex: Invisible War on 1Up, ActionTrip, and GamePro.
• Final Fantasy XI on Gaming Age.
• Hidden & Dangerous 2 on Worthplaying.
• Lock On: Modern Air Combat on PC Arena and Gamers Depot.
• The Lord of the Rings: the War of the Ring on Cyber Gaming Network.
• Magic: the Gathering - Battlegrounds on HomeLan Fed.
• Need for Speed Underground on AllOutGames and Computer Games Romania.
• Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark on ToTheGame.
• Redline: Xtreme Air Racing 2 on Cyber Gaming Network.
• Republic: the Revolution on GameAxis.
• Silent Storm on newsOr.
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on RPG Codex.

• 17" LCD TV Round-Up on TechTV.
• Active Cool's AC4G Peltier Cooling System on Elite Bastards.
• Akasa TIM-Clean on Systemcooling.
• Antec Sonata Piano Black Quiet Mid Tower Case on Computing On Demand.
• Athenatech A100SC Micro-ATX Designer Computer Case on Tweaknews.net.
• ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 Pro Video Card on Designtechnica.
• ATI RADEON 9100 IGP Integrated Video Chipset on X-bit labs.
• Bytecc ME-350U2 3.5” Aluminum External Enclosure on Monster-Hardware.
• Compro VideMate TV Gold+ Video Card on Guru3D.
• Coolmax 450 Watt Silent Switching PSU on TechTastic.
• DFI LANParty PRO875B Motherboard on MBReview.
• DFI LANParty NFII Ultra 400 Revision B Motherboard on DataFuse.net.
• FIC Ice Cube IC-VL67 SFF PC on ViperLair.
• FIC K8-800T AMD Clawhammer Motherboard on Target PC.
• Hercules 3D Prophet All-In-Wonder 9800 SE Video Card on GiBTEK.
• HIS Radeon 9800XT 256MB Video Card on HardAvenue.
• Kingston HyperX 4000 RAM on GruntvillE.
• M-Audio Sonica Theater - USB 7.1 Surround Sound on Sudhian Media.
• NEC/Mitsubishi MultiSync LCD 2080UX+ Monitor on TrustedReviews.
• SOYO K8USA Dragon Ultra Motherboard on OC Workbench.

• The Punic Wars Downloads Page features downloads of a couple of the music tracks from the upcoming Celtic Kings follow-up...
• A Law & Order II: Double or Nothing Demo is now online, offering a Shockwave sample of the TV series tie-in sequel...
• This forum post from Dave Mertz announces the departure from Gearbox of the lead designer of Halo PC. Thanks HBO and Frans...

Today is the day the other shoe (or drill) drops as I head off to Doctor Toothy to finally deal with the crown I cracked a while back that he tried, unsuccessfully, to repair with tooth spackle (or some such thing). Turns out my amateur analysis of this was correct, and that the proper way to deal with this is replacing the crown altogether. Dr. Toothy doesn't work cheaply, but he is crediting me the cost of the spackle and adding a little break since he did the original work that broke, so he will be putting a smaller bite in me so I can take a bigger bite out of life.

Heading into New York City should be quite the adventure, as they are lighting that big ole Christmas tree today... Maybe I can make this whole project come together by stopping by the huge crowd and picking some pockets to help fund my dentistry.

Stories of the Day:	Xbox deflects real bullets. Pow! Thanks SlayerAODsk. Portly dates popular in Portland.
Science!:	Canada nears SARS vaccine. Study: Microbeams have big impact on cancer cells. Largest prime number ever is found.
Media of the Day:	Homeless Dog Learns To Open Car Doors. Thanks Maximus.
Images of the Day:	19" Monitor - great for Internet Porn. Thanks JeffW. Real Buffer. Thanks Andrew Arace.
Follow-up:	Alleged cannibal tried for murder.
	Thanks Mike Martinez.