This week's Steam Marketing Message has word that pre-purchases of Silverfall on Steam are now underway for those eager to try before they buy, though of course a demo for Monte Cristo's now-gold action/RPG does provide a sample (story). Valve also says they will be making an announcement about additional games coming to Steam soon:

Many of us are away at the Game Developers Conference this week, scouting for new great games to bring to Steam. Speaking of which, stay tuned for an announcement next week about a major new publisher catalog coming your way.

The Spore video presentation from the now-completed Game Developer's Conference is now online. The YouTube clips are linked on Hooked on Spore, where you can view the entire presentation, as well as shorter excerpts showing off the various game phases it contains.

The C&C 3 Support Forums have a temporary workaround for audio/video sync issues with the Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars demo (thanks Ant and Command and Conquer DEN), saying the issue is fixed in the RTS sequel's upcoming retail release:

A number of you have been reporting about Video/Audio synch issues. We currently have a fix planned and in place for the game, however, here is an intermittement fix which should do the trick.

This temporary fix may not fix the problem on all system configurations, especially on machines that do not meet or exceed the minimum system requirements. That should be fairly obvious :o)

IMPORTANT -- We highly recommend not setting the process priority any higher than "AboveNormal."

1. Run the Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars Demo.

2. Press Alt + Tab to minimize the demo and switch back to Windows.

3. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to bring up the security prompt and click on "Task Manager".

4. Select the "Processes" tab and look for DemoGame.dat in the list.

5. Right-click on DemoGame.dat, select "Set Priority", and then select "AboveNormal" from the submenu -- this option is one step up from the default "Normal" setting.

6. Windows will prompt you with a similar warning. Select "Yes".

7. Switch back to the game by clicking on the button in the Windows task bar.

The syncing issue should be resolved the next time you watch a video in the game. Note: You will need to repeat this procedure each time you run the demo.

And again, this is just an intermittent fix, we have the official fix in the game, so not to worry.

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
  The S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Q&A on CRPG.RU stalks Anton Bolshakov to ask the project leader on GSC Game World's upcoming first-person shooter about the game: "During the last years we focused on tuning and implementing this particular life simulation system. At that point, such a system was unprecedented, so basically we were pioneering this field, and that definately [sic] posed a huge challenge. In fact, there were times when we thought it was outright impossible. And yet, in the end we succeeded. Life simulation pulls strings of a huge number of characters - their movement, life cycles; stalkers go about their quests, factions skirmish each other. The simulation creates both the background events and a multitude of side quests. "
• Warhammer
  WarCry Meets with Games Workshop is an article based on a GDC conversation with the folks behind the Warhammer franchise about the upcoming Warhammer MMOGs.

• Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures on GameZone.
• Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade on GameZone. Developer Diary: The Making of Organic Ships.
• Pirates of the Burning Sea on Kotaku.

• Codename Panzers: Cold War on Gameguru Mania.

Dungeondoom now offers a new version 1.2 of Commander Doom, a "single player first-person action real time strategy" modification for DOOM 3.

• PS3 UT3 Supports Keyboard, Mouse, SIXAXIS.
• Phil Harrison: PS3 Can't Support Exclusive GTA IV.
• Miyamoto GDC 2007 Keynote Video.
• Shivering Isles Sets You Back 2400 MS Points.

• DirectX 9 vs DirectX 10: Worth Upgrading to Vista For? Worth ending a preposition with?
• Intel to Mass Produce Phase-Change Memory In 2007.
• Intel ready with low-power server chips.
• Apple: Music's New Gatekeeper. Thanks Slashdot. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
• Black Viper's Web Site is back in black. Thanks Ant.
• Open Source Federal Income Tax Software.

• Judge dismisses claims in Intel suit.
• Lawyer Dishes on Game Censorship at GDC.
• Connecticut Wants to Restrict Social Networking.

• AT&T, Yahoo downplay report partnership at risk.
• Qualcomm talks BREW Gaming Solution.
• Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive (registration required).
• Are Sprint EVDO Upgrades Planned Near You?
• Wrist-mounted security device tracks employees' vital signs.
• Study: No need to ban cell phones in hospitals.

• Can outing an anonymous blogger be justified?
• MIT to offer its courses free online by year end.
• Yahoo Stock Down on Fear of Revenue Loss (registration required).
• It's Still A Bad Idea To Commit Libel On Your Blog.
• Is It Plagiarism... Or Is It Wikipedia-Like Collaboration?
• No E-Mail Fridays Transform Office.
• Save Net Radio. Thanks Kaveh.

• New shield foiled Internet backbone attack.
• Check Your Local Listings TiVo Recorders Could Be Flummoxed By Daylight-Saving Switch.
• GoDaddy tells client its servers don't need DST fix.
• Census Bureau Mistakenly Reveals Personal Data On 302 Families.
• Bill O'Reilly's Web Site Taken Down By DoS Attack.

• Close Combat: Cross of Iron on BlueAlien.
• Geometry Wars on TTGamer.

• Acer AL2223Wd Office LCD Monitor on Phoronix.
• Creative Fatal1ty 1010 Mouse on Gamepyre.
• GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Video Card Roundup on MADSHRIMPS.
• Griffin Elevator Desktop Stand on ThinkComputers.
• HT Omega Claro Sound Card on bit-tech.net.
• Intel VIIV vs. AMD LIVE on Hot Hardware.
• MACS Monsoon II Lite Intel Active TEC CPU Cooling System on Legit Reviews.
• Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 on ExtremeTech.
• NZXT Steel Duet HTPC Enclosure on TweakTown.
• Thermaltake Silver River DUO HDD Enclosure on APH Networks.
• Vizo Voyager Dual Fan 3.5 HDD Cooler on DragonSteelMods.
• XFX 7600 GT Fatal1ty 256MB Video Card on Modders-Inc.

I always get a kick out of seeing a movie for the first time in a while and recognizing actors that have become more prominent since. Today Galaxy Quest was on, and in short order I realized that the geeky fanboy is Justin Long (hi, I'm a Mac) and one of the aliens was Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute). Shortly thereafter, Mary Queen of Scots was on, which I haven't seen since I was a kid, and among the cast were the shockingly young (at the time) Timothy Dalton and Ian Holm.

R.I.P.: Boston lead singer found dead in his home.

Introductory Links!	Thanks Ant.
Link of the Day:	Hammaka Chair on the car. Thanks Raluca.
Stories:	Stolen diamond shows up in prison shower. Eddie Van Halen Going to Rehab Days Before Induction Ceremony. Thanks ASlayerAODisk. Drug centre suing Courtney Love.
Science:	Scientists say nerves use sound, not electricity. Thanks Slashdot. Dark energy - The Universe - Physics - Out There (registration required). Thanks j.c.f. Rats Know That They Don’t Know.
Image:	Unicorn Chaser.
Media:	What those sign-language translators are REALLY saying. Big Wheel Races down San Francisco's Lombard st. Awesome Double Dutch Video Clips.