Famitsu.com has a report in Japanese which, when translated, seems to reveal plans to bring Lost Planet to PCs thanks to a collaboration between Capcom and NVIDIA, indicating the project may be released as early as June of this year (thanks Tiscali Games). The other relevant detail is the project's support for DirectX 10 and resolutions up to 2560×1600. There is a subsequent confirmation of this on GameSpot.

The UFO Afterlight Website now offers new patches to update the various editions of ALTAR Games' UFO strategy game to version 1.5. The patch notes outline what's new and different after the update (thanks The Patches Scrolls). On a related note, Topware Interactive announces that the North American edition of the game, which was already available digitally via Dieter's Sprocket Website, is gold, and due in stores on May 1:

UFO Afterlight goes Gold

+++ The North American version of UFO Afterlight is set to land on 5/1+++

Las Vegas, 13th April 2007 – Topware Interactive is proud to announce that UFO Afterlight has officially gone gold today.

All Earthlings will now have a chance to help our fellow comrades on Mars through a mixture of advanced tactics, strategy, fighting, and diplomacy. You can still give the game a test drive by downloading the demo from www.topware.com.

“We can not be more pleased at how this product is being received by the press and gaming community” says James Seaman “It has literally sky rocketed up the ratings chart into a top 15 position for PC games!”

A non-watermarked high-resolution edition is now available for the GDC trailer for Crysis that was previously available as a ShakyCam clip shot off a monitor. The movie can be found on 3D Downloads, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, FileShack, Gamer's Hell, and inCrysis.

• Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars
  Paul Wedgwood Community Q&A on Planet Quake peppers the main man at Splash Damage some reader submitted questions about Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, their coming teamplay shooter: "Working closely with id Software, Splash Damage’s primary focus will remain on Enemy Territory. Our first goal will be to release the completed Software Developer’s Kit - the source code, level design tools, artistic media and documentation that will allow the community to create their own modifications and maps for ETQW. We’ll also be monitoring online play closely including persistent achievements and rankings, in case any unexpected bugs or balancing issues pop up that need solving. Beyond this, id Software is creating a plan to ensure there will be great ongoing support for the game, including a specific focus on additional content."
• Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
  Neverwinter Nights 2 Q&A on GameBanshee talks with lead designer Kevin Saunders about Obsidian's just announced Mask of the Betrayer add-on for the D&D RPG sequel: "We’re implementing some expansion-specific gameplay elements that will make Mask of the Betrayer stand out from Obsidian’s previous titles and other D&D computer role-playing games. As one example, the passage of time will have important impacts on gameplay. Mask of the Betrayer will also feature major enhancements to the companion Influence System that Obsidian has pioneered through Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2. Of course, these new elements will be things that the community can modify to their own modules and campaigns if they wish."
• Savage 2
  The Savage 2 Q&A on FiringSquad chats up Marc DeForest about S2 Games' upcoming FPS/RTS sequel: "Combining aspects of all kinds of genres is a natural evolution for gaming. The challenge in doing it lies in not creating an overly complex game. Savage 2 is more difficult to master than a “traditional” game. That is one of the big draws to it. However, conversely to Savage 1, we have made it much easier for players to sit down and pick up on Savage 2. It is easy to grasp yet difficult to master."
• Crysis
  The Crysis Q & A on inCrysis is a video interview with Bernd Diemer discussing Crytek's upcoming first-person shooter.

• Combat Mission: Shock Force on IGN.
• The Continuum on the IGN Blog.
• Empire Earth III on Games Radar.
• World in Conflict on Games Radar.

• ATI reveals future Linux driver plans. Thanks Ant.
• More Electronics Firms Announcing Weak Results.
• Samsung profits slide on weak memory chip market.
• Dan's Data letters #184.

• Researchers explore scrapping Internet.
• Google buys Doubleclick for $3bn.
• Selling stuff online? Here comes the IRS.

• Broadcom files fraud complaint against Qualcomm.
• CIA could get access to even more EU banking records.

• Warner unhappy with new, DRM-free AnywhereCD.
• Five steps for reducing unnecessary use of Administrator accounts.

• Blizzard ups Macintosh minimum system requirement to MacOS X version 10.3.9. Thanks Ant…
• Game accessories strain relationships, decor…

Abbott & Costello Meet the Links!	Thanks Ant.
Stories:	Thief allows stricken store clerk call 911. Lennon's son sells Beatles stake. U.S. Navy shows off terror-fighting dolphins. Thanks brother19.
Science!:	Wanna bet on global warming? You can.
Media:	Paul Pee Wee Reubens on 70s The Gong Show.

Atari's 'ArmA Combat Operations' Goes Gold announces the completion of development on the North American edition of Bohemia Interactive's military first-person shooter that's already available in parts of Europe under the title ArmA: Armed Assault (thanks Gamer's Hell). Word is the game will be available in U.S. stores on May 1:

NEW YORK, April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR - News), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that ArmA: Combat Operations has gone gold and is on schedule to ship to stores nationwide on May 1. Developed by Bohemia Interactive, ArmA: Combat Operations is a military combat simulation game and will be available for the Windows platform for the suggested retail price of $39.95. The game is currently available in Europe under the name ArmA: Armed Assault.

In ArmA: Combat Operations, players will engage in a story-driven single- player campaign or take part in huge multiplayer battles with more than 50 players on one battlefield simultaneously. Featuring a vast environment with more than 250 square miles to explore, ArmA: Combat Operations allows players to pilot or drive more than 30 vehicles including APCs, tanks, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, helicopters and fighter planes. The game features an extremely powerful built-in editor which encourages players to create and share complex missions as well as import user-created units and maps.

"Fans of Operation Flashpoint(TM) have been eagerly awaiting the next game from the talented team at Bohemia Interactive," said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc. "We are thrilled to deliver an incredibly realistic military combat title for the PC."

ArmA: Combat Operations will offer the ultimate realistic combat simulation experience in a modern day setting. With exceptional freedom of movement, actions and tactics, the game allows players to immerse themselves in realistic and engaging battles.

For more information on ArmA: Combat Operations, please visit www.atari.com/arma.

Gamasutra is reporting that Bethesda Softworks has acquired rights to the post-apocalyptic Fallout series from Interplay, news based on an SEC filing spotted by No Mutants Allowed. Bethesda had already licensed the Fallout rights for their upcoming Fallout 3, and in an unusual twist, the deal includes a license for Interplay to go forward with their planned Fallout MMOG, but stipulates that development must commence within two years, the game must launch within six years, and the project must have secured financing of no less that $30 million. Failure to meet any of these conditions will result in Interplay forfeiting these rights.

A demo edition of Sam & Max Episode 5: Reality 2.0 is now available, offering the chance to sample the penultimate installment in season one of the dog & bunny revival. The try-before-you-buy demo is available from Telltale Games, and the 69 MB download is available on FileFront, FileShack, and Gamer's Hell.

Acclaim announces that open beta testing of DANCE Online is underway, allowing the chance to sample the virtual dancing of this dancing with the nerds MMOG. Here's word on the game, which will remain free to play even after beta testing concludes:

Players of DANCE! Online can create their own avatar and use either the keyboard or most PC compatible dance pads to match the beat of the song and to make their character perform choreographed dance steps. The game features up to 6 players dancing together and includes a variety of game modes and options. Players will be able to purchase optional items from the game shop to customize their virtual characters with clothing and various accessories. Players can also purchase “song packs” to dance to even more songs from WMG’s catalog. The game is free and will be supported by in-game advertising provided by IGA Worldwide.

DANCE! Online is directed by video game industry veteran David Perry. The game is in Beta testing beginning this week, which means that anyone who registers for an account can immediately play for free. For more information, please visit www.acclaim.com.

The Qtracker Website offers version 4.51 of this server browsing program. The new release adds support for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and World of Padman along with a number of user-requested enhancements and bug fixes, including a fix for Tron 2.0. Complete details are in the Qtracker Release Notes.

• Dawn of Magic
  The Dawn of Magic Q&A on HEXUS.gaming talks with designer Chulkov Alexander about Deep Silver's hank-and-slash RPG: "Despite the fact that many called and keep calling DoM ‘the killer of Diablo’ these are two very different games. The first and the most evident difference is that DoM is a game about wizardry. And while our characters are different, all of them are still mages. The entire gameplay is inseparably associated with magic. And even if you have decided to make your hero a heavily armored warrior striking enemies with a huge two-handed axe you will still have to constantly use spells, master and invent ways of how to use them best. Besides, our game is a lot more focused on the plot, ancillary buildings and the world around the hero. Take a look at Avon and you will find that a DoM town is not just a couple of houses and a handful of characters. A town is a great deal of streets and houses, shops and office buildings… A town is a host of people dealing with their own day-to-day needs and often concerned with problems of much higher importance than those of another Magic Academy graduate, what in fact the hero is. DoM is not Diablo 2. It never used or intended to be anything similar."
• Meridian 59
  The IMGDC Pre-Conference Q&A with Brian Green on GamersInfo.net talks with the man also known as Psychochild about how an MMOG like Meridian 59 has been able to expand its reach to other countries: "The biggest thing is that you need to find a good partner in the market you want to target. A small developer generally does not have the option to set up another office in another country to sell the game. Your partner should bear some of the costs of setting things up; they will be able to do this cheaper than you can because they have local contacts and knowledge about which local services are reputable and can handle the project like this."
• NVIDIA
  NVIDIA Q&A on IGN.AU talks with Keita Iida about what's up at NVIDIA, including DirectX 10 support: "We have nothing but pure confidence - especially with 8800-series cards - that with Crysis, you're going to have a tremendous experience. Again, since they're developing with 8800 as a reference, their target is going to be 30, if not 60, frames per second at relatively high resolutions. With DX10, given that it's a clean break from DX9, there are a lot of new art assets that need to be created; there are a lot of special effects that need to be written. Usually what they do is, when they take the DX9 engine and port it to DX10, they need the underlying renderer to support the DX10 features, and then they add the features on top of it - whether it's art or game-building."

• Left 4 Dead on ActionTrip.
• Secrets of the Ark on GamersInfo.net.
• World in Conflict on Internode Games Network and Pro-G.

• Full Version of Nintendo Wii Internet Channel Powered by Opera Available for Free Download.
• Ubisoft To Publish WarTech Senko no Rondo For Xbox 360 In North America and Europe.
• The Insomniac Q&A on PS3Arcadian Blog discusses the PS3, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Ratchet and Clank.
• New-to-Market Lexus Cars Now Available for Test Drive Unlimited for Free on Xbox Live Marketplace.

• Windows XP to be retired in 2008.
• Will Vista's real sales performance please stand up?
• HP selects processor from Via for China PC.
• Samsung says Duo HD BD-UP5000 dual-format Blu-ray-HD-DVD combo player on the way.

• Sidekick ID: Official From T-Mobile.

• Women outnumber men online in United States: study.
• Is cable in Verizon's crosshairs?

• Why Doesn't The Justice Department Want An Identity Thief To Tell His Story To Congress?

• FTC Study Coverage: Were These Media Outlets Reading the Same Report? I wondered the same thing.
• Microsoft warns of dangerous flaw in DNS server.
• Cybercrooks exploiting new Windows DNS flaw.
• Don't trust online voting, speaker says.
• Bug hunters face online apps dilemma.

• Æon's Secrets of Prey FAQ version 1.0 is now available.

• The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles on Computer and Video Games.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl on Gameplay Monthly and JustPressPlay.
• UFO Afterlight on Four Fat Chicks and Out of Eight.

• AcBel 500-watt LCD PSU w/Software Monitoring on TweakTown.
• Apple TV on PC Perspective.
• ASUS EN7900GS TOP Graphics Card on Tech ARP.
• Bigfoot Networks Killer NIC and Killer K1 Network Cards on Legit Reviews.
• BTO Plus Deck 2c PC Cassette Deck on OverClock Intelligence Agency.
• Buffalo LinkTheater Wireless on TrustedReviews.
• Gigabyte 3d Rocket Cooler on GideonTech.
• Icy Box 2.5 Inch Hard Drive Enclosure on XYZ Computing.
• Inno3D iChiLL 7950GT Accelero S1M 256MB Video Card on HEXUS.net.
• Kingwin Cooler 2007 Lineup on Overclocker Cafe.
• Koolance CPU-330 & CHC-120-V10 Water Block on Virtual-Hideout.
• LG GSA-H42L LightScribe DVD Writer on ExtremeMhz.
• MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD-OC 320MB Geforce 8800GTS Video Card on PCSTATS.
• MSI 8800GTX OC Liquid Released Video Card on XSReviews.co.uk.
• Mushkin XP2-9200 DDR2 1150 Mhz (2 x 1GB) RAM on Overclockers Club.
• NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi Monitor on TrustedReviews.
• OKI C3530 MFP Printer on TrustedReviews.
• Plantronics Pulsar 260 Cell Phone Headset on Digital Trends.
• Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750GB Hard Drive on TechGage.
• Shuttle's XPC SD39P2 SFF System on The Tech Report.
• SteelSeries SteelSound 4H Sound Card on Bjorn3d.

• Old-school games in barcade renaissance. Thanks Mike Martinez…
• Top 10 Most Influential Amiga Games. Thanks Ant and Slashdot…

Everyone I know who caught what's been going around recently complained about how long it took to shake, but I am still waking up with congestion and a sore throat each morning, just under three weeks after first getting sick. This goes away after I've been up for a while, so I still believe this is just post-nasal drip, but if this goes on much longer I'm going to have to go see a doctor.

Post-nasal Links!	Thanks Ant.
Play:	Temple of the Sun. Thanks User Friendly.
Link of the Morning:	R2-S2 (R2 Steam Too). Thanks Ian.
Stories:	Nailgun injuries soar among U.S. weekend warriors. Pieces of Titanic transformed into luxury watches.
Science!:	T. rex thigh reveals chicken family ties. Thanks Mike Martinez. Mmm T-rex McNuggets. Virginia Tech football helmets monitor hits wirelessly.
Media:	The Nut Bra. Thanks Enahs. NSFW, I'm thinking. Cops Doing SWAT Training Use A Little Too Much Explosives. How To Spell Compaq - John Cleese. H E W L E T…