Duke Nukem Forever: "things are coming together" on Computer and Video Games hears from George Broussard of 3D Realms about progress on Duke Nukem Forever. According to George, "there are several hours of fairly polished game to play," and they are currently getting feedback from play testers "and things are coming together." He also says "It's fun, it's in focus, we know what bits are fun and which are not, and it's just a matter of time now. I've probably never been as happy or excited about the game as I am these days."

AGEOD announces World War One: La Grande Guerre 14-18 (WWI), a turn-based grand strategy game set in World War I planned for release on November 11, the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the first world war. The game is designed by Philippe Thibaut (Europa Universalis, American Civil War, Great Invasions) based on the board game of the same name, allowing the player to lead one of the seven main nations involved in the conflict (France, Great-Britain, Russia, Italy, Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire). Word is the game "will not only propose to play the war on a military strategic and operational level, but also to manage diplomatic maneuvers, technological research and domestic political stability of each nation in a period of revolutionary turmoils [sic]." The game will offer multiplayer play, supporting up to four players via LAN or TCP/IP.

This press release has word that Star Wars Galaxies: Champions of the Force is now live, offering the next installment in this SWG Trading Card Game. The game is available to all current and former subscribers to Star Wars Galaxies, and word is: "In addition, all Star Wars Galaxies subscribers with current, valid, paid accounts in good standing are eligible to automatically receive five digital trading card Booster Packs each month included with their paid Star Wars Galaxies subscription at no additional cost, providing a simple way for them to quickly and easily build their decks." Thanks Massively.

A fourth behind-the-scenes trailer for Legendary is online, offering another look at Spark Unlimited's first-person shooter based on the myth of Pandora's Box, as well as a chance to catch up on the third movie in this series, which we failed to note when it was recently released. The new BTS trailer #4 is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell. The earlier Legendary BTS clip #3 is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

A new trailer from Mercenaries 2: World in Flames offers another look at the airstrikes in Pandemic's upcoming open-world action sequel. This clip is available on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.

The Multiwinia Mondays page now features another movie with a look at Introversions upcoming multiplayer game. Word is: "This week we took a closer look at Capture the Statue – a mode which probably doesn’t require much explanation for seasoned RTS veterans!" The clip is mirrored on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

A new movie from Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People shows off Strong Badia the Free, the upcoming installment in the episodic series based on the webcomic. This clip is available on FileFront and Gamer's Hell. There is also a new Behind the Bad movie kicking off a series that will profile the developers on this project, this movie is posted on Gamer's Hell.

A boxer who skates? A skater who boxes? The new NHL 09 "Be A Pro Player Types" trailer looks at the different types of hockey players you can portray in the next installment in EA's hockey series. You can find this movie on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.

A new movie from LEGO Batman: The Videogame introduces Bruce Wayne's loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. Be sure to bring your Ritalin, as even featuring "the help," this clip is just as hyperactive as the other clips we've seen from the game. The trailer can be found on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

• SteelSeries - Win a trip for 2 to BlizzCon 2008.
• Champions Online Chili Cookoff. No really. Sunday, Sept. 21 in Los Gatos, CA.

• Aion: Tower of Eternity on Strategy Informer.
• Battlefield Heroes on 1Up.
• Cities XL on IGN.
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on GameZone.
• Empire: Total War on Gamer's Global and Strategy Informer.
• Hearts of Iron III on GameSpy.
• Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising on 1Up.
• Quantum of Solace on Eurogamer.

• Project Origin on PC Pointer.de.
• Theatre of War 2 on Battlefront.com.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• EA Tees Off with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 as it Hits Retail Stores Today.
• Kojima wishes people would stop asking about MGS4 on 360.
• Kojima Regrets MGS4 Cutscenes.
• Nintendo shouldn't rush to release the Wii 2.
• Nintendo: core games in development.
• “Only on PlayStation” logo spotted on Resistance 2 cover.
• Xbox 360 Dashboard Update to arrive in November?
• Of gyroscopes and gaming: the tech behind the Wii MotionPlus.
• Rumor: Is Japan Getting An Xbox 360 Price Cut, Too?
• Gears 2 bonus content revealed.
• EA, Activision Responsible For 75 Percent Of Q3 Console Releases.
• Rock Band's Moving Pictures album release delayed do to technical difficulties.
• Alien Crush remake heading to North American WiiWare.

Thanks Ant.

• Battlefield Heroes Performance benchmarked on AMDZone.
• Wine version 1.1.3 is now available.
• Apple enterprise share nearly quadruples.
• No NVIDIA product announcements at Nvision.
• NVISION 08 Day 1- Jen-Hsun Huang's Keynote.
• NVISION 08 - Keynote on Visual Computing Perspectives on Legit Reviews.
• Inside Nehalem Microarchitecture on Hardware Secrets.
• NVIDIA: Ray tracing is too intensive for Hollywood.
• Day 2 Live! from NVISION08 Keynote and Sessions on PC Perspective.

• Red Mile contracts new Sin City dev…
• Final Fantasy 11 Getting Patch To Reduce 18+ Hour Boss Battles. Thanks Massively/Joystiq…
• Horrible Histories games announced…
• New on DVD: Postal…

Okay, no beeping from the workmen today, just the clinking of sledgehammers on rebar. Much less like living inside a pinball machine, and closer to working on a chain gang. Still a welcome improvement.

New patches are now available for the Spore Creature Creator, to update the full and trial editions of this tool to give birth to life-forms for Maxis' imminent life simulation. The patch for the trial version is on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell and the patch for the full version of the Creature Creator is on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell. On a related note, a new trailer offers a look at the civilization phase in Spore. The developer-narrated clip looks at the RTS elements in this phase, where we learn that civilization is apparently a euphemism for war. The clip is available from AtomicGamer and MyGameTrailers. Finally, to continue the celebration of Spore, there's an article about the game and its future on CNN.

Ubisoft and GeoEye Integrate Satellite Imagery into Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X has word that the upcoming Tom Clancy-themed aerial combat game will make use of satellite imagery courtesy of GeoEye, "a premier provider of satellite, aerial and geospatial information." The game will feature more than 16 real-life locations, including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Canaveral, and the Middle East, all off which will be depicted using satellite imagery. Additionally: "During the development process the H.A.W.X team has also worked with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science (USGS/EROS) to understand how to best create a topographical 'underpinning' for the satellite imagery, creating a very realistic representation of the Earth."

The Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II movie from the Leipzig show is now available, offering a look at Relic's upcoming futuristic RTS sequel. The clip is posted on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Tabulator Comparing the PlayStation 3 SKUs.
• Bungie: No new Forge features for Halo 3.
• Kojima may 'have to' return for Metal Gear Solid 5.
• Nintendo Wii surpasses mark of one million consoles sold in Canada. May have passed the million and one mark by now.
• Sony See Exclusivity With Developers, Not Publishers, As The Way Forward.
• Sony Exec Totally Mehs Final Fantasy XIII On Xbox 360.
• New Halo Wars unit goes 'pew, pew, pew' at flying enemies.

Blizzard announces Pre-Wrath content patch on the WOW Insider relates info they picked up from World of Warcraft community manager Eyonix on a content patch that will arrive for WoW prior to the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. Though they point out there is no mention of the Dance Studios promised for some time, nor of the Death Knights which are supposed to precede the expansion. As for things that will be included, they outline plans for new class spells and talents, Stormwind Harbor, Barbershops in capital cities, Zeppelin towers outside of Orgrimmar and Tirisfal Glades, two brand-new arenas, terrain hazards, moving obstacles, and more. Thanks nin.

This press release from EA and Mythic announces that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is gold, and the MMORPG based on Games Workshop's tabletop role-playing game is set to launch simultaneously in North America, Europe, and Oceania on September 18. The Warhammer Online Website has more details, and those with paid FilePlanet subscriptions interested in the game should head over to their Warhammer Online Beta Page for the chance to participate in the game's testing.

Joystiq reports a rumor picked up from the latest print issue of OXM magazine that says that Halo 4 is in the works, but at Gearbox Software (Halo PC), rather than Bungie, originators of the shooter series. It's not clear how much certainly the print article expresses in this prospect, but it apparently also indicates Halo 4 is planned as a launch for the follow-up to the Xbox 360, which will of course be a next-next-generation console. Thanks nin.

A second playable demo for Ironclads: American Civil War provides another sample of this naval combat game set during the war between the states. It's not clear what's different from the first demo (story), but the download is a mere 18 MB, which can be found on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

The German website for The Settlers series, now offers a German-language playable demo for Die Siedler: Aufbruch der Kulturen (The Settlers: Rise of Cultures), the latest installment in the strategy management series. The demo is also available on this page, which is also in German, so you can probably presume that if you can read either page, you'll be able to work out the German in the demo. Thanks Gamer's Hell. The latest installment in The Settlers series is gold in Germany, and is expected in stores on August 28.

A playable demo for Euro Truck Simulator is now available. Update: It turns out this was actually a leaked version of the full game that was labelled as a demo. Word from SCS Software is that an official demo will be released by the end of the week.

A new patch for Kingdom Elemental Tactics is now available to update Chronic Logic's strategic/RPG to version 1.56. The new version includes a revamped skirmish mode, an improved interface, a new destiny mode, over twenty new challenge levels, bug fixes, and the ability to download and play user created levels. The complete change-list can be found on this page, while this page has movies and screenshots. Meanwhile, a new demo for the game is located here, offering a sample of the game in exchange for 46 MB of your bandwidth and storage.

The Age of Conan interview on Boomtown talks with Funcom's Erling Ellingsen about Age of Conan, discussing plans to add content to the barbaric MMORPG. They talk about Tarantia Commons, a new zone that will introduce new types of quests, plans to give some of the game's existing dungeons a visual makeover, new high level content that will involve longer quests and "epic" boss battles, DirectX 10 graphics, and more. Word is the game's first add-on is planned next year, and it's not clear how many of these changes will come in content updates before the game officially expands.

Grey Dog Software announces World of Mixed Martial Arts 2, an MMA sports management sequel planned for release via digital distribution early next year. Word is: "The player is in charge of just about everything to do with its running, including hiring fighters, match making, marketing, and so on." Which is nice, because sometimes you have to pay extra for the so on.

The Agency Fain Faire Interview Part 3 on The Agency HQ continues this interrogation of SOE's Steve Kramer, Lorien Gremore, and Hal Milton about their upcoming MMORPG. The subjects of this installment are combat and missions, talking about boss battles, rewards, weapons, ammo, "agency moments," and more.

The Frontlines Website has another update on the patch in the works for Frontlines: Fuel of War that will update the modern combat shooter to version 1.20. The post says the patch is due in September, and goes on to offer further details on the Phase 2 updates for the server browser and the Server Commander dedicated server tools. Another update mentions that the login servers for the game will be offline for maintenance on Thursday between about 8:30 am and 11:00 am EDT.

Qtracker maintainer Ron Mercer sends news that this independently developed alternative server browser is losing its home on the web in under three weeks, so he is putting out the call in case an ISP or server administrator has the space and bandwidth to donate to give the project a new home. That bad news is compounded by the fact that Ron worked at the old host, which is going out of business taking his job with it, so anyone in need of, as he puts it, an "IT Director, VC++ Programmer, server/network administrator, and all around great guy with over 15 years experience" should also take note. If you have a home for Qtracker, a job for Ron, or both, contact saveqtracker@qtracker.com. On brighter Qtracker news, Ron says to expect the new version 4.8 later this week.

• Sony Japan announces free WiFi internet for PSPs.
• iTunes 8 due Sept. 9, first feature leaked? Thanks Ant.

• Frontier ISP toys with 5 GB usage cap. Thanks Ant.
• NewEgg Tells NY Tax Collectors To Take A Hike. Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Police warn parents about video game system predators.
• Facebook worm still spreading. Thanks Ant.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• FBI To Allow Warrantless Investigations - New policies this fall raise privacy eyebrows...
• Game Publishers Follow The RIAA's Lead - Pay us or we'll frag you into oblivion...
• Is the RIAA targeting the Electronic Arts-owned Sims karaoke site? Thanks Techdirt.
• If You Had The 'Secret' To Winning The Lottery, Would You Patent It?

• Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor on The Armchair Empire.

• 24 GeForce 9600GT Graphics Cards Overclocked on AMDZone.
• Antec TruePower Quattro 850W PSU on Techware Labs.
• AverMedia AVerTV Bravo Hybrid TV Tuner PCI-Express Card on ModSynergy.
• BFG Tech LS-680 PSU on OCIA.net.
• ASUS GeForce GTX 280 TOP Graphics Card on TweakTown.
• GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-DS2H Motherboard on OCWorkbench.
• Glacialtech Igloo 5058 Light E Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• Icy Dock 3.5" Screwless Internal HDD Enclosure on ASE Labs.
• NZXT Sentry LX Case on Bjorn3d.com.
• OCZ Elixir Gaming Keyboard on Hardware Secrets.
• QPADUC Gaming Surface on techPowerUp.
• Roccat Kave Headset on PCGH.
• Super Micro C2SEA G45 Motherboard on Phoronix.
• Topower PowerBird 900W PSU on Overclockers Online.
• XtracPads Hammer Mouse Pad on BurnOutPC.

So the work has begun in earnest on our new sidewalk, as they tore up the old one today with the backhoe, leaving a trench in its place. This apparently entailed keeping one or more vehicles firmly in reverse gear for the entire day, so I had to endure several straight hours of ear-piercing warning beeps. Now I want the guys working out there to be safe, and I would certainly hate to have one of them run over by a backing up earth mover, but another day or two of this and no one is going to be safe, because I will end up going postal.

Postal Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Boombot. Thanks Jay is Games. Red Cross ERU.
Link:	Batty way to spend £150,000. The Bondo-mobile?
Stories:	Abandoned baby found safe with dog. Priest to hold nun beauty pageant. NYC stab victim's cries ignored for half hour. The Bystander effect. In NYC, yell "fire," not "help."
Media:	The Chosen One Will Kill Your PC. I'm Out Of Mana! Magic Missile! Girl laughs like a videogame. NSFW.
Follow-up:	Japanese Goblin Shark. Thanks nin.