Command and Conquer DEN has information about Command & Conquer 4 translated from a preview of EA's upcoming real-time strategy sequel in the German-language Gamestar Magazine. The story has a bunch of details about the story and gameplay for those who hate surprises, and an interesting tidbit is that the lead producer on the project is Michael Glosecki, a member of the QA team for Dune 2, one of the seminal games in the RTS genre (this story originally incorrectly called Michael the "lead designer," apologies for the error). Thanks Ant.

Telltale Games announces that The Bogey Man, the season finale episode in Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, is due for release tomorrow. Word is:

Last week, I received an email from a concerned fan wondering whether we had stopped working on (or otherwise forgotten about) Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures due to Tales of Monkey Island starting its release schedule. As it turns out, we totally haven't! The final episode of the season, "The Bogey Man", will be released on Wednesday. Yes, this Wednesday, July 29, 2009.

In the season finale, Wallace finds himself invited to become the newest member of the prestigious Prickly Thicket country club. What seemed like a chance to play a few relaxing rounds of golf soon turns into something much more sinister, as Wallace and Gromit unwittingly wind up in the middle of an ancient dispute threatening to tear the town apart!

The Splinter Cell Conviction Official Blog has an update with outlook on the recently announced delay to the action/stealth sequel (thanks Mike Martinez). Word is:

Splinter Cell Conviction is a very important game for us. We want to ensure it’s a game that long-term fans and gamers new to the series equally enjoy when they play it. Previous Splinter Cell games have set the bar very high when it comes to quality and enjoyment, we are firmly focused on continuing this with Conviction.

After demonstrating the new vision for the game at E3 2009 we won many awards and got a lot of interest from fans and press alike. In order to live up to our own ambitions and your expectations, we strongly feel that giving our teams that extra time will allow us to present a game to you that will fulfill that potential. Due to this, we have decided to move the release date into Q1 2010. This extra time will ensure Splinter Cell Conviction becomes every bit the fantastic experience we want it to be.

The Randy Pitchford Interview Video on G4tv.com is a conversation between Gearbox's CEO and his doppelganger about Borderlands, their upcoming shooter/RPG. Among other things, Randy describes how the game's stylized art redesign happened, through what amounts to an insurgency in the art department. They also discuss co-op support, role-playing, the emphasis on the shooting aspect of the game, and more. They also touch on Brothers in Arms, and the distinct possibility they will eventually set the series in a different conflict than World War II and Aliens: Colonial Marines, which Randy indicates is waiting on Sega to decide when it will be more publicly discussed. There's another video interview with Randy on Giantbomb.com, and there are also previews of Borderlands on 1Up, Destructoid, Eurogamer (where they talk about the game Randy Pitchford is terrified to release), G4, GamePro, GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Kotaku, Strategy Informer, and Videogamer.com. Finally, here is a batch of new Borderlands screenshots.

The Brian Pass Interview movie on GameTrailers.com talks about Singularity with the senior producer on Raven's upcoming singular shooter. Brian describes the choices they are putting in the hands of the player, and the various interesting uses of the game's Time Manipulation Device (TMD) that can age items and enemies into dust, or reverse that process, though you don't seem to be able to revert enemies into babies. The clip includes gameplay footage and an indication that the game may just be delayed again, as last we heard Singularity was expected in March 2010, but Brian says to expect it in spring 2010, but only the last nine days of March are in the spring, making for a narrow release window.

Shacknews has sales figures from Direct2Drive and Steam for the week ending July 25. The lists offer interesting contrasts and similarities for titles offered on both services. The best-selling game on D2D for the week was The Sims 3, and the best selling title on Steam was preorders of Aion Collector's Edition, while the top selling title that's available on each is ARMA 2.

A new playable demo for World War 2: Time of Wrath is now available, offering a sample of this just released grand strategy game. The version 1.50a demo is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell. There is also a version 1.50a hotfix for the game, offering: "Reduced GPU usage, some CTD with PBEM fixes and a few other tweaks are included in this small update." The patch is available from Matrix Games and mirrored on FileFront and Gamer's Hell.

Massively reports open beta testing will begin in September for Alganon, the fantasy-themed MMORPG in the works at Quest Online. Update: The game is currently in closed beta, and we've gotten a clarification on the way to register for the beta, which is to sign up for an account on the Alganon Website and opt-in to the beta, and you can increase your chance of being selected before the beta opens to all by posting to this forum thread. Thanks Massively.

GameHi announces open beta testing is underway for the westernized version of Sudden Attack, the military shooter said to be the number one game of its sort in Korea. Here's a bit on testing of the game, which is scheduled to go live in the fall:

For the first time players will get to try the Property Defense mode in the new map StormVille. Here each team must find, capture, and defend a specific area for a certain amount of time, in order to win the game. Unlike rules from other missions, the characters will respawn infinitely until the objective is met or time runs out. As well, players will have the chance to experience the game’s most powerful weapon yet, the MG43. This machine gun is Sudden Attack’s primary weapon, holding 100 rounds in a clip, the largest rounds in the game so far.

Deep Silver offers a new movie from Risen, the upcoming RPG from Piranha Bytes. The clip is described as "presenting many different aspects of the RPG," and the description also provides you with the tools to impress everyone at your next symphonic/gothic metal trivia contest, as it says: "The new trailer is accompanied by the song "The Poet and the Pendulum" from Nightwish, the most successful symphonic/gothic metal band world-wide." You an find the movie on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, and Gamer's Hell.

There's an "exclusive firearms training" trailer for Darkest Of Days on GameTrailers.com, offering the time traveler tips on how to use the vintage weaponry in the historical conflicts they will encounter in this alternate history shooter. They also touch on future weapons, up to, but not including the FMG, which is not covered by your security clearance.

A new movie is available to celebrate the imminent North American retail release of East India Company, the historical real-time strategy game centered around naval combat between sailing ships. The new "Meet the Nitro Team" movie introduces the Finnish developers behind the project (no translation required, provided you speak English). The clip is posted on the YouTube, AtomicGamer, and Gamer's Hell.

Two more installments in the series of "graphic novel" movies for Wolfenstein are now available. The third clip is available on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell and the fourth clip is posted on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell. On a semi-related note, Activision announces Raven's World War II shooter will be a sponsor of the upcoming premiere of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds:

Santa Monica, CA – July 27, 2009 – Activision Publishing (Nasdaq: ATVI) and id Software have signed-on for the highly-anticipated Wolfenstein to be a title sponsor of The Weinstein Company and Universal Pictures International‘s upcoming feature film by Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds.”

As an official sponsor, Activision will conduct a contest for two lucky winners to attend the “Inglourious Basterds” Hollywood premier at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 10. The prize pack includes two roundtrip tickets for a four day – three night stay in Los Angeles, two tickets to the premier and two tickets to the star-studded after party at Mondrian in West Hollywood. Check http://www.GameSpot.com for contest details, which begins today.

The assault on the Third Reich kicks-off with the newest chapter of the famed Wolfenstein franchise hitting U.S. store shelves on August 18, and a second wave continues the fight with “Inglourious Basterds” going nation-wide in theaters August 21.

• Aion on IncGamers. Part Two.
• DC Universe Online on Ten Ton Hammer.

• Borderlands on Blue's News.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Viacom Quarterly Revenues Down As Rock Band Sales Decline.
• Fight Night Round 4 free DLC 1 arrives.
• Kotick's PS3 Comments Underscore Broken Business Model, says DFC.
• 2K Sports Announces NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, a Totally New Downloadable Game Experience.
• Modern Warfare 2 to render at 600p. Imagine how much it would cost in hi-def?
• Gearbox clams on Halo 4 chatter.
• How not to pitch Halo 3: ODST.
• Street Fighter IV, FEAR 2, MadWorld, more for $20 at GameStop.
• Epic's Mark Rein Would Like To See Wii 2.
• Ubisoft Plans Casual Games for Natal.
• Xbox 360 Preview Program Emails are being sent out.
• Record of Agarest War coming to the US via PlayStation Network.
• Sony and Sideshow Collectibles team up for God of War.
• Mark Cook joins THQ.

• GP2X Wiz runs retrogaming rings around mainstream rivals. Thanks Mike Martinez and OhGizmo.
• Windows 7 versus Windows XP on the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA Netbook.
• Scribblenauts Pre-Order Bonus a Feather in Your Cap.

Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.

• Graphics chip shipments surge on optimism over PC demand.
• VideoLAN version 1.0.1 is now available.
• CC Cleaner v2.22.968.
• Mom installs 98-inch screen in son's bedroom ceiling, deservedly garners award nomination.
• Runcore Factory Tour Video - Production of an SSD Runcore Factory Tour Video.
• Sun Java Runtime Environment 6 Update 15.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Dominions 3 Spotlight on PC Cohort…
• Bionic Commando Soundtrack Arrives…
• Sam Raimi’s Warcraft Movie Production Diary…
• Treating World of Warcraft Addicts Right Inside the Game…
• DIY: Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition for $110.40…
• Celestial Frontier is a free PC version of this indie SHMUP that's available for sale on Xbox LIVE…

Link of the Day: You Know What's Bullshit? Printers. NSFW. Thanks Efflixi. Well that's timely.

Steam News announces the availability of Bionic Commando, GRIN's platformer sequel, as well as Bionic Commando Rearmed, the updated edition of the original side-scroller from back in the day. Not content to simply let you choose between the two games, they have figured out a way to tempt you into buying both: "Can't decide which to play? Pick up the Bionic Commando Pack on Steam, including both titles, and reach maximum Bionic potential. Players who own both games will enjoy access to three unlockables in Bionic Commando, including the "Retro" Nathan "Rad" Spencer skin, a Prototype Weapon and a secret room in the Fissure level."

The Champions Online Website has details on open beta testing of Cryptic's upcoming superhero MMORPG, saying the beta will begin, as indicated, on August 17th and be administered through FilePlanet. Just yesterday Cryptic announced preorders are guaranteed a spot in the beta, and now word is: "Starting on August 5th, the open beta client will be available for download on a first-come, first-serve basis on FilePlanet. The site will be giving away 50,000 keys to North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand." Update: We have confirmed with FilePlanet high command that they will be issuing these keys to their paid subscribers, so this open beta is less "open" than most.

THQ Reports Record June Quarter Results reports quarterly profits for THQ, compared with losses in the same period last year, saying they were the third-ranked independent publisher in the US and UK for the June quarter. The upswing is largely attributed to UFC 2009 Undisputed, and the retail ass the MMA game is kicking, with Red Faction: Guerrilla also getting some of the credit. Word is: "For the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2009, THQ’s net sales climbed 77% to $243.5 million from $137.6 million in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, for the three months ended June 30, 2009, the company reported net sales of $233.9 million, up 93% from $121.1 million a year ago." THQ also announces plans to issue $90 million in convertible senior notes, now that convertible weather is here.

A new patch for the European edition of Trine is now available, updating the action/platformer to the same version 1.03 as the recent Steam patch. The EU retail patch is available on AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls. There's also a version 1.03 patch for the Metaboli version, which is available from AtomicGamer, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls. There's a patch log on The Patches Scrolls.

Hidden Path Entertainment announces Defense Grid: The Awakening has shipped to stores in North America. As promised, the boxed version of this tower defense game provides a DRM free installation, as well as a code for the Steam edition to support online features:

AUSTIN, TEXAS – July 28, 2009 – Defense Grid: The Awakening, Hidden Path Entertainment’s critically acclaimed tower defense strategy game for PC, has shipped to retail stores in North America through a partnership with Aspyr Media. Gamers who purchase Defense Grid: The Awakening in stores will receive two products in one package. First, A DRM-free version of the full game on the included disc allows for local profiles to be created for saves, achievement tracking and score ranking. For players who want to take their Defense Grid: The Awakening experience online for Internet leader boards, online rankings and achievements, a code is included in the box that will allow them to download the full game from the Steam digital distribution platform for no additional cost.

Released through digital distribution in December 2008 to tremendous praise, Defense Grid: The Awakening takes the best features of the addictive tower defense genre and fuses them with the Gamebryo engine to deliver beautiful 3D environments, spectacular effects, a dynamic soundtrack and deep strategy gameplay. Ensuring AAA quality and impeccable game balance is a development team with a pedigree that includes franchises such as Age of Empires, Half-Life, Crimson Skies, Homeworld, MechWarrior, and Rise of Nations.

Defense Grid: The Awakening finds humanity struggling against an invasion by a relentless alien force. The player is tasked with defending key outposts with the aid of ancient, but powerful, defense towers and an artificial intelligence construct. Intuitive controls and a range of objectives make it fun for players of any skill to progress through the 20 story levels, and the dozens of additional challenge modes. Ten different tower types, each with unique strengths, allow for multiple strategies as players scheme to take down wave after wave of invading creatures, each more powerful than the previous.

Defense Grid: The Awakening is rated E10+ (for gamers 10 and older) by the ESRB. For more information on the game please visit www.hiddenpath.com.

GameDebate offers system requirements for Tropico 3, the island dictator sequel that's currently in closed beta testing (thanks Mike Martinez). They say these are the recommended specs, and minimum stats are not provided:

Tropico 3 System Requirements*

Intel CPU - Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz
Nvidia Graphics Card - Geforce 7600 GT 256MB
Direct X - 9
Ram - 1 Gbs
AMD CPU - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+
ATI & Intel Graphics Card - Radeon X1600 Series
Hard Disk Space - 5 Gbs

* System requirements displayed are based on recommended system requirements and should be used as a guide only.

Mangled Eye Studios announces Dark Salvation is complete, and this horror-themed first-person shooter built on id's Tech 3 engine from Quake III Arena is now for sale. The Dark Salvation Orders Page offers two ways to get the game; there's a limited edition boxed version that includes the game DVD and an audio CD (they say this can be autographed on request) as well as digitally distributed edition at a lower price. Here's a bit on the game: "You take on the role of a dead woman named Talia who is given new life by a magical object of the Underworld called the Spirit Crystal. This object gives her the power and ability to wield heavy weaponry and cast magic from each of those weapons."

PC Games Hardware spoke with the folks at Volition about the upcoming release of the Windows edition of Red Faction: Guerrilla, discussing the technology powering the shooter sequel and its deformable environments. They discuss the game's custom engine, features unique to the PC version like Sun Shafts (God Rays) and Screen-Space Ambient Occlusion, visual quality, advantages of SLI or Crossfire, the choice of Havok over PhysX for physics, DirectX 9 & 10 support, lack of DirectX 11 support, and more.

Kotaku has an article analyzing comments from Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot on addressing piracy. These mostly focus on piracy of DS games, but they also point out one comment that indicates they may be working on some new internal DRM for PC games: "Altogether on console, the piracy is low," says Guillemot. "On the PC the piracy is quite a lot. We are working on a tool that would allow us to decrease that on the PC starting next year and probably one game this year."

The David Perry interview Part Two on GamesIndustry.biz continues their conversation with developer/entrepreneur David Perry about Gaikai and plans to bring cloud-based gaming to the PC (which Perry calls "a 'wet dream' for investors"). There's also a new Develop Blog by Perry discussing "The bizarre genesis of Gaikai." Along the way he speculates that Gaikai could 'transform games journalism' by allowing game demos to be linked in previews, even though it seems pretty possible to link to a game demo in a preview without Gaikai.

MyCrysis has the release of a new version 1.01 of the Crysis Wars EX modification for Crysis Wars, the multiplayer component of Crysis Warhead, the first-person shooter from Crytek. The new version has some additions, improvements, and a balance tweak, but they say the main purpose of this release is to clear up some issues in advance of their first content update.

StarcraftWire.net - The No-LAN Controversy - A Closer Look.
I am excited to see what BNet 2.0 will offer to replace LAN support and I will not be too quick to judge as I have faith in Blizzard creating quality games and support (which they have being doing for over a decade). I also believe that one of Blizzard's reason to have all players participate in BNet 2.0 is part of their "secret" marketing plan. They plan to monetise BNet through paid features instead of having a monthly fee for BNet. By attracting all players, sponsors, and leagues to one single realm and area, Blizzard can use this system to actually gain money from all their hard work on the network. Having said that, one might say this is just a conspiracy theory.

GamesRadar - Marketing bullshit gamers should stop being a part of.
Perhaps we're cynical though. Age of Conan's special edition did at least come with free beer. Free, fake, digital in-game beer. No, we're not being cynical at all, are we? Let's face it. This is the same marketing model as putting toys in cereal boxes to make sugar-rabid 3 year olds choose one shape of reconsitituted corn shaving over another. Except that you're paying an extra £15 for the toy.

• Analysis: Publishers Weigh In On Comic-Con Vs. E3, PAX.
• David Cage To Keynote GDC Europe.

• Majesty 2 on Tacticular Cancer.

• FIFA 10 PC on GameInfoWire.

• Gears of War: All Fronts Collection and Dark Corners Multiplayer Map Pack on Xbox LIVE.
• Rock Band: Blink 182, Weezer and KISS on Xbox LIVE.
• IL-2 demo on XBLM tomorrow.
• DJ Jazzy Jeff Joins DJ Hero and Trailer. We want the Fresh Prince. Or at least the French Prince!
• Sigma 2 Dated, co-op movie.
• NBA Live 10 PlayStation 3 Screenshots.
• NHL 10 Xbox 360 Screenshots.
• White Knight Chronicles PlayStation 3 Screenshots.
• Avatar- The Game Xbox 360 Screenshots.

• An editorial on LCD panel quality and what to look for on your next purchase.
• Acer Aspire One hack: Adding a Broadcom HD video accelerator.
• The Matrix, but with money- the world of high-speed trading.

• Apple jettisoning Google Voice from App Store.

• Opera wants Microsoft to offer browser 'ballot screen' worldwide.
• Aussie net filtering trial deemed a success despite problems.
• AT&T Blocks Part of 4chan.
• And Of Course: Grandstanding Anti-Craigslist Politicians Still Not Satisfied.
• Verizon Adds Free Hotspots for DSL, Fiber Customers. Thanks Ant and Slashdot.
• Boston, "a copper hole in the fiber donut," demands FiOS.
• Apple working with record labels to resurrect the album.

• 64K signature petition delays German govt's game-banning bill.
• Pirate Party's copyright reform cannon could sink copyleft.
• THQ Victorious In WWE Royalty Rate Dispute.
• Judge rejects fair use defense as Tenenbaum P2P trial begins.
• Tenenbaum trial begins with "tortured" jury selection.
• China bans online games which glamourise gangs. Especially the gang of four.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• 9 out of every 10 Windows users vulnerable to the Flash bug.
• Benign security warnings have trained users to ignore them.
• Microsoft to rush out emergency security IE patch. Thanks Ant.
• EU May Allow US To Keep Snooping On European Bank Data.
• Whatever happened to the Conficker worm?
• Teamwork crucial to fighting cyber crime.
• Black Hat set to expose new attacks.
• Black Hat's most notorious incidents- a quiz.
• AT&T: 4chan block due to DDoS attack coming from 4chan IPs.

• Big Rig Europe on Out of Eight.
• Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal on Computers N Stuff and Game Tunnel.

• AMD ATI FirePro V8750 Workstation Graphics Card on HotHardware.
• ASUS My Cinema EHD3-100 TV Tuner Card on Pure Overclock.
• ASUS P7P55D Deluxe P55 Lynnfield Motherboard on PC Perspective.
• CoolIT Domino ALC Water Cooling on Neoseeker and PC Perspective.
• D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router on Gamepyre.com.
• Eagle Arion ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Speakers on CCE Reviews and TechwareLabs.
• Evercool STC-03 Cruise Missle Thermal Compound on Top Review Shop.
• Evercool Transformer 4 CPU Cooler on Hardware Bistro.
• Garmin nüvi 255W GPS on Test Freaks.
• GIGABYTE GM-M8000 Gaming Mouse on ProClockers.
• Kanto iPort 5 (Syd 5) iPod Docking Station Speaker System on OverclockersHQ.com.
• MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 Motherboard on Hardware Canucks.
• MSI Radeon 4890 Cyclone SOC Graphics Card on Guru3D.
• NZXT Beta Mid Tower PC Case on Legit Reviews.
• NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller on OCIA.net.
• OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W PSU on Verdis Reviews.
• OCZ Reaper HPC 6 GB DDR3 1866 MHz CL 8 RAM Kit on techPowerUp.
• OCZ Throttle 32GB Flash Drive on Legion Hardware.
• Palm Pre Cell Phone on Hardware Secrets.
• Silverstone RAVEN 2.5- HD Enclosure on ExtremeMhz.
• SilverStone Sugo SG05 Case on Hardware Secrets and [Phoronix].
• SteelSeries Siberia Full-Size Gaming Headset on TweakTown.
• Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler on HardwareLogic.
• Thermaltake BlacX ST0005U Dock on Motherboards.org.
• ULTI-MAT Mouse Mats on XtremeComputing.
• WD VelociRaptor 300GB SATA HDD on Benchmark Reviews.
• Xigmatek Thor's Hammer HDT-S126384 Cooler on Overclockers Club.
• XLink BT Bluetooth Cellular Gateway on Futurelooks.

• The ECA wants you to tell Obama how cool video games are…
• Downloadable content in decline?…
• ‘Warner Bros Games Chicago’ spotted?…
• Viacom posts lower profit; advertising hurts…
• Infinity Ward Blackmailed over Modern Warfare 4…

Working with technology can cause one to anthropomorphize their devices, inspiring comments like "I think printers hate me," which is something I uttered more than a couple of times yesterday. I think one of the problems is I keep getting these all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machine dealies, which suit my needs, but obviously have more ways to fail. Anyway, over the years my printers have tended to be cruel to me, and yesterday another went tango uniform, right as I needed to send a fax (decoding the error message, it was telling me "you're screwed"), so I am now on my fourth all-in-one in about five years, spanning three brands and various price points. I think if I suffer another premature device demise I'll just give up and buy separate a printer and fax. Maybe it's my fault for overburdening, since we do average about a page a week in printing, which doesn't even account for the added impact of 10 faxes a year.

R.I.P.: EGM Writer Passes Away.

Printed Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Gliding Thunder. Play Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals. Twin Shot 2.
Links:	Peter Pan and Tinkerbell Got Married. Thanks Dan.
Stories:	Iced coffees 'a meal in a drink'. Russian Navy UFO records say aliens love oceans. Thanks theAntiELVIS.
Science:	Joule adds CO2 to sunlight to make fuel. Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man. Forensics Myths Debunked.
Auctions:	Complete Nintendo Game & Watch Collection On eBay.
Images:	Dinner for 13, minus gravity.
Media:	Killing 22 final bosses in 5 minutes. An 11-year old plays Contra for the first time. Thanks jimnms. Jake Lloyd: Ten Years After Star Wars Ep One. Thanks Kxmode.
Follow-ups:	Foxconn Worker Had 16 iPhone Prototypes, Girlfriend Given MacBook.