The Team Fortress 2 Blog now points to a Classless Update on the upcoming classless update for Team Fortress 2. This will not be a hatless update, as they describe some new hats it will include, and also outline plans for a new map called Arena Offblast:

Arena Offblast is a fast-paced, high-altitude community map set in a top secret missile silo wedged into the top of a hollowed-out mountain. Open-air paths and narrow hallways converge on a central control point located just under the silo’s blast doors.

This mountaintop arena also boasts a sheer cliff face encircling the battleground, giving you the chance to help your opponents improve their tactics. Specifically, anyone you blast over the side will get some time to think about the various flaws in their “standing next to the edge of a cliff” strategy as they plummet to an excruciating, non-respawnable death.

The profile of actor Mark Sloan on Casting Call Pro seems to indicate Hitman 5 is under development at Rocksteady Studios, as he lists his motion capture work for the game on his résumé. Thanks Garret.

Joystiq has a gameplay video from Battleswarm: Field of Honor, the upcoming multiplayer action/strategy game involving Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Meanwhile, beta testing of Battleswarm is also now underway (thanks Big Download). Word is:

SEATTLE, WA – August 10, 2009 – Reality Gap, Inc. announced that Battleswarm™: Field of Honor™ launches in Beta today. Developed by Gameworld Tech Co, LTD, Battleswarm simultaneously pits first-person shooters (FPS) vs. real-time strategy (RTS) players in this genre-busting online PC game. Players choose between team-based, first-person action, representing individual, elite Human soldiers or acting as the supreme commander of an alien task force, managing hundreds of alien bugs from a real-time strategy point of view. Slated for commercial launch next month, players can now register to experience Battleswarm for free at http://www.battleswarm.net.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that team-based combat has been pitted against real-time strategy in a balanced, live-action online game,” said Michael A. Williams, CEO of Reality Gap, Inc. “Shooters must confront swarms of alien opponents, but unlike most FPS games, they are playing against aliens managed by a human intelligence looking to outwit and outmaneuver them.”

Battleswarm allows up to six players to take control of soldiers in team-based, first- or third-person shooter mode, arming themselves from a huge arsenal of high-tech weapons and armor. They compete in discrete missions versus up to four Alien Commanders, who control hundreds of bug-like units in real-time strategy mode. The Alien Commanders must build hives, breed units, and manage their forces in missions to overwhelm the human opponents. Players can create guilds, buy and sell items, and level up their characters.

The Making of World of Warcraft on Eurogamer is part one of an extensively researched two-part article on the birth of Blizzard's MMORPG juggernaut.

It's "mid-week madness" on Steam, where word is: "For two days only, save 50% off Call of Duty: World at War! Offer ends Thursday August 13."

The Chapter 12 patch notes for Star Wars Galaxies is now online. If you were looking for info on Star Wars: The Old Republic, well, these aren't the 'droids you are looking for. Thanks Massively.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Guitar Hero 5 to Include Voucher for Van Halen.
• Amazon UK cancels cheap GT5 pre-orders.
• Xbox 360 officially the only console to stream Netflix -- sorry, PS3 and Wii.
• Microsoft Talks Sky TV And Subscription Models.
• SouthPeak's 'Brave: A Warrior's Tale' Now Available for Xbox 360 and Wii.
• Xbox gaming platform may soon span Web, console, mobile.
• GT PSP-PS3 Connectivity Points to GT5 Holiday Release.
• Wii graphics being pushed to their “fullest potential” in FFCC: The Crystal Bearers.
• 2K Sports Signs the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose as Spokesman for the NBA® 2K10- Draft Combine Downloadable Game.
• Another update on No More Heroes 2.
• Activision clarifies Guitar Hero 5 song importing process.
• Holton On NXE Update on IncGamers.
• GT PSP-PS3 Connectivity Points to GT5 Holiday Release.
• Capcom 360 Platinum Triple Pack is “US-only”.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Apple reinstates matte display option on 15-inch MacBook Pro, charges $50 for it.
• DSi US launch a success, haters better recognize.
• Graffiti Ships C.O.R.E For The Nintendo DS.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Intel issues X25-M G2 SSD firmware fix for BIOS password conundrum.
• Major labels show eagerness to fail with new CMX digital audio format.
• Atlantic Wire: Is Apple Evil?

• Why we quit- the moments that push us away from gaming…
• Public Relations in Games- The Science of Secrets and Analysis: How Important Is Post-Release PR For Games on GamaSutra…
• Extracts from a Mila Kunis profile in the September Details, where she further discusses her love or WoW and other geek stuff…

Link of the Day: 2009 Perseid Meteor Shower – Double Peaks This Year! Bust out the telescope. Thanks Mike Martinez.

MMORPG.com reports that both Jeff Strain and David Reid have parted ways with NCsoft. In the case of ArenaNet cofounder Jeff Strain, word is: "NCsoft West announces the departure of Jeff Strain, President of Product Development, who has chosen to leave NCsoft under amicable terms and NCsoft wishes him the best in his new endeavor. This does not change our plans or negatively impact our upcoming launch of Aion, and NCsoft remains very excited about the game’s launch on September 22nd in the U.S. and September 25th in Europe. These changes do not influence any other teams, development schedules or other launches." They go on to call the departure of President of Publishing David Reid "an unrelated and separate event," providing little in the way of detail, but saying "he will be missed."

The promised playable demo for Darkest of Days is now available, offering the chance to check out the upcoming history-altering shooter in the works at 8Monkey Labs. Darkest of Days is a first-person shooter where players travel back in time to influence history by who lives and dies in key historical battles. The 740 MB demo is available from AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, FanGaming, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and Strategy Informer.

Electronic Arts has filed new trademark registrations for Wing Commander, Populous, Theme Park, and Road Rash. It's probably pretty obvious news like this comes way of superannuation, and we wholeheartedly agree with their accompanying comment: "I like the implications of this."

A new "story" trailer from Section 8 describes the narrative from TimeGate Studios' upcoming sci-fi shooter, outlining how one becomes a member of Section 8, and who they are locked in battle against. The clip includes developers discussing the game accompanied by cinematics and some gameplay footage. The clip is posted on ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Strategy Informer.

A new trailer for Sacred 2: Ice & Blood is now available, showing off the upcoming Sacred 2 expansion that does not feature hockey, in spite of what the title suggests. Ice & Blood is due in Germany by the end of this month in spite of the apparent closure of developer Ascaron. The new movie is posted on the Sacred 2 Website, where they also link to a streaming version on the YouTube. The clip is also mirrored on AtomicGamer and Strategy Informer.

John J Dick, the voice actor who plays the voice of Serious Sam, is offering "cheap ass voice acting" for the bargain rate of one dollar per word, in an effort to get out from under his current debts. Here's the deal:

Act quickly. I'm only willing to whore myself out at these discount rates until I dig myself out of debt. This service is not only limited to game designers, movie producers and content creators. I would also love to help you set up a kick ass voicemail message, or maybe add some snappy dialogue to your home movies. Hell, maybe even a tranquil subliminal message to play while you sleep. Sky's the limit.

I also do copywriting, audio editing and Flash design. If you have an idea for a project, I'd love to help you flesh it out. The only real limitation I have is that I reserve the right to not 'do' the Serious Sam persona (use his name and specific 'voice'). That doesn't mean that I won't do the Serious Sam voice in some situations, your voicemail message or somesuch. It's just that Croteam and the Serious Sam franchise have been very good to me. I'm not going to do anything that would compromise my relationship with them.

THQ*ICE announces August 18 as the start date or North American open beta testing of Dragonica Online, their upcoming subscription-free MMORPG, a delay from the promised June open beta. Here's the deal:

Beginning August 18th at 2pm PDT, THQ*ICE registrants will be able to participate in Dragonica Online’s exciting events and giveaways including:

    • Odellia Starter Pack: Players who create a character during the first week of the Open Beta Test will receive a special starter pack for their journey through Dragonica.
    • Dragonica Online Loot Hunt: Play Dragonica Online and hunt monsters to receive “Loot Drops” for a chance to win awesome in-game and real world giveaways featuring exclusive Dragonica-themed items and premium prizes.
    • Ongoing In-Game Events & Contests: Join the Dragonica Online community and celebrate the launch of the Open Beta Test with even more events and special contests!

“We are committed to delivering quality content to the Dragonica Online community and wanted to celebrate the Open Beta Test by rewarding our members with an opportunity to win exciting giveaways and prizes,” said Aaron Dean, Marketing Manager for Dragonica Online. “The game has already received high accolades from the gaming community and the Open Beta Test will allow thousands more to enjoy its fast-paced, 3D side-scrolling action.”

Gamasutra reports that Turbine has raised $6.6 million of series D funding, with the bad new that this is about 12% of the $50 million in new investments they are seeking. This info is contained in a new SEC filing, which does not state how this money is earmarked.

Mad Catz to Create Modern Warfare 2 Game Accessories announces branded controllers are in the works for Infinity Ward's military shooter sequel. Probably mice too, as it says: "The agreement gives Mad Catz global rights to a range of accessories for all current platforms of the title, which is scheduled for worldwide release on November 10."

There's a three-part video interview with John Carmack on the YouTube where the id Software Technical Director chats about various topics with Polish magazine CD-Action (at least they didn't name it Floppy Disc Action), as noted on Digital Foundry. Here's part one, here's part two, and here's part three. The audio is rough, but audible, and there several points of interest along the way, including a passing reference noted by VG247 on the aborted title they were working on "before we rebooted into Rage," though no real details on the cancelled project are offered. Another comment that's getting a lot of play is highlighted here, as he expresses an opinion about console release schedules: "Whether Sony wants to jump the gun to prevent the same sort of 360 lag from happening to them again seems likely. As developers, we would really like to see this generation stretch as long as possible. We'd like to see it be quite a few more years before the next gen console comes out, but I suspect one will end up shipping something earlier rather than later."

Deep Silver announces signing on as publisher for the Prison Break video game that ties in with the television series of the same name (trivia: these guys have been breaking out of prison longer than the castaways lived on Gilligan's Island). Last we heard of this game was when Zootlfly sued Brash over unpaid bills, but this new announcement doesn't reference anything but the game. No release date is offered, but word is: "The action adventure "Prison Break" has all the markings of the award-winning TV series: a compelling story, distinct characters, and fast-paced action. Using diverse climbing and stealth skills, the protagonist Paxton explores numerous locations of the series, all brought to life with great attention to detail."

Risen is the latest game to run afoul of Australia's content rating system, as Piranha Bytes upcoming RPG has been refused classification, and cannot be sold in Australia. Details are found on Refused-Classification.com and R18+ (thanks GamePolitics). Word is: "During the course of the game, players can interact with prostitutes (referred to as 'whores' in the game) at a local brothel. Players can trigger a lengthy dialogue to engage in their services; sexual activity is strongly implied, but never depicted on screen. Many of the characters in the game smoke a fictional drug called 'brugleweed.' The 'wood reefer' plant is described as having a mild relaxing effect on users, and can be bought, sold, and used by players. Some profanity (e.g., “f*ck” and “sh*t”) can be heard in the dialogue." There's no word yet on whether the game's content will be altered to meet the censors' approval.

FileFront offers downloads of a new map pack for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. This is described in a post on the Dawn Of War II Website that also points the way for tips on creating maps for the RTS sequel:

With the recent release of our Dawn of War II World Builder, a flurry of map creation has been going on in the community. In addition to brand new maps, several long time fans of the game have recreated their favorite maps from the original Dawn of War game, and Sturmtruppen has been contacting map makers to include them in a map pack for DOW II. The map pack currently contains twenty-seven maps from various authors and is available for download from FileFront, and playing on them is a very simple process of running the installer and then firing up the game. Thanks very much for all your work Sturm, and to all of the map makers involved.

Relic Designer Sacha Narine was checking out the map pack on the weekend and posted some tips for map makers in the thread that everyone might benefit from. If you’re going to try your hand at map making, give them a read! He’s logged more than a few hours in the World Builder.

Gamasutra reports on "significant layoffs" at GRIN, corroborating with "reliable sources" reports that first surfaced in a Swedish-language report (apparently unnoticed at the time) from June that followed earlier reports of layoffs at the Swedish developer. According to that report, GRIN's Barcelona and Gothenburg offices have been closed, and its main Stockholm office may also be in jeopardy. Word is: "Sources indicated to Gamasutra that employees have apparently been told not to show up for work, and the company may be undergoing some kind of closing or bankruptcy procedure."

FIFA 10 is now due for release on October 20 in North America, a slight delay from its planned October 2 release reports GameSpot. This goes unexplained, and it is not clear at this time whether the release of the football/soccer sequel is delayed in other territories as well.

There's an Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising interview on Boomtown chatting with designer Tim Browne about the upcoming military shooter in the works at Codemasters. They discuss what will set the game apart from other shooters, realism and authenticity, vehicles, missions, the sandbox environment, the campaign, capabilities of your squad mates, and more. Also, a new "hardcore mode" developer diary movie is now available on the game's official website. Word is: Where: "Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising's Executive Producer Sion Lenton, Chief Games Designer Tim Browne and Chief Level Designer James Nicholls explain how 'Hardcore Mode' has been developed with fan feedback to deliver the ultimate challenge in the authentic sandbox shooter." The clip is mirrored on ActionTrip and Gamer's Hell. Also, there's a new hands-on preview of the game on IGN.

The cinematic introduction from Aion is now posted on G4tv.com, setting the stage for NCsoft's upcoming MMORPG, and there's another story cinematic on GameTrailers.com. After listening to the voice-overs on these clips, we're finally ready to admit this game's title is actually pronounced eye-on.

Gamasutra - Natural Universes And Deus Ex- Invisible War.
This design ingenuity remains as fabulous today as it did six years ago. Returning to it now, however, feels strange. It's not the inexcusably small size of the levels, I'm sure of it. I was fine with that back in the day, so why wouldn't I be now? And it's not the slightly suspect voice acting, either. Deus Ex's was terrible, and I can still lose myself for days in that original title. Indeed, my problem with Invisible War now seems to be something less tangible. It seems to lack a certain spirit, the sort of charisma that overflows from every inch of the first, milestone release.

It pains me to say it, but there's just no atmosphere in Invisible War.

• Vote For The Golden Joysticks.
• Industry turns to Edinburgh this week.
• Win a free trip to gamescom with EA.
• Win a CoolIT Domino A.L.C Water-Cooling Kit on Tech-Reviews.
• Massively's Alganon beta key giveaway.

• Combat Mission: Shock Force - British Forces on Tacticular Cancer.

• Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad on GameInfoWire.
• Risen on GameInfoWire.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat on GameInfoWire.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Xbox 360 System Update now available.
• Nielsen: Game Usage Up In June, PS2 Still Leading Pack.
• Fifteen Classic Game Console Design Mistakes.
• Inflatable horse controller patented by Nintendo. Inflatable Trojans not included.
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 PlayStation 3 Screenshots.
• NBA 2K10 PlayStation 3 Screenshots.

• Nvidia's Chief Scientist Bill Dally about GPU technology, DirectX 11 and Intel's Larrabee.
• Intel Core i7 In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis.
• Buy 2, Get 1 Free Blu-ray Special at Amazon.
• Music Labels Working On Digital Album Format.
• This September, OLED no longer -three to five years away.

• Duke Nukem 3D first-person shooter arrives on iPhone. Thanks Ant.

• What Game Companies Should Tell the FCC About Broadband.
• Dodgy Second Life viewer doing the rounds.
• College Credits For Trolling the Web?
• First Internet-Connected Pacemaker Goes Live.
• Opera Being Composed On Twitter.
• Facebook Acquires FriendFeed.
• Tonight Show - Twitter is Down!
• Google Voice and you- what it is and how you can use it.

• Hyperconnected workers sue employers.

• SNARE, Gazelle, Vanish, Nemesis and Nozzle- sounds like quite the wild security conference.
• Microsoft plans to deliver nine security updates.

• Fallout 3 Mothership Zeta on GameZone.
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 4: Dangeresque 3 on GamersInfo.net.
• Trine on Original-Gamer.com.
• Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Episode 4: The Bogey Man on Adventure Classic Gaming.

• Aerocool Touch-2000 Fan Controller on Hardware Secrets.
• ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U External Slim DVD R-RW Drive on ThinkComputers.org.
• Azza Fantom 900 Mid-Tower Case on Top Review Shop.
• AZZA Spartan Case on techPowerUp.
• BFG LS1000 1000W PSU on johnnyGURU.
• Coolermaster SNA 95 Notebook Adapter on Bjorn3D.com.
• DFI Lanparty Blood Iron P45-T2RS Elite Motherboard on Hardware Canucks.
• Eagletech ET-AR302-BK 2.0 Soundstage Speakers on Elite Bastards.
• ECS A785GM-M Black Edition Motherboard on Motherboards.org.
• Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler on Hardware Bistro.
• Gigabyte GA-EP55-UD5 Intel P55 Express Motherboard on PCSTATS.com.
• Gigabyte MA770T-UD3P Motherboard on Neoseeker.
• GMC X-7 on XSReviews.co.uk.
• Inno3D GTS 250 TwinTurbo Pro Cooler on Guru3D.
• Mionix Saiph 3200 Mouse on RBMods.
• Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Laptop Cooler on OverclockersHQ.com.
• NZXT Panzerbox Aluminum Mid-Tower Case on Hi-Tech Reviews.
• OCZ Agility SATA 2.0 SSD 120GB on [Phoronix].
• OtterBox 8000 Series Waterproof Case on [OC]ModShop.
• Palit Radeon 4870 Sonic Dual Edition CrossfireX Graphics Card on TechwareLabs.
• Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler on TweakTown.
• Samsung SyncMaster 19" LD190G Widescreen LapFit LCD Monitor on ModSynergy.com.
• Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ Monitor on Digital Trends.
• Silverstone SG06 Case on Legion Hardware.
• Synology Disk Station DS409+ NAS Device on HotHardware.
• Thermaltake Element G Computer Case on TechwareLabs.
• Thermaltake Luxa2 LM100 HTPC Case on techPowerUp.
• Thermaltake Massive23 CS Gaming Notebook Cooler on Overclockers Club.
• Titan Fenrir Cooler on PureOC.
• Western Digital 2TB Hard Drive on Boot Daily.
• Xigmatek HDT-S1284 Cooler on Rage3D.com.
• Zalman CNPS 10X Extreme CPU Cooler on Legit Reviews.
• Zotac GeForce 9800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition Graphics Card on Test Freaks.

• America's Army Game Used to Create Machinima About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder…
• Microsoft: Halo Movie Still "On Hold"…

In a bit of timing, today's forecast calls for the first 100 degree temperatures in these parts, coinciding with my gable fan downtime. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid spontaneous combustion along the way.

R.I.P.: JFK's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver dies at 88. Thanks Mike Martinez.

Hot Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	This is the Only Level. Mechanism. Multitask.
Links:	Top 25 Most Explosive Games.
Stories:	Continental apologizes after commuter jet sat for hours. Thanks Digg. Woman flies business class with pooch. Thanks Boing Boing. Woman Duped by Dirty Diaper Fake. Thanks Digg.
Science:	Saturn to Pull Celestial Houdini on August 11. Mysterious Object Rips Through One of Saturn's Rings. 1 machine, 4 weeks now enough to sequence human genome.
Media:	The Ballad of G.I. Joe. Left 4 Dead- Does a tank run faster when on fire? N00b Boyfriend. 'L33T the parents.
Follow-up:	'Arrested Development' trio in Fox reunion. Thanks Digg.
The Funnies:	ActionTrip Comic Strip- Super-Epic DJ Douchebag. Dueling Analogs - Moot Point. Thanks Boing Boing.