A new Warhammer Online Producer's Letter looks at plans for the upcoming version 1.31 patch for Warhammer Online as well as the version 1.32 patch to follow (thanks Massively). The version 1.31 patch is called "City Invasion," and it will mark the beginning of a series of changes to end-game city sieges:

One of the biggest enhancements going into this patch is the new approach we have made with our end-game city siege experience. After months of feedback from you, the players, and our own personal experience playing the game, we realized we needed to step back and reevaluate the city siege mechanic from beginning to end. Specifically, how can we make the city siege experience something players will strive for? How can we reinforce RvR in the endgame and not RvE?

Now, before diving too deep into the changes we made, I want everyone to know this is really just step one. We simplified the flow, removed barriers, and most importantly refocused the gameplay on killing your opponents. We set up the city end-game experience so we could easily expand it down the road to make them even more epic.

id's CEO Talks Rage, Doom 4, Quake Live Subscriptions and Rude Interruptions on Shacknews is a conversation with id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead that took place at QuakeCon. Topics include all the iPhone stuff they've been doing, another reassurance that PS3 RAGE will run at 60 Hz, taking more projects in-house following their acquisition, Activision, the new DOOM dealie ("some days we call it Doom 4. Sometimes we call it Doom. Sometimes we call it the new Doom"), monetizing QUAKE LIVE, and more. When asked about mod support in RAGE, Todd indicates an openness to it, but indicates it will be a difficult undertaking in some respects, and also this will have to be cleared with id's new parent company ZeniMax:

You know, we really haven't talked about that very much. I mean, I would imagine that, as we have done with all of our games, and you know, honestly it's something we may to sit down and have a discussion with [id owner] ZeniMax about. We've always released the game source and a sample for people that want to create their own content.

Rage content creation is a lot different than what we've done previously. It is going to be difficult for amateur developers to make art in the game, just like it was difficult for people to make Doom 3 art. Rage is probably even that much moreso--you don't have to do all the normal maps and that stuff, like you did in Doom 3, but just the texture density and variety and being able to use the tools and all that stuff. We do have some stuff that makes our guys fast, but there's a fairly steep learning curve that the mod guys are gonna have to get over.

Steam announces pre-purchases of Alpha Protocol are now being conducted through their steamy digital marketplace. Those who opt to buy Obsidian Entertainment's spy-themed RPG before its release will get a free copy of Gas Powered Games' action/RPG Space Siege to play now. Alpha Protocol is currently expected in October. Also, there's a new Alpha.Protocol Blog on IGN describing the types of choices Obsidian wants to leave open to the player to allow for a personal style of play as they "hope to make a game where no two playthroughs of Alpha Protocol will be precisely the same."

We asked Activision about the $59.99 price tag for Modern Warfare 2 uncovered earlier, and they provided us with a brief statement:

We don't comment on our product pricing strategies, however, we believe that Modern Warfare 2 will deliver a film-like narrative as well as countless hours of rich multiplayer gaming long-after its release.

The QUAKE LIVE Website has word the promised Mac and Linux editions of id's subscription-free online shooter are now available. Here's word on this and other new developments:

    • QUAKE LIVE is now available for Mac OS X and Linux. We did just have an issue come up with the very latest version of Firefox on Mac (which came out after we finished the build), so this update is Safari only, but we've pushed a ticket with the folks at Mozilla and hope to have the Firefox build fixed very shortly.
    • Leaderboards are once again online.
    • We've increased the maximum allowable size of a personal config file from 16KB to 64KB.
    • Fixed an issue where players could lose their key binds after rebinding Mouse 1.
    • Added Instagib CTF servers (they were a blast on the BYOC).

Here's your StarCraft II info overload of the day. StarCraft 2 Interview- Lead Producer Talks LAN, Expansions, Editor Features and More on Shacknews chats with lead producer Chris Sigaty. Likewise Blizzard's Sigaty On Developing StarCraft II on Gamasutra is another conversation with the lead producer on Blizzard's RTS sequel. Meanwhile, Chris gets a break as the In-Depth Lore Interview on IncGamers.Com chats with Chris Metzen about the game, and they have also posted an article on the StarCraft II Blizzard hero NPCs. Finally, Blizzard: Several Years To Full Completion Of StarCraft II on Gamasutra gets Chris Sigaty back in the act, as he offers an outlook on how long it will take all three parts of this project to unfold:

The actual single-player mechanics will have to change, Sigaty explains. "What we're doing with multiplayer, we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of, so all those things, we're just starting to move into discussions about now," he says. "I really don't expect us to get into any action on it until we actually ship the game."

Does that mean it may be several years until all of StarCraft II is completed? "Yes," says Sigaty. "That's a fair statement."

And while the general guideline is a four- to six-month beta period, "we're not going to ship the game until it's ready, is the bottom line," Sigaty states. "We're trying to get the beta out as quickly as we can. We're really excited about where it is from a multiplayer standpoint. I don't know what it means other than we won't ship it until it's ready."

GamersGate and Dejobaan announce a distribution partnership, and as a result, The Wonderful End of the World is now for sale on GamersGate, where they are also taking preorders for AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, Dejobaan's upcoming base-jumping game. Word on AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA is it will take the leap onto gamer's systems on September 3.

Tripwire Interactive announces plans to self-publish the North American retail edition of Killing Floor, their survival/horror shooter that's already available via Steam. Here's the dealio:

Roswell, GA, 18 August 2009: Tripwire Interactive is delighted to announce that we will now be self-publishing, starting with the retail version of our own Steam hit zombie co-op shooter – Killing Floor. Tripwire will be the publisher for Killing Floor in North American stores, with the boxes due for shipping to retail outlets in USA and Canada shortly. As always with Tripwire titles, the retail version will be fully supported going forward with additional free updates for the game. MSRP will be $19.99 in the USA.

About the game
Killing Floor is a Co-op Survival Horror FPS taking place in the devastated cities and countryside of England, after a series of cloning experiments for the military goes horribly wrong. You and your friends are members of the military and police, dropped into these locations with a simple mission: survive long enough to cleanse the area of the failed experiments. The only problem is, these “experiments” aren’t waiting to be taken out – they’re coming for YOU!

Tim Willits Talks Rage At QuakeCon 2009 on G4tv.com is a video interview with id Software's creative director about RAGE, their upcoming shooting and driving gib-feat. The driving force behind this interview is a discussion of the game's vehicles. As Tim says: "There's tires, suspension, armor kits. One thing that we found out in testing is that, yeah, you can put guns on your vehicles, but people really like ramming into other cars so one of the upgrades that you'll be able to buy is a 'front-smasher'. With that, you can just plow through the wasteland and cause a lot of destruction and hit somebody."

A Gamescom 2009 "Squad Stories" trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a cinematic from DICE's upcoming modern combat sequel. The trailer is posted on AtomicGamer, Eurogamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and GameTrailers.com.

More of Dragon Age: Origins is on display in a new Gamescom trailer from BioWare's upcoming RPG. The clip is posted on Eurogamer, Gamer's Hell, and GameTrailers.com.

A new launch trailer from Runes of Magic: The Elven Prophecy shows off more of the upcoming Chapter 2 of the subscription-free MMORPG. Word is: "The video for ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ uses in-game graphics to tell the story of the Elves’ first appearance after living in exile for a very long time." Your quest to find this clip will lead to AtomicGamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and IncGamers.

A new Gamescom trailer from Aion has another look at NCsoft's now-gold, fantasy-themed MMORPG. You can lay your eyes on Aion on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell. Also, an article on Massively introduces the Cleric from Aion, a subclass of the Priest class.

The Natural Selection 2 Website has an introduction of the Infantry Portal for Natural Selection 2, which will work much as it did in the original game to allow marines players to respawn, with the following change: "The IP will also have one additional feature which is that marines can instantly rejoin their squad by using the computer screen on the back, once the IP has been upgraded." The update has further details along with screenshots and a video trailer.

EA's The Sims 3: World Adventures to Feature Global Artists announces musical artists such as Nelly Furtado who will have their work translated to Simlish in the upcoming The Sims 3: World Adventures. Also, a teaser trailer from the add-on is available on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.

• Fallen Earth on MMORPG.COM.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• FCC document indicates Sony planning 250GB PS3 Slim.
• Sony 'Expecting Nice Uptick' in PS3 Sales.
• Brutal Legend Demo Announced.
• Dante’s Inferno Releases February 2010.
• Harmonix Announces 44 of 45 Tracks for The Beatles: Rock Band.
• Ubisoft officially reveals 'Just Dance,' for people who don't mind looking like this.
• Is Gran Turismo 5 Coming Out This Year?
• New Heavy Rain trailer is all about love.
• TRINE on PlayStation Network in Sept., says Nobilis.
• Canadian Deal, $38.00 for Batman- Arkham Asylum on PS3 or Xbox 360.
• PSN cards, Video Store available this fall in Europe.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Sony's big plans for OLED HDTVs may slip to next year.
• Coming Soon: Microsoft's Beefed-Up 720p LifeCam Cinema Webcam.
• Verizon Will Beat The Crap Out Of You For No Extra Charge.
• Budget PC brands see biggest gains in consumer satisfaction.
• A life recorded in bits and bytes.
• Did Woz cause tech's 'Dancing' snub?
• The Press Releases of the Damned. Thanks Slashdot.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• PSP 100MB minis Unveiled.
• Exploding iPhones 'isolated incidents', say Apple.
• Apparently, Wireless 911 Will Kill You.
• iPhone OS 3.0 bug allows deleted emails to rise from the dead.
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival coming to PSP in Japan.
• Register your PSP Go quickly, get Gran Turismo PSP free.
• Eye of Judgment seen on PSP.
• Digital Reader brings comics to the PSP this December.
• Turquoise, Lilac and Pink PSP-3000s hit Europe in November.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Dissecting the Casts of Valve’s Left 4 Dead Series…
• Activision's World at War Map Pack Revenues Equal to Another Million Units Sold, says EEDAR…
• EA labels Activision ‘huge and ugly monster’…

Link of the Day: Tweetlejuice (thanks Ant). Tweetlejuice! Tweetlejuice! Tweetlejuice!
R.I.P.: Political columnist Robert Novak dies at 78.

Funcom announces Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, the first expansion for Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures, their Robert E. Howard-inspired MMORPG. Here are some screenshots, and the Age Of Conan: Rise of The Godslayer Website is online with media and information on the add-on, which does not yet carry a release date. Word is:

Players will discover vast new locations in `Rise of the Godslayer', such as the far-stretching Northern Grasslands, the deceptively serene Chosain Province and the magnificent Pillars of Heaven. Adventurers will find that the new regions are torn apart by conflict between its inhabitants, and you will be able to take part in these conflicts by joining up with many of the warring factions. Faction gameplay plays a large role in `Rise of the Godslayer', presenting the player with choices that earn them both allies and enemies in Khitai. Through questing and adventure players can advance through faction ranks, rewarding them with incredible treasures such as epic new armor and weapons. Players can choose to continue their adventures with existing characters, acquiring new combat abilities and spells through a robust alternate advancement system, or start over again as a Khitan – an all-new culture. No matter what the choice may be, adventurers will find a wealth of new high-level content, but also low-level content in Khitai available immediately after leaving Tortage Island. The expansion also introduces new mounts such as the Tiger, and through adventure players will see them grow from a weak cub into a ferocious fighting companion.

MCV has the announcement of the PS3 Slim, a pared down version of Sony's console that's been the worst-kept secret in the gaming world for some time now. The news is accompanied by a confirmation of a PS3 price cut, which was the second worst-kept secret in gaming over that same period. The PS3 Slim has a 120 GB hard drive, is 32% smaller and 36% lighter than its forebear, and is said to consume 34% less power. As for pricing, the PS3 Slim will cost €299.99, $299.00 and 29,980 yen, and the price on the current 80GB model has been cut to those pointes as well. Word is: " UK price has yet to be confirmed." The PS3 Slim is expected in stores by the first week in September.

A new movie from Need for Speed: SHIFT is now available on Needforspeed.com. The header calls this the "opening video" from the racing sequel, but the caption below says it's the "attract" video shown to attendees of the EA Press Conference at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne. Either way, the clip is composed almost entirely of gameplay footage. The page and clip also add a little confusion to what we understand about the game's release date. Back in March EA announced that Need for Speed SHIFT is expected in Europe on September 17 and in North America on September 22. The conclusion of this clip, however, says the game is due on September 17 in Europe and September 15 in North America. Adding to the confusion, the caption below the clip says the reverse, that SHIFT is due "September 15th in Europe and 17th in North America." We contacted EA to iron this out, and they confirmed that the September 17 date for Europe remains in effect, but game's release in North America is now planned for September 15, a week earlier than originally expected.

The first patch is available for Wolfenstein, updating Raven's newly released paranormal shooter to version 1.1, accompanied by a version 1.1 dedicated server for the hosting of multiplayer games. The new version addresses a number of bugs, and also offers some enhancements, like the ability to change crosshairs from the menu, separate bindings for "use" and "item," and new quick chat bindings. The patch is available for download from ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls; while the server is available from AtomicGamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and The Patches Scrolls.

BioWare Unveils New Story Details for Mass Effect 2, introducing a "blood-hungry Krogan" named Grunt as another of the "motley cast of characters" that will comprise Commander Shepard's crew in BioWare's upcoming action/RPG sequel. In brief Grunt is: "A violent and unpredictable Krogan fighter, Grunt has never faced true defeat. His unsurpassed physical strength makes him a strong asset to Commander Shepard’s team, if he can be tamed, and if he can be trusted." There's also a ShakyCam video of Grunt on GameTrailers.com that's available in direct-feed form from ActionTrip, AtomicGamer, and Gamer's Hell.

Members of the team at Endrant Studios that coded the multiplayer portion of Raven's just-released Wolfenstein have been let go, reports GamesIndustry.biz. A spokesperson for the studio had the following to say: "We have recently completed a development cycle and have regrettably been forced to make adjustments to staff and headcounts." Thanks Ant and Paketep.

The Saboteur Website now offers a new gameplay trailer from Pandemic's upcoming World War II action/stealth game. The clip shows off some carousing at the cafe and some flashbacks depicting action sequences from the game.

DICE announces March 2, 2010 as the release date for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, their military shooter prequel that was originally announced for release in the more general "this winter." Here's a bit from the announcement about the game: "Whether online or in the single player campaign, players use every weapon and vehicle to survive and conquer. Players choose from 15 authentically modeled vehicles, each providing a tactical advantage and offering a variety of gameplay options. The new UH-60 transport helicopter can ship an entire four-player squad directly into battle, while allowing two additional team members to wreak havoc with its two mounted rail guns on board."

Diplomacy is the title of the second "mini-expansion" for Sins of a Solar Empire, which will be unveiled to the assembled fans and press at Penny Arcade Expo 2009, which runs from September 4-6, 2009. More details should be expected at that time, but for now a blog post by Brad Wardell outlines PAX plans that include showing off Diplomacy, their upcoming Elemental, and new stuff being added to Demigod. Thanks Big Download.

Those daunted by the $59.99 price tag mentioned earlier for Modern Warfare 2 may be interested in the listing for Infinity Ward's military shooter sequel on Walmart.com, which carries a $49.82 price, which includes a bonus of a $10.00 eGift card. Thanks Big Download.

id Software's Wolfenstein is Now Available is the announcement that the new Wolfenstein game developed by Raven Software is now available in US stores for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, offering a supernatural first-person shooter set during World War II. Here's a bit on the latest installment in the series that basically launched the shooter genre:

As players embark on an all-new mission deep in the heart of the Third Reich, they will have access to an arsenal of upgradable conventional and sci-fi weapons, while battling a multitude of escalating enemies, from Nazi combat troops and super soldiers to paranormal forces and experimental creatures.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the Wolfenstein multi-player experience features the Axis and Resistance squaring off against each other in Team Deathmatch, Stopwatch or Objective based games. With three classes from which to choose, players can fight on the frontline as a soldier, heal their compatriots as a medic, or help gather objectives as an engineer all while using the Veil powers in special ways. Additionally, the persistent gold found within the multiplayer maps allows players to purchase upgrades for weapons and Veil powers on the fly, ensuring a deep and continuous variety of action along with tremendous replay value.

PopCap Games announces Zuma's Revenge, a sequel to Zuma to be released for Windows and MacOS next month on September 15. Word is: "In Zuma the player takes the role of a fearless ball-shooting frog, exploring ancient temples and ruins. By firing colored spheres into an advancing chain of balls to make matches of three or more, the frog blasts his way through a series of arcade challenges. The sequel brings the player to an all-new setting, the Polynesian paradise of Zhaka Mu, and ups the ante with nearly triple the screen resolution of the original game, cool 3-D particle effects, and support for widescreen monitors. A full list of new features in Zuma’s Revenge! will be available at launch."

Muzzy Lane Software announces plans to support some social networking features in Making History II: The War of the World, their grand strategy sequel planned for release this fall. Word is:

NEWBURYPORT, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Muzzy Lane, developer of the upcoming strategy game MAKING HISTORY II: "The War of the World,” has charted a bold new course for its online multiplayer mode with the inclusion of social-enabled features like chat rooms and personal user pages.

By offering a game that can directly access social tools and services, MAKING HISTORY II changes how grand strategy games are played and paves the way for more meaningful multiplayer sessions. Features currently available include personal user pages, a new web-enabled messaging system, friend lists and a single login that brings both Making History forums and Gaming Headquarters’ audiences together for the first time. After the launch of MAKING HISTORY II additional features will be enabled such as leaderboards, multiplayer matchmaking, persistent hosted games, and group management support. Players are notified by email when a new turn is pending. These changes make the online multiplayer sessions function much smoother than in most strategy titles.

The Champions Online Website follows-up further on problems with the initial game client for the Champions Online beta test. Word is a whole new client for Cryptic's superhero MMORPG is available on FilePlanet, while for those still experiencing issues with the earlier installer they also announce a Standalone Patch for Those with Launcher Issues.

Listings for the PC edition of Modern Warfare 2 on sites such as Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop reflect a $59.99 retail price, which is the price of the console versions, and a good $10.00 higher than the typical price of just about every PC game in history (thanks Ant/FiringSquad/BeefJack). Pricing of the console versions of the military shooter sequel has already caused controversy, and now it looks like the PC version may as well. We've contacted Activision for comment on this. Update: Big Download points out Walmart.com currently lists the game for $49.82 that also includes a bonus $10.00 eGift card.

CCP announces DUST 514, following up on the trademarks they recently filed for that title as well as DUST. The game is an MMO FPS/RTS, but for consoles only, though it will integrate with their PC MMOG EVE Online. The first couple of screenshots are online, and word is more details will be unveiled at CCP's EVE Fanfest 2009, October 1-3, 2009 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Here's a bit:

DUST 514, featuring first-person shooter and RTS-style gameplay, will interact directly with EVE Online, CCP’s critically acclaimed flagship MMO. This interplay between the two games opens the EVE universe to console gamers and gives them a chance to become part of one of the most massive cooperative play and social experiences ever.

“We launched EVE Online in 2003 and have experienced steady annual growth – a fact we appreciate as a rarity in the world of MMOs, especially given the global economy of the past year,” said Petursson. “Our success with EVE Online has afforded us the highest caliber global design and production talent in gaming. With a team of the best minds in the industry, we conceived an ambitious new take on virtual world development with DUST 514.”

The primary gameplay of DUST 514 features brutal ground combat that takes place on the surface of planets from EVE, delivering the visceral, adrenaline-fueled experience of futuristic firefights. Developed for the current generation of consoles, DUST 514 combines equal parts battlefield reflexes and strategic planning, giving commanders and ground infantry real-time configurable weapons and modular vehicles to manage dynamic battlefield conditions.

Now entering its third year of production, DUST 514 is the primary development focus of CCP’s Shanghai studio. The team includes veteran designers of EVE Online and experienced talent from various sectors of the video game industry.

New Zombie Cow Game Details on Rock, Paper, Shotgun offers a conversation with Dan Marshall of Zombie Cow who reveals plans to follow up on the success of their indie released Ben There, Dan That! and Time Gentlemen, Please! with an episodic series on the same distinctive 2D style. Here's what Dan says: "So the plan is: instead of writing a whole new adventure, I’m currently hard at work making a ‘Dan and Ben Episodes Engine’, which is being custom-built from the ground up (whatever that means, it sounds right) to make writing new adventures much much easier. We’re looking at doing shorter, cheaper, standalone jabs of entertainment – possibly just an hour or so’s gameplay to slot into that gap you’ve got on a weekday evening, the same sort of length as an episode of something on TV."

There's a new Just Cause 2 trailer on Team Xbox with a tourism ad for the island of Panau, "a paradise of unparalleled beauty" where you will be able to take a relaxing vacation blowing up everything in sight in Just Cause 2, the third-person action sequel in the works at Avalanche Studios. The clip shows off the beauty of the game's environments, and shows off some action. Thanks Tony!!!

Iceberg Interactive will Publish Zeno Clash in European Territories, bringing the fighting game to European retailers in the fourth quarter of this year to complement its current availability on Steam. Here's word from ACE Team cofounder Andres Bordeu: "We’re extremely happy to have partnered with Iceberg Interactive to bring Zeno Clash to the retail market in Europe. We’re certain that through their experience and passion for games, Zeno Clash will reach a broader audience that is eager to experience new and unique games. We’re confident that Zeno Clash is in excellent hands."

The Problem With Porting Games on bit-tech.net talks with developers about the art of porting games from one platform to another. CPU and GPU architectures are analyzed, graphics, testing, and more. It's an enlightening read, as demonstrated by this discussion of PC ports:

The problem for multi-platform game developers making PC games is that at some point you have to say “stop” when it comes to extra hardware features. You can always add higher-resolution options in the PC game, but you begin to upset the guys in control of the game's budget if you start putting serious man hours into developing graphics features that are only available to a small number of PC gamers, let alone console gamers. “I know people are going to read this and say, god that guy's telling us that we've bought all this hardware for nothing,” says Bozz, “but the reality is that as much as I'd like to support this stuff, I can't do that at the expense of the other 98 per cent of gamers.”

A very common bugbear for PC gamers is that they feel that the graphics in a PC version of a game have been compromised, simply because the consoles wouldn't be able to handle the same level of graphics. However, Red Faction: Guerilla's system architect Dave Baranec disputes this, and says that in fact “we usually find it's the opposite”.

Part of the problem is that multi-platform games are usually developed primarily for consoles, which means that they're heavily optimised for those architectures. Baranec explains that “content targets, system design and overall structure tend to be tailored towards what the consoles do best. It isn't uncommon to find that even high-end PCs have a hard time holding up against the sorts of deep optimisations you can make on fixed hardware.” However, he also concedes that “the situation could certainly be reversed – you could build a game that caters to the strengths of PCs, and find huge problems trying to get it to run on a console”.

Researchers Explore Mental Health Benefits of Video Games on Washingtonpost.com introduces us to Gail Nichols, a 49 year-old Kansas woman who found video games helped fight symptoms of her depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She discovered this through playing Bejeweled, which inspired PopCap games to start studying the mental health benefits from gaming, while also occasionally supplying Gail with new games to see if they had similar impact on her condition. This quote offers theories on why games may help with this from Carmen Russoniello, director of the psychophysiology lab and biofeedback clinic that conducted research on this at the behest of PopCap:

The researcher hypothesized that one reason for the apparent mental health benefits of video games is that many people in Western countries find it impossible to switch off; they are always alert and stressed out. When those Type A people try to relax, they get bored because they have come to require a certain level of stressful arousal. Playing certain video games, Russoniello said, offers just enough mental challenge to keep such people occupied while putting them into a state of relative mindlessness. That state appears to have salutary effects on stress and other mental problems.

The Brink interview on Big Download and the Brink Interview on AtomicGamer are a pair of article-format conversations with Paul Wedgwood of Splash Damage about BRINK, the upcoming action game set in a different future than Fallout 3 and RAGE, but equally dystopian. Here's a bit from AtomicGamer on the PC and console support:

The one thing that really comes through with Paul is his enthusiasm for making things right with core players. His insistence on developing a solid PC experience with dedicated servers and solid controls is there, even if he can't actually officially confirm any specific plans or details in these specific areas. And while this will be a simultaneous PC and console launch (PC gamers can quickly point to dozens of titles out there that were made worse because of the three-platform simultaneous release date), the dream of having successful, fun titles on three major platforms at once has been realized quite a few times in the last couple of years. To say that those developers have bottled lightning multiple times and that no one else can do it, well, that seems silly. If we're to learn anything from Quake Wars, it's that Splash Damage needs to work on the console editions more than the PC version, but with Bethesda's considerable budget and console experience behind them, it seems quite likely that that won't be nearly as much of a problem as when they worked under the wing of id Software.

The Harvester Games Interview on Adventure Classic Gaming talks with Remigiusz Michalski, founder of this indie developer, about Downfall, their horror-themed adventure game. The conversation discusses the game's inspirations and development, and also delves into the violence and other mature themes that may be the reason the game is not available via Steam, and has even caused promotional trailers to be censored.

• Blizzard Hits Houston During Summer.
• Gamescom welcomes global industry.
• Activision to showcase highly anticipated games line-up at Gamescom 2009.
• Shadow Complex Early Access Sweepstakes on G4tv.com.

• Aion on GameZone along with The Despair of Innocence: Chapter One. Part one of a five part fictional backstory.
• APB on VG247. Epic's Mark Rein's impressions.
• Black Prophecy on the Official Website. Developer Diary - Art Direction: The Game Environment.

• Kmart confirms ‘new PS3’.
• SingStar- Beatles on the way. PS3 exclusive.
• Disney Interactive Studios Announces Spectrobes: Origins Has Arrived.
• Ten L.A. Noire storyboards leaked online. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• Games on Demand- Saints Row and Rockstar Table Tennis.
• Dyack on Eternal Darkness 2: "The future is bright".
• Will family-friendly controllers cripple the console giants?

• Interview with Galaxy; Edward Chow on Hardware Bistro.
• Tweaking and Optimising Windows Vista.
• Windows 7 to get Dolby Digital Plus support.
• XP Users Are Willing To Give Windows 7 a Chance.

• PSP Go App Pricing To Rival iPhone's.
• Jolicloud The Free OS For Netbooks: Ready For Prime Time?

• U.S. Indicts 3 in Theft of 130 Million Bank Cards. Thanks j.c.f.
• How 10 digits will end privacy as we know it. Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Court Greenlights Class-Action Suit Against EA for NFL Exclusivity.
• Microsoft Files -Emergency Motion- To Ship Word.
• FCC enforcing imaginary laws in P2P ruling, says Comcast.
• Georgia cyberattacks linked to Russian organized crime.
• Microsoft Trial Misconduct Cost $40 Million.
• Former Secret Service informant named in 'largest credit card data breach ever'. Thanks Ant.

• ArmA II on Gaming Nexus.
• Hearts of Iron III on Gameplanet Review.
• Killing Floor on Hooked Gamers.
• Panzerkrieg: Burning Horizon 2 on Armchair General.

• A-DATA 32GB XPG Series Xupreme Flash Drive on Legit Reviews.
• AeroCool Touch 2000 LCD Fan Controller on ThinkComputers.org.
• AMD 785G Chipset IGP Video Performance on Neoseeker.
• AMD Phenom 955 II X4 CPU on XSReviews.co.uk.
• ASM09 Gaming Mouse Mat Roundup on MetkuMods.
• ASUS EAH4770 FML-DI-512MD5-A Radeon HD 4770 Graphics Card on PCSTATS.com.
• ASUS G51VX-RX05 Gaming Notebook on HotHardware.
• ASUS GTX 285 Matrix Graphics Card on MADSHRIMPS. Fastest single-GPU card?
• ASUS Rampage Gene II MicroATX LGA1366 Motherboard on X-bit labs.
• B-Gears B-Envi HTPC And Gaming Chassis on OverclockersHQ.com.
• BFG LS1200 1250W PSU on Hardware Bistro.
• Chieftec BL-01B Case on Overclockers Club.
• Choiix Netbook Easy Fit Sleeve C-ND01 on MEGATech Reviews.
• Kingston SSDNow V 128GB Laptop Upgrade Kit on Bjorn3D.com.
• Nokia Surge 6790 Cell Phone on Digital Trends.
• Samsung SyncMaster P2350 LCD Monitor on CCE Reviews.
• SilverStone Raven RVS01 Case on [Phoronix].
• Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case on Big Bruin.
• Thermaltake Element T Case on PureOC.
• Thermaltake ISGC-100 CPU Cooler on Hardware Secrets.

Thanks Ant.

• Play Classic DOS Games on Ubuntu Linux. Thanks Linux Today…
• The Ten Commandments of Batman: Arkham Asylum on IGN…
• The DiRT 2 Facebook Page reveals the track list for the soundtrack from the rally racing sequel…

Today is the 40th anniversary of the belated close of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair. In a complete coincidence, the little road trip we took on Sunday took us directly through Bethel, NY and right past Yasgur's farm during the commemoration of this, which we probably would have tried to avoid if we'd realized it in time. Luckily, though some areas were obviously a bit overrun, we didn't really hit any congestion caused by this. The only slowdown we had on the whole trip (flat tire aside) was some rubbernecking that turned out to be caused by an overturned horse trailer, which was a very upsetting sight until we saw the driver off on the side of the road with his horse, who thankfully didn't seem to have suffered any injuries.

Peace and Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Toss the Turtle. Hungry Shapes Endless War 4.
Link:	The Arkeg. Thanks Neatorama.
Stories:	US banknotes show cocaine traces. Movie buff to sell amazing £1m collection of memorabilia due to huge storage cost. Thanks Matthew. Sprint executive killed by a boulder. Thanks Boing Boing.
Science:	Itty-bitty lasers hold hope for scalable optical processing. A Lunar Nuclear Reactor. Thanks Slashdot. Space 1999? Explorers Discover Giant Rat-Eating Plant, Name it After Famed Scientist. Thanks theAntiELVIS.
Media:	Left 4 dead comedy using G-Mod- Left 4 smokes. Do You Wanna Date My Avatar. Statistical Probability of This Happening ≈ 0.