Ex-Titan Quest Lead On Console Barriers, PC Opportunities on Gamasutra talks with Crate Entertainment's Arthur Bruno and Eric Campanella about plans for this developer formed after the closure of Iron Lore Entertainment. They had worked for a while in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to obtain the rights to Black Legion, the console-based RPG that Iron Lore had been developing. Failing that, they are looking to develop a new PC based action/RPG to be digitally distributed. Plans are vague right now, but here's a bit on what they've got going on:

Crate's new project will be "small-scope," and will launch at a price "significantly below normal retail," Bruno said. It may be exclusively digitally distributed, and by now you may have guessed that there will be no massive marketing campaign for the game. Crate holds no big hope that the unannounced title will have the same kind of sales as Titan Quest.

But while big sales are desirable, Crate's project doesn't need to be a huge hit by any means, Bruno said. "With no publisher and a very small development budget, if we can even capture 10 percent of [Titan Quest's total] sales, we’ll be doing OK." Crate could keep revenue flowing through "frequent expansions and optional content."

"I believe our small size, independence, and desire to avoid starvation will give us the agility and incentive to succeed in this area," Bruno surmised.

Massively has patch notes for a massive patch that's now live for Champions Online with tons of fixes and tweaks for Cryptic's MMORPG. They noted at the time that the planned free Retcon to allow early start players to re-roll their toons was not included, but in a subsequent post they outline how to get the free respec.

A patch for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is now available to update the English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Polish editions of Techland's wild west shooter prequel to version 1.1. The download is available on AtomicGamer and FileFront. Update: Ubisoft warns this is not the final version of the patch and it was "wrongfully released," and that a proper patch will be released "in the coming days."

A comment on the PlayStation.Blog.Europe responds to a question about DLC for Batman Arkham Asylum by revealing a second release will follow after the free pack expected on September 17, saying: "The two additional packs are coming in the next two weeks, one per week (Insane Night 17th Sept and Prey In The Darkness 24th Sept)." A post on the Eidos Forums has the official (no) comment from Eidos: "Hello everyone. The official word is no comment. How dull. As soon as I have official info (or maybe a little before) I'll post it." Thanks Kotaku. Also, the copy protection in the PC edition of the game has now inspired a few threads on the Eidos Forums, as they discuss features of the game that fail to work in illegal copies, most humorously involving the grappling hook, something with which pirates should theoretically be very skilled.

This press release announces Relic is bringing Company of Heroes Online to South Korea, expanding the online World War II RTS game beyond its launch territory of China. They've partnered with an online game service called Windysoft, and say: "THQ will work closely with Windysoft to provide ongoing technical support and live content for Company of Heroes Online for the Korean market."

The Los Angeles Times has word that Universal Pictures will be less ambitious about internal video game tie-ins after sales of Wanted: Weapons of Fate failed to hit their mark. The launch of the game not only missed the debut of the action film upon which it was based, but also the DVD release, and it sold only 100,000 copies in its first month. The article indicates Universal will probably farm out future such projects to other publishers, saying: "One person familiar with the studio's plans said that although Universal hasn't given up on the idea of investing in video games, the studio is being very conservative following the performance of 'Wanted' and the overall slowdown in video game sales recently." Thanks Gamesindiustry.biz.

Direct2Drive's 5 Year Anniversary will offer 10 games a week for five weeks at $5.00 each.

• Braid on Steam. Save 66% this weekend.
• Call of Juarez on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Civilization 4 on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Empire Earth Gold on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Far Cry on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• The Settlers: Heritage of Kings on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Section 8 on Direct2Drive. Save $5.00 with code 5OFFSECTION8 at checkout.
• Sid Meier's Railroads! on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• Ubisoft Games on Ubisoft European E-Shop. Games as low as £9.99.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Game of the Year Edition on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
• X-Com Complete Bundle on Direct2Drive. $5.00.
  
  Still on sale (previously reported)
  
• All Strategy First Games on Steam. Save 50% off each individual title.
• All SEGA Games on GamersGate. Save 50% on all games (except preorders).
• Dark Void Preorders on GameStop. Outlines the preorder bonus.
• Darkest of Days on Steam. Save 10%.
• Dawn of Magic 2 Pre-Purchase on Steam. Save 10%. Not in North America.
• Fallen Earth Preorders on the Fallen Earth Store. Save 10% on multiple keys.
• Knights of the Old Republic on Direct2Drive. Save 25% this week if you register for The Old Republic community.
• Majesty 2 Pre-purchase on Steam. Get Majesty Gold Edition for free.
• Majesty 2 Preorder on GamersGate. Save 20%, get Majesty Gold, plus new GG bonuses.
• Nation Red on Steam. Save 25% for the first week of availability and get features exclusive to Steam.
• Simon the Sorcerer on GOG.com. Save $1.00 this week (discount not reflected on the page).
• Strategy First Complete Pack 2009 on Steam. Save 50% off the package price.
• Time of Shadows Pre-Purchase on Steam. Save 10%. North America only.
• Zuma'a Revenge Pre-purchase on Steam. Save 10%.

• Fallen Earth on ZAM and ZAM.
• The Secret World on Eurogamer, GameSpot, Massively, and MMORPG.COM.

• Elemental: War of Magic on the Official Website.
• Heroes over Europe on GameInfoWire.
• Order of War on Blue's News.

• Madden NFL 10 on Wii Sells Just 67K Copies.
• EA Boss Does Not Seem Pleased With Madden 10 Sales.
• Activision: Courtney Love Signed Cobain Contract for Guitar Hero 5.
• BioShock composer scores Dante's Inferno.
• Electronic Arts Tests Journalists' Greed With Cash.

• Jobs: iPod Touch is a games console. Since otherwise it's obsolete.
• Apple Demonstrates Ignorance of Mobile Games Market.
• Palm Pre sync vs. Apple iTunes, round 2. Thanks Ant.
• Motorola embraces Android with CLIQ smartphone, Blur sync.
• PSP firmware v6.00 out now.

• Eyefinity pushes over 24 million pixels with one next-gen Radeon.
• Linux 2.6.31 now available. Thanks Slashdot.
• China is the next Silicon Valley, proclaims Symbian Foundation director. Thanks Ant.
• eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.5 now available.
• Linux Foundation to Microsoft: stop secretly attacking Linux.
• Top 10 cool satellite projects.
• PC Perspective - Podcast #73.

• The Best Cell Phone Values.

• Video Game Sales Slide Again for Sixth Straight Month…
• Economy imperils game-heavy Army marketing centers…
• The Man Who Won Tetris…
• Analyst: Self-Service Kiosks 'Expanding The Used Game Market'…
• Crytek to make CryEngine free to UK universities…
• Wizard101 Celebrates First Anniversary and Five Million Players…

Link of the Day: Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure Board Game. "Choking hazard." Thanks Kxmode.

A playable demo is now available for Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold, the upcoming bundle that combines both Supreme Ruler 2020 and the Global Crisis expansion for Battlegoat's strategy game. The demo includes the ability to play games that last up to four game months as well as these three scenarios: "California Dreaming," "Ethiopian Empire," and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." The download is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

The first screenshots from The Secret World are now available, and there are new details about Funcom's upcoming MMORPG on Dark Days Are Coming, the official website of the game. Word is: "Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true. Imagine if your worst nightmare came to life. Imagine a world where vampires hunt for mortal blood in dingy London nightclubs, where werewolves lurk in the sewers beneath Seoul, and where the undead prey on the living in the shadows of New York City. This is the premise for «The Secret World», Funcom's upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in the modern day real world."

A new America's Army 3 update is now automatically available via Steam, addressing some bugs in Uncle Sam's shooter sequel. Also now available on Steam is a Garry's Mod update with a couple of fixes and 10 new achievements. Finally, a new Source 2007 engine update is also now available, fixing an exploit and a few bugs.

The Electronic Arts UK Forums offer links to a pair of multilanguage demos for FIFA 10, allowing the chance to kick around the latest installment in the academy football/soccer series. One demo supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish; while the other is in Russian, Czech, Hungarian, and Polish. The English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish demo is mirrored on AtomicGamer, ComputerGames.ro, eXp Download, FanGaming, FileFront, Fileplay, Gamer's Hell, and PixelRage. The Russian, Czech, Hungarian, and Polish demo is mirrored on FanGaming, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

SouthPeak Games announces Trine is now available at North American retail. A demo of the game is available if you feel like tryin' Trine, and here's word:

MIDLOTHIAN, VA – September 10, 2009 - SouthPeak Games announced today that Trine™, the critically-acclaimed fantasy game, has shipped out to retail shelves in North America. Available for PC, Trine follows the adventure of three distinct characters that must work together to solve physics-based puzzles and fend off enemies in a world of gorgeous landscapes and high adventure.

Trine has gained several nominations and awards including a GameSpot Editor’s Choice Award at E3 2009 in Los Angeles.

“The attention and the accolades that this title has received are nothing short of incredible,” said Richard Iggo, VP of Marketing at SouthPeak. “It’s truly a testament to the game’s rock solid game-play, visuals and storyline. We’re thrilled to bring this experience to PC gamers in North America.”

Bound by a powerful artifact known as “the Trine”, the knight Pontius, the thief Zoya and the wizard Amadeus must combine their skills in order to triumph. The player must decide when to use knight’s strength, thief’s agility or wizard’s magic to overcome the many obstacles and challenges found in this classic fantasy world.

Up to three players can work together in cooperative mode on the same screen and each level has multiple solutions allowing for limitless player creativity as they fight to save the kingdom.

Trine is available for Windows PC at a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

For more information visit www.southpeakgames.com.

Toys Я Us is now accepting used game trade-ins at their US stores, after testing a trade-in program since earlier this year. You can even dig up the million copies of ET for the Atari 2600 you misplaced all those years ago, as they seem to be dealing with every platform possible, except, of course, the PC: "Beyond helping customers trade games from current systems such as the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, Toys'R'Us stores will accept games from almost every gaming system imaginable. Games from systems such as the Atari 2600, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Nintendo NES, Intellivision, Sega Genesis can be exchanged."

Mad Otter Games announces they have landed the rights to the Red Baron series of World War I combat flight simulations developed back in the day by Dynamix, appropriate since Dynamix cofounder Damon Slye is one of the otters at Mad Otter (thanks Big Download). They now have the rights, but not the source code, so they are offering a reward:

Mad Otter Games is very proud to announce that it has acquired all rights to Red Baron, Red Baron II, and Red Baron 3D. Many of the otters worked on the award winning game back in 1989! It was named #4 on the Best Games of All Time (PC) by Computer Gaming World in 1996.

In an effort to bring these games back to life, Mad Otter is offering a finder’s fee of $1500 to the first person who can deliver the complete source code to any of these games. Note: complete source code does *not* mean assembly. Original C or C++ please!

Red Baron, Red Baron II, and Red Baron 3D are registered trademarks of Mad Otter Games, Inc.

Warner Bros. Forms DC Entertainment announces a separate company focused on making the comics business less of a separate company: "DC Entertainment will be charged with strategically integrating the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses."

Mana Bomb Game Studio announces Colony Defense, a sci-fi planetary defense strategy game planned for a digitally distributed release next year on Windows and Xbox 360. A video on the YouTube features developer narration and gameplay, and here's the announcement:

Oklahoma City, OK - Mana Bomb Games Studio has released the first gameplay video of their upcoming planetary defense
strategy game "Colony Defense". Releasing for digital distribution for the PC platform and the XBOX Live Indy Games platform Q1 2010.

Colony Defense Features:

* Not your Mom's tower defense! Defend each planets colonies from the alien onslaught in this high action / strategy title.
* Full 3D. Manage multiple strategies as you orbit above the surface of the planets. Rotate around the planet to keep an eye on the battles happening all over the planets surface.
* Multiple alien spawn points and multiple paths aliens can take to your helpless colonies, ensure frenzied, action-packed battles.
* Arcade style controls. Built from the ground up to be used with an XBOX 360 game pad. Works just as well with a mouse and keyboard support.
* 10 upgradable weapons to fight the good fight with. Ricochet laser cannons, flame throwers, stasis towers, artillery cannons, and many more, make for unique strategy each level.
* Real time Orbital Ion Cannon, when you need that extra punch!
* Thirty two unique levels to engage the enemy on.

Visit www.manabomb.com for more information!

Matrix Games announces that Operation Barbarossa: The Struggle for Russia is now available, offering Binary Evolution Studios' "elegant and challenging" turn-based strategy game set during World War II. Word is:

Aimed at all levels, from those who have never played a wargame before to those who know the history of World War II in detail, this is an entertaining and mentally challenging game of combined arms strategy. Your armor, infantry, artillery and air units will follow you through the most crucial battles of the Eastern Front. You will be able to choose from 47 different upgrades and improvements for your units as well as add new forces based on your success in the campaign.

Take command in two German and one Soviet campaign as well as individual scenarios and determine the fate of the Eastern Front. When you’ve played through all the campaigns and scenarios, try your hand at the editor to create new scenarios for yourself or to share with others!

The Battlefield Heroes Website indicates that the "Technical Update" for Battlefield Heroes is now live, adding the ability to wait in a queue to join a full game, some anti-cheating measures, a fix for the dreaded "error 15," and more to DICE's free online military shooter. Thanks Ant via Planet Battlefield.

The Evochron Legends Website now offers a new version 1.128 update for StarWraith 3D Games' space combat and trading game, which also serves as an updated playable demo. Word is: "This update has focused on a lot of 'under the hood' improvements. Several players have been working on mods for the game and ran into some limitations with certain customizing options. This build helps resolve those limits, includes some minor fixes, adds some new functionality, and includes several gameplay improvements. This update is required for multiplayer compatibility."

The PAX Interview on Shacknews tracks down Valve writer Chet Faliszek between Left 4 Dead 2 interviews to conduct a Left 4 Dead 2 interview. Topics include the theme park campaign, the Jockey, the swamp, and more. Chet also gives a status report on how the original Left 4 Dead will interact with the sequel: "Yeah, yeah. I'm not exactly sure what it's going to be. At some point when we're near shipping and that's set, we'll get smarter people who know technical stuff to come out and talk about it. And that won't be me. I don't mean to punt on that, but until it gets closer and we know what it is."

A new trailer to accompany yesterday's announcement of NecroVisioN: Lost Company is now available to show off The Farm 51's supernatural World War I prequel. The clip is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, and Gamer's Hell.

DiRT 2 Website now offers a teaser for a Colin McRae memorial video commemorating the game's namesake driver who perished in a 2007 helicopter accident. The full HD version of this clip must be unlocked as a reward within the rally racing sequel, as described here: "The Colin McRae Challenge is a unique three-stage Rally event that sees players racing against Colin’s family and friends from the world of motorsport, including Jimmy McRae, Alistair McRae, Ari Vatanen, David Coulthard, Valentino Rossi, Dario Franchitti and Ken Block, driving the Escort MK II that Colin made famous. After competing in the challenge, players will unlock the Colin McRae Tribute video, which was produced exclusively for the game and features some of Colin’s finest, most exciting and most sideways moments from a stellar career."

Another new Cities XL trailer is available as the fourth installment in a series answering the question "what is Cities XL," which apparently goes unaddressed in the previous clips about Monte Cristo's urban planning game. The trailer is available on AtomicGamer, FileFront, Gamer's Hell, and IncGamers.

The Shattered Horizon Interview on Skewed & Reviewed discusses this upcoming multiplayer zero-gravity first-person shooter with lead designer Antti Summala. They talk about the game's setting, vehicles, multiplayer modes, plans for future content, and more.

• Improbable Insights - Thoughts on Gaming by Lloyd Case. Thanks Neutronbeam.
  I’m a multiple personality gamer. Depending on my mood, I might like a frantic first person shooter, a turn-based strategy game or an RTS. I also pick up the occasional board game and have been seen sitting in on pen-and-paper RPG sessions.
  
  Whatever game I play, there is a trend: I tend to take on game options that involve indirect effects.

• League of Legends Beta Key Giveaway on IncGamers.
• CyberPower CoreI7 "Lynnfield" Gaming PC giveaway on Bootdaily.
• Win a Free Copy of Defense Grid- The Awakening (XBLA) on Game Stooge.
• Motherboards.org Core i7 Giveaway.

• RACE On on SimRacingWorld.
• rFactor 2 on SimRacingWorld.

• Demo: FIFA Soccer 10 on Xbox LIVE.
• Ghostbusters 360 slips to November.
• Why the Dreamcast was different. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• The Beatles Rock Band is The Wii of Music Games.
• Guitar Hero 5: Street Sweeper Social Club DLC on Xbox LIVE.

• DirectX Redist Runtimes (August 2009). Thanks Larry.

• App Store Now Houses Over 21,000 Games.

Thanks Ant.

• Firefox version 3.5.3 is now available and this page has a new version 3.0.14.
• Comcast Offers 100Mbps - Though it's pricey and intended for businesses....
• Free Homebrew VoIP with Google Voice and Intel Atom.
• iTunes 9 bringing iTunes LP functionality, 'beautiful new look'.
• Multi Browser Man.

• 'Wiretapping' charges may be the silliest ever recorded.

• Courtney Love Will Have Her Revenge On Activision.
• Norton AntiVirus/Norton Internet Security 2010 Released. Thanks Ant.

• Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships on Adventure Classic Gaming.
• Section 8 on Hooked Gamers.
• Wolfenstein on The Escapist. NSFW. Here's a new review of Yahtzee's, who played a game fighting Nazis.

• ASUS O!Play HDP-R1 1080p HD Media Player on TweakTown.
• ASUS P6T SE X58 i7 Motherboard on Tech-Reviews.
• ASUS P7P55D Deluxe Motherboard on Guru3D and TrustedReviews.
• ASRock M3A785GXH-128M Motherboard on TweakTown.
• Corsair X256 CMFSSD-256D1 MLC SSD on Benchmark Reviews.
• Crucial M225 128GB SSD on PureOC.
• Galaxy GeForce GTX 295 Single PCB Overclocked Graphics Card on TweakTown.
• Gelid Silent Spirit CPU Cooler on Modders-Inc.
• Intel Core i5 and i7 “Lynnfield” CPUs on Futurelooks.
• Kingston HyperX KHX1600C8D3K2-4GX 2x2GB RAM on Overclockers Club.
• Luxa 2 LM300 Touch Pro HTPC Case on RBMODS.
• OCZ Z-Series Z1000M 1000W ATX PSU on Overclock3D.Net.
• Sena Walletbook Case for iPhone on Test Freaks.
• Silverstone Strider 600W PSU on Hi-Tech Reviews.
• SteelSeries Xai Gaming Mouse on [OC]ModShop.
• SteelSeries Siberia Headphones on XSReviews.co.uk.
• Sunbeam Ultra Tech Station Acrylic Case on Overclocker Cafe.
• Thermaltake SpinQ VT Cooler on Hardware Bistro.
• Thermaltake Toughpower XT 850W PSU on Bjorn3D.com.
• Tuniq TX-3 Thermal Paste on OverclockersHQ.com.
• Turtle Beach EarForce p21 Headphones on [OC]ModShop.
• Vantec NexStar Vault Enclosure on techPowerUp.
• Western Digital TV HD Media Player on TechwareLabs.
• Zalman CNPS10X Quiet & Extreme CPU Coolers on OCIA.net.

• PC Sales Charts- They Are The Champions, My Friends…
• Riot Games Secures $8 Million Funding…
• The Future of Indie MMOGs. Thanks Slashdot…
• The History of Star Raiders: Taking Command. Thanks Ant via Slashdot…
• Universal Cutting Back On Game Investment…
• Coinstar sells gumball and video game business…

The NFL season kicks off tonight, and I am pretty psyched. As I've mentioned in the past, as a baseball/football fan, my readiness for this moment usually depends on how well the Mets are doing, which means I've been waiting for tackle football to resume since June.

Ready Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Equanimity.
Links:	Incredible Big Daddy Costume Project. Thanks Digg. How to Build a Kick-Ass MAME Arcade Cabinet from an Old PC.
Stories:	U.S. Army Accidentally Grows Marijuana. Thanks brother19. Fast food giant loses in McDonald's vs McCurry tiff. Thanks brother19. Brad Pitt forks over more than $80K for a custom run for kids' pet gerbil.
Science:	Sleeping in separate beds could be good for your marriage - and your health. Thanks Neatorama. Images From Refurbished Hubble Pack Visual Punch. Thanks brother19.
Media:	Child's First Roller Coaster Ride. Dog takes his ball for a walk. TRON Reboot Ep. 1 - -Throw the disc!
Follow-ups:	"Rings" Lawsuit Clears Way For "Hobbit".