DirectX 11 is now available for Windows Vista users through a new Platform Update for Windows Vista available automatically through the Windows Update function. Buried in the patch notes is a low-key "Updates to DirectX to support hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D, and text-based scenarios," and that update is indeed the new version of DirectX. Thanks j.c.f

Valve offers a brief status report on the Left 4 Dead 2 demo for preorder customers, saying the sample of the zombie shooter is now available for Xbox 360, while the Windows demo is "currently targeted" for release tomorrow:

The Left 4 Dead 2 Xbox 360 Demo is now available for those who pre-ordered and obtained early access to the demo. The PC Demo is currently targeted for release on Wednesday, October 28. For more information on Left 4 Dead 2, please visit www.l4d.com

Steam News has word of an update to the Steam client with "Steamworks improvements for upcoming titles."

The front page of Mektek.net asks Are You Ready? and offers a countdown timer that looks like it will expire at Midnight EDT. They may just be baking a cake, or that may be when they are planning on making the promised free release of MechWarrior 4. We shall see. Thanks Hump. Update: The timer has been replaced by a blurb saying: "Coming very, very, very soon," but for Assault Tech 1: Battletech, "an independent, non commercial Activision's MechWarrior 2 series remake using a more advanced DirectX 7 graphics engine, BlitzBasic's Blitz3D."

This Steam Community Thread on the topic of the Left 4 Dead 2 early demo access indicates the demo has been delayed and it looks like it's now due at 2:00 am EDT tomorrow. There are over 7000 comments in that thread, each one seemingly more irate than the last. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.

Telltale Games announces Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood will launch on Friday, offering the forth installment in this serialized adventure. Here are some new screenshots from the new chapter, and here's a synopsis:

The fourth chapter finds Guybrush double-crossed by the pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay and returned to Flotsam Island against his will. Facing an angry mob of poxed pirates with a long list of grievances, Guybrush must defend himself in court against a smooth-talking prosecutor and absolve himself of the false accusations in order to continue his quest to rid the Caribbean of the insidious pox of LeChuck!

This CNN iReport has a leaked video that seems to depict some sort of terrorist mode in Modern Warfare 2 where the objective appears to be to kill civilians in the military shooter sequel. This clip was posted earlier on the YouTube before being pulled after a request from Activision. Thanks DangerDoggie. Update: There's an arguably better quality version of this clip on LiveLeak. Thanks Eric.

The Company of Heroes Website announces the new version 2.601 is now live to automatically update Company of Heroes, Opposing Fronts, or Tales of Valor, and they also offer a link to this page where a manual patch can be acquired via bit torrent. Mirrors of the English patch are on AtomicGamer and The Patches Scrolls, the French patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer and The Patches Scrolls, and the Spanish patch is mirrored on AtomicGamer and The Patches Scrolls. There are also patches for the Chinese, Czech, German, Italian, Japanese, Koran, Polish, and Russian editions of the game, which are all mirrored on The Patches Scrolls.

Games On Net reports that the version of Borderlands being served to Australian customers through Steam has been fixed, and Australia is now receiving the uncut edition of the game, rather than the censored version. That's the good news, the bad news is those who have already gotten their copy through Steam will need to download the full 8 GB game to get the right version.

Flying Lab Software announces they are offering US military personnel free copies of Pirates of the Burning Sea, along with some in-game perks and six months of free game time. Word is: "Military personnel must sign up at the offer web page by November 30, 2009 to be eligible. Existing Pirates of the Burning Sea players who are on active service in the US military may also apply for 6 months of free subscription using the same website."

Here are the ten top-selling titles on Direct2Drive for the week of October 18-24:

1. Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition (Pre-order).
2. Tropico 3.
3. Risen.
4. Borderlands.
5. Aion.
6. Civilization 4: The Complete Edition.
7. Fallen Earth.
8. Dragon Age: Origins (Pre-order).
9. Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising.
10. Champions Online.

• GDC 2010 calls for speakers.
• Game music debate set for NEoN.
• ‘Video Games Live’ Brings Fantasy Worlds to the Stage (registration required). Thanks Mike Martinez.

• The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut on Steam. Save 50%.
  
  Still on sale (previously reported)
   
• AI War: Fleet Command on Direct2Drive. Save 25%.
• Alganon on Direct2Drive. Preorder and get beta access and in-game items.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Amazon and Walmart. Includes a $20.00 credit. Thanks Big Download.
• Crazy Machines series on Steam. Save 25%.
• Cricket Revolution on Steam. Save 10% on pre-purchases.
• Dark Salvation on the Mangled Eye Studios Website. Only $9.99 or $19.99 for the disc version.
• East India Company on GamersGate. Save 52%.
• Gratuitous Space Battles on Impulse. Save 13% on preorders.
• Ground Control Pack on GOG.com. Save 30%.
• Light of Altair on Direct2Drive. Only $5.00.
• Nemesis of the Roman Empire on Impulse. Save 33%.
• Plants vs. Zombies on PCGameStore. Only $6.99.
• Restaurant Empire on Impulse. Save 33%.
• SFI Mission 4-Pack on the Strategy First Website. Four games for $19.99.
• Spiderweb Software Store. All games 10% off through October.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.- Shadow of Chernobyl on Steam. Save 75%.
• Team Fortress 2 on Best Buy and FRYS.com. Only $9.99. Thanks Johnny.
• THQ Classic FPS Bundle on Impulse. Save 25%.
• Torchlight on Steam. Save 10% on pre-purchases.
• Warlords Battlecry III on Impulse. Save 33%.
• Wolfenstein on Amazon. Save 41%.
• X-Com Complete Pack on GamersGate. Save 40%.

• Alpha Protocol on IGN. Diary: The Moscow Train Yard.
• Assassin's Creed II on Eurogamer.
• Heir to the Throne on Paradox Interactive Forums. Dev Diary 5.

• Star Trek Online on Blue's News.

• DJ Hero Ships.
• Double Fine and EA Get Rocking with First Downloadable Content for Brütal Legend.
• THQ Creates a Virtual Canvas with the Launch of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter.
• WiiWare, Virtual Console, and Nintendo DSiWare downloads.
• THQ Takes Center Stage with the Release of All Star Cheer Squad2.
• D3Publisher’s BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE- Vilgax Attacks Is out Now.
• EA Releases NERF “N-Strike” Elite for the Wii With Bundled NERF Blaster and Red Reveal Lens.
• Rumor: Roger Daltrey reveals The Who joining together with Rock Band.
• Konami Announces Frogger Returns For Nintendo WiiWare and PSN.
• News Flash: DJ Hero Not Living Up To Demand Expectations. Thanks Ant via Digg.
• Black Wii sparks price war.
• Microsoft dismisses OnLive threat.
• Microsoft removes Sky Player due to technical issues.

• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces the Launch of TouchMaster 3.
• Samsung offering cash for game ideas.
• Star Wars Battlefront demo out now.
• Cellphone Holsters May Also Reduce Bone Density. Thanks Ralph.

Thanks Mike Martinez and Ant.

• Phoronix Test Suite 2.2 Enters Beta.
• Window 7 Feature on GameSpot.
• SteelSeries Announces Distribution Partnership with Best Buy Canada.
• [Free] Unlocker 1.8.8 - 26-10-2009.
• 'Surprised' Microsoft reacts to Windows 7 upgrade snag.
• Ask Slashdot: Reliability of PC Flash SSDs?
• Obama announces $3.4 bln in grants for smart grid.
• The tech behind U2's record-smashing tour. Thanks Digg.

• Makers of Online Games in China Look Overseas (registration required). Thanks Mike Martinez…
• UK PC chart to include download sales from 2010.
• GameStop plans to hire 15,000 seasonal workers…
• Xfire Launches First Social-Shopping Game Store.
• AFTRA Okays Voice Actor Deal…
• Gordon Brown is failing games industry, say Tories…

Link of the Day: Pumpkin of DOOM.

The Torchlight Website announces the release of Torchlight, the new action/RPG from Runic Games (thanks A51Abductee). They describe some issues they've had to overcome, which means they are not offering the playable demo just yet, but the demo can be acquired through Steam. The full game is available from Runic Games as well as GamersGate, Steam, and WildTangent. Here's a bit of the official description of the game:

The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.

Players will choose from among three character classes, and venture from the safety of the town of Torchlight into randomly generated dungeon levels, with a huge variety of creepy monsters, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. The endless randomization ensures a long-lived gameplay experience.

The World of Warcraft Website announces the new World of Warcraft Race Change service is now live, allowing players to purchase the ability to "choose any race of their same faction that is compatible with the character's current class" for $25.00 USD. The Race Change FAQ should answer your burning questions on the topic, and the Race Change page is where to get changed. Thanks Kxmode.

2K Games announces that The Stronghold Collection for Windows is now available in North America, offering a DRM-free value-priced bundle of these five games in the RTS series: Stronghold, Stronghold 2, Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold Crusader Extreme, and Stronghold Legends. Word is: "The Stronghold Collection will combine historically accurate castle construction and management, and authentic medieval combat. Players will journey to lands of brave warriors, epic legends and fearsome weaponry, where they will build and fortify fortresses; lay siege to intrepid enemies; and conquer harsh terrains."

Impulse has revealed their top 10 best-selling titles for the week of October 18-24:

1. Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment.
2. Red Faction: Guerrilla.
3. Tropico 3.
4. AI War: Fleet Command.
5. Demigod.
6. Machinarium.
7. Sins of a Solar Empire.
8. Sins of a Solar Empire Bundle.
9. Light of Altair.
10. Gratuitous Space Battles (Pre-Order).

Eurogamer reports from their now-underway Eurogamer Expo that Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood has told the assembled masses that the PC edition of Brink will include dedicated server support. Dedicated servers have been the new black since Infinity Ward revealed there will be no dedicated server support in Modern Warfare 2, but the article also outlines what else was shown of Brink at the show, including drop-in/drop-out multiplayer, character customization, and Brink's SMART ("Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain") system, "which allows you to climb over objects at speed by holding a single button."

A post on superannuation reveals a Trademark registration for Galaxy Racers filed by Ubisoft to cover: "Game software and electronic game programs, namely, software games recorded on CD-ROM and digital video discs for computers; software games recorded on CD-ROMs, digital video discs, and cartridges for console and individual, portable gaming systems; software games that are downloadable from a remote computer site and electronic game software for mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and handheld computers."

There's an Aliens vs. Predator interview on Computer and Video Games based on chatting with Rebellion's Eric Miller and David Brickley at a recent event in London. The conversation covers a number of topics, including the current zeitgeist topper in the PC gaming world, dedicated server support. They highlight their question about dedicated servers separately allowing us to see the many different ways Rebellion avoids a direct answer, which they believe indicates the answer is probably more "no" than "yes" at this point.

Seasonal content, new high-level dungeon and Veteran Points now available in `Age of Conan' announces that version 5.6 "Nights of Lost Souls," is now available for Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures, introducing new seasonal content, the Veteran Points system, a new high-level dungeon, and the recently announced long-term subscription discounts to FunCom's MMORPG. Here's a bit: "The new seasonal content will allow players to acquire appropriately themed loot such as the Unholy Backscratcher weapon as well as their very own pet demon. Players will also be able to discover a mysterious new location in Tarantia, a villa where dark and gruesome events are taking place. Another addition to the city of Tarantia is the Iron Tower, a high-level dungeon towering over the rooftops of Tarantia Commons – the city's slum district. The addition of the new dungeon, featuring a host of new and exciting encounters and loot rewards, brings the storyline of Tarantia Commons to its final conclusion. The Tarantia Commons location was added to `Age of Conan' in an update earlier this year."

Eurogamer has word that Charles Cecil is again collaborating with comic book heavyweight Dave Gibbons on a new adventure game, something they hinted at in a recent interview. The Broken Sword creator is still playing it close to the vest, though, saying the following at the Eurogamer Expo in Leeds: "All I can say is, I am working with Dave Gibbons and we're working on a new adventure game. We have a number of ideas for premises and we honestly haven't decided which road we're going to go down. But I love writing and playing adventure games and that is what I'm going to stick to."

Newly released role-playing shooter Borderlands suffers from a bug that can reset players' skill points and weapon proficiencies on all three platforms during multiplayer sessions, reports 1UP. There are posts about this on the Gearbox Forums, and this bug is listed in a Known Issues Status Update from Gearbox Software Community, though this does not list the PC as one of the impacted platforms. A Gearbox employee posted a response about this on their forums: "Your report has been heard and we're working on it. Unfortunately there isn't a fix just yet, but when one is available we hope to be able to repair as much of your character data as possible."

The ENB Emulator Portal is home to a community created revival of Earth & Beyond, the science-fiction MMOG that was cancelled by EA in 2004 (thanks Jason). The Earth & Beyond Emulator is currently undergoing an open stress test, but the game is still in alpha. Here's word:

To keep it simple, the main goal of our little project here is to get a fully working Earth & Beyond emulator. We have a dedicated team of individuals who currently work on the emulator whenever their spare time dictates, and we also have a great community that is dedicated to seeing their game back in action.

Currently the project is still in alpha testing, and we're working on multiplayer capabilities. However with that being said we have made considerable progress of which can be read about throughout our forums.

Five former executives of defunct developer Midway were absolved of wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed by ex-shareholders of the developer/publisher that is now part of Warner Bros, according to a report on Develop. The suit claimed the shareholders were deceived by the company's optimistic statements about its financial health, needing the judge to inform them that "such preening for the financial press is classic puffery." The ruling states the plaintiffs have not "adequately alleged the direct liability" of the defendants, former CEO David Zucker, CFO Thomas Powell, marketing boss Steven Allison, company controller James Boyle, and senior VP of publishing Miguel Iribarren.

Paradox Interactive announces the release of East India Company: Privateer, as the expansion for the naval RTS game East India Company is now available through digital distribution. The add-on requires the original game, which is on sale for a limited time at 50% off at most digital portals. The expansion includes new campaigns, new missions, and new commander skills; there's a trailer on the YouTube showing off its content, described here:

• Two new campaigns in which you play the game as a privateer and complete missions for different nations.
• New missions, including destroying forts, locating and either sinking or capturing enemy ships, blockading enemy ports and escorting friendly fleets.
• New commander skills to fit the life of a privateer, such as 'False Colors', which allows the player to get close to the victim without them perceiving a threat, and 'Critical Hit', which gives the player a chance to hit an enemy ship’s magazine, causing the enemy ship to explode.

Part one of Assassin's Creed II: Lineage is now available, the first installment in this three-part, live-action movie tie-in with the upcoming action/stealth sequel. There is a one-minute intro on ActionTrip, and the full 14-minute clip is available on the YouTube and mirrored on ActionTrip.

League of Legends Now Available in Stores and Online announces League of Legends is now available, offering online multiplayer gameplay based on the DotA-Allstars modification. The game is available as a collector's edition in stores or as a free download from the League of Legends Website, with the store-bought versions including various bonuses. The League of Legends Pre-Season begins today, and here's part of the announcement:

League of Legends will operate in seasons to help facilitate the best in competitive gaming and communities. The League of Legends "Pre-Season" will allow time for players to learn the game, build teams, as well as develop advanced strategies and tactics, when Season One begins in the first half of 2010. Players can also look forward to the addition of clans, teams, tournaments, ladders, draft mode, as well as additional content such as new Champions and maps, between now and the start of Season One.

The League of LegendsCollector`s Pack, containing exclusive items such as 20 Champions, a selection of Runes and $10 worth of Riot Points, is now available for download at www.leagueoflegends.com. The retail League of Legends Collector's Pack available at all major retail outlets for $29.99, additionally includes an exclusive poster-size fold out map of Valoran with detailed champion portraits and bios on the other side, a $10 pre-paid game card for in-game purchases and an exclusive champion skin.

In celebration of the launch of the game, Riot is unlocking all 40 champions for immediate play on October 27 for a limited time. During the launch celebration, Collector's Pack customers will get an experience boost, allowing them to level quickly. After the Launch Celebration ends, the in-game store will go live and owners of the Collector's Pack will continue to have access to the exclusive items packaged in the collector's edition. All players will be able to unlock exclusive items and content through the in-game store by using Influence points earned by playing during the Launch Celebration and after, or by purchasing Riot Points.

• The Indie Game Challenge deadline for entries is just a few days off.
• CoolIt Domino A.L.C. giveaway on Overclockers Online.

• LEGO Universe on MMORPG.COM.

• Demo: CSI- Deadly Intent on Xbox LIVE.
• Sky Launches On Xbox 360.
• Rock Band DLC: Rob Zombie and more on Xbox LIVE.
• Xbox 360 Games on Demand: Dead Space and DiRT.

• iPods From The Future: 5 Amazing iPod Concepts. Thanks Acleacius.

• Old games in maximum quality on Radeon HD 5870, Part 2 on PC Games Hardware.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Public Firefox 3.6 beta now expected Wednesday, 3.5.4 Tuesday.
• How to memorialize friends who have passed away on Facebook. Thanks Ant.
• Internet 'a teenager' at 40 by AFP.
• End of an era for early websites.
• What Do Teens Want? Their Moms Off Facebook. Thanks Ant via Digg.
• Salute All Cars, Kids. It’s a Rule in China (registration required).
• Can the Internet handle H1N1?
• Roadmap for Outlook Personal Folders (.pst) Documentation. Thanks Slashdot.

• Secure Sources Lacking for Weapons Electronics (registration required). Thanks j.c.f.
• Cyberattacks- Espionage now, sabotage soon.
• Blogger: Time Warner Routers Still Hackable Despite Company Assurance. Thanks Ant via Digg.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Banned Resistance Gamer Appeals Verdict.
• Disney's Keychest: Is Giving Back Your Fair Use Rights With More DRM Really A Step Forward?
• New US Ambassador To Canada Kicks Things Off By Pushing For Bad Copyright Laws.
• A Look Behind The Curtain: How A Patent Hoarder Makes Money.
• Should a New Technology Change the Patent System?
• Judge rejects TD Ameritrade data breach settlement.

• RACE On on Out of Eight.

• 3Rsystem Iceage 120 Boss II Dimpled-Fin Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• A.C.Ryan PlayOn! DVR TV on techPowerUp.
• AMD Athlon II X2 240e 2.8 GHz CPU on PCSTATS.com.
• Antec Mini Skeleton Case on Overclockers Club.
• Antec P193 Computer Case on TechwareLabs.
• ASUS EAH5870 Graphics Card on [H]ard-OCP.
• ASUS RADEON EAH5850 Graphics Card on LostCircuits.
• Averatec N3400 13.3- Ultraportable Notebook on TechSpot.
• Buffalo MiniStation Metro 250GB USB Hard Drive on Big Bruin.
• GIGABYTE and MSI HD 4890 Graphics Cards on Hardware Canucks.
• GIGABYTE HD 5850 Graphics Card on Motherboards.org.
• HIS Radeon HD 5770 Graphics Card on Hi-Tech Reviews.
• In Win Maelstrom Full Tower Case on ThinkComputers.org.
• Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset on Test Freaks.
• Mushkin 996659es 2x2GB ES3-12800 Memory Kit on PCShopTalk Forum.
• NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series PC Case Bona Fide on Reviews.
• NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Gaming Case on Modders-Inc.
• NZXT Sentry 2 Single-bay Touch Screen LCD Fan Controller on TweakTown.
• OCZ Platinum 1866MHz DDR3 Memory on Bjorn3D.com.
• Onkyo ND-S1 Digital Media Transport on TrustedReviews.
• Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS Hard Drive on Benchmark Reviews.
• Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB Portable Drive on eTeknix.com.
• Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750W PSU on johnnyGuru.
• Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB Hard Drive on The Tech Report.
• Xigmatek NRP-HC1201 Cooler on PureOC.

• Space A**hole on YouTube. NSFW. Thanks Ralph via Kotaku…

Well, the server switch seemed to go without a hitch, in spite of me jinxing thing by predicting a smooth move. All the credit for that goes to Frans, who set up the new box and orchestrated the changeover perfectly. Huzzah and kudos to Frans. Of course if you do notice something out of whack following the move, please be so kind as to let us know.

Smooth Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez.
Play:	Bloons Tower Defense 4. Thanks Jay is Games. Darkness - The Cage.
Links:	50 Games That Sound Vaguely (or Not So Vaguely) Like Adult Films. Other Gratuitous Game Ideas. Videogame Character's Pick-up Lines.
Stories:	Man stuffs mouth with 16 cockroaches in record bid.
Science:	Shrimp's eye points way to better DVDs. Thanks Acleacius via Huffington Post.
Media:	Batman Vanishing. Scientists Create 3D Maps Of Brains On Drugs. Thanks Acleacius. Fuel Truck Surprise.
Auctions:	States Pressed Into New Role on Medical Marijuana. Thanks j.c.f.
Follow-ups:	"2012" a Miscalculation; Actual Calendar Ends 2220. Madoff investor who drowned in swimming pool had a heart attack. Thanks nin. Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet. Thanks Acleacius.