Here's a new video travelogue of the Suicide Slums, where Game Director Cris Cao introduces this area of Metropolis that's one of the sketchier locales in DC Universe Online, the upcoming Windows and PS3 MMORPG. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.

The War Inc Battle Zone Facebook Page is online, touting plans to announce War Inc at E3, offering some screenshots from closed beta testing of this AAA free online shooter. Word is: "War Inc is an action packed, downloadable, free to play, multiplayer, online game that features fun player vs. player ground combat, in multiple settings with a variety of modes and options for all players." Thanks Nathan.

GamerKraft announces FreeJack, a free-to-play parkour racing game planned for release next month. The FreeJack Website is online with a trailer showing off the game's stylized graphics. Word is: "FreeJack is a free-to-play parkour racing game for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players race head-to-head across the urban metropolis of New Jack City as one of four hip characters, bustin' stylish flips and tricks to increase their speed and gain access to hidden pathways and shortcuts. Players can personalize their character with fresh outfits and running gear and even customize their own unique in-game living space with cool furniture and accessories to show off to friends! FreeJack also supports online leaderboards, a club/clan system, in-game friends lists, and more!"

A story on ESPN says that Quick Hit Football, the free-to-play online tackle football game, has acquired a license from the NFL to use the league's teams, logos, schedules, Super Bowl, and stadiums, though players and coaches would be covered by a different license. You may recall that EA has an exclusive NFL license through 2012, and Quick Hit's CEO seems just as confused about how that works as the rest of us. "That's a better question for EA," says Quick Hit CEO Jeff Anderson. "I don't have a copy of the contract they have with the NFL, but for us, it's a tremendous opportunity. Adding the NFL really transforms this product from a really cool Flash game to an incredibly authentic online football game. We're going to be the first mover in the space. The only place you're going to be able to play an NFL licensed game on your PC this fall is 'Quick Hit.'"

The Mortal Online Website has news that this fantasy-themed first-person, sandbox MMOG is now live, though developer Star Vault admits "the game is not as polished as we wanted it to be" (thanks Ant and Grim). Word is:

It has been a rough ride for both you, our loyal fans, as well as the team here at Star Vault. We have come a long way from the first days of Block A and "Lake Sausage", the time of imba-spears and chars with maxed out skills and now, finally the point we are at today, with all promised features implemented, the beatutiful and dangerous world of Nave. Without your great support this would have never been possible and everybody here at Star Vault is proud to be a part of this great community.

The ride isn't over yet - there are still a few milestones ahead in the next months. As all of you know the game is not as polished as we wanted it to be but we will continue - with you vital support - to make this an awsome game.

A new Fallen Earth Item Store is online, allowing the purchase of items for use in the post-apocalyptic MMORPG. There are only two objects for sale at the moment, Kaibab Cur and Brass Goggles, and only one of each may be purchased per account. Thanks MMORPG.com.

• PS3 Listed at $199 on Sony Style Website.
• Transformers: War for Cybertron Multiplayer Demo on Xbox LIVE.
• Prepare for the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Onslaught. And purchasable kit unlocks.
• New Mortal Kombat Coming, Will Be Most Gory Ever. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• Coming Soon to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

• Upgrade Exhaustion: Is The TV Industry Ripping Consumers Off?

• Adobe Flash Player 10.1 released. Thanks Ant.

• Composer Sam Hulick Chosen as Heroes of Stalingrad’s Maestro…

Link of the Day: I Sold Everything To Buy A Lamborghini And Drive Across The Country. Thanks nin.

An announcement on Steam reveals the Macintosh version of Team Fortress 2 is now available, and that a free play weekend is now underway for the teamplay shooter, as is a 50% off sale. Owners of the game are entitled to play on either platform, and Mac owners can play on the same servers as PC owners. Speaking of which, those who were hoping for a way to identify iNewbs are in luck, as word is: "Those who purchase TF2 for the Mac will receive a free set of 'earbuds' for their favorite player character." The news is accompanied by a new patch to automatically update Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source, and Counter-Strike: Source Beta. The patch notes follow. Continue here to read the full story.

Steam News has word on a new update that's automatically available for Painkiller Resurrection adding Tower of Power, a Steam-exclusive co-op map, to the shooter sequel. Word is: "The Tower of Power is not a battle arena for puny humans, but indeed the proving ground for all of those demons which want to become one of Lucifers [sic] generals. They have to fight their way through a wasteland of burnt demon corpses and lava, a place, where each step can be your last."

As noted on the Steam website, the "Keys to the City" beta for All Points Bulletin is delayed until Saturday, June 12. The APB Website has more details, though not much more: "If you haven't received a key to the city from your online retailer, don't worry! They're on their way and you can expect to receive in time for this Saturday! If you're unsure, contact your retailer for more information. Not only that, but we've got thousands of keys we're releasing to the public, so you'll be able to pick a key up from your favourite website!"

An update on MyCrysis announces this Crysis community portal will have some downtime tomorrow in preparation for its re-launch later in the day. They seem to feel it is extremely important that they register as many users as possible, and are offering incentives to inspire users to sign-up. Among these enticements is the possibility of being selected as a beta tester for Crysis 2, saying: "Looking to get your hands on Crysis 2 early? Now is your chance! Early registrations will be tracked, and our first wave of users will have a chance to win a key as and when the Crysis 2 beta takes place. All you need to do is sign up early and one day in the near future you may be receiving a mail with an invite to the game." They also say that existing users need not re-register, as their usernames and passwords will work on the updated site (though it is not clear how this impacts the chance at beta testing). Other perks include an exclusive wallpaper, a forum badge, and entry in a Razer mouse giveaway. Thanks Ant.

Bohemia Interactive shares details on the Takistan Army from ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead, introducing the second faction from the military shooter expansion, which is due at the end of this month. Of course all you probably ever need to know about the enemy in a game such as this is that they are the enemy, and this trailer offers a look at the Takistani's in action so you'll know who to shoot. Here's the embedded version. Continue here to read the full story.

A new "Spellbinding Characters trailer from LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 features the developers of the upcoming brixillated Harry Potter game discussing its characters, both major and minor, as the game is based on four books/movies. They discuss the varying abilities of the different characters, the unique opportunity to play as a LEGO dog, and the challenges of conveying the appearance of the characters considering how few lines they can use to draw faces. The embedded version follows. Continue here to read the full story.

A post on MCV depicts a trade ad in this week's MCV indicating Crysis 2 will be released this autumn. Earlier this year Crytek's first-person shooter sequel was said to be due during EA's fiscal Q3 2011, which runs from October 1 through December 31, so all this really tells us is to expect the game before December 21, which is sort of a no-brainer if they wanted to get in on Christmas shopping.

1C Company announces that Death to Spies 3 is in development at Haggard Games, and the stealth/action sequel is expected for Windows and Xbox 360 before the end of this year. The SMERSHy sequel will add two additional playable characters and a new setting during the Cold War. Word is: "The new missions will be even more intense and dangerous, but this time Captain Strogov is not alone. Two new playable characters - Strogov's comrades: Viktor Kovalev and Olga Godunova-Lopes, each with unique skills and abilities, will help him defeat the enemy. The storyline brings players to different cities in North America, Cuba and Europe." Update: Here's the game's E3 Trailer.

The Singularity interview on Gaming Nexus chats with Brian Raffel of Raven Software about Singularity, the upcoming first-person shooter where time is one of the weapons in the player's arsenal. They discuss the game's protagonist, its concept, getting the green light for a new IP, the recent popularity of Russia as a game setting, Raven's long experience in the FPS genre, the Time Manipulation Device, why they won't support motion control, and more.

Just Cause 2 is broken using the version 10.5 ATI Catalyst drivers on systems with a Radeon HD 5970 graphics card and Eyefinity, reports [H]ard-OCP. They indicate the version 10.4 drivers will still run the Avalanche Studios' open world action sequel, and since AMD is aware of the problem, presumably it will be addressed by version 10.6.

• Arma II: Operation Arrowhead on Gaming Nexus.

Thanks Joker961.

• Sony to launch first 3D PS3 games on Friday. Thanks Mike Martinez via Slashdot.
• RUMOR: Sony's New 3D Technology Trailer Revealed as PS4.
• 'Rock Band 3'- What's new, what's notable and 'Rock Band 3'- Keyboards are the key.
• Guitar Hero Hater Winds Up in Rock Band. Thanks Ant via Digg.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 3D, in your face! And, PlayStation 4?

Thanks Acleacius and Ant.

• iPhone 4: Now with Price Gouging! (Courtesy of AT&T).
• Sprint Overstates HTC EVO Sales By 3X.
• Did Apple Tell Times to Shove Its App-Takedown Letter? (Updated).
• Artists Add Porn To The iPad To Protest Steve Jobs' XXX Ban.
• Six Strange iPad Accessories. Thanks Digg.
• iPhone Hacked to Run Android 2.2. Thanks Digg.
• At the White House, getting in touch with the inner circle's inner iPads. Thanks Digg.
• Canonical developing Ubuntu OS for tablets. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.

• GLOBALFOUNDRIES Launches Global Partner Ecosystem.
• Digitizing the past and present at the Library of Congress. Thanks Ant.
• Computex 2010 Show Girls Review - techPowerUp.

Thanks Ant.

• Heavy layoffs hit Second Life parent company. Thanks Mike Martinez.
• Twitter to Change Links and How They Are Displayed. Thanks Digg.
• Google's World Cup Salute.
• LA Rep Hints That Comcast Tried To Buy Merger Support.
• Why Old People Shouldn't Use The Internet.
• Bros Icing Bros: Smirnoff Ploy or Genuine Social Phenomenon? Thanks Acleacius.

Thanks Ant.

• AV Comparatives ProActive Test.
• Apple's Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners Exposed. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• The Little Feature That Led to AT&T's iPad Security Breach. Thanks Digg.
• Mass hack plants malware on thousands of webpages. Thanks Digg.
• Google Collected CT Data Over WiFi- AG. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Facebook, PTA Partner To Promote Internet Safety. Thanks Acleacius.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Judge limits DHS laptop border searches. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Gibson, Viacom Settle Rock Band Suit.
• Google accused of criminal intent over StreetView data. Thanks Acleacius.
• As Hollywood Sues Over Copyright Infringement, Hollywood Celebrates Copyright Infringement In Glee.
• Verizon- Only 'A Few Hundred' Users Handed To US Copyright Group.
• Thousands of anti-terror searches were illegal.

• Age of Conan - Rise of the Godslayer on HEXUS.
• Split-Second on ActionTrip.

• Apple iPhone 4 vs. HTC EVO 4G Cell Phones on Digital Trends.
• ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVD Drive on PureOC.
• ASUS ENGTX480-2D1-1536 GeForce GTX 480 Graphics Card on PCSTATS.com.
• ASUS ROG Matrix 5870 Platinum Graphics Card on [H]ard-OCP.
• Biostar TA890FXE Motherboard on Hardware Secrets.
• Corsair Dominator 1600 Mhz 7-8-7-20 RAM on Bjorn3D.com.
• Das Keyboard on Hardware Heaven.
• Foxconn H55MX-S (H55 Express) Micro-ATX Motherboard on TweakTown.
• Hiyatek HY-CF-6322 Foldable Notebook Cooler on ThinkComputers.org.
• MSI Wind U160 Netbook on InsideHW.
• MSI Wind U230-040 Netbook on PC Perspective.
• OCZ 750 Watt Fatal1ty Series PSU on ProClockers.
• Powercolor Radeon HD 5550 Graphics Card on Overclockers Club.
• Scythe Ninja 3 CPU Cooler on Technic3D. In German.
• Seasonic SS-300TFX PSU on Hardware Secrets.
• Verizon Wireless LG Ally Cell Phone on Test Freaks.
• ZOTAC GTX480 Graphics Card on ITShootOut.com.

• Ranch Rush is now available for Windows, Mac, and iPhone, offering a Farmville-style experience both online and offline. A PC demo is available…

I heard on the radio that today is "National Iced Tea Day," though this is not a prominent enough occasion to warrant a listing in the Wikipedia. I've never been a big hot tea (as they call it in southern states) drinker, but I've always liked the iced kind, though I have to admit my taste in this is fairly lowbrow, as I can drink the powdered stuff just as happily as the fresh kind. I found a Perfect Iced Tea article on TexasCooking.com, so maybe in honor of the occasion I will see if I like the "perfect" variety more.

Perfect Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play:	Simple Soccer Championship. The Breach.
Links:	15 Retro Video Game Company Logos and their Modern-Day Counterparts. Thanks Neatorama. How Video Games Become Movies- An Infographic. Thanks Digg. History’s Ten Greatest Prison Escapes. Thanks Digg.
Stories:	Spillonomics - Underestimating Risk. Thanks j.c.f. Good sign for economy: More people are quitting jobs. EU biofuels 'need to be certified for sustainability'.
Science:	Swiss solar innovator wins Millennium Technology prize. A New Comet McNaught Could Be Seen with Naked Eye. Thanks brother19. FAA adds brainpower to mix unmanned aircraft with commercial aviation. Thanks Joker961 via Slashdot. Archaeologists Discover World's Oldest Leather Shoe. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Images:	Call of Duty. "Found You." Weather Forecast Win.
Media:	BP Spills Coffee. NSFW. DJO - Star Trek DS9 - Fish Cream. NSFW. Thanks Cram. A Wonderful 4 Chords. NSFW.
Follow-ups:	Study identifies 'many more' autism genes. Raising Remnants of Oil Rig Is Still on the Agenda. Thanks j.c.f. Exxon Valdez Lawyer- Louisianans, 'To Use A Legal Term,' Are 'Just F--ked'. NASA gets front row seat for fiery "man-made meteor" reentry.