Steam News announces the availability of an automatic patch for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution, the standalone real-time strategy expansion. The list of major changes follows. Continue here to read the full story.

Here's the Impulse Weekly Top 10 of bestselling titles for the week of April 3-April 9.

1. Elemental: War of Magic
2. Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity
3. Starpoint Gemini
4. Darkest Hour - A Hearts of Iron Game
5. Crysis
6. The Sims Medieval
7. Sins of a Solar Empire Expansion Bundle
8. Focus Home RPG Bundle
9. Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Collection
10. Din's Curse

Direct2Drive offers 20% off all orders with the code "SHOWERS" on checkout. Strategy First is now donating 30% (up from 20%) of online sales between now and April 11th to Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief.

• All Mafia/Mafia II Games & DLC on Steam. Save 75%.
• Machinarium on Impulse. Save 75%.
• World of Goo on Direct2Drive and IGN PC Store. Save 75%.
• World of Goo (Mac) on Direct2Drive and IGN PC Store. Save 75%.
  
  Still on sale (previously reported):
  Continue here to read the full story.

• Duke Nukem Forever Set to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum During The Gadget Show Live 2011.

• Alice: Madness Returns on IncGamers.
• World of Tanks on Ten Ton Hammer.

• Alice: Madness Returns on Blue's News.

• The CEO of Ubisoft is Tired of Our Current Consoles. Robs devs of freedom (*cough* PC *cough*).
• RIO Video Game From THQ Flies to Store Shelves April 12.
• Are You Ready for Ads in Your Achievements?
• Conspiracy Entertainment to Publish My Vet Practice- Marine Life Rescue (Wii).

• Adobe connects tablets to Photoshop with new Photoshop Touch SDK.
• Cell Phones, Texting and Common Sense. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Spazcon for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store.
• Kindle now available for $114—with on-screen ads.
• Pocket Gems Grows Team with Industry Veterans as Company Tops 28 Million Downloads.

Thanks Ant.

• Facebook has not signed China deal: source. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Game Designers Are Actually More Important on Social Titles than Console, says Zynga. Srsly?
• Yoshinori Ono Says Fighting Games Are Coming To Facebook.
• FCC Wants Broadband To Be Less Confusing.
• AT&T to Discontinue Video Share Service. Unclear if there are any customers to notify.
• UK's Daily Mail- Google is a "parasitic monster".
• Cie Games Brings INDYCAR and the Indy 500® to Fans With Car Town Facebook Game.
• WPT Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Game on Facebook Offers All-Access VIP Opportunity to Fans.

Thanks Ant.

• Google sparks solar energy by investing $168M for huge power tower.
• Adobe moves to subscription model with Creative Suite 5.5.
• 47" Transparent IPS LCD With Multitouch.
• Remembering the Apple I. Thanks Slashdot.
• Linuxaria Slackware 13.37. Thanks Linux Today. Pwned!
• Authorized biography of Apple's Steve Jobs due in 2012.
• ALS Sufferer Used Legs To Contribute Last Patch.
• James Cameron and Vince Pace Form New Venture to Accelerate 3D Solutions.

• Texas exposes addresses, SSNs of 3.5 million residents.
• Google’s misleading security claims to the government raise serious questions. Says Microsoft. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Cyber Criminals Rent Out Unsuspecting Owners' PCs. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.

• Sony settles PlayStation 3 jailbreaking case.
• Judge to copyright troll: your "business model" isn't my problem.
• Dutch government wants penalties for P2P downloads.
• Could criminals shop for free online. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Man Sued by Apple Support for Complaining Now Gets a New iMac. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Court: Harvard twins stuck with Facebook agreement. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.

• Cryptozoic Entertainment Releases New World of Warcraft Trading Card Game Class Starter Decks for 2011…
• All Your History: Blizzard Entertainment Part 1: Opening Build Order. Thanks Ant…
• Steam has new automatic update for Atom Zombie Smasher…

Link of the Day: 'Best' of 2 Years Fail Compilation. NSFW. Thanks Ant.

Portal 2: Lab Rat - Part 2 on IGN offers the promised conclusion of the two-part web-comic series bridging the gap between Portal and its imminent sequel, Portal 2. Part one of the comic was released already, and is now available on the Portal Website complete with the enhanced ability to navigate from page to page using some wild state-of-the-art '90s HTML.

The Bethesda Blog has word that Brink is being released a week sooner than previously planned. Splash Damage's upcoming first-person shooter was last expected on May 17 in North America and May 20 in Europe, and word is: "The game will now release on May 10th in North America and May 13th in Europe," with Bethesda's Pete Hines explaining that this is simply because production on the game wrapped up a week earlier than expected. The game was originally announced with a spring 2010 release window which was later changed to Fall 2010 before the May 2011 release was announced. The Bethesda Blog also notes the Brink Facebook Page has a new ability preview of the game.

Activision officially announces Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation, the upcoming DLC for Call of Duty Black Ops that was first revealed via an over-caffeinated posting on the GAME Australia Website. The announcement confirms the DLC is coming first to the Xbox LIVE edition of the military shooter sequel on May 3, since mom always liked it best (okay, there is probably also some money changing hands here too). "In crafting the Escalation multiplayer maps – Zoo, Convoy, Hotel and Stockpile – the team developed them to be distinct experiences in their own right, giving players the variety they crave in both setting and gameplay," said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia. "And I don't want to spoil any surprises for Zombies fans, but Call of the Dead takes it to a whole new level." There's no word oat this point when to expect the DLC for Windows or PlayStation 3.

The Unreal Development Kit Website now offers the April beta of the UDK, a free toolkit for creating games using Epic's Unreal Engine 3. The new version includes Unreal Editor improvements, new particle system and options, new keyboard shortcuts, and more, and there are also a number of updated pages in the UDK's online documentation. Downloads of the UDK are mirrored on AtomicGamer and Gamer's Hell.

This new trailer from Operation Flashpoint: Red River highlights co-op play in Codemasters' upcoming military first-person shooter sequel. Word is: "The 'Co-op Search and Rescue' video showcases gameplay footage from the CSAR Fireteam Engagement mode, as Fireteam Bravo inserts behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots in enemy territory." Here's the embedded version. Continue here to read the full story.

Comments from BioWare’s Casey Hudson in the latest issue of Game Informer provide fuel for speculation that an MMOG based on Mass Effect is possible. Though it was just confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will not include multiplayer, VG247 relates some MMO speculation from the magazine. "A lot of people say that they want to see an MMO, I think that kind of makes sense for this universe," Hudson said. "Part of what you’re trying to do is save the universe so you can live in it. That’s part of the promise, I think, for any great IP. It has to be a world worth saving… I think Mass Effect has that quality to it. If you get rid of the Reapers and win that, wouldn’t it be amazing to just live on the Citadel or just take a ship to Omega? That makes sense."

An interview on Gothicz.net talks with Mike Hoge, one of the cofounders of Piranha Bytes, who offers a surprising indication that they are to get the rights to the Gothic series back, saying: "We get the rights to Gothic back when we have finished Risen 2. Why? Because we did only sell them to our ex-publisher for a certain amount of time ;)." This is followed by a comment in German on World of Players from Michael Rüve of Piranha Bytes, who clarifies by removing clarity, stressing that Mike is not a lawyer, and saying (in English) to "take his comments with a grain of salt." He says there's no reason to comment on their contractual situation with JoWooD at this time, making the obvious point that JoWooD has enough to worry about, as they have been declared insolvent, and are currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Koch Media. He also notes that Piranha Bytes and JoWooD have no legal disagreements. Thanks Gamer's Hell.

There are very blurry images from Capcom on GamingBolt.com from Captivate, Capcom's event to celebrate their games. GamingBolt ran through the "enhance" function at the CSI lab, and speculate that two of the three images show Monster Hunter and Phoenix Wright. As for the third, they express no doubts that this is from Dead Rising, saying it is "definitely, Dead Rising 3." Though the event was last week, apparently news from the soiree is embargoed until tomorrow. Thanks Strategy Informer.

Capcom's Yoshinori Ono tweets responds to a question about PC Super Street Fighter IV that indicates that when the embargo mentioned in the story above expires tomorrow, we may finally learn the status of the PC edition of the fighting sequel. In January Capcom's Christian Svensson expressed hopes that this would still happen, and now here's what Ono-san tweets: "I cant twit about it topic... Plz wait until 12th Apr. 8am PST. ;) RT @IceBreakker:When will we have SSFIV for PC?" In case this doesn't dispel any remaining doubts, Joao points out that the Super Street Fighter IV ESRB Listing includes a PC version.

There's a boatload of Portal 2 concept art on Super Punch, proving you can fit a lot of art in a boat. This was uncovered through the ongoing deciphering of the Valve PotatoFoolsDay ARG, and shows off a number of alternate looks at Chell, Atlas and P-body the co-op robots, and the game's cover art. Thanks Kotaku.

GFK Chart-Track has U.K. PC game sales charts updated through April 9. This week The Sims Medieval retains the number one spot, Football Manager 2011 returns to the number two spot, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 reenters the chart at #11. MCV has the all-platform chart, where Zumba Fitness enters at number one.

• Alice: Madness Returns on AusGamers.

• Advanced Tactics: Gold on Blue's News.

• Fantastic Pets Demo on Xbox LIVE.
• Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus Gets A Massive Collectors Edition In Europe.
• Red Dead pre-order DLC out this week.
• Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson Show 394: Michael Jackson Experience for Kinect and more.

• '3DS sales will reach 11.6m this year'.
• iPad becomes fully integrated Photoshop tool, Android and PlayBook next. Thanks Ant.
• Maine school district buys iPad 2s for every kindergartner. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.

• The four enemies of indie Internet TV.
• Online shopping costs the Australian government and businesses big. Thanks Sugar Hush.

Thanks Acleacius.

• Raine Group receives investments from media, tech.
• Sharp suspends two TV panel plants as demand tumbles.
• The Major Linux Open-Source ATI Improvements Over Two Years.
• Free Personal Finance Apps from Intel AppUpSM center. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• Chained to their desks- prisoners will staff call centre within Indian jail. Thanks Ant via Neatorama.
• GNOME 3 set free. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.
• The Tech Report Podcast 85- French fries and system guides.
• Upper Deck adds an LCD screen to its Evolution Series of NFL trading cards. Thanks [H]ard-OCP.

Thanks Ant.

• Desktop antivirus isn't enough anymore.
• PCWORLD Security Software Review.

Thanks Acleacius.

• Meet the senator blocking Big Content's Web censorship plan.
• Analysis: Alliance Data may face high Epsilon breach costs.
• French probe espionage at defense firm unit- report.

• Crysis 2 on Bjorn3D.com.

• Akasa ES Series 450W PSU on eTeknix.com.
• ASUS GeForce GTX580 DirectCU II CPU on InsideHW.
• ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution Motherboard on APH Networks.
• ASUS PA246Q ProArt 24” IPS Monitor on Hardware Canucks.
• Future Sonics Atrio M5 Special Edition (ASE) Earphones on Test Freaks.
• Epson Stylus Office BX925FWD Printer on Business Computing World.
• Logisys MS6801 Notebook Mouse on Monster-Hardware.
• MSI GeForce GTX 580 1536MB Lightning Overclocked Graphics Card on TweakTown.
• MSI GTX550 Ti Cyclone OC Graphics Card on Ninjalane.com.
• MSI Radeon HD 6970 Lighting Graphics Card on Guru3D.
• QPad 5K Gaming-Maus und HeatoN Mauspad on Technic3D. In German.
• Roccat Kulo Gaming Headset on Overclock3D.
• Samsung Series 9 Laptop on TechReviewSource.com.
• Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones on t-break.
• Sentey GS-6400R Arvina PC Case on DragonSteelMods.
• Thermaltake Armor A30 MATX Case on Vortez.
• Thermaltake Jing CPU Cooler on ThinkComputers.org.
• Thermaltake Max 5G External Hard Drive Enclosure on Overclockers Club.
• Thermaltake TTeSports CONKOR and DASHER Mouse Pads on Mad Shrimps.
• Thermaltake Tt eSports Shock One USB Gaming Headset on Hardware Heaven.

• Minecraft self-building-repairing House using piston mod and cobble generator. Thanks Ant via Reddit…

This LiveScience Article (thanks Ant via Neatorama) describes promising progress on a vaccine for cat allergies. This gives hope for MrsBlue, as she loves kitties, but has terrible allergies. She may still not be a great candidate for this even if it does work out, as she also has asthma, but we can hold out hope.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play:	ShtCan. Pigs Can Fly. Monster Castle.
Link:	A Flappers' Dictionary. Thanks Boing Boing. Airedale?
Stories:	Brooklyn man sets up 24-hour UFO hotline. Nazi warplane lying off UK coast is intact.
Science:	First homosexual caveman found. Thanks Hump. Coffee addiction may be grounded in genes. Thanks Neatorama. UK astrophysicist Rees wins 2011 Templeton prize.
Images:	Can my new friend stay for dinner? Thanks Reddit.
Media:	Family Guy: Street Fighter 'Peter vs Mr. Washee Washee'. Stephen Hawking Loves the Simpsons. "Larry Flynt is right!" Epic Tilt-Shift Ski Video by Tristan Greszko.
Follow-up:	'Man Of Steel': Superman Movie Renamed, Michael Shannon Cast As Villain General Zod.