BioWare announces "Operation Raptor," another bounty weekend in Mass Effect 3, which will get underway at 8:00 pm EDT on Friday and run through 8:00 am EDT Monday. This is for the PC and Xbox 360 editions, and word is they are hard at work to add support for future events to the PlayStation 3 edition of the action/RPG sequel as well. Here's word on the event:

Rally your allies for this weekend’s Operation Raptor by promoting at least two characters to your single player campaign. All promotions will result in an increased N7 rating.

• Allied Goal: Promote 150,000 characters. Victory Packs awarded to all players upon successful completion.
• · Individual Goal: Promote 2 characters. Commendation Pack awarded to individual players upon successful completion

Commendation Packs will be awarded to individual soldiers who complete their training and a Victory Pack will be awarded to everyone if the Allied Goal is achieved. Packs will be available to download the following week.

Additionally, a 10% XP bonus will be applied during this timeframe! Now’s the time to shoot for two level 20 characters and build up your N7 rating with this weekend with Operation Raptor!

Rockstar Games now offers a new trailer from Max Payne 3, the upcoming third-person shooter sequel. The clip shows off multiplayer action from the game, as word is: "see how Max Payne 3 Multiplayer brings the franchise's combination of highly responsive and cinematic shooting action to the realm of online multiplayer across a range of game modes, the implementation of Max’s signature Bullet Time® special ability and how we utilized the third-person perspective - allowing players to connect with a character they can see while still retaining full fluid control during gunplay."

The Path of Exile Website is counting down to the launch of a public stress test for this upcoming multiplayer action/RPG. There is a FAQ with details on what content will be offered, how to get the game client in advance, and more. They say feedback from the test will help prepare for their "permanent open beta."

Closed beta testing is now underway for Legends of Aethereus, ThreeGates' upcoming multiplayer action/RPG. Here's a bit on the game: "The game offers fans of hardcore PvP combat the ability to challenge other players in their own arena, while giving Hack-N-Slash Action players fun expeditions to fill their time while they level up their characters for battle." This trailer offers beta test footage.

A thread on reddit sums up a 4Chan discussion with someone claiming to be a viral marker for Electronic Arts prior to his recent dismissal. He outlines his job trolling websites to create good press and deflect bad press, and makes a number of claims about EA, the most significant being they are on the verge of acquiring another company. This is all to be taken with a grain or more of salt, of course, but Blend Games' summary of the summary (how meta) notes an interesting aspect of all this: "What's more is that when he reveals a former forum name, posters instantly recognize him as a guy who had been defending Mass Effect 3, Star Wars The Old Republic and Origin for several months, even using Origin to hand out free games during a brief marketing campaign, meaning he's either legit or one of the most dedicated trolls ever."

The World Of Line Of Defense is a new developer blog detailing progress on Line of Defense, 3000AD's upcoming MMOG. On a related note, 3000AD and DC Comics announce plans for a comic book tie in with the game:

WESTON, FL– March 28, 2012– 3000AD, INC and DC Entertainment welcome comic book fans to the edge of conflict. Designed by videogame veteran Derek Smart, Line Of Defense, developed by 3000AD, takes place in a rich environment where Galactic Command is deep in conflict with opposing forces hell bent on taking over the resources of a distant planet and apparently building a super weapon while they’re at it.

A special limited-edition,“First Issue” comic based on this upcoming videogame will be featured at the DC Entertainment booth at San Diego Comic-Con this year, as well as E3 and several other trade shows during the year. It will also be made available through various online outlets.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Age of Empires Online on Steam.
• Clones Update on Steam.
• Dota 2 Update on Steam.
• Midnight Mysteries 4 on Steam.
• Team Fortress 2 Update on Steam.
• Tropico 4 Update on Steam.

• Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! on Steam. Save 66%.

• The Next PlayStation is Called Orbis, Sources Say. Here are the Details.
• Twisted Metal review on Zero Punctuation. NSFW.

• Netzero Offers Free Wireless - No Contract Offer Via Clearwire.

• HughesNet Promises Service Improvements.
• Cox Backs Off New Meter, Removes Overage References. Thanks Ant.

• Sight to behold: a blind man behind wheel of self-driving car.
• GNOME 3.4 released. Thanks Ant.

Thanks j.c.f.

• Study: More than 50% of Global 500 use vulnerable open source components.
• Anonymous Supposedly Plans to "Kill" the Internet on March 31. Thanks HARDOCP.
• FTP Ubiquitous And Dangerously Noncompliant.
• LulzSec hackers return to target CSS Corp and military dating sites.
• Survey scammers fling spam at Pinterest punters.
• Apache Traffic Server update closes important security hole.
• Facebook scammers host Trojan horse extensions on Chrome Web Store.

• Kim Dotcom: US Military Had 15,634 Megaupload Accounts. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Sweden may also investigate Apple over iPad 4G/LTE marketing.

• Cousins predicts "free-to-play equivalent of Skyrim" in two years…
• From parody to production- How @petermolydeux inspired a wacky weekend game design marathon…

AMD now offers new version 12.3 Catalyst reference Drivers for AMD/ATI graphics cards. The new drivers add support for a number of new products, and include the following mostly game-related changes:

• AMD Catalyst Control Center startup issues/delays have been resolved
• Elder Scrolls: Skyrim : No longer displays flickering and texture corruption with Anti-Aliasing enabled
• Alan Wake : A system crash is no longer experienced when running the game in DirectX 9 mode with Crossfire enabled.
• Far Cry 2 : A random system hang is no longer experienced when running the game at high in game setting.
• Tom Clancy HAWX : No longer crashes after task switching with MLAA (Morphological Anti-Aliasing) and Anti-Aliasing enabled.
• Furmark Benchmark : No longer crashes when launched in High Performance mode.
• Quake 4 : No longer display corruption after task switching when run in High Performance mode
• XPlane : Textures no longer exhibit flicker and corruption.

Little Orbit announces plans to create a game based on Mistborn, the bestselling series of epic fantasy novels by author Brandon Sanderson. The Mistborn Website is online for the game, which is expected next year for Windows, Xbox LIVE, and PlayStation Network. Here's word:

Little Orbit revealed today that they will be bringing bestselling author Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy series Mistborn to games late next year for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC and Mac.

Mistborn is set in a dark world of ash, mist, and gothic fantasy creatures, dominated by a seemingly immortal villain known as the Lord Ruler. It also follows individuals who use a powerful rule-based magic system known as Allomancy that allows them to temporarily enhance their physical and mental abilities by ingesting and “burning” flakes of metal. Those who have the ability to burn a single metal are called Mistings, and those who can burn all metals are known as Mistborn.

The upcoming RPG video game will feature an original storyline created by Sanderson, set several hundreds of years before the first Mistborn novel, and will focus on a unique combat system that puts Allomancy into the hands of gamers. Players will suit up as Fendin “Fiddle” Fathvell, an arrogant young nobleman who must quickly master his newfound Allomantic abilities before forces at work can destroy his entire family.

Continue here to read the full story.

There's a preview of Assassin's Creed 3 on GameSpy with quotes from Ubisoft Montreal Creative Director Alex Hutchinson about what to expect from the stealth/action sequel. The author deserves extra points for the concluding Q&A expressing skepticism that the PC edition of the game will be released alongside the console editions. On another PC-related topic, they learn that their professed "love" and plans for "supporting" the PC does not include putting time into mouse and keyboard support (thanks Destructoid). Here's word:

Sadly the PC version won't get much special treatment, he admitted: "We're definitely supporting PC, we love PC, but I think it'll be PC with a controller. I don't see us investing hugely in a mouse and keyboard setup. I think if you want to play on PC and you want to play Assassin's Creed, you have a controller."

The upcoming continuation of the SimCity series will require a constant internet connection to play, reports Joystiq. They have confirmed that the game will be sold through digital distributors other than Origin, but lead designer Stone Librande tells them players will need to be connected to EA's online service to play, even in single-player. Word is: "The always-on connection becomes necessary with the game's emphasis on multiplayer and regional impact, and the use of a global economy that all players can influence."

ISOTX announces the release of the Atelian expansion for Iron Grip: Marauders, the MMO strategy game. This trailer shows off the new content, and here's an outline of what's included: Continue here to read the full story.

Paradox Interactive's Twitch TV Channel will be showing a live demo of four recently announced titles today beginning at 2:00 pm EDT. They will be showing streaming gameplay from Dungeonland, A Game of Dwarves, Starvoid, and The Showdown Effect. Word is: "Each larger-than-life title will receive a presentation by their respective development team, including the viewing of the newest trailer, a walkthrough from the devs themselves, and a short Q/A session from the community via chat. Indie game fans won’t want to miss this opportunity to get a firsthand sneak peek of what’s to come, so be sure to tune in!"

Daniel Matros tweets that the PC patch for Battlefield 3 is expected tomorrow: "PC patch has a date which is tomorrow. Coming in hot we will go into maintenance mode from 9-11:30 CET. More details coming on the blog." Thanks VG247.

The Miner Wars Website now offers an updated release date for Miner Wars 2081, or window rather, as they say the game will get a full release in the second half of this year. The current build of the single-player and MMO aerial combat game is still available as a prerelease preorder, and word is: "Rather than releasing quickly and all of a sudden, we would like to ensure the game has been polished and handles well. Instead of rushing to meet the deadlines (set by ourselves, actually), we want to move forward with a ‘will release when it is finished’ mentality"

The Diablo III Website offers another new "In-Development" video on Class Skills in Blizzard's upcoming action/RPG sequel. Word is: "Doing battle with the Burning Hells means fighting fire with fire, and this week’s videos are all about destruction. We’ve got skills to tear through demonic invaders with summoned zombies and locusts, pepper them with knives and arrows, warp their minds, blow their bodies apart, and more. Watch, enjoy, and remember: heroes use every tool at their disposal in the pursuit of victory."

• Google Now Accepting Student Applications For Its 2012 Summer of Code. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Assassin's Creed III on Computer and Video Games.
• Gas Guzzlers: Combat Carnage on Gaming Nexus.

• PlayStation Store update features Closure, FIFA Soccer 12.
• Alan Wake Games Will Never Come To PS3.
• Save 43% On A 12-Month Xbox Live Gold Membership – Only $33.99.
• Wrecked Revenge Revisited on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

• Woman Walking While Texting Fell Off Pier. Thanks Ant.
• One Way Out for iPad on the iTunes App Store.

• Trying to close your AOL account is suspicious activity. Thanks Ant.
• Celebrities Read Tweets About Themselves. Thanks nin.

• Fink version 0.32.4.1. Thanks Ant.

• Crowdfunding bill backed by US House of Representatives. Thanks HARDOCP.
• UK ISP forced to hand over details on IP addresses to porn producer.

• Assassin's Creed Revelations on ComputerGames.ro.
• Yesterday on Destructoid.

• AC Ryan VEOLO Media Player on Technic3D.
• AMD FirePro V3900 Graphics Card on HotHardware.
• Asrock X79 Extreme4 & X79 Extreme4-M Motherboard on Legion Hardware.
• ASUS EA-N66U Wireless-N450 Ethernet Adapter on Benchmark Reviews.
• AT&T Pantech Element 8-Inch 4G LTE Tablet on Legit Reviews.
• Cooler Master X6 Elite Heatsink on Ninjalane.com.
• Corsair Vengeance K90 Performance MMO Mechanical Gaming Keyboard on TweakTown.
• Epic Gear Meduza Mouse and Hybrid Pad on Overclock3D.
• Kingwin Absolute Platinum 550W PSU on techPowerUp.
• Logitech Squeezebox Touch Wi-Fi Music Player on Nikk Tech.
• MSI A75MA-G55 Motherboard on RBMODS.
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Graphics Card 3-way SLI on Guru3D.
• OCZ Synapse 64GB SSD Cache Drive on Hardware Canucks.
• Plextor M3 Pro 256GB (PX-256M3P) SSD on TweakTown.
• Razer Naga Hex Gaming Mouse on eTeknix.
• Razer Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Headset on Gaming Nexus.
• Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 OC 2GB Graphics Card on eTeknix.
• SteelSeries 6GV2 Keyboard on photographyvoice.com.

Thanks Ant.

• New positions available at Just Add Water. Thanks Gamer's Hell…
• Online video games may expose kids to violent language, experts warn. That's why they're experts…
• Dragonborn Destinations. Thanks Kotaku…
• All Your History: Adventure Games Part 1…
• Ex-Pandemic vets Seismic Games unveil first title: CelebrityMe…

Well my visit to Doctor Toothy got forestalled yesterday, as my car decided it didn't want to start. I kind of have myself to blame for relying on a battered 12-year old sports car with 110k miles on it, but it has never stranded me before, so I guess that can be forgiven. I'm rescheduled for next week, so I'll have to figure out what's up with the car between now and then.

Forestalled Links:	Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play:	Kill the Heroes. Ruder.
Links:	Popular Games Viewed From a Different Perspective.
Stories:	How Does America’s Tallest Man Buy Shoes? Thanks nin. Gary Oldman 'thought he had lost' Batman film script.
Science:	Robot Records Fish Farts. Thanks Neatorama. Popcorn: The snack with even higher antioxidants levels than fruits and vegetables. Thanks TDW Geeks.
Media:	Alternate Mad Men Intros. Tenacious D - To Be The Best.
Follow-up:	Earth heated up in medieval times without human CO2 emissions. Thanks Roger.