A new FINAL FANTASY VII Website reveals plans to re-release this 1997 installment in SQUARE ENIX's JRPG series. Word is this is "coming soon," and will require Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 (32/64-bit), a 2GHz Processor or faster, 1GB RAM, and a DirectX 9-compatible graphics card. Here's word and a trailer:

Whether you’re a seasoned FINAL FANTASY VII veteran or exploring this RPG classic for the very first time, show off your in-game accomplishments and put your gaming skills to the test with 36 brand new achievements to unlock. Share your profile with friends online to find out who is the ultimate FINAL FANTASY fan.

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The Diablo III Website outlines a couple of hotfixes Blizzard rolled out yesterday for their action/RPG sequel. One of the two bullets mentions fixes for game and service crashes, and the other: "Fixed a bug that allowed players to earn additional stacks of Nephalem Valor or guaranteed item drops by killing multiple monsters simultaneously from the same Champion or Rare pack." There's also a new article on Magic Find Gear Swapping discussing how to deal with players swapping to gear that boosts their chances of finding magic items shortly before a kill. They say they do not have a problem with the practice, but they are seeking to address it due to player demand, leaving open the hope they will address other such complaints. There's more on that concept in a thread called End game solutions where community manager Bashiok admits that Blizzard misjudged the appeal of item hunting as an end game, and is looking to redress this with future updates beginning with the upcoming version 1.04 patch:

We recognize that the item hunt is just not enough for a long-term sustainable end-game. There are still tons of people playing every day and week, and playing a lot, but eventually they're going to run out of stuff to do (if they haven't already). Killing enemies and finding items is a lot of fun, and we think we have a lot of the systems surrounding that right, or at least on the right path with a few corrections and tweaks. But honestly Diablo III is not World of Warcraft. We aren't going to be able to pump out tons of new systems and content every couple months. There needs to be something else that keeps people engaged, and we know it's not there right now.

We're working toward 1.0.4, which we're really trying to pack with as many fixes and changes we can to help you guys out (and we'll have a bunch of articles posted with all the details as we get closer), and we're of course working on 1.1 with PvP arenas. I think both those patches will do a lot to give people things to do, and get them excited about playing, but they're not going to be a real end-game solution, at least not what we would expect out of a proper end-game. We have some ideas for progression systems, but honestly it's a huge feature if we want to try to do it right, and not something we could envision being possible until well after 1.1 which it itself still a ways out.

A new article on the ArenaNet Blog outlines "The Golden Rules" of Guild Wars 2, the upcoming MMORPG sequel, saying every aspect of the game has been touched and shaped by one or more of them. They go into detail on each of the following precepts:

• Make the world come alive
• Cooperation is key
• Play the game, not the UI
• Take risks
• Do it well or don’t do it at all
• Respect the player

Trion Worlds announces the first beta event for End of Nations, as the official website for the free-to-play military sim counts down the two weeks plus to July 20th when the event will begin. They say this will offer both large and small maps, a variety of different terrains, . and "a multitude of upgrade options and a wide range of units and battle tactics to deploy." Word is: "Gamers interested in taking part in the beta can sign up via the official website for the chance to get an invite to one of the 3 beta events - http://endofnations.com/en/beta/ . Random keys are also being handed out via the official End of Nations Facebook and Twitter sites."

IO Interactive announces plans for Hitman: Absolution Deluxe Professional Edition, which will include a statue and an art book for the upcoming stealth/action sequel:

Today IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio unveiled the Hitman: Absolution Deluxe Professional Edition.

The strictly limited Deluxe Professional Edition will include a 10" Agent 47 vinyl statue and the Professional Edition of the game conataining; a hard-cover Hitman: Absolution art book, an in-depth making of DVD and the Agency Gun-Pack DL C.

Pre-Order customers will also receive immediate access to the Sniper Challenge experience. An exclusive standalone gameplay experience, only available with Hitman: Absolution preorders. Featuring online leader boards plus the ability to carry over skill and weapon unlocks into Absolution.

The Deluxe Professional Edition will feature stunning presentation packaging and is available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC on November 20th 2012.

Jon Brooke, Brand Director IO Interactive commented: "Our community and fans mean the world to us and we've worked hard to create a collectors edition which we think they'll love."

HITMAN: ABSOLUTION follows The Original Assassin undertaking his most personal contract to date. Betrayed by the Agency and hunted by the police, Agent 47 finds himself pursuing redemption in a corrupt and twisted world.

• One week to go until the Develop Awards.

• Max Payne 3 Local Justice Pack Now Available.
• Wii U could include online subscription options.
• ANALYSIS- Xbox Smartglass.
• Devil's Third rights returned to Itagaki and Valhalla Game Studios.
• Sony: Gaikai acquisition was games-focused.
• Spelunky on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
• MMA Onslaught on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

• Nintendo admits 3DS lacks Western momentum.

• Google Killing Off Mini, Video, and iGoogle. Thanks Ant.

• The Secret World PC Technical Review - Rage3D.com.
• Microsoft Announces Quarterly Earnings Release Date. Thanks HARDOCP.

• EU Parliament rejects ACTA anti-piracy treaty. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Report- eSports Team Owner Arrested by FBI Over Internet Crimes. Thanks nin.

• Quantum Conundrum on Christ Centered Gamer.
• The Walking Dead Episode 2: Starved for Help on Examiner.com.

• ADATA 500 Series S510 120GB SSD on eTeknix.
• AMD FX-8120 CPU on Mad Shrimps.
• Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 10 850 W on techPowerUp.
• Corsair Vengeance C70 on Vortez.
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 OC on Legion Hardware.
• HIS 7870 IceQ GHz Edition on pcGameware.
• Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD on CDRLabs.
• MSI GeForce GTX 670 Power Edition /OC on Guru3D.
• MSI R7850 Power Edition OC 2GB on Real World Labs.

• "Terrorists" Frustrated By Lack Of Steam Summer Sale Send -Threatening- Video Message To Gabe Newell. Thanks nin…
• Help from Hell - 04 July - Spec Ops: The Line- FAQ/Walkthrough…

Well it's the fourth of July, which is also known as Independence Day here in the U.S., as we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and of course, Jeff Goldblum thwarting those aliens with a Macintosh computer virus. We had more fireworks last night, of course, but Hudson the wonder dog's reaction wasn't as severe as the night before, so we can hope she's feeling a bit desensitized. Of course the festivities tonight should be louder, but we can always hope. Anyway, here's hoping all of you who are celebrating have a fun and safe time.

Independent Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Palisade Guardian 3. Effing Worms 2.
Stories:	Fireworks can injure your eyes - experts. I want to be an expert too! Woman glued to Walmart toilet seat in Kentucky. Thanks Boing Boing. The Bristle Brush as Barbecue Hazard. Seems careless. Thanks j.c.f.
Science:	CERN experiments observe particle consistent with long-sought Higgs boson. Thanks Jim.
Follow-up:	xkcd- Home Organization.