An interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun talks with Brian Fargo about inXile's recently revealed plans for Torment, a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, the classic RPG. They talk about where the project stands, using the Numenera system, why getting the actual license didn't work out, what "makes a Torment game a Torment game," Chris Avellone's involvement, and the likelihood they will be taking this project to Kickstarter. Thanks Pope Viper.

Closed beta testing of MechWarrior Tactics has officially commenced, and North American gamers are being offered the opportunity to participate in vetting the online strategy title by purchasing one of three different Founder's packages."MechWarrior Tactics is a game deeply rooted and inspired by the original and cherished BattleTech tabletop games. It’s important for us to bring to life the essence of the BattleTech experience for fans and we’re looking forward to their valuable feedback," says Chris Cleroux, Game Director, Roadhouse Interactive. "This is truly a project where the Closed Beta will be one, long conversation with the fanbase ensuring that we are creating an experience which captures the magic, excitement and flavor of the BattleTech universe."

An MSN Money article has more on EA's plans for The Sims 3 besides the packs mentioned earlier (thanks Rhino). Here's word on more simminess on the way:

Dropping anchor this June is The Sims 3 Island Paradise, an expansion pack filled with adventure, exploration and a world of new discoveries set on the sunny shores and beneath the glistening water of a tropical paradise. For the first time ever, Sims can take the helm of fully customizable houseboats and set sail in search of uncharted islands, create, own and manage resorts or discover what lies beneath the ocean through the new skill-based scuba diving and snorkeling activities. The Sims 3 Island Paradise introduces all new ways to build - whether it’s a lavish five-star resort, a bungalow on the water or a houseboat that can travel the seas. Players can create their own idea of island paradise for their Sims in this new expansion pack and embark on an unforgettable journey.

Launching this fall is an all-new stuff pack that is filled with clothing and décor inspired by iconic movie themes and settings. Additionally this fall, Sims will finally be able to travel to the future in an all-new expansion pack, currently untitled. More details will be revealed in the coming months, but Sims will certainly have the time of their lives this year with the offerings from The Sims 3.

This trailer is the introductory video for SimCity, the upcoming continuation of Maxis' urban planning series. Word is: "Using all gameplay footage, the video shows off Multi-city play beginning with an expansive aerial view of one of the regions in the game before it dives into city specialisation, providing fans with a glimpse into how their cities can look when they specialise in dirty coal power, clean nuclear or wind power, or tourism. The video ends with the first look at the Space Center, one of the Great Works that players can work to create together when the game launches in the UK on 8th March 2013." Continue here to read the full story.

• Console business here to stay, says Sony CEO.
• Xbox LIVE Activity for week of December 31st.
• Painkiller Hell & Damnation gets new April release date.
• Xbox Support Staff Say They Were Fired After Posting About Their Jobs On Kotaku.
• Expect more Xbox Live ads.

Thanks Ant.

• Verizon CEO: Consumers Still Want Handset Subsidies.
• T-Mobile- iPhone and Death of Subsidies Coming Soon.

Thanks Ant.

• Microsoft confirms Messenger will be retired and users migrated to Skype on March 15. Thanks Slashdot.
• Verizon CEO Hints at 1 Gbps FiOS.
• AT&T Promises U-Verse Users 75-100 Mbps.
• West Virginia's Broadband Incompetence Balloons.
• SeaMonkey 2.15.
• Netflix Inks Exclusive U.S. Online Rights To Warner Bros 2012-13 Drama Shows. Thanks Dark Horizons.

• CES 2013 - Razer Edge Pro Is One Seriously Fast Gaming Tablet.
• CES 2013 - OCZ Shows Off Their PCIe Vector SSD.
• TechwareLabs CES Booth Babes Gallery Day 1.

• Japanese cops collar malware-carrying cat. Thanks nin via Slashdot.
• Texas RFID case: Judge upholds schools' tracking program. Thanks Ant via Slashdot.

• 6 Tips For Improving Game Performance with Steam on Linux. Thanks Ant via Linux Today…
• Connecticut town cancels plans to destroy games…
• Experience Dishonored on a PC Tablet…

Link of the Day: Best Drive Thru Prank Ever. Thanks Ant.

The TERA Website has news that En Masse Entertainment's MMORPG is going free-to-play next month (thanks Massively). This FAQ has all the details, and here's a bit:

TERA will be free.

No level, time, or content restrictions.

Our philosophy is to add to what we already offer instead of restricting existing content. We've added an in-game shop where players can choose to buy costumes, mounts, and consumables, but the core of the game will be 100% free.

PlanetSide Universe has details from SOE's Matt Higby on the next patch for PlanetSide 2, which is supposed to be deployed in the MMOFPS sequel on January 30. This includes details on performance improvements, XP enhancements, UI changes, and more. Word is: "We know this doesn't address every issue that's been brought up recently but we hope it knocks out some of the big ones. Hopefully you will see from this update (and the feature plan for the next 6 months, when that is revealed) that we're taking your feedback and concerns for the game very seriously. We're here, we're listening and we're committed to continue to work with our community to build the best online game the world has ever seen." Thanks Massively.

The Twitter feed for Erik Todd Dellums has clues from the voice actor that seem to reveal plans for Fallout 4 or some other future installment in the Fallout post-apocalyptic RPG series. This tweet suggests we can expect a return of Three Dog, his DJ character from the game: "To all my #Fallout3 and #ThreeDog fans: There may be more of the Dog coming! Fingers crossed!" A subsequent tweet says he has been authorized to blab like this: "How was that for a tease! I was given permission to release that tease, so fingers crossed." Thanks VGU via No Mutants Allowed.

American McGee tweets that open beta testing is now underway for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, Spicy Horse's action/RPG. This will offer the chance to check out the game and see if its Kickstarter campaign is worth your support. Here's word on the beta:

What'd you think? We'd love to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions! Discuss them here on Kickstarter if you like, but please be sure to also share them over on the SpicyWorld Forums and via the ZenDesk link labeled "Report Bugs/Suggestions" at the bottom of the game frame. This phase of Beta will last from today (Jan 9th) until a week from now (Jan 16th.) We'll then take the game offline for one week, during which time the team will tune, adjust and repair - based largely on the feedback you provide. Find something you don't like or think we should improve? Great! Tell us all about it! This is YOUR game!

U.K.-based game/media store Play.com is closing its retail operations, reports MCV, saying the company will live up to its name as an online-only e-tailer as of March. More than 200 jobs will be lost as a result of the closure, which comes just months after the company was purchased by Japanese firm Rakuten. Apparently the company is suffering a downturn due to the end of their ability to offer VAT-free imports on lower-cost items.

Kalypso Media says they plan to release an OS X edition of Omerta - City of Gangsters, saying Mac support will come in Q1 of this year, following the release of the Windows and Xbox 360 editions of the 1920s gangster game on February 1st. Word is this will include cross-platform play with the PC edition: "Now included in the release of Omerta, there will now be cross-platform multiplayer play between Windows PC and Mac, along with full support for Steam Cloud Saves on both platforms."

The Sims Website announces plans for more content for The Sims 3, Maxis' lifestyle simulation. They will release The Sims 3 70s, 80s & 90s Stuff later this month, offering more virtual stuff for your virtual hoarders. They also will offer The Sims 3 University Life in March, offering a place to send that good-for-nothing kid of yours so you can play with your new lava lamps and pet rocks. A limited edition of the University Life pack will include a bonus statue to ensure all your frat parties are epic. Thanks VG247.

Sensory Acumen is at the Consumer Electronics Show demonstrating GameSkunk, their olfactory gaming device. Their website has details on this, saying: "Missing from your game playing role is the ability to smell the action; cooking food, explosions on the battle field, crashes on the race track, and just the essence of real life as it plays out in a virtual reality setting. Just wait; you will be catapulted into a whole new way of game play. Don’t just play, play all the way." They also have details on a gamer-oriented dietary supplement that may work, in spite of all this nonsense: "...vibrational dietary supplement made of a proprietary blend of herbs and nutrients using a vibrational technology that incorporates the energy signature imprint ..." Thanks IGN.

This trailer offers a look at gameplay from a 1997 prototype of Half-Life, the first-person shooter from Valve that went on to greatness. The content is intended to show off colored lighting and other technical innovations, providing an interesting insight into the evolution of the game. Thanks PC Gamer. Continue here to read the full story.

• 2K sale hits Xbox Live: Mafia, BioShock & Borderlands going cheap.

• NPD predicts 2013 will be the year that tablet shipments finally overtake notebooks. Thanks Slashdot.
• Sliding MSI tablet coming this month at $1299.
• Run'n'Gun now available for iOS.

• Out of nowhere, Dish makes offer to fully acquire Clearwire.
• Broadcom's new chip supports H.265, UltraHD.
• Facebook unveiling something next week?
• The Many Problems With Online Dating's Radical Efficiency. Thanks Ant via Slashdot.

• Gigabyte boards use Thunderbolt ports to drive 4K display resolutions.
• Asus shows super-wide, 144Hz displays.
• Corsair adds all-mechanical keyboard, new mice.
• Intel Says Haswell CPUs Offer Huge Power Savings and Better Graphics.
• IR sensors, Xbox-style buttons infiltrate Thermaltake mice.
• CES 2013: Corsair Unveils Obsidian 900D, Raptor Gaming Peripherals & More.

Thanks Ant.

• AT&T Pushing Home Security Service Into 8 Markets.
• Software update accidentally cancels food stamp cards for 37,000 Californians. Thanks Slashdot.

• Nokia's factory in India gets raided over an unpaid tax bill worth $542 million.

• The Cat Lady on Just Adventure.
• Chaos on Deponia on GameSpot.com.
• LEGO: The Lord of the Rings on Strategy Informer.
• The War Z on IGN.
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on Gamesplurge.com.

• ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II 4GB GPU on HARDOCP.
• Asus S46CA-XH51 on TechReviewSource.
• Corsair AX1200i on Technic3D. In German.
• ICYDock MB981U3N-1SA SATA-IDE Hard Drive Adaptor on PCSTATS.com.
• Intel SSD DC S3700 on HardcoreWare.
• Micron P320h PCIe Enterprise SSD on TweakTown.
• MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Power Edition on Neoseeker.
• NZXT Respire T40 Heatsink on FrostyTech.com.
• Patriot Memory for Ultrabook PC3-12800 8GB LoVo SODIMM on TweakTown.
• PNY XLR8 Pro SSD on Hardware Heaven.
• Sapphire HD 7870 XT With Boost (Tahiti LE) Graphics Card on Hardware Heaven.
• SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W Power Supply ON Hardware Secrets.
• Thermaltake Level 10 Mouse on Bigbruin.com.

I had another unfortunate incident walking our pooches yesterday, though the outcome could have been far worse. Hudson the wonder dog, the Gunnar-man, and I were approaching a corner when a neighbor's toy poodle came rushing up, barking his head off. His owner ran up and re-secured the leash he'd lost, as somehow he had more trouble with one dog weighing six pounds than I did with two totaling 120. Just as I started to joke that his dog has been trying to teach my guys a lesson for years (as he always barks at us as we pass his house) Hudson's remarkable telekinetic abilities kicked in, as she managed to get her leash to unclasp with a simple shake of her head. In a flash that defies her age she covered the five or six yards between us and grabbed the poodle in her mouth. As I reached the scene and grabbed Hudson's jaws to save the dog, my genius neighbor decided to help by kicking her in the face, which was one of the surest ways to escalate this into a situation that would result in his dog's death. I shouted at him to stop kicking and freed his pooch from her grasp. As he stormed off I called after him to ask if his dog was okay and he just repeated my command to "stop kicking her" to indicate he didn't like how I handed this. I tried to explain that this just was for his dog's protection, but he was just pissed. I stopped by their house and apologized to his wife and got reassurances that no injuries were suffered, so hopefully this won't result in any ill will.

There is a lesson here: There are right ways and wrong ways to deal with dog fights, and a surprising number of dog owners don't do any research on how to deal with such problems before they occur, something I would strongly recommend.

Recommended Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Wilt: Last Blossom. Monsters TD 2.
Links:	Chitauri Invasion of NYC Post Event Damage Estimate. Thanks Neutronbeam.
Stories:	Group aims to improve New York’s ‘horrific’ airports. Jeff Garlin talks about his new podcast, the future of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'. Thanks nin. Early Flu Season Hits Hard.
Media:	Honest Trailers - Inception. Race Start FAIL. Rock Around The Alarm Clock Rock. Surface Of The Sun - Compilation.
The Funnies:	New Virus - FailDesk. Brevity.