EA's Origin service is now offering the original Dead Space as a free download with no strings attached beyond requiring an Origin registration. They explain on a new page devoted to a new "On The House" promotion:

Free?! What's the catch?
There's no catch. Grab full games, expansions and more at absolutely no cost. Just make sure to act fast because On the House specials can appear and disappear at any time.

You mean a trial or demo, right?
Nope. You’re getting a full version of the real game — for free!

How long will I own the game?
Once you’ve claimed your game, it’s yours to keep!

Why is Origin doing this?
We're gamers, too. We appreciate you making Origin your gaming home ... and besides, who doesn't like free stuff?

Phoenix Online Publishing announces they are now accepting preorders for Moebius: Empire Rising, the upcoming Windows and OS X paranormal thriller from Gabriel Knight creator Jane Jensen, which coincides with the release of a new demo for the game. Like U.S. income taxes, Moebius is due on April 15th, and those who order between now and then get a 20% discount. The download link on the Moebius page doesn't work, but the Windows demo can be downloaded here while the OS X demo is here. Here's a refresher on the game:

Set in Cairo, the Moebius demo introduces players to Malachi Rector, a prickly antiques dealer with a genius for history. After the U.S. government expresses an unusual interest in his talent for analyzing historical artifacts and people, Malachi unexpectedly finds his life in danger. Can he trust David Walker -- a former Special Forces operative he meets randomly in the desert -- to protect him? Or is David involved in the very plot that has masked assassins hunting Malachi around the globe?

Steam News announces the release of Galactic Civilizations III via Steam Early Access:

Galactic Civilizations™ III is Now Available on Steam Early Access!

Galactic Civilizations III is the premier space strategy game. The latest installment of one of the highest-rated strategy series of all time, created by the original developers at Stardock, Galactic Civilizations III challenges players to build an empire that dominates the galaxy through conquest, diplomacy, cultural hegemony, or scientific research.

The stars are yours, if you can balance the demands of expansion, exploration, diplomacy, and all-but-inevitable galactic warfare. Careful strategy, not twitch reflexes, lead to victory in this turn-based strategy epic.

Online multi-player comes to Galactic Civilizations for the first time in Galactic Civilizations III. Conquer the galaxy alongside your friends or battle for supremacy in titanic clashes.

Cliffhanger Productions announces that Shadowrun Online will hit Steam Early Access on March 31st, and this video features Cliffhanger cofounder Jan Wagner discussing the release of the MMO turn-based strategy game. "We are very excited (and a little frightened) to finally show this first glimpse of the game to the world," says Wagner. "We don’t want to pile on features unless we have nailed the core gameplay elements, so we created this small and polished section for our players to enjoy." Here's how they plan to roll this out:

The initial release of Shadowrun Online through Early Access will provide players with a PvP map, two characters, four missions, and basic skills. This limited, combat-focused approach will provide valuable feedback from Kickstarter backers and the Steam community and help guide development.

Moving forward, incremental updates (approximately monthly) will allow Cliffhanger Productions to respond to community requests and to provide players with new content and features, including character creation, skill progression, and new missions.

Continue here to read the full story.

Konami announces Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD is now available on Steam, offering a Windows edition of the updated sequel to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, celebrating the news with a new launch trailer. Would you like to know more?

Following its success across console formats, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD completes the trilogy of the ‘Lords of Shadow’ series for PC. The new game is set 25 years after the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and also acts as a precursor to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 which released in February. The trailer showcases the stunning visuals and action-packed gameplay of the side-scrolling title which is released via Steam today.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD tells the story of Gabriel Belmont’s descendants, Simon and Trevor Belmont, as they battle their own destiny only to discover their shocking fate. Trevor Belmont, a knight of the Brotherhood of Light, is out to avenge the death of his mother at the hands of his Vampire father. Trevor has returned from years of exile to take up residence in a mysterious castle, while his father is revealed as Dracula, a powerful vampire. Dracula has declared war upon Trevor’s Brotherhood and thus the scene is set for a cataclysmic showdown between father and son.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new "Welcome to Chicago" trailer from Watch Dogs, showing off the setting of Ubisoft's phone hacking game that's due two months from today (apologies for mistakenly listing it as one month off at first). They say the clip shows off the game's "rich, diverse universe" using the power of the new Disrupt engine. Here's the latest elevator pitch on the game: "In Watch Dogs, players assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a new type of vigilante hero who, with the help of his smartphone, will use his ability to hack into Chicago’s central operating system (ctOS) to control almost every element of the city. Watch Dogs will be available on May 27 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC." Continue here to read the full story.

• Batman Franchise on Steam. Save 75%.
• The Ludosity Bundle on Indie Royale.
• Square Enix Weekend, Day One on Steam. Save up to 75%.
• Trainz Bundle on Bundle Stars.

• Uncharted 4 game director leaves Naughty Dog for Riot Games. Thanks nin.
• Killer Instinct gets a new developer, Fulgore title update arrives April 9.

• South Korean mobile operators jump the gun on Samsung Galaxy S5 launch. Thanks Ant.
• Survey- More Than 1 In 4 Car Crashes Involve Cellphone Use. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Amazon may soon provide free video streaming for all.

• AMD Radeon: Windows 8.1 Catalyst vs. Linux Gallium3D vs. Linux Catalyst.
• PC Perspective Podcast #293 - NVIDIA Titan-Z, ASUS ROG Poseidon 780, News from OculusVR and more.

• Gameover ZeuS now targets users of employment websites. Thanks j.c.f.
• Antivirus Maker Blasts Microsoft for Ending Windows XP Support. Thanks Ant via DSLReports.
• Fareit Windows trojan also loads nasty piece of ransomware on PCs.

Thanks Acleacius.

• Your Smartphone Is A Crucial Police Tool, If They Can Crack It.
• Snapchat not ready for US Senate closeup.
• ACLU wins settlement for sixth-grader's Facebook posting. Thanks nin via Slashdot.
• How the NSA would get phone data under Obama administration’s new plan.

Link of the Day: Bill Murray Golfs in Whatever Pants He Wants, Because He's Bill Murray. Big hitter, the Lama. Thanks nin.

There's now a playable demo for Shadow Warrior on Steam, offering the chance to go hands-on with Flying Wild Hog's remake of the campy martial arts shooter. The game is on sale for 75% off until tomorrow in case this touches your inner Wang. Word is: "Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital have added a free demo to the Shadow Warrior Steam store page for those grasshoppers that have yet to accept the way of the Wang. Please help spread the word and share this free taste of Shadow Warrior with friends." Thanks Frans.

The Runic Games forums have an announcement from Travis Baldree saying that as of april 2nd, he and Erich Schaefer are both parting ways with Runic, the Torchlight developer they co-founded six years ago after the sinking of Flagship, the developer they formed with fellow Blizzard veterans. He calls this "an amicable departure," saying he and Schaefer will partner on a new studio: "I'm personally excited - oh, hell, I'm SUPER-STOKED - to be getting back to smaller-scale development, where I can wear many, many hats performing many, many different kinds of tasks. Working within the boundaries of limited means and resources is the best fun I've ever had, and that sort of work satisfies me in a fundamental way - I can't wait to be working that way again."

En Masse Entertainment announces Zombies Monsters Robots, a multiplayer third-person shooter from Yingpei Games (formerly Epic Games China) they say will hit open beta testing next month to pave the way for a release this summer. Word is: "Set in an alternate world where the invention of portal technology has lured cross-dimensional creatures to Earth and humanity finds itself under attack, ZMR pits gamers against a bevy of hostile foes. Players will fight back with guns, guts, and gear for an edge-of-the-seat, take-no-prisoners shooter experience." The Zombies Monsters Robots has details, offers signups for more information, and this lip-tastic announcement trailer featuring gameplay footage. Here's more:

Recently shown at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, ZMR pits players against an unexpected assortment of enemies, environments, and game modes. Gamers will battle monstrous enemies and bosses across a wide range of co-op campaigns and wave-based survival missions as well as fight other players in fierce head-to-head shootouts. Up to eight players can participate in co-op play while competitive modes support up to sixteen players. With a deep arsenal of customizable guns and gear, gamers will need to make every shot count as they enter a war against infectious zombies, abominable monsters, and murderous robots hell-bent on destroying mankind. Dynamic cover, blind fire, dodging, and active reload systems combine for strategic gameplay in which no two missions are alike, traversing locales from lush jungles to gritty industrial districts.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new Steam Greenlight campaign seeks approval for Supreme League of Patriots, a comedic point-and-click adventure developer Beefjack hopes to bring to Windows, OS X, Linux, and iOS. Sometimes game protagonists can unintentionally be jerks, but in this game it's no accident, as they say: "Safe to say main character is a bit of a dick." Word is: "It has puzzles and graphics and everything. It's about a dude called Kyle Keever who gets a little too into his alter-ego while auditioning for new reality show America's Got Superpowers. Your grandma probably won't like it."

• Planet Arkadia Update 2014.1.
• World of Warcraft 5.4.7 Hotfixes- March 25.

• The Road To Rezzed - The Indie Mine.
• Footage from MH3U's 1 year anniversary gathering by StreetPass San Diego.
• New Ladder Maps for StarCraft II 2014 Season 2.

• 10 Second Ninja Interview - True PC Gaming.
• The Arkham Knight and the New Batmobile - Batman- Arkham Knight Interview - GameSpot.
• WildStar Player versus Player AMA Transcript - Ten Ton Hammer.

• Batman: Arkham Knight on AusGamers.com, Eurogamer, GameSpot, PC Gamer, and Shacknews.
• Grimrock 2 on the official website. Making of Zarchton.

• Batman: Arkham Knight on Blue's News.

• The Last of Us is Coming to PlayStation 4. Thanks nin.
• How PS4 will power Project Morpheus. Thanks Ant.
• Batman: Arkham Knight - 'Wii U Could Not Meet Gameplay Objectives'.

• Enhance Your Experience with the Blizzard AR Viewer.
• Game of Thrones: Ascent out now on iPad. Thanks Ant.
• Are playable ads the next step for mobile advertising?
• PlayStation Vita Firmware 3.12 "Launching Soon".

• Comcast allegedly tells 105Mbps customers not to use their own modems.
• Meet the manic miner who wants to mint 10% of all new bitcoins.

• Facebook shares take a hit following Oculus purchase.
• Oracle VM VirtualBox version 4.3.10.
• Oculus VR "never intended to sell the company".
• Oculus hopes to win back Notch support. Will attempt to make Facebook less creepy.
• Frog Fractions 2 stretch goal aims to buy Oculus Rift back from Facebook.

Thanks Ant.

• The Full Disclosure security mailing list is reborn.
• Gameover ZeuS Targets Monster. Thanks Slashdot.
• Apps with millions of Google Play downloads covertly mine cryptocurrency.

• Aereo CEO- No “Plan B” for court loss.
• Piracy notwithstanding, MPAA enjoys a “very strong year”—again.
• New judge blasts Prenda’s “attorney speak,” finds lawyers in contempt.

• Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls on Forbes (thanks Paul), GameSpot, and PC Gamer.
• Door Kickers on The Indie Mine.
• Captain Sim 777 on True PC Gaming.
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on The Armchair Empire Infinite.
• Dark Souls 2 - Prepare to Die Again on Zero Punctuation. NSFW.
• Ether One on Strategy Informer.
• Luftrausers on Gaming Nexus.
• Poöf vs The Cursed Kitty on True PC Gaming.

• ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition Motherboard on Hardware Canucks.
• Corsair Obsidian Series 450D Performance Mid-Tower PC Case on PC Perspective and The Tech Report.
• Func MS-3 Revision 2 Gaming Mouse on Pure Overclock.
• G.Skill RipjawsX PC3-17000 8GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit on TweakTown.
• In Win tou Case on TechSpot.
• iRocks Spirit Cocoon Illuminated Mouse on eTeknix.
• The Kingston 32GB DataTraveler microDUO OTG USB Flash Drive on Futurelooks.
• Kingston SDXC UHS-1 Speed Class 3 Flash Card (64GB) on The SSD Review.
• Netgear VueZone VZSX2800 Wireless Surveillance Camera Kit on eTeknix.
• Rosewill RGS-108P POE Gigabit Network Switch on Modders-Inc.
• Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X Edition on TechwareLabs.
• SilverStone Grandia GD08 HTPC Case on OCIA.net.
• SilverStone Raven RVZ01 on [Phoronix].
• SpeedLink Parthica Core Gaming Keyboard on pcGameware.
• Wavemaster STAX 2.1 Speaker on Hardware Heaven.
• Western Digital Purple Surveillance Storage 4TB HDD on TweakTown.

• GameStop Reports Sales and Earnings for Fiscal 2013 and Provides 2014 Outlook…
• UK games tax breaks approved after arduous wait…
• Trolls and hiring practices: Women on fixing the games industry. Thanks Ant…
• One Of Gaming's Greatest Trailers, Remade For...Goat Simulator. Thanks nin…
• The Astriarch website now offers a multiplayer beta for this web turn-based space strategy game…
• This Unsolved Battlefield 4 Easter Egg Goes Deep, Battlefield Yeti Discovered…

I've been watching the forecast hoping today would stand as an end to the wintery weather here, where it's theoretically been spring for a week now. This was looking good until today, but the projected temps for the weekend have dropped below 50°F and they call for sleet Monday, so I guess I lose again. We still have a large pile of snow on our shady front lawn, and at this rate there will still be some there in April. Someone up there must like the Gunnar-man, because nobody loves snow more than him, and he continues to eat some of it whenever he gets the chance, no matter how filthy it gets (I think in the canine world, dirt is a condiment). At least someone is happy about this.

Dirty Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Nunchuck Charlie. The Cheapskates II. Super Shogun Ninja.
Link:	Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment Celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary.
Stories:	Woman uses bacon in alleged arson attempt. Named Crispi. Thanks Claudius. Hungary: Archeologists Discover Tomb of Attila the Hun. Thanks Fantaz. Students required to get Kim Jong-un haircut. Admittedly an awesome look. Thanks jimnms.
Media:	Watch a Gripping, Last-Second Rescue by the Houston Fire Department. Thanks nin.