The GOG.Com Website celebrates the tenth anniversary of this online store dedicated to selling DRM-free games, offering this trailer to revel in the occasion. Part of the festivities will be one of their signature giveaways, and they are providing us the chance to select which game will be released for free on October 4th. The three nominees are Shadow Warrior 2, Superhot, and Firewatch. They also have other reasons to rejoice, as they now feature the return of the Soldier of Fortune series, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, and the DRM-free release of Stellaris, and, of course, and anniversary sale. Here's word:

So it's been a decade. Ten years of friendships that'll last us forever, ten years with the most vivacious community of gamers, and above all ten years of unconfined DRM-free delight.

Let's mark this moment with a look back at the past and indulge in stories from our friends in this walk of life. Oh, and we've got your anniversary present to talk about!

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EGOSOFT announces a November 30th release date for X4: FOUNDATIONS, the next installment in their spaceship series. Word is: "X4: FOUNDATIONS brings our most sophisticated universe SIMULATION ever. MANAGE an empire or EXPLORE space in first person. FLY EVERY SHIP! TRADE and FIGHT to BUILD your empire with modular station construction and THINK carefully when embarking on an epic journey." They also offer two new videos, a new trailer with an overview and another video showing off gameplay. The details they offer include how to preorder if you so desire and word that an expansion will follow in about a year:

X4: Foundations will feature an extremely large universe from day one.
Home to several factions of the Argon, Teladi and Paranid races, each with multiple complex economies.
The Paranid, for example, are a race with very deep religious beliefs, fractured into two competing empires and now raging war against each other.

Then there are of course also a lot of other potential adversaries:
Those where you have a choice, like different Pirate factions, and those where you don’t, like the infamous Xenon: A race of advanced artificial general intelligence, once built by mankind themselves to help colonise space.

There will be Expansions, which will bring more races, their ships, stations and lots of missions into the X4 Universe. Our goal is to bring the first big Expansion within about one year.

X4: FOUNDATIONS preorder and digital Collector’s Edition:

X4: FOUNDATIONS will be available for $49.99 (€49.99) on November 30th.
Starting today you can pre-order the digital Collector's Edition and get:

• Exclusive pre-order paint mod (*requires egosoft community account connected with Steam account)
• First Expansion planned release in 2019
• Second Expansion planned release tba.
• The X Universe Digital Artbook 2018: Enjoy the concept art behind the X universe.
• X Novel: Nopileos by Helge Kautz as English and German eBook.
• Digital Soundtrack: The music, including exclusive versions of the trailer and teaser music in highest possible quality.

The Collector’s Edition of X4: FOUNDATIONS can be preordered now for the discounted pre-order price of $74.99 (€74.99) at: Egosoft’s own online store or from Steam:

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In a sign of the changing times, Publisher Devolver Digital and developer Vile Monarch announce Weedcraft Inc, a new simulation that puts the player in the role of a marijuana tycoon. The game's announcement trailer is a bit of a live-action buzzkill, featuring a bunch of politicians, Wilford Brimley, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta along with a look at gameplay, which basically looks like watching the grass grow. The game is expected on Steam next year, and here are some blunt facts:

Casual stoners Devolver Digital and wake-and-bake enthusiasts Vile Monarch (Crush your Enemies, Oh...Sir!) announced the burgeoning legal pot industry’s first fully fledged tycoon game: Weedcraft Inc. Coming to PC in 2019, Weedcraft Inc explores the business of producing, breeding and selling weed in America, delving deep into the financial, political and cultural aspects of the country's complex relationship with this troublesome and promising plant.

Would-be Mary Jane moguls will need to prioritize resources carefully as they manage the production and distribution of their weed. Cultivate killer plants, cross-breed them to create unique strains of the devil’s lettuce, hire and manage a growing staff, and be prepared to take on the competition. As in real life, the business of bud presents plenty of opportunity along with a plethora of problems. Decide when and where to take on extra risk to maximize profit, but be careful, the cops and politicians are all working their own angles.

An important, controversial topic presented in an insightful and detailed manner, Weedcraft Inc presents a challenge to those would rule the reefer offering a series of diverse scenarios and unique characters to work with (or around) as your budding empire grows. Whether you choose to hobnob with politicians, pay off the po-po, fight for medical marijuana rights or work the legal system, it’s all in the name of the sticky icky and your cutthroat corporate profits.

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• DCS: F/A-18C Hornet, Persian Gulf map, and Su-33 bundle on DCS World E-Shop.
• Steam Daily Deal - Darkwood, 50% Off.
• Steam Daily Deal - DRAGON BALL FighterZ, 50% Off.
• League of Legends Champion and skin sale- 10.02 - 10.05.

• Overwatch Halloween Terror event returns next week.

• Devious Dungeon Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One.

• Google announces “Project Stream”—a “test” of game streaming in Chrome.

• Watch this humanoid robot install drywall.

• Seattle police try new opt-in registry system to combat SWATting.
• Feds Force Suspect To Unlock An Apple iPhone X With Their Face. Thanks [H]ardOCP.
• Vigilante engineer stops Waymo from patenting key lidar technology. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Retrial ordered in Led Zeppelin 'Stairway to Heaven' music copyright lawsuit.

• Valve Has Recently Removed Over 170 'Trolling' Games From Steam…
• League of Legends - New free champion rotation- Lucian, Camille, Rek'Sai and more…
• NBA 2K19's Brand Humping Is Craven, Shameless, And Evil…

Link of the Day: Hitting a Home Run. Thanks Ant.

FIFA 19 is unsurprisingly kicking ass on the GFK Chart-Track Charts tracking last week's videogame sales in the U.K. Here's word on the all platforms chart: "‘Marvel’s Spider-Man’ and ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ drop to No’s 2 and 3 respectively with Sega’s ‘Valkyria Chronicles IV’ the only new title to break in to the Top 40 this week, at No9. Plenty of titles benefit from hardware bundling, most notably ‘Tekken 7’ and ‘Project Cars’, both of which re-enter the Top 40 at No’s 19 and 20 respectively. The release of a Switch version of ‘Dragon Ball Fighterz’ means it also re-enters the Top 40, back in at No29." The new FIFA has not yet established a toehold on the PC top 30 chart, however, though that chart still has FM 2018 to kick around. Here's the PC top 10:

Reviews for Assassin's Creed Odyssey are now showing up online, offering evaluations of Ubisoft's new killer app. You can find impressions of the assassination sequel on:

• AusGamers.com.
• Digital Trends.
• Forbes.
• Escapist Magazine.
• Eurogamer.
• Game Informer.
• GamesBeat.
• GameSpot.
• GamesRadar+.
• GameStar (German).
• Gaming Age.
• Gaming Nexus.
• IGN.
• Jeuxvideo.com (French).
• Kotaku.
• MMORPG.com.
• PC Gamer.
• Polygon.
• Trusted Reviews.
• USgamer.
• The Verge.
• VG247.
• VideoGamer.com.

• Retro Hour Interviewed Louis Castle - Command & Conquer News - CNCNZ.com Forums. Thanks Ant.

• New Red Dead Redemption 2 Trailer Shows More Open-World Gameplay.
• 22 Things You Need to Know About Red Dead Redemption 2.

• Verizon activates 'world's first' 5G network in 4 U.S. cities.
• Google Maps is getting in-app music support and new commuter tab.

• YouTube's miniplayer arrives to keep you watching while browsing.
• New Google Doodle celebrates slavery abolitionist Mary Prince.

• Newegg Kicks off Its Annual Gametober Initiative with Great Deals on the Latest Gaming Gear.
• HyperX Adds New Cloud Earbuds Gaming Headphones with Microphone to Award-Winning Headset Lineup.
• Most drivers don't understand tech limits. Most drivers don't understand the turn signal. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• No Cash Needed At This Cafe. Students Pay The Tab With Their Personal Data. Thanks Reddit via Ant.

• California enacts net neutrality bill, DOJ counters with lawsuit. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Dutch cyclists face mobile phone ban. Thanks [H]ardOCP.

• The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep on GameSpot.

• Acer Predator X27 Monitor on The Verge.
• ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2080 Ti OC Graphics Card on Vortez.
• ASUS ROG Strix Z370-F Gaming Motherboard on AnandTech.
• EK-Velocity CPU Water Block on TechPowerUp.
• EWin Flash Series Computer Gaming Chair on Overclockers Club.
• EWin Calling Series Ergonomic Computer Gaming Office Chair with Pillows on Christ Centered Gamer.
• Gryphon Wireless Router on TweakTown.
• MSI Vigor GK70 Keyboard on Vortez.
• Seasonic PRIME 600 Titanium Fanless 600W PSU on APH Networks.
• Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 700W Power Supply on [H]ardOCP.

Retrospective edition. Thanks Ant.

• This Is the Story of How Oregon Trail Took Over the World. Thanks Reddit…
• Remembering Fallout 2 as it turns 20…
• The History of Red Dead - Revolver…
• Fortnite Funko Pops Show All Your Favorite Skins…

After years of trying to refine the rules and replay process, how is it that NFL officiating seems to have hit an all-time low this season? My Giants got screwed nicely a couple of times, but this is not just a personal perspective. There were crazy blown calls that affected a number of games, and as far as I'm concerned, the Lions and Browns each suffered losses as a result. Not sure what the solution is here, but it feels like there's too much to interpret, and that officiating crews are just guessing at times, which is immensely frustrating.

Officiated Links:	Thanks Ant.
Play:	Protect the Dojo.
Links:	Jan Brady Funko Pop! sold with George Glass, her fictional boyfriend.
Media:	Watch Adam Driver Parody 'Fortnite' In This Hilarious 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch. Real Lawyer Reacts to Better Call Saul (Episode 1). First Trailer: Elton John Biopic "Rocketman."
The Funnies:	Slow Phone - FoxTrot.