Transistor is currently free on the Epic Games Store as the latest incentive to patronize this relative newcomer to the marketplace. This is available for the next two weeks for anyone with an account, and Epic also reveals the next giveaway after this is World of Goo, which will go free on May 2nd. They offer some screenshots from Supergiant's action/RPG along with the following description:

From the creators of Hades and Bastion, Transistor is a sci-fi themed action RPG that invites you to wield an extraordinary weapon of unknown origin as you fight through a stunning futuristic city.

Transistor seamlessly integrates thoughtful strategic planning into a fast-paced action experience, melding responsive gameplay and rich atmospheric storytelling. During the course of the adventure, you will piece together the Transistor's mysteries as you pursue its former owners.

CapCom Unity announces a free trial for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will get underway next week, with the PC version to be available on Steam. Here's what to expect:

Curious about Street Fighter V but haven’t gotten your feet wet yet? Well now is your chance as we’re hosting a free trial, beginning April 23 at 1pm PT (download begins at 9am PT) / April 24 at 12am UTC and running through May 5 PT / May 6 at 5pm UTC. For the free trial on PlayStation 4, a PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to download and play offline, but it is required to play online. For PC users, the Steam client is required for the trial. All the initial content from the original Street Fighter V and the modes introduced in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition are included for free during this time.

A free weekend is underway on Steam for Witch It, a multiplayer hide-and-seek game for Windows (thanks Ant). The game is currently in Early Access, and it is also on sale for half-off for the next few days. To help get everyone started, there's a new series of tutorial on the Barrel Roll Games YouTube Channel. Here's a description of what to expect:

ABOUT THIS GAME
Witch It is a multiplayer hide & seek game. Brave hunters seek hidden witches in a humorous, magical world.

Hunt & Hide in a vibrant, magical world
The Witch It world is jam-packed with humble villages, icy lakes, and ancient libraries for you to explore and hide within. Each map has its own stories and secrets for you to delve into and discover!
Seek as a Fearless Hunter

As a hunter, your job is to hunt down all the witches for the sake of a peaceful town. Hunters are equipped with a range of different tools and gadgets to help them with their task, whether it is a loyal chicken that scans for sneaky witches or a body slam skill that causes huge impact damage in one area!

Continue here to read the full story.

Microïds and PlayMagic announce they are creating a remake of XIII, the cel shaded first-person shooter originally released in 2003. This is expected for Windows, macOS and consoles on November XIIIth, and it looks like it is just titled XIII, dashing our hopes for something more playful like XIII II or XIV. "The PlayMagic team is very excited for the opportunity to remake a true classic; modernizing the graphics, sound and animations while remaining faithful to the original XIII's incredible look and feel, explains PlayMagic CEO & Creative Director Giuseppe Crugliano. "XIII's gameplay mechanics are being reworked in an effort to modernize the experience in a way that encompasses the original spirit of the game. We are sure that the fans of the original game will love rediscovering one of their all time favorites while new players discover a truly iconic masterpiece in a new light." This trailer offers a look, and here's more:

Based on the first five volumes of the eponymous comic book series, XIII conquered the gamers’ hearts with its unparalleled mix between a story-driven adventure, a solid gameplay and a unique artistic direction.

The story:
Play as «Thirteen», a talented soldier who lost his memory and has been accused of killing the President of the United States. You wake up injured and amnesic on Brighton Beach with the only clue being a small key and a mysterious tattoo « XIII » next to your clavicle. It’s now your job to search for answers in the 34 levels of the solo campaign. Don’t worry, you will find the appropriate weapon arsenal along the way.

More information about this remake will be revealed soon... Stay tuned!

Continue here to read the full story.

Publisher Devolver Digital and developer askiisoft now offer the release of Katana ZERO for Windows, macOS, and Switch, offering a "stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat." The Katana ZERO Website links to where you can pick up a copy, and offers a new launch trailer with a look at gameplay, which includes a replay mechanic. Here's more:

Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.

[rewinds]

Katana ZERO uses a radical dialog design to provide subtle and surprising detours to the narrative path based not only on what the hero says to others, but when he says it or if he interrupts the conversation.

[rewinds]

Katana ZERO follows the mysterious tale of a lone swordsman dealing with a clouded history and challenges players to navigate the story through both an unreliable narrator and an increasingly unreliable reality.

[Yes, that should work]

Katana ZERO is available now on Nintendo Switch, Steam, GOG, and Humble Store. Visit katanazero.com for a cool website and possible secrets.

Continue here to read the full story.

Who's your daddy? The Padre is now available on Steam, offering a horror/adventure game for Windows, macOS, and Linux (also available on Switch, and coming "soon" to Xbox One and PlayStation 4). A Launch Trailer shows off the game and its voxel graphics, and this post announces the release:

It has been a long and stressful road for us. Countless mugs of coffee and unslept nights later we can finally say it out loud – We’ve done it! The Padre is coming out worldwide and multiplatform! We’ve dreamt about this day for months and we cannot wait how it will be received by media, but most importantly by the wonderful community of video game enthusiasts out there.

The project grew from our love of retro games, genres that for most have been long forgotten – Point and Click Adventure games and the beginnings of the Horror Adventure genre. This is why we used voxel graphics (or if you prefer a less technical term 3D Pixel Art), filled the game with easter eggs and made the protagonist a witty smart-ass taking us back to the golden age of action films. Of course, we left out some gameplay anachronisms that would make the game less-enjoyable but we preserved the aesthetic and feel as much as it was humanly possible.

The IDDQD code is no longer necessary, we’re leaving god mode off and the rest is up to you. We hope you will enjoy playing The Padre as much as we adored creating it.

Continue here to read the full story.

Following their recent teaser trailer, solo indie developer Sigil Initiative announces details about Fringe Planet, their (his) upcoming voxel-driven survival game "inspired by Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress and a sprinkle of Factorio." Word is this will be a "brutally hard" and a "detailed simulation." Here's more:

Detailed Simulation
Fringe Planet is designed to be realistic. Many different simulations are running to keep the game dynamic in nature. From the peon AI (peons are the people who have woken up on Fringe Planet without any memory) getting angry at uncooked food, to the way the wind will change the temperature of a room simulated.

(Brutally hard) Storytelling
In Fringe Planet there are AI storytellers watching your movements. They are customisable and can influence the game (aka throwing events at you as a player). This way each run of the game will feel fresh and challenging. How about waking up to a demonically possessed peon at the start of your day? ;)

Complex Machinery
In Fringe Planet science and magic co-exist. They can work together to produce fantastical and crazy machines. As a player you can choose how you want to employ them. Do you think it's worth to set up a complex sets of belts and machines to automatically craft objects? Or do you prefer watching the peons do the hard work? It's up to you! Do be aware that the storytellers are very aware of what you are building.

A living breathing world
With plants that grow, snowfall and constantly visiting mini-biomes, the world of Fringe Planet gives you an exciting and dynamic environment to enjoy. Some plants like darkness and will only grow during the night. Plant them in a place without shadow during the day? The plants may suffer damage.

Procedural Generation
Almost everything in Fringe Planet is procedurally generated. The peons have back stories and traits that will affect how they perform in the world. Ore is spawned differently every game, with every ore spawning in a unique pattern. Even visiting islands and structures are procedurally generated.

Modding
From the ground up the game has been design with modding in mind. Every aspect of the game can be changed via modding. Players can import models from MagicaVoxel, change gameplay with just an XML editor. How about adding some cuteness to the peons?

Since shutting down, Telltale Games has no new tales to tell, but Skybound Entertainment announces The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, which collects all of the episodic games from The Walking Dead in one place. Or four places, rather, as besides a standard edition of the anthology, they will offer the choice of a three different collector's packs with different levels of physical bonuses, topping out at a $349.99 Signature Pack that includes $100 worth of autographs. They say preorders were to begin tomorrow on this page, but the preorder link offered there is already live, showing the Signature Collection is already sold out. Here's the announcement trailer, and here are more details:

Following the recent conclusion of TELLTALE’S THE WALKING DEAD: THE FINAL SEASON, Skybound Games today announced it will release all four seasons of the acclaimed game series in a comprehensive physical bundle for PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series will be available in three Collector’s Packs – Protector, Guardian and Signature – each containing exclusive digital and physical bonuses.

Exclusive for Skybound Insiders for a limited time, all three Collector’s Packs of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series are now available for pre-order on Skybound.com. Pre-orders will open up to the general public starting April 19 and will last until May 31 or sold out.

Furthermore, Skybound Games has just released a new Definitive Series announcement video hosted by Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and featuring interviews from both the Skybound Games and Still Not Bitten teams, including Melissa Hutchison (voice of Clementine). Check out the new video here: https://youtu.be/tyMYiAVaTQc.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series Collector’s Pack details:

Every Collector’s Pack of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series will include all four seasons of the game, plus The Walking Dead: Michonne, along with digital bonuses. The Definitive Series includes over 50 hours of gameplay across 23 unique episodes, with graphical enhancements and gameplay improvements, behind-the-scenes bonus features, over 10 hours of developer commentary, a “Return of The Walking Dead” documentary short, faithful recreations of classic menus, a music player that includes more than 40 musical tracks and more.

In addition to game content and digital bonuses, each of the three Collector’s Packs will include special physical bonus items, including:

• Protector Pack ($99.99) – Game content, digital bonuses, an Ericson School for Troubled Youth t-shirt, Clementine & Lee Enamel Pins, a Kenny Hat, Clementine Nesting Dolls, and a Disco Broccoli Plush.
• Guardian Pack ($249.99) – Including all items from the Protector Pack in a box with gold stamped signatures from the Still Not Bitten team, plus a 10” Clementine & Lee Diorama, and an 18”x24” Art Print from comic book artist Eric Zawadzki.
• Signature Pack ($349.99) – Including all items from both Guardian and Protector Packs in a signature stamped box, plus a signed Art Print from members of the Still Not Bitten team, voiceover actors and The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. Only 100 available!

For detailed information about each of the Collector’s Packs, please visit https://www.skybound.com/telltales-the-walking-dead-the-definitive-series.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new video from The Farm 51 offers a look at pre-alpha gameplay from Chernobylite, their upcoming survival/horror game set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The game is currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign, that is almost 90% of the way towards its $100K goal. This is from the clip's description:

Hey stalkers!

The long-awaited moment has come. Here we go with the raw, unprocessed gameplay from our pre-alpha demo. We made some cuts because the demo is very long (avg. playing time is 1-2 hours) and we wanted to highlight the most important features, not necessarily showing the whole playthrough.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Save on Crown Packs and The Elder Scrolls Online Collection During Our April Sale.
• Steam Daily Deal - Dead Island Franchise Up to 80% off.
• Steam Daily Deal - The Red Strings Club, 50% Off.

• Fortnite: World Cup Creative Announced by Epic Games.
• Actor Will Smith joins $46m investment into esports organisation Gen.G.
• 2X Merits now live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout through April 22.

• Left 4 Dead 3 - Screenshots Leaked.

• Introducing the Cast of Our World Is Ended, Out Today on PS4.
• Couch Co-op Shooter God’s Trigger Hits PS4 Today.
• Caravan Stories Launches in North America This Summer on PS4.
• ACA NEOGEO SAMURAI SHODOWN V SPECIAL Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• GIGA WRECKER ALT. Is Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One.
• This Week On Xbox: April 18, 2019.

• Google pulls popular Chinese Android apps over large-scale ad fraud. Thanks Cutter.
• Apple is making it easier to recycle iPhones in the US.

• Microsoft buys Express Logic, adds a third operating system to its IoT range.
• YouTube Music is free on Google Home, if you don't mind ads.
• Netflix will invest up to $100 million in a NYC production hub.
• Pinterest, Zoom shares surge in market debuts after IPOs.
• Instagram has considered hiding the like count on people’s photos.

• Microsoft is making VR better for those with vision problems.
• AMD 50th Anniversary Ryzen CPUs Listed At Retailers (ShopBLT).
• Robot news presenter causes a stir on Russian TV. Looks like the Arnie head from the original The Terminator.
• The Document Foundation releases LibreOffice 6.2.3. Thanks Reddit via Ant.
• ASUS Shows Off Dolby Vision Monitors: The ProArt PQ22UC & ProArt PA32UCX.
• Are Budget builds ACTUALLY worth it? Thanks Hypothermia.

• Google pulls popular Chinese Android apps over large-scale ad fraud. Thanks Cutter.
• Facebook stored millions of Instagram passwords in plain text.
• A Mystery Agent Is Doxing Iran's Hackers and Dumping Their Code.

• We lost the fight for balance in the EU's Copyright Directive, but here's what we won.
• Ajit Pai proposes blocking China-owned telecom from US phone market.

• Release: Overcooked! 2 & DLC - GOG.com…
• MMORPG MapleStory Kicks off 14th Anniversary with Major Celebration Events…

Link of the Day: Sesame Street: Respect is Coming and Sesame Street: Respect World. Thanks Ant.

R.I.P.: Jerrie Cobb, one of the most gifted female pilots in history, has died.

Trion Worlds announces they are shutting down operation of Atlas Reactor, a reaction to their conclusion that the free-to-play sci-fi MOBA is no longer able to support itself (thanks GamesIndustry.biz). The game will continue until June 28th (subject to change), and they are no longer offering purchases, while adding new way to acquire items that used to require real-money purchases:

Dear Freelancers,

It’s with a heavy heart that we announce today that the Atlas Reactor servers will be shutting down. This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, but we have come to the conclusion that the game can no longer sustain itself.

Mervin Lee Kwai, Vice President of Development at gamigo and a former Executive Producer: “Atlas Reactor was a truly innovative game built by a passionate group of highly skilled developers. I was lucky enough to watch our team breathe life into the world of Atlas on a daily basis. They broke the mold of same-y games, and a dedicated community rallied around the title. Despite the support of this great group of fans, Atlas Reactor never grew big enough to fund its continued development. It’s a shame to see this chapter come to a close, but perhaps we’ll have a chance to revisit the innovative spirit of Atlas in the future.”

Starting today (04/17/2019) all purchasing has been shut off, and we have added new ways to acquire products that were previously for real money purchase. Additionally, we have turned the XP, Flux, and ISO rates up dramatically.

Our current plans are to run the servers until June 28th 2019, this is subject to change and we will announce here if it changes.

For all player who have logged into Atlas at least once between 01/01/2018 – 04/16/2019, we have a small parting gift for you. More information will be sent to the email address that you used to register your Atlas account.

To the players, both past and present,

Thank you for spending your time in Atlas with us.

Eugen Systems announces a delay to the launch of Steel Division 2, saying the RTS sequel is now expected on June 20th, and for preorder customers, on June 18th. The game originally carried an April 4th release date, which was then delayed until May 2nd. Word is: "The decision to delay the Steel Division 2 launch will afford the development team additional time to focus on improving the Army General mode." This is why they also announce a new third beta testing phase is now underway:

One last delay for the game release
First things first, we need to delay one last time the release of Steel Division 2. The definitive release date will be on June 20th for the Standard Edition & on June 18th for the Digital Deluxe Editions.

We would like to apologize for this new delay, and we would like to explain why we made this decision:

Army General, the single player campaign mode, is an entire new game within the game and it wouldn't be polished enough to be released on May 2nd. This new game mode has evolved a lot during development and is now becoming a compelling and interesting solo experience. We will release a dev diary and a video soon to explain how this 1:1-scale turn-based strategic game mode will be played in the release version.

The tactical part of Steel Division 2, currently in Beta, is in a good shape, and we're getting a lot of positive feedback from our community. We're watching closely every comment you write on the game. This extra development time will allow us to improve this popular game mode with some of your suggestions.

Steel Division 2 is our first self-published game, and we want to deliver the best game possible. Delaying the game a second time is an incredibly hard decision for us and we understand that some of you are disappointed.

But we'll make it up to you.

Continue here to read the full story.

ResetEra has some details from a rumored Suicide Squad game from WBIE that come from marketing materials that surfaced on 4Chan. GamesRadar+ notes a couple of elements that support the idea that this is legitimate news, as this is the same way the first details of Mortal Kombat 11 first appeared, and that this tweet shows a telling non-denial from Kotaku's Jason Schreier. Turing to the content of the news, they say the "document goes on to describe a game featuring online multiplayer, loot, team-focused gameplay, branching storylines, and a release date of early 2020." This inspires the observation that this sounds like "a live-service Suicide Squad game in the style of Destiny 2."

Early Access to Down to Hell is now underway on Steam, offering Windows and macOS gamers the chance to go to hell with a one way ticket to midnight, call it heavy metal. Here's a new story trailer, showing off this "dynamic slasher in which lone swordsman must face the hordes of hellish demons." This post covers this release and plans for the release of a second chapter within the next few months:

After a couple of months of hard work, we are thrilled to share with you the first chapter of Down to Hell. Let's talk about it for a moment.
Right now you are getting 3 hours of slashing demons alongside 3 bosses to fight. Soon we will add another, secret monster into the game.

The second chapter of the game will be released in the next two or three months. Other parts of the game will be released periodically in the same span as chapter two. Between the release of chapters, we will be updating the game. We will add new enemies, and skills into the game. But to do that we will need your help. We opened a discord server where you can talk about the game, report issues and suggest ideas for new mechanics.
Here's an invitation link: https://discord.gg/VS7aBMx

Right now we are working on a new update that will probably be uploaded next week.

Continue here to read the full story.

Digital Foundry producer Alexander Battaglia tweets a link to a PAX East 2019 trailer for WRATH: Aeon of Ruin, which shows pre-alpha gameplay from this recently announced QUAKE-engine shooter. The game can now be wishlisted on Steam, where word is: "Missed out on Wrath: Aeon of Ruin at PAX East 2019? Fear not! Here's a full playthrough of "The Mire" - The level playable at PAX East. Enjoy!" Here's more from Alexander's tweet:

So WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is looking, even in this early form, like a great FPS in its own right without even thinking about the engine + games it takes inspiration from. The item/power up system like in Hexen, but useful! Turok hub but actually meaningful!

Continue here to read the full story.

It's better to burnout, rust never sleeps! Criterion Games tweets that they are closing down their servers for Burnout Paradise on August 1st after over 11 years of service. They say this will not affect offline play and the Burnout Paradise Remastered servers will continue as before (thanks PCGamesN). Here's word:

Burnout Paradise fans, after over 11.5 years of service, the servers for the original 2008 game will be closing on August 1st 2019. That affects Xbox 360, PS3 and PC versions. Offline play will still be available of course, and Burnout Paradise Remastered servers are unaffected.

Ubisoft announces they are delaying the release of Title Update 3 for Tom Clancy's The Division 2. This patch, which includes a new eight-player raid, was due next week, but it's now expected some time next month. This post explains further, saying they've received a lot of feedback on social media on ways the game can be improved. In the meantime, they're running a Public Test Server to assess new features, though this does not include the new raid. Here's the plan:

The team at Massive Entertainment has announced that, in order to ensure the best experience for Division 2 players, they are creating a Public Test Server to test new features and fixes before they are implemented. The PTS will be available to anyone who owns The Division 2 on PC, starting on Wednesday, April 17, and the developers will use feedback from players' play sessions, surveys, and forum threads to improve the updates and address any issues that arise. (Operation Dark Hours will not appear on the PTS, in order to ensure that the entire community can explore it at the same time.) The full PTS schedule will be announced soon.

Furthermore, the team is moving the release of Title Update 3, which includes Operation Dark Hours (the eight-player raid) from April 25 to May 2019. They will use the extra time to perform further testing and balancing. Visit the official site for more details from the development team.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 April 17th Update: Free Arsenal Sandstorm Map - Deathmatch Domination on PS4 - Infected Now on All Platforms + More.
• HD Mode 7 mod, for bsnes v107.1, beta 1. Related story: HD emulation mod makes “Mode 7” SNES games look like new.
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice mod significantly improves mouse camera control mechanics.
• Star Citizen Alpha 3.5.0 LIVE.1460999 Patch Notes.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.

• Dario Argento's Dreadful Bond by Clod Studio - The tech demo is out now! Come take a tour of Wharton Manor — Kickstarter. Thanks DSOGaming.

• TwitchCon 2019 Coverage - OC Inside.
• StandUp for GamesAid returns next month.

• 13 New Details Revealed About Borderlands 3 - IGN.

• Smash Bros. Update Goes Live, Penis Stages Immediately Erected.
• Revealing the Entire Castlevania Anniversary Collection Lineup – PlayStation.Blog.
• Nintendo Download: No Joke: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Gets Stage Builder and Other Features.
• God’s Trigger Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• RuneStone Keeper And I Am The Hero PixelArt Bundle Is Now Available For Xbox One.

• [Update: Samsung responds] Galaxy Fold review units are failing left and right with disastrous display issues. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Google's first car accessory is like a mobile Home Mini.
• Why Vlambeer’s Co-Founder Thinks Mobile Games Market is Broken.
• Google AI Blog- Take Your Best Selfie Automatically, with Photobooth on Pixel 3. Thanks Hypothermia.
• LG struggles to deliver on its promise of faster Android updates.

• The Most Measured Person in Tech Is Running the Most Chaotic Place on the Internet. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Amazon will close its Chinese platform for third-party sellers in July.
• Google and Amazon end their ridiculous streaming video spat.
• Verizon Media Launches 5G Studio in Los Angeles, 8 Studios Globally.
• Facebook bans UK’s biggest far-right organizations, including EDL, BNP, and Britain First.
• Google Chrome is getting a reader mode on desktop.
• AT&T Pulls NFL Network Off DirecTV Now, U-verse Amid Sunday Ticket Talks.
• Netflix Reveals Q1 2019 Film & TV Numbers. Thanks Ant.
• Video ad for temperature control mug would be a great parody, but it isn't.

• The source code for Infocom's classic text adventures is now on Github. Though maybe not for long, as Activision still holds all the rights.
• BFV, Metro Exodus & SotTR Ray Tracing Performance.
• Samsung Completes Development of 5nm EUV Process Technology.
• 50-inch Surface Hub 2S- $8,999, shipping in June; 85-inch version next year.
• Mueller report forced Congress to find PCs with disc drives. At least it's on an optical disc and not 60 floppies.
• Someone built a working PC out of lasagne. Hopefully liquid cooled with marinara sauce.

Thanks Ant.

• Epic Games will boost security with two-factor SMS and email verification.
• Platforms Want Centralized Censorship. That Should Scare You.
• Facebook admits harvesting contacts of the 1.5m email passwords it asked for.
• US facial recognition will cover 97 percent of departing airline passengers within four years.
• Google Play and Microsoft Stores Delete Suspected Compromised Apps. Thanks DSLReports.
• The curious case of Spamhaus, a port scanning scandal, and an apparent U-turn. Thanks DSLReports.
• EU: No evidence of Kaspersky spying despite 'confirmed malicious' classification. Thanks DSLReports.

• Iraqi lawmakers consider ban on violent games.
• Student used ‘USB Killer’ device to destroy $58,000 worth of college computers.

• Anno 1800 on IGN and USgamer.
• Pathway on IGN.
• Weedcraft Inc on PC Gamer.

• Antlion ModMic Wireless Mic on Techgage.
• ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX701 (RTX 2080) Laptop on AusGamers.com.
• ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II GL504 (RTX 2060) Laptop on AusGamers.com.
• Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L Case on Hardware Asylum and Modders-Inc.
• CORSAIR K83 Wireless Entertainment Keyboard on Mad Shrimps.
• Dell UltraSharp U4919DW Monitor on TechSpot.
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Gaming OC Graphics Card on Guru3D.
• HyperX Pulsefire Core Mouse on TechPowerUp.
• Lexar High-Performance 633x SDXC SSD (1TB) on The SSD Review.
• Nitro Concepts S300EX Gaming Chair on Vortez.
• Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Headset on Vortez.
• Synology DS1019+ NAS on TweakTown.
• WD Blue NVMe SN500 500 GB SSD on TechPowerUp.

The Hollywood Reporter notes there's a health update from Alex Trebek on Twitter discussing his cancer battle, and Alex says he's "feeling good" and will return to host the next season of Jeopardy. We're among the many wishing for the best for the host, who practically seems like family after all these years. In fact, we just had a Jeopardy marathon party last night with the twins and their folks. In truth it was a playing with blocks party for the kids, while the grown-ups caught up on a bunch of recent episodes on the DVR. You would never guess Alex has health issues if he hadn't announced them, so here's hoping he's doing as well as he looks.

Quizzical Links:	Thanks Ant.
Play:	Anti Terrorist Rush 2. Requires Flash.
Links:	Olyphant Talks Hesitancy About "Deadwood" Film.
Stories:	Lucasfilm Open To Future "Knights" Adaptation. Boonrod the dog rescued 135 miles off coast of Thailand by oil rig workers. Thanks Capela. 'A Woman Of No Importance': American Spy Virginia Hall Finally Gets Her Due. Thanks RedEye9.
Science: (Thanks Max)	Pig Brains Partly Revived By Scientists Hours After Animals Died. Is Dentistry a Science? Physicists spot the signatures of nuclear fusion in a table-top device. Liquid Blood Extracted From 42,000-Year-Old Foal Found Frozen in Siberia. Jur-horsic Park.
Media:	How Computers Ruined Rock Music. Robot Chariot Racing Still Needs Work. Angry Rhino Charges.
Follow-up:	Washington state’s efforts to tighten vaccine requirements appeared headed for defeat.