STAR WARS: Squadrons is now available completely free for Windows on the Epic Games Store, as the store's latest weekly giveaway. You have until next Thursday to lock this in a tractor beam, and it will be yours to keep. At that point we'll get two more freebies, which will be Fort Triumph and RPG in a Box. Here's a briefing from Admiral Ackbar on why today's present is not a trap:

Master the art of starfighter combat in the authentic piloting experience STAR WARS™: Squadrons. Buckle up and feel the adrenaline of first-person multiplayer space dogfights alongside your squadron. Pilots who enlist will step into the cockpits of starfighters from both the New Republic and Imperial fleets and fight in strategic 5v5 space battles. Modify your starfighter and adjust the composition of your squadron to suit varying playstyles and crush the opposition. Pilots will triumph as a team and complete tactical objectives across known and never-before-seen battlefields, including the gas giant of Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan.
Take control of starfighters such as the X-wing and TIE fighter. Customize loadouts and cosmetics, divert power between weapons, shields, and engines, while immersing yourself in the cockpit.

Developer Pixonic and publisher MY.GAMES have launched Early Access to War Robots: Frontiers, which is now underway for Windows on Steam. It will also come to consoles "at a later date." This is a multiplayer third-person shooter where you pilot one of the giant robots that are the inevitable war machines of the future. This post celebrates the news, and provides an Early Access Trailer with a lot of posturing and a brief glimpse of gameplay. You can see a lot more of the game in action in this Video Dev Diary from a couple of days ago. Here's word:

Get ready to unleash your fleet of War Robots! Engage in epic 6v6 team-based PvP battles, raze battlegrounds beyond the stars, explore a wealth of customization options, and smash through destructible environments in this new chapter in the War Robots series.

• Robots: Jump into the action and pilot eight different hulking metal warrior Robots including Tyr, Bulgasari, Bulwark, Fury, Phantom, Ares, Lancelot, and Varangian.
• Weapons: Shred through the opposition with ten weapons including Thunder, Shredder, Orkan, Trebuchet, Vortex, Punisher, Railgun, Scourge, Zeus, and Tusk, each delivering deadly strikes.
• Abilities: Defend and destroy with abilities sure to cause a stir on the battlefield, including Shields, Infinite Ammo, Long Stealth, Rally, Repair, Homing Missiles, and Extra Fuel.
• Map: Crash Site is the first map available in War Robots: Frontiers, so stomp into the fray!

Publisher Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Studios follow up on the December 6th Dead Island 2 showcase that was promised amid the news of the most recent delay to the zombie-infested sequel. This post to the happiest place on Earth invites everyone to tune in at 4:00 pm EST:

Save the date, Slayers. We're rolling out the bloody red carpet for our Dead Island 2 Showcase on December 6th, 8pm GMT | 9pm CET | 1pm PT, and you're invited to watch the premiere here: youtu.be/wMrwcmG3eqk

#DeadIsland #SeeYouInHELLA

The Steam Listing for Callisto Protocol now includes system specifications for the upcoming sci-fi horror game, along with word that it will use Denuvo DRM to combat piracy (thanks DSOGaming). Here are the projected requirements to run the game:

MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10/11
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 2600
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon™ RX 580
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 75 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10/11
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon™ RX 5700
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 75 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD recommended

• Modern Warfare 2 First Free Weekend to Start in December.

• Black Friday Specials- GOG Bundles, Insomnia deals, BYOB and Giveaway! - GOG.com.*

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

• Feds likely to challenge Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision takeover.
• Sony reveals massive cost to develop Call of Duty games as they fight Microsoft's Activision takeover.

• The thing you hated from The Witcher Netflix show is coming to the game.

Official patches.

• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales v1.1122.0.0 Patch Notes.
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Community Update #3- Pre-Weekend Status - 1.0.8 Update.
• World of Warcraft — Hotfixes: November 23, 2022.

Content creator video.

• How E.T. The Game "Succeeded", Despite -Killing- the Gaming Industry. Thanks Kevin.

• Former LoL World Champion sentenced to prison time for drug trafficking. Further bridging the gap between esports and sports.

• Unearthing Below: Striking Distance Studios detail The Callisto Protocol’s new area.

• 343 Releases Previously Unseen Images From Halo 2 Development.

• Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Achieve Best Launch Weekend Sales In Nintendo History.
• Dark Camo Pack Available November 24 for Rust Console Edition.

• The Samsung Galaxy S23 could have satellite communications and a super bright screen.
• Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ Beta is now available to everyone in North America. Now you know which cars to avoid.

• Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX lived life of luxury in Bahamas enclave.
• Elon Musk Says Twitter Never Took Investment From SBF, FTX.
• Grass cutting is getting an IoT makeover like never before.

Thanks RedEye9.

• GPU Market Nosedives, Sales Lowest In a Decade. Something, something, golden goose.
• Your dad will love this custom Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card.
• NVIDIA 515.86.01 Linux Graphics Driver Is Out With Spider-Man Fix.
• Announcing the TechPowerUp SSD Specs Database. Thanks Simon.
• Demand for EVs is sending lithium mines into overdrive. Not the cleanest process.
• MSI and LG announce ultra-wide 240 Hz OLED gaming monitors.
• Most of us really want to start delegating work tasks to AI already.
• Libre Office..V.7.4.3..Nov.24/22. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Line-out ≠ Headphone-out (video). My headphones are in the line-out on my mobo.

Thanks Ant.

• Enact rules to minimize data collection, State AGs urge FTC. Thanks DSLReports.
• Most common passwords of 2022—make sure yours isn't on the list.
• Hackers take down EU Parliament site in apparent DDoS attack.
• Police are sending messages to 70,000 people who may have fallen victim to phone scammers. Good news: They're all extra-likely to respond.
• Ransomware gang says it won’t attack AirAsia again due to the “chaotic organisation” and sloppy security. Thanks DSLReports.

• San Francisco police seek permission for its robots to use deadly force. Except against a senior officer of OCP.
• U.S. Navy Forced to Pay Software Company for Piracy. Scurvy dogs! Thanks Matthew.

• Sonic Frontiers review - PC Gamer.
• Evil West PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Tactics Ogre: Reborn Review- Timeless but Tedious - DSOGaming.
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Review in Progress - IGN.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU Cooler: Raijintek Forkis Pro RBW CPU Water Block Review - TechPowerUp.
• Graphics Card: ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 OC Edition Review - TweakTown.
• Keyboard: MOONDROP DASH HiFi Mechanical Keyboard Review - Premium DAC-Amplifier Inside! - Performance Testing - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: The new standard for thin and light performance notebooks? - Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 - Notebookcheck Reviews (video).
• Misc: Quick Look: Ugreen Nexode 140W GaN Wall Charger - TechPowerUp.
• Router: Synology WRX560 11ax Wireless Router Review - TweakTown.

• Video games are tough on you because they love you. Thanks Acleacius…
• EA is real sorry it called that guy 'milkshake brain'…

It's turkey day here in the U.S., so Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating the occasion. As always, here's hoping everyone has lots for which to be thankful, even if this isn't a holiday for you. I've mentioned a few discussions with MrsBlue about ways to ease our quarantine, but when push comes to shove, we're still playing it extra safe. So with regrets we're not heading off to spend the day with family. Maybe next year. In the meantime, we're not shortchanging ourselves. We picked up a 10 lb. turkey, and will have Thanksgiving dinner for two with all the fixings. And, yes, turkey salad for at least a week.

Obituary: Frederick P. Brooks Jr., Computer Design Innovator, Dies at 91.

Thankful Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Brunch Link

• Tiny Gratitude Stories: What Readers Are Thankful for This Year.
• Omega Launches Stunning 60th Anniversary James Bond Watch.
• The new Kia logo commits the ultimate design crime. Thanks Max.

Story

• Gold coin proves 'fake' Roman emperor was real. Thanks brother19.

Science

• Water recycling technologies developed for space are helping a parched American west. Pee-licious.
• The real reason you can't go faster than light speed. Thanks RedEye9.

Media

• WKRP Turkey Drop. Thanks Boing Boing.

Creature Features

• Flossie, 26, officially the world's oldest cat. Has outlived two owners. Thanks brother19.
• TSA apprehends cat attempting to smuggle itself to Florida.

Follow-up

• Lab-grown blood injected into live human beings for the first time.

The Funnies

• Gobble - Savage Chickens.