With the weekend approaching, it's time for another round of deals and discounts on PC games from the usual suspects: Steam, GOG, Impulse, D2D and GamersGate.

This week's sales include a number of LucasArts discounts, along with savings on Grand Theft Auto IV, Supreme Commander, King's Bounty, and others... Read more

Explaining that "Sims fans around the world build their own stories and machinima and are acting out their own vampire love stories all over the Web," Electronic Arts has produced one of its own: "LOVE TRIANGLE UNDER THE SIMS MOON."

"In the end, it's not about who Bella chooses in the book that matters, because with The Sims it's all up to the players," added EA. "Who would they pick to live in eternal teenage bliss with? Our vote is Jacob. Everyone likes a built-in fur coat of the animal kind."

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Developer, publisher and digital distributor Stardock has released its annual customer report by CEO Brad Wardell, giving insight into its platform Impulse's competition with Valve's Steam as well as interesting figures and estimates concerning the past year.

Stardock estimates "based on discussions with publishers along with the numbers we are aware of" that Steam owns 70% of the digital distribution market, while Impulse sits in second with a 10% share and the remaining 20% is shared between all others.

The successes of Steam and Impulse are due in part, Wardell believes, to their digital exclusives. Impulse's include Sins of a Solar Empire and Demigod--which it publishes--while Steam has the Left 4 Dead and Half-Life developer's own games as well as third-party releases using Steamworks for DRM, among other functions.

Wardell describes Steamworks as a "challenge" for Impulse as it effectively creates Steam exclusives of games which are not technically such... Read more

Croteam's modern day revamp of Serious Sam: The First Encounter will hit PC on Tuesday, November 24, producer Digital Devolver confirmed today via Twitter.

The digital download will be available through Steam and Got Games, with Steam currently offering pre-orders 10% off of the game's $19.99 asking price.

A downloadable Xbox 360 version of Serious Sam HD is also in the works, with Devolver recently noting that Microsoft should set the release date "soon." For a glimpse of how far Serious Sam has come, check out this trailer for the 2001 original... Read more

Offering the general public a chance to sample Star Trek Online prior to its launch in early February, developer Cryptic has announced that it will be hosting an open beta for the sci-fi PC MMO from January 12, 2010 through January 26, 2010.

Keys will be distributed on a "first come first serve basis" through the game's official site, the developer explained, with the company also offering up this new trailer:

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Once again, Electronic Arts has exploited Christians to help promote its upcoming video game adaptation of Dante's Inferno.

The official website for Mass: We Pray now unsurprisingly reveals the Church-centric mini-game compilation to be a hoax.

"He who betrays the beliefs of the Church blackens his soul with the sin of Heresy. A Mass not celebrated by ordained priest or on consecrated soil is naught but false ritual condemned by clergy," declares the message that pops up when users click to either pre-order the game or send a "digital blessing" to a friend. From there, users are presented with the ability to watch "an Exclusive Dante's Inferno Trailer" and the option to "Damn thy Fellow Sinners to Hell" through a "Go To Hell" Facebook application.

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"After all, a family shouldn't have to wait until Sunday to worship the Lord," read the original press release for Mass: We Pray, which described the title... Read more

New BioShock 2 gameplay footage has risen from the murky depths of the Internet to show a little from one of the multiplayer modes created by Digital Extremes for 2K Marin's subaqueous shooter sequel, including a glimpse of 'Trial' challenges.

BioShock 2 arrives for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 9, 2010, with a swanky Special Edition packing Rapturian artifacts including a vinyl LP and posters.

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The Creative Assembly has released a handful of new screenshots from Napoleon: Total War, its upcoming strategy focused on the exploits of the Emperor of the French.

Players will be able to rewrite history by stepping into the boots of either Napoleon or his opposing generals in missions spanning his entire commanding career, from Egypt and Italy through Moscow and ultimately to the most Europop battle of all--Waterloo.

Napoleon: Total War is slated for release on PC in February 2010, published by Sega.

Cryptic Studios has announced another in-game event for its superhero-fueled MMO, Champions Online, called 'Nemesis Confrontation.' The event will debut Tuesday, November 24, and is conveniently scheduled to coincide with a 'Free-to-Play Thanksgiving Weekend' that begins on November 26 and runs through November 30.

"We asked ourselves," said executive producer Bill Roper, "what if your Nemesis could band together with your buddy's Nemesis to take you on? Epic."... Read more

A Men of War: Red Tide (PC) demo is now available on FileShack, offering a playable sample of Best Way's strategy game in exchange for 960MB of bandwidth.

Once billed as a standalone expansion to Men of War but described today by publisher 1C Company as a sequel, Red Tide recreates World War II's Black Sea Campaigns across more than twenty missions starring the Soviet "Black Coats."

Red Tide is currently available from a variety of digital distribution outlets, and will be included in the Men of War Gold Edition hitting North American shops December 1.

Just one day after revealing that Supreme Commander 2 is due next spring, publisher Square Enix has announced specific dates.

Gas Powered Games' strategy sequel will hit North America in PC form on March 2, with the Xbox 360 edition following March 16.

Two rather enthusiastic quotes from GPG founder Chris Taylor--"The partnership with Square Enix has been a highlight of my career" and "I couldn't be more proud of what the team has accomplished, as the game has continually exceeded all of my expectations throughout its development"--accompanied the news, as did some new footage:

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While Airtight's sci-fi action game Dark Void has yet to be released--it hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in January--publisher Capcom has inked a deal to see it become a feature film.

The film rights went to Brad Pitt's production company Plan B Entertainment, with Capcom noting that the movie could be a "potential starring vehicle" for the Fight Club, Ocean's Eleven and Meet Joe Black veteran.

It's the latest movie deal for Capcom, which saw Street Fighter's second major theatrical outing released earlier this year and is currently in the process... Read more

2K Games has announced a 'Special Edition' of its subaqueous shooter sequel BioShock 2, revealing a treasure trove of goodies seemingly raised from Rapture itself.

"Limited to a single-production run" and packed into a rather fetching box with a butterfly motif, the Special Edition brings a 164-page hardcover art book, a 180g vinyl LP of the original BioShock's orchestral score, an audio CD with the BioShock 2 orchestral score, and three "vintage Rapture advertisement posters," not to mention a copy of BioShock 2.

BioShock 2 Special Edition arrives alongside the regular on February 9, 2010, priced at $90 on PC and $100 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The singleplayer is by 2K Marin and 2K Australia, while Digital Extremes is crafting multiplayer with a variety of modes.

Having previously announced an expanded edition of Resident Evil 5 for Japan and vowed to release the new content in downloadable form for current owners, Capcom today issued a release schedule and screenshots of the forthcoming expansions.

Along with the previously detailed "Lost in Nightmares" prequel mission, a second new episode will be released, as will new constumes and a new "Mercenaries Reunion" mode that packs "8 new playable characters and weapon load outs."

• "Lost in Nightmares" Episode: 2/17/10 (Xbox 360), 2/18/10 (PlayStation 3)
• Costume Pack 1: 2/17/10 (Xbox 360), 2/18/10 (PlayStation 3)... Read more

The first post-release downloadable expansion for Dragon Age: Origins has been announced by developer BioWare, with the content due "this holiday season."

Coming to all three platforms--PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360--"Return to Ostagar" is said to let players "exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens' darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden's fallen king."

Along with battlefields "now thick with darkspawn encamped amidst the snow," players will also encounter "a second chance to add Dog to your party."

The download will go for $4.99 / 400 BioWare Points / 400 Microsoft Points in North America--a worldwide release "this holiday season" was promised, but international pricing was not disclosed. The developer has previously stated its commitment to fleshing out the fantasy RPG with extra content, noting this could last two years.

With such bonuses being all the rage these days, publisher Sega and developer Rebellion have paired with GameStop to offer pre-orders some extra Aliens vs. Predator content.

Pre-ordering the xenomorph shooter from the retailer will net a download code for three "exclusive" multiplayer skins "while supplies last." The promotion covers all three versions--PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The game itself is due out in February, with details and images of the three skins--SGT. Kaneko, Number Six, Alien Head Preadtor--following just below... Read more

Eighty-eight seconds of uncut Battlefield: Bad Company 2 footage are on display in a new trailer from DICE featuring tanks, sniping and a spot of explosive demolition.

The action occurs on the map 'Arica Habor', the sole level in the multiplayer beta which begins today for PlayStation 3 pre-orders then in December for all and sundry on PC.

Published by EA, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 arrives for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 2. Pre-ordering also nets you a "day one advantage" through six multiplayer item unlocks. A multiplayer demo is planned, presumably arriving before the release.

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A 421MB benchmark tool for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (PC) is now available on FileShack, offering insight into how your system will cope with the post-apocalyptic trappings of GSC Game World's DirectX 11-enabled shooter-RPG.

The benchmark cycles through four stages--day, night, rain, and bright sun--with an online leaderboard allowing users to upload and compare their performance scores.

Picking up after the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and prequel Clear Sky, Call of Pripyat is now available in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) will hit both North America and the rest of Europe in Q1 2010.

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Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard is looking to further expand the blockbuster series by adding a third development studio to the mix, claims a Los Angeles Times report.

Recent years have seen the company release annual entries by alternating lead development duties between series creator Infinity Ward (Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) and Treyarch (Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: World at War), with external studios n-Space and Rebellion having assisted with Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 editions.

Activision claims that this year's entry, Modern Warfare 2, represents "the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment," with indications that the inevitable next one is being handled by Treyarch and could be set in the Vietnam War era.

The publisher has also repeatedly spoken of a possible Call of Duty-branded massively multiplayer game, with CEO Bobby Kotick pondering how to monetize "the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively multiplayer environment" and CFO Thomas Tippl noting "you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some our biggest franchises like Call of Duty."

Update: According to Big Download and Blue's News, Left 4 Dead 2 pre-orders were listed as Steam's second top-grossing game for the week of 11/8 - 11/14, though it seems that listing disappeared after the game launched on November 17.

Original: The week before Left 4 Dead 2's release curiously saw Valve's zombie shooter get left behind by digital customers, as online pre-orders for the sequel slipped from the number three spot on Steam's top ten to, well, a position not listed on the chart.

Unsurprisingly, sales juggernaut Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 topped Steam's charts, with Direct2Drive, which refuses to sell MW2, seeing Dragon Age reign again.

Steam Top Ten (by Revenue): 11/8 - 11/14

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward
2. Dragon Age: Origins - BioWare
3. Dragon Age: Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare... Read more