It's a great time to be a gamer. But to be a game-maker? Lot of competition out there, in an uncertain market. Let's see who's up and who's down.

2008
So far living up to its big brother 2007 in sheer amount of quality game releases. Now we just need to take off 2009 to play them all.

Rare
Says fixing tiny, unclear SDTV text in new Banjo Kazooie would be "too expensive." Gamers respond with large, very clear expletives.

Left 4 Dead
Demo release goes over pretty well. And after playing at Valve, we can say the rest of the game is sort of neat, too. ... Read more

We may have spent the week at Valve, but that didn't stop the news from moving on without us.

Fallout 3
A re-imagining of an old PC franchise that lives up to the hype? More scary than the game itself. In any case, dig in.

Harmonix/MTV
Somehow grabs the rights to develop a stand-alone Beatles music game. All you need is cash?

Overzealous Internet Forum Moderation
Electronic Arts forum mod claims a forum ban is equal to a game ban. EA says it's all a misunderstanding. Haven't we heard this song before?... Read more

Don't fret, Taking Stock is here to kick the weekend off on the right note, providing a summary of this week's major happenings into one easily digestible list.

Rumors
Those rumblings of a BioWare-developed Star Wars MMO turned out to be right on the money. Who knew!

Lies
To everyone's delight, the cake very much exists.


Sequels
Get ready for Dead Space 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Army of Two 2, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams and ....Fallout 4?

Deus Ex Fans
Good news! Deus Ex 3 is being designed with the PC in mind, though it might not be exactly what you had in mind, as the lead designer says the original was "kind of slow" and didn't have enough memorable moments... Read more

We were so close, Shack. So close to having a nice, relaxing week all the way through, and then LittleBigPlanet had to go and have a controversy right at the end. If we had an index for gamers' blood pressure, it'd certainly be skyrocketing right now.

Let's hope next week goes a little easier on us.

Multiplayer Betas
Resistance 2 and Call of Duty: World at War open up to the masses. It's a good week to be an FPS fan.

LittleBigPlanet Content Creation
I feel bad for this one. LittleBigPlanet has had almost universally good press, and then it picked up an expensive recall. The game innocently tried to celebrate world cultures with its soundtrack, but the internet had to poo all over that. If you thought an onslaught of user-built penis towers would be bad...

The Kids
Gaming is good for them, according to a Yahoo! survey sponsored by Sony. The survey found that parents and children are overwhelmingly responsible about video games, games make kids smarter, and that the economy is just fine... Read more

Welcome to the weekend. Before you rush into your festivities--whatever they may be--take a moment to reflect on the week you've just had. If you've been busy, we're here to catch you up. Let's get started.

Blizzard Fans
Christmas comes early for the Blizz faithful as BlizzCon 08 kicks off. Expect lots more about Diablo III, StarCraft II, and World of Warcraft this weekend. Keep up with our BlizzCon 08 coverage for the latest.

Storage Solutions
The perennial PC gamer's problem of "more disk space needed" hits home consoles hard as Microsoft tackles fitting the New Xbox Experience onto Xbox 360 systems without hard drives. Plus, at the end of last week Nintendo announced a simple, intuitive idea that should have come with the Wii out of the box.

Bleszinski
The Gears of War 2 creative director and celebrity game designer enraged his fans over a piracy comment, only to reassure us that ... Read more

Oh, hello there. I was just looking over the week's notable stories. It was a very special week, wasn't it? Won't you join me?

Duke Nukem Forever
Two new screenshots prove that the long-coming game is still alive, complete with strippers.

Old Franchises
What's old is new again, with Klonoa, Punch-Out!! and Sin & Punishment 2 now coming to Wii alongside numerous GameCube games.

Would-be Guitar Hero 4 Cover Artists
Dreams of bringing Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" into Guitar Hero World Tour are crushed, as publisher Activision won't let users share covers made in the game's music studio.

MMO Botters
The courts decide that bot makers must pay Blizzard $6 million for trying to make World of Warcraft's experience grind more tolerable... Read more

The last time Jack Thompson makes an appearance on the Shack? I wouldn't bet on it, but we can hope.

Spore
The game sells a million copies. Meanwhile, a five million dollar class action lawsuit over DRM is dropped on EA's desk.

Jack Thompson
Permanently disbarred by the Florida Bar, then rambles on about wanting to own one. Poor man.

Gaming News
With the recurring villain making his exit, will viewers come back for another season? Might a new character emerge to take his place?... Read more

This edition of Taking Stock should promise to be highly controversial. We ask that you please leave our Amazon listing alone.

Blizzard
Wrath of the Lich King shipping November 13, just in time for the holiday season. Imagine those Christmas bonuses.

Rage
First it's cut, then it's uncut. Turns out it all stems from miscommunication. Who would have guessed?

Spore Controversy
As EA finally addresses account-based issues and install limits, the protracted battle threatens to become more obnoxious than any DRM... Read more

It was all uppers and downers this week, until Australia got ahold of us. Now it's all vertically oriented arrows.

Deus Ex 3
Fetus-filled PC Zone magazine cover promises a reveal of Eidos Montreal's sequel next month.

Diablo Fan Persistence
A new video mockup of Diablo 3 saturation rouses the rabble once again. You could say they have a talent for causing controversy.

Humanity
Gordon Freeman has entered the test chamber, and this time it's for real. Ready yourself for the resistance. ... Read more

Much like a Joss Whedon drama, this week provides a perfect mix of ups and downs.

Piracy
A controversial editorial argues that the effects of PC piracy are "overblown." Hang in there old chum, you'll be everyone's favorite scapegoat again soon.

Consoles
The Xbox 360 price drop does little to qualm concerns that the system is nearing its graphical limit and that consoles are bad for the industry.

Censorship
Control freaks rejoice as Thailand bans five "dangerous games," while Dead Space is apparently blocked from sale elsewhere... Read more

All are judged as the week comes to a close.

PC Gaming
Epic douses the hopes of PC gamers by denying them Gears of War 2, while Crytek keeps harping that consoles are better for business.

Duke Nukem
The eternal badass takes it up a notch and masters time travel.


Penis Monsters
Spore creator Will Wright says that some of those horrendous and terrifying creatures are actually "really good."

Tigers
Lara Croft kicks the endangered species in the face. Really. ... Read more

It was a busy news week, with plenty of movers and shakers. Let's get to it.

Blizzard CG Department
Lich King intro proves they're still at the top. But stop begging for a full-length film--we admire their current work too much to risk another Spirits Within.

PC Digital Distribution
Almost $2 billion in sales collected from Steam-like services in 2007. Meanwhile, GameStop cashes in on used games, and seems unconcerned.

Microsoft
Finally releasing a 360 controller with an improved D-pad--but only in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Ay caramba. ... Read more

An overwhelmingly positive week. How annoying.

PC Platform Perception
Computers used more often for gaming than any other platform. If only the users had some gaming money left after their WoW subscription.

Parenting
'Rents apparently more nervous over video games than porn. Time to move out of the basement.

Batman
The Dark Knight may not officially have a game on the way, but regular-Batman does, and it's looking pretty good. ... Read more

Okay, so this week didn't have the happiest news. But it's all about the angle, so let's try to turn those frowns upside down. Most of them, anyways.

Xbox 360
id's amazing looking Rage to look not-so amazing on Xbox 360 because of compression woes and royalty fees.

Delay Tag
The oft-feared label gets one hell of a workout as it brings us news of numerous game and film delays, all without breaking a sweat.

Game Reviewers
Labeled as "lazy" by AIAS president Joseph Olin, a point that might have been validated as no one has bothered to formally respond.

Bunny Wizards
After years of ignorance, the game industry finally begins to acknowledge that bunnies can indeed be formidable wizards. Congrats Watson! ... Read more

Some say that every cloud has silver lining. Those people are dumb, but looking at this week's list and the abundance of up-down pairs, well, let's just call it a coincidence.

Hollywood
The Max Payne movie posters look awesome, but Rush Hour veteran Brett Ratner directing God of War is rather worrisome.

Saints Row 2
An entire promotional campaign formed around the fact that Tera Patrick has been brought on as a "special producer," one that just so happens to wear a bikini.

Wipeout HD
So awesome that it had to be delayed out of fears it might give people seizures.


Microsoft
Finally drops those pesky Games for Windows online fees, but then decides to take on Steam with an unseen marketplace... Read more

The overall industry index held steady this week, posting minor double-digit gains to close at 90210 points ahead of next week's E3 event. Ah, the calm before the storm.

BioWare
Pumps up eager fans for a July 9 Dragon Age reveal, then pulls back the curtain on an astonishingly boring logo--at 10 PM EST. Cute.

Diablo
Battle Chest cracks the NPD PC sales chart the week before Diablo III's announcement. We're not sure if this says more about Diablo or PC gaming.

Australia
First bans Dundee, now Fallout 3. What's going on down there?


CD Projekt
Announces a digital distribution site for classic PC games. Listen here, you lovable Polish heroes: Tie Fighter or bust. ... Read more

The overall industry index rose 242.3 points this week on strong rumors of an impending Diablo 3 announcement. Blizzard is set to reveal their big game mere hours from now, so stay attuned, and ready an extra pair of quilted pants.

Diablo 3
The rest of this index is just a formality if Blizzard delivers on the Big D tomorrow morning. Will our madness end here, betrayer?

Call of Duty: World at War
Activision gave Treyarch more than eight months to do this one, and wouldn't you know that it might actually turn out better for it.

Sony
Experienced financial blu-balls to the tune of $3 billion after taking major losses on the PlayStation 3. That high-pitched noise isn't your PS3 turning on--it's the sound of Iwata diving through coin like Scrooge McDuck.... Read more

There's some blood in the water this week.

Spore
The free Spore Creature Creator arrives, flooding the virtual universe with monsters like twinkies and ding-dongs.

DRM
The dreaded tendrils of SecuROM ensnare Mass Effect and Alone in the Dark on PC. BioShock keeps struggling, but can't get away entirely.

Valve
The latest Team Fortress 2 update makes the Pyro blow, in a good way. Oh, and the Sniper pees in bottles.

Artistic Integrity
ZootFly's Ghostbusters prototype helps another developer get the license, and a game composer gets upset when McCain uses his work.... Read more

Something must have been in the water this week, because everything's pretty much the opposite of what it should be. Cheaper iPhones? Honesty regarding Hellgate's troubled launch? A big-name game arrives without issues? Bizarro.

Majestic Studios
The three-man team behind Limbo of the Lost sets a new definition of plagiarism by stealing assets from at least a dozen games.

Apple
Cheaper iPhones and some impressive looking software. But motion-controlled mobile games? Really?

Crytek
Says it has "no desire or intention to disappoint our loyal PC fans" by discontinuing PC-only development after Crysis Warhead. ... Read more

This week was far more interesting than it deserved to be. Duke footage, Crytek news, and cool Fallout clocks. Add a little corporate craziness and we've got ourselves an article.

Duke Nukem Forever
First gameplay footage squeaks out. Stuff blows up. Minds still blown that it exists.

Time Warner Cable
Field-testing max bandwidth caps of 40GB a month, all for only $55. So much for our Desperate Housewives HD downloads.

Jack Thompson
Recommended for extra-special, decade-long disbarment. In other news, Diablo 3 to be set in Antarctica. ... Read more