News

• Wrath sound files point to World Event
  Heavy spoilers here: before we step into the new expansion, our old world is going to change a bit.
• Wrath cinematic trailer unveiled
  Blizzard showed the cinematic for the first time at Leipzig. Arthas has left his throne and now he's summoning dragons.
• Sylvanas finally gets her makeover
  The most famous (former) High Elf in the game now looks the part.
• Engineering fun builds up in Beta
  Some excellent Engineering crafted items make their debut.
• Blizzard announces pre-Wrath content patch
  We're going to get a look at Wrath on the live realms even before the game comes out.

Features

• Ten things I hate about the Wrath beta
  Not in the beta? Here's a few reasons why you might want to wait for the live realms anyway.
• WoW Insider and WoW TCG Loot give away a Tabard of Flame
  All this week is your chance to win a hot (pun intended) in-game tabard.
• Ask a Beta Tester: Don't want to look like a clown edition
  AABT is our one-stop shop for all your beta testing questions.
• Hybrid Theory: Yet another Spell Power discussion
  Spell Power is one of the biggest changes coming -- find out exactly what it means to hybrids.
• The Care and Feeding of Warriors: When words are insufficient
  Our Warrior writer is speechless with joy over what's happening to his class in the expansion.

Games Convention generated a ton of new HD trailers for upcoming PC games and we have them ready to download, along with a ton of original content and news stories. Indeed, there were a lot of new PC games announcements this week (more than at E3). Take a look at all of them on our site:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: Check out our reviews of the PC version of Bionic Commando Rearmed and the latest chapter of American McGee's Grimm.
• Hands-on previews: Check out our hands-on impressions of Aion, Battleforge and Battlefield Heroes
• BigVersus: Our latest game comparison column takes a look at the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Bionic Commando Rearmed.
• Big Iron: Our latest PC hardware column takes a look at power . . . power supplies for your rig that is.
• Big Ideas: Our latest column on themes in gaming takes a look at the so called "new games journalism."
• Alt-Tab: Our newest column takes a look at RTS gameplay conventions and how Relic could change them with Dawn of War II.
• Freeware Friday: Our latest look at free PC games is the classic Nethack.
• BigCast: It's our regular podcast with team members chatting about all things PC gaming.

In honor of the new PSP Brite moniker, we present the Lite Brite. Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!

• Alexander Sliwinski: Well, after a debilitating incident where some new RAM killed my PC weeks ago, I should have my baby back to me today with several new upgrades. First up: Some glorious all-levels-on-max Sins of a Solar Empire. Also making some headway with the Fable II Pub games (without cheating) and some Civ Rev multiplayer.
• Andrew Yoon: Finally, I'm going to spend some alone time with Braid. <3
• Christopher Grant: I've got a full plate of partially played games – I need to hunker down, pick one, and make some progress. Too Human, Fable 1, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Pixel Junk Eden, and Siren. Oh, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed should be in my hands next week, so I don't have much time to take care of all this. Why is life so hard?
• Griffin McElroy: I'm still working on Final Fantasy IV, which I've purposefully slowed progress on as I approach one of the saddest moments in video game history. I don't want to get all misty-eyed in public, you see. Perhaps I'll play a little more Geometry Wars 2 as well, if Justin can finally manage to beat my score on Pacifism (the only reason I could be persuaded to return to that unforgiving grid).
• Kevin Kelly: Fable 2 Pub Games for me, plus I'm demoing a tabletop game called Monsterpocalypse that looks like a ton of fun. And I'm still finding a way to cram Halo 3 into the nooks and crannies of my free time, and I'm looking to have that addiction checked out soon.
• Kyle Orland: Now that I'm done with "Moving to Pittsburgh: The Game" I'll be practicing my drumming for the impending Rock Band 2 release. I'm also still struggling to get those last few puzzle pieces in Braid and resisting the urge to use an FAQ because Jonathan Blow doesn't want me to.
• James Ransom-Wiley: Jonesing to finish up Bionic Commando Rearmed, but I'm headed out of town ... why is Remote Play so laggy? Thinking I might cop Bangai-O Spirits...
• Jason Dobson: With one week to go till I move across the country, the consoles are packed and the only game I'm playing is fighting with the moving company to make sure my stuff is there when I arrive. I've lost two men so far.
• Justin McElroy: If there's a merciful God in heaven above I'll be able to solve the Too Human game tape and finally move on with my life.
• Ludwig Kietzmann: With a patch on the way, I've decided to halt my progress through Alone in the Dark. I still have a survival-horror itch to be scratched and/or violently torn out, so I'll return to Silent Hill: Origins on my soon-to-be-outdated PSP Slim. While I'm there, I'll kill Crisis Core's final boss and close the chapter on that time-sucking mess of side missions. Lastly, I'll try and make some time for No More Heroes, which I've neglected for far too long.
• Randy Nelson: I'm off on a Quest for Booty this weekend – after I've finally gotten my fill of saving the same several hundred people over and over (and over) again in The Last Guy demo.
  
• Ross Miller: I'm taking a break from the ION drum set until I can try it with Rock Band 2 (the verdict with RB1 wouldn't be so good, as the cymbals don't register without some serious drum thwacking). Instead, I will be working through his first week of homework (one more semester to go!) and, when time permits, run through The Force Unleashed demo. Maybe I'll pick up Too Human and see what all the fuss is about.

We've long offered a mobile version of Joystiq at m.joystiq.com, for those of you with a Blackberry, Windows Mobile, or what have you. But looking at the data, the iPhone slash iPod Touch platform represents a commanding 79.5% of all mobile pages served (some stats after the break).

So with that in mind, we're unveiling i.joystiq.com, a specially formatted page that delivers the entire Joystiq experience (including comments this time!) with none of the cruft of a full-sized web page. We know there are still some kinks to be ironed out, so consider this service in beta until, well ... there are no more kinks. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the comments (maybe try leaving a comment from your fancy iPhone, Mr. Millionaire).

News

• Latest Beta build kills spell downranking
  No more downranking spells to save mana in-game, says Blizzard.
• How Blizzard mishandled the BlizzCon ticket situation
  Our long look at what exactly happened last week with the BlizzCon tickets.
• This is a very fast rug
  More cool mounts and items coming out of the Wrath of the Lich King beta.
• First look at tailoring in Wrath
  What cloth wranglers will be able to make in the next expansion.
• Looking for ladies in Outland
  Have you ever noticed that there don't seem to be that many females among NPCs in Outland? Why is that?

Features

• Ask a Beta Tester: Dalaran and UI updates
  Our Ask a Beta Tester column covers everything you've ever wanted to know about what's happening in the beta, and then some.
• Know Your Lore: The Ashbringer
  Everyone's all giddy about Frostmane finding its way into player hands, but Know Your Lore takes a long look at the other side of the "Awesome Two-Hand Sword" spectrum.
• Scattered Shots: Pet talent trees in the Wrath beta
  Our starting Hunter column checks out how pets might spec when Wrath comes to town.
• The Colosseum: Stormie of Shadow Council
  We interview one of the best Arena players around.
• Ask a Lore Nerd: Skeletons, slavery and shadows
  Experts talk about what they know. And the Lore Nerd talks about lore.

We have had a busy week at the PC centric Big Download site. As we approach two big gaming events (next week's Games Convention and Labor Day weekend's Penny Arcade Expo) we should have even more to write about in the coming days. In the meantime let's look back at the week that was:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: We review a number of games this week including Space Siege, the latest American McGee's Grimm episode and the first chapter of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.
• Big Ideas: Our latest look at game themes takes a look at gender roles in games.
• Freeware Friday: This week our free game is the strategy title Battle for Wesnoth.
• BigCast: It's our seventh edition of the Big Download podcast.

Downloads

• Unreal Tournament 3 patch: Grab the 1.3 patch for Epic Games' latest shooter title.
• Strong Bad Episode 1 demo: Check out the free portion of Telltale Games' latest episodic title
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms Xi demo: Try out a portion of Koei's PC port of their strategy game
• Star Trek Online trailer: Check out the first gameplay trailer from Cryptic Studios' MMO
• Empire: Total War trailer: Check out some naval battle action from the upcoming historical RTS game.
• Aion trailer: Check out this trailer for NCsoft's upcoming MMO

News

• EA to publish new Epic Games/People Can Fly title
• Team Fortress 2 Heavy update due next week
• Spore has gone gold
• Carrier Command: Gaea announced
• New Sword of the Stars expansion announced
• Codemasters unveils plans for Overlord II
• Bionic Commando PC gets extra content after all

While most people hail the Dreamcast as Sega's swan song, we want to go back one generation and remember the Saturn, which gave birth to person favorites NiGHTS Into Dreams, Dragon Force and ... um ... Christmas NIGHTS. We know there are other classics, so tell us your experiences with the console. Note how the special NIGHTS controller (mid left) looks conspicuously like the Sega Dreamcast pad. Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!

• Alexander Sliwinski: I'll be at a wedding in New Rochelle, NY this weekend, so it's DS time for me. The plan is to keep my Civilization Revolution addiction going with the DS version. Also, hoping to be back in time on Sunday to make some more money with the Fable II pub games. Need to learn and play the table better on Keystone (a variation of Craps -- yes giggling youths out there, that's the name of a real casino game).
• Andrew Yoon: I'm only a small handful of Trophies away from getting 100% in PixelJunk Eden. This weekend, I'll be going through the latest Ratchet & Clank adventure, Quest for Booty, and then some demo time with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
• Christopher Grant is the leader and doesn't have to answer for himself.
  
• Griffin McElroy won't hear our Roll of Thunder call until the weekend begins.
• Kevin Kelly: The Fable II pub games will be occurring, with several liftings of ale. I'll also be playing in my D&D campaign (hello, nerdom!) and trying out this new card game called Pecking Order. It's crazy, I tells ya. Plus some of my family is in town, so there will be some board game happenings going on as well.
• Kyle Orland is a bunny rabbit.
  
• James Ransom-Wiley: For the first time -- ever! -- I went with a PS3 version; in this case: Bionic Commando Rearmed. I also plan to spend some time psyching myself up for Too Human's imminent release. (Oh, and Amazon, where is my Pub Games code?!)
• Jason Dobson: After grinding this week through the Netherworld, I'm going to be spending the weekend mastering the subtleties of the Xbox 360's terrible d-pad in Bionic Commando Rearmed, most likely falling to my death in the process.
• Justin McElroy: I'm playing Space Siege as we speak, and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm also going to be listening to the Joystiq Podcast, because it's so funny and good and right. [Ed. - Justin later told me to add "Too Human" to the list because he wanted to flaunt it over the peons.]
• Ludwig Kietzmann: I'm taking my copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (cry more, purists!) to a friend's place and introducing him to the world of cardboard boxes and heavy handed exposition. When I'm back home, I'll be hacking away at Crisis Core's never-ending side missions, fumbling my way through Alone in the Dark and slashing wildly at scantily clad sword mistresses in Soul Calibur IV.
• Randy Nelson: My brief stint behind the handlebars of Burnout Paradises' motorcycles has once again revved the throttle of my addiction to the game, so you'll no doubt see me Freeburning on PSN this weekend. I'm also aching to get into the swing of Bionic Commando: Rearmed (I opted for the XBLA route) and should probably brush up on my Soul Calibur IV skillz if I ever hope to go toe-to-toe with Ludwig online.
• Ross Miller: XBLOverload with Braid, Bionic Commando and Pub Games. I'm still going through Rock Band drums on left-handed hard mode to try and get the other half of my body more in sync.
  

OK, set your mind to "fully open," because it's going to have to be pretty wide to wrap itself around this: Joystiq gave birth to the Joystiq Podcast, which gave birth to the Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group on Facebook. Now, that community has rallied itself to create the Joystiq Pocdast Appreciation Group Podcast, which we are now posting about on Joystiq! The snake has eaten its own tail!

Lesser podcasts would probably be weirded out by such meta-admiration, but not us, we kind of expect it. Nay ... we demand it. Thanks to Randall Smith, Wesley Johnson, Chase Murata, Chris Miller and James Lockwood for heeding our orders.

News

• Forum Post of the Day: Vicarious' legend
  And the first Legendary bow in the game goes to... a Rogue?!?
• Potion Sickness gone, Herbalists get new ability
  The change that threatened to get potions out of the endgame disappears while the Herb profession picks up a new buff.
• The Death Knight starting experience
  Our team walks you through what it's like to start up the first new class in the game since release.
• Warlock talent plus Tier 5 set bonus equals 56 million DPS
  An everlasting bug in the beta means Warlocks get really, really overpowered.
• Beast Mastery implemented, new exotic pets added
  A new patch on the beta realms brings in even more changes to the Hunter class.

Features

• Death Knights get a new look
  Our gallery of all the different new looks for all the Death Knight races.
• Guildwatch: Giving out epic gems to scrubs
  Our weekly guild drama column covers all of the craziness that happens when WoW players take themselves way too seriously.
• Ask a Beta Tester: Gold, Atiesh, and Mr. Tiron Fordring
  We answer what's up with everyone's favorite caster legendary, and all the other beta questions readers have.
• WoW Insider finds familiar faces in Wrath of the Lich King
  Check out this gallery of people we've seen in Wrath that you probably already know.
• Hybrid Theory: State of PvP in the Wrath beta
  Player vs. Player in Northrend, and what it's like in the beta.

Wow. Our coverage of E3 was pretty extensive but that doesn't mean we have been lazy since then . . . far from it in fact. Check out our extensive original features (including our QuakeCon 2008 coverage), new downloads and important news items from the past couple of weeks:

Exclusive Features

• QuakeCon 2008 coverage: Big Download went to Dallas for the annual free gathering of gamers sponsored by id Software. Check out our round-up of all our extensive coverage of the event, which includes new info on Rage, Wolfenstein, a QuakeCon picture gallery and a case mod gallery.
• GOG.com Interview: We chat with Tom Ohle on their upcoming digital download gaming site that will offer classic PC games that will be DRM free and sold on the cheap.
• Hinterland Interview: Tilted Mill's Chris Beatrice chats with us about their first original downloadable game.
• ECA Interview: We talk with Hal Halpin, the president of the Entertainment Consumers Association.
• PAX 2008 Interview: Robert Khoo gives us the 411 on their plans for the 2008 edition of the Penny Arcade Expo.
• Champions Online Preview: We go hands-on with Cryptic's upcoming super hero MMO.
• Oosah Impressions: We look at a new web site that makes uploading screenshots for games easy.
• TOJam 2008: We look at the winners of the recent indie games competition.
• Big Ideas: Our latest look at gaming themes takes at look at indivdual identity in games.
• 5 Reasons to love Fallout 3: Our latest gallery feature takes a look at the reasons we want to play the upcoming RPG.
• Freeware Friday: We take a look at the recent free racing game Trackmania Nations Forever.
• BigCast: We have Episode 5 and Episode 6 of our regular podcast ready for a listen.

Digital Unrest's Chris Simmons originally made this comic in April 2006, and we subsequently crashed his servers. The strip has bee remade this week with new art and, given that it never got a fair shot last time, we're going to throw it in again this week. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Chris. Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

Orderly Debate (Digital Unrest)
The World May Never Know (Fanboys Online)
Bluetooth Headset (CAD Minis)
For Your Consideration (Penny Arcade)
Rupees Cannot Buy Hearts (MNC)
The Fundamental Theorem of War (2P Start)
Anguish (Penny Arcade)
Giving Birth (Castle Vidcons)

(Not game-related, but make sure you read PVP Online's five-part FoxTrot/Family Circus "tribute")

Some fun facts:

1. Ludwig got his Wisdom Teeth taken out
2. He decided to send all of us a picture of the bloodied remains of teeth early this morning
3. Many of the Joystiq staffers decided to not to have breakfast.

Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!

• Alexander Sliwinski: I tried the demo for Braid and the puzzles inspired me to get the full game. Also have Eden to play and I'm sure to get in some Civ Rev as well. Just a little disturbed that PSN and XBLA games are starting to become my go-to style of games.
• Andrew Yoon: As a Trophy Whore(TM), I'm still cracking away at PixelJunk Eden and Uncharted. However, if I need to take a break from the PS3, my time will be dedicated to Braid.
• Christopher Grant: I'll be taking breaks between some of the more maddening (but oh so satisfying) puzzles in Braid by hopping back into Fable, which I continue to neglect. That's alright, I have until October 21 to finish it.
• Griffin McElroy: I'm back into World of Warcraft, people. In the brief moments that I am able to resist Azeroth's siren call, I expect I'll be putting some more time into Final Fantasy IV DS. I expect these moments will be quite brief indeed.
• Kevin Kelly prefers silence
• Kyle Orland: More Geometry Wars 2 and Pixel Junk Eden, plus gonna try and dive into this Braid thing everyone's talking about. Also really enjoying the simulation-meets-arcade racing action in GRID at the moment. Gonna try to squeeze all this in amidst Olympics-watching, packing for a move to Pittsburgh and a birthday party for my wife. Busy weekend!
• James Ransom-Wiley: I'm going to do whatever it takes to get just one of Ludwig's Geometry Wars 2 scores off the top of my leaderboards. I'll also be continuing my replay of Uncharted (moar Trophies!) and am hitting up All Points West in Jers Cirty tomorrow.
• Jason Dobson: As I pack away games for my move out west on the Oregon Trail, I'm being judicious about what titles I keep out to play. After being reminded recently about Heavy Rain, I've decided to brave the snow once more and try to solve Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy.
• Justin McElroy: I'm going to be playing Braid, which everyone who's not a dummy should rush out and buy, A+, 10/10. It makes Portal look like Brutal: Paws of Fury. And yes, I'm hoping that you'll all send this to Jonathan Blow and he'll see this and add it to his blog, because he's the best.
• Ludwig Kietzmann: Braid is aiding me in my recovery from dental surgery -- a beautiful, melancholy and mentally involving game. This disgustingly vegetative weekend will also be spent playing Battlefield: Bad Company and Soul Calibur IV online. Just don't ask me to voice chat, you might make my gums bleed. Eww.
• Randy Nelson: FYI, I'm settling in for some XBLA PSN TLC. This means wrapping my brain around the sheer genius of Braid, blowing it to bits with too much GeoWars2, and just plain chillaxin' with a game I find both challenging and utterly soothing: PixelJunk Eden.
• Ross Miller: Just bought a new 60GB Xbox 360 after having another one die on me (second unit, no RRoDs so not covered under warranty *sad face*). Now to try out this Braid thing everyone's been talking about ...
  

In August 1982, about 26 years ago, the ColecoVision sported a 3.58MHz processor, 1KB Ram and 16KB VRAM, a 256x192 resolution with 32 sprites and 16 colors, 3 tone and 1 noise sound generators and storage cartridges ranging from 8 to 32 KB. Just thought it'd be fun to put some things into perspective. Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!

• Alexander Sliwinski: I have discovered the crack-cocaine called Civilization Revolution. It's a completely different experience from actual Civilization and I haven't decided whether or not I like it; however, four hours just disappeared the other day while I was playing it, so the addiction level is certainly still there. Need to test the multiplayer.
• Christopher Grant: After trying – and subsequently failing – to find my controllers and AV cord for the original Xbox, my copy of Beyond Good and Evil must wait. Instead, I'll be giving some TLC to Fable: TLC this weekend. Works great on the 360, except if you want widescreen support, you need to set the console to 480p mode. Ahh, that's better. Also: Siren and Eden ... and maybe GeoWars 2.
• Griffin McElroy ...
• Kevin Kelly: Laugh if you must, but I'm joining a D&D game. We're playing the Ravenloft module. Old school, beyotches!
• Kyle Orland: I'll be alternating between trying to beat all of Ludwig's scores in Geometry Wars 2 and taking breaks with PixelJunk Eden
• James Ransom-Wiley: ...
• Jason Dobson: With Disgaea 3 promising to have me grinding teeth on the PS3 later this month, I've recently returned to the series' PSP flavor, Afternoon of Darkness, to help prepare me for the long hours of power leveling, character building, and manic wit to come.
• Justin McElroy: I'm playing a bizarre combination of The Neverhood and Alone in the Dark, if I get any free time. Go figure.
• Ludwig Kietzmann: I've been nursing a hangover all day. Not from drinking, but from the unrelenting assault of colors and particles that is Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2. Playing it until 5AM this morning was not a good idea ... but quitting the game seemed like an even worse decision. And I expect this trend will continue throughout the weekend as I zip through gates (which could kill you OH NOES) in Pacifism mode.
• Randy Nelson: Geometry and PixelJunk filling my screen. Who will win? Why, me of course. That is unless I can't stop playing to eat. Actually, when was the last time I ate? Or drank anything? Oh my. Fact: the Remote Play function of the PS3 is super-rad. It lets me take PixelJunk Eden anywhere. Anywhere.
• Ross Miller: I've been told to haul my Rock Band and Mario Kart Wii gear to a friend's house for a birthday celebration, but while that's going on I'll likely be sipping on a beer playing The World Ends With You.
  

With the bleeps and bloops of our beloved games -- and we suppose Mega Man 9 was the only thing that sounded like that, really -- echoing through a cavernous and lifeless Los Angeles Convention Center, it was clear that this year's E3 was different. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. We still got to play some promising games, we still had to endure some rotten ideas and we still had to roll our eyes at corporate PR foibles. Thankfully, that's exactly what the Joystiq E3 2008 Awards are for.

E3 may be over (and it may have not been the greatest installment of the event) but Big Download has some more game impressions from the show plus some other original features to check out. Here are the highlights from the past week:

Original Features

• E3 Impressions: Check out our impressions of games from E3 like Dark Void, Damnation, Operation Flashpoint 2, and Tomb Raider Underworld
• Here There Be Heroes: Exploring the Champions universe: Take a look at the history of this super hero pen-and-paper RPG and forward to the upcoming Champions Online MMO.
• Indiedaze:TIGSource Procedural Generation Competition: Take a look at the indie games who were the winners of a recent game development contest.
• Interview: Microsoft's Kevin Unangst: We chat with the Games for Windows general manager about their decision to make Games for Windows Live free and offer the first screenshot of the revamped UI for the service.

Downloads

• Far Cry 2 E3 trailer: Check out the shoot-em-up action in this trailer promoting the Ubisoft FPS
• Project Origin E3 trailer: It's both exciting and scary at the same time. It's footage from the Monoloth shooter sequel
• Dragon Age: Origins Trailer: Check out the first gameplay footage from Bioware's long-in-development RPG
• Dawn of War II Gameplay Trailer: Check out footage from this upcoming sci-fi RTS from Relic and THQ
• DC Universe Online E3 trailer: It's the first footage from Sony Online's upcoming super hero MMO