Over the last few days, Take-Two made no less than three announcements regarding Bioshock and its developer, Irrational Games. The first one tells us that the PC and Xbox 360 versions have gone gold, and that they are now ready for their highly anticipated release from August 21 in North America, and August 24 in Europe.

Also on Friday, they announced a change of name for the Irrational developer, which has been tagged with Take-Two's 2K Games brand. As a result, the two Irrational studios from the US and Australia are to be known from now on as 2K Boston, and 2K Australia respectively. Ken Levine, the big boss over at Irrational 2K Boston seems pleased with this change, which, he says, provides them with "new opportunities and artistic freedoms".

And today came the third notable news, as Take-Two released the Bioshock demo for the Xbox 360. It's available now on Xbox Live Marketplace as a 1.35 GB download, and a PC demo was also promised, but it will only arrive towards the end of this month.

And speaking of demos, Loki also got one recently (you can find some download download links on the official website), and today KOEI announced its plans to release a few other demo versions through Xbox Live. The Fatal Inertia demo should already come out tomorrow, while the ones for Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam are only expected in October.

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Dates & Delays: Age of Conan, Call of Duty 4, FF Tactics // UPDATE

Another major MMORPG has left the 2007 release calendar, after developer Funcom regretfully announced the delay of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures by almost half a year. Therefore, the game will no longer come out this autumn, but only on March 25, 2008, surrendering to Pirates of the Burning Sea the (purely subjective and arguable) title of most anticipated MMO in the second half of the year.

The decission was encouraged by some recent Beta feedback, and the reason behind this new irritating delay is the still unsatisfactory quality of some aspects from Age of Conan - "especially when it comes to the entry barriers", from what the Norvegians at Funcom say.

Another possible release date surfaced over the weekend is that of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. From the statements made by David Tyler (Activision senior brand manager) at a recent press event, it looks like the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will be released in Europe on November 9 - even earlier than announced by Activision UK (namely winter of 2007). This is not entirely official yet, so... we'll see.

And finally, Square Enix dropped us a note that the Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions remake will launch for the PSP on October 9. The game prides itself with never-before-seen cinematic sequences, an entirely new English translation, and multiplayer features, among others. It doesn't sound bad at all, but I still think that Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Grimoire for the Nintendo DS is a bit more tempting. Whenever it comes out...

UPDATE: A fresh communique that announces the opening of a new Codename Panzers: Cold War website, inadvertently informs us about a delay for Stormregion's RTS game, from November 2007, to Q1 2008.

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Freed from the savage competition of Grand Theft Auto IV (delayed to 2008, poor thing), Halo 3 continues to be acclaimed by Microsoft as "the entertainment event of the year", and now they have one more reason to get all pumped up. With over a month left until the big launch from September 25/26 in the U.S. and Europe, Halo 3 has already gone past the 1 million pre-orders milestone, and that's just in North America. No matter now if it reached this at a record speed, as Microsoft claims, but it still gives us a solid clue as to the superlative sales the game will have, straight from day one.

From the three variants in which Halo 3 will appear - Standard Edition, Limited Edition and the ultra-collectible Legendary Edition - the latter has already been ordered by so many crazed fans, that it is expected to be sold out by September 25.

Also on this occasion, Microsoft announced a series of promotions to be offered by various companies, which normally don't have anything to do with the gaming industry: Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven, Pontiac, Comcast and Burger King. So, fast-foods, drinks, even cars, they will all fall prey to the Halo 3 hype, through all sorts of special designs and contests (as detailed here).

Speaking of special designs, Microsoft reminded us a few days ago about that "Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Console" of theirs, prior to this week's price-cut in the U.S. And only there, for now.

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SOE Announces Indian-Themed MMO, Ramayan 3392 A.D.

Sony Online Entertainment picked up yet another license ripe for spawning an MMO game (so they say), after signing a deal with Virgin Comics for their Ramayan 3392 A.D. comics - the old Indian story adapted to a futuristic context. "Adapted", as in keeping only some of the characters, settings and themes, but transposing them in a completely different context, as suggested by the first artworks added to the local gallery (something along the lines of that sci-fi Roman Empire from Imperator, before it got cancelled).

On top of that, the upcoming MMO inspired by Ramayan 3392 A.D. will also integrate concepts such as "karma", or the "malleability of time" itself. Sure, there are already some games out there with a karma system, but the manipulation of time (if that is indeed what the other idea is about) should be interesting to see how it's implemented in a massively-multiplayer online game.

Although SOE's communique is pretty long, it doesn't really give any solid details about the game, as the companies involved are happy to just pat each other's back, praising the story's greatness and potential. Sony Online Ent. will be in charge of development and publishing, while the folks from Virgin Comics will occasionally poke around, as creative consultants. Initially, the Ramayan 3392 A.D. MMO will appear (no idea when) on the PC, though the announcement does leave room for future aditions to the list of platforms.

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Xbox 360 Price Cut Tomorrow, 80GB PS3 Launched In U.S.

The price cut predicted last week for the Xbox 360 console (story) is coming even sooner than expected, as Microsoft announced that the new prices will be applied in the U.S. beginning tomorrow, August 8. They perfectly match the prices previously advertised by several retailers, with the largest price-cut - of $50 - being for the standard Xbox 360 Pro (20GB) model. So, as of tomorrow an Xbox 360 Pro will cost just $349.99, the Core model will go down to $279.99, and the Elite (120GB) model to $449.99. Futhermore, Microsoft will launch a special model in September, the "Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Console", priced at $399.99, with a Spartan green-and-gold finish, matching wireless controller, 20GB HDD, Headset, Play and Charge Kit, and other thingies.

Unfortunately, on the European front it's still peace and quiet. Questioned by GI.biz this morning, a Microsoft UK spokesperson said that the announcement specifically refers to the U.S., and that they haven't announced any pricing changes in Europe. Maybe they'll do it at this month's Leipzig GC, though.

Another reason of joy for North-Americans is also offered by Sony, who launched the PlayStation 3 model with an 80GB HDD in the U.S. and Canada yesterday, at a price of $599, which also includes the racing game MotorStorm. As a reminder, one month ago the 60GB PS3 model became $100 cheaper, down to $499 (story), and Sony claims that since then sales have jumped 113%.

And again, there's nothing but bad news for Europeans from Sony, too. In theory, the "PS3 Starter Pack" promotion (which includes the console, an extra Sixaxis controller, and a choice of two first-party games) "will continue for the foreseeable future", according to Sony's statement for GI.biz. In practice, however, some unhappy customers who found out about this promotion too late, and wasted their money too early, received a completely different response from Sony:

"I was sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with regards to the launch of the PlayStation 3 Starter Pack. I would like to take this opportunity to stress that this is a summer promotion and that due to the nature of this offer it will end on a predetermined date."

In other words, the promotion could be terminated just as unexpectedly as it began, at the end of August.

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Bethesda Announces Star Trek: Conquest, New MMO Studio

Despite the mediocre success they had with all those Star Trek games thrown on the market last year (Legacy, Encounters and Tactical Assault), Bethesda insists on thoroughly milking this license, announcing a new strategy game called Star Trek: Conquest this week. "Strategy game" could make you think about the PC first and foremost, however the new project is only planned for release on two consoles, Wii and PS2, with a release date planned for this holiday season.

Star Trek: Conquest will be set during the era of the best TV series (in my humble opinion) - "The Next Generation", with Picard, Riker and Whoopi Goldberg. Players will be able to start their campaign of galaxy conquest with any of the major factions, from Federation, Klingon and Romulan, to Cardassian, Dominion and Breen. Expanding your empire will be achieved in a strategic turn-based mode, by moving the starships from one planet to another on the galactic map (piece of cake with the Wii Remote), building support structures on conquered planets, researching new technologies, managing the limited resources and, not least of all, engaging your enemies in combat.

From this point on (once you enter a battle), the game switches to a more tactical perspective, allowing for a more direct (and more real-time) control over your ships. Maneuvering them on the Wii will be done with the Nunchuck controller, while targeting and shooting will be done with the Wiimote. That's about all for now, the first images can be seen in the local gallery.

Speaking of Bethesda, their parent company, ZeniMax Media announced a few days ago the formation of a new studio, focused on developing MMO games. They call it ZeniMax Online Studios, and it's headed by Matt Firor - one of the founders of Mythic Entertainment. Great, what better reason to start those Elder Scrolls MMO rumours again.

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id Announces Rage, Quake Zero, And More At QuakeCon // UPDATE

While Blizzard fans were getting their fair share of StarCraft II and World of Warcraft second-expansion news at BlizzCon in California, another major gaming event was taking place over in Dallas, for fans of id Software. This year, the by-now-famous QuakeCon brought a series of major announcements, from the new game based on the id Tech 5 engine first shown at Apple WDC in June (story), to other new projects, as well as older ones brought back as digital re-releases via Steam, or as Xbox Live Arcade adaptations, or as future movies. But... one at a time.

Continuing their tradition of one-word titles, the new game based on id Tech 5 will be called Rage. Initially, the Apple WDC footage seemed to come from a post-apocalyptic racing game, however the new trailer shown at QuakeCon also included a bit of first-person shooting, and John Carmack assured his fans that this new game would not lack the kind of "run-and-gun" gameplay for which the legendary studio is known. So, it seems that Rage will be some sort of post-apocalyptic Grand Theft Auto in first-person, and we can expect it to be released on PC and next generation consoles.

As part of CEO Todd Hollenshead's presentation, he announced the second movie project based on an id Software franchise, namely Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This will be written and directed by Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, The Rules of Attraction, Beowulf), and produced by Samuel Hadida (Silent Hill, Resident Evil).

Hollenshead was also the one to announce the immediate release of most of id Software's previous games through Steam: from Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D, to Hexen, Heretic, Doom II, Doom 3 and all the old Quakes prior to Quake 4, plus all kinds of extra packages. The full list of games can be found on the Steam website, and there's also a kick-ass "id Super Pack", with 22 titles for a total price of just $69.95 (considering that, taken separately, these games would ad up to over $200).

Next up, Quake Zero was announced as a version of Quake Arena that will be playable straight from a web browser, completely free, albeit full of ads. Speaking of Quake Arena, another version was confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade (in development at Pi Studios) and, during Carmack's keynote, the guy also referred to a "Quake Arena like" game, for the... Nintendo DS! (his new obsession)

Ugh, what more... ah, yes, the release date for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars! In Europe, the PC version should come out on September 28, and in North America on October 2. Later on, this will be followed by the Xbox 360 version (in the works at Nerve Software), and the PlayStation 3 version (ported by Activision Foster City). And the end of this year should bring Orcs & Elves for the Nintendo DS, as well as the Orcs & Elves II sequel for mobile phones. Phew, now that's a QuakeCon!

UPDATE: id Software actually screwed up a bit with releasing their old DOS games via Steam, because they stole included the DOSBox emulator without notifying its authors, and without including a copy of the GPL license under which DOSBox is distributed - thus violating the license (not to mention making some undeserved money from other people's work). But even more interesting is that they modified the dosbox.exe executable and linked it to the Steam login system, which, according to the same GPL license, means that Steam should also fall under GPL. And the problems don't end here, but they continue with a degraded performance of the emulator, and the lack of Setup programs for games like Doom, which can't be played in multiplayer otherwise. And Doom without multiplayer is, more or less, a piece of crap. Bravo, id!

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World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, The Second Expansion

The Emerald Dream, the South Seas, and all those other failed candidates for the second expansion will have to wait. Just as those who were hoping for the Diablo MMO to be announced at this month's BlizzCon will also need a bit more pantience. Because Blizzard's big announcement was World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - the second expansion, set on the frozen continent Northrend from Azeroth.

While many details about it will remain unknown to us for some time, the blues were generous enough to reveal plenty of things about Wrath of the Lich King ("WLK" shall it be). Perhaps the most important novelty in the second expansion will be the new dances... umm... the new hero class - called Death Knight - available only after meeting certain challenges. What kind of challanges, and which races will have acces to the Death Knight class, we still don't known. The only certainty is that this new class will be available to both Alliance and Horde players.

Predictably, the level cap in WLK will rise to lv. 80, bringing with it new talents and abilities. At the same time, there will also be a new profession - Inscription" - whose purpose will be to permanently enhance players' spells and abilities. It still sounds pretty vague, but we'll learn more in due time.

On the PvP side of things, the main addition will be Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings, promised since before the launch of the Battlegrounds. Which, by the way, will also grow in number. And the same can obviously be said about dungeons, considering that Northrend will be comparable in size and content to Outland, according to Blizzard. The first new dungeon in Northrend will be Utgarde Keep, intended for five players around level 70.

There are still plenty of things to say, but fortunately Blizzard issued a Q&A with all the info they're willing to share at this time about World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, along with the first batch of screenshots, the first trailer, and an official website. That's pretty much everything needed, except for a release date. Maybe next year. Maybe...

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As one of the first companies to announce their games line-up for next month's GC 2007, D3Publisher promised a collection of four games for the show in Leipzig, one more promising than the other... literally. Except for Dark Sector, and let's say Dragon Blade, their line-up only contains two more irrelevant titles, based on Cartoon Network licenses. But if they bothered to announce them, and to haul them all the way there, we might as well bother to copy-paste them here:

- Dark Sector (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

- Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire (Wii)

- Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Wii, DS, PS2, PSP)

- Ed, Edd and Eddy: Scam of the Century (DS)

This will also mark the first time that Dark Sector will be shown publicly in a playable form, and I fear that Digital Extremes will find it difficult to meet the expectations they've been inflating since E3 2005. Since then, their game went through some major changes, and one year later it was barely recognisable already. Currently, this is how Dark Sector is being described like:

"Dark Sector is Digital Extreme's breath-taking third-person action title. Set within a plague-ravaged Eastern European city, the player is cast as Hayden Tenno, a Government Agent sent to investigate the heavily patrolled area, but inadvertently infected by a mutagen that is endowing him with ever-increasing powers. Armed with a unique Glaive weapon which can kill multiple targets with one throw, and with a host of adversaries beautifully tied in with the unfolding plot, Dark Sector is a stunning game that mixes exploration, action and puzzles with aplomb."

Dark Sector should come out in Q1 2008, Dragon Blade in Q4 2007, and the others... like I said, irrelevant.

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Let's begin our Leipzig GC 2007 "remote coverage" with one of the first new games announced this week. Hidden behind a mysterious title is THEY, an equally mysterious next-gen shooter, developed by... you guessed, a still-mysterious studio. At least so far, the representatives from IMC (Interactive Media Consulting) didn't reveal the developer's identity, but they did provide enough bits of information and "eye-candy" to catch our attention.

So, THEY will be a futuristic first-person shooter, set on an Earth invaded by aliens - or that's what the first images from our gallery seem to suggest: a screenshot which reminds us of the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within movie, and an artwork with some gigantic... thing erected over a post-apocalyptic London.

Gameplay wise, THEY promises to feature brand new gameplay elements, heavy usage of physics (with partially destructible environment), and a revolutionary weapon system that makes you "love" your weapons. It's their expression, but I don't dare to guess its meaning. The single-player mode will be based on a mysterious science fiction story, and naturally the game will also include some multiplayer modes, "versatile" as they call them, in lack of any more revealing term.

THEY is tentatively set for release in 2008 or 2009, on the PC and next-gen consoles - assumingly Xbox 360 and/or PlayStation 3.

P.S. One clue found on IGN regarding the developing team's identity is that it's been making action games for over ten years... And considering IMC's previous collaborations, I have a hunch it could be the Slovak studio Cauldron.

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