Unleashing the wondrously evil Overlord and his army of lethal minions for a fresh round of malicious mayhem, Codemasters today announced the forthcoming release of three downloadable content packs for Overlord, the summer�s hit action adventure from Triumph Studios.

The all-new content will be available this November from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and comprise of one free and two premium download packs.

The premium downloadable content is led by Overlord: Raising Hell, an expansion pack that adds all-new single-player levels to the original game. An additional premium pack, the Overlord: Challenge Pack will deliver a set of all-new online multiplayer maps. Microsoft Points pricing for the two premium content packs will be confirmed at launch. A further downloadable content update will also be available free of charge. This will add split-screen play to all the original game�s multiplayer maps and introduce an all-new multiplayer Survival map.

Premium and Free Downloadable Content Details:

OVERLORD: RAISING HELL - Premium Downloadable content
Prepare to go deeper into the Overlord�s twisted world as this single-player expansion pack opens a series of hellish new levels. Complete with new enemies and objectives, each new level is a supernatural abyss � a hell for each of the game�s five kingdoms: Mellow Hills, Evernight, Heaven�s Peak, the Golden Halls and the Ruborian Desert.

Access to each abyss is via a portal, which opens once a kingdom has been successfully conquered and the previous ruler banished to a personal hell within. However it�s not just the fallen heroes that have been dragged into the abyss: the Overlord�s newly loyal peasants have also been taken down into hell too.

With the undead denizens of each abyss on the attack and threatening the Overlord�s reign above ground, there�s only one thing for it: assemble your minion army, descend into each abyss and embark on a fresh wave of tyranny in order to return the serfs to their homelands, defeat the fallen heroes once and for all, and claim the throne of each kingdom�s underworld.

OVERLORD: CHALLENGE PACK - Premium Downloadable content.
This additional premium download content pack is ideal for Overlords who really have something to prove. There�s pillaging fun with seven new online multiplayer maps, including the competitive �Capture the Maiden� map and �Protect Your Power�, where players must defend the Overlord�s tower against waves of enemy attack.

Putting minions through their toughest workout, the Challenge pack also introduces a �Legendary� difficulty mode, which challenges players to achieve Legendary status by using their most aggressive minion managing skills to complete the game under exceptional bad-ass circumstances.

OVERLORD: SPLIT-SCREEN MULTIPLAYER PACK - Free Downloadable Content.
The free update will be available alongside the premium packs and will enable players to go head to head in an all-new split screen multiplayer mode. In addition to providing split screen play on all of the game�s original multiplayer maps, the update will also introduce a new multiplayer map, Rocky Race, which sees a pair of Overlords working cooperatively to survive the onslaught of an arch rock giant on the rampage.

All three content packs are set to be available this November from Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360, with Microsoft Point pricing to be announced. All three packs require players to have a full copy of Overlord for Xbox 360 in order to experience the additional content.

Cases

• Antec Veris Fusion Black HTPC Case - Tweaknews
• SilverStone Kublai KL01 Mid-Tower - TechGage

  Cooling
  

• Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Water Cooling Kit - Hardware Logic
• ZEROtherm Nirvana NV 120 Cpu Cooler - OCC

  CPU
  

• Proper Multicore Gaming - YouGamers

  Memory
  

• Mushkin XP2-6400 (DDR2-800) 2x1GB Memory Kit - The Tech Lounge

  Power Supply
  

• Coolmax CUQ-1200B 1200W - PCStats
• OCZ ProXStream 1000W - Hardware Secrets
• PC Power & Cooling 750 Watt Quad Silencer - Bjorn3D

  Video
  

• MSI RX2600XT Diamond OC - Viper Lair

Hard to be a God Diary #2
Weapons, armor and how they're being realized in the intriguing alternate universe where Burut's RPG takes place - Includes four exclusive images - screenshots and concept art

Hellgate: London Pre-Ship View
Ranked among the year's most eagerly awaited releases, Flagship's action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic near future - Includes four exclusive 1680x1050 screenshots

Hellgate: London Media #4
A dark passageway in Flagship's game holds a monster called a Blade Husk that won't be hidden from view for long - An exclusive 1280x720 screenshot

Update - Okay, managed to play the single player for a bit. I decided to go with a Marksman who is around level 7. Performance, compared to the beta is smoother, plus there's zero lag in the stations now. Maybe that's because I'm not playing online, but between the zero lag and no annoying zone chat, you can't help but appreciate some of the finer things the game has to offer.

Here are a few early DX10 screens:

And here's the PR reach-around:

Remember the dead, but fight for the living! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that Hellgate�: London, the first title from Flagship Studios and one of the most anticipated PC games of the year, is now available at retail outlets in North America and Europe1. Combining the depth and addictive gameplay of traditional role-playing games with the visceral action of first-person shooters, the long-awaited action RPG from the creators of the global blockbuster Diablo franchise is poised to keep gamers hacking-and-slashing for many Halloweens to come.

�Today marks a major milestone for Flagship Studios,� said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. �The greatest thrill any developer can have is to see their game actually in a player�s hands. We�ve put our all into making Hellgate: London a great gaming experience, and now we�re able to share what has been a huge part of the past four years of our lives with our friends, family, and the world.�

�The core of the EA Partners program is utilizing our strengths as a publishing organization to help world-class independent development studios like Flagship bring their games to market globally,� said David DeMartini, Vice President and Global General Manager, EA Partners. �Hellgate: London is a great achievement and we are excited to have had the opportunity to work with Flagship and NAMCO BANDAI in delivering a breakthrough action RPG.�

It�s 2038 and London lies in ruins, overrun by hordes of terrifying demons. Players begin their mission to save the once-great city by creating a hero, choosing among six character classes featuring distinct gameplay styles. Hellgate: London offers gamers a deep storyline campaign with over 35 hours of gameplay that is infinitely re-playable because of the game�s dynamically generated levels and random items, enemies and events. Hellgate�s robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of equipment ensures each player�s experience will be unique.

While some may prefer to save humanity on their own offline, gamers will also be able to fight online*, joining up with other survivors in a secure, client-server environment and playing through the entire story-driven campaign for free. For those players who want to extend their Hellgate: London experience, Flagship is offering an optional subscription service for $9.99/month2 which will give players access to tremendous amounts of ongoing content in the form of quests, character classes, demons, items, etc.

Hellgate: London has been rated M for Mature (Violence, Blood and Gore, Mild Language) by the ESRB.

Today Electronic Arts Inc. announced that SimCity Societies, the newest edition of the top-selling PC gaming franchise, SimCity, has been approved for manufacturing and is expected to begin shipping to stores across North America, Asia, Australia and Europe on November 13th. In SimCity Societies, you construct not only the cities you desire, but create their cultures, societal behaviors and environments as well. Build an artistic city, authoritarian dictatorship, spiritual community or most any society you want in SimCity Societies!

With more than 500 building types, decorative objects and all-new resources, there are endless possibilities to the cities you can develop. A revolutionary feature set allows you to combine buildings that will produce or consume new kinds of resources called �social energies.� How you mix and match these resources � industry, wealth, obedience, knowledge, devotion, or creativity�determines the social energy of your city.

Will your city be happy and creative, spiritual and knowledgeable, will it be wealthy and powerful or obedient and fearful? Its fate is in your hands! From futuristic metropolises and fantastical haunted cities to obedient Orwellian states and devout contemplative towns � what to combine and connect is up to you, the creator.

The SimCity franchise is one of the most popular PC gaming franchises in history, having sold more than 18 million games worldwide to date since the SimCity launch in 1989. Subsequent base game releases include SimCity 2000 (1989), SimCity 3000 (1989) and SimCity 4 (2003). SimCity Societies is being published by Electronic Arts and developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment. It is rated �E10+� by the ESRB and has a MSRP of $49.99.

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions, an add-on to the critically acclaimed Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific submarine simulation, will be available for PC in spring 2008. Developed by Ubisoft Romania, the add-on will allow players to prowl the Indian Ocean as the captain of a German submarine.

Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions extends the gameplay experience of Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific by focusing on the historically accurate but largely unknown German U-boat campaign in the Indian Ocean during World War II. U-Boat Missions offers players a variety of new features and content including an entirely fresh and innovative strategic element, new playable submarines, an improved navigation map, improved upgrade system, and more. Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions is an essential addition for any simulation fan.

Full press release in the comments section.

Subscriptions are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. You are still able to create accounts and all players will be able to subscribe as soon as this is resolved. For users who have had difficulties subscribing, we are investigating these issues and will attempt to resolve them as soon as possible.

We apologize for the confusion.

If you're on the fence about subscribing, perhaps this handy side-by-side list will help you decide whether to pony up 10 bucks a month. And if it's all just gone a bit Pete Tong, Flagship's support site may offer some assistance.

KONAMI announced today that "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS", the latest in the METAL GEAR series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2008.

KONAMI had initially intended to release "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" this winter and has been working on the production of the title. KONAMI has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.

KONAMI will continue its efforts to make "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" meet everyone's expectations.

Boards

• Biostar P35 T Series TP35D3-A2 Deluxe - Tweaktown
• MSI x38 Diamond motherboard - XS Reviews

  Cases
  

• Antec Sonata III Chassis - Hexus
• Lian Li PC-B58 Mid-Tower Case - BMR
• ThermalTake Armor JR Case - Motherboards.org

  Cooling
  

• Cooler Master Hyper 212 - Anandtech
• Glacialtech Igloo 7311 Silent Athlon64 Heatsink - FrostyTech
• Swiftech H2O 120 Compact - XS Reviews
• Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler - NGOHQ
• Tuniq TX-2 Thermalpaste - Xtremecomputing
• ZEROtherm BTF92 OC Edition CPU Cooler - ThinkComputers.org
• Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Intel/AMD CPU Cooler - Tweaknews

  Memory
  

• Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) XP2-6400 - OCC
• OCZ Technology 4GB PC2-5400 Vista Upgrade Edition DDR2 - BigBruin

  Storage
  

• Seagate's Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive - Tech Report

  Video
  

• Calibre P860 Videocard - BurnoutPC
• MSI NX8600GT Twin Turbo - OCC
• XFX Geforce 8800 GTS 320 Fatal1ty - Madshrimps

Depths of Peril Wrap Report
Soldak's action RPG with a strategy element based on advancing your faction via recruitment, alliances and conflict

Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Pre-Launch View
Starting live service this week, the fast-paced science fiction online world from NCsoft's Destination Games studio - Includes seven exclusive 1680x1050 screenshots

Hellgate: London Media #4
A dark passageway in Flagship's game holds a monster called a Blade Husk that won't be hidden from view for long - An exclusive 1280x720 screenshot