Our clear goal today is to come more regularly with our top brands. For example, it took three to four years to come back with Splinter Cell, Driver, Prince of Persia, or Ghost Recon. We believe we can launch them more often without risk of brand fatigue.

This commitment to our franchises does not mean we won't continue to launch new franchises, as certain projects have been under development for some time, and two new titles will be launched in 2011 and 2012.

When you add up the three Raving Rabbids games over the years, what we are seeing are the total amount of units going up. Assassin's Creed has kept selling and is still one of our best sellers. Bringing a game regularly is actually maintaining a better sell of your back catalogue because you are more present and people will buy the new title or the cheaper, cost-effective ones.

We've made big investments to make sure all of our brands could become multiplayer. We're coming out with Driver, Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, and Ghost Recon, which will all have multiplayer. Those games will take full advantage of the ability to play with friends, either over the internet or locally at home. We are putting a lot of emphasis on that subject to make sure our games can be played by more people together. It's also a key factor for the relationship we have with our customers on a long-term basis.

Regarding their line-up, Ubisoft revealed a few bits and bobs: Driver will be exclusive to PC and Xbox 360; Assassin's Creed 2.5, or whatever they end up calling it, will be set in Rome and features "innovative" assassination-style multiplayer gameplay; Trackmania 2 for PC will feature innovative content purchasing options; Natal, Playstation Arc and Facebook are all represented by innovative new Ubisoft games.

Fictoids

• Weatherman Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald.
• George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.
• Mass murderer Charles Manson recorded an album titled "Lie."
• Chef Boyardee is a real person. His real name is Hector Boiardi and he was born in northern Italy in 1898.
• The youngest pope was 11 years old.

With love from me to you.

FongSolo: What is Cryptic doing, or even planning behind the scenes to rebuild good faith in the company and this product that many of us paid the lifetime subs for?

Arkayne: Aside from a ton of things that we just can't talk about right now, but will be very soon, we're actively making a couple of changes around here: We're stepping up the communication. We're going to do more Ask Cryptics, more Dev Chats, we're going to be in-game, playing with you more, Our GMs are going to start letting you know the status on the current bugs, and the entire development team is going to start being more active on the forums. On top of that, we also moved Stormshade back to Champions. We know you don't know him well yet, but believe us when we say, he gets really loud when you guys aren't happy. Oh, and that "soon" we're talking about up there, that's not a "soon(tm)" that's a soon, as in as soon as humanly possible soon.

Cerberus Assault Armor

• Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or
• forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
• Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
• Increases shields by +10%
• Increases health by +10%

M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun

The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

• Enabled Russian language.
• Fixed lockup problem which occurred when one player started the same camera at the same moment when another player is viewing it.
• Fixed boolean cvar 'gfx_bMaximized' not having boolean value stored in .ini files.
• Player's rocket would not be rendered when player is seen as 3rd person model.

Is there anything about the game that we haven't talked about that you wanted to add?

One thing that's also very interesting is how we see our customers. We see the game as the first step to a longer experience. We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it's a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign. I think people will be thrilled to see what's in that already. On day one, you will get some really cool stuff.

Producer Patrick Bach was also quizzed about the PC port:

Looking at console versus PC, since the advent of digital distribution with Steam and broadband becoming more common, it's almost like we're seeing a resurgence in PC gaming. As a developer, is console versus PC really an either-or question, or has it gotten back to the point where you need to develop for all of them?

At DICE, we never really let go of the PC. Bad Company 1 was an exception because we initially designed it to be a console-only game. We got a lot of negative comments about that when we released the game because people asked, "Hey, this is a real Battlefield game. Why aren't you releasing it for PC?" This time around, we decided, yes, let's make Bad Company 2 for the PC so that the audience can enjoy the game as well. We're not taking it lightly and just making a port. We actually have a big PC-focused team just working on the PC version of the game. I think the PC gamers will be amazed with the quality that we get out of the PC. We have DirectX 11 support, we support all the latest sound and graphics, and we even have support for nVidia's 3-D screens, so there's a lot of cool stuff going on when it comes to the PC version.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 launches March 2nd.

Purchase here.

Stardock has unleashed the complete Sins of a Solar Empire experience today with Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity. Trinity bundles the original award-winning real-time strategy PC title from Ironclad Games with the two game-changing micro-expansions, Entrenchment and Diplomacy. Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity is available in retail stores across North America and via the digital download platform, Impulse for $39.95.

The game provides a seamless transition between epic strategy and tactical combat modes, a galaxy of intriguing aliens, powerful starships, and colossal planets that come to life with stunning 3D graphics, unparalleled sense of scale, and a cinematic musical score. Explore and conquer nearby planets as one of three factions: the Vasari, the TEC or the Advent and play for domination of the galaxy. Players will explore distant solar systems by applying brute force, cunning strategy, elegant diplomacy, economic mastery, and researched technology.

"What is most unique about the micro-expansions is that they don't just add content like other expansion packs, they actually change the fundamental core gameplay," said Brad Wardell, CEO and president of Stardock. "Most expansion packs just add content like new maps or new weapons. With Diplomacy and Entrenchment you get those things too, but these micro-expansions go a lot further and actually change how the game is played. Trinity is the complete Sins of a Solar Empire experience and we're proud of what we have been able to accomplish since its initial launch. For fans of this genre or fans looking for a great PC strategy game, it doesn't get better than this."

Launching alongside Trinity and completing the Sins of a Solar Empire experience is Diplomacy. Diplomacy is the second and final micro-expansion for fans that already have the original game. In addition to adding 30+ new technologies to research and a faction “status” that allows parties to see what other factions think of them, Diplomacy also adds a new envoy cruiser that can transport peace-seeking parties to negotiate a truce, trade pacts or treaties which can change the entire balance of any given game.

Exhibit areas are selling quickly with 90 percent of available space sold. You can see the full list of exhibitors here with some highlights below.

• Activision, Inc.
• Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
• Bethesda Softworks LLC
• Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
• Disney Interactive Studios, Inc.
• Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Epic Games, Inc.
• 505 Games
• Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
• LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC
• Majesco Entertainment Company
• Microsoft Corporation
• MTV Games
• Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
• Natsume, Inc.
• Nintendo of America, Inc.
• Rebellion
• Sega of America, Inc
• Slang
• Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
• Sony Online Entertainment LLC
• Square Enix, Inc.
• Take-Two Interactive, Inc.
• THQ Inc.
• Trion World Network
• Ubisoft Entertainment
• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc.

An electric blue LED backlight also increases the intensity of gameplay as gamers can block out other distractions by playing in a darkened environment while remaining in complete control.

Up to eight keys can be held down at once for simultaneous gaming action without loss of function. While normal keyboards often make an error beep when more than three keys are held down, the KSK-6001UELX complements the high level of interaction required by modern games. For example, the keyboard enables players to accelerate, steer, change gear, drift and apply boosts in racing titles all at the same time.

The KSK-6001UELX’s blue backlight illuminates the lettering to make it a stylish addition to any desktop. Using ‘Soft-Touch’ membrane technology for silent and soft key strokes, it can also be angled for convenience and ease of gameplay. The use of backlighting, illuminated keys and LED technology give the keyboard a great look and feel in any environment and ensure players are properly prepared to compete in the online arena.

Key features include:

• 20 Anti-Ghosting keys for simultaneous actions programmable through a driver
• Blue LED backlight for excellent illumination and to increase gaming experience
• SoftTouch membrane technology for silent stroke and tactile feedback

No driver or installation is necessary as users simply plug and play. Ideal for LAN Parties, the KSK-6001UELX allows users to connect through USB and switch machines while keeping their own keyboard. Keys can also be programmed freely through a driver, allowing users to fully customise it to suit their preference. The KSK-6001UELX caters for a player’s individual requirements, delivering excellent functionality in a stylish design.

BioShock

Why It's Great: BioShock is more than a game – it's an unforgettable journey. Exploring the creepy depths of Rapture, battling insane Splicers, and modding your body with powerful plasmids is just about as good as gaming gets. If you haven't experienced the weird wonder of BioShock, you are dead to us. Dead!

Why Its Name Is Silly: Look, we understand that the folks at Irrational Games wanted to keep the tradition alive. These are the former Looking Glass Studios guys who made System Shock and System Shock 2, and they're attached to the "Shock" name. But BioShock doesn't really mean anything. It just sort of hangs there, like it was meant for a different game. A game about people getting electrocuted in a laboratory.

What It Should Be Called: Rapture

What It Was (Probably) Almost Called:

BioThief
LiteratureShock
The Mysterious Bathysphere Ride

The Orange Box

Why It's Great: There's never been a better videogame value. Seriously. For the price of a single game Valve packed in all Half-Life 2's episodes to date; Team Fortress 2 and the innovative puzzle game Portal. All the above are fantastic experiences that raised the bars for their respective genres.

Why Its Name Is Silly: Dear Valve - Your games are about world-changing inter-dimensional events, impossible guns that create quantum portal thingys and sweet class-based multiplayer warfare. Surely you can come up with something better than a shape and a color to describe them.

What It Should Be Called: Portal and Friends

What It Was (Probably) Almost Called:

The Coral Rectangle
Everything But Counter-Strike
Source Engine Hootenanny