And not a moment too soon, for folks still sour at the presence of SecuROM's digital rights management software might have given up on Mass Effect on the PC entirely. It's a sad thing to think that, especially from a game that oozes a lot of ambition and the right directions. Luckily, the highly-recommended downloadable content was also formatted with the PC gamer in mind, so there might be a degree of redeeming factor involved if you grab it. But before you do, there's a few more things to tackle at the full story.

...and all over the Internet, at that! If you haven't already had the lead ahead of us, then you might want to check out Space Siege - the game that kept industry rockstar Chris Taylor busy while they planned their massive project with independent RTS experts Stardock Systems (the one you know only as Demigod). Just a little more details to be had at the full story, if you still have the patience to course through it.

Look to your Psidars, people - Intel reports inbound objectives. We learn straight from Ironclad Games that the highly anticipated and seemingly major patch for top-selling Sins of a Solar Empire is now ready for download via Stardock's official digital distribution service. Want to know what to expect with the first batch of Beta-quality updates in you join? The full article spills it all.

Wake up people! Ironclad Games has finally announced the start of the Beta testing for the major 1.1 patch coming to Sins of a Solar Empire. If you've been keen on the news, you'd know that the Beta was previously announced some time ago, though the session's ETA has been elusive. Today, however, Ironclad has posted up on the Sins of a Solar Empire official forums that the test begins this week, and you'd better call all crew to battlestations while we brief you with the particulars. On to the battle room...err, full story, Commanders.

We know - releasing Games for Windows LIVE for free looks something short of a desperate plea to get the platform running. But on top of that, it looks like Microsoft wants to take control of download content distribution on the PC as well. That's right - there a Windows LIVE Marketplace announced as well. But the biggest news we get from the XNA Gamefest 2008 is the fact that Windows LIVE Gold services are now completely free. Get the primary details at the full story.

This week hasn't been as interesting as the last, but owing that to the Entertainment Software Association of America and it's inability to keep prime PC developers happy in the midst of their financial backfiring. 2008's E3 Media & Business Summit is just around the corner, and though we won't hear anything Diablo-related coming from the LA Convention Center floors, there's still a few PC games aiming to make a ruckus of the console-centric show. More at the full story.

Or in short, BioWare will be tracing the footsteps of Stardock Systems in their approach to piracy. What took them so long to figure this one out, you ask? Few can really explain, but we doubt we'll be seeing BioWare dumping copy protection in the near future. As long as Electronic Arts has something to say about anti-piracy measures, those Mass Effect woes aren't going away. More on BioWare's grand plan at the full story.

Here's where Stardock's "Microsoft can't help PC gaming" theory takes a weird turn. Microsoft Game Studios considers both the Xbox 360 and the PC as the same gaming platform, though lately, some of the PC's big hitters didn't arrive due to their efforts. We all know Jack Keane, Sins of a Solar Empire, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. surely didn't come from them. What are coming from MGS are Xbox 360 games. Where is Microsoft's true gaming drive? We'll tell you, it's likely not on the PC. Full story. Now.

Or something along those lines. Paul Sams, a name we're somehow also hearing from the Diablo 3-on-console rumor veins, may be so bold to call on Microsoft to do something for the Windows end of their business, but the chief of operations at Blizzard Entertainment does believe Microsoft should take the steps. More on Sams' opinions at the full story.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures for the PC is still rampaging on the top of the NPD PC video game sales charts in North America. To find out what other games made it into the list, head on over to the full article.