A few days ago, Google announced the source code release of their much-anticipated ChromiumOS, along with a really clever little video of what it's all about. Designed from the ground up for speed, it boasts a seven second boot time to get you on the Internet as fast as possible.

The official release isn't until next year, and there's a lot of interesting tidbits that have come out about it, including some information about how all data will be stored in the "cloud", and it will only run browser-based applications.

There's a lot of debate as to the merits of such a system - some people believe there's little value in an operating system that is essentially just a gateway to the Internet, and the cloud advocates think it's the Next Big Thing.

Nats got the feeling that a few people might be interested in checking out, so he's built a virtual machine image of ChromiumOS that lets you boot it up in a VirtualBox VM. You'll need some basic understanding of how VMs work, but if you're interested in checking our how ChromiumOS is progressing you can grab the build right here.

Newcomer and nostalgic Mario lover, Chad Drake, has tackled the latest Mario Bros. title, New Super Mario Bros. Wii to see if Nintendo's retroactive design nature can survive in this 3D gaming world we inhabit today.

The answer is, of course, yes. It's Mario - he can survive anywhere. And retro as it may be, the game oozes old-school charm while also very cleverly introducing innovative new gameplay elements and ideas, the biggest of which is the much touted four-player competitive/co-operative multiplayer. Wii owners really should put on their red caps and start jumping on goombahs and koopa troopers.

Click here for the full review.

If you don't want to watch zombies astonishingly disappear before your very eyes or deal with this anti-dedicated server fiasco, you're always welcome to jump into other, non-traditionally hyperbolised games, such as Futuremark's Shattered Horizon, which snuck out of the Steam Powered gates not so long ago.

Marrying a smashed up moon, warring factions and Zero-G is a recipe for success on many levels, and that's just what you get with this online FPS. Suffering really, only from its own dedication to sustained quality - at the end of your experience you really just want more.

Click here for our full review.

There's no secrets about this game anymore. Despite going up against a killer app like MW2, Left 4 Dead 2 has gained its own recognition, arguably making it a household name in Australia.

Unfortunately its notoriety is in no way based on good things; and given the nature of our business here, we've put together our review of what could have been a stellar effort, if only we didn't live in such repressed times here in Australia where censorship, the right to choose and art are things not deemed important enough for some. Our review here is based - specifically - on the un-modified version of the game in body, but the final score reflects the modified version. It's all covered within though.

Click here for the review.

Not forgetting the handheld market amidst this big PC and console game explosion, James Cottee took a look at a condensed version of the popular Star Wars Battlefront series, shrunk down and delivered on Nintendo's DS dual-screen handheld.

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron has made a name for itself as a benchmark PSP outing, but good business is where you find it, and the DS is the biggest business of all. So we're left with a compromised action game that still does some things right, despite hardware and space limitations.

Click here for the full review.

"It is important players enjoy seeing enemies sadistically destroyed," explains Bayonetta director, Hideki Kamiya during this second developer diary for the action title. He goes on to talk about just why the main character likes demonising angels so much, and offers context to said sadistic killing.

If you haven't jumped on the Bayonetta bandwagon yet, now would be a good time to do so. Taking cues from such games as Devil May Cry and God of War, Bayonetta offers fast, frenetic gameplay where light and dark are somewhat reversed and you find yourself playing as a witch killing angels. Seriously, what's not to like?

Click here for the full video.

We have yet another tantalising "Battlefield Moments" trailer up for you, this time showcasing the game's building destructibility, along with its lush visuals and excellent sound.

So far we've really only seen one map, so here's hoping we start seeing some variety in the build up to the game's release early next year, but having both this and Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer (even if it is broken) will surely keep online FPS multiplayer enthusiasts busy for the next 100 or so years. Stay tuned for more on this as AusGamers has been handed a beta key to check out all the action.

Click here for the video.

Square-Enix and Gas Powered Games have pegged Autumn 2010 (US Spring) as the release target for Supreme Commander 2, the sequel to their system-intensive 2007 real-time strategy title and spritial successor to Chris Taylor's much-loved Total Annihilation.

Set 25 years after the end of the Infinite War, SUPREME COMMANDER 2 starts with the galaxy reeling from the recent assassination of the newly elected president of the fragile Colonial Defense Coalition. The members of the Coalition – the United Earth Federation, The Illuminate and the Cybran Nation –blame each other, and the early rumbles of war can be heard throughout the galaxy.

There's a bunch of screenshots over on our game page but better than that is this new extended walkthrough trailer narrated by creator and lead designer Chris Taylor that features near-on 10 minutes of gameplay.

Supreme Commander 2 is in the works for both PC and Xbox 360.

We had some interesting analytical data come across the AusGamers desk today, with projections the PC market would grow some 30% in 2010, taking its hardware market spend from $20.07 billion in 2008 to a projected $27 billion by the end of 2010, according to John Peddie Research.

The massive leap in growth is due to videogames, according to the report, which looks at the advent of Windows 7 and DirectX 11, among other things, as driving factors behind 2010 being the PC's year to shine. It's also highly regarded PC hardware spending slowed in 2008/2009 thanks to the world financial crisis - a factor JPR seem to think won't affect hardware spending in 2010.

"The PC gaming market continues to be the high growth, and technological leader for home entertainment. With Windows 7 and DirectX 11, advanced and exciting physics, and stereovision capabilities, the PC platform is far and away the most advanced," noted Jon Peddie President of Jon Peddie Research. "And, the PC has the added advantage that when not used for gaming, it can be used for more practical purposes, and/or as a media centre."

At this stage we have no comparative data alongside consoles, but we're currently looking into it. It's good to know there's some serious growth projected for the PC market though.

Eidos and IO Interactive have officially announced the long-rumoured Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, a sequel to their 2007 gritty action title starring the titular odd-couple death-row inmates.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is a raw and brutal crime shooter, which takes core gamers and entertainment fans on an intense and unforgiving action story, following two of gaming's most authentic and realistic criminals through the gritty Shanghai underworld.

Introducing a new visual experience, Kane & Lynch 2™: Dog Days is inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era. Every aspect of the game has been designed to deliver a fresh perspective to the words ‘intensity’ and ‘realism’ in video games.

The franchise official site has been updated for the new game, but other than a release window of 2010 for PC, XBox 360 and PlayStation 3, there's not a whole lot of info at present. For the time-being, you'll have to make do with these two teaser trailers. Burger Joint and Bowling for Shanghai.

Dedicated server chat is all the rage at the moment as the Internet still wobbles with the ripples of the aftershock of Modern Warfare 2 shipping without support for them on PC. Whether PC developers now begin a mass exodus away from the client/server model for game developer is now another story, but they're running out of reasons to bother.

Sadly, even those developers that do make dedicated server software often make a few mistakes, and history has shown that those sort of mistakes can seriously impact the multiplayer aspect of their game on launch - and if it's wrong on launch, then it's probably never going to recover.

Mammoth Media has managed game servers for the best part of the last 10 years and knows a couple of things about why they're important and what makes good dedicated server software. As part of an attempt to help educate game developers and publishers into why dedicated servers are important and how to make good ones, they've released the Mammoth Dedicated Server Guide, a comprehensive look at dedicated servers and how to make them work (at a high level) to best support the multiplayer component of a video game.

AusGamers hopes that by drawing attention to this document, more developers will become aware of the advantages of dedicated servers for their online games, as well as give them a standard set of guidelines to follow to ensure their server software is able to be as widely deployed as possible - allowing more gamers all over the world to enjoy the multiplayer experience. (Disclosure: Mammoth is AusGamers' parent company.)

A demo of Operation Flashpoint: Rising Dragon has been released, offering a glimpse at the latest title in the OFP series.

In the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising PC demo, gamers take on the first full mission, Dragon Rising, in single player or co-operative multiplayer. As part of a Special Forces squad inserting behind Chinese PLA lines, players must eliminate a strategically critical radar station and missile sites to allow the USS Iwo Jima, carrying the main USMC battalion, to safely approach the island of Skira. Gamers experience Operation Flashpoint's uniquely tactical combat, achieving their objectives on their own initiative, deploying realistic weaponry and engaging advanced AI who act and react in real time using authentic tactics. Players can take on the mission in a range of difficulty modes, including Hardcore where HUD visual aids are stripped out for the ultimate test of their combat skills.

You can download the demo locally from AusGamers right now.

Any fears that the dedicated server debacle might've slowed the success of Modern Warfare 2 are well out of the way with Activision's announcement that Modern Warfare 2 has simply smoked everything else in terms of sales records, raking in US$550 million in just 5 days. It has smashed all previous first and five day records, including:

-- The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)
-- The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)
-- The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million units, $500 million)
-- The largest reported opening first-day domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($66.4 million)
-- The largest reported first-day book sales in dollars, held by Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows ($220 million)
-- The largest reported first-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (3.6 million units, $310 million)

There's no mention in the PR about the percentage of those sales which are console versus PC, but it seems safe to assume the bulk of them are console.

We've been trouncing through 15th Century renaissance Italy for the past few weeks with the latest in the Assassin's Creed series, which has surprised us on countless levels thanks to a revamped focus on issues had with the first - all of which have been broached and fixed.

It's proof of the strength of the series, and of Ubisoft's commitment to quality and delivering to their audience. So if you've ever dreamt of running across the rooftops of Florence as a master assassin aided by the great Leonardo da Vinci (and let's face it, who hasn't), Assassin's Creed II is for you.

Click here for our full review.

As most of you know Pandemic Studios Brisbane had its doors shut at the beginning of this year, which was a really sad day for the industry.

Today was another blow as EA closed the LA branch of Pandemic and thus ended the company for good.

As an ex-+AU Pandemic employee I am really sad too see it go, it was a fantastic company too work for and former owner Josh really had the core values of gamers at heart.

Found this news link for more. promoted forum item

Ubisoft have released a playable demo for the upcoming James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, the videogame tie in to the much-hyped 3D film.

The PC demo can now be found locally on AusGamers (1.55GB)

Here's the all-important minimum specs:

Operating System: Windows XP (with SP2) or Windows Vista (with SP1)
Processor:
* 3 Ghz Intel Pentium D 830
* AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or better
RAM: 1 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista, Windows 7
Video card:
* NVidia 6800 or ATI X1650 or better
* 256 MB DirectX 10.0-compliant video card or DirectX
* 9.0c-compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher

James Cameron's Avatar is due on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP and Nintendo DS on December 3rd 2009 - a couple of weeks ahead of the film's December 18 release. For more details on the game, check out AusGamer's hands on preview from this year's Tokyo Games Show.

Signalling tomorrow's launch and the subsequent end of their media barrage, Ubisoft have released the launch trailer for Assassin's Creed 2.

Check out the latest video right here on AusGamers and stay tuned for our full review.

Assassin's Creed 2 creeps onto shelves nationwide tomorrow November 19th 2009 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - the PC version however, will not see light until early next year.

Left 4 Dead 2 has been launched on Steam - let the zombie slaying begin! Don't forget that if you're interested in buying this game, you need to be aware that the version you'll buy in Australia is really quite different to the version the rest of the world gets, so factor that in to your buying decision.

We're going to be taking it for a test spin so if you're unsure, let us bash away at it for a bit and render unto ye a verdict via our review process. If you're really keen to buy it immediately, you can go straight to Steam or check out our beta whizbang new game buying page which will link you to a couple of retail options.

Gearbox have addressed several of the game's niggling issues in the first patch update for Borderlands, their recently released first person action role player. Here's the changelog:

- Characters that have lost skill points will have the lost points refunded
- Clients will no longer lose proficiency progress upon leaving a co-op game
- Item cards now display the intended five lines of detail text
- Lilith's Phase strike and melee attacks from Phase Walk now function as intended
- Voicechat: users can now control volume and individually mute players
- Fixed a bug that sometimes caused CL4P-TP to stop progressing during the introduction
- Server browser population times have been improved
- Server information should now always display the correct plot mission
- Benchmarking feature now works as intended
- Nvidia 3D Vision visuals now render shadows correctly (requires minimum 195.28 drivers, available from nVidia

You can now download the v1.01 patch right here from AusGamers. Those who purchased the game through a digital distributor like Steam of Direct to Drive will want to use the auto-updater in their distribution client. More details on the state of the game can be found over on the official website.

Capcom have released another pair of gameplay clips, showing off some of the special moves of the new characters Dee Jay, T-Hawk and Juri.

Click the links below for the vids.
Jrui vs T-Hawk
Juri vs Dee Jay

Super Streetfighter IV is due in March 2010 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.