Ah, Comic-Con. In the last few years its turned from being fairly PC and video game free to a place where most of the major publishers are holding court. Who would have thunk it?

• The free Alien Swarm game from Valve has gotten a new update, mostly for bug fixes.
• Can you guess what the next game from indie developer Mousechief will be?
• Kalypso Media sent over word that the expansion pack Tropico 3: Absolute Power, previously released via download, is now available in retail stores.
• Steam is offering the fantasy action-RPG Dimensity on sale for a 10 percent discount.
• Steam is now offering for sale the previously released DLC map pack for The Settlers 7.
• Someone created a custom StarCraft 2 map that looks and plays like the artsy PS3 game flOw.
• Check out this video from last week's Develop conference. No words; just watch

Ok, get your head out of the toilet. "Wanzers" is name for Front Mission Evolved's version of mechs. As it so happens the upcoming action game from developer Double Helix and publisher Square Enix (busy day for Square Enix news) is getting a slight delay in its release date. Originally scheduled to ship on September 14 the title will now ship two weeks later on September 28. No reason for the delay was mentioned.

However if you pre-order the game from outlets like Best Buy, Amazon and GameStop you will indeed get a couple of extra wanzers to use in the game; the Calm ("Unmatched in melee combat as well as long-range firefights when equipped with the appropriate weapons") and the sniper-skilled Rexon.

There is one thing we hate about most first person shooters. Well, two things. One is that there is a real lack of monkeys in them. The other is that most FPS titles have AI enemies that are as dumb as posts. However one of the few game developers that makes smart AI in shooters is Crytek. So that means we have high hopes for the developer's next game Crysis 2.

Computer and Video Games chatted with Crytek's head man Cervat Yerli who stated, "We think that Crysis 2 has the most advanced AI for both humans and aliens you've ever seen." How good will it be? Yerli says with pride that the game's foes, "... will be showing tactical co-ordination, they will be more challenging but not unfair - they will be truly intelligent, thinking, fair enemies." That sounds encouraging; usually AI enemies in games either can't hit you or are always on target.

Gallery: Crysis 2 Screenshots

US fans will soon be able to legally download the first two chapters for Doctor Who: The Adventure Games. Direct2Drive just announced that they will be the exclusive outlet in North America to purchase and download the game based on the long running sci-fi TV series. The two episodes, City of the Daleks and Blood of the Cybermen, will be made available to purchase and download beginning on Thursday for a bundle price of $6.99.

Just a recap: These two games are based on the current season of the show that stars Matt Smith as the alien Time Lord. Developed by Sumo Digital they were released for free via the BBC but only UK residents could install and play the games. Two more chapters for Doctor Who The Adventure Games have been announced but have yet to be released.

[Via email press release]

Update: Direct2Drive has apparently jumped the gun and released the Doctor Who games early. Also the game bundle price is actually $4.95.

One of the big MMO launches scheduled for the fall of 2010 is Final Fantasy XIV. Developer/publisher Square Enix's second MMO game will enter a market that is far more crowded than when the publisher launched Final Fantasy XI way back in 2002.

This week the game's official web site has revealed the final system requirements for Final Fantasy XIV. The requirements for the game actually go into more detail than most PC games including settings for texture quality, depth of field, buffer size and more. You can check out if your PC can run the game after the jump:

Square Enix's US operations is getting an new head man. Gamasutra reports that Mike Fischer is the new president and CEO of Square Enix's US operations. Fishcher's previous gig was as Microsoft's consumer and online marketing officer for the UK territory and before that had worked with Sega and Namco in the US.

Ever since buying UK-based Eidos in early 2009, the Japanese-based Square Enix has made a bigger push towards Western games. Its upcoming PC line-up includes Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Kane and Lynch 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Final Fantasy XIV and Dungeon Siege III.

As part of an upcoming interview with science fiction author William C Dietz, Big Download has learned that the writer has been hired to write a new novel set in BioWare's Mass Effect game universe. In the interview when we ask if he plays games regularly he answered, "I do play games regularly, and was busy working my way through the latest Call Of Duty game, when I was hired to write a Mass Effect tie-in. So I had to switch and play all of the ME games. Full time. For a week. It's tough to be me:) " While he offered no details on the novel itself he did say the Mass Effect novel was "... due to the publisher in early 2011."

Two Mass Effect prose novels have already been released and the third, Mass Effect: Retribution, is set for release on July 27. All three novels have been written by BioWare script writer Drew Karpyshyn.

Dietz is no stranger to game-based novels, having written books based on Star Wars: Dark Forces/Jedi Knight, the Resistance series, the Halo series and Hitman. His latest novel is StarCraft: Heaven's Devils which serves as a prequel of sorts to StarCraft II. Look for the full interview with Dietz on Big Download, where he talks more about Starcraft Heaven's Devils, next week.

Fiona will be one of the playable characters in the upcoming free-to-play action MMO, Vindictus. Although she keeps things pretty simple with a single-handed weapon and shield, she can be difficult to control and is recommended for moderately experienced players. Fiona excels and bashing the enemy and striking back with a devastating counterattack.

Download HD Vindictus 'Fiona' Character Trailer (221 MB)
Check out all Vindictus downloads

If you can't show up at Blizzard's official midnight launch event for StarCraft II, it's almost certain that you will be able to make it to one of the 3,000 events that are being held at GameStop stores in the US. The game retailer has announced that there will be lots to do and lots to gets at the events which start at 9 pm on Monday July 26.

The game will still go on sale at midnight that night but beforehand people who wait to get their copy of the long awaited RTS sequel can participate in a e "Choose Your Race" costume contest, a Starcraft original art contest and other events. Also, people who pick up their copy of StarCraft II at midnight will also get a "GameStop Boost Pack" with unnamed "savings" for GameStop, Alienware and Nvidia/EVGA products. Finally GameStop will begin a contest after sales of StarCraft II commence with prizes like $250 Gamestop cards, the collector's version of the game and a trip to BlizzCon 2010.

When American McGee is involved, Alice becomes far removed from being a children story character. Alice: Madness Returns takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the previous game, and Alice is still struggling to overcome the trauma of losing her family in a fire. In an effort to overcome her nightmarish hallucinations, she must travel from London to a corrupted Wonderland, where she'll fight battles, interact with a cast of crazy characters, and uncover the truth behind her past.

This trailer is the first in four, and begins a new journey down the rabbit hole. The game is expected to release in the early half of 2011.

Download HD Alice: Madness Returns Teaser Trailer, Part 1 (14 MB)

As we reported last week Direct2Drive has decided to go ahead and offer PC games for sale that require Valve's Steam client and Steamworks to run. Today Direct2Drive has added two upcoming Steamworks-based games from 2K Games; Mafia II (which we reported about earlier today) and Firaxis Games' strategy title Civilization V.

Both the regular and Digital Deluxe versions of the game are available at Direct2Drive but unlike the versions offered for sale via Steam, pre-ordering Civilization V in either version nets you some extras. One is a free game download of Civilization III. The other is the promise of a free downloadable content pack for Civilization V (a $10 value) that will be made available after the game's release on September 21.

Lann is one of the playable heroes featured in the upcoming free-to-play action MMO, Vindictus. Sporting dual swords and fast moves to dodge attacks, even when knocked down, Lann definitely isn't a character to be underestimated.

Download HD Vindictus 'Lann' Character Trailer (174 MB)
Check out all Vindictus downloads

DC Comics' Wildstorm division is the undisputed king of the video game comic book adaptation with a number of mini-series under its belt. Today IGN revealed the latest such project from the comics publisher as it will release a one-shot comic based on Ubisoft's Driver driving-action game series.

The one shot comic, which doesn't have a release date yet, will bridge the gap between the crappy Driv3r and the upcoming (and hopefully much better) Driver San Fransisco. The comic will be written by David Lapham with interior artwork by Greg Scott and a cover by Jock. Jock will be signing a preview copy of the Driver comic at the San Diego Comic-Con this week at both the DC Comics and Ubisoft booth.

The newest expansion The Sims 3: Late Night was recently announced, which will give sims a chance to head into the city and party down. Sims can schmooze with celebrities at rooftop parties on top of a penthouse or try to gain entrance into exclusive night clubs. Players can also take night life literally by allowing their sims to become vampires for the ultimate nocturnal experience.

Download HD The Sims 3: Late Night Announcement Trailer (14 MB)
Check out all The Sims 3 downloads

StarCraft II's release is less than a week away now and many fans who want to get the upcoming sci-fi RTS sequel have been wondering about the particulars of activating the game on Battle.net and also the differences between the boxed retail version and the digital download version. A rep for the game's developer Blizzard answered these questions in a forum post.

In short there are no differences between the digital download version of StarCraft II and the one in the boxed version, with the Blizzard rep saying, "All the files are exactly the same, but you obviously don't get the box, DVD, or manual." Also, If you get a boxed copy of the game and add the included key into your Battle.net account, "the option to download the client online will become available." The game client is region-specific, however. As the Blizzard rep explains, "Therefore, in order for a player to log in and begin playing, both the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty game license and the installed game client must be from the same region. If the game license and the game client don't match, the player will be unable to login."