The Best of Big Download: Sept. 29-Oct. 5

As we head into the month that has both Octoberfest and Halloween we don't know whether to be scared or to get our party on. Ok, we can do both. But first check out Big Download's highlights from the past week:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: This week check out our final verdicts on Warhammer Online and Lego Batman. Also we have a look at several PC gaming hardware products from SteelSeries.
• Crysis and Crysis Warhead performance comparisons: Did Crytek really optimize Crysis Warhead? We check out their claims in our benchmark test.
• Is a broadband cap a threat to the game industry?: ISPs are beginning to put limits on how much you can download? Could you go over by downloading large game files?
• The PC Game Vaporware Vault: Which games are we still waiting to be released after years of promises? Quite a few actually.
• The College Try: Failed PC Ports of Console Games: Sometimes a great console game doesn't make a great PC game.
• Mac Monday: Our look at Mac gaming takes on the Wild Tangent online RPG Fate.
• MODMonday: Our mod column continues its look at Max Payne mods with a look at the Kung Fu total conversion.
• Independent Minds: Our look at indie games takes a different turn as we examine how social networking can help indie game developers.
• Boot Disk: Our look at classic PC game takes a gander at the original Interplay RPG Fallout.
• Big Ideas: Our look at big PC gaming trends examines the whole idea of user generated content.
• Big Iron: Our hardware column this week takes a look at the importance of frame rate in games
• Alt-Tab: What qualities does a good PC game need to have? We have an answer in our latest installment.
• Freeware Friday: Our look at games you can get for free gets a load of the arcade shooter Gunroar.
• Virtual Bargain Bin: Our look at games on the cheap takes a look at Steam's id Super Pack and X-Com Complete Pack.
• BigCast: It's our regular weekly podcast as the team debates all matters related to PC games.

Downloads

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Demo: Grab a playable sample of Konami's latest pro soccer game
• Pure Demo: It's ATV racing like never before in this playable demo of Disney Interactive's latest game
• Sacred 2 Demo: Try out a sample of the upcoming fantasy RPG from CDV.
• Frontlines: Fuel of War Patches: Download both the retail and direct to download patches for Kaos Studios' recent multiplayer shooter (which adds new content to the game)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky Patches: Its both the retail and direct to download patches for GSC Game Worlds just released shooter.
• Empire: Total War trailer: It's a new land-based battle trailer for the upcoming RTS game from The Creative Assembly.
• Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 2 Trailer: Get ready for the second installment of this Hothead Games developed adventure-RPG with this new trailer.

News

• New Bejeweled game coming in October
• Age of Conan server merge coming
• Cliff Bleszinski: Epic focusing more on Xbox 360 than PC
• Hinterland released via Steam
• Tiberium cancelled
• No DRM set-up for Fallout 3
• Otherland MMO announced
• Blizzard awarded $6 million in damage from bot creator
• RF Online to shut down Nov. 10
• No downloadable content for PC Mercenaries 2?
• Crysis Wars to be made available for free next weekend
• Cal Ripken's Real Baseball shut down
• Peter Molyneux: PC game industry "in tatters"
• PC Gaming Alliance president snaps back at Molyneux's comments
• First new Alan Wake screenshot in, like, forever, released