Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures is one of those MMORPGs that hordes of gamers are waiting to get their hands on, especially those that didn't manage to take part in the Beta stage. Well, it seems there are only a few more weeks to wait, just enough to upgrade your computers, if you haven't done it already. Today, Funcom and Eidos announced the game has gone gold, so everyone will finally get this game who spent no less than four years in the making!

The release is scheduled for 20th of May, but it seems Age of Conan won't pass by like other games do. Why? It's all about advertising, and a recent investor update shows Eidos and Funcom willing to spent over 10 percent of their anticipated gross revenues to promote this game!

If we look at the prices, and considering all the hype around this game, I guess Eidos and Funcom should get their money back... Check this: $59.99 USD in North America, 49.99 Euro in European markets for the retail package, and with a subscription fee of $14.99 to US participants, and 12.99 Euro fee to European players.

Considering the screenshots and movies available, as well as the feedback of the Beta users, I guess we'll get a lot for our money. If only money could also buy us some time for playing, that would be really awesome!

<-250x250 Square - left->Sold in 100 million copies and translated in 22 languages, The Sims has become a phenomenon in the whole world. From its launch date (February 2000) this game made a lot of people living a virtual second-life.
The newly announced Sims 2 Double Deluxe lets you choose how your Sims will live their lives. You can build houses, create unique characters and watch how your future generations will create an entire dynasty of characters.

This new released box set of games will sell for a $29.99 price and will contain The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack (where you can enjoy dancing as much as you can), The Sims 2 Celebration! Stuff Pack (where you can plan parties carefully) and a bonus DVD.

On the other part, The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff will try to use your creativity side by allowing you and providing all the items to create the kitchens and bathrooms that you always dreamed of. From a large variety of furniture to different outfits for your Sims, this latest Stuff Pack is the way to create a unique place for you. The purchase price for this add-on is $19.99, and like the “The Sims 2 Double Deluxe” can be bought from retailers across U.S. and Europe.

For some people, gaming doesn't have to be really complicated. In fact, gaming to replace taking care of a pet could be a good choice, if you don't have enough space, can't afford to raise your favorite animal (take a whale or an elephant as an example), or simply you want to kill your time with a game that can only entertain you, and not enrage you, as it happens with a lot of games (save, die, load, die, load again, I guess you know how it goes). Now, how about having to take care of some penguins?

Today, Total Gameplay Studio announced Penguins Mania 1.0, "a simulator of a penguin life based on figure-clicking action." It starts with a few eggs left behind by a penguin colony that misteriously vanished, so you should defend your penguins from natural enemies, human poachers, as well as collecting magic fish and unlock special penguins.

The game doesn't try to be a realistic simulation - it's all about following an amusing storyline, earning various trophies, and having fun all the way! It doesn't sound like a game for anyone, but if you like the idea...there's a trial version available, and the full version is priced at $19.50.

Remember Gears of War? Despite its small problems, most gamers considered it a good game, but I must admit one thing I am really ashamed of - I didn't get my hands on it yet! Anyway, since I heard a lot about it so far, the game looks great and it's based on the excellent Unreal Engine 3, I will do all that I can to find some time for it in the near future, maybe just in time to play Gears of War 2 after I finish the first game...

No, Gears of War 2 is not available yet, but details about it have just surfaced, and it's my pleasure to discover them together with you. One of the most interesting things to expect from Gears of War 2 is going to be the chainsaw duel, as seen in the latest teaser. According to Mike Capps from Epic Games, the mechanics of the onslaught will be improved, but this is only the beginning...

Gears of War 2 must be bigger and better than its predecessor, and that's why the development team is aiming to provide us an improved experience. Regarding Gears of War, Capps said "It never really felt like a giant war. It always felt like sort of a spy incursion, sneaking behind enemy lines." Anyway, they are going to use Unreal Engine again, so creating huge maps shouldn't be a problem at all!

To conclude this article, I will add that Capps said this new version of the game won't have any smoke and mirrors, no small-squad warfare, and no slow pace. Hummm...this sounds like Unreal Tournament 3 to me, but I am sure they will manage to create something different and, hopefully, even better.

With Mass Effect, Bioware managed to reach a lot of gamers, and the feedback was very good, starting with those playing it on the Xbox, to those using the PlayStation 3 or even PCs. The interesting part is that while the Bring Down the Sky module, recently released for Xbox 360 over the Xbox Live Marketplace, is available for a price of 400 Microsoft Points (roughly $5), those playing Mass Effect on the PC will get it for free!

The interesting part is that Bring Down the Sky won't be available in the Mass Efect for PC retail box, but registered BioWare community members will be able to get it for free!

Released on the 10th of March, Bring Down the Sky contains 90 minutes of gameplay for any particular character which includes a main story plot, a brand new alien race and offers up 50 achievement points.

At last, it should be remembered that more downloadable content for Mass Effect was promised, but there's no information about the time of arrival or pricing just yet.