Now, more than ever, we need things to help us evade our daily little problems and dream. Yeah, I know - the global cooldown is getting colder with each day, but that doesn't mean we have to feel down. Just remember there's always someone who's in a worse state than you, and you should feel better - at least that's what I usually do, when I get into a dark mood. Anyway, we're not here to talk about thinking, but about gaming, so let's check out the latest rumors about Fable II, shall we?

Since the game reached gold master status on September 22, 2008, and was released a month later - only for Xbox, unfortunately, there's no point in talking about its release date...unless we're going to see a new distribution method becoming available! Why? Well, back in October, Fable 2 became available on DVD-DL, and now the future is here - those who missed it so far will be able to grab <-125x125 Button - right->it as a digital download!

Talking to GamesIndustry.biz about a possible full digital release of Fable II, Lionhead Studios' boss, Peter Molyneux, said "I think it would be a great thing for this studio to work on," but didn't go further. Why? This is the really funny part - "I can't say anything else on it – I would be killed to death," he concluded.

So...like it or not, at least for the coming months, I think the digital download is a great idea for those gaming companies looking to cut costs. I am not talking about Fable II, since this distribution model could be applied to the entire industry. That's fine with me, as long as "classic" games will still be available, although their prices may be a bit high, as it currently happens with vinyl records still being issued here and there - and those are, without any doubt, priced collectors items!

What gamers need these days is games able to successfully blend more genres that were clearly separated until now, and a first-person adventure game sounds exactly like that. To be more specific, we're talking about Mirror's Edge, and today I'll give you a few details about it.

First of all, it seems the Mirror's Edge release date is going to be some day of January, 2009, but I have no idea about it. Basically, Mirror's Edge release date is still a mystery, so let's check the minimum system requirements, <-125x125 Button - right->shall we?

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP SP2/Vista
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz or 100% compatible equivalent
Memory: 1GB RAM
Video Card: 256MB memory with Shader Model 3.0*
HDD Space: 8GB
DVD Drive: 1x DVD Drive
Soundcard: Soundcard with DirectX 9.0c compatibility
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
Network: An online connection is required for access to Leaderboards

Even more, it seems this game would optionally support Nvidia's PhysX graphics technology, but we'll see how does that impact on its performance next month. Until then, I guess we should be happy without Mirror's Edge release date, and - if needed - upgrade our computers so we can face this challenge the right way!

"The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack." If you don't know who said that, there's still a chance for you to fully get to the meaning of those words by taking the place of that man - Napoleon Bonaparte. Of course, I am talking about Commander - Napoleon at War, the second game in the Commander series, a game that just got updated...

Warning: if you hate turn-based strategy games, then this one is not for you, while if you're into military history and TBS battles, this is "a must," but before moving on to the details, let's go through this game's features, shall we?

- 8 campaigns starting from Napoleons assault on Austria in 1805 up to the 100 days campaign ending at Waterloo in 1815.<-180x150 Small Rectangle - right->
- Take control of Napoleon's forces or the Allied Coalition who opposed him, including Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia.
- Huge map covering all of Europe in amazing detail
- Research many new technologies and control the focus of your nations research.
- Dynamic weather system including mud, snow, storms and more
- Trade routes and privateers
- Fortresses and siege warfare
- 12 different units types including Militia, Line Infantry, Light & Heavy Cavalry, Foot & Horse Artillery, Frigates, Ships of the Line and Pirate raiders.
- Recruit historic commanders such as Ney, Blucher, Wellington & many more.
- Multiplayer via LAN, hot seat, PBEM and Internet

According to the official press release, this update "brings the game to version 1.06 and comes with a variety of changes including some balance tweaks on unit pricing, and the economic strength of some countries. In addition, the update comes with several significant AI enhancements like an increase in AI British naval prowess, greater Russian AI effectiveness in battling France, and more."

To find out more about Commander - Napoleon at War, feel free to jump to Matrixgames' product page and read more - the 1.06 update is also available on that page.