The good news? C&C 4 has no DRM, as EA community mod Apoc put it: “First thing to be clear about, Command & Conquer 4 has NO DRM. Zip, zero, zilch, none.” Now you want the bad news? You need a constant internet connection to play Command & Conquer 4.
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First thing to be clear about, Command & Conquer 4 has NO DRM. Zip, zero, zilch, none. We already made this clear.
Second, you do not need the disc in the machine to play Command & Conquer 4, however the following is how it works:
-AFTER you install Command & Conquer 4 with the disc on your machine, when you try to LOGIN at the Launcher for the first time, it will ask you for your serial key. You will enter in your serial key to activate your Master EA Account. The serial key, like in our past games, can only be activated for 1 master account. You cannot install multiple EA Master accounts on one serial key. You can create multiple Commander Personas however, so if you and your brothers each want your own Persona account with experience, etc, you can do that. Just has to be under the same Master EA account as in our past games.
-You can install the game from the disc as many times as you want on any machine. Re-install, etc.
-You do not need the disc in your machine to play. Your EA account just needs to have been activated by your serial key. After that, you can play Command & Conquer 4 on ANY MACHINE that has it installed. All you need to do is login.
-To play Command & Conquer 4, the computer needs to be connected to the internet. We've always made that clear as well.
In an amazing Open Letter, Ensemble Studios' veteran Ian M. Fischer talks about the closure of the studio, it relationship with Microsoft and the recent rumors that Ensemble was closed because it was "inefficient and expensive".
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Every single game Ensemble Studios made, across more than a decade, paid for it’s development and made a profit. Microsoft had it’s reasons for closing the studio but to imply that it was because we cost too much is fiction. ES enjoyed a long relationship with Microsoft (as many ex-Studios people now at Robot or Bonfire still do), first as a partner and then as part of the corporation after 2001 – if, at any point, the leadership in Redmond wanted to reduce the cost of making games in Dallas, they could have done so with a phone call.
Great letter. Microsoft fucked up bad when they closed Ensemble.
Square Enix sends along a new Just Cause 2 Anatomy of a Stunt trailer where "Agent Rico Rodriguez demonstrates that even a harmless island Tuk Tuk taxi can be turned into a deadly missile, and that island security guards may want to keep their eyes on the skies."
Just Cause 2 will be available for the PS3, 360 and PC on March 23rd.
Rockstar has released a new trailer for their upcoming old west shooter, Red Dead Redemption.
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Today we’re proud to reveal an in-depth look at the life teeming inside Red Dead Redemption. Titled Life in the West, this full length video uncovers the hardships early 20th century settlers encountered, where everyday life brought a new struggle for survival. The vast, sprawling world of Red Dead Redemption hides unique challenges in every area, with wild bears and snow in the North, bandits and cattle rustlers in the West, to unrest and revolution in the South. Hundreds of characters populate each of the three areas, each with a distinct personality, and every area has its own unique ecosystem with a variety of animals and plant life.
The rich diversity of each area offers several types of challenges and rewards. Hunting allows reformed outlaw John Marston the opportunity to skin and sell the skin in town, while a bloody battle attracts vultures, who if shot, unlock sharp shooting challenges. Full of possibility and activity, the world of Red Dead Redemption reflects the immensity that was the Wild West.
Square Enix and DC Comics have partnered up to create a custom comic series for the upcoming Action-RPG. The comic series will be revealed on the official website, www.NIERGame.com, between now and the game’s launch on April 27.
Click on the Headline for a larger version of the cover.
Jane McGonigal thinks that gaming can save the world. We currently spend three billion hours a week playing online games. McGonigal says we need to raise that total to twenty-one billion hours a week by the next decade, if we want to address the world’s problems. Counter-intuitive, yes. I thought there were only 168 hours in a week… Watch her talk below.
Click on the link to see the Video. Interesting ideas that should make you think... Discuss
Remember that whole debacle around the Nvidia 196.75 video drivers? If you don't I'll sum it up for you: If you installed the 196.75 drivers your video card fan may have quit working frying the card. To combat the .75 drivers Nvidia has released the following statement along with new 197.13 drivers that they claim will fix the issue.
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NVIDIA is aware that some customers have reported fan speed issues after installing 196.75 drivers from NVIDIA's website. NVIDIA has removed these drivers and asked its partners to also remove the drivers. Any customers still using 196.75 drivers are asked to immediately discontinue use and either roll back to their previous driver or install the new 197.13 drivers. Driver roll back help can be found here.
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NVIDIA apologizes to our customers that installed the 196.75 driver and experienced quality issues. For the small number of customers that did experience problems, in almost every case reverting back to our 196.21 driver immediately resolved their issues. We continue to work closely with our add-in-card partners and PC manufacturers to help resolve any additional customer issues not solved by reverting to the earlier driver. Any NVIDIA customer who has questions about their board as a result of downloading 195.75 driver should contact their board supplier.
Blockbuster video declared in an SEC filing that it may be forced to file Chapter 11. What would this mean for those of us who rent games there?
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The video rental store declared in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday that it might be forced to file Chapter 11 if cash flows don't improve and it is unable to restructure its debt. Blockbuster reportedly has about $1 billion in debt.
Is your computer MAN enough to tackle Splinter Cell: Conviction? Check out the computer specs below thanks to Gamikaze (via VG247):
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Recommended specs:
Supported OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core2 Duo or 2.4 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64
RAM: 1.5 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista, Windows 7
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX 9.0c–compliant video card (512 MB recommended) (see supported list*)
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c–compliant sound card
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c
DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM drive
Hard Drive Space: 10 GB
Peripherals Supported: Mouse, keyboard, headset, 12-button gamepads with analog sticks
Internet Connection: Broadband Internet connection
*Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 / 7900 / 8 / 9 / GTX series
ATI RADEON X1800 / X1900 / HD 2000 / HD 3000 / HD 4000 / HD 5000 series
Laptop versions of these cards may work but are NOT supported. These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game.
Note: A permanent high speed internet connection and creation of a Ubisoft account are required to play this video game at all times and to unlock exclusive content. Such content may only be unlocked one single time with a unique key. You must be at least 13 to create a Ubisoft account.
IGN has the scoop on Kane & Lynch 2 with a first-look video and the release date: August 24th, 2010. You can check out the video here but you'll have to put in a fake birthday.
March 17, 2010 - Those ready to continue the story of the psychopath Lynch and the mercenary Kane now have a firm release date to look forward to. Square Enix and Eidos have announced the game will be published in North America on August 24, 2010. The game will follow in the UK and European territories a few days later on August 27.
The video has an Army of Two: 40th Day vibe to it, in my opinion.
To get everyone excited for PAX East, Twisted Pixel sent around a new video for their latest work in progress, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley. Check it out below:
The Battlefield Blog has been updated with a new PSA entitled "Friends Really Against Grenade Spam." The PSA mimics IW's Fight Against Grenade Spam videos by introducing New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia who explains why you don't need to toss grenades to win a game of Bad Company 2.
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CC Sabathia and Private Terrence Sweetwater take time to talk about the problem close to all our hearts... random grenades. Together with Friends Really Against Grenade Spam (F.R.A.G.S) and the useful tips in the PSA video we can put an end to the shameful waste of grenades and team play, together.
Some folks calling themselves "The King Brothers," have put together a spoof on the Dante's Inferno Super Bowl advertisement, and it is totally awesome. Thanks Kotaku.
Rare's old school shooter, Perfect Dark, is now available on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 MSP.
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(ONLINE INTERACTIONS NOT RATED BY THE ESRB) Buy the full version of Perfect Dark to unlock the classic package in its entirety. Experience every twist of the story, every stray bullet, every gadget and upgrade, every newly polished texture – and top it all off with full access to multiplayer modes now playable across the globe through Xbox LIVE. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Be sure to take off your rose colored glasses before singing its praises.
OverClocked ReMix Releases Free Fan Tribute Album, Donkey Kong Country 2: Serious Monkey Business
OverClocked ReMix today released its 17th album, Donkey Kong Country 2: Serious Monkey Business. The album consists of 33 arrangements of composer David Wise's original score to the 1995 Nintendo game developed by Rare, Donkey Kong Country 2. Wise himself also contributed the album's closing track with an arrangement of DKC2's credits theme, featuring collaboration and live performances from former Rare colleagues Grant Kirkhope (Donkey Kong Land 2) and Robin Beanland (Donkey Kong Country).
The album is available for free download at http://dkc2.ocremix.org. Serious Monkey Business is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo or Rare. Over 30 artists participated in honoring Wise in this two-disc project which consists of nearly two and a half hours of music.
"This project is, first and foremost, a tribute to Mr. Wise - to have him contribute a track was a real honor," said Jeremy Waters, co-director and creator of the album.
Artists, including Wise, were given complete creative freedom to reimagine the game's music in new ways, resulting in diverse genres including new age, trance, metal, orchestral, pop, IDM, rhumba and merengue.
"The artists have poured hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into the music," stated co-director Wesley Cho. "I like to see people explore the possibilities offered by music of various genres, and I think we have succeeded in putting together a melting pot album with a lot of accessibility."
Comment by me: I'm Wesley Cho, co-director of this album - haven't been here in a long time as I've been pretty busy, but I thought this is something people might enjoy, and so I hope everyone enjoys something at the least, if not a whole lot more!
IO Interactive has tweeted an announcement that there will be a release date announcement for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days tomorrow.
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This just in! Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days release date to be announced tomorrow! Pull up your food bowl and sit tight for more news today.
Yes! Let us all celebrate the release date to a sequel of one of the worst games of all time! When we are done, we can have a party the next time someone has a bowel movement!
Electronic Arts has announced that the closed beta for Need for Speed World (PC) is now underway and they have released a new trailer to celebrate.
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Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that the closed beta for Need for Speed World, the massively multiplayer online action racing game has begun. Over the course of the next few months, thousands of players worldwide will have the opportunity to claim one of the limited slots in the PC beta test by enlisting at world.needforspeed.com. Need for Speed World testers will be the first in the world to get an insider’s look at this hotly anticipated racing MMO, and their constructive feedback will go straight back to the development team to help add polish, finesse and tuning to the final product.
When most fiscal years are coming to a close, it's time to start thinking towards the new year and trimming the fat. That means "Tis the season for layoffs". The most recent target looks to be the folks over at IGN. We're not sure how big or how many have been hit, but good luck to those touched by this unfortunate mistress.
Even the gaming journalism segment of gaming is fickle... Good luck folks.
UPDATE: Greg Miller is safe, but Andy Eddy and Chris Roper have been let go.
"Today's a hard day at IGN. We've had to reduce the size of our organization and are eliminating roles today in every part of the company. We are making every effort to be compassionate and fair to the people whose roles we've eliminated.
"We're doing this to reduce costs. While we've been doing well -- we're profitable and our audience continues to grow -- we're still feeling the effects of the economy, and we need to make sure we can invest where there is opportunity. Over the past couple of years, we have been focusing IGN on areas where we can not only grow, but be best in the world: serving gamers online, and serving advertisers looking to reach men. To do that successfully, we have to be as efficient as possible in our core businesses. The difficult actions we're taking today get us to where we need to be.
"We are losing colleagues who played an important role getting us to where we are -- #1 in games and men's lifestyle, and growing 40% over last year in the total size of our audience. We are deeply grateful to our colleagues for everything they've done. We as a company are absolutely headed in the right direction, and while today will be hard, it won't stop us.
"We'll have an All-Hands meeting later today to discuss this, and give you a chance to ask questions. Greg will be sending out a note with the exact timing, please be on the lookout for that.
"It probably goes without saying, but please keep this absolutely confidential to IGN. If you are approached by any member of the press, please direct them to Kris Sharbaugh.
Coming June 8th to a store near you is Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker which takes place after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. To coincide with the launch of MGS:PW, Sony is releasing a MGS:PW Entertainment pack that will include everything in the quotes below. The whole pack will be available for $199.99 in US and Canada.
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The new METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER PSP Entertainment Pack will include:
2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo
“Spirited Green” PSP-3000 system
METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER game on UMD
PlayStation Network downloadable voucher for special in-game content which will be unlocked at the start of the game
PlayStation Network downloadable movie voucher (US residents only); title TBD
Got an extra 3200 microsoft points laying around? If so, you can head on over to the Xbox Live Marketplace and download the expansion for Dragon Age: Origins. It weighs in at 2 GB.
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REQUIRES LATEST TITLE UPDATE FOR DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (installed automatically if you play while connected to Xbox LIVE). The archdemon lies dead--and yet in coastal Amaranthine, strange darkspawn still plague the land. As the newly appointed commander of the Grey Wardens, you must rebuild your shattered stronghold, recruit new Wardens to the cause, and defeat this terrifying menace. Includes: (1) A brand new campaign. (2) Five new party members -- plus the return of an old favorite. (3) Six new specializations. (4) Nearly 70 new player abilities. To begin this epic adventure: From the main menu, select New Game, then either import your character from Dragon Age: Origins or create a new, high-level hero! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Gamingbolt has posted a low resolution version of the Gears of War 3 tech demo that Epic was showing off during GDC, showing a Brumak lumbering through a rainforest. Don't get too excited, G4 has the word that Gears 3 isn't coming out in 2010.
The official PlayStation.Blog has been updated with the release date (May 25th) and the pre-order bonus's that will be available from specific retailers for the cartoon cart racer, ModNation Racers.
Pre-order from GameStop and score Kratos and his Kart of Chaos!
Pre-order from Amazon and race as Ratchet or Clank!
Pre-order from Best Buy and score Nathan Drake and his Jungle Jeep!
Codemasters Studios VP Gavin Cheshire has some serious issues with Sony's PSP.
Specifically, he thinks that the user experience is rubbish and is threatening to stop people using the handheld
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Well, speaking as a person who bought a PSP, the problem was that I always thought, because it was a better screen than iPod's, that I'd be doing more with it. But it was such a bollocking useless waste of space; just getting stuff on it was ridiculous. That was its downfall.
When Portal was updated recently to include some hidden information pointing to a BBS for Aperture Science, little did Valve know that Evil Avatar user DocOblivion was already hard at work on his own BBS that is much more useful and exciting than some random information that only a handful of geeks will get to see. We're happy to announce that this BBS, Planet Unicron, is now the Official BBS of EvilAvatar.com. What we have is several door games which are playable by whoever feels like setting up an account. Those game are:
Barren Realms Elite
Falcon's Eye
Legend of the Red Dragon
Legend of the Red Dragon 2
Land of Devastation
The Pit
Planets: TEOS
Trade Wars: 2002
Usurper
There are two ways you can connect to the system to play along. Heading right to http://PlanetUnicron.com, you'll be able to utilize the slick flashterm application. If you want to go hardcore though, grab yourself some sort of terminal application and telnet into planetunicron.com.
If nothing else, all you youngsters can take a glimpse into what brought us older nerds into the 'online' world in the early 90's. Some of the learning curves are high, so feel free to ask for help and advice whenever you'd like. Someone will be willing to help you out for sure. If you're looking for an easy starting point, I would recommend Legend of the Red Dragon (LoRD).
Thanks to Vicious Cycle Software and publisher D3Publisher of America we have 5 codes to give away for the Xbox Live Arcade title, Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond.
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Introducing the ultimate arcade action experience for hardcore video game fans! Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is an homage to the greatest side scrolling action video games of all time. Starring classic action hero Matt Hazard and all his greatest enemies, it features tons of weapons, nonstop explosions, and gorgeous 3D environments. Battle everything from evil ninjas to killer penguins. Survive incredible boss battles. And - of course – enjoy side-by-side 2 player gameplay. Enjoy nonstop run and gun survival at its finest in an over the top modern vision of timeless video game themes.
How could you win? Click on the Headline and post a reply in this thread! The winners will be picked at random on Wednesday March 17th.
Follow that white rabbit into the money hole, Alice in Wonderland led the North American box office for a second weekend for a $62 Million dollar tea party.
Here is the Weekend Boxoffice Chart for the weekend of March 12th to March 14th.
Alice in Wonderland $62.0/$208.6
Green Zone $14.5/$14.5
She's Out of My League $9.6/$9.6
Remember Me $8.3/$8.3
Shutter Island $8.1/$108.0
Our Family Wedding $7.6/$7.6
Avatar $6.6/$730.3
Brooklyn's Finest $4.2/$21.3
Cop Out $4.2/$39.4
The Crazies $3.6/$33.3
Crazy Heart $3.1/$34.2
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief $3.1/$82.3
In an interview with Joystiq , Remedy's managing director Matias Myllyrinne said that there will be at least one more episode of Alan Wake this year, but to expect more. He went on to explain that the episodes will be based on audience reception and he expects a "substantial engagement."
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"I think it'll depend a lot on the audience, but certainly we want to -- if we're successful -- we want to do a large "Season 2," if you will, at some point," he said in an interview with Joystiq. "Right now, I'm not allowed to say what we're doing exactly this year. But we're going to have more than one episode come out this year."
We’re back this week with the return of Martin “Lost” Perry as our 4th co-host! We discuss the new landscape of multiplayer gaming, Jim and Martin talk a bit about Heavy Rain, Adam chimes in more about how much he can’t stop playing Battlefield:Bad Company 2, and we have technical difficulties with the transatlantic flight of Martin’s voice across the internet.
Check out this, learn how to win a copy of Battlefield: BC2, and more on this weeks Shotgun!
Games Discussed: Battlefield: Bad Company 2, BLUR, Command and Conquer 4, Darksiders, dragon age: origins, God of War 3, Metro 2033, Perfect Dark XBLA, Resonance of Fate, Scrabble for iPhone, Supreme Commander 2
Please feel free to leave us feedback here, to our email address at podcast@evilavatar.com, via our voicemail number (619) 573-6699, or come join us on IRC (irc.slashnet.org #evilavatar)
We haven't spoken much on this site about the expected announcement at E3 of Nintendo's successor to the DS. CruchGear has an article up with the first few details leaked from developers working on "DS2" games.
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So here’s a quick rundown on what’s going on with the new Nintendo DS, tentatively called the DS2 but, knowing Nintendo, they’ll probably call it the WiiDSBoard2Screen or something. The first improvement is an almost bezel-less set of two screens, so close together that they can act as one. It will also have an accelerometer and the dev kit is out and folks are currently working on games with an eye on an announcement at E3 and a 2010 release.
I'd like for Nintendo to move towards the Sony PSP Go model of digital game distribution, but I know better. Nintendo will be the last hardware maker to go that route.
Microsoft has just sent out a Press Release stating that Crackdown 2 will be available on July 6th in North America, July 8th in Asia, Australia and New Zealand and July 9th in Europe.
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Pacific City needs your help, agents. A new enemy has overrun the city and it’s time to restore law and order by any means necessary when “Crackdown 2” releases this July around the world. Microsoft and Ruffian Games today announced that the exhilarating, open-world action game will hit the streets starting July 6 in North America, July 8 in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and July 9 in Europe.
IGN has word that the Modern Warfare 2 map pack, due March 30th, will cost 1200 Microsoft points and contain five maps - two of which are from Call of Duty 4.
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Here are the map descriptions:
Bailout - a multi-level apartment complex
Storm - an open industrial park littered with heavy machinery
Salvage - a snowy junkyard fortified by stacked debris and crushed cars
Crash - a war-torn urban environment (CoD4)
Overgrown - features a massive dry creek bed (CoD4)
I'll be picking up the BFBC2 maps released on the same day, for free!
I'm having a big ol' helping of Monday Blues this morning for breakfast. I didn't spend NEAR as much time as I would have liked with video games. It rained all weekend and even though I was stuck inside I was busy tending to other matters, like trying to make sure the house doesn't fall apart.
What DIDN'T you play this weekend that you wish you would have gotten to?
It's that time again: March Madness, the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament. This is the single greatest sports tournament all year, and like last year, we're doing an Evil Avatar Yahoo Bracket. No cost to enter and you don't even have to know anything about the teams to enter.
Today is Selection Sunday, so the field has been set; brackets are ready to be filled out. So, to join in the fun, head on over to Yahoo and join our group with the password: evavrocks. The tournament starts on Thursday, so get this done like, tonight!
For my yearly tradition, I'll be taking the first two days of the tourney off of work and be watching basketball all day long.
The complete breakdown of Green Arrow has been something of a messy sneak attack. The character has been written in a confusing manner over the last few months, perhaps it's intentional. With a dark secret to be revealed Oliver Queen is on the run from Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. I haven't picked up issue #30 yet so hadn't noticed that Black Canary has been dropped from the title. The Justice League needs to reform properly, perhaps a Green Arrow Crisis will help it along.
Amazing Spider-Man #625
My love for Spider-Man comics might be limited but I love Rhino. Maybe it's because of his neat horn or maybe it's because he is a boss in every Spidey game I can remember. In this issue the original Rhino and the new tech-heavy Rhino go head to head in 'The Last Stand of Rhino'. Spider-Man is caught in the middle, and will no doubt have to land the decisive blow once these two get all charged up. Sounds like a great issue although it promises 'tragic events' – how many can you get in Spidey-world?
Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1
Aww, what? They're killing off Hercules? I love Hercules. Oh wait, apparently this 2 issue series will start a new, unexpected chapter in the character's life story. This actually sounds a little bit like the recent Gaiman's 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' with famous Marvel characters turning up to bury the legend while telling stories of his life. I think. The description is a little bit confusing but I love the cover art and the character so here's my recommendation. Take it.
Siege #3
I'm sure this is absolutely worth reading, I just can't get excited about if after the disappointment of Dark Reign – even in its place as a prelude to this bigger event. Maybe it's because I've been promised, year after year, that the Marvel Universe will truly change forever. It never really does. That being said, Dark Avengers remains at a high quality so Bendis isn't completely turning me off. Go buy this issue, I'm sure it'll change your life.
Let us know about your picks for the week and what you thought of these titles! Click the headline for this weeks full release list!
