Gaming, in at least one major way, imitates real life -- and I hate it. Year after year, the game release schedule ebbs and flows with the prototypical real life schedule, and the end result isn't pretty. Spring is simple enough; summer is a time for basking and vacationing. But winter and fall make up for summer with gusto. Papers flutter about as work and/or school top-off on the overwhelming meter, family members get traded amongst households for myriad holiday celebrations, and nothing ever goes according to plan.

Meanwhile, spring showers usually herald games that winter and fall somehow missed, summer deludes us into getting excited about games like Too Human, and fall/winter try to cram as many games as possible into what little free time we have left over thanks to, you know, life. And guess what: everyone's favorite part of the cycle kicks off yet again in only a couple of weeks.

So, my question: as a result of the so-called "most wonderful time of the year," what games do you most regret having missed out on? Are there any games you plan on sacrificing for the greater good this year?

Sadly, if today's Roundup is any indication, don't count on a dam for the annual game flood any time soon. Inside, you'll find a concrete release date for Fallout 3, the first details about the greatly enhanced PC edition of GTA IV, and tons of other news nuggets in between. Give it a read after the break.

GC 2008: Grand Theft Auto IV PC First Impressions

When GTA IV first hit the mean streets, laygamers and press alike scrambled to plant big sloppy kisses right on the game's tuckus. But as with every (highly disturbing) relationship, the honeymoon period could only last so long. Soon, the boisterous praises vanished -- replaced by criticisms of the game's story and gameplay. Now, given the chance to right GTA IV's wrongs, Rockstar isn't touching Niko's ridiculously discordant personality or his finicky sense of what's cover and what's not. Instead, they're adding a camera.

"They've also added a replay editor," reads the preview, "which allows you to view 30-second instant replays and then chop and edit them, add filters, and even combine them into a montage of clips to upload to a Web site of your choice, or to Rockstar's Social Club."

Best news out of Leipzig, in my opinion. Really. I'll take two!

ESA Appoints New, Piracy-Focused General Counsel

Kenneth Doroshow is his name, and he's here to take a bite out of piracy. His credentials include a position at the Recording Industry Association of America, where he of course battled music (sadly not "musical") pirates. More specifically, he headed-up lawsuits against some of the biggest names in illegal music, including LimeWire, Usenet, and AllofMP3.com.

Yeah, this guy knows his stuff.

With any luck, Doroshow will become the canines within the ESA's all-bark-and-no-bite set of pearly whites. And with how hard they seem to be banking on Doroshow, we can only hope he'll come through for them. Lord knows, they need something to swing in their favor.

Warhammer Online Not Crediting All Developers

"Over the years, we've had hundreds of people work on the game, and we thank everyone who helped us bring our Warhammer passion to life, but only current employees that have continued until the end will be credited in the final game," Mythic VP and general manager Mark Jacobs told Shacknews.

If you're so thankful, why can't you toss their names into a seldom-viewed credit screen? It really doesn't seem all that difficult.

And yet it is. Apparently, this a monster lurking in the shadows of the industry -- a huge issue that's rarely discussed. Check out the full article; it's enlightening stuff.

Fallout 3 Release Date Announced: October 28

October 28 in North America and three days later in Europe. According to Bethesda, the launch will be "one of the biggest launches of any game released this year,” falling smack-dab in the middle of all the other biggest launches this year.   
 

First Heavy Rain Trailer and Screenshots Emerge

The graphics are so glorious that they deserve their own Bible, but even so, this showing leaves me cold. "Press X to not die!" should've accidentally pressed O a long time ago. But here we are, with a trailer whose "gameplay" is nothing more than a rapid-fire button-pressing minigame.

10 most unbelievable lines of dialogue from Too Human

Damn comedians.

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