Sometimes, you just have that urge to go and simulate life. We're talking about the previously announced Electronic Arts title, The Sims 3, of course. If you'd like a glimpse at some of the changes that players will be seeing in the next installment of the popular life simulation series, turn to the full article after the jump.

There's big news in upcoming games for 2008, and this one comes in the form of one of Gas Powered Games' latest, secret projects known only as Demigod. Initial details and the game's actual title was recently spilled, though more will come in the latest issue of Games for Windows Magazine, prompting a definite release for the PC action/RTS/RPG player. But some clues point that Demigod may come to consoles, too. More at the full story.

 

When you've got a game like 2K Boston and 2K Australia's BioShock (Microsoft Xbox 360, PC) that did things right, 2K Boston's lead designer Ken Levine believes expanding replayability is the way downloadable content should go. In an interview, Levine said he wants the BioShock experience to be broader if there will be any DLC.

"I'm not a really big fan of expanding things just by linearly adding to the experience," he told Games for Windows Magazine. He cited Diablo II as an example, the classic PC action RPG title that was both enhanced and extended by the Lord of Destruction expansion.

To Levine, an expansion would have to improve original content and add replayability instead of just adding new episodes to the game's storyline. He said that "a lot of plasmids got cut" before the game went gold, so we could at least hope to find those available for download in the future.

"I think that certainly BioShock's combat experience is great, but it could be broader. I'm a little more confused as far as how to expand the narrative experience," Levine continued. Looks like we're in for some waiting before any official announcement from 2K Boston on BioShock DLC. Then again, maybe it'll come as a surprise.



Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]

Valve Studios created a stir with its upcoming game, The Crossing. The company claims the gameplay is so unique it could actually create a whole new gaming genre called "cross-player". The verdict is still put on what "cross-play" really is, but Games for Windows Magazine has released other info about the game.

The Crossing storyline is set in a chaotic Paris following the collapse of the French government. The gameplay involves shifting between parallel universes to a world ruled by the Knights Templar (which was dissolved on the Middle Ages in our world).

The so-called cross-playing takes place when "story players" (either by themselves or in co-op mode) switch over to fight live "skirmish players". Skirmish players can also opt for story missions. That means they can take over enemies normally controlled by The Crossing's AI. Arkane Studios will reportedly control the game's servers for players for seamless mixing of single and multiplayer matches. The Games for Windows cover story also mentioned possible unlockable content for players participating in the matches.

The Crossing is still in development and the answer to the question "what the heck is cross-play?" won't be known until 2008.