The pirates have struck the X-mark again, claiming illegal booty with digitally ripped software. After hearing Rock Band: Unplugged's leaking into the Internet a month ahead of retail release, this bit of news brings another damper to the fight against piracy. It's been reported that The Sims 3 has now also found its way to torrent sites online, some two weeks ahead of its scheduled release (June 2).

Those who missed out on Firaxis and 2K Games' Sid Meier's Civilization IV the first time around will be getting another chance to get their copies of the game. Not only the base Civilization IV game, mind you, but also the game's three expansion packs.

Wow. It's a good thing I haven't downloaded Broken Steel yet. Fallout 3 players are reporting installation issues with the latest DLC from Bethesda. It's like The Pitt all over again, only this time it's for the PC version.

Electronic Arts is distancing itself even further from the much-maligned SecuROM security software by confirming on the BioWare forums that the PC version of BioWare's upcoming RPG Dragon Age: Origins will not have any SecuROM DRM.

In light of the EA Maxis' Spore going gold, concern once again has hit the PC gaming segment over the definite inclusion of digital rights management (DRM) software with each copy. Many have argued over the integration of SecuROM on executables of The Sims 2 and its expansions, and now that Spore producer Lucy Bradshaw has confirmed Spore will be succeeded by at least one expansion, there's a whole lot of bickering to come for PC gamers. More details at the full story.

Let's paint the picture here first: imagine patching a game that's legitimately purchased and installed. Now imagine that after that last patch, you cannot - and let me stress CANNOT - right-click any executable file in Windows without stalling the Explorer process, prompting you to restart the process or restart Windows. This is what EA's new version 1.01 patch for Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath did to gamers out there. And do you know why? Because of SecuROM. Ugh.

Shortly after word streamed from BioWare's Forums that users were aggravated at the activation limits imposed by the new copy protection scheme, 2K Games lifted similar activation limits from the PC version of BioShock. That's all they've rid PC gamers of, though - everything else stays. Look to the full story for more.

We know that the copy protection scheme that BioWare and Electronic Arts implemented in the PC version of Mass Effect were for granting the convenience of not needing the game disc every time you play, and of course, for combating piracy. But the latest inquiries to the activation procedures would have you thinking twice about either convenience or piracy, because what we have waiting for you at the full story would either have you facepalming till kingdom come, or gasping out loud, "Piracy wut?"

For those of us who wanted to enjoy BioWare's Mass Effect (Xbox 360, PC) on their gaming rigs, but found themselves wanting after the ten-day re-authentication period that EA's SecuROM dealie popped on all of us, here's good news: that is now officially a thing of the past, thanks to the loads of fans who reacted against the issue as well as the gamers in the armed services. All the details in the full article.

If you consider yourself an audiophile that lives outside the US, acquiring music online can sometimes be a bummer. Now, the latest offering of Amazon could probably help you out.

They have released an announcement that they will be launching Amazon Mp3 this year giving access to music lovers to one of the biggest collection of online songs. Details in the full article.