Let's start this week early, shall we? Coming up on retail shelves starting July 27 all the way to the first few days of August is another hailstorm of PC games from the independent front, though you'd probably love this week for the release of Namco Bandai's SoulCalibur IV and its limited edition kits. But if there's anything more significant this time, it's the appearance of more Olympics-themed games as the week heralds the eve before the World Olympics in Beijing. We take them all at the full story.

Thanksgiving's just finished, and as we're packing up the leftovers and polishing off the apple pie, we're letting you know there's more holiday goodies on the way as game developer 1C announces the release of a new set of treats for their upcoming Theatre of War title.

Set in WWII, the Theatre of War RTS will offer players a chance to play one of six major factions - US, UK, France, Germany, USSR, Poland - as they fight through 40 campaigns worth of battles and skirmishes taking place on both the Western and Eastern fronts of World War II. Up for grabs are nine new gameplay vids showcasing some of the game's highlights, from artillery strikes and tank blitzes, to infantry assaults. Take special note of the Germans, who will also be a focus in these videos of the frontline.

Download: [Theatre of War goodies 1]
Download: [Theatre of War goodies 2]
Download: [Theatre of War goodies 3]

Replay Studios' Sabotage got a new lease on its production life when ML Enterprises stepped in to help produce it.  Apparently, the game's developement  has been experiencing "some structural and communication problems. " ML E's support, according to Sabotage Creative Director Sascha Jungnickel, "will be the beginning for long lasting partnership.”

Sabotage is a third person action game featuring Résistance fighter and MI6 agent Violette Summer. Summer's mission is to infiltrate German military camps in France, Poland and Germany during WWII and sabotage them. He must kill high Nazi officers, rescue civilian hostages or solve other missions. The game uses lighting and shadow-effects to match the player's stealth infiltrations and is heavy on the suspense and silent action rather than the firepower.

Originally set to be released at the end of 2006, Sabotage will be available only in German speaking countries.

Techland has just released the official trailer for their upcoming racing game for the PC, Xpand Rally Xtreme, which is the Poland-based company's follow up to the earlier released rally racer Xpand Rally.

You guys might remember Techland as the same guys who brought us Chrome and Call of Juarez for the PC. You might also remember our report waaay back that Call of Juarez will be coming to next-gen console/s (which, by the way, Techland still hasn't shed light on). But anyway, now they're back with a bumped up and visually-enhanced rally racer which will push your self-control and concentration abilities to the limits.

Featuring dangerous tracks and stages, Techland says players are gonna need hella impeccable driving skills if they expect to get through the game's tough tracks. And I dunno if it's just me, but I really think that there's no such thing as too much racing games 'coz let's face it, almost each and every one of us harbors that secret fantasy of having a no-holds-barred-pedal-to-floor
driving experience.

And since we can't do that in real life without causing harm (no, wait, death) to others, racing games at least lets us have that experience albeit virtually. Xpand Rally Xtreme doesn't have a release date yet, so while we wait for that announcement, why don'tcha check out the screens below and watch the trailer for some rubber burnin' action. Enjoy!

Download: [Xpand Rally Xtreme official trailer]