Another Windows XP flaw found.
How will watching movies downloaded from the net change in the future?.
Warez software pirate pleads guilty in federal court.
Examining the BitTorrent effect.
PeopleSoft now taken over by Oracle officially.

1 Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 - Atari $31
2 The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts $45
3 MS Zoo Tycoon 2 - Microsoft $38
4 Half-Life 2 - Vivendi Universal $54
5 Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth - Electronic Arts $46
6 World Of Warcraft - Vivendi Universal $49
7 The Sims 2 Special Edition - Electronic Arts $46
8 MS Zoo Tycoon: Complete Collection - Microsoft $30
9 Halo: Combat Evolved - Microsoft $28
10 World Poker Championship - Valusoft (THQ) $18

HomeLAN - Other than games you worked on that were released this year, what video or PC game released in 2004 was your favorite and why?

Brian Green - The game that sticks with me most is Katamari Damacy for the PS2. The game focused on primary fun idea, and it was a great game. I wish it were a bit longer, of course, but I had a blast playing it.

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HomeLAN - What video or PC game that was released in 2004 that you played was the most disappointing and why?

Anatoly Subbotin - One of those games was Nitro Family. I�m a big Serious Sam fan and I was awaiting something similar from this title, but unfortunately it turned out to be simply horrible. Just take Serious Sam, make it look worse, remove all interactivity, reduce the animation and texture quality and you�ll get a dull and absolutely uninteresting game. Not the game I wanted to play.

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HomeLAN - What video or PC game that was released in 2004 that you played was the most disappointing and why?

Piotr Panasewicz - Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed by Doom 3. The game was marketed as a breakthrough in the genre, and the end-result was at best mediocre. It was basically the same series of repeating elements, rooms and monsters, all within the age-old scheme: you open a door, kill a couple of monsters, go on farther, some new monsters appear, you kill them and so on. So monotonous! Not to mention that playing the game, you can quickly develop at least a mild case of claustrophobia... Besides the graphics, nothing in particular managed to surprise me about this title.

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HomeLAN - Other than games you worked on that were released this year, what video or PC game released in 2004 was your favorite and why?

David Walgrave - Just one? Hm, I think I spent most of my free time on "Soldiers: Heroes of World War II". That game just sucked me right in, and I think it kept me going because it's very challenging without ever getting frustrating. There's a lot you can do in the game, and there are so many different ways of tackling a mission... Nearly every time you play it, something unexpected happens.

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HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Rich Carlson - Probably Oblivion because I am a Morrowind freak-meister. Also Dominions III because Dominions II was so good -but it had interface problems which prevented a lot of people from playing it. I hope they fix those things.

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Interesting Link of the Day:The DVD online rental wars. How bloody will this get?

Online blogs offer detailed reports from the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia.
Agencies hope for online donations to rise to help with the disaster.
AOL says spam mail is decreasing.
Online holiday sales go up 28 percent this year, says report.
More Google worms are out there.
Bare bones classified web site costing San Fran newspapers tens of millions of dollars, says report.
Sneaky stuff from an ex-Apple employee yeilds results.

HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Gregan Dunn - Looking ahead at 2005, the game that screams out to me is BioShock which is being developed by Irrational Games. This game is the �spiritual successor� of System Shock 2, a game that was truly scary and put me in the game atmosphere like never before. There are so many moments, visuals and sounds from System Shock 2 that sticks out in my mind. I�m haunted by Shodan and the way it manipulated me as I played through the game. BioShock is a game that stands above all the rest of the games in 2005 and has the potential to offer something unique.

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HomeLAN - What do you see are the big events and trends that will affect the video/PC game industry in 2005?

Kelly Asay - Interesting limb you are inviting me out on. On one side I would say the results/outcomes of this years 3 big events. On the other side of the coin I have to say that the maturing of the expectations of longtime gamers will begin to exert considerable influence; demanding innovation.

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HomeLAN - What video or PC game that was released in 2004 that you played was the most disappointing and why?

Didier Malenfant - Fable. Their advertising campaign is "for every choice, a consequence" but it should really be "for every extremely obvious choice that the designers let you make, an equally obvious consequence". Plus the graphics just didn't do it for me.

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HomeLAN - What do you see are the big events and trends that will affect the video/PC game industry in 2005?

Aaron Boucher - I think we will see more cost effective solutions/middleware available for massive online game development; it seems that many developers and publishers get into making these titles and realize that it costs far more than they projected or the technical leap is too great and they cancel the project after large investments are lost.

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HomeLAN - What video or PC game that was released in 2004 that you played was the most disappointing and why?

Matt Simmons - Battlefield: Vietnam. The only thing truly new about BF:V was the foliage, which was a huge one-sided benefit to the AI since you couldn't see them but they could always see you!

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Interesting Link of the Day:Scarlett Johansson already doing weapons training for Mission Impossible 3. The movie won't start shooting for nearly a year...I have to admit, I'm impressed.

Could a tsunami warning system saved thousands?
Computer problems shut down Comair Saturday and cause thousands to be stranded.
Free iPod? Free IBM laptop? As always you need to read the fine print...
How hot will Google continue to be in the future?

HomeLAN - Overall, what do you feel was the most significant thing that happened in 2004 in the video and PC game industry?

Tom Ohle - I think the continued infiltration of the mainstream still stands as the most important occurrence in gaming. With the massive success of games like Halo 2 and GTA: San Andreas, gaming has continued to gain acceptance as a legitimate form of entertainment.

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HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Mike Legg - I�m a huge fan of the Real-Time Strategy game genre. With that said, I�m most looking forward to our (Petroglyph�s) Star Wars RTS that we are developing for LucasArts. We�ve been working diligently on it over this past year, so it will be a sheer joy to see it on the shelves for the 2005 holiday season. Already we are having fun playing it, and I expect it to become even more fun as 2005 progresses. Joe Bostic (who co-created the Command & Conquer series) is the visionary for it, and he�s taking it in a great direction. With all the long hours we have devoted to it, I have to say that it is the game I am most looking forward to seeing released.

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HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Donald Case - Playboy: The Mansion, of course! But in addition to that one, I'm excited to play Doom 3 on Xbox. My home PC isn't up to snuff, sadly, to play the game with the experience I wanted. I played some of the PC version at G4 last month, and I can't wait to play it on my Xbox. I'm also super excited about the sports titles, Madden, ESPN Football and Basketball, NBA Live, NCAA Football and March Madness, etc. I am a sucker for these games, and have mad love for taking my underdogs to the championships in franchise/dynasty modes.

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HomeLAN - Other than games you worked on that were released this year, what video or PC game released in 2004 was your favorite and why?

Tony Barnes - Burnout 3, hands down. It�s amazing. The responsiveness, over-the-top visceralness, and bite-sized arcade-type fun it brings just crushes everything else in it�s genre, hands down. It�s the first racing game that has properly represented what it feels like to be at 100+ mph.

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HomeLAN - What video or PC game that was released in 2004 that you played was the most disappointing and why?

Steven Kent - Now this is a great question. I was disappointed by the lack of progress in this year�s Madden and MVP Baseball. They were both good, but indistinguishable from last year. In fact, I recommend ESPN NFL 2K5 for anybody who knows football. If we are talking sheer disappointment, perhaps Jet Li: Rise to Honor takes the cake. It wasn�t the worst game of the year. This wasn�t Kabuki Warrior or Bloodwake, but it potential. An opportunity squandered.

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Interesting Link of the Day:Dead Like Me Cancelled. I don't think I need a joke here :)

Hackers go after the folks with new Christmas gift PCs.
A new battery could extend digital cameras and handheld gaming for twice their normal length.
The U.S. leads in sending out spam email.
Odd tech gadgets in 2004.

HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Chad Walker - Civil War: War Between the States because it's been a long time coming and the American civil war deserves to be shown in all its light.

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HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Mike Jaret - NEW SIDESCROLLER MARIO FOR THE DS, COME TO DADDY!, but Valve has talked about Team Fortress 2 and other HL2 chronicle games!

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HomeLAN - As we look ahead to 2005, what video or PC game that is currently scheduled to be released that year are you most looking forward to and why?

Fredrik Lindgren - Apart from our own games, I really look forward to seeing the new version of "the Bard's Tale". I was a huge fan of the C64 version. I am also curious about the new MMORPGs based on the Middle Earth and Matrix franchises.

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10. Measure the new PS2 design; marvel at how they cramed all that tech in one tiny box.
9. Think about making mods for games and discover yet again that you are not skilled enough.
8. Hit EBGames or GameStop to get rid of your grandmother's Christmas gift of the Xbox version of Finding Nemo.
7. Fight people at EBGames or GameStop for their last Nintendo DS in their store.
6. Realise that the Nintendo DS is perhaps not the best purchase to make; start saving up for a Sony PSP.
5. Start a countdown until the official release of the Xbox 2.
4. Start a countdown until the next major ATI-NVIDIA graphics card.
3. Start a countdown until you get a clue that countdowns don't solve your problem.
2. Prepare for New Year's Eve by playing Half-Life 2 with a party hat.
And the number one thing gamers can do between Christmas and New Year's Day:
1. Resolve that for 2005 that you won't spend as much time playing games..and then break it on New Year's Day:

BTW, Jack will also be taking this week off from his Sunday Matinee column. He will return next week.

Interesting Link of the Day:Age of Apocalypse returns. This was, without a doubt, the worst X-Men storyline ever made..why they are returning to this timeline is a mystery to me.