As part of its live, onstage presentation at PAX East, Gearbox confirmed that its long-rumoured Borderlands 1 remaster is real and will be launching on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC next Wednesday, April 3rd.

Gearbox is calling the remaster the "definitive version" of its much-loved 2009 loot-and-shooter. It includes the base game and all DLC, and introduces new weapons, "substantial" visual upgrades (with better lighting, textures, and character models, as well as 4K and HDR on supported consoles), plus various gameplay enhancements and quality of life improvements.

You can, for instance, expect a new mini-map, character heads and skins, gold chests and keys, plus support for 4-player split-screen co-op, up from the original's two.

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For the first 5000 years, nothing much happened. We must have embarked on our epic enterprise sometime in late 2013, though neither of us suspected we were about to spend the next five years embroiled in a seemingly never-ending coop hot-seat game of Civilization 5. If we had, we'd probably have played something else instead. It was folly, but by the time we realised, it was too late; we had become thoroughly invested, the game had taken on a life of its own, and there was nothing else but to see it to its (eventual) end. On and off, we kept chipping away at our task, sometimes meeting every few weeks for a couple of hours, sometimes once every couple of months. But soon our time with the game had to be measured not in months, but in years, and our game of Civilization had become a sort of parallel history to our personal lives.

When I sat down to prepare this article, it felt like historical or archaeological research. My friend and I compared notes, trying to reconstruct what had happened years ago. We gathered our save games from several machines, flash drives and Google Drive. I even rifled through ancient emails which mentioned our game in passing in the hopes of pinning down the timeline. In the end, the oldest save game we could find dates back to January 2016. After about 200 turns (and more than two years of playing), we had just entered the 1860s. After that point, our game is fairly well documented. Before, however, lies nothing but vast stretches of prehistory, a long dark age illuminated by nothing but the faint and flickering spotlights of our unreliable memories. It's easy for beginnings to get lost in the mists of time.

We started our game on either side of a vast lake set in a subcontinent, the south-eastern-most part of a Pangean super-continent. My early empire, Carthage under Dido, occupied the parts between the western shores of the lake and the ocean farther west. My friend's and ally's Celtic empire, led by Boudicca, lay to the east of the lake. We know for certain that soon after our early expansion, we ran afoul of another confederacy, consisting of Rome to the north and Greece to the west, for reasons largely lost to time (possibly, it was the Celtic annexation of the city state of Z rich which exacerbated tensions). Rome declared war against the Celts, dragging Carthage as well as Greece into the conflict. The Celtic city of Truro bore the brunt of Caesar's aggression. Over the course of several thousand years, Truro was taken and eventually retaken again and again, its population decimated in the process.

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There is a saying in architecture that no building is unbuildable, only unbuilt. Structures may be impossible in the here and now, but have the potential to exist given enough time or technological development: a futuristic cityscape, a spacefaring megastructure, the ruins of an alien civilisation. However, there are also buildings that defy the physical laws of space. It is not an issue that they could not exist, but that they should not. Their forms bend and warp in unthinkable ways; dream-like structures that push spatial logic to its breaking point.

The Tomb of Porsena is a legendary monument built to house the body of an Etruscan king. 400 years after its construction, the Roman scholar Varro gave a detailed description of the ancient structure. A giant stone base rose 50 feet high, beneath it lay an "inextricable labyrinth", and atop it sat five pyramids. Above this was a brass sphere, four more pyramids, a platform and then a final five pyramids. The image painted by Varro, one of shapes stacked upon shapes, seems like a wild exaggeration. Despite this, Varro's fanciful description sparked the imaginations of countless architects over the centuries. The tomb was an enigma, and yet the difficulty in conceptualising it, and the vision behind it, was fascinating. On paper artists were free to realise its potential. If paper liberated minds, the screen can surely open up further possibilities. There's no shortage of visionary structures within the virtual spaces of video games. These are strange buildings that ask us to imagine worlds radically different to our own.

Whilst many impossible formulations are orientated towards the future, there are also plenty from the past. The castle in Ico is one example of this. During the Renaissance, Europe was obsessed, not with future utopias, but with ancient Greece and Rome. While the box art of Ico is famously inspired by Giorgio de Chirico, the long shadows and sun-bleached stone walls only make-up a portion of the game's mood. It is the etchings of Giovanni Piranesi that best capture what it's like to explore the castle's winding stairs and bridges. Piranesi's imaginary Roman reconstructions were absurdly big - so colossal you could get lost in just the foundations. In a similar way, Ico's castle is impossibly large, the camera zooming out in order to overwhelm you and build up the unfathomable mystery of its origin and purpose.

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"I forget everything between footsteps.

"'Anna!' I finish shouting, snapping my mouth shut in surprise.

"My mind has gone blank. I don't know who Anna is or why I'm calling her name. I don't even know how I got here. I'm standing in a forest, shielding my eyes from the spitting rain. My heart's thumping, I reek of sweat and my legs are shaking. I must have been running but I can't remember why.

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Actor and voice actor William Morgan Sheppard, known for his work in video games and sci-fi television series, has died at the age of 86.

Those familiar with Sid Meier's Civilization series will best recognise Sheppard as the narrator of Civilization 5. He also voiced Colonel Hargrove in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and Medal of Honor: Frontline.

Outside of video games, Sheppard took on several notable roles in Star Trek, such as Quatai in Star Trek: Voyager episode Bliss, and Data's grandfather Ira Graves in The Next Generation episode The Schizoid Man. He also played the older version of Canton Everett Delaware III in Doctor Who episode The Impossible Astronaut.

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For a very limited time (just over a day and a half at the time of writing), PC owners are able to snag a free copy of what I, personally, would deem one of the most overlooked games of the last few years - The Darkness 2.

Head over to Humble today and you can claim a free copy of the 2012 paranormal mafia shooter for absolutely nothing. Your game will be delivered as a Steam key and is compatible with PC or Mac.

For those unlucky enough to have not played The Darkness 2 when it launched, the game tells the story of Jackie Estacado, head of a brutal New York crime syndicate who also happens to be host to a ruthless demonic force known only as The Darkness. This means that in addition to battling rival mob bosses and his own personal struggles, he also has to quite literally battle for control of his own body.

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An upscaled version of Resident Evil: Code Veronica headlines this week's PSN Store update. It's available for £15.99.

FIFA 12 arrives to download on Friday - for the privilege of saving yourself a walk to the shops you'll pay £54.99 on PlayStation 3 and £31.99 on PSP.

Battlefield 3's open beta rolls out on Thursday, while gamers can help themselves to PSN-exclusive shooter Rochard, freemium role-player Free Realms and new Dead Nation DLC from today.

There's still no sign of the MIA Mortal Kombat: Arcade Kollection - it arrived on time for its XBLA launch almost a month ago and has yet to materialise on PSN in Europe.

2D adventure Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, out in the US, is also missing.

PSN Plus subscribers get 20 per cent off metal pouring puzzler Mercury hg this week, and Resi Evil: CV for half price.

Anyone who bought Resident Evil 4 HD last week also gets Code Veronica at 50 per cent discount.

But European Plus payers have seemingly missed the glut of Uncharted 2 DLC gifted to US Plus accounts in North America's latest PSN update, alongside new Nathan Drake avatars and themes.

European gamers do get a hefty price drop on Borderlands' Game Of The Year edition though - it's more than half price this week only. Cut from £27.99 to £11.99, it includes the full game plus all four DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution.

The full update, courtesy of the EU PlayStation blog, lies below:

PS3 Games

• Arkedo Series - 03 Pixel! (£1.59/€1.99)
• Child of Eden (£23.99/€29.99)
• Crysis 2 (£31.99/€39.99)
• De Blob 2 (£19.99/€24.99)
• Elemental Monster (£0.95/€1.19)
• FIFA 12 (£54.99/€69.99) - Available Friday 30th September
• Free Realms (free)
• Homefront (£27.99/€34.99)
• Max and the Magic Marker - Gold edition (£7.99/€9.99) - Trial & Unlock
• Mercury Hg (£3.99/€4.99) - Trial & Unlock
• Rochard (£7.99/€9.99)
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica (£15.99/€19.99) - Discounted to £7.99/€9.99 for purchasers of RE4 HD until 12th October
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters (£57.99/€69.99)
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (£7.99/€9.99)
• Saints Row 2 (£15.99/€19.99)

Video: Rochard.

PSP Games

• FIFA 12 (£31.99/€39.99) - Available Friday 30th September

PS minis (PS3 and PSP)

• Galcon Labs (£1.99/€2.49)
• The Treasures Of Montezuma (£1.74/€1.99)

PSone (PS3 and PSP)

• Gubble (£2.99/€3.59)
• Snowboard Racer (£3.99/€4.99)

PS3 Demos

• Battlefield 3 Beta - Available Thursday 29th September
• Stardrone Demo

PS3 Add-Ons

• Dead Nation - Road to Devastation (£3.49/€3.99)
• Free Realms - 30 Day Membership (£3.99/€4.99), 90 Day Membership (£9.99/€12.99), 180 Day Membership (£19.99/€24.99), 365 Day Membership (£23.99/€29.99), Lifetime Membership (£27.99/€34.99)
• Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer - Comedy Pack (£1.99/€2.49)
• Duke Nukem Forever - Hail to the Icons Parody Pack (£6.29/€7.99)
• Elemental Monster - Battle Tickets -Set of 4 (£0.95/€1.19), Battle Tickets -Set of 21 (£4.79/€5.99), Battle Tickets -Set of 45 (£5.49/€6.99), Battle Tickets -Set of 100 (£10.99/€13.99). Booster Box -Ancient War (£4.79/€5.99), Booster Box -Birth of Deities (£4.79/€5.99), Booster Box -Emperor's Revenge (£4.79/€5.99), Booster Box -Legendary Dragons (£4.79/€5.99), Booster Box -Otherworldly Visitor (£4.79/€5.99), Booster Box -Sacred War (£4.79/€5.99)
• Elevator Action Deluxe - Additional Stage 1 (free)
• Fallout: New Vegas - Courier's Stash (£1.59/€1.99), Gun Runners Arsenal (£3.19/€3.99)
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition - Time Is Money Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
• SkyDrift - Gladiator Multiplayer Pack (£3.99/€4.99)

Rock Band & Yoostar

• Rock Band Network - Ship With No Sails - Neonfly (£0.99/€1.49), Stabbing The Drama - Soilwork (£0.59/€0.79), The Window - Raven Quinn (£0.99/€1.49), Trying Hard - Loni Rose (£0.59/€0.79), Pendulum - After the Burial (£0.99/€1.49)
• Rock Band 3 - Slipknot Pack 02 (£3.49/€5.29), (contains the following songs also available separately) Left Behind - Slipknot (£0.99/€1.49), Pulse Of The Maggots - Slipknot (£0.99/€1.49), Wait And Bleed - Slipknot (£0.99/€1.49), Snuff - Slipknot (£0.99/€1.49)
• Yoostar 2 - Fireworks Over City Scape (£0.59/€0.75), A Woman Who Will Arouse My Intellect (£1.39/€1.75), Live Long And Prosper (£1.39/€1.75)

Grand Theft Auto 4 has now shipped a gargantuan 22 million copies worldwide since its April 2008 release.

That doesn't mean they've all been sold, but it's an indication of its enormous success nonetheless.

Company chairman Strauss Zelnick revealed the figure during a talk at ThinkEquity's annual Growth conference, reported IndustryGamers.

Take-Two (owner of 2K and Rockstar) said the Grand Theft Auto series has now shipped a total of 114 million units to shops around the world.

In comparison, breakout console success Red Dead Redemption has shipped 12.5 million copies. That game became the first of Take-Two's fleet to demonstrate anything like the success of GTA.

The two BioShock games have combined to ship 9 million units. A third BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, is being made for a 2012 release.

The Wii Carnival Games series shipped 8 million units.

The entire Midnight Club series shipped 18.5 million units. The Civilization series shipped 11 million units.

The Max Payne series managed to ship 7.5 million, and will also welcome a third instalment in 2012.

The two Mafia games shipped 5 million copies.

Borderlands, alone, shipped 4.5 million. Borderlands 2 will be released sometime between April 2012 and March 2013.

Last but not least, The Darkness, which shipped 1 million. Whether weak or not, it too is due a sequel, and that's also coming in 2012.

Notably absent from the Take-Two list was L.A. Noire, which we know to have shipped 4 million units.

Rumour has it that Take-Two is close to announcing Grand Theft Auto 5. But will Take-Two wish to detract attention from its already packed 2012 slate?

Video: Max Payne 3 now has Rockstar's full attention.

Two new Civilization V DLC packs will be released on Thursday, 11th August.

They are the Civlization and Scenario Pack: Korea, and the Wonders of the Ancient World Scenario Pack.

The former involves Korea, China, Manchuria and Japan. You can play as any of those factions and plot your part in history after Toyotomi Hideyoshi unifies Japan. You can even fill the boots of Korean leader Sejong, King of the Chosen Dynasty.

Wonders of the Ancient World brings three new wonders to the game: the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (boosts economy), the Statue of Zeus (boosts siege power when attacking cities) and the Temple of Artemis (makes cities grow faster). The scenario involves building all nine ancient wonders first - or taking them by force from local rivals.

You can buy each pack separately for $4.99; alternatively, you can buy them together for $7.49.

Incidentally, there's a patch on its way to Civilization 5, but "not necessarily releasing before this DLC", wrote 2K Games community manager 2K Greg on the game's forum.

Civilization 5 was released in September 2010. Eurogamer's Civilization 5 review awarded 8/10.

Video: Wonderful.