The trouble with making videogames is that it's very difficult to keep everyone happy. Take Alien: Isolation, for example. Some players want to explore without having to constantly worry about their face being chewed off; others feel like anything short of relentless punishment is a waste of time. The update released today tries to do something for both camps by adding two new difficulty levels at opposite ends of the spectrum: Nightmare and Novice. 

Nightmare mode saddles players with a busted motion detector and more limited resources; the map systems are offline, and survivors and synthetics will behave more aggressively and dangerously. The Alien will be tougher as well, with heightened senses and "upgraded AI" that will make it more quickly adaptive to your tactics.

Novice mode, obviously, takes things in the opposite direction, providing "more time and breathing space with which to explore Sevastopol." Resources will be relatively plentiful, and the alien will be "more forgiving, more easily distracted, and less aggressive in his hunting style."

Creative Assembly also released a couple of downloadable posters, one for Novice and one for Nightmare, styled after sci-fi movie posters from the 70s. They're both very cool, but for my money the description of the "Ultimate Alien" makes the Nightmare poster the clear winner: "More aggressive. Adapts faster. No second chances."

The update containing both new game modes is available now, and it's free.

We like cheap PC components and accessories. But you know what we like even more? Expensive PC components and accessories that are on sale. We ve partnered with the bargainmeisters at TechBargains to bring you a weekly list of the best component, accessory, and software sales for PC gamers.

Some highlights this week: Alien Isolation is half off on GamersGate.com. Lara Croft: Temple of Osiris doesn't come out until tomorrow, but you can pre-order it for $13.50 on GreenManGaming. The Dell U3014 Monitor is a massive $600 dollars off, and the Lenovo Y40 gaming laptop is 40% off. The Lenovo BT820 bluetooth speaker is also massively discounted, down to $18 from $80.

— Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is half off for $14.99 on Amazon.

— Alien Isolation is half off for only $25 on GamersGate.

— Lara Croft: Temple of Osiris is $13.50 on GreenManGaming with the code GOS0EO-L1SK9P-HBBMO3

— Command & Conquer the Ultimate Collection is 70% off for $5.99 on Origin.

— Lichdom: Battlemage is also 70% for $11.99 on Steam.

— The Alienware Alpha Intel i3-4130T is $549 at Dell.com and comes with a $50 Dell gift card by using the code QZW6Q27B8MZHV4

— The Dell PowerEdge T110 II server desktop is $249 at Dell.com with the code 1BMV26SW0CLTFF

— The Lenovo Y40 Gaming Laptop is 40% off for $689 on Lenovo s Ebay page.

— Get the Dell UltraSharp U3014 30in 2560x1600 LED Monitor for $600 dollars off for $899.99 at Dell.com with the code H5RDZ12S7F$R47

— The Silicon Power S60 3K 120GB SSD is $49.99 on Newegg.

— The Sennheiser RS120 Wireless RF Headphones are $59.99 on Amazon.

— The Lenovo BT820 Bluetooth Speaker, usually $80, is only $17.99 at Lenovo.com with the code USP1DE144211

— The Lenovo P190 In-Ear Headset is $13.99 at Lenovo.com with the code USP1DE146632

For more tech deals, visit techbargains.com.

A note on affiliates: some of our stories, like this one, include affiliate links to online stores. These online stores share a small amount of revenue with us if you buy something through one of these links, which help support our work evaluating components and games.

A new bit of Alien: Isolation DLC has just released. Trauma is a three-map Survivor Mode pack staring a new character, Chief Medical Officer Lingard, in a set of missions set before the main game. How different an experience it will be is debatable. Lingard, like Ripley, is well versed at hiding in lockers and being brutally murdered by an extra-terrestrial being.

"Racked with guilt and feeling responsible for bringing the creature on board, she holds herself liable for the death and destruction that ravages the station as the Alien is unleashed," explains the press release.

"Wanting to ensure that her research on the creature can never fall into the wrong hands, Lingard sets out to destroy all the data and do as much as she can to help the remaining survivors."

This is one of five add-on packs planned for Isolation. Corporate Lockdown is already out, and  Safe Haven , Lost Contact and The Trigger are all forthcoming.

We're only days away from what the Americans call "Black Friday," and what everyone else in the world calls "What The Hell Is Black Friday?" It signifies a weekend trapped in a dizzying fugue state of frenzy, regret and impulsively purchased cheap games.

Nevertheless, when a particularly good deal emerges, we like to separate it out from the pack—isolate it, if you will. Then, you can hunt it down, and jump out at its lowered price like some unstoppable killing machine.

All of which is to say that Alien: Isolation is currently half-price on the Humble Store. That makes it 16/$25.

That's one of the best prices I've yet seen for the one of our highest rated games of this year. The deal only lasts for the next few hours: ending later today at 6pm GMT.

And now, as was the agreed upon price for news stories about sales, here is a picture of a stoat:

We like cheap PC components and accessories. But you know what we like even more? Expensive PC components and accessories that are on sale. We ve partnered with the bargainmeisters at TechBargains to bring you a weekly list of the best component, accessory, and software sales for PC gamers.

Some highlights this week: Ubisoft has a huge amount of games on sale starting at 40% off. You can get Bastion for only $3.75, and if you haven't played it yet then you probably should. Newegg has a 250GB Solid State Drive for only $112.99 and it comes with Borderlands 2 for free. And, in a similar deal to last week, XFX has another video card on sale that comes with your choice of three free games from a list that includes Alien: Isolation, Sniper Elite 3, and Tomb Raider.

Hardware:

— The Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD is over 40% off, only $112.99 on Newegg, and comes with Borderlands 2 for free.

— Similar to a deal last week, the XFX Double D R9-270X-CDFC Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card is $154.99 on Newegg after a $30 rebate, and comes with three free games. The choices include Alien: Isolation, Star Citizen, Sniper Elite 3, Thief, Tomb Raider, and many more.

— The Acer S241HLbmid 24 LCD Monitor is 30% off, $139.99 on Newegg.

— The Motorola SB6141 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem is $89.99 with free shipping on Newegg s ebay page.

— Get the HP Omen 15XT Touch Gaming Laptop for $1674.99 with free shipping coupon code PC599Q4

Games:

— Get Bastion for $3.75 over at Gamersgate.com.

— Steamworld Dig is 75% off, $2.49 on Steam, for the next 48 hours only.

— Ubisoft is having a weeklong sale on Gamersgate.com on a bunch of games, including Watch Dogs, Rayman Legends, and Trials Fusion.

— The Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm expansion is $16.97 at Gamestop.

— Majesty Gold is only $2 on GreenManGaming.com after a using the coupon code NOVEMB-ERGMGX-20XOFF

For more tech deals, visit techbargains.com.

A note on affiliates: some of our stories, like this one, include affiliate links to online stores. These online stores share a small amount of revenue with us if you buy something through one of these links, which help support our work evaluating components and games.

We like cheap PC components and accessories. But you know what we like even more? Expensive PC components and accessories… that are on sale! We ve partnered with the bargainmeisters at TechBargains to bring you a weekly list of the best component, accessory, and software sales for PC gamers.

Some highlights for this week: you can grab Titanfall for 75% off, only $10. The XFX Double Dissipation video card is almost $100 off already, but it also comes with three free games of your choice from a list including Alien: Isolation! Today only, you can get a 240GB SSD for only $89.99, and Green Man Gaming is having sales on everything from Skyrim to the Lego games to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Read through the full list of deals below.

Games:

— Get Titanfall for only $10 on Amazon.

— Get Torchlight 2 for $4.99 at Gamersgate.com.

— You can get Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for $49 as part of GreenManGaming.com's VIP sale, all you need to do is make an account to get that and a ton of other game deals.

— Select Lego games are 75% off right now, and you can get another 23% off that at GreenManGaming.com with the code BWG00E-QJP45O-INFGR1.

— Select Bethesda games are 40% off right now, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas, and you can get another 23% off that at GreenManGaming.com with the code: BWG00E-QJP45O-INFGR1

Hardware:

— The XFX Double Dissipation R9 290 4GB video card is $249.99 on Newegg after a $20 rebate, and comes with three free games. The choices include Alien: Isolation, Star Citizen, Sniper Elite 3, Thief, Tomb Raider, and many more.

— Get the Razer Naga Hex MOBA PC Gaming Mouse - Red for $54.99 on Amazon.

— The SeaSonic X-1250 PSU is only $139.99 on Newegg with free shipping after using the coupon code EMCWWPG28 (expires 11/4) and a $20 rebate.

— The Crucial M500 CT240M500SSD1 240GB Solid State Drive is available on Newegg for $89.99 with free shipping.

— The WD My Passport Slim 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (WDBGMT0010BAL-NESN) is $59.99 on Newegg with free shipping after using the coupon code EMCWWPG23 (expires 11/4)

— The Gigabyte GA-G1.Sniper Intel Z97 LGA1150 ATX Motherboard is $103.99 before shipping on Newegg with the coupon code PREBF706 (expires 11/3) and a $20 rebate.

— Pre-order the Alienware Alpha PC to get a $100 Dell gift card and a free copy of PayDay 2.

For more tech deals, visit techbargains.com.

A note on affiliates: some of our stories, like this one, include affiliate links to online stores. These online stores share a small amount of revenue with us if you buy something through one of these links, which help support our work evaluating components and games.