The picture - the header of our Thief review from 1999 - may be a bit of a giveaway, but why not? It's Friday, after all. We can indulge in a little bit of misty-eyed nostalgia without fear of our bosses asking us why we're staring wistfully into space and making bow and arrow and mimicking guard-clubbing animations over and over again. That's the sort of freedom only the weekend can bring. Here's what we're planning to play between now and Monday, but what will you indulge in?

We like to live on the cutting edge here at PC Gamer, so this weekend Phil will be playing a bright new thing from Looking Glass called Thief: The Dark Project. Apparently it has these things called polygons and features lots of emergent crime and - wait - it's not 1998? Oh well, that's okay, Phil's planning to modernise it with the NewDark patch, which should help it run on his fancy pants modern computer box (it's not even beige!). He likes stealth. He likes crime, but he's never played the original Thief, so it should be an interesting education. Will cudgelling those broad, sharp-shouldered guards prove as interesting in a post-Dishonored/Deus Ex: Human Revolution world? We'll see.



Rich, meanwhile, is still playing Rogue Legacy from last week, but is also planning to dip back into Dota 2 to relax. Okay, maybe not relax. to hone his sense of focus in a highly competitive arena, which is Rich's equivalent of a summer break, really. Dota 2 fans can look forward to a proper release for Dota 2 in the coming month or so. The release itself is largely symbolic given the number of invites swimming around players' Steam inboxes, but it might come with a significant update and new heroes. Beyond that, there's The International 3. I'm determined to learn enough about Dota 2 before then to understand what is going on. I'd like to get in on the cheers and excitement triggered by plays like these:



I was lucky enough to review Saints Row: The Third, and liked it very much indeed, which is why I'm excited that Chris is going to give it a go this weekend. He's played the (very funny) opening hours, but there's so much yet to discover, the laser-shooting VTOL jets, that whole section set inside a computer, the bit with the tiger. After just a few hours, you have more toys than Batman, and the city is yours to boss. It's a riotous little power fantasy, elevated by a lust for silliness and a sense of abandon that, for some reason, reminds me of Dead Rising. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a penis bat in Dead Rising, though. FOR SHAME.



Graham will spend the weekend peering over a fine glass of port, listening to Tchaikovsky and calmly taking over the world with art in Civilization V: Brave New World. The second expansion, due out next week, adds new cultural victory conditions, and lets you use great artists in more interesting ways. If he doesn't come back to work in a top hat and start lecturing us on renaissance values then I will be surprised, and just a little bit disappointed.



Apparently it's going to be gloriously sunny here over the weekend, to which I say NO. I demand RAIN and TRENCH COATS. Evocative sci-fi adventure game Gemini Rue will answer the call, giving my mouse pointer control over the fate and actions of a hardboiled space-detective and an imprisoned amnesiac. Will our jump-suited captive regain his memories? Will our coated friend escape the clutches of the sinister Boryokudan? Will I ever master the fiddly cover-based gun combat system? Don't look at me, I'm only a few hours in. I might just stand in one of those beautifully drawn streets and listen to the rain for a while instead.



That's us, but how do you plan to escape the sunshine this weekend?

Congratulations reader, you are now enjoying the News Post of the Year. Admittedly it has won no awards, nor received any critical praise. But I figure if games can give themselves a self-congratulatory Game of the Year edition, why can't I? The most recent sighting is for a Borderlands 2: GOTY bundle, references to which have been found in the Steam database. While the distributor's back-end listings can be an unreliable measure of future releases, it's not against type for the series.

If it is real, here's what will be found inside Borderlands 2: A Game That Was Released In The Year That It Was Released edition:


Captain Scarlet’s And Her Pirate’s Booty
Mister Torgue’s Campaign Of Carnage
Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt
Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep
Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade
Mechromancer Pack
Psycho Pack
Creature Slaughter Dome


Basically, it's a full round up of the extra levels and new characters introduced since the games release. Of course, for now there's no official confirmation on the existence of the pack, so also no word on its price or release.

Oh, and do me a favour: don't go telling people about this whole News Post of the Year thing. Otherwise they'll all be at it.

Thanks, MP1st.

BioShock Infinite will uncover its plans for a new set of DLC later this month, according to a report at IGN. We already know from the Season Pass bundle that we should be expecting at least three additional DLC expansions for the first-person shooter, and IGN hints in its story that a late July announcement could mark the first narrative-extending content from developer Irrational Games.

A small pack of DLC including some bonus items and gear—Columbia's Finest—has already found its way to the public, but so far we are still waiting to hear anything more than rumors about how the BioShock Infinite story arc will be altered or extended by additional expansions. Will it be a new companion? Certainly a game that explores the consequences of rifts in the fabric of space and time leaves a lot of options on the table for possible tweaks to BioShock Infinite's complex plot.

We've already assembled a list of what we'd like to see from any large expansions to the shooter. These include changes to gameplay such as an expanded armory, streamlined looting, and greater punishment for failure, but probably the most intriguing alterations possible in any new DLC will involve the game's eclectic cast of characters.

Where does Booker go from here?

Sid Meier is second only, perhaps, to Tom Clancy in the ranking of “guys with their names at the front of game titles.” Unlike Clancy, though, Meier actually had a hand in developing legendary games like Sid Meier’s Civilization, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, and the original X-COM.

Meier hasn’t always courted the press, but over at Kotaku there’s a lengthy feature interview relating Meier’s recollection of pivotal moments in gaming history. For example, there’s the somewhat-disputed origin of the “Sid Meier’s” moniker that made its way to so many of our favorite games:

“We were at dinner at a Software Publishers Association meeting, and Robin Williams was there,” longtime collaborator Bill Stealey says. “And he kept us in stitches for two hours. And he turns to me and says ‘Bill, you should put Sid's name on a couple of these boxes, and promote him as the star.’ And that's how Sid's name got on Pirates, and Civilization.”

The interview also explores a lot of Meier’s personality, including some aspects that I had never known before. Meier is a devout Christian who plays music for his church. Though his games are frequently about violent times and places, there is never any blood or gore shown. He designs and creates his games by playing them, over and over, until they are fun.

For a ton of great anecdotes about the games and studios that defined Meier’s career and, in turn, defined an industry and a generation of gamers, check out the full profile.

Image from Firaxis.

Sid Meier's Civilization V’s newest expansion, Brave New World, doesn’t hit PC until July 9. But the drive of the human spirit to create great things is so indomitable, so profound, that the producers of the launch trailer refused to wait and instead released it today. For freedom! For progress!

Or maybe they put it out 11 days early because it’s got Keith David narrating, and that alone should pour some gas on the publicity fire.



We’ve had a lot of fun with Civ V and its various expansions, and we’ve been looking forward to diving into this one. It adds nine new civilizations including Morroco, Brazil, Venice, and Indonesia. The new civilizations and their leaders can strive toward eight new Wonders, including Broadway, the Globe Theatre, and the International Space Station.

Players can also look forward to conquering the world monetarily through new trade routes or bringing nations to order through the World Congress.

Brave New World hits on July 9 in the US and July 12 everywhere else. You can snag it for $30/£20.