For today's edition of Talk Amongst Yourselves, how about everyone comments about video games?
Thanks to reader pinpoint45 for today's image. Submit your own to #TAYpics and it could be featured in a future installment of this forum post thing we've got here.
Most of the very best games on the PC need you to cough up at least a little cash, but if you absolutely must game for nothing, then let us show you how it's done.
If you look past the obvious avenues for playing on a PC - massively-multiplayer games like World of Warcraft (that require a subscription fee) or digital shopfronts like Steam - you'll find there are countless games that are free in some form or other that are often as good (and sometimes even better) than their paid equivalents.
We of course can't list all of the really great free PC games. We could spend all day just talking about the great flash games over on Newgrounds, for example. But for a nice smorgasbord of free gaming content, from downloadable to browser-based titles, this should have your weekend (or week, or month, or year!) covered.
Developer: DICE
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
It's Like A Free Version Of...: Battlefield
I've had a love-hate relationship with this game for over a year now. I love the gorgeous cartoon graphics and casual-friendly game mechanics (instant deaths are very rare), but the game's insistence on constantly spending money to maintain good equipment and weapons means that those who want to plat for free and be the best in the game will run into problems.
Extras: You can buy basically everything in this game, from fancy new uniforms for your characters to power-ups to bigger and better weapons.
Developer: id Software
Genre: First-Person Shooter
It's Like A Free Version Of...: Quake III
Quake Live is basically classic multiplayer shooter Quake III, only now instead of having to buy a copy you can play it in a browser window and you can play it for free. Simple!
Extras: There's a premium subscriber model for Quake Live, which lets you start and manage your own private games.
Developer: Iron Helmet Games
Genre: Space Strategy
It's Like A Free Version Of...: Master Of Orion
Neptune's Pride began as a labour of love for a handful of ex-Irrational Games developers, and through word-of-mouth has blossomed into quite the cult hit amongst fans of space strategy sims like Master of Orion.
Extras: You can buy bigger galaxies to play in, more stable matches and bigger games with the purchase of in-game credits.
Developer:Mojang Specifications
Genre: World Building/Survival Horror
It's Like A Free Version Of...: Well, Minecraft
The undisputed indie smash of 2010, Minecraft drops the player off on a deserted island and forces them to fend for themselves, building a shelter from the surrounding terrain and then moving on to battle monsters, dig for gems and...build enormous statues of Final Fantasy characters.
Extras: There are two versions of Minecraft, free and alpha, and while the alpha (ie paid) version will give you access to what's basically a singleplayer campaign, the free version - which only has the world-building stuff - is still a blast.
Developer: Tarn Adams
Genre: World Building/RPG
It's Like A Free Version Of...: There's really not much like it.
Before Minecraft came along and stole its thunder with its fancy 3D graphics, Dwarf Fortress was the PC gaming world's best kept secret. You play as a dwarf, and can either go off on an RPG-like quest or can build yourself a settlement.
Extras: Nothing, it's completely and entirely free. Those who simply cannot stomach the game's primitive graphics should grab Stonesense, though, as it turns the 2D ASCII art into more pleasant isometric 3D terrain.
Developer: Semi Secret Software
Genre: Platformer
It's Like A Free Version Of...: Prince of Persia, if the Prince never stopped running and was under attack by an unstoppable alien invasion force.
In Canabalt, you press one button - to jump - and that's it. You'll have to press it a lot, though, because it's the only way you'll outrun a city that's collapsing around you under the weight of an alien invasion.
Extras: It's a flash game, so as long as you're playing it on your PC or Mac, it's free. No catch. If you want to get it for your iPhone, though, that'll cost you.
Developer: Turbine
Genre: Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game
It's Like A Free Version Of...: World Of Warcraft
Lord of the Rings Online is one of the best MMOs around that wasn't made by Blizzard, and in a welcome move, has recently announced a shift to a "free to play" model. Like other games on this list like Battlefield Heroes, this means you'll be able to sign up, create a character and play without ever paying a cent. Hey, Bilbo never had to cough up to travel Middle Earth, why should you!
Extras: You're of course handicapped if you go the free-to-play route; those parting with cash will receive all kinds of bonuses. But hey, you're playing a time-consuming MMO for free, you can suck it up and deal with it.
We've barely scratched the surface of what's possible on the PC (and in many cases Mac) when you want to game and want to do it for free. So now it's your turn: what are your favourite free games?
Previously
The iPad's Best Free Games Right Now
The iPhone's Best Free Games Right Now
OK, hold onto your hats and duct tape your socks on, Sony Computer Entertainment of America tells us that Gran Turismo 5 is going on sale in North America on Nov. 24.
Honest to goodness, cross their hearts and hope not to have to delay it a forty millionth time.
Why do I sound so doubtful? Because in the world of video games, to misquote Mark Twain, there are lies, damn lies and Gran Turismo release dates.
For those of you willing to believe in this, the latest release date for the latest Gran Turismo game, you get a prize: Another apology from the game's creator. YAY!
"Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Program!" Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc., said in a prepared statement. "When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with Gran Turismo 5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans. Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologize to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed."
We shall see Yamauchi, we shall see.
To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: Turkey, Attorneys and Some Lovely Bruschetta
In my typical Night Notes, I take pictures of silly things and talk about my daily life. I did not take this photo, even though it's slightly silly.
Japanese underwear maker Triumph recently held a press conference for this "Welcome To Japan bra". It's possible to hear "Welcome to Japan" in Chinese, Korean and English — just by pressing those gold buttons. With the APEC summit in Japan and Tokyo's Haneda Airport pushing international flights, this bra is timely.
But...it is simply a PR stunt. That's fine, really! Every year, Triumph shows off all sorts of crazy bras. These don't actually go on sale, and they're not for public consumption. They are, as I said, PR stunts. There seems to be some confusion in the West about these garments — that these are going on sale. Like I said, they're not.
Here's another bra that Triumph unveiled. Likewise, not a real product! Triumph, of course, makes loads of bras, and women buy them. They do not buy these bras, however. Nor do they buy Triumph's solar-powered bra or its rice-growing bra or whatever. These are like "concept bras" more than anything. Fun to look it, but not ready to drive.
That is all. Be sure to check my Night Note on Monday when I don't post Japanese bras!
What you missed last night
Hey, Korea, Why You So Down On Starcraft II?
NSFW: Now This Is A Nintendo Trademark We'd Like To See
Ice-T: From Cop Killer To COD Killer
Report: Kinect Only Cost $56 To Make
Halo Reach, Time, Golf Balls & One Poor Spartan Make An Epic Machine
This month, grow a Mario stache. C'mon on. Do it.
The Singapore Prostate Cancer Research Fund has a website full of famous faces without their trademark staches. We've seen a facial hair free Mario before, but the site has clean-shaven images of other personalities like Hulk Hogan.
While this moustache mania is for a good cause (drumming up interest in prostate cancer research), it's a shame they used the real creepy Mario. Hero? More like Horrific! 
Join the Ranks of Great Men this Movember [Moustaches Make A Difference via Gigazine]
There is a flood of content in the Apple App Store. It's hard for games to stand out and find an audience. Why do that when you can ski in the wake of others?
While retail game charts ebb and flow on a weekly basis, with new titles entering and old titles leaving, the App Store's top ten list features a few regulars. Games like Doodle Jump and Angry Birds are mainstays.
No wonder earlier this year Doodle Jumper, a Doodle Jump clone was released (it has since been pulled!). According to website Pocket Gamer, the latest game that seems as though it's trying to cash in on the success of others is "Angry BirdZ" — not to be confused with Angry Birds.
Angry Birds features a red bird as its icon, costs $0.99 and is endlessly entertaining. Angry BirdZ also features a red bird, but it costs $9.99 and we're not sure if it's endlessly entertaining.
"Your goal is simple," the game's App page reads, "find the hidden bird in the spinning golden eggs, but be careful, if you miss it the bird gonna be very angry!" This game, unlike Doodle Jumper, does not appear to be a clone. The screenshots, however, do not exactly look like a $9.99 game.
The developer is quick to point out on the game's App page, "our app has no relation to Rovio's Angry Birds app, any similarities are purely coincidental." That certainly could be true. This could all be one big kwinky dink. 
Developer releases Angry BirdZ iPhone game, charges $10, puts shill review on iTunes [Pocket Gamer]
See, here's what I don't get about Mortal Kombat: who cares how Sub-Zero became Sub-Zero? This is a fighting game. He's there for the punching, and the kicking, and the killing, and that's it.
Still, so long as there are Mortal Kombat fans out there who do care, Warner Bros. will keep releasing these story clips. Ah well, for everyone else, in between all the stuff about revenge and brothers there's plenty of footage of Sub-Zero freezing people then stabbing them then - around 50 seconds in - going strangely 2D, like a Mortal Kombat version of Venture Bros.
We can only hope it would have looked this good. By Jesse Griffin, as seen on Herochan.
Those looking to drop some money on pachinko can head to their neighborhood parlor in the hope of winning some extra scratch. Those looking to spend ¥7,000 (US$85) and win nothing but satisfaction, get this.
CR Neon Genesis Evangelion are a series of pachinko games based on, of course, the popular Japanese franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion.
CR Evangelion ~ The Gospel's Beginning ~ was released in Japan earlier this year. Players often pick up video game versions of their favorite pachinko machines in hopes of improving their game and translating those skills into bigger winnings — much for the same reasons Western gamblers play video game versions of Vegas-type games.
However, games like this even have game modes to help players improve. Whether they actually do, well, that's up to Lady Luck.
Starcraft in Korea falls somewhere between a national sport and a religion. So you'd think, then, that Starcraft II would have been a big hit there. Nope!
A great report over on Edge highlights a bitter struggle between Starcraft developers Blizzard and Korean e-sports authorities, which has left many in Korea — which should be the games' top market — feeling disillusioned and disinterested by the game's big-budget sequel.
It's got little to do with the game itself. Rather, it has more to do with Blizzard's almost fanatical insistence of maintaining control over it — from the removal of LAN party functionality to the "quarantine" of online players within their own geographical area to a feud between the developers and KeSPA (the Korean e-Sports Players Association).
"Our position is that we created the competitions. Korea is the home of StarCraft –- it's very big here" a KeSPA spokesman tells Edge. "There are still lots of people playing an old game, but now I think Blizzard wants it to be here without KeSPA."
"Blizzard wants Battle.net to be used in competitions, not LAN. And they want more money."
And it's not just Korean e-sports authorities failing to warm to the game, Edge's report saying that in the month after Starcraft II was released, only 2-3% of Koreans playing in internet cafes were playing it.
For the full, fascinating story - including how things might finally be looking up for the game in Korea - head to the link below.
The Battle For StarCraft II [Edge]
