Well, this sucks. Jasper Byrne, developer of accomplished sidescrolling horror Lone Survivor, has announced that NEW GAME +, the untitled RPG that was going to be his next project, has been axed. Byrne broke the news on his blog, giving the reason that it was "too big for a single person to make".

"I have decided to abandon the project," Byrne announced in the post. "It's been a very tough decision to make, quite heartbreaking really, but it IS the right thing to do. It was too big for a single person to make. This is the root of the problem. It wasn't that I fell out of love with the idea, just that I can’t physically do it."

Fair enough. The post came with a bit of good news, at least, even if it isn't particularly relevant to us lot: Lone Survivor is coming to PS3. (That's the one with Nathan 'Sly' Clank as a mascot, I believe.) He also offered us a tantalising glimpse of what the Dark Souls-inspired RPG might have been, with a bundle of development images showing naked club-wielding men. Farewell, NEW GAME +, we hardly knew ye.

The Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate is due in a little over two weeks, but the expandening of BioWare's classic RPG series won't stop there. In an interview with the Red Bull website of all things, creative director Trent Oster confirmed that “we are committed to doing Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition."

He went on to reveal that "the instant Baldur's Gate is completed most of our team is ready to start work on , with a couple holding back to continue to add features and support the fans...We're planning on shipping in 2013, hopefully before the end of summer." If you're wondering why that is, it's because he wants to "enjoy some sun this year - 2012 was a write off."

There's no word on what features we can expect in the sequel, but the Throne of Bhaal expansion seems like a safe bet. As does cross-platform multiplayer, mod support, new characters and a raised level cap - all things that are going to be present when the first Enhanced Edition lands on our digital doorsteps on November 28th.

You know what's sold a lot of copies? The Sims 2. But Minecraft is steadily closing the gap, with Mojang bringing word today that the PC version of their blockbusting hit has sold a whopping 8 million copies to date (8,000,139 to be exact). Mojang's Jens Bergensten responded to the news by stating that "I can't think of anything clever to say. It's simply amazing,” while Notch went one better by revealing that "69I960EHE0A4A0IVG0EHE02500R4R0G1T30PLJ00V6V0EHE0V1U01V10U5U0VGV0V4R". Honestly - he can't go one day without making a dig at Windows 8.

To clarify: huh? We've been assured that this string of seemingly nonsensical letters and numbers leads somewhere awesome, but we're completely stumped, and our Enigma machine is sadly on the fritz. We've narrowed it down to a serial number for a super-secret 0x10c alpha, some sort of Scrolls code, or Notch's Netflix password - but we're not ashamed to admit that we're probably completely wrong about all three. It therefore falls to you to decipher it for us - so make it snappy, eh?

Here's that number again: 69I960EHE0A4A0IVG0EHE02500R4R0G1T30PLJ00V6V0EHE0V1U01V10U5U0VGV0V4R

When Final Fantasy XIV came out in 2010, it was, it's fair to say, a bit of a mess. But in the two years since, Square Enix has been rebuilding the entire game from the ground up, in preparation for its impending re-launch as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Before select players move on to the alpha this Winter, and the re-launch proper sometime in 2013, there was the little matter of euthanising the original game. Something Square Enix achieved today in typically understated fashion.

Yeah right. Where most developers would accompany an MMO shutdown with a press release or maybe an in-game event (two things Square Enix also provided), FFXIV's overlords have released the following lushly animated trailer, which shows the world of Hydaelyn being bombarded by meteors. Armies clash, wizards look forlornly on, and some typically awful music blares over it all as the apocalypse happens before our eyes. Despite all life seemingly being scorched by holy death rays, the world and many of its inhabitants will return, with A Realm Reborn taking place five years later.

Thankfully, your avatars will return along with them. Character data was frozen a couple of weeks ago, so when you do move on to the (presumably) final version of Final Fantasy XIV, you'll find your hero/heroes ready and waiting. All that's left to do, then, is say goodbye to the original game:

With PlanetSide 2 launching in just over a week, SOE are working overtime to get the game in tip-top shape. Last week they added the final launch continent, and this week they're focusing on the overall metagame, in addition to making base captures tougher and, well, better. You'll find the full list of changes here, but we've plucked out a few highlights after the break.

One of the most notable features of the patch is the new 'Tug of War' base capturing, which replaces the ticket system of old. SOE recommend bringing along a strong squad (or even a platoon) for captures now, as this new system is set to be a tougher and less flip-floppy one. On the metagame side, there are new base facility ownership bonuses, along with added continent domination benefits. As SOE put it, "capturing all contested territories in a continent will provide a temporary bonus to the controlling empire." Conquering Indar will grant you a "reduction of cost for items purchased with Infantry resources," while Esamir and Amerish do the same but for "vehicles purchased with mechanized resources" and "aircraft purchased with aerospace resources" respectively.

It's certainly a big ol' update, and we suspect it won't be the last. PlanetSide 2 shoots its way out of beta on November 20th, which is so close we can almost taste it.

In the beginning, there was Doom 3. And it was not particularly well-received, on account of that gun/flashlight blunder. Then, after a long time, Doom 3 came back again as the BFG Edition, just in time to see its older version yanked from the face of Steam. Now, at last, this epic tale comes to its thrilling conclusion, because Bethesda have seen sense and put original game back on sale. Hooray!

Doom 3 can now be yours for £5.99, or £7.99 if you want the Resurrection of Evil expansion thrown in too. There are around 92 reasons why you might want the original game rather than the BFG do-over, and they're all listed on the game's Moddb page. Of particular note is The Dark Mod, the ambitious total conversion that transforms Doom 3 into Thief.

If you pop along to the massive Tesco Extra store in Cheshunt this very evening, you will be able to play Black Ops 2 before launch and be in the running for some top prizes. Only the 360 version is available to play as part of the competition, but simply lining up to buy the game entitles you to a goodie bag.

From 10pm onwards, teams of up to four players will be able to compete in Black Ops 2’s Zombie Survival mode - those who survive ten waves and post the highest score will snag a copy of the game and a Turtle Beach Sierra headset. And while the game is indeed to be played only on 360 at the event, at least the 360s in question are embedded in a converted monster truck with 43” plasma screens, thumping sound system and gaming chairs. So that’s nice.

And even those who aren’t willing to mount the “Game Beast” can still come away winners. Tesco are offering goodie bags, spot prizes, t-shirts and more.

To get there, set your sat navs to: Tesco Extra Cheshunt, Brookfield Gardens, Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 0TA - but you might want to turn up early!

If you have a good few hours of your life to spare, if you enjoy ludicrously convoluted treasure hunts, and you're ridiculously good at co-op heist game Payday, you might want to embark on the masochistic quest to discover its hidden vault. (Alternatively, just watch the following video). A dedicated team of players has followed the clues, ticked off an obscure set of criteria in the opening map First World Bank, avoided deadly gas and survived wave after wave of enemies, and finally uncovered the vault and its contents. Was it worth it? You tell us after the break.

For their Herculean efforts - not least of which is a freaking two hour wait while the drill busts a hole in a particularly stubborn door - the team received a message of congratulations from developers Overkill and, oh yes, a "metric fuck-ton" of gold. Thankfully they filmed their endeavour, with instructions on the right way to go about it, if you're tempted to try this out for yourself.

If you thought the biggest thing you had to worry about in Modern Warfare 3 was a knife in the back while you were camped out sniping, you might have to think again. At the Power of Community security conference in Seoul, two researchers appear to have found "critical vulnerabilities" in the game - along with Crytek's CryEngine 3 - as reported by Computer World.

At the conference, ReVuln security consultants Luigi Auriemma and Donato Ferrante presented the results of their research. Along with a video showing how a denial-of-service attack could trouble Modern Warfare 3, they demonstrated how a server-level attack on CryEngine 3 (using the game Nexuiz) let them "create a remote shell on a game-player's computer", granting access to "all of the information on the players through the server". The pair plan to reveal "advisories" on the two vulnerabilities tomorrow, on the launch day of Black Ops II. They're also willing to offer their assistance to Activision, but as Computer World put it, they "aren't going to volunteer the information, since their research is part of their business."

As well as accessing players' information, Ferrante says that these vulnerabilities could be used by rival companies to shut down their competitors' games entirely. He blames the focus on game performance over security for these flaws. "In general, game companies don't seem to be very focused on security but rather on performance of the game itself, Ferrante said. Adding security checks can slow down games, and if the companies don't deem the problem a very critical issue, it will usually be ignored."

In what is bound to be welcome news to gamers in Japan and South Korea, DOTA 2 will soon be available in both countries thanks to an agreement between developers Valve and online game publisher Nexon.

Valve president Gabe Newell said in a statement: "Nexon, a company with whom we have a long and strong relationship, was clearly the right choice as a publisher to successfully deliver Dota 2 into the Korean and Japanese market. Partnering with Nexon will allow us to deliver Dota 2 to a massive audience of Asian gamers via  a premium service."

Cracking the Eastern market may be a challenge for Valve, with League of Legends so firmly entrenched in the region - especially in Korea.