Every year thousands of PC gamers around the world sacrifice some of their play time in order to make the games they play even better that the original developers, and every year the community at modding hot spot ModDB choose the very best. Who made the grade this year?

This is the joy of PC gaming right here. Long after console gamers have shelved their old favorites for the next big thing, PC game modders are doing things like adding online multiplayer to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, creating new levels for Company of Heroes, or crafting an entirely new game from the code of another.

MOTY Players Choice - Mod of the Year - Mod DB

Hit up ModDB for the full list of this year's deserving nominees, and then dig out those scratched and dusty discs and have some fun.

Mod of the Year Players' Choice Awards [ModDB]

Oh please God let this be true.

The rumours section of the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine says that, in addition to its work on yet another Dawn of War game, THQ's Relic is also gearing up for something to do with Company of Heroes.

They don't explicitly say what that is, but the chances of it being an expansion to a 2006 game are, well, remote. So after I get down hoping this is true, I'm going to hope it's a sequel, and not some action game spin-off.

We've contacted THQ for comment and will update if we hear back.

PC Gamer January 2012 [PC Gamer]

The two women responsible for the tragic death last year of Company of Heroes developer Brian Wood have been sentenced to prison, The Herald reports.

Jordyn Weichert and Samantha Bowling, both from Oak Harbor, Washington, were both steering the vehicle that collided with Wood's car last September, killing the developer and injuring his pregnant wife. Two friends of the girls responsible were also killed.

Samantha Bowling was sentenced to five years prison on three counts of vehicular homicide, while Weichert, who was driving at the time, was sentenced to eight years.

Both women were charged because of the nature of the crash; Weichert was apparently removing her sweater at the time, with Bowling holding the wheel while she did so. As the car veered out of control, Weichert grabbed the wheel while Bowling still had her hands on it, resulting in the car careening across traffic and colliding with Wood's vehicle.

Brian's wife Erin gave birth to a daughter earlier this year.

Two sentenced for car crash that killed 3 [The Herald]

Company of Heroes Online, whose beta began in July, will be closed down entirely on March 31.

In-game currency - COHO Cash - is no longer for sale, and players are being urged to spend any balance they have pronto.

As a token, THQ is offering anyone who registered with the beta before Feb. 1 a copy of Company of Heroes Gold for $4.99 through the THQ online store. The code for the game is available through the Company of Heroes Online closure FAQ.

Relic Entertainment, the game's maker, said it is "still working on our plans for the Company of Heroes franchise and are not ready to discuss details yet,' that doesn't sound too optimistic for the chances of this game being released as a full retail version. Especially if, as Joystiq notes, THQ's other freemium venture, WWE Online, also has been shut down.

Company of Heroes Online Beta Shutting Down [Game Politics]

Commenter Bipolar.Bear.Disorder is missing the good old days of World War II in today's installment of Speak-Up On Kotaku.

Am I the only one left in the gaming community that misses World War II games? With everyone's intense focus on modern and future warfare, I feel as if World War II video games, my favorite genre, have fallen a bit by the wayside. Of course, World War II games are still being released, but not on the constant scale that used to be the norm. I understood that some people had begun to feel as if the era had been overdone and cliché, but I must admit, I really miss FPS games where aim was more important than perks, and headshots didn't have to come from sniper rifles.

With this sudden influx of contemporary war games set in the present and future, I feel like we as gamers lose an important facet that was prominent in the more well-made productions. I can't really explain what I mean by it, though. To me, it just feels like games like Modern Warfare and Medal of Honor miss some important element that was in their earlier iteration. It isn't the scope of the war, or even the actual combat itself. I just don't think that war games set in a modern period have the same "magic," for lack of a better term; that games like Call of Duty 2, Brothers in Arms, and Company of Heroes had. Maybe it's a sense of righteousness, with a clear sense of who the enemy is and what our goals are. Maybe since it took place "so many years ago," it seems as if it's another time in another place.

I just don't understand why gamers and developers had begun to ignore World War II. Maybe it was being overdone, but I'm pretty sure developers hadn't used the era to its fullest potential. There are so much other stories left to tell. There's so much things developers hadn't done yet. This current batch of modern-combat games cannot match the ones that took us up Normandy Beach, fighting through once-pristine French streets, to reach the city of Berlin.

Maybe that's what's missing in these games set in modern conflicts. In this day and age, undoubtedly fueled by countless government scandals and corruption, any war taking place seems wrong and, well, stupid. Not getting into any specifics here, but the general populace had developed distaste for war and bloodshed. For patriotism and pride. That's where World War II games came in. They weren't meant to trivialize the war, neither making it bearable and "cutesy," or making in into the Hollywood-style action-paced machismo slugfest that dominate the current shooting galleries. They were a sort of remembrance, in a way, for the countless men and women who have died in such a tragic war. In World War II, that was both humanities highest point and lowest point in history. It'd be a shame to forget it in such a quickly growing medium.

About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have that little box on the front page of Kotaku. You know, the one with "Got something to say?" written in it? That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Just make sure to include #speakup in your comment so we can find it. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best #speakup posts we can find and highlight it here.

In September Company of Heroes Online lead designer Brian Wood was killed in a car crash. His pregnant wife Erin survived. NBC's Today talks with the widow about how she's keeping Brian's memory alive for her newborn daughter.

Brian Wood lost his life in September of 2010, but through his actions a new life was preserved. Following the accident that took his life, the gaming community rallied behind his wife Erin, donating funds to help ease the grief of losing her husband with a new baby on the way.

Revisiting the story, NBC's Today featured Erin and her two-month-old child Sierra Grace Wood, exploring how Brian's memory will be preserved. It's a touching end to a tragic tale.

Friends of Brian Wood, the Company of Heroes developer who lost his life in a tragic car accident on Friday, have established a trust fund to aid his wife and their unborn child during this trying time. Every dollar counts.

As reported earlier this week, Company of Heroes Online lead designer Brian Wood of Relic Entertainment lost his life on Friday night, when his Subaru Outback was struck head-on by an out-of-control Chevy Blazer. The 33-year-old developer was killed in the crash. According to his wife, his last act was swerving his vehicle to take the full brunt of the impact himself, saving her life and that of the couple's unborn child.

Radical Entertainment's Szymon Mazus, a close friend of the family, now points us towards a trust fund established to aid Erin and her child as they deal with this tragic situation.

"Brian was a very close friend. He was just the kindest most down to earth person you could ever hope to meet, as is Erin. We have set up a trust fund to help Erin and the baby during this very difficult time and I was hoping you would be willing to post a blurb about this and a link to www.brianwoodmemorialtrust.com on your site. We, family and friends, would be incredibly grateful."

I can only imagine how deeply this tragedy affects Erin and her child. With so much to worry about now that Brian Wood has passed on, not having to worry about financial matters would certainly be a large weight off of her shoulders, while helping ensure that the pair have the sort of life that Brian would have wanted for them.

Every single dollar does count. Imagine the relief we could give Erin and her child if everyone who read this donated just one dollar to the fund. I've donated, and I only have $35 in the bank right now. If I can do it, so can you.

Click the link below to find out how you can contribute.

The Brian Wood Memorial Trust [Official Page]

Further information regarding the tragic death of Relic Entertainment's Brian R. Wood in an automobile accident Friday night reveals that the developer's final act saved the life of his wife and their unborn child.

As we reported yesterday, the lead designer on Company of Heroes Online was driving his Subaru Outback with his wife Erin of five years, pregnant with their first child, when they were struck by a speeding Chevy Blazer driven by 21 year-old Jordyn B. Weichert.

The 33-year-old developer was killed in the crash. His wife and their child survived the crash, thanks to Brian's last-minute sacrifice.

According to Erin Wood, she and the baby would not have survived the crash had Brian not swerved at the last minute, taking the brunt of the impact himself.

"All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of us would be dead. At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both.

Rather than a head-on collision, the Chevy Blazer struck the driver's side of the Wood's Subaru, crushing the roof and killing Brian instantly. His wife escaped with a non-life-threatening head injury.

Along with being a lead designer with Relic Entertainment, Wood also sang baritone with the Espiritu Choir in North Vancouver and enjoyed spending time outdoors.

He will be remembered fondly by his co-workers, his family, and of course, his wife and child.

"He was always sacrificing himself for me and the baby," said Erin Wood.

"He was the most amazing warm-hearted man you would ever meet who loved his job, loved his family, and was just my rock. I am not quite sure how I am supposed to live the rest of my life without him. He truly was a gift and I wouldn't change a thing of any of our moments together. (The baby is) due Nov. 5 so it will come quick and then I look forward to seeing little glimpses of Brian in our baby and that gives me a lot of strength right now."

According to Washington State police, evidence of drug use by the driver and passengers of the Blazer was discovered at the scene, and the occupants of the vehicle were known to police.

The driver of the Blazer, 21-year-old Jordan Weichert, was allegedly removing a sweater while driving, asking her 22-year-old passenger Samantha Bowling to take the wheel. Both survived the accident. Weichert is being charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and one of vehicular assault. Bowling is being investigated for the same charges.

The other two passengers in the Blazer died in the crash, 25-year-old Jacob Quistorf and 26-year-old Francis Malloy.

Brian's father, Ed Wood, says the family harbors no anger towards Weichert and Bowling, but feels they need to be put away so the tragedy doesn't happen again.

"I don't feel a sense of anger. I feel a sense of profound loss. I don't feel a need for vengeance or anything of that sort. But I do believe these people need to be put away. They are going to kill somebody else and themselves and they need to be put away just for the good of society."

North Van dad-to-be's final act saves family [The Province - Thanks Moc]

Brian R. Wood, lead designer of Company of Heroes Online and a key player in the development of the series as a whole, was tragically killed on Friday night in an automobile accident north of Seattle.

Wood was behind the wheel of his Subaru Outback, with his wife Erin a passenger, when they were struck head-on by a Chevy Blazer driven by 21 year-old Jordyn B. Weichert. Two passengers in Weichert's car were killed, while it's alleged that the young driver was also under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.

The Washington State Patrol say Weichert could be charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault once she is released from hospital, while another passenger in her car, 22 year-old Samantha R. Bowling, may also be charged with vehicular homicide.

Wood was 33. His wife, six months pregnant, is "hospitalized but in improving condition".

Our thoughts go out to Wood's family and everyone at Relic Entertainment.

Vehicular homicide charges possible in Whidbey crash [Seattlepi]

If the extent of your real-time strategy gaming extends to playing Starcraft and pre-ordering Starcraft II, boy have you missed a lot in the last ten years.

While Starcraft II looks pretty great, we know from the beta that the fundamentals of the game remain largely unchanged since the 1998 original. If you want more of the same, it looks set to be right up your alley, but if you'd like to see some of the changes and additions made to the genre over the past decade, you should read on.

Note: Every game I'm about to recommend is for the PC. I know there will be scores of other games you could recommend aside from these, but I've tried to stick to the most significant and recent titles. If you think you know something better, let us know in the comments below!

Starcraft was essentially a two-dimensional strategy game. Like Command & Conquer before it, while the game map gave the illusion of height and depth, most gameplay – including that of the game's flying units - was limited to the X-axis. Maps featured only crude elevation in the form of "second levels", while aircraft couldn't adjust their altitude.

Later real-time strategy games have since embraced true three dimensional maps. This means sloping hills, river beds and a true sense of height. Not only does this look more realistic, but many modern RTS games use this 3D space in terms of gameplay; running up hills tires out infantry, etc.

See: World in Conflict, Total War series

Cover. It's the most important thing for a soldier on the battlefield, yet from Dune to Command & Conquer to Warcraft to Starcraft, developers either refused or were unable to implement the feature. Many games today make it a staple, however, and the addition of cover to the genre has revolutionised RTS gaming.

Relic's Company of Heroes remains the standard bearer for this feature; when moving infantry, you not only click on a spot on the map to move them, but arrange how the troops will deploy behind cover, and are even told how effective that cover is from enemy fire by a colour-coded feedback system.

No longer are infantry meat for an eternal grinder; they can now be safely moved across maps and safeguarded.

See: Company of Heroes, Dawn of War, Dawn of War II

One of the most important aspects of Starcraft is resource gathering. You can't build troops without minerals and gas, so half your time in the game is spent…mining. If mining is a passion of yours, that is awesome, but most modern RTS games realised that mining isn't as much fun as fighting, and have settled on ways to reward you for territory held and blood spilled, not how much stuff you can dig out of the ground.

The concept of "command points", or "control points" is how this philosophy is implemented. Rather than holing yourself up in a base like you would in Starcraft or, say, Age of Empires, many RTS games of today instead force you out of your base early in the game, with control over certain sectors of the map the only way to earn the points/money required to build more units.

Not only does this relieve the need to focus on non-military tasks, but it encourages players to constantly engage each other across an entire map, rather than simply hoarding all their units for a single rush as is still a dominant tactic in Starcraft.

See: Company of Heroes, Dawn of War

Now, this isn't to say that these new additions to the genre are universal improvements. A lot of people – millions of people - like the way Starcraft plays, which is exactly why Blizzard has stayed true to the same formula for the sequel.

But like it is with Call of Duty, or Madden, there are many people whose only experience with real-time strategy is solely through the giant of genre. In this instance Starcraft. And if that's you, and you feel like trying something a little different, then any of the games listed here are a great place to start.