After a long dry spell for major PC games this summer, we are looking forward to playing a lot of cool titles in the next three months. In the meantime let's look on the first week of September and see what we can come up with for news, downloads and our exclusive features:
Exclusive features

• Spore: It ships to stores today in the US so make sure you check out our coverage of Will Wright's magnum opus, including our five reasons we thing we will love this game, our first out of the box experience and some interesting Spore related advertisements.
• Champions Online: We get a hands-on look at the Snake Gulch zone for Cryptic Studios's upcoming super hero MMO title.
• Reviews: Our latest review takes a look at the next chapter for American McGee's Grimm, Godfather Death.
• Team Fortress 2 Comprehensive Achievement Guide: If you want to see detailed descriptions of every achievement in Valve's multiplayer shooter there's no better place to look.
• Big Ideas: Our latest column on game themes takes a look at being a hero in an MMO title.
• MacMonday: Our latest column on Mac gaming takes a look at the action horror game Larva Mortus.
• Alt-Tab: Our latest feature gallery column takes a hands-on look at Gas Powered's upcoming title Demigod.
• Freeware Friday: Our latest look at free games checks out the recent adventure game remake Quest for Glory 2.

Last week during PAX 2008, we sat down with Hothead COO and Penny Arcade Adventures Producer Joel DeYoung as he guided us through Episode 2 and improvements to the engine. The gist of it is: if you liked Episode 1, you'll like Episode 2 that much more. Here's the rundown from our talks:

• Highlighting points of interest has been made easier! "If you have your proximity putting you close enough to 2 or 3 things, you can slide through that with bumpers," said DeYoung.
  
• There are now difficulty levels, including an Insane Mode (unlockable only after beating the game). Special collectibles and pickups are only available if you play Insane Mode. Comparatively, Episode 1's difficulty is "a little easier" than medium.
• All the weapons have been replaced. Tycho gets a shotgun, Gabe has new fist upgrades and your player now possesses -- wait for it -- a hoe! Also changed are the special attack minigames.
  
• You now have, among other new items, a revive potion. Healing won't be enough to bring your troops back to life. "Just adds a little bit of depth to it," said DeYoung.
• The real-time reaction for defense has been made more obvious (e.g. "Block!" now appears when you need to push block), but nothing analogous for attacking has been added.

More after the break.

American McGee's Grimm introduces the title character to Godfather Death this week. GameTap continues to offer each new Grimm episode free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours after release. There are a couple other new games this week, with one taking us 20,000 leagues under the sea, and the other us remember: We may not be smarter than a 5th grader, but we sure as heck are bigger and stronger!

• Grimm: Godfather Death (Windows) - *Grandpa Simpson voice* Death! Deaaaaaaaaaaath!
  
• Sub Command (Windows) - Another submarine simulation.
  
• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Windows) - Fine FOX programming, now on your computer screen.

There aren't any additions to GameTap's free games lineup this week, but the list of titles available can be found after the break. We've also learned that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will join the service next week.

The viral spiral marketing campaign for Spore has gone into full swing with only five short days until Will Wright's latest creation ... er, creation hits shelves. Billboards, bush shelter ads, and complete be-stickering of public places (Harvard Square shown above) are being spotted, and our buddies at Big Download are keeping track of them all in one big, weird gallery.

Many of the designs and slogans used in the ads have actually been lining the walls (and, actually, pretty much every surface) of EA Maxis' Emeryville, CA office during the game's epic development process. Now the entire world, nay, universe will get to see what we've been treated to during our various visits to Wright's home away from home.

[Via Big Download]

For the most part, all is quiet on the western front in terms of Spore reviews, but there are some exceptions sneaking out of Germany. VG247 reports that German PC mags Gamestar and PC Games have rated Spore with a 79 and 73, respectively. Although not gawd-awful, it's not exactly in line with the glowing reviews the publisher is hoping for with Will Wright's ultra-hyped and much-delayed "sim everything."

We're not currently aware of when the North American embargo on reviews expires, but the European one is allegedly up this Friday, alongside the game's release in the region. UK mag PC Gamer was apparently given the all-clear by EA to release its review early, doling out an impressive 91. It'll be very interesting to find out what the European outlets think of the game later this week.

With PAX 2008 bringing out oodles of Penny Arcade love, why not use this opportunity to pimp the upcoming PA Adventures Episode 2? In addition to chatting with COO Joel DeYoung (that aftermath of which will be published early this week), Hothead Games sent us more than a dozen new screenshots, including a few that are just for us (we feel touched by that, although on that note we wonder if some of them are creepy subliminal messages to us). PAA:OTRSPoD Episode 2 is due out later this year.

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Big Download has been laboring for the last week of August to give you some cool exclusive features and here's a quickie look back at the week that was:

Exclusive Features

• Big Download's Most Anticipated Fall 2008 PC Games: Check out our picks for the games we want to play the most in the busy fall/holiday season.
• Big Download's Penny Arcade Expo 2008 gallery: Check out our own gallery of images from PAX 2008
• Guide to Team Fortress 2 Heavy Achievements: It's an extensive look at all of the new achievements you can get while playing the Heavy class in Valve's multiplayer shooter. Check out part one, part two, part three, part four and part five.
• Reviews: Take a look at reviews of Tank Universal and the latest American McGee's Grimm installment. Plus a look at some new PC accessories from Razer.
• Independent Minds: This new column on indie game development takes a look at how devs should take criticism of their work
  
• Big Iron: Our latest hardware column takes a look at PC cooling systems.
• Big Ideas: Our gaming themes column takes a look at whether classic games should be revamped.
• MacMonday: Our look at Macintosh gaming takes a gander at the classic Maelstrom.
• Alt-Tab: This week's feature gallery column concerns Valve's ideas about games.
• Five reasons we think we will love Mercenaries 2: The title says it all in this new gallery feature.
• Freeware Friday: It's our latest free game; the sandbox title Survival Crisis Z
• BigCast: We have our regular weekly podcast plus extra ones from PAX 2008 with team members from Warhammer Online and one with AOL Game Daily's Robin Yang.
  

We're starting to get a little sick from Spore fever, since we gamers have been hearing about it for what seems like eons. But once the title launches September 7 in North America (and September 5 in Europe and Asia), we'll have to ride the wave of hype again when the rest of the world hears about the title. Set your TiVos for one of the first (of potentially many) Spore tie-ins; the National Geographic Channel will air its HD special, How to Build a Better Being on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 PM. The production is also included in the $80 Spore Galactic Edition.

The show offers a primer in DNA and genetics beyond what we remember from high school, connecting science with Spore. It's less a look at the game directly and more of a handshake (sometimes literally) between Will Wright and genetic scientists.

How to Build a Better Being centers on the Creature Creator and the genetic basis for the game's evolution and multitude of parts. After watching a screener, we wish it also covered science behind other parts of the game. However, the hour-long show works as a companion to that fundamental Spore angle.

American McGee's Grimm continues on GameTap this week with The Girl Without Hands -- yup, it's getting darker. Same as every week, the episode is free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours after release. The service also gets into the drug trade by adding the addictive Puzzle Quest.

• Grimm: The Girl Without Hands (Windows) - Katamari Grimm-acy do your thing!
  
• Puzzle Quest: Challenge of Warlords (Windows) - It's time to finally play this game if you've somehow missed out on it.
  

There aren't any additions to GameTap's gratis games lineup this week, but the full list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Spore creator and bona fide master game designer, Will Wright, seemed surprisingly ... okay with the various "Spore-nographic" organs creatures people have made using the Spore Creature Creator. "Some of it's really good for what they were shooting for. It's amazingly explicit, especially when those creations are animated," Wright said.

On the topic of giving creative power (and lots of it) to players, Wright explained, "When you give players creative control, you have to expect they're going to do the unexpected," but he was quick to add, "We just have to make sure those people aren't messing up the experience for others." To this end, Wright told the AP that there will be a system in place whereby players can "ban" content from ever appearing in their own Spore universe. Elsewhere, we fully expect there to be entire universes populated solely by undulating naughty bits.

When a company has one of the most successful MMORPGs games of all time, the last thing anyone there wants to do is throw a wrench into what the customers' rigs can handle. To that end, the Blizzard team explained in a few interviews last week that World of Warcraft's graphical updates will happen over time with expansions. Don't go expecting something like World of Warcraft 2 or a major graphics overhaul, which might hurt the customer base.

In an interview with VideoGamer.com, Blizzard's Rob Chilton explains that "usability" has always been more important to the company than technical prowess. Obviously, Blizzard's judgment on how to run Azeroth, compared to those who yearn for a full-blown graphics overhaul, has paid off in million billions for the developer.

Source -- Brack clarifies graphical update plans (WoW Insider)
Source -- WoW graphical reboot may never be necessary (VG)

Perhaps the vagaries of reality have finally taken hold and you've done it. You've canceled the WoW account. Now you're back together with the Mrs., you've re-memorized all your kids' names, and you've got something that approximates steady work. Life, it would seem, is perfect. Then you heard the siren call of Wrath of the Lich King and – what is this? – you shut it out. Fine ... be strong.

But can you shut out the opportunity to drive your Sword of a Thousand Truths deep into the spotted fur of Bambi's mother? Sure, you cried during Bambi like everyone else did, but can you really resist transforming sweet, innocent Bambi(na) – spotted in Wrath's Northrend – into the crazy-eyed "Vengeful Bambina"? Blizzard's hoping you can't. But what if the kids see what you've done? You'll lose it all! Again!

[Via WoW Insider]

Games Convention generated a ton of new HD trailers for upcoming PC games and we have them ready to download, along with a ton of original content and news stories. Indeed, there were a lot of new PC games announcements this week (more than at E3). Take a look at all of them on our site:

Exclusive Features

• Reviews: Check out our reviews of the PC version of Bionic Commando Rearmed and the latest chapter of American McGee's Grimm.
• Hands-on previews: Check out our hands-on impressions of Aion, Battleforge and Battlefield Heroes
• BigVersus: Our latest game comparison column takes a look at the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Bionic Commando Rearmed.
• Big Iron: Our latest PC hardware column takes a look at power . . . power supplies for your rig that is.
• Big Ideas: Our latest column on themes in gaming takes a look at the so called "new games journalism."
• Alt-Tab: Our newest column takes a look at RTS gameplay conventions and how Relic could change them with Dawn of War II.
• Freeware Friday: Our latest look at free PC games is the classic Nethack.
• BigCast: It's our regular podcast with team members chatting about all things PC gaming.

This week American McGee's Grimm retells the story (in Grimm's special way) of the anthropomorphic Puss in Boots. The episode is free for everyone the first 24 hours after release and will be available only to GameTap subscribers after that time.

• Grimm: Puss In Boots (Windows) - Cats are evil and Puss is no exception. Dogs rule!
  
• Patrician III (Windows) - How to describe ... how to describe? Oh, it's like playing "Medieval Tycoon."

There are no new additions to GameTap's free games lineup this week. As always, though, the full list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King's opening cinematic will premiere at the Leipzig Games Convention. The clip will be shown this Thursday, August 21, at 1PM German standard time (7AM Joystiq time).

We'd speculate about what Blizzard has in store for a big reveal at Blizzcon, but with Diablo 3, Starcraft 2 and WoW in play, who knows what the company could announce. We'll see what happens on October 11.

[Via WoW Insider]