Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is getting its first major booster shot just six months after its initial launch. Titled A Call to Arms, the changes will come to the game in the form of a number of in-game events held over the course of a few months -- the devs are calling it a "live expansion." Our ninja-looting sister site Massively has all the details about the upcoming events as well as an in-depth interview with WAR executive producer Jeff Hickman, but here's a basic breakdown of the events, and the additions they'll bring:

• Call to Arms: Bitter Rivals (Late Feb.) -- The Bitter Rivals event features quests, tasks and RvR activities which will allow players to unlock the once-canceled Orc Choppa and Dwarf Slayer classes. Players who don't participate in the events will unlock the two classes a week later.

• Call to Arms: Beyond the Sands (April) and Rise of the Tomb Kings (May) -- Hickman didn't share many details about these two events, only explaining that they would eventually lead up to the launch of ...

• The Land of the Dead (June) -- An internal dungeon (with accompanying external zone) which realms will compete to control. It will feature new public quests, instances, items and a pyramid which houses the Tomb King; the dungeon's focal point which Hickman promises will incite "crazy epic adventures."

Power comes with influence, intelligence and an iron fist. In The Godfather II players will wield power and use all the benefits it provides to create the most ruthless army within the Cosa Nostra. At least that's what Robert Duvall told us in the latest trailer for the upcoming EA sequel. Yes, good old Tom Hagen will be by your side to aide in obtaining a blood-splattered key to the city. And not "by your side" in the "we're going dancing" kind of way. You'll definitely be shooting people in the face. With guns.

If you're looking for proof that PopCap's stash is still the most potent you can find, look no further. While PC sales took a 14% hit in 2008, PopCap Games has announced its year-over-year revenue has jumped 85%. Citing data from NPD Group, which does not take online sales into account, PopCap stated the biggest needle in the vein came in the form of Bejeweled Twist -- a franchise that has already hit the $300 million mark. According to our dealer PopCap, this boost in sales puts the developer within the top 20 video game retail publishers by dollar value, a first in the company's history. We'd continue writing this post, but we need to sell our computers to get more-of-that Pop.

We'd wager that the first time the gaming community collectively booted up Running With Scissors' Gary Coleman-rich urination sim, Postal 2, we all shared the same thought: that this game absolutely needs to be showcased in some sort of museum commemorating mankind's greatest accomplishments. If memory serves, many of the title's reviews included similar sentiments.

Finally, that observation is being realized. Sweden's Nobel Museum, whose galleries are littered with installations denoting the achievements of Nobel laureates (as well as the life of the prize's progenitor, Alfred Nobel), will be including Postal 2 in a new exhibit titled "Freedom of Speech: How Free is Free?" The game will be included in a section that focuses on censorship in the video game industry. We're really happy such an exhibit exists; we just wish they'd picked a ... well, a good controversial game.

Sins of a Solar Empire's first "micro-expansion," Entrenchment, received an official release date today of February 11. The $10 add-on, which will add several powerful defensive structures to the grand 4X RTS, will only be available through Stardock's Impulse digital delivery service.

Entrenchment is the first of three mini expansions expected to enhance tactics this year. The next addition will add diplomacy features and the last is still under wraps. With this much tactical choice, we fear having to put a week aside to actually finish a basic mid-sized match.

[Via Big Download]

Your weekly, Good Old Games-sponsored tour through the classics of PC gaming continues this week with a new addition, In Cold Blood, available now for $5.99. If you're unfamiliar with this stealthy adventure all the way from 2001, we've put a trailer for you just after the break.

The service has also added two JoWooD titles for $9.99: demonic FPS Painkiller Black Edition and tank sim Panzer Elite: Special Edition. Hmm, shooting Hell beasts with giant stakes or a historical strategy game? We hope the right choice is clear.

Congratulations, Ron Pessner! You've been chosen by Microsoft to head up the Games For Windows Live division and step into the shoes of one Chris Early, who recently became the victim of our terrible "layoffs" tag. It says here you've come from the Entertainment and Devices division, and will be joined by Microsoft Games Studios' Dave Luehmann, who will oversee development and publishing for Windows games.

That's right, Ron, they have games on Windows now. To be fair, you undoubtedly boast a keen awareness of the matter, as Microsoft claims to be pursuing success for its PC gaming platform with renewed vigor. According to a statement published on Gamasutra, the company hopes to further "invest in Windows as a first–class gaming platform through great Windows out of box experiences," not to mention a variety of online services like LIVE and MSN games.

And hey, you're taking over at a point where Games for Windows Live is free. That has to be easier compared to the last guy.

One of the things we've always loved about the Red Alert series is its campy FMV sequences. The other thing we love is tesla coils. Man, those things really mess dudes up.

Back to our original point: EA is once again pulling out all the stops for the expansion to Red Alert 3. Returning cast members include sex bombs Gemma Atkinson and Ivana Milicevic, who will reprise their Red Alert 3 roles. Among the new faces making an appearance in Uprising are Jamie Chung (from the upcoming train wreck Dragonball: Evolution), Malcolm McDowell (from Heroes and many, many other things), Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (from the TV series Prison Break), Holly Valance (from one of the best worst movies ever, DOA), and Ric Flair (retired professional wrestler). Yes, the Nature Boy himself will be making an appearance in the game. If he doesn't give someone his patented backhand chop, we're going to be severely disappointed.

For those of you who like to terrorize Liberty City within the welcoming glow of a PC monitor, know that Rockstar has gone ahead and made some much-needed fixes to GTA IV on the PC. Some of these enhance the game's graphics, while other parts of the patch fix Xbox 360 controller support and even add support for driving wheels. It's a very big patch, so jack your way past the break for the full release notes.

While we're certain the point-and-click enthusiasts among us would like to get their paws on Joystiq's favorite game of 2008, Fable 2, it looks like they'll be waiting for a while longer -- on a Lionhead forum post asking whether or not the Albionic caper would be making its way to computers, community manager Woody swiftly answered, "We're not working on a PC version of Fable 2." As far as we can tell, no winks, nods or suggestive elbow nudges were included in the dispatch.

Woody's statement seems contrary to a report which made the rounds late last week -- a report which claimed that a Lionhead rep confirmed that a PC version of Fable 2 was "likely imminent". Why the discrepancy? We contacted Lionhead's senior community manager, Sam Van Tilburgh, who explained that the quote embedded in said report wasn't legit. Get comfortable, WASDers -- it's looking like Molyneux's hero sim won't be hitting your platform of choice in the near future.

[Via VideoGamer]

After Microsoft laid off around 1,400 workers last week, we've been scrambling trying to figure out the full extent of the cuts, based on scattered reports and Twitter feeds. And, after reading an email we received from Microsoft, it seems that's going to continue to be the way we get our layoff updates.

A spokesperson for the company told us: "We are not disclosing the number of impacted employees or specific divisions, other than what was contained in the earnings release and email from Steve Ballmer. Xbox LIVE remains to be a major focus area for IEB. No aspects of the service will be negatively affected by Thursday's announcement. Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE had its biggest year ever and these changes are not directly related to the performance of the business. The realignments of headcount are directly intended to strengthen the Xbox 360 platform and align resources with key strategic initiatives, including Xbox LIVE."

So, in short, we're not going to be getting much more info from Microsoft. We do have to say though, considering all the nice, helpful people that have recently lost their gigs, that last sentence is pretty icy.

Fallout 3's Operation Anchorage DLC is now available to scav from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 ($10, 50 caps or 100 pieces of scrap metal). The VR mission takes place in the land of Palin, as a force attempts to liberate Anchorage from the Chinese. Once downloaded, keep an eye out for the "Outcast Distress Signal" to find the new content.

If you're sitting on the fence about the purchase, bear in mind that we'll have a review available later this week. And don't forget, the next couple of months will feature two more DLC packs for the post-apocalyptic adventure. The big change arrives in March with Broken Steel, which will increase the game's level cap and get rid of that pesky (abrupt?) ending.

It's universally agreed upon that the best bits of Spore are its creature creation and galactic endgame. It's really no surprise, then, that the first expansion for the game -- Spore Galactic Adventures -- seeks to produce a viable cross-breed of the two modes.

One of several Spore projects on tap for 2009, the expansion will give players the ability to design whole planets and build their own adventures, then share them via the same web-based mechanism as other game creations. Maxis has put together a "behind the scenes" look into the concept -- which, even if it doesn't address all of Spore's sore spots, will at least allow for planets that look like adult novelties.