Thought I would share some photos, courtesy of EA, of a tricked-out PC that pays homage to Battlefield 3.
Modder Brian Carter created this Battlefield 3 mod. It also can be seen in action on YouTube.
The PC features a beverage cooler, sniper fan grill, spinning chain gun and more.
Don't you wish you had this rig on your desktop?

In other news:

• Sweden-based MuchDifferent reports is set a world record with its game Man vs. Machine when 999 players battled lag-free in the biggest first-person shooter ever made. The server and network technology were provided by PikkoServer.
• Valve announced that its Steam application for iOS and Android devices now is available to gamers around the world. With the app, gamers can connect with friends, view screenshots and more. The app is free.
• The Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition will be available April 17, CD Projekt Red announced. There will be two different retail versions. Meanwhile, owners of the PC game will be able to download any new content found in the 360 version.
• Capcom confirmed that Dragon's Dogma, an open world action title, will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 22. Retail versions of the game will include a redeemable token for a Resident Evil 6 demo. The demo will be available later this summer.
• An open beta has launched for RiotZone from Mail.Ru Games. RiotZone is a tactical MMO which players will battle to control war-torn Merania.
• Dead Block (screenshot below), a zombie defense game from Digital Reality and Candygun Games, is available for the PC through a variety of online sites.

Flying Turtle Software, a small independent team based in Portugal, announced that the soundtrack for its upcoming A Walk in the Dark now is available through bandcamp and iTunes.
Some artwork (screenshot above) also has been released for the action platformer set in in surreal, dark fantasy world.
For more information, visit http://A-Walk-in-the-Dark.com.

In other news:

• Crypstone Games released Star Prospector (see screenshots) for the PC. The game is available on Impulse / Gamestop for $19.99. The single-player strategy game puts players in the role of a one-person mining, salvage, combat and construction unit undertaking a variety of missions on alien worlds.
• Come fall 2012, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Turbine will roll out the next expansion for the free-to-play Lord of the Rings Online. "Riders of Rohan" will introduce locations such as Amon Hen and Fangorn Forest, and a new mounted combat system.
• Check out YouTube for a trailer for Rising Storm, an upcoming expansion for Red Orchestra 2 from Tripwire Interactive. The expansion will cover action on Iwo Jima. The company also is looking for beta testers. Visit http://www.risingstormgame.com/beta-tester-application.
• A Gemini Rue Collector's Edition will be available Feb. 10, Merge Games announced. The games is a neo noir, retro point-and-click adventure.
• Licensed 4U announced the second title in its five-part Hidden Mysteries PC-CD collection. In Hidden Mysteries: The Forbidden City, young professor Evelyn Tao searches for treasure in the Forbidden City. The game features fractured object, hidden object gameplay and more.

One of the most eagerly anticipated games for 2012 has got to be Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Why?
Here is a brief look at the people behind this single-player, fantasy RPG.
The game's executive designer is Ken Rolston, who was lead designer for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Meanwhile, the world of Amalur has been created by celebrated fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, known for creating Drizzt Do'Urden. I have followed that dark elf's exploits for many years.
Further, Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, is working on the game's artwork.
The wait for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning should almost be over as it was set for a Feb. 7 release on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The game will come by EA, Big Huge Games and 38 Studios.
One other note, 38 Studios was founded by former Major League All-Star Curt Schilling.
Here are some screenshots for a look at the game.

Look for Max Payne to be back in action come this May.
Rockstar Games announced Max Payne 3 (screenshot above) will arrive May 15 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and May 29 for the PC in North America.
The hard-boiled detective this time out travels to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now working in executive protection for Rodrigo Branco, Payne gets drawn into the action when a street gang kidnaps Rodrigo's wife.
The game also will feature a variety of multiplayer modes.

In other news:

• Star Trek Online Free-to-Play now is available, announced Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios. Now, you, too, can boldly go where no man has gone before. And, for free. Visit www.startrekonline.com/
• "Fenix Rising," an add-on for Gears of War 3 has been released, Microsoft and Epic announced. It features five new multiplayer maps and more.
• On Feb. 14, BioWare and EA will release a demo from the upcoming Mass Effect 3.
• Funcom announced "House of Crom," a free update for its Age of Conan Unchained. The update will be available to both Premium and free-to-play players.
• And, something else free, maybe. WXP Games announced it will give away 1,000 copies of its game Xotic (screenshot below). For a chance to win, visit the company website. Winners will be notified by Jan. 20.

New screenshots, including the one above, have been released from Wargame: European Escalation, a real-time strategy game for the PC coming from Eugen Systems and Focus Home Interactive.
The game depicts hostilities between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces.
WEE, which will be released in February, features the Iriszoom system that allows players to seamlessly zoom in from a global view of the battle right into the action.
Both a single-player campaign and multiplayer action will be featured.

In other news;

• The chance to win $1 million through 2K Games and Major League Baseball 2K12 will return. Starting April 4, players can compete for one of eight spots in a final live tournament. The finalists will be determined by a leaderboard that ranks the top perfect games thrown. For the official rules, visit www.2Ksports.com/perfectgame.
• On Jan. 17, EA and 38 Studios will release a demo for the upcoming Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (screenshot below). The game will be available Feb. 7 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
• Also launching Jan. 17 will be the first update for the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic from BioWare, LucasArts and EA. "Rise of the Rakghouls" will introduce higher level group content and more.
• More than 25 million players are registered for EA play-for-free titles. They include Battlefield Heroes, Need for Speed World, Battlefield Play4Free, Dragon Age Legends, Battleforge and Lord of Ultima.
• An expansion, "Tropico 4: Modern Times," has been announced for Tropico 4 from Kalypso Media. Look for "Modern Times" in March of this year.
• Tripwire Interactive announced modding and mapmaking tools for Red Orchestra 2, its World War II game set in Stalingrad. The tools will be free to owners of RO2.
• Choplifter HD, a game that puts players in the cockpit of various helicopters on daring rescue missions, now is available from InXile Entertainment through the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and the PC.

I am not sure the gaming machine pictured above will improve your game, but maybe it won't matter.
Dream Arcades announced its Dreamcade Kegerator, which the company says has been nicknamed the "Inebriation Station."
The arcade unit, which retails for just under $4,000, comes equipped with more than two dozen shooting games, from Big Buck Hunter to House of the Dead 3. Besides the shooting games there are some 145 more classic titles such as Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga.
Under the hood, you will find three built-in beer taps.
For more information, visit www.dreamarcades.com.

In other news:

• New screenshots (see photos) have been released for the Game of Thrones, due to be released in the second quarter of this year by Focus Home Interactive for the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360.The game will follow the adventures of Mors, sworn brother of the Night Watch, and Alester, the red priest.
• Project Blackout, a free-to-play online shooter from SG Interactive, announced special events for the new year. Jan. 11-25, all players will receive 50 percent more experience points and credits, and random gift boxes. Players who have been active since Nov. 11, 2011 will get a free Famas G2 Supply Kit. For more details, visit http://pb.gamerage.com.
• The Mediterranean Traveller Map Pack, new downloadable content for Assassin's Creed Revelations from Ubisoft, will be available Jan. 24. The pack will include six new multiplayer maps featuring the holy city of Jerusalem, imperial district of Constaninople and more.
• Capcom announced the official demo for Asura's Wrath will be available Jan. 11 on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The game itself will be available Feb. 21 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Special gear will be available to those who pre-order Mass Effect 3, due March 6 from EA and Bioware.
At participating retailers, those who pre-order will get the Argus Assault Rifle.
Meanwhile, those who pre-order through GameStop and EG Games are eligible for the N7 Valkyrie Assault Rifle and N7 Defender Armor.
The AT-12 Raider Shotgun will be available to PC gamers who pre-order through EA's Origin service.
Mass Effect 3 (see screenshots) continues the story of its critically acclaimed predecessors.

In other news:

• SoulCalibur V from Namco Bandai Games America is due Jan. 31 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is set 17 years after its predecessor and features a guest appearance by character Ezio Auditore de Firenze from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise.
• Paradox Interactive and Ino-Co Plus announced a closed beta for the turn-based strategy game Warlock: Master of the Arcane. To apply, visit http://beta.paradoxplaza.com.
• Wargaming.net's free-to-play World of Tanks has added French tanks in its latest update. (Not that these tanks did the French much good in World War II.) Available now are light, medium and heavy French tanks. Coming later, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns.
• 2K Games is teaming up with Firaxis Games (Sid Meier's Civilization) to develop XCOM: Enemy Unknown, based on the fan favorite XCOM series. The game for PCs is expected in fall of this year.