It should come as no surprise that Diablo III set a PC sales launch record upon its release.
According to Blizzard Entertainment, the game sold 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours. Another 1.2 million players received Diablo III as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion.
Diablo III (see screenshots) went live May 15.
There surely is a lot of mouse clicking going on out there.

In other news:

• EA's latest free-to-play game, Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances now has gone live. To give the RTS title a try, visit www.tiberiumalliances.com.
• Tripwire Interactive announced a Game of the Year Edition for its World War II multiplayer FPS Red Orchestra 2. It will include a new map, various gameplay improvements and "Action" mode, which offers a crosshair, easier aiming and toned-down recoil.
• A playable demo for Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is available on Xbox Live, Capcom announced. The game, in which players will pilot and do battle in "vertical tanks," launches on June 19 in North America.
• The Summoner Hero Class has been introduced for Dungeon Defenders, a tower defense game. The kicker is that the Summoner, instead of building towers, can create his own army, which adds an RTS element to the popular game.
• The squad-based RPG Krater from Fatshark is headed into beta testing. The game is due to release June 12 for the PC. A Mac version is due in July.
• A closed beta is under way for World of Mercenaries from City Interactive. To apply, visit www.worldofmercenaries.com.
• Hanbitsoft and T3Fun announced a massive update for Mythos Global. Players will encounter the Land of the Dead, 23 new dungeons, a higher level cap and new game mode, Crystal Defense.

Who doesn't remember Dragon's Lair and its hero, Dirk the Daring?
Well, maybe some of you don't.
If that is the case, Digital Leisure and Microsoft Studios will introduce a new generation to the exploits of the brave knight trying to rescue his princess from a dragon.
Dragon's Lair (see screenshots) now is available on Xbox Live Arcade. The game supports both Kinect and the Xbox 360 controller.
Besides leaderboards and achievements, there will be exclusive gamer pics and avatar items to unlock.

In other news:

• Early next year, look for DmC Devil May Cry from Capcom for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. DmC (see screenshot) will land for the PC later in 2013.
• The Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection 2 has been released by Activision Publishing. Among other items, the expansion will include Getaway and Lookout, two maps designed especially for Face Off's one-on-one and two-on-two gameplay.
• Ubisoft launched Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Commander, an isometric tactical combat game, on Facebook. Developers say this version of the highly tactical game will be accessible to all types of players. Ubisoft just released Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online is expected later this year.
• There is a Men In Black 3 opening May 25 and it is no coincidence that the game Men In Black: Alien Crisis from Activision Publishing has been released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. In the third-person arcade shooter, players try to turn back an alien invasion of Earth.
• Come Oct. 9 of this year in North America, look for XCOM: Enemy Unknown from 2K Games and Fireaxis Games. Enemy Unknown will be a reboot of the critically and commercially successful series.

World of Warplanes from Wargaming.net. Visit www.worldofwarplanes.com/
Heroes and Generals from Reto-Moto. Visit www.heroesandgenerals.com
Born to Fire from Aeria Games. Visit http://borntofire.aeriagames.com

Sure, tablets and e-readers are great.
But keeping a grip on them can be problematic.
Enter the Vacuum Dock and Whale Tail from Octa (www.octa.com).
The Vacuum Dock, shaped like half a ball, will adhere to the back of any tablet or e-reader with a smooth, flat surface.
Place the dock and then pump the button five or six times to create a seal. The button is quite large, making it easy to use.
Users also are encouraged to give the dock a pump every now and then to maintain the seal.
To release, lift the tabs on the two sides of the dock.
Now, the Vacuum Dock itself can be used somewhat as a stand, but the Whale Tail makes it much more versatile.
The tail attaches to the back of the dock.
Remove the dock cap, put the Whale Tail in place and turn it to lock it into position.
It locks into place with a definite "snap."
When in place, the Whale Tail can be bent into the shape that best suits your display needs.
For example, it could be propped on the kitchen counter while your tablet or e-reader displays a recipe.
The Vacuum Dock and Whale Tail also offers a convenient way to handle your device.
It is comfortable, versatile and easy to use.
For more information, visit www.octa.com. The cost is $49.95.

New screenshots have been released for Crysis 3, due out in 2013 from Crytek.
The action will take place in 1047 in New York City. Prophet travels there to seek revenge only to find that the city has been turned into an urban rainforest thanks to a nanodome called the Liberty Dome.
While in the former Big Apple, he will have to battle human and alien enemies.

In other news:

• Battleship, a video game based on the new movie, has been released by Hasbro and Activision Publishing. The game will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.
• The release of DiRT Showdown from Codemasters and Warner Bros. has been moved from May 29 to June 12 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The off-road racing game for the PC still will be available May 24 through Steam.
• New DLC, called "Shades of Red," for Jagged Alliance: Back in Action has been released, Kalypso Media USA announcied. The DLC will offer more than an hour of additional playtime in a new mission.
• Kalypso also announced that its criminal empire-building game, Omerta - City of Gangsters, now will be available in the fall for the Xbox 360 as well as the PC.
• The free online FPS Tribes: Ascend has been downloaded more than a million times, Hi-Rez Studios reports. The game released on April 12.
• Applications are being accepted for the closed beta for Mercenary Ops, a third-person PC shooter, from Kalends. To apply, "like" Mercenary Ops on Facebook.
• A closed beta for the free-to-play MMORPG Divina from Gamania Digital Entertainment is under way. For more information, visit http://us.beanfun.com/divina/.
• Beta testers are being sought for Fray, described as a sci-fi, squad-based strategy title by Brain Candy. Visit www.fray-game.com.
• Gravity Interactive announced a content patch for its MMORPG Ragnarok Online. Featured will be new quests, new monsters and more.

Tower defense games seem to have become ubiquitous lately.
Defenders of Ardania adds enough new elements to freshen up the genre.
The game from Paradox Interactive and Most Wanted Entertainment offers towers for defense, but players also control a variety of offensive units to bring the battle to enemy towers and bases.
Also in the mix are some RPG elements, such as a unit's ability to level up and eventually, the unlocking of hero units.
Set in a fantasy world of monsters and magic, players will find three races: Human, Nature and the Underworld.
The Human faction includes units like the warrior, cleric, elven archer and dwarf flying machine. The Underworld offers vampires, ghosts, a lich king, zombie dragon and more. Comparable units in the Nature lineup are rats, giant bats, eagle kings and behemoths.
The variety is nice.
Each faction also has eight different types of towers, with each type having two upgrade levels.
Defenders of Ardania does come with a decent tutorial to familiarize players with the game's mechanics. However, the voice acting during these segments leaves something to be desired.
Beside constructing towers and sending out attackers, players also can cast a variety of spells.
Players also can upgrade their economy.
While my guess is that the single-player campaign will take up most players' time, Defenders of Ardania does offer online play with up to four players at once. A human opponent could prove more stimulating than battling the game's AI.
Defenders of Ardania certainly is pleasing to look at and the sound effects are good.
For those new to the genre, a tower defense game involves strategically placing defensive towers in order to wipe out enemy attackers until their supply is exhausted.
In Defenders, you also get to carry the battle to your attacker. This is a nice addition, but the genre still seems somewhat lacking in true strategic options. Launching wave after wave of attacks can get repetitive.
Defenders of Ardania delivers a nice introduction to the tower defense genre for new players, and enough new features to entice veteran players.
The game, which first launched for the iOS, now is available for the PC, through Xbox Live Arcade and for the iPad.

Operation Silencer, a multiplayer weekend for Mass Effect 3, will frun from 8 p.m. CST May 11 to 7 a.m. CST May 14, EA announced.
The action will take place on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
The Allied goal will be to kill 3,000,000 banshees. Completion of the goal will grant all players a Victory Pack.
The Squad goal is to survive until a full extraction on any map against any enemy on gold difficulty. Those who attain this feat will be in line for a Commendation Pack.

In other news:

• The tactical, turn-based World War II game Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear has been released by Matrix Games, Slitherine and Western Civilization Software. The game puts players in command of Soviet or German forces on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa.
• Warlock: Master of the Arcane, a fantasy strategy game of conquest and magic, was released by Paradox Interactive and Ino-Co Plus.
• The release date for BioShock Infinite from 2K Games has been pushed back to Feb. 26, 2013, the company announced. According to the company, the extra time will give developers the opportunity to "make Infinite into something even more extraordinary."
• Valve announced the availability of the free Portal 2 update "Perpetual Testing Initiative." The addition allows player to create and share their own Portal 2 puzzles.
• New heavy Soviet tanks, including the T-150, are rolling into action in World of Tanks, the free-to-play MMO of armored warfare from Wargaming.net. Included in the latest update is a new battle arena, the South Coast, and a new map, the Dragon's Ridge.
• A sequel is planned for Company of Heroes, THQ announced. Company of Heroes 2 will take the real-time strategy game to the Eastern Front of World War II. The game is expected early next year.

Coming in September will be Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition from Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio.
A new screenshot can be seen above. A BB character is at right.
Blood Bowl is based on the fantasy football game created by Games Workshop in which orcs, elves, humans, vampires and others take the sport to its bloody, over-the-top extremes.
The Chaos Edition will bring three new races to the game, including Chaos Dwarves, Daemons of Khorne and the Underworld.
Blood Bowl offers both single-player and online modes.

In other news:

• It's official. The next game in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops II, will arrive Nov. 13, Activision announced. This game will be set in the year 2025 where players will experience global warfare featuring advanced weapons, robotics and drone warfare.
• Renaissance Heroes will be an online FPS set in 16th-century Renaissance Europe, ChangYou.com announced. A closed beta is expected to launch this summer.
• Updates have been made to Jagged Alliance Online, gamigo AG reports. Changes include a reworked PvP system, an improved world map and adjustments to the difficulty of the game. The latter will involve access to certain mercenaries by lower-level players. JAO now is in open beta testing and is free to play.
• Atlus Online partnered with ZQGame to launch Shadowland Online, a free-to-play strategy game. The game will include social features, such as the ability to partake in massive team battles.
• If you are feeling creative, Fatshark is looking for help in naming weapons in its upcoming squad-based RPG Krater. The game is due June 12 on Steam. Enter your names at www.kratergame.com/gamedesigner.

EVE Online, the space MMORPG, will mark its ninth year on May 6.
Meanwhile, EVE (screenshot above) heads toward its next expansion, EVE Online: Inferno.
In a press release, CCP, the game's developers, say its success is built on three pillars:

• Death must have meaning.


• Everyone plays in the same shardless universe.


• Sandbox design fosters human interaction that creates emergence that fuels a limitless storytelling engine

Other birthdays:

• Free Realms, a family friendly online world from Sony Online Entertainment, will mark its third year with special events, items and birthday quests. The free-to-play game is available for the PC, Mac and Playstation Network.
• The free-to-play Allods Online, an MMORPG from Gala-Net, will celebrate its first year. Players will get a Grimwolf mount with which they can travel the world of Sarnaut. Also coming will be an announcement regarding the next Allods expansion.
• As it marks its first anniversary, Battlestar Galactica Online by Bigpoint reports it is close to 10 million registered players. Through May 6, humans and Cylons who log in will receive in-game gifts and bonuses.

• IndieGala announced its fourth pay-what-you want indie game bundle, which supports charity. The new bundle includes Steel Storm: Burning Retribution, A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda, Alien Shooter, Disciples II: Gallean's Return, Altitude, Wake, Really Big Sky, Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded and Lunnye Devitsky. While pricing is based on what you want to pay, a $4.99 minimum donation may apply.
• Psydra Games released Dark Scavenger, an adventure game set on a mysterious planet that the player explores with three alien allies in tow. Scavenger combines turn-base combat with point-and-click mechanics.
• A screenshot for Reto-Moto's upcoming MMO strategic shooter Heroes & Generals can be seen below. The game is in pre-beta stages