Bits And Bobs: Monday News Roundup

Valve has released a fairly chunky update for Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, the standalone single and multiplayer title it released earlier this year after a protracted period in development. The latest update includes a couple of new maps (de_truth_cz and de_corruption_cz), loads of tweaks to balancing and item behaviour amongst other things, and a trio of previously unreleased "Deleted Scenes" (basically missions that were ejected from the final build, but subsequently made available for posterity). They're called Fastline, Sandstorm and Pipe Dream, as if that tells you anything. You should be able to get the updata via Steam, or your favourite download service, and more details can be found on the Steam news page.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is set to be made into an animated TV series by DPS Film Roman, in a deal that developer Krome Studios hopes will demonstrate the strength of its intellectual property and generate as much interest in the character as some of DPS' other famous exports, which the press release is in no hurry to tell us include King of the Hill and The Simpsons. Few if any details are available on the TV show, but we can remind you that Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue is due out on PS2, Xbox, Cube and GBA later this year from EA.

The latest Far Cry patch, 1.2, really ultra definitely probably will come out this week, apparently. Says Ubisoft producer Matthieu Boulard, speaking last Thursday: "We were about to release this week as planed, when a hardware manufacturer code update forced us to modify the patch accordingly. It took a couple of days to make it work without breaking anything else. We think it is worth the extra wait, as it's all about making sure everyone enjoys the best experience possible, both in terms of gameplay and performance." So there you go. A new patch candidate is now reportedly in testing, so with any luck we should be linking you through to it before the week is out.

Oxygen Interactive is launching a new PS2 budget range, and plans to have as many as 15 titles on the market by next March, with eight already in development including "a retro-arcade title, children's games, and Poker". Branded "Liquid" (clever), the new label will begin life on the PS2 but should spread (by osmosis?) to the PC, and kicks off over the next couple of months with the release of three racing titles - Formula Challenge (F1-style racing), GT Racers (supercar racing through European cities) and Rig Racer (truck racing). Quite what the price will be isn't discussed, but we're guessing between a fiver and a tenner.