The Best of Big Download: January 24 - 30

Well, gang, the first month of 2011 is more or less in the books. February looms on the horizon, meaning March , PAX East and GDC are all coming into view. Yep, it's a good time to be a gamer. And a terrifying time to be a video game journalist who's deathly afraid of flying. To the news!

Exclusive features

• IGF 2011 Finalists: We look at more of the nominees for the 2011 edition of the Independent Games Festival in theVisual Excellence and Audio Excellence categories as well as the nominees for the IGF's Grand Prize.

• Champions Online Free-to-Play interview: We chat with the executive producer of Cryptic Studios on the recent relaunch of the super hero MMO as a free-to-play game.

• Age of Empires Online feature: We chat with a Microsoft rep as we learn more about the upcoming free-to-play RTS game.

Downloads

• Champions Online Install Client - Download the full version of the now free-to-play super hero MMO.

• Atom Zombie Smasher demo - Check out the Windows, Mac and Linux versions of this new puzzle-strategy game.

• AI War demos - Download the new demo version of this space strategy game along with a demo for the Light of the Spire expansion pack.

• Darkspore developers diary - Check out the Hero Editor in this trailer for the upcoming action-RPG based on Spore's technology.

• Age of Empires Online trailer - The new Egyptian civilization is shown in this new trailer for the upcoming free-to-play RTS game.

News

• Third Section 8 game planned, may not be first person shooter
  

• Gaikai hires more executives, still no official launch date
  

• StarCraft II finally offers three official custom maps for beta testing
  

• Dead Space 2 DLC won't show up for PC

• Brink finally gets firm May 17 release date
  

• Crysis 2 PC multiplayer demo to be released after all
  

• Crasher released via Steam
  

• Space Pirates and Zombies announced