Telltale let it be known that the Director’s Cut editions of the first two episodes of its Bone series are now available. Both Out from Boneville and The Great Cow Race can be purchased together for $20 until January 7, with those who have already purchased the games getting upgraded to the new versions at no additional charge.

The Director’s Cuts were created in close collaboration with Jeff Smith, creator of the Bone graphic novels, and include updates to the core game engine as well as new content. New features include a new animated prologue at the beginning of Out from Boneville, providing backstory; updated voice acting and character model for female protagonist Thorn in Out of Boneville; added dialogue lines; and technical improvements, such as scalable resolutions and better game stability.

Codemasters has announced that ArchLord, starting January 4, will become a free-to-play game. It was originally planned to have a PLAYplus subscription system that was scrapped during beta testing.

Following the route Guild Wars has taken; ArchLord has to be purchased to be played, though a monthly fee will no longer be needed. For those who had already subscribed to the game, please refer to this page for details on how this will affect you. Codemasters also mentioned that the MMORPG will be fully supported, including the second update Episode II: Season of Siege.

More and more publishers are jumping on the “in-game ads” bandwagon: Take-Two is the latest one to be bitten by the bug. It has signed a deal with Double Fusion to offer in-game advertising in a selection of 2K Games and 2K Sports titles.

As per the terms of the agreement, Double Fusion will be the exclusive North American and European representative for advertising opportunities in 2K’s games throughout 2007 and 2008. In addition, it will serve as the exclusive representative and technology provider for dynamic in-game advertising across all PC and console platforms except for Xbox and Xbox 360.

Ever heard of a “left-of-the-dial” soundtrack? Well, now you can tell your grandchildren that you have: 2K Sports has compiled such a soundtrack for College Hoops 2K7, according to a press release by the company. The soundtrack features a diverse roster of underground hip-hop artists ranging from 3rd Degree to Traxamillion, as well as rock acts like Cities in Dust and Tokyo Police Club; P.O.D. also makes an appearance. As an added bonus, the game features original songs from 3rd Degree, Deux Process and Traxamillion.

2K Sports also mentioned 2K Beats, its internet radio station for fans of the publisher’s games. The site streams the music from all of the company’s best games, with access to artist bios, photos, discographies and more.

College Hoops 2K7 is now available for the PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360; a PS3 version will be available this winter.