It is now even easier to Sin: the Steamy game is now available for $14.95, down from $20, through Valve’s broadband delivery service. This offer covers the upcoming Sin Episodes Multiplayer when it’s available.

A few patches were released over the last few days:

• Keepsake v1.6 on Lighthouse Interactive
  
• Loco Mania v1.1 on Lighthouse Interactive
  
• Strike Fighters 05.15.06 on ThirdWire
  
• SiN Episodes: Emergence on Steam

Some official E3 trailers have popped up. Enjoy:

• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, Gamer’s Hell, GameSpot, Strategy Informer and Worthplaying
  
• Dungeon Runners on 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Worthplaying
  
• The Ship on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Worthplaying
  
• SiN: Episodes on the Official Website, 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Worthplaying

From Ritual comes word that they will be showing off SiN Episodes: Emergence at E3 where theyll unveil a new gameplay mode for the title. Dubbed Arena Mode, players have to face off against an endless supply of enemies driven by the games dynamic difficulty system. It will be added to a free update for the game in a couple of weeks, alongside several original maps.

The announcement also reveals that they will be running a contest at the Logitech booth, showcasing Arena Mode where attendees can win a custom-designed SiN Episodes PC provided by Vigor Gaming. Ritual is also going to have two models at the show dressed up like Elexis Sinclaire and Jessica Cannon. The schedule, as well as pictures of the models, can be found above.

SiN Episodes will be on display at three booths: Logitech (booth #1624), Microsoft (#1246) and NVidia (#300).

SiN’s first Episode is now close to release: EA has announced that it will be bringing the episodic shooter to retail stores on May 12, while Valve’s Steam platform will handle the digital distribution. Pre-orders are going on now, with customers getting 10% off the total price at the moment. The first Episode is also being pre-loaded via Steam now.

On a related note, the Sin Episodes website has been updated with a new design and new content. Most interestingly however, the site lists nine episodes of SiN, making the full experience cost a total of $180 if Ritual keeps up the trend of pricing each episode at $20.

Following up on the beta announcement is another post in the Sin Episodes blog, this time talking about the “Context Look” system. The system will allow gamers to get deeper into the story without breaking the gameplay; it will also allow players to stare at Jessica in a creepy way, with her having something to say about it.

But in all seriousness, the system has even more uses:

Now, given that the critical elements of the main storyline are conveyed through the choreographed scenes, what kind of information can a gamer expect to get through the Context Look system?

Ah… That’s where it gets exciting. Just like great episodic television, like Lost or 24, SiN Episodes has an overarching storyline that stretches beyond any single episode. Expect lots (and I mean LOTS) of twists and turns in the future. I can tell you now, no one in the game world truly knows what Elexis is planning - and what she has done. But, just because none of the characters know, doesn’t mean that YOU can’t. Embedded within the Context Look elements are hints and clues. Some foreshadow events to come, some throw light on events that have already occurred. Many may not make sense… yet.

Each and every one of these pieces, though, has a purpose - each is a small piece that reveals a bit of the overall story tapestry. It will be interesting to see how gamers react to the elements they find; and even more interesting to see how everyone thinks they tie together.

Sin Episodes is sounding better and better every day!

A post on the Sin Episodes developer blog proclaims that the episodic shooter sequel has officially entered beta status and that the team has shifted entirely to “bug fixing and preparing to launch this thing.”

The post also offers the views of the lead designer on episodic gaming and how it fits into society.