It turns out people weren't catching Sweaty-Gamer-Syndrome at the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 but rather H1N1 (aka Swine Flu).

News Blips:

Penny Arcade is reporting that there are several cases of H1N1 coming out of PAX 2009. If you went and are currently experiencing flu-like symptoms, you might want to go see your physician. Now we feel kind of fortunate that we were too busy and underfunded to make the trip up this year. [PennyArcade]

LucasArts is considering different payment options for their upcoming MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic. In order to reach the widest audience, they are considering different plans that traditionally work in different regions such as a subscription based service or free gameplay with microtransactions. We're hoping we can barter some of our old junk to play for free. Star Wars Galaxies account, perhaps? [gamesindustry.biz]

Valve wants to celebrate the holidays early, but Microsoft says bah-humbug. The Crash Course DLC for Left 4 Dead would have been free for everyone but Microsoft is insisting on charging some of their Microsoft points for the content on Xbox 360 (though the content is still free through Steam on the PC). Can we purchase some exclusive horse armor to help us fight zombies, too? [Eurogamer]

A 2D, side-scrolling Assassin's Creed 2 is set to be released on the iPhone and iPod touch alongside the game's console cousins. You can even take a picture of your face to have it show up on wanted posters in the background. We wonder, are faces the only things you can take pictures of? [Kotaku]

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