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Our compatriots over at Big Download stumbled on some unsettling performance issues while preparing a GRID comparison piece that pits the PC version against its console counterparts. It seems that the game suffers from pausing and freezing during races and replays. Pauses are reported to be up to one second in length, which would be unacceptable in most games, but is especially so in a racing game. The issue is currently setting the Codemasters forums on fire. Solutions being offered include removing and reattaching the hard drive, playing with a memory unit and no hard drive, and clearing the cache, although it appears that no solution is effective in all cases.

Codemasters is working on a solution that will be included in a forthcoming patch, which is should be available “within the next few weeks or sooner.”

The videogame version of the Score internationals Baja 1000 desert race promises to give gamers a chance to participate in blistering, sun-drenched endurance races without ever leaving their climate-controlled living rooms.

According to Activision, the game features:

Over 90 vehicles across multiple classes… including trophy trucks, class I, motorcycles, ATVs and more – the game challenges players to not only be first across the finish line, but also keep their machine intact! Hyper-realistic dirt and damage modeling in the game means players need to be crazy enough to take chances, but not so reckless that their vehicle is destroyed before the race is over.

Developed by Left Field Productions, the game will be available this fall for the PlayStation 2, Playstation 3 , Xbox 360, Wii and PC. There’s a single, lonely screenshot over on G4tv.

PC gamers eager to get an early taste of Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures now have their chance! LucasArts has released the playable demo for the title, which spans Indy’s first three movie adventures and features what seems like more characters than actually appeared in all three films combined.

The demo is now available on the Games For Windows website, weighing in at a modest 464 megs, which means that at my current crappy internet speeds I shall be able to tell you how it is sometime next week. Switching to cable was such a brilliant idea.

Lego Indiana Jones Demo {Games For Windows]

A few days ago we posted an article about the PC versions of Mass Effect and Spore containing some worrying copy protection methods that would require users to validate each game online every ten days. While I expressed concern that such a move could go horribly wrong, others were more vocal — chief among them the BioWare fans who absolutely railed against the somewhat harsh measures.

Well, BioWare has said it listened “very closely” to the fans (though really, you didn’t need a hearing aid to register such fury from PC gamers) and has now opted to back away from the incredibly strict authentication methods. Mass Effect will now only require validation when you first run the game and when you download additional content. How about that, eh? Kicking your legs around and screaming actually works sometimes!

From BioWare’s FAQ on the matter:

BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

So there you have it. One of those rare moments of victory for the consumer, and an easier validation process for any PC gamers looking to buy Mass Effect. One can only imagine that Spore will similarly back out of this verification process, but that remains to be seen.