Last month, we got our first look at the gameplay of Above and Beyond Technologies' upcoming sandbox title, The Repopulation. Today, the studio released its end-of-April 2012 update notes for the game, giving players a look at the ongoing tweaks and changes being made as Above and Beyond slowly ramps up to the beta stage.

For the most part, the notes are your standard patch note fare: bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, some UI tweaks, and so forth. But there are a couple of gems that stand out among the rest. For instance, players with the Genetic Engineering skill can do some gene-splicing to create their own unique pets. Currently there are 40 different hybrid and pure-species pets that can be genetically engineered, so the mad scientists in the crowd should have many options when it comes to playing God. The site's lore and bestiary sections have also been updated for the lore junkies out there. The full, rather expansive April update notes can be found on The Repopulation's official site, so if you're interested in all of the minutiae, just head on over there and check it out.

[Thanks to Halldorr for the tip!]

Denizens of Middle-earth, the big day is almost here! Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard goes live tomorrow, and Turbine has prepared a fresh, pipin'-hot batch of patch notes for your perusal. So what do players have to look forward to? Well, there are three new zones -- the Gap of Rohan, Dunland, and (duh) Isengard -- as well as 10 additional levels of content. Lore-fiends will be able to play through one of the largest Book questlines to date, while those of a more pugilistic persuasion can square off with the gargantuan Draigoch in a 24-player raid.

All nine classes have received updates as well, so no matter what you play, there are plenty of goodies in store. Free players can now take part in monster play, which should hopefully bring a bit more conflict to the Ettenmoors. Crafters aren't getting left in the cold, either, as the update introduces tier 7 crafting and a "slew of new recipes." For the full, unabridged patch notes, head on over to the LotRO official site and take a gander. See you folks in Isengard!