This week, pre-orders for Torchlight II launched on Steam and Perfect World, with a projected release in Summer 2012.

Also this week, a closed friends-and-family beta began. There is no NDA on the beta, so plenty of gameplay footage of Act I has appeared online. Most notable is this channel, in which Runic programmer Tiamat has recorded epic all-night play sessions while answering fan questions.

Although an open beta is not expected, Runic Games will be expanding beta access to select individuals who have signed up for a Runic account at http://secure.runicgames.com/.