The first video delivers an inside look at development of the game for the PlayStation 2 – Andre Roy (PS2 Producer) and Dominique Guay (Lead Programmer) unveil and explain some of the graphical techniques including reflection and geotexturing, as well as the dynamic water system, which creates some of the most impressive effects ever seen on the PS2. In the second video, lead AI programmer Frederic Blais discusses the completely retooled AI for Chaos Theory. Smarter, craftier, and more dangerous, the NPCs display varying levels of stress, a bevy of new barks, better memories, and the ability to team up to execute more sophisticated search sweeps. In the third video, lead sound designer Fabien Noel explains the way that sounds are integrated into the game, and how they affect gameplay – Sam’s got a new wound meter, which means that he can make more or less noise according the level of ambient sound in his environment. With light and shadows, sound now becomes an extremely important element in the game as well. Check out the music from soundtrack composer Amon Tobin as well.

A bit earlier than expected, Atari has released a demo of Act of War: Direct Action which is taken from the game’s level six mission set in Egypt, entitled ‘Falling Hawk’. Act of War: Direct Action features a storyline and game universe created in cooperation with Dale Brown, 15-time New York Times best-selling author and expert on US military, global conflict and future military technology. Act of War takes place in the near future when there is a energy crisis, You can play as US, Consortium or the Task Force Talon. Consortium group is a group of oil barons who finance terrorists to attack things in order to sell the oil for higher prices. The Task Force Talon is financed by a so called crisis tax and tracks down terrorists trying to stop them.

Atari has released a second patch for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, bringing the latest installment of Rollercoaster Tycoon series developed by Chris Sawyer and Frontier Developments to v1.2. The update adds major improvements to the 'Fireworks Mixmaster', improves Park Inspector behaviour, removes a small memory leak and many more (check full article for changelog). Be sure to check out the demo if you haven't done so yet.

Electronic Arts and ESPN announced a long-term agreement for the development and integrated marketing of EA SPORTS games containing ESPN content. The relationship will include established EA SPORTS franchises - which will be enhanced by ESPN telecast, print and online content - as well as new sports games to be published by EA based on ESPN media properties. The agreement gives EA access to ESPN programming, personalities and integrated marketing opportunities on ESPN television programming and other ESPN properties. The ESPN integration will appear in EA SPORTS console, handheld, PC and wireless games beginning in 2006 upon the conclusion of ESPN's existing video game licensing commitments. The agreement is for fifteen years with an option to terminate after ten years under certain conditions and gives EA exclusive first rights to all ESPN content for simulation sports games - financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

As promised, Valve Software has released the official Counter-Strike Bot for Counter-Strike: Source (click here for a detailed description). The other changes include various maps updated and bugfixes, and performance is increased with more than 5% on higher end CPUs.

ATI has released a new version of Catalyst drivers for its Radeon familiy of graphics cards - among the other things, various bugs from Men of Valor, URU: Ages Beyond Myst, Richard Burns Rally and Sid Meier's Pirates are removed (the release notes are located here).

Microsoft Game Studios sent over a press release announcing the complete car roster for Forza Motorsport, a driving simulator which allows gamers the ability to showcase their garage work with "the best the online world has to offer through simultaneous competition with up to eight racers or by trading their “tuned-up” and “tricked-out” creations over Xbox Live". Forza Motorsport will debut with more than 230 cars from over 40 of the world’s top car manufacturers for gamers to own, customize, upgrade and race. Each car in Forza Motorsport is modeled to accurately simulate real-life performance and will include a feature car enthusiasts have craved since the inception of video game driving simulators: damage (check full article for details). The game also include an innovative on and offline “career mode” that includes traditional competition with AI as well as fully-interactive online racing with human opponents to accumulate career earnings for tuning up your ride. Forza Motorsport, previously slated for a February 2005 release, will be available in April 2005. New screenshots? 18.

DreamCatcher Games announced it has joined forces with MC2 to publish and distribute Obscure: Learn about Fear, the survival horror developed by Hydravision Entertainment, in North America in March 2005. Inspired by the teen horror genre, made popular by a number of recent movies and primetime TV shows, Obscure follows a group of 5 American students as they try to unravel the mysterious happenings and disappearances that keep occurring at their school. Obscure is one of the first survival horror games to propose a full cooperative mode: a second player can take control of another student and work together to fight monsters and resolve puzzles, adding a new level of challenge to the game. Press 'read more' for details and don't forget to check out the demo if you haven't done so yet.

JoWooD today announced they will release Majestic Chess on 25th February for the PC, carying a price of £19.99. Majestic Chess has everything you have ever wanted in a computer chess game: A powerful A.I. opponent that can be adjusted to any strength or style of play, beautiful graphics and free 24-hour online play. We have the first screenshots, so check them out.

JoWooD today announced they will release Neighbours From Hell on 4th March for Xbox and GameCube. Woody is now starring in a fantastic new TV show that meshes Beadles About with Big Brother. Your job is to create unparalleled levels of disarray by playing a range of practical jokes, which in turn increase ratings and may even win Woody an all important award. The game is priced £19.99, but until Marxh comes, check these screenshots.

EA today released a small trailer showing some in-game footage from MVP Baseball 2005 for the PlayStation 2. We also have the first five screens, so check them out. The game will be released March 1st. Enjoy!

The first screenshots from the PC version of Constantine have been added to our gallery, illustrating the supernatural thriller video game based on the DC Comics/Vertigo "Hellblazer" graphic novels. Constantine tells the story of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a man who has literally been to hell and back. When he teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost. The video game will closely follow the script of the movie, allowing gamers to play as John Constantine in third-person mode. The story will move between the planes of Earth and "Hell L.A." introducing terrifying enemies from the movie as well as new enemies created for the game. Players will encounter an arsenal of horrific artifacts including The Crucifier, the Holy Shotgun, and the Shroud of Moses. Constantine is under heavy development for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and will be released along with the movie, in February 2005.

JoWooD today announced they will release Transport Giant: Down Under for the PC in the UK on 18th February. The game will carry a price of £19.99. Down Under will feature more than 30 faithful copies of typically Australian vehicles, 12 absorbing historical missions from Australian history, over 15 new endless maps and more (check press release for details). We have a big batch of screenshots in our gallery, so check them out also.

Our Black and White 2 has been updated with six impressive screenshots, showcasing this sequel developed by Lionhead Studios. Black and White 2 features new Epic Miracles, including the ground-ripping Earthquake and volcanoes, which cause rivers of lava; new forms of weaponry, from swords to bows to siege machines; multiple tools to help train and improve Creatures (old favorites as the Ape, Cow, and Lion, plus many others); weather systems such as rain, snow, mists, and fog; ten lands homing each of the five tribes.

Paradox Interactive has released the first patch for Hearts of Irons 2, a "grand strategy game depicting World War 2 in a real-time environment", which was released in North America two weeks ago - details about the patch are not available (thanks: The Patches Scrolls . The game offers a redesigned map and interface, updated battle mechanics, re-worked technology tree, fine-tuned diplomacy and trade system, co-operative multiplayer and, apart from the four major campaigns, battle scenarios optimized for one or two evenings of gaming, as well as different multiplayer settings. Hearts of Iron 2 will be available in the UK on 18th February 2005 by KOCH Media. Don't forget to check out the demo which features a battle scenario covering France, the Netherlands and Belgium during 1944-45.

Last Man Standing is a co-op mod for DOOM 3 and here it is a video preview of their next beta due to come this February. Beta version 0.1 for Last Man Standing, Doom 3 Modification is already available for download. Check out full news for related ReadMe and FactSheet.

Our gallery has been updated with three new screenshots from this real-time strategy game with elements of role playing games in the works at Fireglow Ltd. Press 'read more' for details about the game.

The v1.0 of Enemy Territory Fortress, a mod for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory based on the Q3 Fortress mod for Quake III Arena is now available. for download. Word is: "The mod includes many game types like CTF, Reverse CTF, Single Flag, Capture & Hold, Assault, King of the Hill and Duel". Thanks: Blues

Our gallery has been updated with new screenshots from the PC version of Kao The Kangaroo 2, the upcoming platform arcade game sequel developed by Tate Interactive. Kao The Kangaroo 2 will be exclusively distributed in the UK by KOCH Media. Be sure to check the english demo which contains several areas from the beginning of the full game.

THQ Inc. today released the third batch of screens from Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams, the sequel to Tak and the Power of Juju. As you know, the game has shipped to retail outlets across North America, for PS2, Xbox, GC and GBA, but the UK version is expected on March 25th. Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams will continue following Tak on his adventures against evil. You will take on the role of a more experienced Tak as he goes on an epic adventure that will require him to learn all new Juju magic in order to recover the Nightmare Scepter and defeat the evil shaman, Tlaloc. You will maneuver Tak, armed with new Juju abilities. He will master the ancient Juju magic of animals, allowing him to morph into creatures and accumulate the power of a Spirit Animal. Enjoy!

The official Stargate SG-1: The Alliance teaser website has been updated with two new screenshots (added in our gallery), illustrating this game announced back in March 2004. Stargate SG-1: The Alliance will be released during the Fall of 2005.

SCi Games Ltd has confirmed that Roll Call, originally developed by Argonaut Games Plc for PS2 and Xbox, is now being developed by a newly formed company. Rocksteady Studios. Roll Call is a FPS set in the not too distant future and lets you play as Nick Mason, a member of the newly formed G18 Counter Gang Division; an elite enforcement unit granted special emergency powers over all other public services and tasked with securing the city and its citizens at all cost. The game is scheduled for release in 2006.

A new version of Brainbread is now available for download, along with dedicated server files for Windows and Linux (press 'read more' for changelog). The Half-Life mod features over 20 weapons, the new GOREgeous-system allows you to shoot zombies into pieces and implements realistic blood particle, a huge city to explore and survive and more.

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     1. Jason Hayes, the lead composer of World of WarCraft, informed us that he is starting a new album of original music compositions, with a unique concept that involves members of the gaming community in a special way. At the heart of this concept is a contest for creative short-story writers, who can sign up on the official “Music By Jason” website and submit their stories for possible inclusion in the project. Ten winning stories will be selected, and Jason will compose a piece for each that dramatically tells the story with music - submissions are being accepted now. Jason Hayes won the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) award for “Best Cinematic / Cut-scene Audio” two years in a row.
     2. Killer Betties posted a new editorial regarding EverQuest 2, the MMORPG released by Sony Online Entertainment in November 2004.
     3. Aspyr Media, Inc. announced today they will publish Star Wars: Battlefront for Mac, with an anticipated release in June 2005. Star Wars Battlefront is licensed by LucasArts and will be developed for Mac by Beenox. The game will soon be available for preorder through Aspyr's website for $49.99.
     4. We were informed that Alienware, the leading manufacturer of high-performance desktop, notebook, media center, and professional systems, earned the Next Big Thing award from CNET for the Alienware DHS™ 2 Series Media Center system. The CNET Next Big Thing awards, which singled out the most promising new products and technologies during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), selected the Alienware DHS 2 Series as the top new product in the Computers category. The DHS 2 Series will be available in Europe shortly - more info here.
     5. Cartoon Network, the world's most widely distributed kids' animation channel, and Macrospace, the global provider of mobile games and mobile gaming services, announced the global launch of Tom and Jerry Food Fight, a new game for mobile phones. Building on the huge success of the first Tom and Jerry game (Tom and Jerry Cheese Chase), which has quickly become a top seller worldwide, this new game has been designed to appeal to mobile gamers old and new with simple controls and a bold, fun graphical style. In the game Jerry and his nephew Nibbles need your help as they raid the fridge for tasty treats. Visit this website for a fully playable demo of the game as well as trailers, screenshots and other game information. Tom and Jerry Food Fight is available for a wide range of devices, including all colour S30, S40 and S60 Nokias as well as selected Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, Siemens, NEC, Sharp and Motorola handsets. Versions for other devices will be available soon.
     6. OutSmart, the wildly popular game show and talk show found exclusively on MSN Games has launch a new episode featuring movie and music star, Ice Cube. Fans will be able to match wits against Ice Cube in trivia relating to his career as well as find out more information about his new movie, Are We There Yet?, which hits theaters on January 21st. The Ice Cube OutSmart episode can be found here. OutSmart has also featured celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce', Garth Brooks, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Tony Hawk and even Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
     7. Velvet Hammer/StreetWise released a new System of a Down track "Cigaro" - you can download it from here.
     8. Blackhole Motorsports announced the 2004 Sim Racing Award Winners for Best Physics Award of 2004 and Best Sim of the Year categories - the winner is Richard Burns Rally.
     9.Grey Dog Software announced a Developer's chat with Gary Gorski, the creator of Total Pro Basketball 2005. The Chat will be held on January 15th at 9:00PM EST in #GDS on the Stratics IRC servers. For more information visit Grey Dog's website.

KOEI Ltd announced that Dynasty Warriors 5, the game developed by Omega Force exclusively for PS2, will feature new playable characters, enhanced battlefield stronghold system challenges your strategic decision-making in the midst of combat, new fighting moves and attacks, and reduced fog and improved draw distance to show more detailed backgrounds. All of the characters will have their own story, and the events will be viewed from the Warrior's own perspective. In comparison to the previous sequel, Dynasty Warriors 4, there were just four main storylines for the Wu, Shu, Wei and Unaligned forces. The game's main mode, Musou mode, includes brand new stories for all of the characters including one of the newest Dynasty Warriors, Cao Pi - press 'read more' for details. The Japanese and US release is tentatively scheduled for February and March 2005 respectively - an early summer release is planned for Europe.

Nevrax informed us that they are helping The Saga of Ryzom players to combat the threat of Kitin invasion on the lands of Atys by negating the harmful effects of dying for several hours on Friday and Saturday evenings, starting at 8 pm Paris Time. For a short time, you will be granted protection from the harmful effects of dying to enable you to scout these camps in preparation for the final battle to come. Four new screenshots have been inserted in our gallery.

Here are the latest screens from the last installment of the Trackmania series. The game features new vehicules that can reach an incredible 400kph, new environments, two new solo modes: Platform and Crazy, an integrated peer-to-peer network for exchanging player creations, fully customisable car skins and player avatars and extensive content support from an existing online community. Be sure to check out the game's first trailer.

Excalibur Publishing and Rebelmind released the second patch for Maximus XV Abraham Strong - Space Mercenary, the sci-fi RPG/action game previously know as Space Hack - no details are available (thanks: 3DGamers). Maximus XV Abraham Strong - Space Mercenary features 45 levels over 5 different scenarios, 40 alien creatures from 3 different breeds, dozens of weapons and hi-tech items to use, diverse paths of character development and more. Be sure to check out the demo if you haven't done so yet.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), announced the addition of LucasArts' Star Wars Galaxies to the Station Access subscription plan. Now, all SOE-developed massively multiplayer online games are available to subscribers for US$21.99 per month. Star Wars Galaxies will be added to Station Access on Feb. 1, 2005. The Station Access subscription plan also includes EverQuest for Mac and PC, EverQuest II, PlanetSide, EverQuest: Online Adventures for PS2, and the three Station Pass games, Cosmic Rift, Infantry and Tanarus.

Act of War: Direct Action, the upcoming near-future, geopolitical techno-thriller for PC, will have a story created and written by New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown and will feature nearly one hour of original, live-action feature film footage produced by SWAT Films/Beyond FX to vividly present the story, Atari announced. The film production element of Act of War: Direct Action was shot over two weeks and featured a cast of 10 principal actors and hundreds of extras. The film footage will be blended with scenes created by the in-game engine to tell the story of Jason Richter and Task Force Talon as they discover a web of intrigue and terrorism that spans the globe from Moscow to Washington, D.C. Act of War: Direct Action is due for release on PC in March 2005 - don't forget to check out the demo taken from the game’s level six mission set in Egypt, entitled ‘Falling Hawk’.

According to this thread, Sabotain: Break the Rules, the first-person role-playing game set in the futuristic world in the works at Avalon Style Entertainment, is scheduled to ship in Germany in January-February 2005. Sabotain: Break the Rules is a first-person RPG based on the idea of mission-oriented adventure with varied interactions with people and places as well as varied mission types, including sabotage, infiltration, rescue, intelligence-gathering, thievery, reconnaissance, assassination, and all-out combat. Role-playing system allows characters to develop by gaining experience and spending it to improve their skills and attributes. Don't forget to check out the demo.

A new batch of screenshots from Psychonauts has been added in our gallery, showcasing this a third-person psychic odyssey across thirteen incredibly unique levels: three set in the real world and 10 set inside the mental worlds of misfits, monsters and madmen. Once inside a mind, players can rise in rank by collecting figments of other people’s imaginations; sort through their emotional baggage; clear out their mental cobwebs and crack open their memory vaults. As their rank rises, players are endowed with new psychic powers such as telekinesis, invisibility, pyrokinesis, clairvoyance and confusion. The game is developed by Double Fine Productions, Inc and will be released by Majesco later this year for the Xbox and PC. Don't forget to check out this movie.

Game Factory Interactive has released new screenshots from Telladar Chronicles: Decline, showcasing this new tactical wargame set in a fantasy world. After the Games Convention 2004, MindLink, the developers, started the active work on sound support implementation, detailed animation of humans and orcs, new fantasy character groups, and day and night cycle and dynamic shadows. Telladar Chronicles: Declinecovers the War of the Seven Nations and features a rich fantasy world, inhabited by numerous races and nations, each with its own history, unique magic and military systems, armies of up to 20000 fully polygonal creatures (infantry, cavalry, various monsters and magicians) on huge (4 square km) 3D maps, over than 100 spells and more.

Our gallery has been updated with 35 new screenshots from Hellforces, a FPS where the main hero must find his missing friend by fighting against minions of Lucifer. Hellforces will offer, among other things, over 20 trailers, realized on the game engine, 45 NPCs, 24 weapons types and diverse special equipment, including a night vision device, binoculars, movement sensor and so on. Hellforces is developed by Orion and will be published in Europe by GMX Media in Q1 2005.

New screenshots from The Stalin Subway have been added in our gallery, showcasing this FPS currently in development at G5 Software and slated for a Q2 2005 release. The Stalin Subway is a first-person shooter where the player will visit the most prominent sights and secret underground objects of Moscow, like the existent subway stations, a secret military subway line and suburban catacombs. Check the overview of the game for more details.

Eidos has released three new movies from Project Snowblind, showcasing this game under development at Crystal Dynamics which will be released on February 23rd 2004 across North America for PS2, Xbox & PC. The action of the game takes place in an Asian communist country where a civil war is taking place. The player must control a squad of NPCs or drive vehicles through 11 missions and 16 big levels. A wide arsenal of weapons, the use of Biomods for customizing the soldiers and a multiplayer of up to 16 players will surely assure the game's success.

A new movie ofBrothers in Arms is now available for download, offering almost two minutes and a half on in-game footage, narrated by Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford and advisor Col. John Antal. For details about the game, read our E3 2004 impressions and grab the E3 2004 demo trailer. Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 will ship on consoles and PC on February 25th 2005.

Activision has released a new server-side patch (v1.5b) for Call of Duty. Server hosts must have the Call of Duty v1.5 patch installed before updating with this new patch. If you do not plan on hosting a server, there is no need to download and install it. It is recommended that any user modifications that have been installed to the Call of Duty directory be removed before installing this patch. These modifications are not supported by Activision and may not be compatible with some of the new features that are included.

Digital Jesters sent over a press release announcing that Pro Rugby Manager 2 will feature a 2D tactical display which will provide gamers with all the tactical information, statistics and available strategies as well as a crystal clear representation of the match as it plays out. The whole interface has been designed to provide a more dynamic and intuitive experience when taking control of a team on match day. You can choose the new style tactical view or continue to take advantage of Pro Rugby Manager 2's 3D action mode with photo realistic stadiums and recognisable stars from clubs and countries around the world. Pro Rugby Manager 2 will be available for PC in February 2005 priced £34.99.

According to this German DRIV3R product page, the PC version of this game, already available for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, is scheduled to ship on March 17, 2005. Thanks: Blues. In DRIV3R you plays once again as Tanner, a jaw breaking, no-holds-barred undercover cop who does whatever it takes to bring the bad guys down. Tanner, alongside his longtime partner, Tobias Jones, must infiltrate a global car theft ring in tire squealing chases and fierce on-foot firefights while tailing gangsters, chasing witnesses, stealing cars and unloading massive clips of ammo to bring the criminals to justice.

LucasArts has issued a new patch for Star Wars Battlefront, upgrading the multiplayer action game developed by Pandemic Studios to v1.2. The update adds for Mod Map names longer than 4 characters, a countdown timer for invincibility, and some bugfixes (check full story for changelog). Star Wars Battlefront features 16 unique locations across 10 diverse planets including Hoth, Geonosis and Endor, 20 different soldier types from each of the four factions: Rebel Alliance, Imperial Army, Clone Army and Droid Army, over 25 diverse ground and air vehicles including the AT-ST, X-wing and speeder bike and more. The multiplayer mode supports up to 16 (PS2), 24 (Xbox) and 32 players (PC). For more details about the game, read our review.

Our gallery has been updated with 16 new screenshots from Auto Assault, showcasing the vehicular combat with role-playing elements which will be published by NCSoft this year. In this game, players explore a post-apocalyptic future in customizable cars, motorcycles, semis and even tanks. Players battle other players both in arenas and in epic race vs. race wars for control of the regions in a devastated Earth. Auto Assault uses the power of the Havok physics engine to let you make insane jumps, send obstacles flying and even blast bridges, buildings, fences and trees with your car-mounted rockets.

Doug Lombardi from Valve Software announced that the official Counter-Strike Bot will be released for Counter-Strike: Source on Monday (January 17th). The Bot features enhanced abilities and will be available for all owners of Counter-Strike: Source. Also included in Monday's release is an updated version de_tides, rebuilt by Turtlerock Studios. For more information or to purchase your copy of Counter-Strike: Source, visit the official Steam website.

Funcom announced that the free Anarchy Online offer has been a tremendous success and will be fully extended throughout all of 2005 and into 2006. The offer is valid only on new accounts, on all sign-ups until 15.01.2006 - no charges involved. The free version does not include access to any of the three expansion packs. If you wish to upgrade to any of the expansion packs, monthly subscription and client fees will be added. Other restrictions and conditions may apply - press 'read more' for details.

Digital Extremes informed us that Tim Larkin, known for his work on the Myst adventure series, was chosen to compose the soundtrack of Pariah, the FPS slated for a March 2005 release. Groove Games will be publishing the game in North America and Hip Interactive Europe will distribute and publish the title in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Be sure to grab the first game trailer produced by Mojo LLC, known for creating movie trailers for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters including The Matrix, T3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Last Samurai, Troy, xXx and many more.

Artisticsoft today announced that they will release this year Metrobotik, an immersive social game in which the player will have to live a virtual life in a living 3D board competing with other players. The first thing you will have to do is to find a job and try to increase your life style, your happiness, your health, and why not, your bank account. Metrobotik builds in 3D like a real neighborhood: with a square, avenues and 12 buildings in the periphery in which the player can interact with, while doing different activities. The game can be single player, multiplayer or can be played with a group of people on one computer. Press 'read more' for details and first screenshots.

Mastertronic today announced they will release in this February, under the PC Gamer Present... and M.A.D labels, the following games: Prisoner of War and TOCA Racer Driver from Codemasters, Commandos 3 from Eidos, Ubisoft's Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria and Wildlife Park Gold, originally released by Deep Silver. Check full article for details about each game.

A new title of World Championship Tournament series of Yu-Gi-Oh! games named Yu-Gi-Oh! Day of the Duelist will be released in February 2005, exclusively for Game Boy Advance, Konami of Europe announced. The one or two-player game features over 1000 cards to collect and duel with, and includes more than 400 brand new cards from the latest Trading Card Game Booster Packs. As such, Game Boy Advance users can now get to grips with monsters, traps and attacks from the Duelist Legacy Vol 1-5 sets, and the Japanese Series 3 packs from 'The New Ruler' and 'Pharao's Inheritance' sets. Players can also unlock their favourite Trading Card Game cards by inputting their codes to use them in the game.

Xplosiv sent out a press release announcing plans to extend its PS2 line up further with three new titles due to arrive in the first quarter of 2005: Bad Boys II (£19.99), Gunbird Special Edition (£9.99) and Spin Drive Ping Pong (£9.99) - press 'read more' for details about each title.

Released in North America in December last year, Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs will be available in French, English and German in add-on box sets from March 2005, GOA, the games department of France Telecom, announced. For new players, a downloadable on-line version including the original Dark Age of Camelot game and the first two expansions Shrouded Isles and Trials of Atlantis will be available at the same time - furthermore the Italian and Spanish versions of Catacombs will be available in complete box sets, including the original game and the total expansion collection – Shrouded Isles, Trials of Atlantis and Catacombs. In addition to enhanced graphics throughout the game, Catacombs adds new dungeon areas to each Realm, instanced content, five new player classes and challenges for all character levels.

DreamCatcher Games today announced that it will publish in May 2005 Universal Combat: A World Apart, the second title in the Universal Combat series developed by 3000AD Inc. A World Apart gives the hardcore Battlecruiser fan base a new advanced “Battlecruiser” type game using newer and more advanced technologies featured in Universal Combat – Hostile Intent (our pure action focused offering) and Galactic Command Online, the 3000AD's pay-for-play MMO game due out in public beta between last 2005 and early 2006. Press 'read more' for details and new screenshots.
Update: 3000AD Inc. informed us that two versions of the title will be available: the (boxed) retail only stand-alone version will contain the full product, including printed materials (manual, keyboard sheet) and the (smaller) download only version requires a previous install of any Universal Combat version - 3000AD Inc. retains the rights to the add-on version, priced at $19.99. Unlike the stand-alone version (which only contains its own unique game scenarios), the add-on version will (during installation) automatically convert all previous Universal Combat scenarios (Roam, Campaign & Instant Action), allowing them to be played using the new UCAWA engines.

Our gallery has been updated with new screenshots from Tenchu: Fatal Shadows illustrating this game set in historical Japan featuring two playable ninja warriors - returning heroine Ayame and newcomer Rin. This installment of the fan-favourite franchise offers a tight balance of melee combat and shadow stalking, and its levels are structured to avoid the frustrating trial-and-error patterns that are all too familiar in the stealth genre. Tenchu: Fatal Shadows will be available on February 15th 2005, exclusively for PS2.

A new batch of screenshots from Virtua Quest has been added in our gallery, showcasing the 3D Action/RPG in the works at SEGA Corporation and directed by AM2, a SEGA development studio. Exploring each game stage, the main character named Sei will discover "Virtua Souls" – data clusters that contain information about the martial arts abilities of the legendary Virtua Fighter characters. These clusters give the player the ability to easily perform complex fighting moves. Virtua Quest will be available in the US on January 18th.