Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, announced the release of the Age of Empires III Original Soundtrack, featuring an original musical score composed by long-time Ensemble Studios musicians Stephen Rippy and Kevin McMullan whose previous work includes other titles in the Age of Empires series as well as Age of Mythology. The soundtrack also features a bonus DVD that includes fourteen tracks remixed in 5.1 surround, a behind-the-scenes video of the studio session, the Age of Empires III cinematic trailer, and five exclusive bonus tracks. Check full story for details and grab the demo, if you haven't done so yet.

CDV Software Entertainment announced it has secured the exclusive rights to distribute and promote Heroes of Annihilated Empires in North America. Combining aspects of RTS and RPG genres, Heroes of Annihilated Empires promises 18 heroes, 100 different units, 70 animated buildings, 50 magic items, large-scale battles with up to 64.000 units on the battlefield, completely unique races (units, tech trees, spells, artifacts and buildings), six unique landscapes corresponding to the six nations and many more. The upcoming real-time strategy game in the works at GSC Game World is due to ship in 2006. Press 'read more' for details and check out these new screenshots.

Navy Field is a massively multiplayer online strategy game based on naval combat during WWII. Players have the opportunity to see how the actual naval guns, torpedo launchers, Fire Control Systems, and engines looked and operated. Players earn game credits for ships and gain experience points for sailors as they engage in war-like battles. Four nations are represented in the game: the US, British, Japan, and Germany. Navy Field features 95 different types of warships including Frigates, Battle Cruisers, and Aircraft carriers and a total of 75 positions for sailors. The massive naval battles are supporting up to 128 players (64 vs. 64).

We have the first trailer from Xenosaga Episode 3, showcasing the sequel to Xenosaga EPISODE II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose, the RPG game developed by Monolith Software Inc. and shipped to North American retail outlets by Namco in February 2005.

Combine Destiny is a Half-life 2 single-player modification where you play as a combine soldier and battle through the dark atmosphere of an old rebel base with different paths to choose and non-stop firearm action.

Ferrano Meraldi sent us another beautiful movie (ohhh, that song...) from F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault and Recon), featuring three minutes and a half of multiplayer footage from the FPS developed by Monolith. Don't forget to grab the single-player demo which offers an cinematic introduction together with an early mission from the full game. The multiplayer demo can be found here - it offers two maps: Factory (Deathmatch) and Facility (CTF), along with the option for dedicated servers with 16 players support.

Matrix Games and 2by3 Games announced that a developer chat with Justin Prince, creator of War Plan Orange: Dreadnaughts in the Pacific 1922-1930, will take place from the Matrix Games chat room, available under “Services” at the top of the screen, on Thursday December 8th, 2005 at 10:00 PM Eastern US Time. War Plan Orange: Dreadnaughts in the Pacific 1922-1930 puts you in control of Japan or the Allies (including The United States, Great Britain, The Commonwealth, France and the Netherlands) in a hypothetical post-World War 1 conflict that would have reshaped the future of the world. Press 'read more' for details.

Courtesy of CommandosFansite.com, we have new screenshots from Commandos Strike Force, illustrating the next installment in the Commandos series developed by Pyro Studio. The game features three different Commandos characters with different gameplay styles, three linked campaigns (Norway, Russia and France), open maps allowing objectives to be achieved in many different ways, a variety of multiplayer modes up to 8 players and more. Commandos Strike Force will be released in Winter 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. Click here to read an interview with Eidos PR, Mike Souto.

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     We need writers willing to do editorials (Xbox 360 vs PS3/etc) Interviews (ask companies questions on upcoming titles) and maybe other articles. As of now our current staff is busy with school and reviews, so they have no time to do interviews and editorials. If you want to start working for us, this is a good place to start. Please, serious inquiries only. If you can't write, don't bother, our editors are busy enough as it is :) If you can write the English language very well and are interested in writing please inquire within. English does not have to be your native language, only well written. You can live anywhere in the world. You must have a desire to write, and write a lot. Knowledge of computers and games is a plus. Ages 16 and up. If you fit this profile please send a sample a text of something gaming related to kurt . k (at) gamershell . com. Sample text should be in the context of gaming. 2-4 pages only.

     The following articles have been added in our dedicated section: Call of Duty 2 Review (Xbox 360), Quake 4 Review (PC), Project Gotham Racing 3 Review (Xbox 360), and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Review (Xbox)

     1. Chris Deering, president of Sony Europe, has been honoured for his services to the UK computer and video games industry. Deering was inducted into the ELSPA Hall of Fame at the InDin, the computer and video games industry's annual dinner, in central London on December 1st. The Hall of Fame, created by ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, celebrates the achievement of the UK games industry's pioneers and honours those who have helped put the UK games industry on the global map.
     2. The last Vivisector: Beast Within calendar of 2005 has been posted on the official website.
     3. A new version of Mod DB, a website for finding, downloading, developing and discussing mods, is now online.
     4. AcceleNation posted an article named Parallax Mapping, a detailed look at parallax mapping.
     5. Check out this press release for details about Body Glove technology accessories.
     6. Channel Intelligence, a leading provider of e-commerce data solutions for online retailers, announced a record number of new internet retailer clients signed in the third quarter - click here for the entire press release.
     7. Aspyr Media, Inc. announced that Sims 2 University for Mac, the first expansion pack to EA's popular The Sims 2, has hit beta status and is expected to begin shipping this month.
     8. Over at moddb.com the Doom 3 Coop Mod Last Man Standing has been nominated for Mod of the Year. You can go here to vote for and support the mod. As a note the vote counts more if you are logged into Moddb.com as a member when voting. For more information, click here.

SEGA today announced they have acquired the exclusive rights for publishing the Official Video Game of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This agreement will allow SEGA to publish a range of interactive entertainment software titles for consoles, PC/MAC and mobiles, based on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Check the press release for further details.

Sidhe Interactive today announced that GripShift, a PSP game which combines high-flying stunt driving with puzzle-solving, won Best Level Design, Best Game Design and Best Handheld Game at the Australian Game Developers Conference this year. Sidhe Interactive also received the Industry Contribution Award, recognizing its longstanding efforts and involvement in growing the Game Development Industry in New Zealand and Australasia. Press 'read more' for details.

We have new screenshots and two new movies from Infected, showcasing this thrilling new run-and-gun shooter that allows players’ avatars to invade opponents’ PSP systems via multiplayer victories. In the works at Planet Moon Studios (known for Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Armed & Dangerous), Infested will feature "an engrossing single-player campaign with lavishly gory details", multiplayer modes such as Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, ultra-fast paced, two-gun action in the streets of New York, special weapons like air strikes and fire trails, and more. Infected is the first release in an exclusive three game PSP deal between Majesco and Planet Moon Studios. Visit the official website for more details.

GamesRouter today announced that Rose Online Europe is now updated to version 1.05, featuring the new Luna Dungeon Forgotten Temple, a new source of income for Dealers, 22 new deadly monsters and battle carts. Press 'read more' to read the full details.

Ubisoft today released four more screens from Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, along with a very interesting Q&A; detailing some of the features of the game. Press 'read more' to read the answers and check the screens.

Konami today released a new trailer from Rumble Rose XX for Xbox 360. The game features over 20 female characters, each with her distinct personality. Just download and enjoy the movie.