Microsoft® Game Studios today announced that “MechAssault,” a sci-fi action/shooter game based on the highly successful “BattleTech” franchise, will be available exclusively for the Xbox™ video game system.

Geneforge is our newest fantasy role-playing game with a science fiction twist. In Geneforge, you are free to choose what your overall goal is, and you can seek after it with your own horde of deadly, mutant monsters. You are a Shaper, a member of the most powerful and secretive of the magical guilds. You have the power to create life and mold it to serve your own needs. For millennia, your world feared and respected the Shapers above all others. Their creations could go everywhere, do anything, all according to the wishes of the Shapers and no others. Read more for details and links.

Bluebyte kicked off a little contest to celebrate their Settlers 4 GOLD release. The player who can complete the contest map (made by Brian) the fastest (screenshot (F7) with "open chat message box" (F6) and "victory", savegame are proof) has the chance to win a free game or some posters. Head on over to the German Bluebyte page (babelfished) to read more about it. Contest runs until April 14th and participants should submit their info here.

Highland Warriors, a new 3D real-time strategy game scheduled for release in the fall, brings players to the center of the great feuds between the Scottish clans and England from the beginning of Scotland in 843 A.D. to the battlefields of William Wallace in the 14th century. Data Beker’s game will allow players to relive fierce clan wars in over 100 epic battles. From the company who brought us 'America' so cant be too bad eh?

GameSpy chats it up this morning with DarkBlack' Ltd's Tony Charlton, who talks briefly about their upcoming new first-person perspective horror-survival game for the Xbox - DARKBLACK. GameSpy has slammed down an interview with Remi Arnaud of Intrinsic Graphics this morning chatting it up with them about their plans at GDC this week, their latest technologies & partners and what Alchemy offers game developers. Dutch online gamesite GameCom has an interesting interview with El Kardian developers Codinet talking about this upcoming 2D/3D hybrid MMORPG. Action Vault's Chaser Q&A talks with Cauldron's development director David Durcak and lead programmer Marian Suran about progress on their upcoming science fiction-themed first-person shooter. There's a City of Heroes Preview on Games Domain structured around a Q&A with Cryptic Studios cofounder Jack Emmert, designer on the upcoming superhero MMOG.

The official site for the upcoming space fight simulator game Homeplanet is today updated with some new screens in the gallery section and new pictures of the ships from the game in the ships section. Check it out!

Combining the non-stop action of an arcade game with the noted plug-and-play appeal of its military shooters, Infogrames, Inc. today announced Operation Blockade for the PC. Scheduled for this spring, Operation Blockade provides both a single and multiplayer cooperative mode, as well as a pulse-pounding 360-degree field of fire.

The hunt begins! Jango Fett, the most ruthless and feared mercenary in the Star Wars galaxy, will make his spectacular interactive debut later this year in the action-packed Star Wars Bounty Hunter from LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. Through Jango -- father of Boba Fett, one of the most intriguing and enduring characters in the Star Wars universe -- players will plunge into the dark, deadly world of a bounty hunter, a role Star Wars game fans have long awaited to play. Star Wars Bounty Hunter is expected to release fall 2002 on PlayStation 2 and GameCube.

We announced earlier today the release of Irrational Games, EA, Crave Ent.'s Freedom Force .. So ofcourse i had to snag it and put it to the test. Only 2 small missions and a character editor in the demo but i must say that its looking like quite a nice game. Lots of nice effects, weapons and you can pick up cars and throw them around, ripp out lightpole's etc... pretty cool ... I made a 40-some screens to let you people enjoy it while you download the demo left or right ... its worth it ;)

Addressing consumer demand for increased audio realism in gaming environments, Analog Devices today announced a new version of its SoundMAX Audio Rendering Technology Toolkit (SMartTools) - which now offers significantly improved cross-platform output capability and a more intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) to game audio developers.

Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world's largest video game publishers, today announced that Dark Planet: Battle for Natrolis, its futuristic Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game has shipped to U.S. retail stores with an MSRP of $39.99

Bringing an exciting new dimension to puzzle-solving games, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it will release ZooCube for the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Available this spring, ZooCube has been heralded for its innovative design and is the first true 3-D puzzle game available for the next-generation systems.

Microsoft today let us know that Gas Powered Games epic RPG, Dungeon Siege has gone gold and will be out April 5th. Yes!!! The moment A LOT of us been waiting for ...

More Lara Croft Tomb Raider announcements.. This time Eidos Interactive announces that the new Tomb Raider game "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness" will be exclusive to PlayStation 2 on the videogame console format. The game will be released on PlayStation 2 and PC on 15th November 2002.

Can today's PC hardware stand-up to the increasingly complex and intense computer games of tomorrow? Although game designers continue to push graphical detail and performance, hardware manufacturers are testing their wares against the existing standards of yesterday. Until now... Leading game and technology developer Epic Games today unveiled the Unreal Performance Test 2002, the first and only game benchmark indicative of the future of gaming.

As promised last night, the demo from Freedom Force, Irrational Game's now-gold superhero game, is now available for download from FilePlanet (registration required). The demo is available as a large version (87.4 MB) and a smaller version (56.1 MB), the difference between the two being that the larger version includes the music.

NVIDIA's Drivers Page now offers new version 28.32 "Detonator XP" drivers for Windows 95/98/Me, Windows XP/2000, and Windows NT (thanks Blues). As is always the case with these reference drivers, no technical support is offered, as they are to be used at your own risk.

Forget the sun block next summer - it looks like being a mud-spattered June for Gameboy Advance/PS2 gamers. Leading interactive games publisher, Infogrames, has announced that it's driving the hugely successful V-Rally brand out of the garage and onto Gameboy Advance/PS2 in June 2002; and with 4 million units already sold in the series, it's a welcome return for one of the most realistic rally games yet seen.

NVIDIA Corporation today announced that it is working closely with Sony Online Entertainment, Inc. to optimize two upcoming online games developed by Sony Online Entertainment. Star Wars Galaxies, to be published by LucasArts, and PlanetSide will be among the first wave of games optimized for NVIDIA's GeForce4 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), resulting in a gaming experience rich in crisp 3D graphics, unique visual effects and some of the most realistic, life-like images ever seen in an online game.

BAM! Entertainment today announced that it will publish futuristic racer WipEout Fusion and 3D action adventure Dropship: United Peace Force for the PlayStation 2. This expanded relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe enables BAM! Entertainment to bring the games to the North American market this summer. Just last month, BAM! announced that it will bring North America the critically acclaimed racing title WRC: World Rally Championship for PlayStation 2.