The most successful football management series ever for video game consoles is set to evolve this October as Codemasters confirms LMA Manager 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Introducing major new gameplay elements, LMA Manager 2004 will be a true advancement for the series, renowned as the most emotive and entertaining football management game designed exclusively for console players. Making it as stimulating visually as it is mentally, LMA Manager 2004 will give the series a whole new look. There are also more flexible management options, even more 2003/2004-season player stats, an engrossing new Fantasy Team game mode and, for seasoned managers, a challenging Expert setting in the full game.

Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world's leading video game publishers, today announced an exclusive agreement with Sony Online Entertainment to publish the eagerly awaited PlanetSide in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Quebec and Japan. Currently in development, the game is the first massively multiplayer online action game that allows literally thousands of gamers to play at the same time. Its global release on PC CD-ROM is scheduled for the week debuting May 19, 2003, with the UK release date scheduled for May 23, 2003. European gamers will benefit from a server that is based in Amsterdam, thus providing great service with regards to connection and customer support. Check out the screens!

MCV UK reports that Infogrames will be making the switch to the Atari brand name tomorrow (May 7th). As the firm prepares to ship a staggering 3.5m units of Enter The Matrix around the world, strong rumours of a name-switch to Atari have been growing for some time – with logic suggesting that an announcement would be made at the looming E3 trade show in Los Angeles. It appears, however, that the switch will be completed ahead of the show, giving Infogrames staff a little time to get used to the new corporate identity ahead of the LA expo.

TDK Mediactive, Inc. a global publisher of interactive entertainment software, is set to officially debut its 2003 product lineup, its most extensive and most powerful to date, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles May 14-16, 2003. Check out the lineup below!

Open your diary and put a big red circle around Friday 13th June. That should be enough to remind you not only to avoid walking under ladders or approaching black cats, but also that Ash is back. And he's back in the biggest bloodiest hack and slash gore-fest imaginable. Ash is the chainsaw-armed hero of Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick: a brand new action adventure title due for release by THQ Inc. on Friday June 13th for both PS2 and Xbox.

For the first time ever, consumers and game enthusiasts will get a first-hand virtual look inside the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo), the world's preeminent interactive entertainment trade show, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) announced today. The Web site, E3Insider, will launch on May 14th at 10am when E3Expo's doors open to thousands of industry professionals at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Majorem is on its way to E3 with the latest available demonstration of Ballerium, and today we received a small progress report. Ballerium is a fully persistent MMPORTS (Massive Multiplayer online Real-Time Strategy Game) with final release set to occur Q4 2003... Read more for the progress report!

Renowned for their daring stunts, racing on all terrain and competing against all comers Motorcross Mania 2 takes this to the 'X'! Containing all the action of the thrilling first Motorcross Mania but with improved turning accuracy, enhanced graphics, updated bikes and stunts to leave you in awe! Man and machine battling side by side across 3 levels, each with 3 different courses. There is even an Edit Track feature to make your style of racing even more extreme. Catch big air on jumps to do awesome stunts and get ready to experience the 'X' for yourself! Read more for some screens ...

Empire Interactive plc ("Empire") is pleased to announce a key distribution deal with Canadian company Digital Leisure Inc. ("Digital Leisure") to launch the eJay music software range for PC in North America. The deal, which covers the USA and Canada, consists of 24 SKUs scheduled to debut from mid May 2003.

Based on a true story, players take on the role of Roman, a cockney criminal mastermind and leader of a gang of accidental heroes known as the Lionhearts. Armed to the hilt with an arsenal of outrageously powerful firearms, Roman and his crew of Robin Hood wannabes - Jonesy, Q1-11, and Rexus - set out to pull off the ultimate heist and are unwittingly drawn into a rebellion against a tyrant king. In the process the Lionhearts learn some treasures aren't worth stealing and some things are more valuable than gold. The game is being developed in conjunction with Planet Moon Studios and is expected to release winter 2003 for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC.

War Times is a Real-Time Strategy game that lets players follow the tumultuous era of the Second World War through the actions of Germany, Great Britain, the USA or the USSR; each nation is totally different and uses unique strategies in their attack and defense and all the campaigns are based on real historical events, bringing an unparalleled realism to the fight. Check the new screens...

Microsoft is planning some major changes to its Xbox online gaming experience, even before its launched, industry sources said on Monday. The tech giant is readying a new version which facilitates advanced community features, allowing players to voice chat with their friends online as well as use the Xbox as a media centre. Detailed improvements are expected to be unveiled at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

In Advent Rising, a common legend pervades the galaxy - that of a powerful, ancient race that will one day unite the universe. Millions of cultures from vastly distant worlds revere and hallow these mythological beings known as humans. One race, the Seekers, know humans actually exist and are threatened by their potential power. Under the guise of benevolent explorers, the Seekers travel throughout the galaxy in a desperate attempt to eradicate any human society they unearth.

Enter the Matrix is the story-within-the-story. It features awesome gunplay and spectacular martial arts that bend the rules of the Matrix, as well as insane driving and stunts, and the chance to pilot the fastest hovercraft in the fleet. This game isn’t just set in the Matrix universe – it’s an integral part of the entire Matrix experience, weaving in and out of the highly anticipated 2nd installment in the film trilogy, The Matrix Reloaded. A fresh batch of screens .. Njoy!

Delphieye, Inc., Korean developer that has two in-house developing team for MMORPG ”Helikia” and PC FPS game “Nitro Family.” “Nitro Family,” a new hardcore First Person Shooter developed by Delphieye, Inc., will be introduced at 2003 E3 game show. Powered by the world-renowned Serious Sam Engine, “Nitro Family” mainly focuses on images of the deepest desires of man like violence, sensuality and beauty, with a pure enjoyment of game. Read more to check out some new screens and download links for the trailer...

TRON 2.0 is the present-day sequel to the 1982 cult film classic that wasa landmark of computerized graphical ingenuity. TRON 2.0 is a story-driven, first-person action game that propels the player into an alternate universe inside a computer.A new TRON 2.0 has been released, showing off more than two minutes of cutscene and gameplay footage to introduce the game's back story and features. Read more for download links ...

Online retailer GameStop is now taking pre-orders for SOCOM2, expected in stores this coming October. The new issue of EGM will have a feature on SOCOM2, including screenshots according to Shacknews. Hunt terrorists down in multiple environments in the sequel to SOCOM, the game that set the standard for online gaming for PlayStation 2. Pick your team, equip them, get some intel and head out on several gripping missions that will test both your nerves and reflexes. Once you have mastered the single player game, take it to the next level and battle online against players from all over the world. Bring it on!

Gamespot dug up some info on a, so far unannounced, Activision game from Trokia Games (currently also working on Infogrames' Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil). Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, a first person action-RPG, will be using Valve's Source engine which also powers Half-Life2 and is expected somewhere in 2004. In Vampire you will play as a fledgling vampire who will belong to one of seven vampire clans, each of which has its own distinctive strengths and abilities, including superhuman strength and speed, invisibility, and mind control, to name a few. As players progress through the game, they'll earn experience points that they can spend on improving their powers. These abilities and the game's major vampire factions will be drawn from White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade pen-and-paper game. Check out the Gamespot article for more details ...