Just as in the "Magic" card game, in "Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds" players will choose a duelist and up to two of "Magic's" five colors -- red, green, white, blue, and black -- to attempt to reduce their opponent's life to zero. Of course, getting an opponent to zero will not be easy; players will have to utilize lightning reflexes, strategic brilliance and, on occasion, raw power to overcome an enemy. Check these spiffy new screens

Experience the huge world of "Tortuga", with its 16 very different scenarios either as a buccaneer in service of his Majesty or as a feared pirate. Your riches will expand through successful piracy, theft of ships, plundering of towns or completion of missions from the town governments. But make haste, and be wary of the treachery and mutiny that can reduce all of that to nothing. Read more for details & screens ...

Brace Yourselves! Your Sims have Magic! In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers with the ability to cast spells that are playful or deviant. Players can venture to an all-new magical, carnival-themed destination, experience exciting new gameplay, gain over 150 new items, and encounter a whole new cast of quirky characters in this powerful pack of magical high jinx. Check the new magical screens ...

Sammy Studios Inc. has announced that it will publish Spy Fiction, an exciting new action-stealth video game for Sony PlayStation2, in North America. Spy Fiction is the first title developed by Access Games, a company formed in 2002 when a group of veteran developers came together to create the ultimate original action-stealth game. Spy Fiction is slated for release exclusively for PlayStation2 in Spring 2004. Read more for details & screens ...

Gamers...mark your calendars! "HQ" has confirmed October 29 as the date for Activision, Inc.'s Call of Duty to invade retail outlets nationwide. The highly anticipated, first-person, WWII action-thriller has been given its orders and will be deployed to manufacturing, setting the stage for an all-out assault on game fans everywhere. Developed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty for the PC is rated "T" (TEEN - blood and violence) by the ESRB.

Asterix & Obelix are returning in style on next-generation consoles, with an XXL game in which they battle up to 70 Romans at a time. Asterix & Obelix XXL makes full use of the technical features of new consoles to produce an extraordinary image of the universe of Asterix and Obelix, through 6 gigantic levels and 49 challenges, each more astounding than the next. Read more for screens...

Namco Hometek Inc. announced today the latest installment in its popular light gun shooter franchise, Time Crisis 3, has gone gold. Exclusively for the PlayStation2, Time Crisis3 is on track for a late October release. Additionally, the company announced today the launch of the Time Crisis3 official Web site. Currently, the site offers readers the first look at the game’s Crisis Mission Mode.

UK-based game publisher SCi Entertainment has acquired Pivotal Games for 2.36 million pounds (approximately 3.9 million dollars). Pivotal is the developer of the Conflict: Desert Storm series of tactical shooters and The Great Escape. Pivotal is completing the third game in the Conflict series and has begun development of the fourth. Pivotal Games was previously a subsidiary of Kaboom Studios – which recently closed its doors due to the poor performance of other components of its business. Pivotal currently employs approximately 70 people. The move is a unique one for SCi - which operates a business model generally based on outsourcing development to third parties.

A playable demo is expected in the first week of October. Universal Combat brings the greatest components of war together in a single game. Conceived in late 2001 as Battlecruiser Generations, the fifth in the Battlecruiser series, the game has grown into much more than a massive space simulation. Universal Combat is due to be distributed by Mindscape in the UK in November 2003.

It is the year 2083. Ten months ago the first humans landed on Argilus. They found cities, towns, industrial installations - all deserted. Doors unlocked... meals unfinished... strange machinery still operational... but no people. Scientists were brought in, research bases set up. Four months later, your supply ship the Angel, has been sent to check these bases. But when you hail them from orbit, theres no answer. The scientists too, seem to have vanished. Check out some new screens ...