Immerse yourself in the fast-paced, dynamic world of Baldur’s Gate : Dark Alliance. In this epic action RPG, play one of three unique characters as you explore visually stunning environments like bone-chilling ice caverns, marshy swamplands and forlorn tombs. Battle immense Frost Giants, brutal Dragons and hordes of other Dungeons & Dragons creatures. Use your wits, battle fiercely and emerge victorious!

Esimgames' tank combat simulator Steel Beasts 2 is expected to be released Summer 2003, but today we have a few new screens showing off some tank bliss. Read more to check them out ...

Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward, developed by High Voltage Software, continues the story of the successful action adventure franchise Hunter: The Reckoning. High-speed action combined with top-notch graphics translate the dark fantasy world of the White Wolf role-playing game and bring the essence of the game to life, fully submerging the player into the realm of The World of Darkness. Wayward comes to the PS2 this summer with an all new story, game-play features, weapons and terrifying monsters. Check out the first batch of screens ...

Valve has let us know that their plan is to begin the 2.0 beta test of their Steam broadband content delivery system this Thursday, January 16. Included in the beta will be the release of Counter-Strike version 1.6, "which introduces new weapons (riot shield, FAMAS, and more) a new map (de_airstrip), as well as various fixes and tweaks." Also included in the new Steam beta will be a new version of TeamFortress Classic "featuring the introduction of the teleportation pad, a new map (ravelin), and more." (thanks Blues).

eGenesis is proud to announce that A Tale In The Desert will begin commercial service on February 15. The game will be distributed as a free, downloadable client with a monthly cost of $13.95. The free trial will include 24 hours of game-time, or one month of service, whichever comes first.

KOEI Corporation announced today that Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends started shipping to retailers throughout North America. Consumers can expect to find the game on retail shelves this week. Gamers can also order Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends through online retailers including: EBGames, GameStop, Toy'R US and BestBuy.

Purge, delivers a compelling combination of first-person shooter gameplay and RPG character development, immersing players in a strife-torn world that blends science fiction and fantasy. In Purge, players will find themselves engrossed in a war between two opposing forces, the Order (humans genetically modified to scientific perfection) and the Chosen (religious believers who reject all forms of technology). Players will be able to customize their characters, various skills and innovative weapons. Freeform Interactive has just released a patch for their public beta, no specific detail are available yet so read more for download links.

UPDATE FreeForm Interactive kindly asked us to pull the files since some bugs have creeped into the patch, another version coming SOON...

Scrabble 2003 Edition will be the most updated and accurate Scrabble game available to date. The latest word lists available have been implemented and the computer AI will now pose an even greater challenge to the most experieinced Scrabble players. Ubi Soft is also creating a range of interactive websites dedicated to new and existing Scrabble players who will welcome the new addition of full multiplayer modes allowing up to 4 players to compete Online or via LAN. Read more for download links ...

Originally developed for the PS2 by THQ's Volition studio, these new versions of Red Faction II will feature a number of enhancements and improvements. The Gamecube version, being developed by THQ's Cranky Pants Games studio, will feature custom animations, improved texture resolution and color as well as enhanced lighting specific to the Gamecube hardware. The Xbox and PC versions, being developed by THQ's Outrage Games studio, will include increased texture resolution, and exclusive multiplayer maps and character models. We got 20+ screens for you to enjoy...

On the long journey to the victory the player will stumble across the traces of humanoid alien species. But, unfortunately, aliens do not want to fight against any clan, because their planets are far away from the place where the games plot takes place - no wars for the territory here. Your encounters will be limited to scientific ships of aliens. They search for new technologies for their race and you have those technologies. This is why aliens are interested in contacting you, as long as you are a member of the clan that has a great technological potential. A few new screens ...

Kung Fu Chaos is the newest action extravaganza from director Shao Ting, whose previous films have dazzled audiences with nonstop barrages of thrown chairs, gunshots, explosions and broken limbs. This time, Ting is pulling out all the stops—raging rivers, hungry dinosaurs, alien invasions, sinking luxury liners…it’s almost too much to contend with. But you’ll have to, as well as simultaneously fighting ninjas, your fellow actors, and dodging exploding pigs, if you want to become the ultimate star! Read more for some new screens ...

Splinter Cell will grant players access to the highest echelons of national security, where shadowy operatives have the freedom to do whatever it takes to safeguard America. In Splinter Cell, the player controls Sam Fisher, a field operative of a secretive "black-ops" NSA sub-agency called Third Echelon. Sam Fisher is geared up to infiltrate high-security strongholds, seize critical intelligence, destroy threatening data and neutralize the enemy - all without leaving a trace. Last week UbiSoft announced Splinter Cell going multiplatform, today we serve up some new screens from the PS2/GBA version

Interplay and Vivendi Universal Games today announced the development of Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward for the PS2. Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward, developed by High Voltage Software, continues the story of the successful action adventure franchise Hunter: The Reckoning. High-speed action combined with top-notch graphics translate the dark fantasy world of the White Wolf role-playing game and bring the essence of the game to life, fully submerging the player into the realm of The World of Darkness. Wayward comes to the PS2 this summer with an all new story, game-play features, weapons and terrifying monsters.

Ubi Soft Entertainment announced today that it has acquired all developing and publishing rights related to the Nightmare Creatures 3, Angel of Darkness (working title) video game as well as the Nightmare Creatures trademark. As a result, the development for Nightmare Creatures 3, started by Kalisto Entertainment, is now being handled by Ubi Soft. The game is slated for release on the latest generation of consoles in 2004.

In time for the release of the eagerly awaited IGI2: Covert Strike public multiplayer beta test Jolt provided a swathe of high performance servers ready for IGI2 operatives to enjoy the stealth and tactical approach of the single-player game in a hectic multiplayer environment. The success of the multiplayer demo and Jolt's resilient network and servers is demonstrated by the fact that all 10 Official servers (powered by Jolt) have been full 24/7 since the release of the demo at 14:00 GMT on January 10th. Jolt will provide servers for both the multiplayer beta test and the full game which is published on February 14 2003 for PC CD-ROM.

The Road to Rome will focus exclusively on the largely underpublicized Italian and Sicilian campaigns of WWII. Players can choose to fight on six new maps including Operation Husky (Sicily) and the battles for Anzio and Monte Cassino. Each map comes with highly detailed environments such as Italian houses, Mediterranean trees and even the Monte Cassino Monastery. Controllable vehicles are the heart of the Battlefield 1942 experience and The Road To Rome will feature eight new vehicles in addition to the more than 30 in the original title. These include the German BF-110 and British Mosquito twin-engined fighter-bombers. Also debuting are Italian and new British and German tanks and anti-tank guns. New hand-held weapons include the Italian Breda assault rifle, British Sten SMG and bayonets on rifles... Check out six new shots below!

Entertainment software publisher NovaLogic Ltd. today announced that they are looking forward to their busiest ever Q1 in 2003 with the release of three PC titles, Delta Force - Black Hawk Down, Highland Warriors and Devastation... Delta Force - Black Hawk Down will ship on February 28th, 2003, Highland Warriors on March 21st, 2003 and Devastation on March 21st, 2003.

The company also announced that a single and multiplayer demo for Delta Force - Black Hawk Down would be available at the beginning of February. More details about the demo will be released shortly.

Midway Games announced today that Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance has sold through more than one million units across all platforms between its November 22 launch and the end of 2002. The game is currently available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is scheduled to launch in Europe in February 2003.

Midway Sports announced today that MLB SlugFest 20-04 is currently in development for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

Chrome is a tactical FPP shooting game whose action takes place in the future during the colonization of the newly discovered solar system of Valkyria. An unusual and dramatic story takes place among the huge and wild terrains of the five planets, within the residential complexes of the first settlers, deep within mines rich with precious minerals and inside the headquarters of the powerful corporations fighting among themselves over the unique riches of Valkyria... Today we serve up 8 new screens, Enjoy!

THQ today announced that its critically acclaimed action game Red Faction II will be coming to Nintendo Gamecube, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC in March. Featuring an enhanced Geo-ModTM engine that allows players to strategically alter and destroy the game environment in real-time, Red Faction II expands and builds upon the experience and technology of the original game with blistering action, an engaging storyline, highly detailed graphics and a number of multi-player options.

UBI Soft just tossed up the official Harpoon 4 website. The site includes a dozen never-before-seen images from Harpoon 4, wallpapers, detailed descriptions of your favorite submarines / jets / ships, FAQ and much more.. The current development is back on track for a March 2003 release. Here is a small game description:

The world's naval powers are now at your command! If it floated, flew, or submerged between 1984-2000, it's probably in Larry Bond's Harpoon 4. This is the ultimate simulation of modern naval warfare. Featuring over 1,000 ships, subs, aircraft, and ground formations, this real-time naval strategy game is epic in scope and detail. Maneuver your forces on a highly detailed and customizable map of Northern Europe. Plan and execute detailed attacks on multiple enemy units and watch the battle unfold before your eyes.

SMH.com reports that a Hong Kong computer game enthusiast has been found slumped dead at a terminal in a game centre after playing non-stop for hours. The 28-year-old was found slumped at his screen early on Saturday after he apparently had played the online game Diablo II since early Friday evening.

A policeman found him in the game centre shortly after 1am, five hours after he began playing the popular game, according to reports. His death at a game centre in Hong Kong's Yuen Long district came eight months after a 17-year-old game centre employee was found dead after playing Diablo II through the night.

Warnings were posted in cyber cafes around Hong Kong advising customers not to spend too long playing games uninterrupted after the death of the teenager last May. A police spokesman said today that an autopsy would be carried out to determine the cause of the death of the man.

MARCH!: Offworld Recon is a high-class innovative combination of FPS, arcade, and tactical simulation. Based on the powerful graphic engine by LithTech, it features spectacular 3D graphics, highly realistic environments and breath-taking visual effects. A new batch fo fresh screens ...

J.P.Eekels Lead Designer @ Digital Extremes posted up some information at the Infogrames forum, regarding 'Unreal Championship' Update.. Here is a small clip from his posting:

I just wanted to drop you guys a note on the planned update (fixes for exploits) and thereby opening an option for other fixes as well that we have for you.

Although Unreal Championship can be patched to fix exploits, this is not by all means an easy task. I will not go into detail here other then saying that it is not the same situation like updates for PC based games. I will also go on and say that we do listen to our public and are in fact working hard to make sure that you have an awesome time playing our games.

So, I will have you know that there is some substantial work put into the upcoming patch that will fix some exploits that people have listed on this board. Some things were known (stats for instance) and some things just came up through the woodwork.

Follow this link to see what they currently working on! (thanks GameSpy)