In one of the closest marketing tie-ins to date between a video game and a movie, game publisher THQ Inc. on Monday said it would give a free ticket to the upcoming animated film "Finding Nemo" with each of its games based on the Pixar feature.

Andy @ VE3D received some more Half-Life 2 information from Jeff Green @ Computer Gaming World:

Just letting all y’all know that we are joining the pile-on and featuring Half Life 2 on our June cover. It’s a 6-page feature based on an interview and demo of the game we had a Valve’s office in Seattle, and includes a bunch of exclusive screens.

The magazine is being mailed to subscribers *tomorrow*, so it will be in some folks’ greasy palms within a few days. The official on-sale newsstand date is May 6.

Digitalo has released a dedicated Windows server for the retail edition of Devastation, the new first-person shooter by Digitalo Studios. The server is compatible with clients updated to the latest (version 380) patch, and word is that running a devastation server is very much like running a UT2003 server, so most of the stuff at UnrealAdmin.org is relevant. This is an updated Windows server (v380) for the retail version of the game (not for the demo). Read more for details and download links ...

You’re Indiana Jones. Legendary adventurer. Daring rogue. And the most butt-kicking archaeologist the world has ever seen. It’s 1935 and this time you must prevent a powerful Chinese artifact from falling into evil hands. This globe-spanning adventure pits you against evil Nazis and the Asian underworld with a mysterious and alluring partner, Mei Ying. It’ll take more than just a trusty whip and pistol to avoid deadly traps and navigate through all the dangerous environments. Do you have what it takes to make it back alive? The update fiddles with the game controllers' sensitivity settings and fixes a bunch of graphical bugs. Read more for download links ...

Bandits: Phoenix Rising immerses players into a vast, desert wasteland, where they must control a cannon-mounted combat car in order to defeat heavily armed enemies and ultimately defend their gang. The Bandits: Phoenix Rising patch will update you to v1.1 focusing on game balance issues, adds a new level, and fixes a few bugs. Read more for download links ...

There was an email sent to the global beta sign up list this afternoon about pre-ordering EVE and getting into the beta (and pay for it). This does NOT apply to those who signed up for the beta through Worthplaying. Those that have signed up via WP site will be in for FREE, hence the word "beta give-away." You can still signup for the Eve Online beta, either click here or use the banner at the top of the page

Available for free download in Spring 2003, "Insect Invasion" is an add-on MOD for Impossible Creatures, the latest 3-D real-time strategy game from Alex Garden and Relic Entertainment, creators of the critically acclaimed "Homeworld." Building on the popularity of "Impossible Creatures" and its' MOD-friendly engine, Relic ups the ante with 15 new creatures, 9 new abilities and other game enhancements that add even more to Impossible Creatures already unprecedented gameplay features. Read more for details and the first screen..

The countdown is over to StarShift's first Beta Test. Starting Tuesday April 22 at 7:00PM (GMT-4:00), between 25 and 30 lucky gamers, who were chosen randomly from different countries, will get the opportunity to have the first public look at CODECO's newest title: StarShift - The Zaran Legacy. This initial phase of beta testing is a limited access test, but during a second phase of beta testing, gamers from around the world will be able to play StarShift on CODECO's servers. Read more for details ...

Noticed on GameSpy that according to the results of a search of the US Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS), Digital Illusions has trademarked the name "Battlefield Vietnam" for a PC computer game project. The Trademark was submitted February 12th of this year. Could this be the official sequel to Digital Illusion's ultra popular action game series, Battlefield 1942? Of course this has not been confirmed by EA nor Digital Illusions, but maybe we will hear more about it during the E3

Russian publisher 1C Company will unveil a massive slate of 14 titles at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May, 2003. Covering the genre spectrum, the titles run the gamut from WW2 action to whacky racing games. 1C will be located at booth #6035 in Kentia Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Read more to check out 1C's E3 line up!

Shack today got this very brief statement from Valve Software, 'Half-Life 2 will be shown at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo'.. Gamez.nl got a magazine cover from PC GamePlay, featuring Gordon and a female character.. The magazine preview itself is said to mention the game will be out before the end of the year.

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is a upcoming 3D adventure game from Ubi Soft and developed by Cyan Worlds. "Uru opens the world of the D'ni civilization to today's explorers. The once thriving, underground city is coming back to life as the D'ni ancestry in each of us beckons our return. The adventure includes a single-player component, an amazing experience of its own, and one that's sure to awaken a desire in the lone explorer for the wider, online community and endless additional Ages".. Today we have four new screenshot that you can check out below!

Noticed on Bluesnews that this Ubi Soft financial resultsheet reveals some interesting future projects: "Batman 2, Raven Shield, Prince of Persia, Loose Cannon, BGE, Ghost Recon 2, Splinter Cell: Shadow Strike, Settlers V, Far Cry, Strike'R, Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Charlie's Angels, Myst online." Nothing has been confirmed nor are any details given, but most interesting are without any doubt the Splinter Cell: Shadow Strike and Ghost Recon 2 revelations.

Pocket PC Films, the worldwide leader in multimedia distribution for handheld devices (Pocket PC, Palm OS, PDA’s and portable media devices), today announced that their Portable Media Devices unit has formed a joint venture with Pocketainment, to market and distribute the Pocket Pix Cartridge™, a plug and play adaptor that enables full-length feature films, video, and MP3’s to be played on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Advance SP.

Activision, Inc. and Raven Software are giving gamers and Marvel fans the world over the chance to build their X-Men dream team with the announcement of X-Men: Legends for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube. In this real-time RPG, players get the chance to assemble, train and lead their own X-Men fighting force in a battle against some of the deadliest foes in the Marvel Universe including the Morlocks, the Brotherhood of Mutants and robotic Sentinels. To be successful, players will have to draw on the powers of a diverse pool of X-Men and use teamwork to unleash the full power of their squad. X-Men: Legends is expected to ship in 2004 and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Atari announced today that Test Drive and Stuntman for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system will be relaunched as part of Sony Computer Entertainment America's "Greatest Hits" program this summer. To be eligible for the special collection, each game must be available at retail for more than nine months and boast sales in excess of 400,000 units.

Atari announced today that Test Drive for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft has been selected for inclusion in Microsoft's "Platinum Hits" program. The "Platinum Hits" program recognizes the most popular and best-selling games for the Xbox and repackages the titles with the "Platinum Hits" banner and a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Resident Evil No Serenity is a Half-Life single player mod based on Resident Evil. It includes two main characters. The first one is the african american, Logan Walker. And the white female, Kim Forester.. Read more about this new mod and check out some ingame pics from Resident Evil No Serenity here!

Members of the world's most notorious illegal street racing syndicate meet each night on the streets of Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo. Find yourself in the position of a novice challenger, set on penetrating this secret society and trumping them all, one by one. Add insult to injury, as you win the suped-up rides of defeated adversaries, all on your way to being crowned international champion. Just remember, there are no rules. Use whatever routes, shortcuts and driving methods necessary to hit those checkpoints and arrive at the finish line before your opponent has a chance.

Players will experience fast-paced shooter action through 10 huge varied levels and additional expertly designed multiplayer maps. The Ancient Greek/Roman setting allows for unique weapons that support the game's theme, including a Medusa Gun, Flaming Crossbow and Acid Rifle. The game's "real-time shattering" technology allows for a wealth of breakable objects, providing gamers with the experience of a truly interactive environment. With Will Rock's advanced gameplay technology and level design, players must rely on both quick thinking and reactions to solve environmental puzzles and survive the hardcore action!