Publisher Strategy First Inc. and developer Paradox Entertainment have announced their latest title based on the award-winning Europa Universalis engine, Victoria – Empire Under the Sun.

Utilizing the technical prowess of the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Xbox Live!, Digital Extremes, the developers of Unreal Championship in conjunction with Epic Games and Atari have completed the auto-update for the game. It will be available for download through Xbox Live! tomorrow, May 22 (thanks EvilAvatar). Read more for details ...

Japan-based video game developer Genki is revving up to immerse players in the "fast and furious" street racing lifestyle defined by cool cars and non-stop action. Players will feel the ultimate rush of nitrous-infused speed as they race their ultimate rides through the beautifully rendered city streets of Los Angeles to the pulsing beat of more than 35 musical tracks. Check these 8 furious screens!

The Italian Job lets gamers recapture the high-octane thrills of the blockbuster movie. Taking on the role of Charlie Croker and his gang members, you are left for dead in Venice after being double-crossed during one of the biggest gold bullion heists ever. Now you and your team of professional thieves must wreak vengeance on the man who betrayed you and reclaim the gold. In order to achieve this, you need to create the biggest traffic jam in L.A. history and attempt your getaway in super-charged new MINI Coopers.

The Adventure Company announced today that it has shipped Curse of Atlantis: Thorgal’s Quest for the PC. The Adventure Company’s latest release sends gamers on an epic journey where they must change the fated future of a mighty Viking warrior’s family. Set in ancient times, when Vikings ruled the earth, players take on the persona of Thorgal Aegirsson, a descendant of Atlantis. After witnessing a vision of Thorgal murdering his own son, players follow an intriguing story-line as they seek to solve this magical mystery.

Ubi Soft Entertainment confirms the next Splinter Cell installment: Pandora Tomorrow, the new episode of the critically acclaimed stealth action game. Ubi Soft confirmed today that development has begun on the next Splinter Cell game, subtitled: "Pandora Tomorrow." Readm ore for details and the first "teaser" screens !

Noticed on HomeLAN that developer Breakaway Games has launched a beta test sign-up web page for Civilization III: Conquests, giving folks a chance to test their upcoming official expansion pack to Firaxis' hit historical strategy game. The sign-up page will expire on May 27th.

Sam Fisher, the shadow agent starring in Console Game of the Year (AIAS), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, has simultaneously penetrated Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy Advance game systems. Developed by Ubi Soft Entertainment's Shanghai and Montreal studios respectively, both games will be released on June 5, 2003 in Europe (May 6 in the US)... Check out some new shots below!

GRIN now posts the "BANDITS - Phoenix Rising" patch for all territories. If you have installed the previous US patch 1.1 this is nothing new, only now it works on European and Australian versions as well. Read more for details and download links ...

In SÖLDNER - Secret Wars the player takes command of one of these special teams. As Commander he leads the small high tech army consisting of soldiers, light armoured vehicles, helicopters and VTOLs to fulfill a wide variety of mission. The Simulation of a highly complex political system creates a dynamic campaign: each decision has direct impact on the flow of the game. Read more to check out in game as well as vehicle screens, no less than 80 in total...

The story of the game takes place in a past, about 3000 years B.C. Two greatest nations on the Earth - nations of Incas and Atlantis are rivals. The Atlantis are on a greater evolution level, while Incas have dominance in citizen count. The situation is balanced until an alien space ship lands on a tenth planet of the Solar System. Aliens are interested in earth raw materials, and due this reason they start to communicate with Inca nation. For trading the ore from the earth, Incas receive an alien technologies and weapons from space visitors. Read more for screens & trailer or check out the freshly launched official website!

Publisher Strategy First Inc. and developer Techland announced today that their revolutionary shooter and future vehicle simulator title, Crime Cities, has gone gold. Read more for details ...

The official Battlefield 1942 website now has a movie with plenty of ingame footage from Secret Weapons, the second expansion pack for the popular WW2 vehicular action game (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links...

Demonstrating the strength of its long-term development strategy, Majesco unveiled their new Game Boy Advance Video Pak at the E3, held last week in Los Angeles, CA. Developed in conjunction with DC Studios, the proprietary technology enables gamers to view streaming video and audio on a standard Nintendo Game Boy Advance system, without the use of additional external hardware. Read more for details..

Developed by Freeform Interactive, Purge players become members of the Order and the Chosen, with each side seeking elimination of the enemy and individual party survival. Players receive rewards as they win battles and complete objectives throughout gameplay. In addition, Purge offers several map options, innovative weaponry and extensive player customization to enhance the online war experience. The new patch fixes and tweaks all the of the player classes, adresses some map bugs/crashes, optimizes some netcode for better online performance as well as user interface and gameplay tweaks ... Read more for download links ...

Nintendo of Europe announces the release of the Game Boy Player, coming to Europe for the 20th June 2003. Game Boy, the most successful video game system ever, is about to get even bigger!

New nations, new campaign missions and a new game mode. An add-on disc, basically. Except... it isn't... Strategy players who can't get enough of CDV's classic RTS American Conquest will have a new set of challenges as American Conquest Fight Back is published in August. Read more for details and screens ...

THQ today announced the release of MotoGP 2 for the Xbox and PC. Sequel to one of the most popular Xbox Live! titles and based on the fastest, most thrilling machines on two wheels, MotoGP 2 is available at major retail outlets nationwide.

Pilot Down is based on a true story.. 180,000 Allied airmen were shot down over enemy territory during WWII. 5,000 landed safely and tried to reach the free world. Only 300 of them succeeded in reaching Switzerland. Shot down over Germany in the winter of 1944, Bill Foster, a US Airman, is about to embark on the most daring journey of World War II. Bill must survive against the elements in an epic adventure behind enemy lines. Reaching the Swiss border is his only goal and the manhunt is on: pursued by the most elite German forces, incapable of speaking without giving himself away, all he can rely on is his survival kit, weaponry and wits. Bill will cross the harsh environments of central Europe during winter, avoiding the enemy patrols that inhabit the towns, villages and forests of Germany and France on the way to the Swiss border. The player must use stealth, resourcefulness and combat to guarantee survival while Captain Killinger, a notorious Luftwaffe pilot, hunts him down and develops into a dangerous enemy within the game...

Curse is an action horror game due to be released on PS2, PC and Xbox in October 2003... London, 1890.The Eyeof Isis, apriceless Egyptianstatue,disappears mysteriously from the MuseumofGreat Britain. It is rumoured thatanancient cursehas beencastonthestatue,and‘the Curse’will be unleashed upon whosoever darestolayafingeronit…there’snot a soulwho willescapescreaming insanityor ahideous and painful death. At the heartofVictorian England,Curse immerses youin aterrifying adventure full of suspense and action,which willhave you rubbing shoulders with the supernatural. Check some Q/A below!

Forget about racing cars, Megarace 3 allows players to take off in pods specifically designed for speed and combat, to a commentary supplied by dynamic video clips from The Megarace Show presenter, Lance Boyle. This time the setting is totally different. The high-powered racing pods have caused widespread damage to the wildlife resulting in gigantic animals and germs the size of cars, creating a surreal racing environment.

The 2003 version of US OPEN 2003 includes many innovations: exclusive new animations with no more latency in controls, super realistic trackside details like ballboys, showtime match presentations, experiencepoints to improve your player's skills, bonus courts and players,etc.. And of course, for even more realism, you will find the offical courts of USOPEN. Wanadoo have world-wide rights, excluding N.America (where DreamCatcher is doing it). This is the Q&A, love.

You'll need to be fast with your hands and nimble on your feet to master Kaan: Barbarian's Blade, a hugely appealing 3D adventure for PlayStation 2 to be released by Mindscape in September 2003. With engaging cartoon style graphics and a wide assortment of weapons to master and monsters to vanquish, Kaan is set to hold the player's interest throughout its 17 hacking and slashing levels.

Set on post-apocalyptic Earth where survival and ultimate dominance are all that matters, Devastation is a high action, teamplay oriented first person shooter. Powered by heavily modified, next generation Unreal Engine technology, it pits teams of rebelling street fighters, gang leaders, mercenaries and ex-military fighters against overwhelming armies of high-tech corporate troopers.

Spring 1945: World War 2 is drawing to a close and the Russians and Germans are caught in a furious battle for a devastated Berlin. The cold war starts... As a sniper, recruited by the OSS (former CIA), it is the beginning of a lonely stealth mission in the Russian territory. Sniper Elite is a sniping/stealth game due to be released on PS2, PC and Xbox in Q4 2003. Read more for some Q&A with developer Rebellion!

Get behind the wheel and be ready to live numerous driving experiences in Los Angeles; choose your car to be fully customized: add loads of new tuning elements either on the body or in the mechanics of your car. Once on the streets, drive freely wherever you want! RPMTuning is THE authentic car tuning game with great driving and freedomsensations. Read more for some Q&A and screens

Ryzom, a third-generation massively multiplayer game for PC that features a highly original and poetic universe, will be published by Wanadoo at the end of the year... Read more to check out a brief Q&A from the Nevrax team and their upcoming MMORPG Ryzom as well as some new screens ...

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own post, we grouped them and so far there are trailers for :

• Armed & Dangerous (LucasArts)
• Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Activision)
• Judge Dredd vs Judge Death (Vivendi)
• 
  
  Read more for download links ...

More E3 screens galleries keep popping up and we give them to you as they roll in. Next at bat is Strategy first with some of their upcoming titles, such as :

• Chrome
• Supreme Ruler 2010
• Etherlords 2
• Nexagon Deathmatch
• Xpand Rally
  
  Hit this link for the screens!

Heat Project is a state-of-the-art 3D FPS where players from different countries can interact through theInternet. It’s realistic action play and thrill combined with MMORPG’s advantages, such as the economy system, character growing and multi-objective mission scenarios, will provide pure excitement. Read more to check put new screens & a trailer!

Using the latest Unreal Technology from Epic Games, developer Zombie Games is creating an ultra-realistic game world spanning Middle Eastern cities and towns to the secret military bases in the frozen backcountry of Russia to other global hotspots in the Philippines, Bosnia and Western Europe. Four new screens for you to enjoy!