Well when Valve says SOON, they really mean it. As speculated earlier today, Valve had a little surprise for the community, and by posting a screenshot it was strongly hinted at that a Deathmatch multiplayer mode might be coming. A few hours later, it has arrived! Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is now available through the latest HL2 Steam update. By the same token, they also released the full HL2 SDK and announced a Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Map Making Contest.

Mythic Entertainment today announced plans to further extend the game’s international reach. In January 2005, the game will be available in Japanese, in Spring 2005 it will launch in Spain, and will relaunch in Italy and Korea. The game is currently available in English, French, German, Italian and Korean. Each localized version of the game currently contains more than 2 million words of text, equivalent to more than 16 paperback novels.

Vivendi has released an updated v1.3 patch for 2015's Vietnam based FPS Men of Valor, which still makes the US and European versions compatible but it slightly larger than last version. This patch requires you to already have the previous v1.2 patch installed. Read more for download links ...

The Battle for Middle Earth utilizes the Generals game engine, and in the game, players can select from the different "good" or "evil" campaigns, where they will be given the freedom to command a variety of major armies from the films, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Valve's Adrian Finol broke the silence with a forum post, and an update on Valve's Steam website with nothing but a new screenshot which indicates that Deathmatch is coming, even says "SOON"! Valve did promise a community surprise, and this could be it!

Whiptail Interactive announced today that it will publish Restricted Area in North America. Developed by Master Creating, Restricted Area recently shipped in Germany where it enjoyed a warm reception from both press and consumers alike; being nominated in five categories for the 2004 German Developer Awards, including Best PC Game, Best Game Characters, and Best Story/Gameworld. The action RPG title will ship in the US late in the first quarter of 2005 for the PC.

EA just dropped us a note that NFL Street 2 has gone gold and is expected to hit store shelves on December 26th.

Ascaron has released a new patch for Sacred, as well as an updated version of its free "PLUS" expansion pack. This patch brings either version to v1.8.26 and addresses a slew of singleplayer, multiplayer and general game issues (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

In 'Playboy: the Mansion' you step into the virtual slippers of world-famous Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner, building Playboy Magazine and the Playboy Mansion into dynamic cultural icons. Gamers also will live the lifestyle, rubbing elbows with stunning women and popular celebrities, and share the mystique of the Mansion by hosting extravagant, exciting parties.

As expected, EA has released the first patch for its recently released Sim game, The Sims 2. This update brings your retail game to v1.0.0.971 and addresses a slew of game crashes and bug fixes (thanks SimsZone). Read more for download links ...

Ubisoft announced today that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 for the PS2 is available this week at retail outlets across the U.S. Developed by Ubisoft’s Shanghai and Paris studios, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 for PS2 is the first-ever Clancy game built exclusively from the ground up for that console.

Electronic Arts today announced that "Armies of Exigo" for the PC has begun to ship to retail outlets. "Armies of Exigo" is a grand scale fantasy real-time strategy (RTS) game that smashes the traditional boundaries of the battlefield with epic campaigns taking place simultaneously above ground and below the surface.

SNK NEOGEO USA announced today that the company has shipped its first title for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Metal Slug Advance.

Namco announced today that Mr. Driller Drill Spirits has begun shipping to retail outlets nationwide exclusively for the Nintendo DS. Namco has also announced that another favorite franchise title, Ridge Racer DS, will begin shipping the first week of December 2004. Taking advantage of the technology the new platform has to offer, both titles utilize dual-screen support and wireless connectivity to the fullest, providing players with the ultimate Nintendo DS gaming experience.

CDV Software Entertainment announced today that Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder, the expansion to CDV's critically acclaimed real-time strategy title, Blitzkrieg, has shipped to North American retail outlets. Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder lets gamers experience some of the most dramatic and important battles of WWII.

Ubisoft today announced its plans to launch a new Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six opus on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC during Spring 2005. The game is being developed by two of Ubisoft's award-winning studios: Red Storm Entertainment, the maker of the original Rainbow Six, & Ubisoft's Montreal Studios. Read more for details, the first 30 screens and even an in-game footage trailer.

Lead a four-man fireteam of US Marines through the perils of authentic, modern urban combat in a Middle-Eastern urban battleground. This is an action-oriented, first-person 3D shooter that is being developed under the direction of the US Marine Corps as a training simulation for use by the Marine Corps. Close Combat: First to Fight is as close as you can get on a computer or Xbox to being a Marine fireteam leader in modern urban combat!

Got Game and Merscom today announced that "Konung 2" for PC has shipped to retail across North America. The game retails for $19.99 and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB for Blood and Fantasy.

You don’t like it clean and tidy? You want a dirty, dark and true apocalyptic cyberpunk look? Then you should not miss the free addon turned sequel, 'Neocron 2: Beyond Dome of York,' which adds a completely new city, with among others, a full set of brand new player and clan apartments.

Midway Games announced today that it has acquired Paradox Development, the studio now developing Midway's upcoming videogame, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks.

Back in March, Take-Two CEO Jeffrey Lapin revealed that, even though sales numbers for Max Payne 2 were below expectations, they are planning for a Max Payne 3. Lapin also said it will most like not be ready "for another few years," while Remedy's level designer Mikael Kasurinen claimed they were not working on the game. Time for some rumors now, as Russian Gamemag.ru claims to have received info from an unnamed "insider" that Max Payne 3 could be coming as early as October 17, 2005. No official statement announcing the project has been made, let alone pinning down a specific release date.

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

• Nexus: The Jupiter Incident - Trailer

Developed by Yuke's Co., Ltd. of Japan, "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW" features more than 50 WWE Superstars including John Cena, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. In "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW," players will have the ability to compete in head-to-head online play, a first for any wrestling game.

A beautiful young tennis star is murdered just before the start of the US Open Championship and the Police Department is called in to investigate. In Law & Order: Justice Is Served, this is where you come in as you take part in one of TV's most acclaimed police procedural and legal drama series, Law & Order.

EA Europe has released the first patch for Sunflowers' strategy game Knights Of Honor. This patch brings your retail game to v1.03 and adds new singleplayer/multiplayer features and maps, eliminates errors and problems with the balance of units and buildings, as well as the usual bug fixes. Read more for download links ...

Legion Arena is an online RPSG or Role Playing Strategy Game, and blends core gameplay elements from the RTS & RPG genres. Set in ancient Rome, Legion Arena puts the player in charge of their own army, which they must develop, nurture and train, transforming a bunch of peasants into a fearsome fighting force.

Taxi 3 is a high end racing game in which you dash frantically through the city of London in order to pick up and drop off passengers. Xing Interactive have announced Taxi 3 for February 1st 2005, and will be distributed by Atari in some territories and by local distributors in others. Read more to check out the new trailer ...

Sigonyth is a MMORPG seen from the Third Person Perspective view. The action takes place on red hot desertic planet called - yeah, you've guessed it - Sigonyth! You will hear many stories about this place, but one thing can be said for sure -living here is not a piece of cake. Playing your character, you can choose between three races - humans, cyborgs or mutants. So, who are you gonna be on Sigonyth? A miner? A merchant? Maybe a bounty hunter? It's all up to you...

Join Tak in an epic adventure, as he must learn new Juju magic to recover the Staff of Dreams and defeat Tlaloc once and for all. Tak’s role in the great Prophecy of the Pupanunu people isn’t over. Rather, it’s just begun!