The Matrix Online will now ship in Spring 2005. Previously slated for a January 2005 launch, the game will expand its beta program while the overall game experience is being enhanced.

In a financial statement issued today Elixir revealed a few new project, amongst which Evil GeEnius 2 : "Following the successful release of Evil Genius with Vivendi Universal Games in October, Elixir Studios is currently in full production of its next major title, under contract with a market-leading US publisher. Conceived and signed 18 months ago, the as yet unannounced original game is scheduled for release in 2006. Elixir's other teams are currently working on plans for an Evil Genius sequel as well as a prototype for a next generation console IP."

Driven by a hatred of crime bordering on insanity, Frank Castle became The Punisher, a one-man army whose mission goes far beyond revenge. Taking on the city's high-powered crime lords, he wreaks havoc on the corrupt with methods reserved for those on the wrong side of the law. "The Punisher" video game represents the best of over 30 years of "Punisher" comic books and depicts some of the grittiest storylines in the Marvel Universe. Check these new screens ..

The latest Settlers game takes the franchise and pushes it to the next level. Fans will enjoy fully animated 3D technology and enhanced gameplay features, but still be able to relive the experience that makes the Settlers series such a big hit. The game will take the player to a medieval setting, to re-conquer the kingdom currently under the domination of an evil tyrant.

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 :

• WipEout Pure [PSP] - Trailer
• Everybody's Golf [PSP] - Trailer
• Ape Academy [PSP] - Trailer

Oddworld Stranger's Wrath combines first and third-person gameplay with familiar Oddworld elements and an all-new engine to deliver a unique gameplay experience. Set to award-winning visuals, players will be moved by the complex and inspiring story as the Stranger comes to grips with his true nature in the hunt for the ultimate bounty. Read more for screens & trailer (thanks XboXyde).

Microsoft today announced the MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf "Play and Win" contest. Gamers hoping to win a copy of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf Limited Edition need only fire up the original MechAssault on Xbox Live and start playing. Players who log at least 20 hours on Xbox Live playing the original MechAssault between December 13 and December 27 will be eligible for a chance to win a copy of MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf Limited Edition, which contains two additional maps and special behind-the-scenes footage of the game’s development.

Dreamcatcher has released a small patch for People Can Fly's FPS, Painkiller, addressing the CPL Timer Bug. This fix requires patch v1.3.5 and should not be installed if you have Painkiller - Battle Out of Hell as it has already been incorporated (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Atari has released the first patch for French games studio Power and Magic Development's tennis simulation game Top Spin. This versionless patch addresses synch issues while playing via LAN or online, as well as letting you choose different players. Read more for download links ...

In Killer 7, players take on the role of Harman Smith an unlikely assassin who lives life at his own pace. Switching between seven different personalities, he employs each character’s abilities to terminate targets he deems “deserving to die.” Read more to check out some screens ...

The Kessen series melded two elements, ‘game’ and ‘drama’ together into grand epics that have won the acclaim of critics and consumers worldwide. The appeal of commanding one side of an epic clash between two great armies and the awe of watching dramatic events unfold across spectacular vistas are what the Kessen series is all about. Kessen III will be considered the game that redefined the Kessen series.

Electronic Arts today announced exclusive licensing relationships with the National Football League and PLAYERS INC to develop, publish and distribute interactive football games. These five-year agreements -- which EA negotiated separately -- give EA the exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums and players for use in its football videogames.

After four months of fierce competition in the 3rd annual EA SPORTS Madden Challenge and the inaugural EA SPORTS NCAA Challenge tournaments from Electronic Arts, Eugene "Big Gene" Williams, Washington, D.C Champion, became the National 2004 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Champion on Madden NFL 2005 and Jesse Hanninen, of Florida State University, is the 2004 NCAA Challenge Champion on NCAA Football 2005.

Mercenaries is a revolutionary third-person combat-action game that delivers the next level of free-form gameplay in massive interactive environments. The game gives players the opportunity to take on the role of a soldier for hire in an open-ended world. Read more to check out the new screens...

Developed by Mad Doc Software and due for release in the first half of 2005, Empire Earth 2 will build upon the award-winning formula of its predecessor by adding features requested both by casual game players interested in a brief spin through history and by more hard core gamers who demand a real-time strategy game that will challenge them for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours. Check out these exclusive screens ...

Developed by Ubisoft's award-winning Red Storm studio, Ghost Recon 2 launches on next-generation consoles and PC this Holiday season. The game is set in the chaotic battlefields of tomorrow, and will offer gamers an insider's view of the way large scale conflicts will be fought in the near future. Read more for a few new screens & ingame trailer...

Metal Gear Acid, created by world-renowned developer, Hideo Kojima, will be released for SCEA's PSP handheld video game system. Metal Gear Acid will redefine handheld action gaming as this all-new stealth adventure game in the definitive tactical espionage series takes the Metal Gear experience outside the living room and directly into the hands of gamers.

Pariah focuses on a robust immersive storyline that weaves survival elements into the traditional run-and-gun style of first-person action games. Unsurprising will be the graphic marvel and fine-tuned gameplay of Pariah, a trademark gamers have come to expect from any Digital Extremes game.

Ubi Soft has released the map editor for its stealth/action game Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. This package allowed you to create custom content for their third-person stealthy action sequel, it includes the editor and documentation, as well as a mappack with two maps (Squat and Deftech2, a new version of DefTech) created by Ubisoft internally. Read more for download links ...

"Dragonshard" will incorporate classic role-playing themes, a powerful and dynamic real-time strategy engine all woven together with a rich storyline involving a global conflict for an immensely powerful artifact with the power to change the fate of Eberron itself.

Over the weekend PC Gamer organized an IRC chat with Gearbox Software to talk about its upcoming WW2 based FPS Brothers In Arms. An edited chatlog is now available for people who were not able to attend the discussion, main points are the system requirements, an upcoming demo "soon", and the announcement that PC Gamer is starting a contest where three winners can win a trip to play the game at Gearbox's offices and jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

Rugby fans are used to spending their weekends huddled in the cold, watching the stars of the Zurich Premiership running about and staying nice and warm. Now you can finally take off your scarves and mittens. Digital Jesters are excited to present a taste of the authentic 3D stadiums that feature in Pro Rugby Manager 2, allowing those long suffering supporters to enjoy the same views from the comfort of their centrally heated living rooms. Read more for details ...

Eidos in conjunction with Highway 1 Productions, takes an unrelenting look at urban street crime in its upcoming action video game 25 To Life. 25 To Life is being developed by Avalanche Software and will be available for PS2, Xbox and PC in March 2005.

SuperPower 2 is the only global geopolitical simulation game which allows players to control entire countries. Players control countries in 3 major areas: political, economic and military, but this time, in a beautiful real-time 3D environment. Players build up their own countries and increase their influence in the broader world while competing against sophisticated A.I.

Team Ninja has created the ultimate Dead or Alive fighting experience, Dead or Alive Ultimate, by coupling the original version of Dead or Alive with a completely redesigned Dead or Alive 2 on the Xbox to create one of the first 3-D online fighting games to date. Both games will be Xbox Live multi-player compatible enabling you to test your fighting skills against a vast community of gamers from around the world.