Newsarama.com has word from that Image comic book Sword of Dracule is making its way into a first person shooter under development at Critical Mass Interactive (previously known for SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman on PS2). While the comic series has a broader narrative, in the game, the player will be an agent under the command of Veronica “Ronnie” Van Helsing, who leads a UN-connected and armed to the teeth covert operation called the Polidorium. Unlike traditional vampire stories, the Cain said the CMI creators have patterned Sword of Dracula after games like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, where action is wide, relentless and highly technological (thanks HomeLAN).

Battlefield: Pirates is a mod for EA's Battlefield 1942 and shortly after last update the BFP team has released another update mainly to address the lag introduced with the Alpha.22 update. Well, they're not going to leave you stranded on lag island, so they've released Alpha.23. This was mainly to fix the lag, but they've made a few other minor adjustments to increase your piratey pillaging pleasure. Read more for download links ...

Eventhough the game is still several week away from release, Sierra has already released the first patch for their RTS title Lords of the Realm III. This update will being your retail gamer to v1.1 and adresses several game crashes, gameplay fixes. Lords of the Realm III has already gone gold according to our Sierra source and is expected in stores Mid March. Read more for details fix list and download links.

Vivendi Universal Games today announced the next installments in the best-selling Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon videogame franchises. Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy are scheduled to ship on the Game Boy Advance video game system in second quarter 2004. For the first time, the two renowned characters will meet up in each other's respective adventures in these upcoming action platformers. Albany, New York based studio, Vicarious Visions, is developing the games.

Bethesda sent out notice to announce the launch of the official Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth web site. The new site includes info on gameplay and story in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, as well as new screenshots, renders, and wallpapers. Learn about the player character, Jack Walters, the creepy town of Innsmouth, and find out more about HP Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos he created. In addition, Bethesda Softworks producer Dennis Cheng's team diary provides an update on the game. Read more for some new screens ...

Publisher Whiptail Interactive and developer MediaMobsters have released the highly anticipated single-player demo for their upcoming action game Gangland, scheduled to ship on March 3rd. The demo lets gamers take on the role of Mario, an up and coming mafia foot soldier, and features two Conquest Missions and one Challenge Mission from the game. Read more for download links ...

Hitman: Contracts delivers more action-packed and suspenseful missions, with a greater variety of ways to make the perfect hit and an increased arsenal of firearms and close-combat weapons. A new graphics engine showcases Hitman's 'work' in brutal detail and brings new locations to life. An improved control system and more gradual learning curve will ensure that the game is accessible to all aspiring hitmen. Hitman: Contracts is being developed by Io Interactive and will be available for PS2, Xbox, and PC in spring 2004.

Enlight has released the demo for Nemesis of the Roman Empire (aka Celtic Kings: Punic Wars) featuring two playable nations, the Carthaginians and Romans and features two missions, one from each of the single player campaigns. There's also a multiplayer mode and tutorial play. Plus, in the Carthaginian campaign, players can control the Great General Hannibal. Read more for download links ....

Scheduled to ship in spring 2004, Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich is a comic book-inspired tactical role-playing game features a brand new league of heroes and villains, overhauled combat system, and spectacular graphic enhancements. Read more for details & screens...

Eve of Destruction is a mod for EA's Battlefield 1942, and they have released a new & massive v0.3 update that includes 8 new vehicles, 6 new weapons, 5 new levels, and a huge number of tweaks and fixes. Eve Of Destruction will contain not only new skins, vehicles and new objects, it features 8 complete new custom maps. Each map is different in their own way (from realistic to fun maps) and partially adapted to the Indochina Vietnam Conflict. Head back to the jungles in this modification replicating the deadly and vicious Vietnam War. Read more for download links ...

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 :

• Dead Mans Hand - Intro Movie
• Zombies - Trailer
• Within Temptation 'Knights Of The Temple' - Music Video
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Codemasters has revealed that they are going to release a demo for their upcoming racing game 'Colin McRae 04'. For Colin McRae Rally 04, the gear grinding action is more intense than ever as the series' superb car handling combines with new championships, custom rallies, new single and multiplayer gaming modes, and unique car part testing challenges to win advanced technology for your car. The demo will feature the Citroen Xsara and the USA, Japan, Finland tracks and is expected Tuesday Feb. 24. Of course we will have the demo on our fileservers as soon as its available...

Ubisoft is pleased to announce that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword has gone gold. Developed at Ubisoft's Milan studios, the mission pack to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield promises to deliver the same action-intensity expected from a Clancy game. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword is scheduled to ship on March 9, 2004.

Far Cry features its critically acclaimed, proprietary CryENGINE, huge game environments, deadly A.I., and the longest view-distance ever witnessed in a first-person shooter - all features destined to become benchmarks in the genre. The newly released Far Cry video showcases all of its standout features, including its never-seen-before long-range gameplay and crystal clear graphics utilizing polybump technology, in action-packed detail. Ubisoft sent out a Q&A with Crytek's lead producer Chris Natsuume, lead explaining how the team created the breath-taking effects visualized in the movie.

Microsoft Game Studios announced today that the Plantation Course at Kapalua is now available to Xbox Live subscribers worldwide for $4.99. The arrival of the new downloadable content bolsters an already feature packed experience for the popular Xbox golf series, “Links 2004.”

Gran Turismo 4 further demonstrates its mission to provide the most authentic driving simulation available in the marketplace. New features will extend above and beyond just pure automotive racing, providing a unique destination for automotive and PS2 enthusiasts to enjoy car culture in every dimension – extending that goal will be highlighted through the new "GT Photo Mode."

"Blitzkrieg II" builds upon the success of our best selling RTS "Blitzkrieg" with a new focus on fast-paced gameplay, a strategic layer and new tactical opportunities. A completely new engine takes WWII into full 3D where players can command famous aces and units, strategically plan battles in multiple theatres, choose their reinforcements and use a wide range of new unit types such as aircraft and ships. Players will also be able to compete against each other online supported by a matchmaking server with a new multiplayer mode and a rating system.

Boll KG has picked up another video game title, building on the company's growing reputation for bringing interactive entertainment properties to the big screen. Director-producer Uwe Boll will turn German game developer Crytek's first-person shooter PC game "Far Cry" into a $25 million horror movie that is planned to shoot next year.

Ultima X: Odyssey is a next generation massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) from the award-winning Origin studio team. Powered by the latest version of the Unreal Engine and based on the renowned Ultima single-player role-playing series, UXO will enable players to create personalized legacies in a massive new online world and will be one of the first of its kind to offer private areas on demand within the game. Some more screens goodness ...

Isle of Man TT Superbikes will feature on the channel around the launch along with a strong presence at this year's TT event in June. There will be several promotions including prize give-away copies of the game to Men and Motors viewers. The game will also feature the Men and Motors Suzuki superbike, which will race at this year's event. "We are delighted to be working with Men and Motors, their commitment and enthusiasm for the TT matches ours and we look forward to working further with them", commented Martin Kitney PR & Marketing Manager at Jester Interactive.

In Beyond Divinity, Larian Studios takes what made Divine Divinity so deeply appealing, and pushes it one step further. Using an enhanced version of the original engine, the final product delivers infinite character development, unparalleled levels of interactivity, a wide variety of enemies; tons of quests and a brand new combat system. Read more for a few new screens ...

The second rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. However, gamers will surely be talking, as Vivendi Universal Games yesterday announced the development of Fight Club for the PS2 and the Xbox. Due out in late 2004, Fight Club, developed by Genuine Games, is set to deliver an intense experience that will combine the characters, settings, artistic style, and story elements from the movie with a realistic fighting system that will appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers. Read more for some new screens ...