In the next generation sequel of The Sims, The Sims 2, you control your Sims over an entire lifetime for the first time. With the ground-breaking addition of genetics, your Sims now pass their DNA down through generations, giving you a more vivid and in-depth Sims experience. Every life choice you make has a relevant and dramatic effect on the lifetime of your Sim. It’s up to you to take your Sims from the cradle to the grave, fulfill their dreams, and push them to extremes in The Sims 2. Official ship date for The Sims 2 is set for September 17th. Until then, read more for some new screens & trailer ...

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Slalom"... Map info: "Even this far south, Northrend has no mercy. Bitter winds slice through the thickest clothes, and cunning arctic beasts race down the slopes to prey upon unsuspecting settlers." This is a Medium map and the suggested no. of players is 3v3 or 4v4. It is based on the "Northrend" tileset. Go download it here!

Check out the following new screens from Legacy Interactive's 2004 E3 lineup:

• ER (PC)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (PC)
• Law and Order III: Justice is Served (PC)
• Zoo Vet (PC)

Paraworld combes for the first time ever a setting never seen before with personalized unit management, it brings new life to the real-time strategy genre. Modern elements blend with primeval conditions in a long forgotten, incredibly beautiful prehistoric world. Creatures long extinct come once more to life, a constant danger to anyone living in the area. Read more for details and screens ...

EA has released the promised patch for DICE's multiplayer FPS Battlefield: Vietnam. This update brings your retail game to v1.01 and removes of the M60 from the LAW Kit (big complaint about it being too powerful), server list sorted by ping and various other server & client side fixes. Win32/Linux dedicated server patches are also available. Read more for detailed fix list and 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 :

• LOTR: The Battle For Middle-Earth - Inside The Battle Trailer #2
• Need For Speed 2 - E3 2004 Trailer
• MechAssault 2 - E3 2004 Trailer
• Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes -E3 2004 Trailer
• King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact - E3 2004 Trailer
• Tekken 5 - Trailer

ShellShock: Nam '67 depicts the true horrors of the Vietnam War for the first time in a video game. ShellShock: Nam '67 focuses on one man's experience of the most controversial war of modern times. You take on the role of a rookie soldier on his first tour of duty as he experiences the fear, chaos and atrocities of the Vietnam War.

Codemasters has released a multiplayer demo for K-D Lab's Perimeter, a real-time strategy game built on the concept of territory seizure using detailed terraforming and on the subsequent encircling of these zones with a special protective perimeter. The multiplayer demo includes a tutorial and two maps for four-player tactical battles over LAN or online play. Read more for download links ...

Besieger is a new real-time 3D strategy is set in a medieval fantasy world in which rival players wage war as either Viking or Cimmerian warriors. Gamers will need to conquer factions such as Ogres, Werewolves and Centaurs and besiege towns on horseback or build primitive flying machines to win their battles. Users will also have to smash their way into the enemy’s heavily defended Citadels, while in turn defending their own domains.

Space Hack is a sci-fi RPG/action title with Diablo-inspired gameplay mechanics. The storyline puts you on board of a quite 'peculiar' spaceship, trapped inside a space warp. Being a tough guy, whose axe is almost as quick as his wit, it's not surprising that you promptly find yourself confronting angry monsters, one wave after another.

Every great hero has a nemesis, an equally powerful and evil villain... Presenting City of Villains, the first expansion of the comic book-inspired massively multiplayer game, City of Heroes! Read more for details & screens ...

Atari and Zombie, Inc. are pleased to announce that development is complete on Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, the highly anticipated cinematic action game for the Xbox. The game features AAA Hollywood production values in sound effects, music, script writing and cinematics to create the ultimate interactive summer blockbuster. Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is expected to be available at retail stores in North America on June 15 and in Europe on June 18.

The Australian Defence Simulation Office has now formally placed a purchase order to obtain a special version of CM:AK to be able to simulate and re-play historical tactical engagements in Greece, Crete and North Africa from 1940-1943.

Chaos League combines sports, fantasy and brutal, chaotic action on a playing field where the primary objectives are typical but the gameplay is anything but. This demo features a few tutorials, 4 maps, 2 races, playable in match & championship mode (English demo although the ingame commentary is in French). Read more for download links ...

"Forza Motorsport" gives Xbox gamers who are passionate about cars and racing the opportunity to own, customize, and race their favorite cars in a realistic driving simulation. From sport compacts to LeMans prototypes, players use earnings from hundreds of races to buy upgrades and aftermarket parts so they can transform real production cars into high-performance race cars.

The annual King of Fighters tournament is set to begin in one week. As the gala festivities begin, turf wars are breaking out among the underworld street gangs. The conflict is so severe that it threatens to drag the participants of the KOF tournament into the fray. The honor and tradition of the tournament is at stake. The gangs must be stopped at all costs.

Digital Jesters has released a new patch for Cyanide Studios' rugby manager Pro Rugby Manager 2004. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.06 and adresses an online connection issue, improves AI, and a few other minor tweaks. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

A combination of explosive martial arts and anime entertainment hits the PS2 this summer as Atari, Inc. unveils the first-ever details behind Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament. Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament is a fighting game based upon the animated series airing on the Cartoon Network’s Toonami Block, whose popularity -- especially among males 9-14 -- has resulted in a variety of merchandised products, including action figures, trading cards, apparel and home videos.

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."

I didn’t make it to the Microsoft or Sony pre-E3 events, but if they were half as intriguing as the Nintendo keynote speech I just attended, which came to its crescendo as an impossibly youthful Shigeru Miyamoto (decked out in elven garb) performed some basic Link-style maneuvers in front of a captivated audience – his visage exponentially magnified on giant plasma screens hanging overhead -- then, well, it’s probably safe to assume that I missed a lot.

Shrek 2 takes players on a wild adventure with Shrek and his buddies. Gamers revisit key scenes from the movie sequel while discovering all-new locations and characters. Shrek2TM: The Game combines squad-based action with traditional action-adventure elements. Players can control a team of four and play as Shrek or any of his seven friends, switching between each to best utilize the character's unique abilities to solve puzzles, fight monsters and complete dangerous and thrilling adventures.

Nu-Generation Games announced today their new PC title "Origin Of The Species," a 3rd person action adventure title. It combines real world locations; present day conspiracy with both military and Sci-Fi enemies to produce a vibrant, fast paced game world. Read more for details & screens...