SOE's President John Smedley has put up a message in the official EQ 2 forums outlining a roadmap for continuing to evolve the world of Norrath. SOE will add content to the game in three distinct ways: Live Updates, Expansion Packs and Adventure Packs. "Live Updates" will happen 1-2 times a month and expand the game both through new zones, npcs, quests, features, spells, skills and new gameplay additions as well as fixing any bugs or issues that arise. "Expansion Packs" will happen twice a year (first one due second hald of 2005) and are going to be large, game altering additions to the game that will be sold both at retail and online via digital download. "Adventure Packs" will happen 2-4 times a year, at a minimal cost (first one at $4.99) and are a new style of content, similar to "Modules" from traditional tabletop RPGs

Atari have teamed up yet again with music team Nimrod for Act of War: Direct Action. Following Nimrod’s Driv3r soundtrack they were challenged to create a techno-thriller score suitable for Act of War that rivalled the impact of the great Hollywood film scores of the same genre. Cutscenes in Direct War are being done by a Hollywood company Beyond FX using real actors, sets and explosions. Read more for details ..

Created by Texas-based Gearbox Software, Brothers in Arms is the most realistic and authentic WWII shooter ever. While other WWII games have sugarcoated the war experience, Brothers in Arms is based on a true story and will immerse gamers into the gritty, uncensored and emotionally-charged side of war. Read more for some new screens ...

Tilted Mill has released the first patch for its city building strategy game 'Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile.' This update brings your retail game to v1.2 and resolves some pathing & stuck figure issues, allows for easier dock placement, and makes a couple of graphic additions and fixes. 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 :

• Area 51 - Trailers (2)
• Star Wars Republic Commando - Trailer

After D-Day and Afrika Korps vs. Desert Rats, Digital Jesters has signed yet another WWII RTS from developer Digital Reality. No specific details are available yet, but it is safe to assume that 1944: Battle of the Bulge will once more make use of the powerful Walker 2 graphics engine, albeit maybe an updated version (thanks gamers.nl). The Battle of the Bulge is one of the most famous battles of WW2 which was fought between Allied forces and Germany in Normandy, Belgium during the winter of 1944. We won't have to wait very long as the game has a scheduled release date of Q1 2005.

Based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Dynasty Warriors series of action games takes players back in time and onto the battlefields of Ancient China. In the games, players experience the thrill of fighting single-handedly against nearly endless legions of enemy soldiers in historical battles that shaped an empire.

Bethesda Softworks today announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is currently in development for PC and future generation consoles (PS3 & Xbox 2). In development since 2002, Oblivion is another leap forward in role-playing with its combination of freeform gameplay and cutting-edge graphics.

In anticipation of the release of Freedom Force Vs The Third Reich in April, Digital Jesters & Focus Home Interactive are asking fans to devise their very own comic strips and win some amazing prizes at the same time. What do you have to do? Simply take your favourite Freedom Force character, or even your own hero, and create a comic strip. If drawing isn't your thing fear not, as comic strips can be created with photos of your friends to make a photo story. You can add speech bubbles to devise the plot.

Bet On Soldier is a first-person shooter which presents something considerably different in order to stand out from the crowd. With a corporation-takes-over-the-world-style plot, Bet On Soldier allows players to do exactly what it promises with its title - that is, bet on the outcome of encounters with specific enemies. Before entering battle, players can wager on which particular enemy soldiers they are going to kill.

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!

Mortal Kombat : Shaolin Monks is an Action/Adventure title driven by both intense single and multi-player action. Similar to the recently released Mortal Kombat: Deception, background interactions (i.e., acid pits, living trees, spiked ceilings, etc.), multiple new fatalities, and action-based puzzles will also play an important role in the player’s quest for an “outstanding” victory.

Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict continues the Unreal franchise on the Xbox and introduces an evolutionary new gameplay style to the traditional FPS genre: acrobatic melee combat. This highly anticipated sequel also features new single-player and multiplayer gameplay, person camera mode and intense melee abilities. Unreal Championship fans can play as any one of 14 characters from the Unreal universe, each with spectacular new Adrenaline Powers that enable new offensive and defensive combos.

The game will provide players with extremely dynamic gameplay of fast and tough combats, where players are to oppose dangerous and wise enemies, a large set of multifarious weaponry, possibility to control various machinery, incredible detailing and game world interactivity, story-driven single player with original team gameplay, a well-balanced multiplayer with numerous modes: DeathMatch, CTF, Cooperative, various team games and much more.

ArenaNet and NCsoft announced today that their second Beta Weekend Event has begun a day early in order to accommodate the European and Asian players and giving them a full weekend of Guild Wars beta testing. All future Beta Weekend Events will commence on Friday mornings of the weekend in question.

Microids and DreamCatcher have signed a publishing/distribution agreement for the North American market for two titles, Still Life and Obscure. No specific release date was announced, but both are expected around Q2 2005.

SEGA Europe today announced they would be publishing Blood Will Tell, a modern-day action epic for the PS2, adapted from the classic Manga tale by Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy). Blood Will Tell delivers the ultimate samurai fighting experience, for one or two players, with intense 3D action from one of Japan's most celebrated storytellers.

While we already had a first trailer a few days ago, Electronic Arts today announced that EA SPORTS Rugby 2005 is under development as the newest ongoing franchise in the EA SPORTS lineup. The game, which features a host of gameplay and graphical upgrades, will deliver an authentic rugby experience and is scheduled for release in spring 2005 for the PS2, the Xbox, and the PC.

Vivisector: Beast Inside developed by Action Forms (creators of Chasm and Carnivores series) is a unique mixture of 3D Action/Horror. The game blends a thrilling interactive story with intense, high-adrenaline action and immerses players in a rich and fascinating storyline.

"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.

"Darkwatch" is an original first person shooter combining the Western and Horror genres to create a cinematic experience with unparalleled depth and game play variety. As half-vampire Jericho Cross, players must hunt down a powerful vampire lord whose undead minions have overrun the Wild West. The result is a stylistic premise blending western and vampire-horror milieus, and one injected with innovative concepts.

'Conker: Live and Reloaded' features intense deathmatch and campaign storyline modes via Xbox Live and system link, players can compete as one of six combat specialists across multi-mission campaigns covering Old War and Future War. Also included is the critically acclaimed single-player game, "Conker's Bad Fur Day," completely recreated for the Xbox with stunning graphics and unparalleled attitude.

In MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf gamers will be able to step outside the 'Mech and live the life of a human pilot in a fresh new single player game. Tanks, VTOLs and BattleArmor will offer players plenty of opportunities to rain destruction on their opposition in both single and multiplayer games.