Three Rings Design, known for Puzzle Pirates, announced the opening today of the public beta for "Bang! Howdy," a multiplayer online tactical strategy game for the PC. Players face off in the steam-powered Wild West, using casual strategy game mechanics in a variety of gameplay modes.

When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, Agent 47 senses that he may be the next target, he travels to America, where he prepares to make a killing. A day after the release of the PC version, Eidos now also released the Xbox 360 demo on Xbox Live Marketplace. Same content, the first level, Death of a Showman, giving you a quick tutorial and then you must track down your target in a theme park turned drug lab.

LucasArts presents the first in a series of feature stories about LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (working title). You can expect stories like the one to follow periodically, until the game's release across multiple platforms this fall, each article further detailing certain aspects of the game.

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

• Battlefield 2: Armored Fury - Trailer
• Rayman Raving Rabbids [Wii] - Trailer (2)
• Supreme Commander - E3 2006 Trailer [HD]
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

GoldenLand 3, sequel to GoldenLand 2: Cold Heaven, is a classic RPG where the player has an opportunity not only to play the role of the character but also to live his life – performance of roles is an engaging thing indeed.

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. announced that it has signed an agreement with Walt Disney Co.'s Internet group to develop and distribute an online game based on popular Disney characters, marking Disney's entrance into China's online game market. Shanda said the game will be developed for a broader demographic than traditional online games, as well as China's growing segment of female online gamers.

Myelin Media today announced that their Texas Hold 'Em game, STACKED with Daniel Negreanu, has gone gold. Capturing the spirit of the professional poker tour, Stacked utilizes an advanced learning artificial intelligence system that adapts to each player's style of play and a detailed tutorial mode to deliver a thrilling and realistic poker experience.

NFL Head Coach, developed by EA Tiburon, is a 3D strategy sports game that challenges gamers to build and manage every aspect of a football team from the ground up, and work with all coaches in the NFL Coaches Club.

Nival Interactive announces that Heroes of Might and Magic V made it to the top of British charts in the PC Full Price category in the first week of sales. HoMM V has already become a bestseller in Great Britain according to ChartTrack statistics, which is overwhelming considering the results were summarized on May 20th, the day after Heroes of Might and Magic V was released in Europe.

Half-Life 2: Episode One launches the H-L 2 in a new, three-part series that leads far beyond City 17. Half-Life 2: Episode One does not require Half-Life 2 to play, and will be available via Steam and at retail stores in North America for just $19.95 on June 1st. Also included in Episode One is a first look at Episode Two, which will ship by year's end.

Bullet Witch is an action adventure taking place in the exceedingly bleak near future of 2013. Civilization is on the brink of extinction after demons begin appearing on the earth, and the player wades into the fray as a witch named Alicia.

Ubisoft is giving people with a Ubi.com account a chance to join the Dark Messiah closed beta test. In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic you will be introduced to the world of Ashan, the new setting for all future Might & Magic games. Ashan is a dark and unforgiving world, scarred by a bloody history and threatened by an apocalyptic prophecy: the Dark Messiah.

B-Boy uses a dynamically controlled fighting system to help you battle the best b-boys on the planet. Over the course of an in-depth "B-Boy Life" mode, players build up a crew and battle against real-life superstar b-boys including legendary and original b-boy in-game host Crazy Legs.

In response to consumer demand, CDV announced that it will be migrating to the TAGES copy protection for future game releases, starting with Glory of the Roman Empire, scheduled to ship on June 26 across North America. "We believe that TAGES will provide a sensible balance between protecting CDV’s intellectual property rights against piracy, while at the same time minimizing the restrictions experienced by legitimate owners of our products," explained CDV’s Chief Technology Officer, Teut Weidemann.

Mysterious and tiny creatures, the titular Elebits have been the source of the world's power for the past 10,000 years. While humans and Elebits have always lived in harmony, these friendly beings love to cause trouble, and it's up to players to track them down and put an end to their mischief.

Ubisoft has released a new patch for its tactical FPS Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, bringing your retail/download version to v1.10 and addressing multiplayer issues, improving stability, and AGEIA / interface updates.

Rush for Berlin is a tactical RTS game, set on the European battlefields of World War II. The player's goal: to capture the German capital, as either the British/US/French alliance or the Red army of the Soviet Union. This demo includes a deathmatch and a R.U.S.H. map, playable online or via LAN.

BFME 2 takes part in the North where a battle is raging between Sauron's forces vs. elves and dwarves. It will be possible to create/customize your own hero, apart from known figures such as Arwin, and become more powerful as you progress in the game. While BFME was all land-based, the sequel will also take the action on the sea, naval battles included.

id Software has released the Super Upgrades Mission Pack for Wolfenstein 3D as freeware, for everybody to enjoy. This add-on pack contains over 800 new levels for Wolfenstein 3D, a random level generator, and a map editor.

Lighthouse Interactive announced that Ship Simulator 2006 went gold, and is on course for its June 15 European release date. The game puts you at the helm of some of the most varied and detailed ships to be found at sea, where they will need to perform a multitude of tasks, all set within a stunning 3D environment.

Madden NFL 07 is being custom-designed for Nintendo's next-gen console, Wii. Using the console's unique remote to pass, kick, snap, throw, catch and run, players will interact with the game in an entirely new way.

Infernal is a third-person action adventure that is set in a present-day scenario, with stunning environments and strong characters. The story relates to the eternal conflict between good and evil, confronted in supernatural intelligence agencies.

KievGames' Silverfall is a fantasy-style RPG using advanced 3D graphics and fascinating storyline. Silverfall features large free-roaming environments, four customizable and playable races, 150 monsters, single- and multiplayer (co-op and PvP), ragdoll effects, day/night cycle, particle effects and the latest shaders.

Known for his stop-motion special effects in classics like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts, Ray Harryhausen, at the age of 85, is helping to develop a series of new features, TV movies, video games and merchandising under the Ray Harryhausen Presents banner.

Sony Online Entertainment today announced that Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is about to debut in his favorite online video game, EverQuest II, as an epically awesome, loot-dropping virtual bad guy who battles unwary players. And it’s all for a good cause.

Gitaroo Man Lives! on the PSP will see the long awaited and highly anticipated return of one of the PS2’s most popular rhythm action games. This time players will get the opportunity to jam with the man and save the universe all over again on the PSP, scheduled for European release Q3 2006.

When the world of Rayman is threatened by a devastating invasion of crazed, out-of-control bunnies Rayman must rise up against his furry foes to foil their wicked plans. Ubisoft has released a pre-canned interview with Rayman head honcho Michel Ancel.

Embark on your adventure to become the one mighty ruler of them all and take control of vast worlds, sprawling towns and cities or even control the world's horrific monsters to wreak havoc on your cowering enemies. For the first time ever you can rise to rule them all and with it the true destiny of Chantra is under your control...

Paradox Interactive announced the signing of two independent titles for Gamersgate.net, its download portal launched earlier this year. Providing smaller developers with promising games a platform to reach the global market, Birth of America" from Ageod and "Mount&Blade" from Ikisoft, both which will be made available on the download portal in June.

Players assume the roles of RJ the raccoon, Verne the turtle, Hammy the squirrel and Stella the skunk and turn a suburban neighborhood loaded with dangerous obstacles and traps into their personal playground.