Europa Universalis III delves deeply into the areas of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy and is an epic strategy game where players take control of a nation and guide it through the ages to become a great global empire.

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

• Metal Combat (PC)
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

Virtua Tennis 3 gives gamers the opportunity to experience new levels of realism never thought possible on a home console system with enhanced photo-realistic graphics and advanced player animations that perfectly match the behaviour and mannerisms of individual professional players.

EA announced that Madden NFL 07 has sold more than five million copies on a total of ten game platforms. Based on internal data as well as industry sources, that across all game platforms, Madden NFL 07 will finish as North America's most popular game of 2006.

After two years of development Climax's Warhammer Online was cancelled after which Games Workshop granted its license to Mythic Entertainment. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is an MMO game for PC and console set in the fantasy world of Warhammer.

Resistance: Fall Of Man is a gripping first-person action game set in a frightening, alternate 20th century reality, delivering a thoroughly believable world that blends epic military action and unnerving horror. Insomniac Games has released a first patch addressing some bugs, voice chat issues, but mainly fixing various multiplayer problems ...

Lost Planet is a sci-fi action shooter set within the merciless frozen tundra of a hostile planet, humans struggle for survival as conflicts arise between man, the surrounding indigenous creatures and the monstrous beings that have invaded.

According to an unidentified MGM insider source, plans for a possible resurrection of the ill-fated Stargate SG 1: The Alliance singleplayer game from JoWood/Perception have been canned alltogether and MGM, as license holder, has shifted its focus and resources to Stargate Worlds, the MMORPG under development at Cheyenne Mountain.

In Crysis, shooter fans will face a new kind of gameplay challenge requiring adaptive tactics and customization of weapons and armor in dynamic, hostile environments as mankind struggles to survive in the face of a horrific alien invasion.

Blizzard announced that recent hardware upgrades and retrofits might allow them to begin testing the ability to go longer than a week between maintenance periods. Instead regular maintenance tasks will run during off-peak with realms live, starting Dec. 26. Off-peak rolling restarts might be needed if necessary; however the downtime for each realm would be less than 10 minutes if it was required.

Fearless Mafia hitman Jackie Estacado is part of the Franchetti crime family helmed by vicious cousin Paulie. On the eve of his 21st birthday, Jackie is suddenly possessed by the terrifying and spectacular powers of the Darkness.

In Final Fantasy XI, players embark on numerous adventures through vast environments in Vana'diel: a persistent world with over a hundred areas to explore, including mountains, forests, glaciers, deserts, oceans, rivers, castles, and dungeons. Square Enix has terminated over 7,450 accounts held by players involved in the usage of 3rd party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.

Making History: The Calm & the Storm puts players in control of global conflict, combining a highly sophisticated AI with rich historical detail. This updated demo has been pulled due to an installation bug, a proper version is expected shortly...

The entire Worthplaying staff would like to say "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to our readers all around the world. We hope everybody has a wonderful holiday, loads of good food, and a joyful time with friends & family. May Santa bring you all the games you wished for, but above all, stay safe! Our news coverage will not slow down, but the news itself might be lacking. If there is anything worthy of your attention, you can be sure to read it here ...

Pirates of the Burning Sea is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game set in the Caribbean islands of the 18th Century. You play a bold sea captain, master of your own ship and crew, as you seek glory and adventure across the trackless deep.

Total Extreme Wrestling 2007 allows you to take on the role of a wrestling promoter and steer your company to the top. Grey Dog Software released a limited-time demo allowing you to try out the entire game and be permitted to continuously repeat one month of game time.

SCEA announced the North American release of Gran Turismo HD Concept, available for free download on the PS3's PlayStation Store. Polyphony Digital Inc's driving game features an all-new course for players to be the first to drive a Ferrari on a PS3, as well as the option to select a car from nine other manufacturers including Infiniti, Lotus, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki.

Late November Saga of Ryzom developer Nevrax announced it had gone into receivership, a.k.a bankruptcy protection, and discussions with an interested party to take over are ongoing. It has now been announced that German pulisher GameForge has taken over Nevrax and its portfolio, including Saga of Ryzom featuring an immersive player-driven storyline, a dynamic ecosystem, mass combat mechanics, and lush graphics.

Two Worlds is an RPG featuring thrilling fight choreographies, gripping characters and realistic worlds, linking the cinematic story with maximum gaming freedom in a medieval fantasy world.

Back in 2004 Hannover developer Team exDream entertainment surprised gamers with Arena Wars, which won the German Jury Innovative Award, and dtp announced that 2007 will bring a sequel, Arena Wars Reloaded. Sporting various new features, and a new graphics engine, this action strategy game will focus once again on multiplayer mayhem.