Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam delivers a skateboard experience focused on head-to-head racing, allowing players to feel the breakneck speed of downhill competition as they tear up the world's steepest terrains while performing tricks and outmaneuvering opponents in such locations as San Francisco, Machu Picchu and Hong Kong.

When CDV released Panzers: Phase 2, it wasn't a sequel so much as a continuation of the original game. The franchise has since moved over to 10Tacle, and developer Stormregion is working on a legit successor, Panzers 2. It will be set immediately after WWII, with an alternate timeline where Russia wasn't intimidated by the American atom bomb and continued the war undeterred. Although fictitious, the settings and units are realistic, and the brand-new engine is impressive. With a scheduled late 2007 release date, it is sure to be further optimized and improved.

Codemasters announced the Archlord sever name competition where contestants can enter now to name all five ArchLord servers for launch day. Not only will the winners' names grace the game servers, MMOART.com is also throwing in a fabulous custom painted ArchLord PC case.

With the announcements of FIFA 07 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 at the Leipzig Games Convention as next-generation exclusives, the Xbox 360 has become the only place football fans can enjoy next-generation versions of these titles for the coming 12 months.

Caesar IV takes the city-building genre into the 21st century, with new gameplay and features, and a cutting edge 3D graphics engine developed specifically for the title.

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:

• SpyHunter: Nowhere to Run [PS2/Xbox] - Trailer #4
• Team Fortress 2 - Character Classes Trailer
• Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs - GC 2006 Trailer
• Stranglehold [PS3/X360/PC] - Trailer #4
• Heroes of Annihilated Empires - GC 06 Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details on the promised Counter-Strike: Source update, adding a radar overhaul, HDR treatment for de_train, as well as some bug fixes, layout and SourceTV tweaks, as well as assorted exploit fixes. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

Adds layers of strategy to your gaming experience by building mobile bases, wielding the power of terrifying Ion Storms on the battlefield, or customising your armies by combining units. Battle it out online with native voice-over IP, integrated clan support, and new spectator modes that let you play RTS games like a sport.

EA announced today that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson will appear on the cover of NFL Street 3, the newest iteration of the EA football franchise that allows gamers to break out of the constraints of traditional gridiron football and take it to the streets and change the game.

Operation Flashpoint creators Bohemia Interactive Studio will reacquaint gamers with the ultimate in realistic, combat gaming. Armed Assault features a new engine with a fresh modern setting. Freedom of action and immersive complex environments, blended with a unique touch of total simulation.

Vivendi has released the German, UK and French editions of the new v1.07 patch for Monolith's first person close-quarters combat experience FEAR making it compatible with the upcoming FEAR Combat multiplayer addon, as well as adding 3 new maps, bug fixes, new browser features and more ...

Check out the following new screens from THQ's Games Convention 2006 lineup:

• Broken Sword: The Angel of Death - Screens & Trailer
• Company of Heroes - Screens
• Destroy All Humans! 2 - Screens
• Frontlines: Fuel of War - Screens
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - Screens
• Supreme Commander - Screens
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade - Screens
• Saints Row - Screens
• Avatar: The Last Airbender - Screens
• WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 - Screens
• SpongeBob Squarepants: Creature from the Krusty Krab - Screens

EA today announced Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn, an exciting new upgrade to the genre-defining Ultima Online. Much more than an expansion, UO: Kingdom Reborn is a complete make-over of the online world with a new graphics engine, a state-of-the-art user interface and enough new content for even the most seasoned players.

BioShock is 2K Games' hybrid first-person shooter, in the works over at System Shock 2 developers Irrational Games, combining elements of sci-fi and role-playing genres.

Gray Matter's story mixes eerie mysteries with supernatural events in best Jensen-style. Neurobiologist Dr. David Styles is one of the game’s central characters: since losing his wife in a horrible accident some several years ago, he has become a recluse, seldom leaving Dread Hill House, his English country estate.

Elveon, developed by 10tacle, is an epic fantasy action game with impressive graphics and the captivating atmosphere, using the Unreal Engine 3.

Call of Duty 3 delivers the intensity of being closer than ever to the fury of combat during the battle for the Liberation of Paris, the most harrowing campaign of WWII, known as The Normandy Breakout.

In an interview with EuroGamer, Valve's Doug Lombardi confirmed earlier rumors that the next chapter in the episodic FPS series, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, will not get released before the year's end as previously announced, but is now scheduled for release in February 2007. The pricing has also changed a bit; Episode 2 will now set you back $19.95, which is still a great value, considering it comes with Portal and Team Fortress 2.

THQ has now released a new patch for Relic's 3D RTS Dawn Of War/Winter Assault. This update brings your retail game to v1.51 and mainly seems to add unit balancing, interface enhancements, some optimizations and bug fixes.