Microsoft announced that both the Xbox Live service and Xbox.com will be offline and unavailable starting at midnight Pacific Time on Tuesday October 17, 2006. The downtime is needed to add new features and other cool stuff to the Xbox Live service. Neither service will be reachable for 24 hours, so if you get errror messages, it's not you nor your internet connection. You can still earn achievements when you're offline, once the Xbox Live service returns your achievements will be uploaded automatically.

3DRealms has released the SDK for Human Head's sci-fi FPS Prey. The SDK includes all of the game code for building your own game DLL, as well as some code examples/tutorials which will explain a few of the basic things you should know before diving into the code-base.

Ugo Volt is an unforgettable hero in this intensely emotional action adventure that pits a dark vision of the future against the indomitable human spirit. Ugo's actions unleash a series of catastrophic events that affect much more than his own desire for revenge, plunging him into a virtual chaos that will change him forever.

You awaken, only to see pitch black. As you remove yourself from the rubble and debris, a white light appears through a hole in the thick wall full of inscribed imagery. The room starts to shake violently, and walls start to collapse. As you look up, you find yourself in a large circular room full of gates leading to the unknown. What lies beyond the Deadly Gates?

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is the exciting new expansion to Blizzard's massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It expands the game by tremendous bounds, adding new races, quest, lands, Battlegrounds, professions and items, raising the level cap to 70, and more.

The World Cyber Games 2006 Grand Final in Monza, Italy, kicks off in just six days. The WCG 2006 is planned to be the largest-scale event yet with 700 gamers from 70 countries participating, including six new countries such as Ireland and Saudi Arabia, which will send representatives to the WCG Grand Final for the first time.

Ridge Racer 2 is easy to pick up and play, keeping the high speed drifting fun in the palm of your hand and letting you take this supreme racing experience with you wherever you go.

Yesterday US District Judge Robin J. Cauthron handed down a preliminary injunction halting Oklahoma’s law which prohibits the sale of video games depicting inappropriate violence to minors, claiming it unconstitutional in various ways.

Tripwire Interactive announced that it is planning yet another content update by the end of this month, which will not only include two new vehicles and a new map. One of the new vehicles is the German Panzer IV H, requested many times by the commmunity. More details about the other new content will be revealed in the coming weeks ...

In Paris Chase, you start your career in a cheap garage and a choice of affordable street cars. Work your way up to 5 other garages. Each garage has its own style, cars (total of 30+ supercars), and friends, so feel free to drive towards one of these garages and check out their showrooms.

Activision and Valve today announced an agreement to distribute four of Activision's PC games (Call of Duty 2, Gun, Call of Duty and United Offensive expansion) using Steam.

DreamCatcher announced that it is accepting applications for Part 2 of the Public Beta Test of its futuristic 3D RTS game, Genesis Rising: The Universal Crusade. A brand new application process will begin on Thursday, October 12, 2006 and will close on Thursday, October 19, 2006.

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.

The Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) is a newly formed web-based consumer organization primed to serve the evolving needs of individuals who play computer and video games, focusing its advocacy efforts on consumer rights, anti-games legislation, and a host of other public policy concerns.

In Tomb Raider: Legend, Lara comes alive with intricately animated expressions, moves and abilities. An arsenal of modern equipment, such as a magnetic grappling device, binoculars, frag grenades, personal lighting device and communications equipment.

The Settlers II: The Next Generation is the remake of BlueByt's 2D classic Settlers 2, making the jump to 3D. Ubisoft has released a tiny hotfix patch to address a problem with the previously released v9800 patch.

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

Join Snoopy and friends as you take on the nefarious Baron and his cohorts in this enchanting aerial adventure. Developer Smart Bomb Interactive announced that Snoopy vs. the Red Baron has gone gold.

Battlestations: Midway follows the story of naval recruit Henry Walker, whose first assignment as a gunner at Pearl Harbor is the starting point of an incredible career at the heart of the US Pacific Fleet in 1942, in what was to become one of the most inspirational military campaigns in history.

Gamer's Gate announced today that it has expanded its portfolio and is now offering various titles from the Battlefront.com catalogue for digital download.