Big Huge Game has released the first patch for its 3D RTS Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, bringing your retail game to v2.0. Only available through the in-game auto-updater, the patch addresses multiplayer issues, fixes bugs and crashes, adjusts game balancing, adds new features, and a new 4-player map Inferno.

Oblivion is a single-player game that takes place in Tamriel's capital province, Cyrodiil. You are given the task of finding the hidden heir to a throne that sits empty, the previous emperor having been killed by an unknown assassin. Bethesda has released the final v1.1 German patch which addresses various bugs, crashes, quests and plugin issues.

Joint Task Force is a story of modern war where players match superior tactics and military technology against dangerous unconventional forces around the globe.

UK's hardrock band Iron Maiden has signed on to contribute a "Different World," song from their upcoming album A Matter of Life and Death, to be on the Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam soundtrack. Focused on head-to-head racing, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam allows you to feel the breakneck speed of downhill competition and tear up the world's steepest terrains while performing tricks and outmaneuvering opponents.

Valve revealed that it is working on several a few updates, the first coming in about 2 weeks, to move the core Counter-Strike gameplay forward. First off, the classic Train map is getting a HDR makeover, some minor layout changes, and a number of small bugfixes. The radar is getting reworked which will result in gameplay adjustments such as when you look at an enemy for a certain amount of time his name will become visible to you, and the rest of your team.

Attention soldiers… Activision is looking for the best Call of Duty players nationwide to enlist for an opportunity to be the first consumers to play the eagerly-awaited Call of Duty 3 before its fall release.

Total Pro Golf puts you in charge of your golf career, allowing you to fully customize golfers, sponsors, courses, and scheduling. Wolverine Studios announced that Total Pro Golf will be available for purchase and electronic download on Friday, August 18, 2006.

As promised EA has released some minor information about the upcoming BF 2 v1.4 patch. After rigorous beta testing and community input, EA announced that the new patch will be released on Tuesday August 15, and will include the Road to Jalalabad, as well as the new Infantry Only server option. As part of its MODLight initiative, DICE/EA will test every mod, and host them on various servers in order to support the community.

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:

• Frankie Dettori Racing [PS2/Xbox/PC] - Trailer
• WH40K: Dawn of War - Dark Crusader - Grey Knights Trailer
• Madden NFL 07 [ALL] - Trailer
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon [PS2/Xbox/Wii] - Trailer #2
• NBA Live 07 [X360] - Trailer #4
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

The apes are back once again, but this time they are shifting gears, no platformer, but rather, as the name indicates, a Mario Kart clone with a twist. Our little friends make laps around various courses, but are actually part of the ride. Of course there will be the usual powers ups, boosts tied to their backs, and of course weapons to blow away the competition. You will also be able to customize your kart with various upgrades and addons.

Ascaron has released a German demo for its latest iteration in the ANSTOSS soccer management franchise. This demo has all the features enabled, except no multiplayer or save possbility.

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.

Penny Arcade today announced the grand prize for its three-day gaming Omegathon III tournament, a brand new 2006 Scion xB in Black Sand Pearl, featuring a game geek's dream package of a flipdown 15" widescreen monitor, X360 Premium System, 6-speaker sound system with CD/MP3 player, custom taillights and wheels with low-profile tires.

Sonic Rivals is a head-to-head competition between Sonic and his top rivals. Rip through tracks in some high-spirited single player and wireless multiplayer action against friends as Sonic returns in a whole new racing-platformer with classic 2D gameplay in true 3D environments for gamers on the go.

The game itself is a mini-golf game with a twist, Toy Golf gives all the thrills of birdies and bogeys in the comfort of a house! Putt your way through the kitchen, study, living room and a number of other indoor locations in this golf game of a different perspective.

42 All-Time Classics does away with cumbersome boards and packs of cards. Instead it combines the Nintendo DS’s innovative touch-screen control mechanism with 42 of the most popular games ever invented ranging from card classics like Poker and Texas Hold ‘Em, board games such as Chess and Backgammon to bar games like Darts and Snooker.

While we already revealed a patch and downloadable content a little while ago, Human Head provided some details. Both versions are getting a patch addressing various bug and crash fixes, but mainly multiplayer exploits, lag and server issues. Regarding downloadable content, both platforms will receive 4 new maps aimed at 2-4 players, and six new player characters (4 female and 2 Hunter characters.) Of course no release date was given, except for "hopefully" very, very soon. Read more for details ...

Atlus U.S.A. today announced the acquisition of the North American publishing rights to Bomberman Land Touch!, an action-adventure game for the NDS, developed by Hudson Soft.

EA's Battlefield 2142 pre-order program has gone live with Gamestop and EB Games! If you pre-order Battlefield 2142, you will receive a free rank unlock, a coupon from Logitech good for $40 off select products like the G15 keyboard, and a USB 2.0 64mb dog tag-shaped flash drive, as well as content from two upcoming EA games, Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and Crysis.

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. Topware Interactive announced that it has delayed Two Worlds until Q4 2006 to give the developers additional time to polish the game.