Galactic Civilizations II 1.2 is a significant free update to all GalCiv II owners because it has a LOT more content than what an update normally would have. Besides a significant change in the combat system, lots of UI changes, and AI enhancements, v1.2 includes advanced modding support including a Stardock developed mod featuring a new set of alien races, custom planets, new technology tree, new UI, etc., all for the "example" mods.

Unreal Tournament: Expanded Multiplayer is a class based multiplayer team game. UT XMP is a total conversion for UT2004, developed by Free Monkey Interactive, and is based upon Unreal II: Expanded Multiplayer, released in 2003 by the now-defunct Legend Entertainment. Public Beta 3 has now been released with tons of fixes and tweaks...

Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London is an RPG set in the immersive first-person perspective. With a completely randomized world that offers a unique experience every time you play, Hellgate: London introduces a demon-ridden place where the last survivors of the human race must meld science and magic to survive.

An evolution in open world gaming, Saints Row provides an unprecedented amount of freedom to experience the game as the player sees fit. The game, based in the fictional urban surroundings of Still Water, is action adventure with its core as a third-person shooter. THQ has revealed the official launch date for Saints Row, currently set for August 29th, 2006.

THQ has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Gas Powered Games for its RTS game Supreme Commander. Chris Taylor is known for his work with Total Annihilation under Cave Dog, and Supreme Commander will mark his return to a genre that he helped popularize.

Available for download on his website, Major Nelson's latest podcast includes an interview with Microsoft's Peter Moore, giving feedback on his earlier backwards compatibility comments, and also reveals that the next update (due next week) will include not 12, but 20 or more new updates for older Xbox titles, including DOOM 3 and LEGO Star Wars. The podcast also includes comments and feedback on the latest dashboard update, and how to beta test Vista.

Originally scheduled for release Feb 2005, renamed from Realms of Torment, Mourning, to Age of Mourning, development halted, now picked up by Loud Ant Software and Nuanced Entertainment and renamed again (thanks Blues). Thrones of Chaos is an MMORPG set in turbulent medieval times focusing on player vs player strife and territorial conquest with many unique ideas and features.

Apart from the initial E3 announcement, very little has been revealed on Rockstar's next-gen GTA title, but according to IMDb, the very first voice actors have been unveiled. Lazlow Jones and Navid Khonsari are lending their voice talents to in-game characters. Both are known for also contributing to GTA III, Liberty City Stories and San Andreas, while Navid seems to be a Rockstar favorite, having also voiced characters in The Warriors, Manhunt and even Remedy's Max Payne.

According to UK magazine The Inquirer, Epic's UT 2007 has been delayed until March 2007. While Epic never really announced an official release date, Sony mentioned on various occasions it was to be a launch title, and many retailers had it listed for end of the year. Specific reasons for the delay were of course not provided, but it is safe to assume the extra development time will be used to polish the game.

A forum post on Swedish fansite BF2.se reveals what looks to be a new Battlefield 2 map in the works over at DICE/EA. Game-Monitor.com noticed a new Road to Jalalabad map being tested (MEC vs. US), as well as a curious game setting bf2_infantryonly, which seems to indicate a new Infantry only setting/mode might be getting added to DICE's online FPS.

In Law & Order: Criminal Intent, players scour the crime scenes for evidence, interview witnesses and interrogate suspects in hopes of tracking down the elusive killers. Legacy Interactive has released a new patch fixing crashing problems during interviews, navigation bug, and resolves graphical issues on NVIDIA GeForce cards.

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:

• Virtua Tennis 3 [PS3/X360] - Trailer
• No Brakes: X Racing - Trailer
• Sins of a Solar Empire - Trailer
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

MGame USA is distributing 1.000 cdkeys for the closed beta of the asiatic MMORPG focused in martial arts Hero Online. The first 1.000 users of JuegaEnRed.Com/MMOGInfo.Com will get their key and create a game account, activate the game with the key and download the game client and then play starting June 12th 2006.

The only Final Fantasy that was never localized will finally reach North American shores! Using the features of the NDS to their fullest, Final Fantasy III features graphics that have been reworked and remodeled in 3D, while maintaining the mythical Final Fantasy look and feel.

In keeping with Blizzard's aggressive stance against cheating in World of Warcraft, it banned over 30,000 accounts in the month of May, and with that removed well over 30 million gold from the economy across all realms. The banned accounts were taking part in activities that violate the game's Terms of Use, including using third-party programs to farm gold and items, which severely impacts the economy of a realm and the overall game enjoyment for all players.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details on a small patch for its just released Half-Life 2: Episode One and Topware's Earth 2160. While the latter merely fixes the game incorrectly prompting for a CD key entry, the HL2: Ep. One part fixes some corrupted closed caption lines and addresses a bug in gameplay stats reporting. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

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:

• Rayman Raving Rabbids [ALL] - Bunnies Can't Play Football Trailer
• Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War [PS3] - Trailer
• Titan Quest - Dev Diary #7
• Ship Simulator 2006 - Trailer
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

SEGA announced that its Rome: Total War Alexander expansion pack will launch in June 19, 2006 and will only be available through digital download for $14.99. Rome: Total War – Alexander brings to life the meteoric rise of one of history's most brilliant generals: Alexander the Great.

Back in March we revealed that Bungie joined forces with Marvel Comics to work on a 128 page full-color jacketed hardcover, featuring all-new adventures from within the Halo Universe. Until its anticipated July 2006 release, the 20 pages we offer as a sneak peek will have to do ...

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:

• Teen Titans (NGC/PS2)
• winSPWW2 (PC)
• Airborne Assault: Conquest of the Aegean (PC)
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  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...