Captured, conveniently forgotten, tortured, and left for dead, MI6 agent Andrew Sterling awaits execution in a Chinese prison. The story begins when a mysterious friend from his past rescues him, setting off a chain of events that could rock the very foundations of global security and wreak chaos on a worldwide level.

Democracy is the working title of a new political strategy game being developed by Positech Games. Democracy is a detailed simulation game that is 'turn based' where each turn of the game represents 2 months of time. Elections are held every 4 years. The game has a complex internal model to represent the population of your country (thanks Blues).

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update which performance improvements, increased cache memory usage, increased cache memory usage, weapon script files are preloaded at startup in HL2, and a few more little tweaks. Restart Steam to get the latest update...

Nintendo's lineup for 2005 comes loaded with new games that take advantage of the touch-screen and wireless capabilities of the new NDS. Likewise, GameCube and GBA owners will find new ways to enjoy new and favorite franchises. New tricks like using bongos to control characters in Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for NGC and an internal gyro sensor in WarioWare: Twisted! for GBA enhance the game experience as only Nintendo can.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory will offer a high adrenaline experience thanks to never seen before close range attacks, a totally open level design, a completely immersive and interactive environment, and challenging advanced AI. Check these new screens ...

Kuma Reality Games has designed its current online mission, Ramadi Convoy Exercise in conjunction with the Army’s Combined Arms Support Command. The Army provided military insights, helping to ensure the accuracy of the re-creation so it could be used to train U.S. troops. The mission highlights one of the most dangerous and deadly scenarios American soldiers face in Iraq today; the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) attack.

Phantom Dust is an anime-inspired game set in a post-apocalyptic era where chaos has forced people underground for safety. Players must journey above ground in a quest to learn who and what was behind the destruction, but the surface is a place of deadly evil filled with unimaginable abominations. It is also home to mysterious particles known only as Phantom Dust, a force unlike any other that has given some members of the human race unimaginable super powers.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft has sold through more than 600,000 units to customers in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The fastest-growing massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) has also shattered all previous concurrency records in North America, achieving over 200,000 simultaneous players during the holiday period.

The Arena Football League and Electronic Arts have entered into an exclusive agreement to produce an AFL video game in time for the start of the 2006 AFL season that also allows EA to share in the proceeds of future expansion team sales. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Strategy First Inc. is pleased to announce that Disciples II Gold has gone gold. Developed and published by Strategy First Inc., Disciples II Gold includes the entire award-winning Disciples II series including Dark Prophecy, all three expansion packs (Guardians of the Light, Servants of the Dark, and Rise of the Elves), as well as new and exciting scenarios. Release is scheduled for January, 2005.

Rockstar Games is proud to announce Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and a brand new iteration of Grand Theft Auto for the highly anticipated PSP handheld system. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition and the new Grand Theft Auto title, which will be set in Liberty City, are being developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with Rockstar San Diego and Rockstar North, respectively. Both titles are expected to be available near the launch of the PSP handheld system in North America and Europe.

Ubisoft and inXile entertainment jointly announce a new European publishing deal for The Bard's Tale. This action-role playing game (RPG) with a twist has been developed by inXile, founded by Brian Fargo, the creator of the original The Bard's Tale. The terms of the agreement give Ubisoft exclusive publishing and distribution rights in most of Europe for the PS2, Xbox and PC versions of the game. The title is expected to hit stores this March.

Atari today announced that TimeShift, an innovative first-person shooter in which players control time to complete missions and defeat foes, is in development by Saber Interactive for the PC and Xbox. TimeShift will leverage first-of-its-kind gameplay abilities and functionality, the latest graphics technology, and high production values to create a truly unique action game experience.

Driven by a hatred of crime bordering on insanity, Frank Castle became The Punisher, a one-man army whose mission goes far beyond revenge. Taking on the city's high-powered crime lords, he wreaks havoc on the corrupt with methods reserved for those on the wrong side of the law. "The Punisher" video game represents the best of over 30 years of "Punisher" comic books and depicts some of the grittiest storylines in the Marvel Universe. Check these 100+ new screens ..

Supreme Ruler 2010 represents the next generation of strategy game. Not another build and attack 'click fest', but a challenging simulation of political and military leadership. Read more to check some new screens ..

Matrix Games is pleased to announce the new prices for its full current line of games for 2005, effective January 10th, 2005. Throughout most of the Matrix Games line, these new prices reflect a savings for customers. These new price levels are expected to remain constant for these titles throughout 2005.

Blackhole Motorsports has gotten word that EA will be releasing a Nascar SimRacing demo the week of the 17th. The cars in the demo will represent the 2004 Season artwork, but when the game releases, we will have a download available in the install that will update with all of the 2005 car art. Featuring two tracks (Indianapolis and Phoenix), and allowing you to make laps as Kurt Busch.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• The Sims 2: University - Trailer
• Battlefield 2 - Trailer

What is going on with all these MMO's getting canned? Today Mutable Realms has decided to cancel its Ultra Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game Wish. "After careful consideration of all the facts and analyzing all the data which we have gathered from the Wish Beta 2.0 test so far, we have decided to cancel the Wish project. Our Beta test will end this evening at 6pm EST, and at this time our Beta forums will close as well. We enjoyed working together with our fans very much, and we are very sorry about this development. We wish you the best of luck in the future, and hope that you continue to enjoy online gaming, even with Mutable Realms and Wish not being available anymore." Read more on the official website ...

id Software and Activision will unleash an all-new assault on humanity with DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil, the official expansion pack to the first- person action game. Co-developed by Nerve Software and id Software, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the terrifying and intense action of the already classic DOOM 3. Check the new screens...