Shortly after we revealed it last night, Disney Online officially announces that it is developing a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the popular theme park attraction and franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. The game is slated to debut in summer 2006, coinciding with the theatrical premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

The unmistakable body of a Porsche 906, the goose bump provoking sound of a Ford Mustang and the sophisticated skills required of the driver of a Corvette Stingray are synonymous with the motor sports of the 60s and 70s. Equipped with the official licence of the FIA GTC '65, FIA TC '65 and FIA GTC-TC '76 respectively, this year, 10TACLE STUDIOS and developer SimBin will recreate the period of great racing adventures by introducing GT Legends.

Valve has released a new trailer for its upcoming free Half-Life 2 addon, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. This movie features a minute of high-res in-engine footage to show the High-Dynamic Range rendering that is included in the FPS add-on. Read more for download links ...

2K Games and 3D Realms today announced Prey, a revolutionary first person shooter for PC and a next-generation console system in development at Human Head Studios, under the direct supervision of 3D Realms. Prey will be on display at ATi's booth...

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that the real-time strategy game Empire Earth II has shipped to retail stores in the US and will be available for purchase by Thursday, April 28th. The game carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 for the PC and has been rated "T" for Teen audiences by the ESRB.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves will entice a broad range of players with multiple tiers of gameplay to reach both the hard core and gaming novice. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves will draw players immediately into the devious adventures of Sly and his crew by offering a unique cast of playable characters, a challenging dual analog stick multiplayer mode, new vehicles, mini-games, disguises, enhanced combat move sets and much more.

Techland's Island of Living Dead is a survival horror FPP shooter where action is situated in the near future, when all of today's threats and fears become reality. Global pestilences, mutating viruses and products of illegal genetic engineering begin to devastate mankind. The player, surrounded by mutants and half-dead enemies, will struggle for his life. "Island of Living Death" uses the Chrome Engine, among other simulation of environment devices, and all top notch vertex- and pixel-shader-based visual effects to provide an unforgettable experience of playing your own life in the amazing world of the near future.

Topware Interactive Inc. has officially entered the North American market as both a publisher and distributor of PC and console software. All three principals of Topware Interactive Inc.: Alexandra Constandache (owner), Dirk Hassinger (CEO), and James Seaman (Managing Director), are part of the prominent European game producers, Zuxxez AG of Germany.

Deep Silver will be joining the industry caravan to Los Angeles, presenting their 2005 and 2006 titles to the worldwide media. With many announcements to be made during the show, Deep Silver can confirm that the following titles will be on show at their stand in the South Hall (724) : D1rt, X3: Reunion, Singles 2, Earth 2160, Rush for Berlin and Hearth of Empire: Rome. Read more for details ...

Maxis-EA is redefining the Sims 2 franchise and will deliver classic open-ended gameplay along with exclusive new features. Aspirational gameplay and fully customizable content will give players the most authentic Sims experience to date on console.

Vivisector: Beast Inside developed by Action Forms (creators of Chasm and Carnivores series) is a unique mixture of 3D Action/Horror. The game blends a thrilling interactive story with intense, high-adrenaline action and immerses players in a rich and fascinating storyline.

Seems like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is not the only movie tie-in title under development, as Walt Disney Internet Group revealed today that it is working on a Pirates of the Caribbean MMO scheduled for release next summer in conjunction with the second PoTC movie. Disney's Buena Vista Games recently acquired Avalanche Software and founded its own production studio in Vancouver. Whether either one will actually partake in the development is not clear at this point. Read the full article over at Variety...

Curse of Darkness introduces players to an entirely new storyline and main character – Hector, one of two Devil Forgemasters, who had once refined his skills under Dracula. Told in true Castlevania style, this action-packed tale of betrayal and revenge takes players on a journey through an expansive world filled with formidable foes and beautifully rendered environments to the ruins of Dracula’s castle.

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.

SCEE today announced that its PSP will be launched in Europe on 1st September 2005, available in a single version Value Pack, priced at €249 (£179). The PSP Value Pack contains the PSP with a pouch, 32MB Memory Stick Duo, Battery Pack, Headphones with Remote Control, AC Adaptor, Wrist Strap, cloth and a video/music/game sampler Universal Media Disc including several non-interactive game demos.

Valve has released a new Half-Life 2: Deathmatch map, dm_runoff, which is now available via Steam. If you have HL2:DM installed in your Steam games list, you will receive the new maps automatically. This release also includes a Source Engine update which moves default Steam port to 27009 (UDP) from 27030. Use -steamport to override this setting.

Rebelstar Tactical Command is a turn-based strategy and combat game with role-playing elements, "Rebelstar Tactical Command" transports players to a not-so-distant future in which Earth is ruled by an evil empire.

War World is a fast paced, third person online shooter where players build and battle the ultimate mech warriors. Designed for multiplayer mayhem, War World lets players challenge other warriors online as they try to work their way up the War World rankings ladder. As players move up the ladder, they will be able to earn and purchase upgrades and enhancements for their mechs. War World will also offer several single player modes, 3D arcade style games, where players can upload their scores to the web site for bragging rights

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 :

• Deep Sea Tycoon 2 - Trailer
• Empire Earth 2 - Release Trailer
• Fantastic Four - Trailer #2
• Guild Wars - Trailer #8

According to NPD Group, total U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories rose 23 percent in the first quarter of 2005 to more than $2.2 billion The sharp increase was mainly due to the launch of PSP and NDS handhelds, and software wise the best selling product was Sony's PS2 title Gran Turismo 4, with 1.1 million copies sold. The $10 billion U.S. video game industry is keeps steady in comparison with the domestic movie box office sales.