Developed by Mad Doc Software and due for release in the first half of 2005, Empire Earth 2 will build upon the award-winning formula of its predecessor by adding features requested both by casual game players interested in a brief spin through history and by more hard core gamers who demand a real-time strategy game that will challenge them for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours.

While we already had a first trailer a few days ago, Electronic Arts today announced that EA SPORTS Rugby 2005 is under development as the newest ongoing franchise in the EA SPORTS lineup. The game, which features a host of gameplay and graphical upgrades, will deliver an authentic rugby experience and is scheduled for release in spring 2005 for the PS2, the Xbox, and the PC.

Atelier Iris :Eternal Mana is an SRPG like none other on the PlayStation 2. Create your own items and weapons each with unique powers, appearances and abilities. Experience an epic adventure filled with a powerful story and ominous intrigue. Battle vicious monsters where your mastery of weaponry and spells is the only thing between you and ferocious beasts.

Activision revealed its financial results for the third quarter 2005, and Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO of Activision, commented, "For the first nine months of fiscal year 2005, net revenues have already exceeded net revenues in fiscal 2004." So while financially Activision is doing well, Doom 3 fans will be a bit disaappointed as it became clear that the Xbox edtion as well as the PC expansion pack are being pushed back from their original March date, to April 2005. It was also revealed that Spider-Man 2 and Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix will be launch titles for the PSP. Also, in fiscal 2006, Activision will release new versions of its top-selling fiscal 2005 franchises Tony Hawk, Spider-Man, Shrek, Call of Duty, DOOM, and X-Men, as well as games based on True Crime, Fantastic Four, Madagascar, Quake, The Movies, and an original new property from Neversoft, the development team behind the Tony Hawk series.

Boiling Point: Road to Hell, previously known as Xenus, will combine intense armed combat with exploration and interaction with a vast and seamless open-ended gaming world. Boiling Point: Road to Hell is in development by Ukrainian developer Deep Shadows and is scheduled for release in Spring 2005.

The highly anticipated microchip that will power the PS3 made its debut today, as IBM, Sony and Toshiba showed off the inner workings of a chip intended to run a new generation of electronics. Cell is based on IBM's existing Power processor line, and will work with various software packages, including Linux. The chip will have nearly a quarter-billion transistors and be built on 90-nanometer manufacturing technology. It will work with a memory technology developed by Rambus. Inside the chip, eight processing units will churn through data at speeds above 4 ghz. Read more for details ...

DreamCatcher Games today announced Enigma: Rising Tide - Gold Edition is now available at major retailers across North America.

VU Games today announced the appointment of Danny Hammett as Senior Vice President of Value Line Publishing for North America. In his new role, Mr. Hammett will oversee product development, sales, marketing and business development efforts for VU Games' newly created value line business, which will mine the company's deep library of more than 700 PC and console titles, as well as introduce a new slate of interactive products for the mass market.

Fans of The Matrix Online can now look forward to the ultimate convenience in massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) - pre-paid playtime. Also, friends and family now have a convenient way to give The Matrix Online as the perfect present on birthdays and holidays. Once players buy the game, they can choose to purchase Pre-Paid Game Cards. Sold at all retailers, the Game Cards will be priced at $29.99 and allow for 60 days of playtime. Once the 60 days are up, gamers can either buy another Pre-Paid Game Card or switch to subscribing through their credit cards.

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 :

• Dragonshard - Trailer #3
• Phantom Kingdom - Trailer
• Wanda and the Colossus - Trailer #3
• Still Life - Trailer #3
• Boiling Point - Trailer #5
• Project Snowblind - Trailer #3 & #4

"Forza Motorsport" gives Xbox gamers who are passionate about cars and racing the opportunity to own, customize, and race their favorite cars in a realistic driving simulation. From sport compacts to LeMans prototypes, players use earnings from hundreds of races to buy upgrades and aftermarket parts so they can transform real production cars into high-performance race cars.

Combining fast paced action with strategic battle planning, Darwinia features a novel and intuitive control mechanism, a graphical style ripped from '80s retro classics, and a story concerning a tribe of video game sprites trapped in a modern 3D game world. This demo features the same level as before, but due to general demand, a tutorial has now been added (and a few minor bug fixes while they were at it.) Read more for download links ...

Utilizing the next generation of the Invictus engine which incorporates its new real-time physics module, Cross Racing Championship (CRC) will allow the player to experience the thrills of high-speed on and off road racing across vast open terrains. Read more for new screens...

Namco announced today that Ridge Racer will be available at launch for the PSP. Taking full advantage of the PSP's wireless connectivity, Ridge Racer will feature an extensive multiplayer mode.

Ubisoft has released an updated demo for the English edition of Blue Byte's 3D RTS game 'Settlers: Heritage Of Kings.' This v1.03 demo now adds multiplayer capabilities to the previously released singleplayer only demo (which was later enabled by means of a seperate patch.) Fans will enjoy fully animated 3D technology and enhanced gameplay features, but still be able to relive the experience that makes the Settlers series such a big hit. Read more for download links ...

Bringing a new dimension to stealth action games, Second Sight gives players control of a character endowed with incredible psychic abilities. The game offers multiple approaches to completing levels either via stealth, dramatic gunplay, psychic powers or a combination of all three. The ability to psychically influence characters and remotely manipulate objects and individuals provides for a totally fresh gameplay dynamic.

A job listing on the Blizzard homepage is looking for "an experienced Game Designer to help lead the team that designed Diablo and Diablo II," and have "Experience working on an RPG titles" (thanks EvilAvatar). Could this mean they are hiring for for a yet unannounced Diablo III? The job listing does not specifically mention anything relating to Diablo III, so time will tell.

SpinDrive Ping Pong's puts players at the heart of realistic game play in which you battle your opponents for the top ranking title. SpinDrive Ping Pong's fast-paced, exciting and realistic Ping Pong matches can be played in three different modes: "Tournament Mode" puts you in a competitive knockout competition, "Rally Mode" lets you enjoy a thrilling rally and in "Exhibition Mode", you can start a single match straight away!

EA has released a new patch for EA Canada's soccer manager Total Club Manager 2005. This update brings your UK/German retail game to v1.02 and addresses various bug fixes, game crashes and making several game improvements. Read more for download links ...

NovaLogic has teamed up with external developer Rebellion, to bring Delta Force: Black Hawk Down to the PlayStation 2. Using Rebellion's Asura game engine Black Hawk Down has been developed from the ground up to create a unique look that portrays a gritty and realistic war torn Somalia in 1993. Read more for game details and screens ...