Star Wolves is a 3D space RPG with strategy elements. The game thrusts players into a world of freelance space hunters in the XXI-XXII Century A.D. during a time of political crisis for the all-powerful Empire and the three mega-corporations that control all the known worlds.

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 :

• Fight Night Round 2 - Trailer

Following a hugely successful year for its Los Angeles studio, Climax is proud to announce plans to expand its U.S. operation. The ambitious project will see the LA office relocate to larger premises and recruit new staff - a move that reaffirms Climax's commitment to creating a world-class development studio.

Ubisoft announces the release of Sprung for the Nintendo DS handheld game system, which has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. Engage in a risqué, daring adventure with sexy singles at Snowbird Mountain, a hip ski resort in Colorado. Written by North Shore (FOX) writer Colleen McGuinness, Sprung captures the essence of teen entertainment through fresh storylines, sex appeal, two gender-specific adventures 50 missions, bonus levels, cool characters and hours of stimulating fun. Developed by Guillemot Inc., Sprung is rated “T” (Teen) and retails for US$29.99.

NCsoft today announced the release of an extensive expansion for its MMORPG Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle. The expansion, Chronicle 2: Age of Splendor, includes more than 500 megabytes of new features adding three new zones, wondrous underwater areas, rideable mounts, new monsters, items and spells as well as an in-game gambling system consisting of a racetrack, throwing dice and a lottery.

Ubisoft has pushed back the original Q4 2004 release date for Blue Byte's 3D RTS Heritage of Kings: The Settlers, and it is now scheduled for Q1 2005. Heritage of Kings: The Settlers is a world-building strategy game with fully rendered 3D visuals and unavoidably addictive gameplay. Players can dive into a detailed medieval world offering a unique mix of RTS and simulation gameplay. A fully functioning community can be created; new advancements can be discovered, and enemy forces will be repelled (thanks Blues)!

"Dragonshard" will incorporate classic role-playing themes, a powerful and dynamic real-time strategy engine all woven together with a rich storyline involving a global conflict for an immensely powerful artifact with the power to change the fate of Eberron itself.

The launch of the new expansion pack, 'X²: The Return' is set for Feb 2005. Enhancing and extending the gameplay of the award winning X²- The Threat, the expansion pack adds many exciting new features and involves players in a thrilling new storyline. Check the freshly re-launched website or read more for some screens...

Oxygen Interactive announced today that UK developer Kuju is working on a new FPS 'Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction.' Using the Fire Warrior engine, Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction, is under development for PC, PS2 and Xbox, and is scheduled for March 2005. Read more for details and the first screens ...

UFO: Aftershock follows directly from one of the endings of UFO: Aftermath, where the player agrees to hand over the Earth to the Alien scientists, who are trying to change the planet into a giant living organism. The Council of Earth and their followers take refuge on an orbiting satellite prepared for them by the aliens, but not all the survivors of the original invasion where re-located.

City of Heroes is now accepting Beta applications in preparation for its European release, due in February '05. Potential Beta applicants should point their browsers at the official European City of Heroes website.

Grab your choice from over 20 destructive hi-tech weapons including heavy machine guns, rocket launchers and plasma rifles as you set out to seek-and-destroy your enemy once and for all. Take control of awesome vehicles like four-wheelers, speeder bikes and giant mech-robots as you battle across gigantic landscapes, huge air masses and vast oceans. The Future of Combat is Now… Choose Your Battleground.

Catacombs is the just released expansion pack for Dark Age of Camelot in which players are given the opportunity to explore underground cities – with attached adventuring areas – based on the backstory of one underground player race per Realm. Mythic asked us to host the first patch for the new expansion pack, so you MUST have Catacombs installed before applying the patch.

Matrix Games and Strategic Studies Group have released a new patch for their strategy game Battles In Normandy. This update brings your retail game to v1.01 and improves enemy AI, provides four levels of opponents, adds a number of hotkeys, and the usual crash and bug fixes. Read more for download links ...

Matrix Games and Slitherine Strategies are pleased to announce that the new turn-based empire-building and ancient battles game Gates of Troy is now available for download and purchase from the Matrix Games Online Store.

Blizzard keeps its users on a tight rope as over 300 accounts have been banned so far. "We have recently verified that certain individuals were using third party "bot" programs to automate their characters in World of Warcraft. A bot is used to play an account non-stop, allowing its user to accumulate money, items, and experience without actually requiring the user to be physically present to play the game. The use of bots is a violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and is absolutely prohibited. Therefore, the accounts identified as having used bots have been banned."

EA has now released the linux patches/server files for Digital Illusions Battlefield 1942 & Battlefield Vietnam. These updates bring your server to v1.61 (BF1942) and v1.21 (BFV) and address an undisclosed exploit reported by community member Luigi Auriemma (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links.

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 :

• Shadow of Rome - Trailer #5
• Will of Steel - Trailers (3)

Just as Far Cry redefined the FPS genre on the PC, Far Cry Instincts will introduce wide open environments and unique, immersive gameplay elements that are destined to become the definition of survival action. In addition to the PC version's signature locations, non-scripted A.I., and unprecedented view-distance, Far Cry Instincts will feature brand new gameplay scenarios that will challenge players to use an even broader range of strategies and survival tactics in order to uncover the many secrets within the beautiful-but-deadly islands.

I'm working on an article for Retro Gamer magazine concerning the old censorship rules under which Nintendo of America operated during the NES/SNES period. If you're a developer, translator, or writer who worked with Nintendo back then and ran afoul of these rules, I'd like to interview you for the article. If requested, anonymity is, of course, guaranteed. Prospective interviewees can contact me at multimedia.superstar@gmail.com.