Blizzard issued a small statement announcing they have once again banned a slew of Warcraft 3 accounts from players who were using hacks to cheat. "A number of additional accounts and CD keys have been tied to the use of a hack or cheat program while playing Warcraft III on Battle.net. In keeping with our aggressive stance against cheating, we have permanently closed 5,900 Warcraft III accounts. 2,300 of the Warcraft III CD keys used with the now-closed accounts have been banned from ladder play for one month, and 500 more have been banned from ladder play permanently." Read more about it on the official Blizzard website.

In the ongoing drama surrounding the Eidos take-over, it now seems we may finally be coming to a close. Where initially Eidos announced a deal with Bono's Elevation investment group, SCi quickly made a counter offer which is gaining more and more momentum. Today Board of Eidos plc has undertaken further discussions and due diligence with both the Board of SCi Entertainment in relation to SCi's share offer of one SCi share per six Eidos shares and Elevation Partners, L.P. in relation to Elevation's cash offer of 50 pence per Eidos share.

Vivendi today announced the development of Crash Tag Team Racing for the PS2, Xbox, GameCube and NDS. Developed by Radical Entertainment, Crash Tag Team Racing will give players a unique racing experience and allow them to continue the adventure on foot with out-of-car action. For the first time ever in a racing game, players will be able to fuse two cars together on the fly to form a super vehicle with the all-new "clashing" technology.

MVC UK is reporting that Scottish developer VIS Entertainment has gone into administration - its Dundee office closed with immediate effect, and work suspended at its Edinburgh studio. The developer's 96 employees were informed of the situation earlier today. Twenty-six staff at Dundee have been made redundant, and 28 at Edinburgh - with the remainder of the staff sent home (thanks ve3d). It remains uncertain what will happen to its recently announced Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer product. Last year BAM! acquired VIS Ent. so it seems that did not turn out well either.

American Civil War: Gettysburg brings this legendary and epic battle to life on your PC. Lead the Confederate army as they fight their way into the heart of the northern aggressor or take command of the Union forces as they hold fast against the rebel invaders.

Global Star Software today announced that Spy vs. Spy for the Xbox is now available in retail stores across North America. Featuring eight action-packed single and multiplayer game modes, Spy vs. Spy lets gamers take on the roles of the diabolical spies from MAD Magazine's beloved long-running comic strip.

Close Combat: First to Fight has shipped and is currently available in retail stores across North America and Europe for the Xbox and for the PC. Players lead a four-man fire team of US Marines through the perils of modern urban combat in Beirut. Gamers can play through the campaign as either a single player or a co-op experience through the use of online, LAN, Xbox Live or split screen. In addition, gamers can go head-to-head in the fire team arena with as many as 8 players simultaneously competing.

Electronic Arts today announced plans to release GoldenEye: Rogue Agent for the Nintendo DS this June. Going where no previous James Bond game has dared tread, this first-person shooter gives players the chance to explore the dark side of the Bond universe and experience life as a ruthless, unpredictable villain. All-new features and innovative gameplay are only made possible by the Nintendo DS platform.

Built in partnership with the U.S. Army, and developed by Secret Level, America's Army: Rise of a Soldier offers the most true-to-life Army experience, allowing you to create a soldier and take him through the thrills and adventure of an army career. Intense single-player missions and high-adrenaline multiplayer action build the skills of your soldier and advance him through his career.

Based on the inspirational survival stories of American pilots shot down over occupied Europe during the Second World War, this action-adventure sees US Airman Bill Foster stranded and alone in Germany in the Winter of 1944. Bill must survive against both the elements and the elite German forces and only upon reaching the Swiss border is his survival assured.

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 new screens ...

Konami of Europe has announced a collaboration with leading Hip Hop collective D12, and a soundtrack that will feature a wide array of musical talent and styles, for its forthcoming Crime Life: Gang Wars title. Read more for details ...

Cenega Publishing today released the first information about which titles they will have on display at the upcoming E3 convention in Los Angeles, early May 2005. Cenega will be displaying and presenting for the first time to the large public UFO: Aftershock title, El Matador, The Roots, and several other products ...

SCEA announced the release of its PS2 exclusive title Rise of the Kasai. The sequel to the critically acclaimed The Mark of Kri is developed by BottleRocket Entertainment, who set out to make Rise of the Kasai stand out from other games by offering a unique single-player cooperative fighting system and a rich story that spans different time periods told through new playable characters and beautiful watercolor painted in-game movies.

Space Rangers 2 is a mix of intense space RPG laced with 3D RTS action planetside. 200 years after the first chapter of Space Rangers, a new, even more dangerous threat arises in the galaxy. A key planet in producing war androids has become self-aware with their own intellect and force of will, bent on conquering the galaxy one planet at a time.

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 :

• World Racing 2 - Trailer #2
• Auto Assault - Trailer #4
• Castlevania [NDS] - Trailer #2
• Dungeon Lords - Trailer #8

Sony Online has continued efforts since launch to keep the EverQuest II game world free of players who use exploits to gain an unfair advantage, especially with bots and macros. Over 700 accounts were banned for various forms of cheating and exploiting during the past 2 weeks alone. It is our goal to continue investigations into suspicious in-game activity and ban accounts with violations. "A few hundred 'bot subscriptions just aren't worth the money when compared to keeping the game fun for hundreds of thousands of people" said EverQuest II Senior Producer Scott Hartsman.

Utilizing technology from our blockbuster sports games such as FIFA, NBA & Rugby, EA SPORTS Cricket 2005 returns to the pitch. In addition to the international teams and bonus squads, you can now play with domestic teams and compete in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The all-new Twenty20 tournament will be fully licensed with season modes also on offer.

Revealed on the EBGames website, Namco's action game Dead to Rights is making its debut on a handheld with Dead to Rights: Reckoning. While it has not been offiically announced, the PSP version of the game is scheduled to ship May 1st and is priced at $39.99. Whether this will be an all-new product or a port from either one of the two previous titles is not known at this point. The Dead to Rigths titles are third-person, story-driven action-noir games delivering diverse gameplay mechanics, cinematic style and Hong Kong-inspired action. While Dead to Rights II pre-dates the original title, both games are set in Grant City's underworld where Jack Slate and his deadly K9 partner Shadow battle with various criminal organizations.