A few weeks Apex Designs announced that their GTA style action game, "Payback," had gone gold and was expected in North American retail stores November 25, 2004. Today Apex updated their website with the announcement that "Unfortunately, due to difficulties getting stores to take an M rated game, Payback's US release has been pushed back by a few weeks." The European November 19th release date is not in jeopardy and will be shipping to stores as planned.

Namco announced today its new rhythm-based drum game, TAIKO: Drum Master, has shipped to North American retail outlets. Developed by Namco Ltd. in Japan, TAIKO: Drum Master is available exclusively for the PlayStation2.

THQ and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. today announced their newest World Wrestling Entertainment licensed video game, WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW for the PS2, is in the final steps of manufacturing and will begin shipping to retailers throughout North America on Nov. 2, 2004.

Pharaoh is pleased. Not only is his pyramid complete, but Myelin Media and Tilted Mill today announced that Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile for PC has gone gold and will be in stores starting Tuesday, November 9.

Just in time for the holidays and the DVD launch of the box office smash "Shrek 2," fans of the lovable green ogre and his swashbuckling friend Puss in Boots can embark upon all-new adventures in Activision's Shrek 2: Beg for Mercy! for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance and Shrek 2: Team Action for the PC.

Rise of Nations: Gold Edition includes both the award-winning Rise of Nations and the critically acclaimed expansion pack, Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots.

Oxygen Interactive today announced that Euro Rally Champion has screamed past the chequered flag and officially gone gold with a PS2 and PC release date of November 5th, priced extremely competitively at £19.99.

Already unofficially revealed a week or 2 ago, Midway announced today that Mortal Kombat will be extended to the action/adventure genre with the release of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Slated for release in Fall 2005, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is currently in development for the PS2 and Xbox.

Empire Interactive and Bugbear Entertainment today announced that their Christmas triple A racing title FlatOut has finally gone gold and is ready for the final big push to release. FlatOut is an adrenaline-inducing racing game with an exciting story line, spectacular crashes and a not-too-serious attitude in the best movie-like fashion.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, DC Comics and Electronic Arts today announced that the companies have joined forces to bring Batman Begins to multiple videogame platforms in 2005. In this exclusive co-publishing agreement, a game based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures' film starring Christian Bale will be released day and date with the film on the PlayStation 2, the PSP, Xbox, GameCube and GBA.

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 Adventure Company has launched the official website for its Jules Verne based adventure game Return to Mysterious Island. The website will play the role of ground zero for regularly updated reviews, art and downloadable content, including the playable demo. Perspective gamers will find a wealth of info on game inspiration and characters, as well as their chance to buy the game online.

Desert Law is a new spin on the traditional real-time strategy that immerses players into a post-apocalyptic world where gasoline is the new world currency. Players can have anything if they have gas to pay for it, or gamers can loose everything with one tactical mistake.

Developed by Ubisoft's award-winning Red Storm studio, Ghost Recon 2 launches on next-generation consoles and PC this Holiday season. The game is set in the chaotic battlefields of tomorrow, and will offer gamers an insider's view of the way large scale conflicts will be fought in the near future.

Matrix Games is pleased to announce that it has secured the rights to publish Slitherine Strategies’ new turn-based empire-building and ancient battles game, Gates of Troy, which is scheduled for release in Late October, 2004.

140 kp/h…….150 kp/h……160 kp/h………and no airbag! Ski Racing 2005 feat. Hermann Maier has the farthest jumps, the steepest slopes, the toughest skiers! Total concentration – An extreme risk - Brutal falls - Every mistake will be penalized without mercy! Thousands of fans – Breathtaking atmosphere – An unforgettable experience: The fight for the World Cup 2005 has now begun!

NCAA March Madness 2005 allows users to be the floor general and lead one of more than 320 Division I schools to the Big Dance. With the all-new Floor General System featuring a new play-calling system and an innovative new timeout menuusers can take complete control and play college basketball as it was meant to be played.

Take 2 has released the first patch for Wings Of War, bringing your retail game (and also a version for the demo) to v1.2. This update adds new multi player modes (bombing run, hangar), adds new Jutland arena, and various fixes for game crashes and bugs. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

It has been six years since the destruction of Raccoon City and in that time, the U.S. government has been able to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation. Fast forward to 2004 and players rejoin Leon, who is now a U.S. agent with a top-secret mission. He has been tasked to look into the abduction of the President’s daughter and his investigation has led him to a mysterious location in Europe.

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 :

• Mortyr 2 - Trailer #2
• Devil May Cry 3 - Raiden Trailer