NCSoft informed us that the next Guild Wars Beta Weekend Event will take place during the weekend of February 18-20. This special event will invite players to explore Ascalon before The Searing. Previous events have offered players a taste of the ruins of Ascalon, but the next event allows them to experience the beauty and grandeur of this magical place before the Charr decimated it. The event will begin at approximately 12:01 am PST on February 18 and access is restricted to players who have purchased the Guild Wars preorder box or have acquired a code through a contest or promotion.

Project: Snowblind is a the first-person action shooter putting you in the role of an elite super soldier, fighting on the front lines of a near-future war using unique weapons, abilities and high-tech gadgetry that inject depth and variety to gameplay. Read more for new screens ...

Cossacks: Napoleonic Wars returns one of the most successful strategy games of the past years to the real-time battlefield - with reinforcements: Meet Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and probably the most ingenious strategist in European history! Enter the battle on the side of one of 10 great European nations and rewrite European history in six exciting campaigns (thanks Tiscali).

UEFA Champions League will offer soccer fans the opportunity to guide their chosen club from qualification anxiety through to big night glory, adding an element of the unexpected allowing lower league teams into the glamour world of European football. Throughout the game, players need to negotiate 50 unique and challenging on- and off-field missions successfully to take control of their UEFA Champions League destiny.

Namco announced today that its PS2 exclusive RPG, Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Boese, has gone gold and will ship to North American retail outlets in February. Developed by Monolith Software Inc. in Japan, Xenosaga Episode II is the latest addition to Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, which sold a million units worldwide.

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.

FIFA Street is a combination of arcade action blended with the culture of freestyle street football. By removing the rules from the simulation football experience, 'FIFA Street' exposes the heart of the world's beautiful game, on-the-ball flare and individual style.

In Advent Rising, a common legend pervades the galaxy - that of a powerful, ancient race that will one day unite the universe. Millions of cultures from vastly distant worlds revere and hallow these mythological beings known as humans. One race, the Seekers, know humans actually exist and are threatened by their potential power. Under the guise of benevolent explorers, the Seekers travel throughout the galaxy in a desperate attempt to eradicate any human society they unearth. Check these new screens...

The Matrix will become reality as gamers everywhere log into The Matrix Online on March 25, 2005, to continue the saga of The Matrix movie trilogy.

JoWooD has launched the official StarGate SG-1: The Alliance website. In late 2005, JoWooD Productions will release the official Stargate game based upon the highly successful TV show by MGM, watched by over 17 millions weekly viewers worldwide. Read more for some additional screens...

Following Shrek 2's ranking as the #1 children's video game in the U.S. for calendar 2004, Activision and DreamWorks Animation announced that Activision will develop and publish video games based on the upcoming animated film, "Shrek 3," which is scheduled for release in summer 2007.

Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today the February 22, 2005 North American release of Gran Turismo 4, available exclusively for the PlayStation 2.

THQ Germany announced today that it is once more delaying the release of GSC Game World's highly anticipated FPS 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl'. Previously expected this coming may, no new date has been given at all, which is quite disturbing. The game will provide players with extremely dynamic gameplay of fast and tough combats, where players are to oppose dangerous and wise enemies, a large set of multifarious weaponry, possibility to control various machinery, incredible detailing and game world interactivity, story-driven single player with original team gameplay, a well-balanced multiplayer with numerous modes: DeathMatch, CTF, Cooperative, various team games and much more.

Midway Games today announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Epic Games giving Midway use of Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology and tools for next generation console and PC game development. Unreal Engine 3 technology and tools are now in use at Midway's internal studios including: Midway's Chicago studio (NBA Ballers and the Mortal Kombat franchise), Midway's Austin studio (Area 51; and Surreal Software, the creators of The Suffering.)

Sony Europe announce the Quarter 2, 2005 release of the PS2 exclusive God of War, delving a single-player combat action-adventure, based on the dark world of Ancient Greek mythology. Players take on the role of the infamous warrior Kratos, caught up in an engrossing narrative of violence, madness and revenge in which brutal combat is combined with fiendish puzzle-solving.

In TimeSplitters Future Perfect, Cortez - the hero from previous installments - returns with humanity on the brink of destruction. With the help of some familiar faces (some very familiar!) he must chase a mystery foe across different time periods to trace the origins of the TimeSplitters and save the day.

EA and Viacom today announced a videogame based on The Godfather fiction is under development and will put gamers at the center of the action in one of history's most revered masterpieces. The book by Mario Puzo and classic film by Paramount Pictures serve as inspiration for the game as gamers will join the Corleone family and earn respect through loyalty and fear as they rise through the ranks to become Don in a living 1945-1955 New York. The game is scheduled for release in fall 2005 under the EA GAMES brand for the Xbox, PS2, PSP and PC.

Melted Games are proud to announce the release of their debut title Autofrag: SUMO. In this intense vehicle based shoot-em-up you compete with four AI drivers in a fight to the finish over 28 deadly arenas. You can use your roof-mounted machine gun along with a range of secondary weapons such as rocket launchers, flamethrowers and land mines to dispatch your opponents.