Diversions Entertainment has issued the first patch for their 3D fighting/action game One Must Fall: Battlegrounds. This upgrade brings your retail game to v2101, no details as to what it fixes are available (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

From the far corners of Middle-earth, new adventures come forth to face the growing evil in the East. The forces of Mordor are mobilizing as the Nazgül hunt for the One Ring. The land itself is in peril and its fate lies in the hands of those who possess it. Adventuring alone or in groups, join thousands of players online in the massive world that is Middle-earth. Support the forces of good in an epic struggle to drive back the forces of Sauron. This is Middle-Earth Online, your home in the world of Tolkien. Read more to check some screens ...

Flat-Out 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. The thrill and terror of racing light, cheap and often very dented cars in constant close proximity and contact with other cars brings out the white-knuckled racing spirit as the player faces rapidly changing situations. In third-person mode, the player can rummage around the pit area eyeing out competitor's cars, stop by at a bar for the latest gossip, fix and tune his car and interact with the other in-game characters, carrying out short missions related to the story behind the player's character.

Face of Mankind is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) in a persistent world. Thousands of players throughout the world can compete in a realistic and futuristic world of the 24th century. It combines an epic story-driven mission system over years with a complex economic system which can also affect the story deeply. Face of Mankind tells the epic story of good and evil, justice and intrigues where we have to find our destiny.

Far Cry is set around 2020 on a set of tropical islands in the pacific. And has a strong tropical-paradise feel, scenic in its beauty, but, harbors a terrible threat. It is a mix of jungle / primal / and next-gen technology. As the player you find yourself drawn into a secretive plot involving secret research facilities with scientists involved in military genetic-research, a secret "security" force of mercenaries, and, advanced next-generation weaponry and equipment. Check these new screens...

Encore today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Paris-based developer and publisher Monte Cristo to publish Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps, a tactical real-time strategy game inspired by campaigns waged in North Africa during World War II. Under the agreement, Encore is managing sales, distribution and marketing for the game in the U.S. and Canada, while Monte Cristo is producing the game. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Midway Games Inc. announced today the appointments of Robert N. Waxman, CPA, 67, and Jay N. Whipple III, 47, as two new independent Board directors, effective December 31, 2003. Mr. Waxman also joins the Board's Audit Committee. The addition of Messrs. Waxman and Whipple brings the total number of directors on the Company's Board to eleven, nine of whom are independent.

Geleos development has been running for the whole 2003 trying to catch one of the escaped ostriches from their game. To set up a good track trying to use it as a decoy, funky developers of a funky Ostrich Runner game have decided to build a new home for their game making a new design for the place where ostriches live. After seeing the new home of his, the ostrich has returned - and it was right on time - the game is in beta-test stage and it's essential to check everything. Read more for some new screens & download links for the news demo...

Developed internally by Empire's award-winning Strangelite Studio, the game will be released on PC, and all current and next generation consoles. The length of the agreement will allow Empire to produce multiple titles. The game will be based on the movie of the same name and animated series franchise. Read more to check out the first screens ...

SEGA of America, Inc. today announced the launch of "Sonic Heroes" for Nintendo GameCube – the first original Sonic The Hedgehog console game in three years. SEGA's most anticipated game launch of the year is expected to ship on Xbox and PlayStation2 January 27.

Kombat is the 3D RTS game with tactical wargame and RPG elements. The game uses the real army structure of years 39 - 45 with all main and specialized branches including reconnaissance, counterespionage and medical squads etc. All main countries - participants of that time war are playable in the game. Other countries activities are managed by AI. The gameplay is based on officer’s training system that was used during the WWII. The unique system of global and local AI provides a lot of gameplay innovations. The powerful in-house engine allows to use new strong technical features, read more to check out some screens ...

Noticed on The Fall official website that Silver Style's message boards seem to have an interesting announcement about one of the Black Isle developers teaming up with Silver Style to work on The Fall: Last Days of Gaia . "We're glad to welcome Game Designer Damien Foletto in our team! Formerly he worked at Black Isle on Hits like Baldur's Gate 2 or Fallout 3. He will support Lead Designer Carsten Strehse on the development of The Fall: Last Days of Gaia." No further details are available (as to whether he would move from the US to Germany and such), but we will keep you posted!

StarCraft: Ghost is Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming tactical-action console game that refines the epic experience of StarCraft to the level of the individual soldier. Engage the StarCraft universe face-to-face as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion. With the help of determined allies, follow story-driven missions that take you from massive planetary battles through dangerous solo operations to an unexpected turn of events that leaves the fate of the universe in your hands. Njoy the new screens!

EA SPORTS has released the FIFA 2004 Creation Centre giving you the chance to create new players, edit all attributes, change formations and export it all for later use (thanks FIFA 2004 Online). Read more details & 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 :

• Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - Trailer
• The Suffering - Trailer
• Psychotoxic - Trailer
• Realms Of Torment - Trailer
• Bloodrayne 2 - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

KOEI Corporation today announced the development of 'Naval Ops: Commander' exclusively for the PlayStation2. The action shooting game will ship to North American Retailers in March 2004. The original Naval Ops: Warship Gunner was honored with PSM's Must Buy Bronze Award in August 2003. Read more for details & screens ...

DreamCatcher Games is today requesting that Painkiller fans steer clear of the latest multi-player builds that have appeared on various fan and download sites, as the releases are NOT official demo releases and are intended for press evaluation purposes only. The company is encouraging fans of the game to wait until early February for the official single-player demo release. This leaked build contains just a glimpse of the multi-player maps planned and lacks the depth, weapons, levels and A.I. sophistication that will be present in the official demo.

Developed by Related Designs (previously known for America & the upcoming No Man's Land), Castle Strike is a fast paced RTS game with a very detailed and authentic presentation of medieval Germany, England and France. Although strategically demanding, its core is based on action. That's why all the time consuming handling of resources and civilians is reduced to a minimum with the help of a special, never before seen peasant management system and lots of automatic functions. Castle Strike is scheduled for Q4 2003, in the meantime check these new screens ...

Fenimore Fillmore: The Westerner is one of the most ambitious projects of the present videogame scene in Spain. This entertaining graphic adventure, produced by Planeta DeAgostini Interactive, relies on the long experience of the game developer Revistronic. This programming group from Madrid has released several titles which have had repercussion on the international market. Its members' professional experience dates from the 8-bit-computer times.

For the first time, players control The Sims over an entire lifetime for the very first time. Every choice that is made has a relevant and dramatic effect on the life of a Sim. More life-like Sims, all new gameplay, and the ground-breaking addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations, gives players a more vivid, realistic, and in-depth Sims experience. All of this takes place in a new amazingly life-like 3-D world...