Act of War: Direct Action, developed by Eugen Systems, is Atari new action game with a storyline and game universe created in cooperation with Dale Brown, 15-time New York Times best-selling author and expert on US military, global conflict and future military technology. Check the freshly launched official website, or read more for 25 new screens and an ingame footage trailer...

Blizzard issued a small statement in which they reveal a serious hacking violation in World of Warcraft, one for which Blizzard obviously has zero tolerance. Certain individuals have been identified as using speed hacks to accelerate their characters. This goes against the theme of fair play that is instituted for the game, and is in clear violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use. Those individuals who were caught using the speed hack have been banned from the game and have had their accounts closed.

Pirate's Revenge is a game which focuses on true pirate determination and action, with a strong and rewarding story line. Trade elements feature as a way of restocking your ship with cannons and ammunition, or for offloading booty from your recent plundering activities (thanks Blues). Read more for some minor details ...

THQ today announced that it has teamed up with iGames, North America's leading game center organization, to host a Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War LAN party this Saturday, December 4, at participating iGames Centers in the U.S. and Canada. The LAN party offers players a unique opportunity to play the game in a social environment.

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 :

• Stronghold 2 - Trailers (2)
• Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut - Trailer

The Mario Party series returns with more of everything. In the single-player Story mode, Brighton and Twila – otherwise known as the sun and the moon – are embroiled in a bitter feud over who's more impressive. It’s up to Mario and his party-hearty cohorts to settle the spat and restore order to the cosmos. Multiplayer Party mode features more than 75 all-new mini-games and six game boards.

Scratches is a gripping first-person mystery adventure game that will keep the players glued to their monitors, with its story full of breathtaking twists and surprises, until the final shocking revelation. Its combination of inventory based and deductive style puzzles carefully integrated with the storyline, along with the possibility to freely roam the house, will immerse the players in the haunting atmosphere.

Massive Entertainment has released a new multiplayer map or its sci-fi RTS Ground Control II: Operation Exodus. This Crystalline bonus map needs to be installed in the standalone copy in the game's Custom_Maps folder. Massive Entertainment will be releasing new maps every Friday for the next few months. Read more for download links ...

ArenaNet and NCsoft announced today that their second Beta Weekend Event has begun a day early in order to accommodate the European and Asian players and giving them a full weekend of Guild Wars beta testing. All future Beta Weekend Events will commence on Friday mornings of the weekend in question.

Ubisoft today announced its plans to launch a new Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six opus on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC during Spring 2005. The game is being developed by two of Ubisoft's award-winning studios: Red Storm Entertainment, the maker of the original Rainbow Six, & Ubisoft's Montreal Studios. Read more for details, the first 30 screens and even an in-game footage trailer.

Psychotoxic is a first person shooter with an exceptionally exciting story line. The setting is New York, in the year 2020. Three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse have caused terrible damage on Earth. The fourth horseman is now preparing for his return. Violence and aggression are increasing drastically. Humanity's last hope is protagonist Angie Prophet.

In Hunter Dan Bowfishing Survival Gauntlet you'll test your shooting and survival skills to the limits of life and death in the wilds! Fend off underwater man-eaters and angry headhunters as you escape from the tropical islands and journey down the Amazon. With over 50 species of swimming fish, slithering reptiles and stealthy predators to outsmart and arrow, you'll need every ounce of your archery shooting skills and outdoor survival savvy to come out the other end of this deadly gauntlet in one piece.

Ignition Entertainment announces The King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact is to come to Europe. This latest 3D iteration of SNK's most famous fighting franchise will be available with a bonus "Making of..." DVD in February '05, with a SRP of £39.99 for PlayStation 2.

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is the third installment in the Midnight Club racing franchise. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition will be available for the PS2/Xbox and is expected to hit retail shelves this holiday season. Read more for some new screens & trailer ...

Bet On Soldier is a first-person shooter which presents something considerably different in order to stand out from the crowd. With a corporation-takes-over-the-world-style plot, Bet On Soldier allows players to do exactly what it promises with its title - that is, bet on the outcome of encounters with specific enemies. Before entering battle, players can wager on which particular enemy soldiers they are going to kill.

With long lines and huge excitement, the innovative new Nintendo DSTM launched today in Japan. Nintendo Co., Ltd., increased initial launch-day shipments of Nintendo DS in Japan to nearly 500,000 from 300,000 units to accommodate demand from Japanese consumers. Nintendo DS has sold more than 500,000 units since North America led the worldwide launch on Nov. 21.

TKO Software announced today that it entered into an agreement whereby Iron Will Games of Austin, Texas will assume full operational responsibility for its MMOG (massively multiplayer on-line game) title, Ashen Empires.

The Universal is a free, massively-multiplayer online game set in a virtual 3d universe of worlds owned and run by other players. Created by Games For May, an independent team of volunteers from the games industry, The Universal brings a totally unique approach to the popular massively-multiplayer gaming genre.

Enthusia Professional Racing is a PS2 new racing game, developed by KCES, designed to bring all of the white-knuckle energy and thrill of car racing to life, Enthusia features groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, enhanced physics and pixel-perfect graphics to deliver an unprecedented racing experience.

Disappointed England rugby fans can today finally raise a smile, as Britsoft games publisher Digital Jesters announces a name change to Pro Rugby Manager 2005 – the latest-line up in its range of stunning sports management titles to Pro Rugby Manager 2.