Team Lazarus today announced that the long awaited and highly anticipated remake, Ultima V: Lazarus, has released an updated beta demo to the public. Ultima V: Lazarus is a complete recreation the classic role-playing game Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, utilizing the Dungeon Siege engine. This demo is available in English, French, and German, and is fully compatible with Dungeon Siege (thanks RPGDot). Read more for download links ...

'Operation: Matriarchy' is an upcoming first-person shooter under development at MADia, due 1st quarter 2005. You are a trooper of the government army sent with the expeditionary force to attack Velian. As you accomplish missions given to you at the headquarters, you get new opportunities in selection of weapons and military equipment. Each mission will also get you closer to the secret of the origin of the Velian anomaly of the human race. Read more for details & screens ...

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 :

• TrackMania: Sunrise - Trailer
• Splinter Cell 3 - Trailer
• Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend - Trailer (2)

Gamers can enlist for a second tour of duty on the intense front lines of WWII with Call of Duty: United Offensive. Delivering a compelling, all-new single player campaign filled with new weapons, character abilities and other expanded features, Call of Duty: United Offensive also offers a robust multiplayer experience introducing new maps and modes of play. Read more for new screens ...

Set in the evocative land of ancient Egypt, Children of the Nile is the first and only strategy game where citizens who behave like real people are your primary resource. As their leader, you must build a place in which they can live and work, establishing a relationship of trust and cooperation which you then leverage to build a lasting civilization, and bring it to its cultural peak. Read more for some new screens ...

A Time of Bootleggin’, Bribery and the Valentine’s Day Massacre. Mob rule has taken over and Al Capone’s fighting for control of the streets. You are Jimmy “Machine Gun” DeMora, Scarface’s main enforcer. Pay off cops and knock off informants to rise through the ranks. Wash your hands in the blood of many to seize control of Chicago’s underworld. It’s nothing personal—it’s just business.

Earlier today, a story on IGN caused a ruckus when somebody asked whether there was truth to the rumor of a GBA version of Bungie's FPS Halo being in the works. A moderator replied, acknowledging the rumor and then suggested that there could very well be truth to the story. That, in turn, triggered a reply in the Bungie forums, where they claim a Halo GBA version is very "unlikely," and there are no plans for it. The previously-mentioned IGN moderator is "sticking to [his] guns" and claims to have heard from several development sources that such plans HAVE existed since last Christmas. Read all about it over at IGN...

The official Far Cry website has word that the much anticipated v1.2 patch for Crytek's FPS Far Cry has been delayed, no new release date has been mentioned. "The Far Cry Patch and SDK were found to contain a few remaining bugs which justify extra testing -- better safe than sorry. More information to follow as it becomes available." You can read the full story over at the Far Cry website.

The clash between the popular characters of SNK and CAPCOM comes to the Xbox. This time SNK takes the baton from the previously released "Capcom vs SNK" to again bring players the dream match of fighting games, all with the unique SNK touch. An incredible clash of 36 characters from world famous SNK and Capcom franchises such as Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters and Street Fighter.

Shocking and evil, Mortal Kombat: Deception pushes martial arts-style fighting and the Mortal Kombat franchise to new heights with an innovative fighting system, unparalleled depth and brutally intense action that will appeal to long-time Mortal Kombat fans as well as next-generation gamers. The game features lightning-fast hand-to-hand and special weapons combat, secret and returning characters, moves and combinations with new death-dealing battles and fatalities. Read more for some new screens ...

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. Read more for a few new screens...

Ubisoft announced today that premium downloadable content for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow on Xbox is now available. Thanks to its multiplayer mode that critics are calling "the most revolutionary online mode since deathmatch," Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow stands among the most played game on Xbox Live. Sam Fisher's fans can now do wnload 2 new maps -"Federal Reserve Bank" and "River Mall"- via Xbox Live for $5.

Slitherine Software is pleased to announce that Gates of Troy has gone gold! Gates of Troy is a Trojan themed stand-alone expansion pack for SPARTAN. This stand-alone expansion for Spartan has been approved by QA and we are now burning the final disks, ready to be sent to the factory, where they will make glass masters. Gates of Troy is compatible with all versions of Spartan & in all languages.

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. Check the new batch of screens ...

Shadow Hearts: Covenant, the sequel to the critically acclaimed fantasy-style RPG Shadow Hearts, is a mix of turn-based strategy and RPG elements. Shadow Hearts: Covenant (known as Shadow Hearts 2 in Japan) provides players with an even greater magical quest than its predecessor. Read more for some new screens...

Dreamcatcher has released the first patch for Primal Software's RTS Besieger. This patch will bring your retail game to v1.2.5, adds GameSpy support and fixes MP lag issues. A Real-Time 3D Strategy, Besieger is set in a medieval fantasy world in which rival players wage war as either Viking or Cimmerian warriors. As well as the bloody battles, each player must build, protect and attack fortified citadels. Read more for download links ...

It’s the season of the fan. The year of people coming together to celebrate sport. And uniting everyone is ESPN NFL Football, a coupling of “the most responsive and intense gameplay around” and the richest multi-player gaming experience possible. Everyone is getting in on the action with the help of our innovative V.I.P. system – allowing you to play your friends or the elite as if they were sitting right next to you! So dust off those extra controllers, grab some chairs, and get your game on!

Set in the 60s and using the Cold War as its inspiration, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater forces the player to adopt a number of new skills to survive in Snake's new jungle environment. Danger lurks everywhere as Snake explores the beautifully-realised forests, encampments and rivers, with guards patrolling key routes, dangerous animals to contend with, and the uneven terrain and noisy foliage making the silent approaches the Metal Gear hero is famed for virtually impossible.

Sega Europe today announced that the latest title in Team 17's hugely entertaining Worms franchise, Worms Forts Under Siege, will be playable online on the Xbox through the Xbox Live. Prepare your garrison of worms to join three other machines in four player clashes. Wage war online, over epic landscapes never seen before in a Worms game with the option to tailor battles through Quickmatch and Optimatch matchmaking. Read more for details and some new screens ...

Tri Synergy and Nevrax today announced an exclusive North American distribution agreement. Under the agreement, Tri Synergy will distribute The Saga of Ryzom, Nevrax's graphically stunning, multi-genre massively multiplayer online role-playing game into the North American market later this year.