Dreamcatcher has released a new patch for People Can Fly's FPS Painkiller. This update brings your retail game to v1.2 and addresses various weapon tweaks and bug-fixes, multiplayer improvements, as well as 2 new multiplayer maps (DM_Fallen1 and DM_Fallen2). Read more for details and download links ...

Games Publisher Digital Jesters has announced that it has secured the rights to the ground-breaking Medieval Lords: Build, Defend, Expand. Medieval Lords takes aspiring city governors to the middle ages, combining rich city-building challenges with evolving military forces to defend against relentless attacks from neighboring enemies. Medieval Lords is expected to be released in October 2004, at a SRP of £29.99.

Codemasters has released the first patch for K-D Lab's Perimeter, a real-time strategy game built on the concept of territory seizure using detailed terraforming and on the subsequent encircling of these zones with a special protective perimeter. This upgrade features a brand new multiplayer map, as well as integrated chat/lobby support, and a new Replay feature, which enables you to record battles to evaluate your strategies or exchange them with other Perimeter players. Read more for download links ...

Jowood has released the first patch for Wing Simulations' multiplayer shooter SÖLDNER: Secret Wars. This v28446 contains improved vehicle physics, Netcode Optimisation, extended Commander and Player Map Options, Crash Fixes and also an additional vehicle (Tank, Merkava) + two new weapons (Pistol, Glock 18 ; Sniper Rifle, VSS Vintirez). Read more for details and download links ...

Matrix Games and Panther Games are pleased to announce the development Airborne Assault: Conquest of the Aegean, a new wargame covering the battles for Greece, Crete and a hypothetical Malta operation during World War II. Designed by the talented historical wargame specialists at Panther Games and planned for release during fall 2004, Conquest of the Aegean will bring to life 20th Century warfare on ancient battlegrounds.

Acclaim Europe reveals Emergency Mayhem, a frantic arcade action game that puts you at the helm of the three emergency services trying to hold together a city that’s falling apart at the seams. Read more for some new screens ...

Phantom Brave improves upon the tactical gameplay found in Disgaea and La Pucelle in every way. Its redone, open-ended battle system is limited only by the user’s imagination. If you fell in love with Disgaea, you definitely won’t want to miss out on what’s sure to be this year’s best Strategy RPG. Read more for 150 or so new screens...

City of Heroes enables players to realize their comic book dreams. Heroes protect the fine citizens of Paragon City in a colorful 3-D world where the victims of crimes not only thank players for their help, but they even compliment players on their costumes! With the release of the first update to City of Heroes just weeks away, Cryptic Studios and NCsoft have released some new screens.

Arrests have been made in several countries related to the break-in to Valve's network, theft of the Half-Life 2 source code, and release of the source code on the Internet. Read more for some additional details ...

Ground Control 2 : Operation Exodus takes place during the year 2741 AD, roughly 300 years after the events in the original game. The democratic and freedom caring Northern Star Alliance (NSA) is being hard pressed by the warmongering Terran Empire. The war has recently entered a new stage; a brutal and deadly ground war, as the Empire has managed to land their first troopships on the last NSA controlled planet – Morningstar Prime...

Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow improves upon the most successful Xbox Live game of all time with new single- and multi-player missions, new online modes, split-screen for cooperative gameplay, and a host of new features that maximizes the possibilities of Xbox Live. In fact, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow will be the one of the first games to deliver the new Xbox Live 3.0 features to the gaming community.

Ubisoft announces that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow has gone gold for the PS2. Scheduled to hit store shelves on June 18th, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is this Summer's most highly-anticipated action game for the PS2. With an offline original story so compelling and realistic it could have been ripped from the headlines, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow will dazzle gamers with its graphically rich environments, revolutionary light and shadow effects, and technologically advanced animations.

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 :

• The Sims 2 - 'Flirting' Trailer
• Uru: The Path Of The Shell - Trailer
• ShellShock: Nam '67 - E3 2004 Trailer

From the creators of the most successful drag racing games in the world comes the next generation of drag racing action - IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (IHRA Pro). IHRA Pro takes this best-selling series to a new level with its outstanding graphics, realistic physics, presentation, and, most importantly, intense racing action.

"Iron Phoenix" is the title is the first ever 16 -player fighting game, introducing a new genre to online games as a squad-based kung-fu brawler. "Iron Phoenix" is slated for release on Xbox in Holiday 2004 and is not yet rated. Read more to check out some new screens ...

CDV Software Entertainment today announced today announced that “Blitzkrieg: Burning Horizon” for the PC is now available in stores. A stand-alone expansion pack to 2003’s hit World War II real-time strategy title “Blitzkrieg,” the game features a campaign centered around the historical figure General Erwin Rommel.

Lasting far longer than a face full of Botox and a whole lot less painful than a chemical peel, Forever Worlds is The Adventure Company and Mindscape's non-surgical solution to eternal youth. Just as well, because you'll need all the time in all the worlds to explore the twisted dimensions and solve the many puzzles in this quest through time and space. Forever Worlds will be available in the UK 18th June.

Aura is a challenging first person puzzle exploration game that uses an easy to navigate mouse driven, point and click interface. The game features vast panoramic landscapes and some of the best pre-rendered graphics adventure has ever seen (and we mean it!!). Players will need to solve a variety of ingenious fully-animated puzzles using logic, reasoning and common sense. Read more for new screens ...

Cyanide Studios has released a demo for their latest installment in the Cycling Manager franchise, featuring the fully functioning Quickstep team for the duration of 1 month, and one French mountain race (Lannemezan - Plate of Beille). Read more for download links ...

Digital Jesters has launched the official website for their upcoming adventure game 'Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring'. The site offers a heady mix of tantalising screens, downloads, links and its own dedicated forum in which fans can discuss all aspects of the great man himself. Playing as both the detective Sherlock himself and his no less loved sidekick Dr Watson, the player will investigate their way around massive, sumptuous levels rich in graphical detail, which are sure to delight knowledgeable fans and newcomers alike. An expansive adventure that spans the globe, The Silver Earring promises to deep and involving experience that will, in all likelihood, completely destroy any social life that hopeful PC owners aspire towards.