In an effort to combat cheating issues in multiplayer online play, Ubisoft will be incorporating Punkbuster software into Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword.Punkbuster is a client/server product that detects cheats/hacks on end-user systems and reports their use to administrators and, potentially, takes action against the violating player by kicking and/or banning them from the server. The exact cheats that will be detected for Athena Sword have not been announced for security purposes. However, Punkbuster for Athena Sword will have ongoing support for quite some time as new versions that deal with new cheats and hacks are released periodically.

Atari and Troika Games are pleased to announce that The Temple of Elemental Evil will now ship on September 16th and not September 23rd as previously reported. After years of research into the science of time travel and the mysticism of interactive entertainment distribution, Atari has achieved a breakthrough in the melding of the two disciplines. As a result of this revolutionary achievement, The Temple of Elemental Evil will now appear on retail stores shelves nationwide seven days earlier than originally anticipated.

Vivendi Universal Games has canceled the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Treason of Isengard for Xbox/PS2. Scheduled for release in Q4 2003, Treason of Isengard was dropped from the release schedule when it was determined that the game was not shaping up as strongly as anticipated and would likely not satisfy the expectations of Tolkien fans. Vivendi Universal Games remains committed to developing and releasing quality games based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien and we look forward to the release The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring this November, as well as Middle-Earth Online next year.

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 :

• XIII - Trailer
• C&C Generals: Zero Hour - Trailer
• Arx Fatalis (Xbox) - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Microsoft Game Studios today announced the upcoming release of Phantom Dust, an Xbox exclusive third-person action game in which players battle opponents in real-time combat with an ever-growing arsenal of over 300 skills. The title is being developed internally by Microsoft Game Studios Japan and is currently scheduled for a Japanese release in 2004.

The squad-based action war game Freedom Fighters has gone gold and will start to ship on Tuesday, September 23 for the PlayStation2, Xbox , the Nintendo GameCube, and PC.

The year is 1582 and Takeshi Kaneshiro as Samanosuke is the man who has just returned. The stage is set at the burning Honnoji Temple, as the famous Onimusha warrior Samanosuke Akechi fights. As he faces the demons in front of him, Samanosuke is compelled to move forward by hatred for his true enemy, the undying Nobunaga Oda, ever pursuing his crazed ambition. Samanosuke prepares for the long-awaited final battle against Nobunaga. Read more for a few new screens ...

Command & Conquer™ Generals Zero Hour has gone gold and will start to ship on Monday, September 22. The first expansion pack to one of the best-selling PC games of 2003, Command & Conquer Generals, gives players more weapons, more power, new battlefields, three new single-player campaigns, 15 new missions, and new game modes.

For Purge retail owners, the Purge Jihad Expansion Pack Beta 5 Build 1.8D is ready. This should finally fix the Drone crash bugs. This is the first Open Beta of Jihad. The more players, the better the balance. The beta only runs until end of September, so get in the action while you can. Read more for download links ...

Developed by the award-winning team at Auran - creators of the hugely successful Trainz – this is the ultimate standalone railway simulator that provides a complete experience for every train fan. Railway enthusiasts are often fiercely loyal to their native rolling stock and in Railway Simulator 2004 the trains included span the continents as well as the ages. We've all been kids, we all had train sets didnt we? Read more to check out some screens ..

For the first time ever, EA Games console titles including The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King will feature online gameplay for the PS2, Electronic Arts announced today. Along with The Lord of the Rings, The Sims Bustin' Out, Need for Speed Underground, and Medal of Honor Rising Sun will allow gamers to connect and play online this holiday season. Read more for details ...

As U.S. Army Sergeant John Baker, players join the battle at Kasserine Pass in North Africa, race to capture Messina in Sicily, and finally repel the German army at the historic battle of Monte Battaglia in the heart of Italy. Armed with a new arsenal of weapons, players will fight alone and with squad mates as they rush to stop the Axis powers. Some more screens ...

This "side story" to SEGA's popular "Shinobi" invites players to live out the events following Hotsuma's victory over Hiruko's evil minions. But like all things, victory is fleeting, and an evil such as Hiruko's is not so easily vanquished. Just as Tokyo begins the slow and tedious process of repairs, a new rift opens between Earth and the demon realm. Check the screens ...

Nokia today announced mobile online elements for this year's Nokia Game at the fifth annual Nokia Totally Board event in Sevilla, Spain. Nokia Game 2003 is an interactive adventure provided by Nokia that will be played across 35 countries around the world in 10 languages.

Entertainment software developer and publisher NovaLogic, Inc. is pleased to announce that the first expansion pack for the number one selling PC title Delta Force: Black Hawk Down is currently under development at Dallas-based Ritual Entertainment.

Game Live Events today announced their “2003 Fall College Tour.” Building on the overwhelming success of their 13-campus Spring Tour, attended by over 20,000 college gamers, the 17-stop Fall College tour begins on Friday, September 12th in New York, NY at Cornell University and runs through Monday, October 20th at the University of Southern California.

In their immeasurable greed and constant thirst for power, the thirteen most powerful Mages of all time doomed the land, hurling it into an endless spiral of chaos and despair. Entire countries were wiped out in the blink of an eye when the devastating power of the Elements was unleashed – Elements summoned by dark rituals. Continents shattered like glass, the pieces strewn about like leaves in the wind. Huge armies, bound by the the power of ancient runes, brought war and destruction to the lands that survived the initial onslaught. All that was left were a few islands, connected by magic portals. Read more for 4 tasty new screens ...

Sunflowers has contracted Virgin Lands Computeranimation GmbH to develop the cut scenes for their new PC game Knights of Honor. Developed by Bulgaria’s Black Sea Studios, the empire conquering simulation is due to be released in the 2nd quarter of 2004. Read more for details if this is your kind of bag ...

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that Age of Mythology: The Titans has gone gold and is scheduled to march onto store shelves on September 30 for an estimated retail price of $34.95 (U.S.). The cataclysmic struggle between ancient gods begins anew with the addition of a new mythology, the Atlanteans, as well as a brand new single-player campaign and a host of exclusive new features. Read more for details ...

ESPN Videogames today announced that the highly acclaimed ESPN NHL Hockey is now available at major video game retailers across North America. Continuing the high standard of sports realism and video game entertainment of the ESPN Videogames brand, ESPN NHL Hockey delivers speed, action and excitement to hockey fans. ESPN NHL Hockey and other ESPN Videogames titles are produced by Visual Concepts - Sega's sports developer.