Nicely Crafted Entertainment Ltd. (“NiCE”) today announced the launch of Time of Defiance Skirmish Servers. The new servers will be available exclusively to subscribers to Nicely Crafted Entertainment’s Massively Multiplayer Persistent-Universe Online Real Time Strategy game Time of Defiance. Unlike the normal restriction of only being able to participate in one game at a time, subscribers will be able to make use of the new skirmish servers whilst also participating in their regular game. Running at four times normal game speed, Skirmish Server games will typically last for around seven days, and can be used by subscribers to practice new tactics, settle outstanding disputes quickly and easily, or just for the enjoyment of playing the game.

Hit the jackpot with Casino Inc., the complete sim that drops you right in the glitzy, and sometimes gritty, world of casino management... Konami and Hothouse Creations announce today that the website for their latest game, Casino Inc. has now gone live. The website contains screenshots, 3D objects and downloads with the addition of 6, 360 degree Quicktime movies and a mobile phone theme and screensaver.

Empire Interactive plc, today announced that it has licensed the interactive videogame rights to the eagerly awaited Hollywood action-adventure film, Bulletproof Monk. Licensed from MGM Interactive, the game will follow the premise of the film, which is based on the comic book first published by Flypaper Press in 1999. The film is being produced by John Woo and Terrance Chang's production company Lion Rock Productions, responsible for the critically acclaimed film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In Age of Shadows, fans will be introduced to two new professions and an exciting new realm to explore and settle. In addition to the expanded availability of housing, a 'House Design Tool' is also included in this latest version... For all Ultima Online fans, we now serve up another 33 lovley shadow-ageing shots.

Glen Dahlgren, Designer/Producer @ Legend Entertainment posted up a quick update on Infogrames Unreal II forum about what's going on (thanks Blues). Here is the full clip:

I wanted to give you all a quick update about what's happening on the home front. While we Legend guys haven't been posting here as much as we'd like (things are still pretty crazy here), I assure you we have been reading your comments and concerns, and we take them all very seriously.

As you may have read in the forum already, we're planning on releasing a patch sometime soon. It should address a number of the issues that people have raised in these forums. As well, we're going to be releasing a demo, especially targeted at those of you who want to 'try before you buy'. It should be a great benchmark to see how the game runs on your particular system.

In a later post, I'll try to get you some specifics about both of these, but it shouldn't be too long until you've actually got them in your hands.

Thanks to everyone for your support.

The official homepage of Panzers holds some new screenshots for you! You're going to witness fierce street fights and gorgeous graphics. German Tiger vs. the English Sherman is one of the duels..

Everybody knew it. But today, Microïds wanted to make it official. Syberia II, the sequel of the 2002 Adventure Game of The year, is currently in development at the developer/publisher Montreal-based studios. Microïds is also excited to release today the first images, screenshots and artworks, of Syberia II. The game will be released in the Fall of 2003.

KOEI announced today that the Yuki Koyanagi single, “Cross Colors”, would appear in Dynasty Warriors 4. Koyanagi re-recorded the song in English for the game’s closing credits. Current hot commodity on the “J-Pop”, or Japanese pop music scene, Yuki Koyanagi, established herself alongside reigning J-Pop divas Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamazaki with a string of top ten hits. The soulful songstress with the powerful and dynamic voice continued her run at the top, in 2002 when she recorded, “intimacy” an album with Nathan Morris and Shawn Stockman of BOYZ II MEN. A sample of the song, “Cross Colors”, can be found in Windows Media and Real Player formats at: http://www.warnermusic.co.jp/artists/domestic/koyanagi/

From the publishers of Sudden Strike, Blitzkrieg is the fine art of strategy, but with more finesse! Dissect your enemy with surgical precision, halt the enemy's advance and maintain your offensive momentum. Prove your tactical skills in the various historical campaigns during WWII commanding German, Soviet or Allied troops."Attack is the best form of defence". Last week we had the german demo and as expected we now have the English version available. Read more for download links ...

LucasArts is pleased to announce that Indiana Jones® and the Emperor's Tomb for Xbox has been approved for manufacturing and will be in stores February 25th! Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb features The Collective's proprietary 3D engine that supports completely immersive, highly interactive environments. The game will offer 10 levels, all set in unique locales such as a 15th century castle that looms over Prague, an underwater palace in Istanbul, and a mountaintop fortress in China. A sophisticated camera tracking system makes sure that the player always has an optimal view of the third-person action. Stay tuned for reviews soon ...

The sequel to Burnout, which was originally launched in November 2001 to universal acclaim from media and consumers alike, Burnout 2: Point of Impact delivers an incredibly fast and high-action driving experience, with vastly improved gameplay, new game options and bigger, better and more insane crash carnage. Burnout 2: Point of Impact boasts larger tracks, fully tuned-up custom motors and all-new thrilling crashes. Reckless driving is rewarded with an improved Burnout meter: take to the air, slide through corners or swerve to avoid a near head-on collision to fill the meter before unleashing an adrenalin fuelled speed boost. A new points system allows you to unlock challenges and modes throughout the game. Developed by Criterion Games, Burnout 2: Point of Impact includes modes such as ‘Pursuit’, which allows drivers to race a police car in hot pursuit of opponents whilst attempting to ram them off the road. The brand new “Crash” mode allows drivers to perform the most insane crashes and incredible pile-ups ever seen in a video game. serving up, 30 screens for each platform .. Njoy!

Shiver me timbers! "Tropico 2: Pirate Cove" is the sequel to the publisher's top-selling Caribbean simulation, "Tropico." Set on a hidden pirate island and starring some of history's scurviest sea dogs, the game is scheduled to ship this fall. Strap on your boots, and get ready for the "Tropico 2: Pirate Cove" beta demo. This demo allows you to play through two full scenarios (the previous beta demo only had 1 limited scenario) allowing you will cruise, raid, kidnap, and explore. Read more for details and download links ...

The last studio linked to the iconic video game company is winding down its operations this month. More than a hundred employees are losing their jobs. Some of these staffers date back to Atari's heyday in the 1970s. One employee worked on Atari's second game, Tank. Parent company Midway Games, which bought Atari's arcade division in 1996, said the downsizing is necessary to cut costs.

A few days after Battlefront.com released the v1.02 patch for the US version of Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin, now CDV has released the Euro patch (but its quite a big bigger). This patch includes 17 new and improved vehicle and gun models, refinements to several commands and further tweaks to the fatigue and moral systems. Added Features include a new "pure armor" Quick Battle force type which will only allow "armor" units to be purchased plus dozens of unit and weapon/armor data updates and bug fixes. Read more for download links and detailed fix list ...

Netamin Corporation reported today that over 1,200 gamers registered and requested to take part in the initial alpha testing for Ultimate Baseball Online. The first pitch of the opening game was thrown February 7, 2003 and the testing will continue through March 1, 2003.

Beginning Friday morning, February 14th, individuals will have the opportunity to log on to the beta signup page right here, and register for their chance to be one of 10,000 players chosen to play-test Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. These players will be the first to experience the new Expansion to Warcraft® III: Reign of Chaos. Read more for details!

Ubi Soft Entertainment announced today that the third installment of it's best-selling Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Series, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield has reached gold master status. The Rainbow Six series is one of the most popular action series on the PC, having sold almost 7 million copies worldwide to date.

Shrapnel Games announced today that Stormcloud Creations' Interstellar Trader 2 has gone Gold. The game should be ready to ship in Early March.. More about it below!

Intense character development meets tactical action game play, as Majesco today announced Black 9 for the personal computer and Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Scheduled for release in fall 2003, Black9 is being developed by Taldren, the studio behind the award-winning Starfleet Command series.

Earlier today we posted up the announcement and the first 5 screens from the PS2 version of Backyard Wrestling for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Now we bring you 5 Xbox screens, Njoy!