THX Ltd., the leading provider of product certification and venue design for the entertainment and consumer electronics industries, today announced the creation of a new sound and visual certification standard for videogame development environments. Electronic Arts is the first company to develop and publish THX Certified Games using these standards. EA has incorporated the THX performance standards into its mixing rooms and studios worldwide, ensuring the quality and integrity of creative content is maintained at every stage of video game development. The first THX Certified Games will be "SSX 3," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which is based on New Line Cinema's upcoming film, and "Medal of Honor Rising Sun."

The Bard's Tale combines the development team's collective knowledge of compelling RPG gameplay with brilliant graphics and major motion picture quality story and dialogue. The Bard's Tale eschews genre cliches in favor of intelligent humor for an original and truly entertaining experience.

It's been an action-packed few months for Nintendo, with some truly astounding games being released in Europe. Take a look below at some of the awards that Nintendo and these classic titles have received..

ARUSH Entertainment today announced that the PC title Hunting Unlimited 2 (HU2) is now for sale at retailers across North America. HU2 is like no other hunting game on the market; its unique features include fast-paced missions that drop the player into exciting hunting scenarios such as being charged by an angry bear, or taking down the largest trophy bull in a stampeding herd of bison or elk.

Microsoft has issued a small patch for their just released Halo: Combat Evolved. No specific details are available as to what exactly it adresses. Read more for download links ...

Fire Warrior follows one day in the tumultuous life of a young Tau warrior who must battle alone against a force that shows no mercy: The Imperium. The Tau will soon learn there is a darker foe at hand and become entangled in a frightening story that leads them through an ongoing war. Read more to check out a big batch of new 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 :

• Max Payne 2 - (6) Trailer
• Crimson Skies - Trailer
• Return Of The King - Movie Trailer
• Far Cry - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Play the Greatest Story Ever Written . . . The quest to destroy the One Ring continues in the first real-time strategy game based on The Lord of the Rings saga. Massive battles erupt as the peoples of Middle-earth fight for control of Tolkien’s World. Gamers can play as the forces of good and valiantly fight for the One Ring’s destruction or assume command of the forces of evil to claim control over Middle-earth forever. Read more for some new screens ...

Valusoft has released a demo for their FPS game Navy Seals: Weapons of Mass Destruction. Be prepared (or be the victim), as you navigate the rough terrain of Iraq, North Korea, and Bosnia, assessing and executing your objectives in three combative missions through 10 massive levels. This demo limits your play to 60 minutes, but contains the full product, which can be unlocked by purchasing a license key online (thanks 3DGamers ). Read more for download links ...

Just as in the "Magic" card game, in "Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds" players will choose a duelist and up to two of "Magic's" five colors -- red, green, white, blue, and black -- to attempt to reduce their opponent's life to zero. Of course, getting an opponent to zero will not be easy; players will have to utilize lightning reflexes, strategic brilliance and, on occasion, raw power to overcome an enemy. Check these spiffy new screens

Experience the huge world of "Tortuga", with its 16 very different scenarios either as a buccaneer in service of his Majesty or as a feared pirate. Your riches will expand through successful piracy, theft of ships, plundering of towns or completion of missions from the town governments. But make haste, and be wary of the treachery and mutiny that can reduce all of that to nothing. Read more for details & screens ...

Brace Yourselves! Your Sims have Magic! In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers with the ability to cast spells that are playful or deviant. Players can venture to an all-new magical, carnival-themed destination, experience exciting new gameplay, gain over 150 new items, and encounter a whole new cast of quirky characters in this powerful pack of magical high jinx. Check the new magical screens ...

Sammy Studios Inc. has announced that it will publish Spy Fiction, an exciting new action-stealth video game for Sony PlayStation2, in North America. Spy Fiction is the first title developed by Access Games, a company formed in 2002 when a group of veteran developers came together to create the ultimate original action-stealth game. Spy Fiction is slated for release exclusively for PlayStation2 in Spring 2004. Read more for details & screens ...

DreamCatcher Games today announced that it has shipped Spirits & Spells for the Nintendo GameCube to stores. This fun new 3D platform game takes the younger gamer on an unforgettable journey into a spooky world full of magic, eerie environments and weird creatures. Players take on the role of Alicia, dressed as a witch, and Greg, disguised as a masked-devil.

Gamers...mark your calendars! "HQ" has confirmed October 29 as the date for Activision, Inc.'s Call of Duty to invade retail outlets nationwide. The highly anticipated, first-person, WWII action-thriller has been given its orders and will be deployed to manufacturing, setting the stage for an all-out assault on game fans everywhere. Developed by Infinity Ward, Call of Duty for the PC is rated "T" (TEEN - blood and violence) by the ESRB.

Asterix & Obelix are returning in style on next-generation consoles, with an XXL game in which they battle up to 70 Romans at a time. Asterix & Obelix XXL makes full use of the technical features of new consoles to produce an extraordinary image of the universe of Asterix and Obelix, through 6 gigantic levels and 49 challenges, each more astounding than the next. Read more for screens...

Namco Hometek Inc. announced today the latest installment in its popular light gun shooter franchise, Time Crisis 3, has gone gold. Exclusively for the PlayStation2, Time Crisis3 is on track for a late October release. Additionally, the company announced today the launch of the Time Crisis3 official Web site. Currently, the site offers readers the first look at the game’s Crisis Mission Mode.

UK-based game publisher SCi Entertainment has acquired Pivotal Games for 2.36 million pounds (approximately 3.9 million dollars). Pivotal is the developer of the Conflict: Desert Storm series of tactical shooters and The Great Escape. Pivotal is completing the third game in the Conflict series and has begun development of the fourth. Pivotal Games was previously a subsidiary of Kaboom Studios – which recently closed its doors due to the poor performance of other components of its business. Pivotal currently employs approximately 70 people. The move is a unique one for SCi - which operates a business model generally based on outsourcing development to third parties.

A playable demo is expected in the first week of October. Universal Combat brings the greatest components of war together in a single game. Conceived in late 2001 as Battlecruiser Generations, the fifth in the Battlecruiser series, the game has grown into much more than a massive space simulation. Universal Combat is due to be distributed by Mindscape in the UK in November 2003.