Electronic Arts today announced that the first expansion pack for SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack* is in development at the company's Walnut Creek-based Maxis studio. SimCity is on the move in SimCity 4 Rush Hour. Players will now have the ultimate level of control over their city's transportation network by completely taking charge of roads, rail, air, waterways, and even vehicles. SimCity 4 Rush Hour will make its debut to industry insiders on May 13th at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition in Los Angeles and is scheduled to ship in fall 2003.

Gamers will be able to create their own superstar, hone their baseball skills and challenge their friends online using Xbox Live. Want to learn how to play the carom off of Fenway Park's Green Monster? "Inside Pitch 2003" will include special training sessions for each position to help gamers perfect their baseball skills. Check out the new xbox screens ...

VU Games will release a PC demo of its Hulk title Thursday morning. The product ships to North American retailers June 3. Canada-based Radical Entertainment is developing the third-person action game for all three next-generation consoles and the PC. Players will experience two types of gameplay as either Bruce Banner or The Hulk as they battle characters from the film and familiar enemies from the Marvel universe. The Hulk can smash through any physical obstacle and annihilate foes with over 45 attacks (thanks Avault). Of course we will have this puppy on our file servers as it becomes available ...

Today we got screens from another one of Jaleco's upcoming title, World Championship Pool being developed on all platforms. No details are known at this point but at least we got some spiffy looking screens for you to enjoy! Read more to check them out!

The Climax Group, one of the world's leading developers of interactive entertainment, today announced the launch of the company's first US office. Already one of the largest and most respected game developers in Europe, this latest expansion puts Climax at the forefront of the global gaming market. The new office, located in Venice, California, will leverage the technology developed and popularized by Climax' European studios, as well as the company's name and solid reputation, to build the brand in the U.S. market and pursue projects with major Hollywood studios.

OC Racing will feature cars that look cool instead of ones that look like toys. A former automotive designer is designing the models, and the game is an opportunity for his imagination to run wild. OC Racing is divided up into three Grand Prix circuits, five races each. The game does not have your typical new cars that you can unlock upon winning or qualifying but instead you have to collect parts in the race itself... Read more for some screens ...

As the title suggests, Lowrider lets players construct cars for the purpose of participating in low-riding competitions--such as hops, dances, and cruises--against various opponents. Players can not only upgrade the engine and the physical characteristics of their car, but they can also upgrade the hydraulics system so they can perform even more outrageous mechanical feats. The game even features a custom paint tool that lets players add their own visual touches to their car. Check out these screens ...

In a world where the Soviet Union won the Cold War, a fierce conflict is beginning to unfold in the streets of America. Red Army troops are pouring across the borders of Mexico and Canada shortly after a nuclear missile is unleashed on Washington D.C. Chaos sets in when breaking news informs Americans that their President has been killed and the Russians have invaded the country.

Goblin Commander: Unleash The Horde sets itself apart from other Real-Time Strategy games with fast arcade-style action, richly detailed and destructible environments, and an easy-to-master control scheme designed specifically for console game pads. The project is spearheaded by strategy game developers Ron Millar and Chris Millar, who are known for their work on best-selling titles within the StarCraft, Warcraft and Diablo series. Read more to check out a fresh batch of screens ...

Already rumored earlier this week, it is now slowly becoming fact.Franco-American video game publisher Infogrames Inc., in an effort to increase its profile with consumers by reaching back into gaming history, on Wednesday said it would change its name to Atari. To mark the new Atari Inc. and the new ticker symbol 'ATAR', Chief Executive Bruno Bonnell is set to open the Nasdaq on Wednesday. On top of that i have noticed that one of my PR contact changed the Infogrames account to Atari.

Crowd Control Productions has issued the first patch for EVE Online: the Second Genesis, bringing their just-released MMO space game to build 1000. This patch can be used if the auto-updater doesn't work, but there are no details on the changes in this patch (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Galactic Civilizations is a strategy game set in space at the dawn of the 23rd century, where you become the leader of the human civilization. The galaxy has 6 major civilizations and the race is on to colonize, conquer, and dominate the galaxy using whatever means necessary. Strategy First/Stardock have released a new demo which lets you play the Federalist party in a small galaxy until the year 2190. Read more for download links ...

The Sims2, the next generation of the #1 PC franchise of all time, is currently under development at the company's Walnut Creek-based Maxis studio. For the first time, players control The Sims over an entire lifetime for the very first time. Every choice that is made has a relevant and dramatic effect on the life of a Sim. More life-like Sims, all new gameplay, and the ground-breaking addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations, gives players a more vivid, realistic, and in-depth Sims experience. All of this takes place in a new amazingly life-like 3-D world. Read more for the first screens and they look quite amazing screens!

Konami of America, Inc. announced today that Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. From the creators of the critically acclaimed Castelvania: Symphony of the Night for PlayStation, and last year's handheld game of the year, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the 16th U.S. video game release in the 17-year-old series and marks the franchise's third installment on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that Kent, England-based Pocket Studios is developing the handheld video game The Incredible Hulk for GBA. The video game is based on the enormously popular original Marvel classic comic book series The Incredible Hulk. Players must guide the Hulk through six destructible worlds including military compounds, barren deserts, subterranean cities, underground caves, and earth's distant future. Thirty-three intense levels of gameplay challenge players to defeat infamous villains from the original Hulk comics. Read more for new hulkilicious screens as well as a spiffy new trailer ...

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 ...

Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII, the second expansion pack to the highly acclaimed Battlefield 1942 title, significantly enhances the gaming experience by bringing the most bizarre and deadly weapons from the German and Allied laboratories to the Battlefield. From top secret, cutting edge weapons to secret forces and secret places, a new level of drama and excitement will be added to the Battlefield experience. Check these new screens!

Today we have another motherload of new screens from various PlayStation 2 titles that will be displayed at the coming E3 event. We got screens from : BattleStar Galactica, Big Mutha Truckers, Alter Echo, Arc The Lad, Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance II, Celebrity DeathMatch, FireWarrior, Finding Nemo, The Great Escape, Dead Aim, Futurama, The Hulk, Splashdown2, Hit & Run, Speedkings, Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain and Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race.. Njoy!

Port Royale presents a dynamically open ended world, featuring a unique style which is totally unscripted. Discover the secret pirate and player hideouts as you battle with up to 12 ships in 3D sea battles. You have the freedom to trade in each town, each with over 100 dedicated missions. The computer will randomly generate new missions, giving you thousands of possible outcomes, displaying expansive gameplay. Try your hand at real-time 16th and 17th Century piracy, trading, construction, and buccaneering in this fully playable demo of Port Royale! The v1.4.0.2 update patch rectifies errors relating to the Autosave Crash, Copy Protection, Allgemeine Exception, and Scripting on Mission Descriptions. Some language translation issues have also been addressed. Read more for details and download links ...