Sierra Entertainment, Inc. and Fox Interactive announce the official Die Hard:Vendetta Sweepstakes presented by IGN.com. Entrants will have the opportunity to win a tactical adventure grand prize at the largest private urban operations training facility in the country - three incredible days - courtesy of Incredible Adventures/Urban Ops. Participants can also win other great prizes from Rigel Optics and Fox Home Entertainment, among others. In total, the Die Hard:Vendetta sweepstakes will award prizes valued at more than $13,000.

Crave Entertainment today announced that Beyblade, for the PlayStation game console, shipped. Beyblade captures the excitement of the popular television series based on a traditional Japanese spinning-top game called Bei-goma, which is emerging as a sports entertainment phenomenon.

Attention Black Isle fans! Another all new employment opportunity has arrived! That's right guys and gals, your friendly neighborhood developer and publisher of PC and console role-playing games is looking for talented Intermediate Game Designers. If the design and layout of adventure locales for Black Isle RPGs sounds like your cup of tea then head on over to the Employment Page to read all of the nifty details!

Computer & Video Games has word from an unnamed source that a sequel to this year's PSOne/PC crime action game, The Italian Job, is in the works. The first game, based on the classic 1969 crime drama, was published by SCi but the game sequel will be developed by UK based Climaz and published by Eidos, according to the report. The game, which will come out on the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube, will be released around the same time as the upcoming movie remake of The Italian Job shows up in theaters this summer (thanks HomeLan).

The newest issue of Computer Games magazine has a brief article on an upcoming Dungeons & Dragons PC RPG called "The Temple Of Elemental Evil". Based on a classic 1985 D&D pen-and-paper module from its creator Gary Gygax, the article states that the developer of the game will be Trokia, who previously developed the "steampunk" RPG Arcanum. The game is scheduled to be released via publisher Infogrames in the latter half of 2003, according to the report (thanks HomeLan).

Raven Shield producer, Chadi "Leviat" Lebbos sends out word that "part of the Raven Shield development team is working up a patch that will solve the majority of the bugs you've encountered. We still don't have all the required elements to give you guys an official date (which will be in the upcoming days), but once we do, you will be the first to know. As for the rest of the team, we are still debugging and optimizing." Read more for his full statement ...

PlayStation2 system owners eager to see what all the excitement is about won't have to wait anymore, as Ubi Soft Entertainment announced today that the popular squad-based combat game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon for the PlayStation 2 has shipped and will arrive on store shelves shortly.

It's spike or die as players choose their team and head out to one of the 16 different volleyball courts. 'Outlaw Volleyball' will draw on the Xbox graphic capabilities to provide extremely well-rendered and fun environments with dynamic elements. From the beach house beach to the big house, the courts will feature such graphic treats as deformable sand, dynamic backgrounds and highly detailed crowds. The game will also make use of the Xbox's ability to incorporate music tracks that were ripped to the console's hard drive making Outlaw Volleyball into a very personalized experience. Today we scored some new screens and a trailer showing off some in-game footage...

Mercedes-Benz World Racing, a 3D Racing-Simulation with high quality, mission-based elements, is the first game ever to feature a line-up of current Mercedes-Benz cars, plus selected classic and vintage models. Players start out as a rookie racer struggling to climb the ladder to the top of the racing circuit. After the completion of each mission, drivers can unlock new and vintage Mercedes-Benz cars, as well as new car interiors and racetracks in this exhilarating 3D racing game. A batch of new screens ...

Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc will feature many brand new game elements. Its action adventure format will be familiar to many fans but advanced combat will form the heart of this latest installment. Rayman will have new movements and powers including, The Power Fist, Grapple and Super Helicopter, and he will certainly need them as he comes up against over 20 powerful enemies, including the savage Hoodlum tribe. The new Tactical Arcade Combat System will ensure players use their brains, as each enemy has specific strengths and combat strategies, and will only be defeated by the correct fighting techniques. Today some new ennemies are unveiled, we got the latest screens and screens ..

Unreality let us know that Epic released some info on the next patch (currently in beta).. Here is a small clip:

GamePlay:
- friendly fire kills affect team scores
- made players a little brighter
- more minigun ammo
- really fixed 4 rocket bug
- Fixed DM-TokaraForest flags showing up
- fixed CTF-LostFaith KillZ

AI:
- fixed bot aiming link shaft at crouched opponent
- BR AI improvements
- CTF AI improvements
- improved skyline bot AI
- improved bot use of ion cannon

SpectraVideo is about to ship the new Logic3 Xbox Wireless Game Pad in the UK and European territories. This new controller utilises RF technology, working on a frequency of 868Mhz – specially set aside for wireless controllers, so this will not cause interference with other house hold appliances or mobile phones. The new controllers will feature four channels and two bands – allowing up to 8 Xbox Wireless Controllers to be used at one time (two Xbox consoles would be required), vibration feedback and a range of up to 5 meters (even through closed cupboards).

THQ Inc. and SEGA Corporation today announced that THQ will publish "Jet Grind Radio" for the Game Boy Advance. Scheduled to ship in Spring 2003, "Jet Grind Radio" is part of THQ's and SEGA's multi-title exclusive publishing agreement.

Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced that it is developing a version of Chessmaster for the PS2. Chessmaster for PS2 offers novices and experts alike a full curriculum to elevate their game, while introducing them to the fun and strategy of the game of chess. The title is expected to ship to U.S. retail stores in March 2003.

Are you ready to take on the mantle of Kain - the most evil character in gaming history? Blood Omen 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, which was released on PlayStation and PC in 1995. The game will be available on GameCube in January 2003. Crystal Dynamics of Menlo Park, USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eidos, is developing the game... Five more corpuscle-quaffing GameCube grabs below!

Activision has just released a new update patch for their first person shooter smash hit Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This upgrade brings your retail copy to v1.41 patch and addresses some anti-lag issues in the code and weapon prediction. The patch comes in Win 32, Linux and there is also a new Win32 and Linux game source available. Read more for links where to grab the goods ...

Rise of Nations is a new historical real time strategy game from Big Huge Games’ Brian Reynolds, designer of PC game classics such as Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri. In Rise of Nations, you'll create new cities, improve city infrastructures and expand national borders. Conquer foes through military might using everything from sling-shots to cannons to stealth bombers to nuclear weapons; corner the market on key commodities and consolidate power under your rule; wheel and deal across time with history's eminent cultures. Check out the batch of 24 new screens ...

Nexon is pleased to announce that Shattered Galaxy, "SG 1.5", the next phase in Massive Online Warfare, has just been launched. The full SG 1.5 game client and patch download are available and the SG 1.5 server is online.

Xicat Interactive Inc. announces that Zanzarah, its new fantasy game targeting teenage girls, is shipping. This stunning adventure, set in a mythical world of fairies and goblins, revolves around Amy; a strong teenage heroine who must save the land of Zanzarah. If you have not yet checked out our review, get to it NOW!