As we reported on Saturday, ensemblestudios and MS would today announce that 10,000 gamers will be invited to participate in Ensemble's online multiplayer test of Age of Mythology. Well now its soon time! Today they invite people to participate in their online multiplayer test. Between Friday, June 21 and Sunday, June 30, gamers will be able to sign up for a chance to be among the first to experience the wrath of the gods. This alpha version of Age of Mythology will contain two of the nine civilizations that will be available when the game is released this October. Up to four players will be able to compete head-to-head as a follower of either Zeus or Poseidon on one of two multiplayer maps. This limited alpha version of the game will be available to qualified testers in early July. Check out full pressrelease below!

UbiSoft send us some new screenshots for Evolution Worlds, the first traditional RPG for the GameCube. Evolution Worlds combines the stories from the best-selling Dreamcast games, Evolution and Evolution 2, into one continuous, epic RPG! Check out energetic hero Mag Launcher, mysterious heroine Linear Cannon, the protective butler Gre Nade, the flirtatious Pepper Box and the feisty Chain Gun in next generation GameCube style. Evolution Worlds also features new voice parts for more than 100 characters. Evolution Worlds is targeted to launch this fall. Watch out for new screens and character art for Evolution Worlds in the coming weeks... Njoy!

Drop those dice and pick up a controller, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is being released this September on Xbox. Adventurers who already own Microsoft’s new powerhouse console will soon be able to journey to the Sword Coast and the mythical city of Baldur’s Gate when Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is released this September on Xbox.

Five months before the release of Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar Games COO Terry Donovan was at the Electronic Entertainment Expo putting the final touches on a marketing campaign as calculated and aggressive as any Hollywood blitz. For two years, his publicity team had been feeding rumors about the title to sympathetic Web sites and carefully parceling out screenshots to enthusiastic gaming magazines. He was even planning a junket to a Nevada firing range where dozens of videogame reviewers would learn to shoot guns out of moving vehicles. Inside his E3 booth, Donovan stayed relentlessly on-message about what separates his company from its rivals. "Fuck the potions and magic spells," he told anyone who would listen - teenage and twentysomething men want games as hip as their movies and music. "These are the same guys who like Goodfellas," he argued, setting up the tagline he'd repeat for the next few months: "If The Sopranos was a videogame, Grand Theft Auto 3 would be it!" The market for games, he insisted, was evolving. "If you've got 30 million households with PlayStations, you aren't just dealing with kids anymore - you aren't just dealing with people who don't smoke weed." Read the full scoop at Wired!

The anticipation is finally over! Eidos Interactive and Core Design are proud to present the first official gameplay trailer for Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness which will be released on PlayStation 2 and PC in November 2002!

Who has never dreamed of stepping into a famous player’s shoes, of playing on the centre court and of having your winning shot applauded by a jubilant crowd? For those who want to try their luck, Next Generation Tennis will give them access to the most prestigious tennis courts in the world. For the casual as well as the passionate fan, Next Generation Tennis combines responsive gameplay and stunningly realistic settings.

4Gamers are proud to announce the launch of the incredible SPC601 5” LCD Screen for use with the Nintendo GameCube. Take gaming on the move and use your Nintendo GameCube console anywhere. Simply slot the console into the screen’s mounting, click into place, connect the screen to the console and away you go!

Universal Interactive, Inc. (UI), a studio of Vivendi Universal Publishing, announced further details today regarding its upcoming video game titles based on Universal Pictures' The Hulk, the eagerly-anticipated feature film from acclaimed director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Based upon one of Marvel Comics' most memorable and popular superhero series, this film is scheduled for release on June 20, 2003.

Take control of I-Banesto.com and ride a presitigious mountain stage of the Tour of Italy 2002 (Conegliano - Corvara in Badia) with a variety of improvements (technical and graphical). You find this new 130MB demo here! You can also now discover new screens taken from the final version of the game. Urban settings, countryside roads, peloton under an overcast sky: the diversity of the landscapes and the changing weather conditions are all in Cycling Manager 2.

FragWare tossed up an article about how to tame that lightsaber in Jedi Knight 2. "four quick tips to get you on the right track and killing baddies" Bring me there!

A new 111MB Neverwinter Nights movie is available over at Neverwinter Vault. This new movie shows characters from the game not seen before. Njoy!

BioWare is pleased to offer up two copies of Neverwinter Nights for auction, signed by the development team. Also up for auction is their air-hockey table. Proceeds from each auction will go to the BioWare Kids Fund. Full scoop here!

Summoner2.com has been upated with brand new content! They have added 5 brand new screenshots, including screenshots from the Sharangir Cave level shown at E3. Also, they have added a interview with James Hague, the lead programmer on Summoner 2. He talks about new things not in Summoner 1, Celine Dion, and Dukes of Hazzard. (thanks GameSpyDaily)

THQ Inc. Chief Executive Brian Farrell said on Friday cuts in the price of PlayStation, Xbox and GameCube consoles have spurred sales of its video games, and should keep demand vibrant throughout the year. "For product that was on shelf as of May 1 ... there has been about a 20 percent lift," Farrell said in an interview with Reuters. THQ's games include "Tetris," "Red Faction" and titles related to characters from the "Nickelodeon" television network and World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.

The people over at ELiTeD tossed up an interview with the Raven Shield team, Chadi Lebbos: Producer, Mike McCoy: Lead Designer, and Eric Begin: Lead Programmer. Here is a clip from it:

Will there be smarter AI than past Rainbow Six games?

Absolutely! We've put a lot of effort into all aspects of the AI. Your teammates work with you to cover your flanks and accomplish the mission. Terrorists work together as a team to defeat you. Finally, hostages react to being rescued and the anticipation of gunfire.

The world's top gamers prepare to gather in the nation's hotbed of interactive entertainment - Mesquite, Texas, home of id Software - as first-come, first-serve registration is now open for QuakeCon 2002. Registrants should visit www.quakecon.org to sign up for the premiere fan-based video game party and tournament.

Triumph Studios has released the final demo of their turn-based strategy game, Age of Wonders II. This demo is 108MB to grab and includes one scenario with spells and units from the game. Grab it from Gigex. (thanks Blues)

The MechWarrior 4: Inner Sphere Mech Pak is now available at local retailers. To coincide with the Mech Pak release; point release 3.0 is now available at the official MechWarrior 4 site.

Midway Games Inc. a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that Legion: The Legend of Excalibur, a game that combines strategy, role-playing and action, is scheduled to ship on June 17, for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Delivering an intense, “never-been-done-before” experience, Legion: The Legend of Excalibur combines sword and sorcery action with rich character and story development familiar to the Role-Playing Genre, and strategic depth, enjoyed by Real-Time Strategy fans.

Ensemble Studios let us know that they are looking for 10,000 people to beta test the upcoming Age of Mythology. If you're interested, you should visit the official Age of Mythology site or why not bookmark it. "The signup for beta starts on Monday"