Simutronics announced today its first licensee for its new HeroEngine, a complete integrated platform for development of MMORPGs. Bioware Austin will be using the development suite for its upcoming MMO project.

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

• Dead Rising (Xbox 360)
• D1 Grand Prix (PS2)
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, players will be introduced to the world of Ashan, the new setting for all future Might & Magic games. Ashan is a dark and unforgiving world, scarred by a bloody history and threatened by an apocalyptic prophecy: the Dark Messiah. This massive demo allows you to try out a tutorial and the first map of the game.

Sierra announced F.E.A.R. Combat, the new multiplayer component from F.E.A.R, featuring 10 modes, 19 maps, which will be available as a free download on Thursday, August 17th, 2006.

Namco Bandai Games announced today Mobile Suit Gundam, a sci-fi action game with stunning high-definition graphics, promising gorgeous Mobile Suit battles and the opportunity to participate in thrilling epic battles taking place on the futuristic Earth.

LucasArts signed an agreement with Day 1 Studios to develop a new IP for release on next-gen consoles with an emphasis on ground-breaking gameplay, and focused on interactivity.

Hero Online is a MMORPG where players will encounter characters and monsters based on Asian martial fiction and have the opportunity to experience Asian myth and folklore in a martial arts environment.

You play John Armstrong, a young medical student, drafted into the National Guard during a world-wide alien invasion. During a critical mission, your team is wiped out and success depends on you. This updated demo adds a new DM & TDM map, new playable character and an Alpha version of internet matchmaking.

Gen Con today announced its plans to expand the offerings of the company's gaming shows. Gen Con will increase venue space and change a location to better incorporate the video game business as a focus of the Gen Con shows. This will give video game manufacturers, developers, publishers and others, who traditionally attended E3, a place to feature their products to the trade, media and consumers alike.

Killzone is making its handheld debut with Killzone: Liberation, an all new, action-packed installment in the Killzone series has been developed especially for PSP and will feature a new intelligent third-person camera system – ideally suited for handheld gaming.