Vivendi and HD Publishing today announced an exclusive worldwide agreement for the modern day warfare RTS game, Joint Task Force. Under the agreement, VU Games will co-publish, market and distribute HD Publishing’s Joint Task Force for the PC in 2006 under the Sierra brand.

KOCH Media has released the first patch for EgoSoft's space-combat exploration game X³: REUNION. This update brings your UK retail game to v1.2 and adds more joystick support, fixes voice and audio synchronisation, performance optimisations, better cutscenes and menu system, the usual crash and bug fixes, etc..

Final Fantasy XI is the first online game in the award-winning Final Fantasy series. How you play is up to you, with limitless possibilities for adventure. Set out on your own to discover the countless secrets of Vana'diel, or form a party with your friends to purge the beastman forces and bring home sensational spoils!

BBC News revealed that British Member of Parliament Keith Vaz is going after Roickstar's upcoming title Bully claiming that the game will inspire violence among schoolchildren. Vaz has approached the House of Commons stating his concern about Rockstar's decision to publish a new game in which players use their on-screen persona to kick and punch other schoolchildren, asking that the game should be treated like a violent film, and should go before the British Board of Film Classification or be banned completely. A Rockstar rep told the BBC that just as books aren't judged by their covers, video games shouldn't be judged by their titles or individual scenes. To Be Continued ...

Atari revealed today revealed the first details of what is an expansion pack for Eugen Systems' RTS Act of War. While there is no official name for the addon just yet, Atari did disclose it will expand into naval warfare with over a dozen different vessels, such as AEGIS cruisers, frigates, aircraft carriers and submarines. Less scripting, better AI and camera handling. More details surely to come soon, but in the meantime, check the first four screens ...

Vicious Cycle Software announced that it has officially joined the Sony Computer Entertainment Tools and Middleware program for PSP. The company will offer its Vicious Engine toolset to developers and publishers of games for the PSP platform as a licensed middleware solution.

The world of Age of Pirates exists on 16 islands and the endless seas of the Caribbean. The two main characters each have their own spectacular story. Age of Pirates embodies the freedom of sailing, trading, fighting, colonization and the unlimited exploration of the real Caribbean.

KOCH Media announced today a further co-publishing deal has been signed with JoWooD for Panzer Elite Action, in addition to the contracts already signed for the games Gothic 3, SpellForce 2 and The Guild 2. KOCH Media has the exclusive licensing and distribution rights for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK and Italy.

Oblivion is a single-player game that takes place in Tamriel's capital province, Cyrodiil. You are given the task of finding the hidden heir to a throne that sits empty, the previous emperor having been killed by an unknown assassin. Oblivion is another leap forward in role-playing with its combination of freeform gameplay and cutting-edge graphics.

SEGA Europe and Sports Interactive are delighted to confirm that last Friday's UK launch of Football Manager 2006 has netted retail sales of over 100,000 units during its first weekend of release according to Chart-Track retail estimates. Storming the PC chart at No.1, Football Manager 2006 is now the 2nd fastest-selling PC game of all time in the UK.