Take 2 announced that it has acquired independent developers Irrational Games. Known for such titles as SWAT 4, Tribes Vengeance and Freedom Force, Irrational is currently working on Bioshock for Take Two, scheduled for PC and nextgen consoles, but also SWAT 4 expansion pack for Vivendi.

Rising Kingdoms is an RTS set in a fantasy world, which focuses on empire development and dynamic tactical battles. BlackBean Games has released a new patch for Haemimont's RTS, bringing your European retail game to v1.2 and mainly adds bug, crash and game freeze fixes. Read more for download links ...

Mod HQ has received word from Valve's Doug Lombardi that the first HL2 expansion is expected soon. "We're currently targeting April 24th for the release of both Aftermath and Platinum. Platinum will include HL2, HL2 DM, CS: Source, DoD: Source, and Aftermath."

Strategy First and Object Software are happy to announce that they have signed a North American publishing agreement for Seal of Evil. Combining ancient Chinese history some 2000 years ago with Chinese legend, Seal of Evil is an RPG.

Runestone Game Development announced today that applications are now being accepted for beta testing Seed, the premiere genre-shattering massively multiplayer game slated for release in April 2006, with testing to kick off February 1st.

World Racing 2 will put the fun of driving at centre stage and offer optimized arcade racing characteristics, rich and varied range of mission modes, lively scenarios, enhanced tuning options and a great variety of cars. TDK has released a new World Racing 2 demo featuring the German Hockenheim track, with two modes and two cars (Roadster and Cup/R). Read more for download links ...

The newest issue of CGW has some info on the first Guild Wars expansion. Guild Wars: Factions will introduce two new professions (assassin and ritualist), 25 new skills and 6 armor sets for old classes, a full campaign set on a new Eastern-themed continent Cantha with 3 nations, and faction-based PvP where guild alliances will battle to control various areas of the world map. Guild Wars: Factions will be standalone, although then only the new continent will be playable.

Yesterday we revealed the bottom half of the top 20, and today we announce what the WP staff considers the 10 top games of 2005. Read more for the final results, and to find out what was the best game of 2005!

Hard Truck Tycoon is an economic simulation in the sphere of trucking industry. The player will be able to build his own trucking infrastructure, upgrade his numerous trucks, recruit personnel and deal with tight competition.

ÜberSoldier, aka East Front, is a high-tech first-person 3D shooter, which takes place in an alternate universe where the fascist Germany won in the Second World War. A soldier of the German Resistance, Karl Stolz, turns out to be involved in the deadly play of mysterious powers, and at stake is control over the entire world.