A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new California state law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, saying a lawsuit challenging the measure was likely to prevail on grounds of free speech.

Shortly after previous update Firaxis has released another, large, patch for Sid Meier's Civilization IV. This update brings your retail game to v1.52 and includes numerous optimizations for memory usage that should help performance on all machines but are tailored to especially improve performance on machines at or near the minimum specification. Read more for download links ...

ZUXXEZ today announced its new RPG Two Worlds, under development at Reality Pump, creator of the RTS game Earth 2160. Thrilling fight choreographies, gripping characters and realistic worlds create new dimensions in the genre. The title also introduces new benchmarks in content. Experienced script editors link the cinematic story with maximum gaming freedom in a medieval fantasy world.

Several weeks ago we revealed that EA would start its BFME II multiplayer beta test mid December, and EA just announced it has now gone live. People who pre-order the game can join in and check out the sequel before anybody else, until the game ships somewhere early 2006. This online multiplayer beta includes two out of the six factions (Dwarves and Goblins), playable on two brand new maps (Harlindon and Withered Heath.) If you haven't done so yet, you can pre-order at EBGames or Gamestop.

When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. For Agent 47 it's business as usual, until suddenly he loses contact with The ICA. Sensing that he may be the next target, he travels to America, where he prepares to make a killing.

Battlegoat has released a new patch for its strategy game Supreme Ruler 2010. This update brings your retail game to v4.4.1 and 30-player North America map, an extra mission (East to DC), new scenario (United States), 50 new units, and many small tweaks to the game to improve its performance and its playability.

Battlefront announced today that it has released a large free x-mas update for Dan Verssen Games' air combat strategy game DOWN IN FLAMES! This bundle is completely free and immediately available via the auto-update feature of the game, and includes four new campaigns, one set of updated animations for the F4F Wildcat, a new plane (Brewster Buffalo), and new fatigue rules for pilots as well as a few small bug fixes, too. Read more for details ...

Stranger is a real-time strategy game, with elements of role playing games set in a world, split in two parts, surface and a subterranean one, which are in a tenuous balance. Stranger will also feature multiplayer, although details beyond "The players may play on their own, or unite in teams" are a bit sketchy. Check the fresly launched official website or read more for new screens ...

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Bomber Command"... Map info: "Warring Marines have taken over Icecrown Glacier. Command your bomber force to destroy your opponent's town while scrambling to defend your own." This is a small map size and the suggested no. of players is 3v3. It is based on the "Icecrown Glacier" tileset. Go download it here!

The Guild 2 will be a combination of unique sweeping role-play and a fascinating life-simulation, conjuring the medieval life anew on your PC. As in the successful predecessor Europa 1400: The Guild and the subsequent expansion pack, the newest development by 4HeadStudios awakes the 14th century to a new life. Check the freshly launched official website, or read more to check new screens ...