At Microsoft Tech-Ed Australia, Valve has named the upcoming Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition as the preferred development environment for hobbyist Windows developers creating modifications for Source, the engine on which Half-Life 2 is built. In addition, during Tech-Ed Australia, attendees will get to hear how Team Dystopia created its modification for Half-Life 2 with Visual C++.

Deep in the wildest outback the best rally pilots compete on some of the most beautiful and longest tracks of the world. Races are dangerous: arriving in one piece at the end of a stage is already a victory... Choose from 30 vehicles the one that you consider to suit best to conquer the vast wilderness. And attention, with Grand Raid Offroad you will definetly be facing vastness.

NHL 2K6 continues its legacy with more control, more emotion and more detail than ever before. Puck fans take command of tape-to-tape passing, behind-the-net plays and precision give-and-go attacks. Players dominate the ice with NHL caliber goaltending, skating, checking and puck handling with the deeply enhanced animation system. Featuring all-new presentation elements, commentary and cut-scenes, NHL 2K6 is the ultimate hockey experience.

In Bulletproof, 50 gets caught in a web of corruption, double-crosses and shady deals that lead him on a bloody path through New York's drug underworld. Working with the unlikeliest of allies, the streets heat up as 50 Cent takes on the most dangerous crime families in the city, uncovering an international conspiracy with devastating implications. The streets are watching as 50 Cent blasts his way to the truth.

The Seattle Times is speculating that Bill Gates might be opening shop in New York to promote the upcoming Xbox 360. A retail store would dovetail with Microsoft's recent efforts to raise its profile in New York, an area that generates more than $1 billion a year in business-software sales for the company. New York is also home to the media giants Microsoft is courting with its software for distributing and protecting music, movies, games and television. Possible location might be smack in the middle of Times Square.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• Bet on Soldier - Trailer #10
• Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure - Trailer #5
• Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects - Story Mode Trailer
• Prince of Persia Kindred Blades - Dev. Diary #2
• The Witcher - Trailer (3)
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

The fourth game in the PC strategy series that has sold over five million copies, Sid Meier's Civilization IV is a bold step forward for the franchise, with spectacular new 3D graphics and all-new single and multiplayer content. Civilization IV will also set a new standard for user-modification, allowing gamers to create their own add-ons using the standard Python and XML scripting languages. Firaxis producer Barry Caudill tells us more about the new Civilization IV promotions feature.

This third person action/RPG is set in the post-apocalyptic environment full of menacing mysteries and unfriendly inhabitants. Explore the new world using your heavy truck. The truck is your ultimate shelter, armor and a mean to earn your living. The upgrades of your heavy truck will pave the road to your victories in truck battles. Seems Buka changed the name of the game once more...

Atari and Marc Ecko today announced Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure will now ship in November 2005 for a simultaneous launch on the PS2, Xbox, and PC. "The extra time offers the development team at The Collective additional time for adding the polish that a groundbreaking game like Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure deserves," said Marc Metis, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Atari, Inc.

SNK announced today that they have shipped - The King of Fighters 02/03 Combo for the Xbox. The King of Fighters 02/03 is the ultimate two-in-one pack of extreme 2D fighting on two DVDs. The King of Fighters 02/03 Combo will feature Xbox Live head-to-head fighting with KOF 2003 also supporting Tournament mode and rematch capabilities.