DreamCatcher today announced Cold War has reached beta status. To mark the occasion, DreamCatcher is holding a call-for-entries for participants in the official beta test. The Cold War beta test sign-up is now open and will close August 17, 2005, at which point Dreamcatcher will select testers based on a variety of system configurations and locations. International entries are welcomed and encouraged.

Atari has released a patch for Firaxis' action/adventure game Sid Meier's Pirates! This patch brings your retail game to v1.02 and addresses a variety of bugs and game crashes, some graphic issues and several AI tweaks. Read more for download links ...

Dreamlords is an MMORTS game currently in development over at Lockpick Entertainment. Scheduled for 2006, Dreamlords is a persistent world in which victories and hard work will not pass unnoticed. Everything gained will make the player stronger for the next encounter.

Midway Games today announced the newest addition to the Rampage series with the development of Rampage: Total Destruction. This latest installment reinvents the classic arcade series and offers up a wide array of playable monsters that have the ability to perform unique combo attacks and individual super moves.

Developed by Splash Damage and built on id Software's new MegaTexture rendering technology, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars pits the armies of Earth against the invading alien Strogg in the ultimate online strategic shooter. Featuring strategic team play, persistent character promotions, day and nighttime combat missions, and the universe's most powerful weapons and vehicles, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars transports players to the front lines of an epic new war for Earth.

Namco announced today that their much-anticipated Namco Museum 50th Anniversary has entered duplication. The game is due to boogie onto store shelves this August, and will be available for the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA, and PC.

Groove Games today announced World War II Combat: Road to Berlin, a high-intensity first person shooter (FPS) set in and around the chaotic battle grounds of Berlin during the final days of World War II. Developed by Direct Action Games, creators of the SPEC OPS series, Combat: Task Force 121, World War II Combat: Road to Berlin features single player and multiplayer action modes on Xbox Live.

In Dragon Quest VIII, the first time on the PS2, old meets new, as classic gameplay is married to sumptuous graphics, delivering a sweeping adventure. Characters designed by Akira Toriyama are brought to life by "cel-shading," bringing gamers of all ages into a world straight out of Japanese anime.

EA Europe today announced plans to co-publish Namco's PS2 exclusive We Love Katamari in PAL territories, early 2006. We Love Katamari sees the return of the pocket-sized Prince and his merry band of multi-coloured cousins under the watchful eye of his Exalted Smugness, the King of All Cosmos.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding the latest update for Counter-Strike Source and Half-Life 2, mainly addressing a few mod issues and enabling low violence content. Read more for details, or just restart Steam for the effects to take place.