EA and DICE today announced that development is underway on the expansion pack for Battlefield 2 PC game. Powered by the Battlefield 2 game engine, Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

The acclaimed TOCA series will return with every element of motorsport for real in TOCA Race Driver 2006 (known in Europe as TOCA Race Driver 3). Race drivers will be competing in a massive variety of the world's most aggressive motorsports, complete with explosive damage effects, head-to-head online multiplayer racing and a game engine rebuilt for a greater degree of simulation.

Paradox Interactive announced today that is has acquired the Europa Universalis brand and all associated intellectual property rights.

Midway today announced a number of licensing details and in game talent for LA RUSH, bringing an entirely unique experience to the reinvention of this over-the-top racing franchise. With celebrity and hip-hop talent starring as in game characters, an intense soundtrack, the latest in both concept and licensed cars LA RUSH has it all.

Dungeon Siege II is the sequel to Dungeon Siege, an action fantasy role-playing game featuring an immersive fully 3-D environment. The original Dungeon Siege plunges players into a 3-D fantasy world where players can build up a party and move seamlessly from one over-the-top battle to the next.

Not a big surprise considering its retail success, through an interview with IGN, EA revealed that its DICE development studio is working on an expansion pack for its recently released multiplayer FPS sequel Battlefield 2. While the original game is being fought out between regular grunts, BF2: Special Forces will beef up all the classes to Special Forces and add 7-8 new night/day maps (smaller troop oriented, urban environment, airport map, missile launch facility etc.), gadgets (night vision and grappler/zipline, flashbang, tear gas), six new armies (Navy Seals, British SAS, Russian Spetznaz, MEC Special Forces and two insurgent groups), ten new vehicles, and twelve new base weapons. Battlefield 2: Special Forces is expected Fall of 2005.

Far Cry Instincts is a technically advanced gaming experience built from the ground up using the kind of cutting-edge technology that Far Cry fans will recognize from the PC title. Yesterday Ubisoft announced Far Cry Instincts will ship exclusively for Xbox in September 2005, and today we catch up with multiplayer game designer Alexandre Mandryka talking about the multiplayer portion of the game.

The new game will follow the plot of the original "From Russia with Love" film, including the battle on the Orient Express and the boat chase sequence, but will expand the story with new action sequences. The development team approached the game as a director's cut of the film, which will allow the player to utilize such cool toys as the jetpack and a Q-copter as well as the trusty Walther PPK handgun.

JoWooD Productions continues its successful cooperation with the German developer Piranha Bytes by publishing one of the most spectacular titles of the coming year: Gothic III, the third part of the legendary RPG saga. Check out the new screens...

Microsoft announced that it has signed exclusive rights to develop and publish MMO games featuring Marvel Enterprises' super heroes, including Spider-man, the X-men and the Hulk. The deal covers massively multiplayer online (MMO) game titles developed for Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360 and published by the game studio. The deal is Marvel's first MMO pact, and the first title is expected in 2008.