In Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean trying to become the most revered and feared pirate in history - exploring high seas and exotic ports, overtaking enemies in fierce naval battles, engaging in duels and attempting to seize valuable booty.

2K Games today announced that Stronghold 2 has gone gold. Developed by the UK-based team at Firefly Studios, Stronghold 2 lets gamers get in touch with their inner king as they construct and maintain a castle, defending its walls from invaders and expanding its borders by attacking neighboring territories. Featuring multiple single player campaigns, reenactments of historical sieges, multiplayer modes for up to eight people and a full-featured mission and campaign editor, Stronghold 2 is the ultimate medieval combat and castle life simulation. Stronghold 2 is rated T for teen and will be available for PC on April 19th for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Jowood has released yet another patch for Wing Simulations' multiplayer shooter SÖLDNER: Secret Wars. This v33628 patch synchronises SÖLDNER: Secret Wars, SÖLDNER: Reloaded, the newest add-on SÖLDNER: Marine Corps to one version number, and fixes a ton of bugs and gameplay issues. Read more for details and download links ...

It's hell on the highway and Electronic Arts today announced plans to let gamers live out their wildest commuter fantasies this September with Burnout Revenge. Burnout Revenge lets gamers rip through rush hour traffic and lay waste to scores of rubbernecking roadhogs in an over-the-top scene of vehicular mayhem. The game is currently in development by Criterion Games for the PS2 and Xbox.

Dark and Light developer NPCUBE and publisher Farlan Entertainment, jointly announce today that the release date for their MMORPG Dark and Light has been set to November 2005.

EARTH 2160 is an RTS game based on the popular and successful EARTH series. Including single and multiplayer modes. The game uses the latest Earth III engine. Storing objects in a format based on the mathematical model of Bezier-curves instead of polygons. Giving an as yet unseen level of detail, only limited by the hardware used. Today we reveal the picture-in-picture feature ...

Boiling Point: Road to Hell, previously known as Xenus, will combine intense armed combat with exploration and interaction with a vast and seamless open-ended gaming world. Boiling Point: Road to Hell is in development by Ukrainian developer Deep Shadows and is scheduled for release in Spring 2005.

Codemasters confirmed today that it has secured a significant investment from Benchmark Capital Europe, the top-tier venture capital firm. Benchmark's substantial investment will be used to accelerate Codemasters' programme of new game development.

A day earlier than expected Vivendi has released the multiplayer demo for MadDoc's upcoming RTS Empire Earth II. The demo offers 3 of the game's 15 epochs (Renaissance, Imperial, and Enlightenment), and 3 of the game's nine multiplayer modes (Conquest, King of the Hill, and Territory Control), playable for up to 10 players. The demo also includes the previously released singleplayer demo but with updated content (thanks FilePlanet). Read more for download links ...

Linden Lab's 3D digital world Second Life goes global with Version 1.6, providing more access, more tools and more entertainment opportunities for the community. International keyboard support enabling Second Life’s international audience to communicate in their own language. New in-world tools streamline and simplify the 3D design process. In-world video streaming, letting residents screen their original movies to an ever-expanding audience. Get more details over at the official Second Life website.