An oft-neglected era, the age of sail has produced only a few computer games over the years, much to the disappointment of would-be Horatio Hornblowers everywhere. Because of this it is with great excitement that Shrapnel Games would like to announce the signing of Spruegames, a new independent developer who will be joining our award- winning lineup with the imminent release of Salvo.

Set before the events of both Universal Pictures' upcoming summer release The Chronicles of Riddick, starring Vin Diesel, and the 2000 cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero Riddick, the game tells the story of Riddick's dramatic escape from the previously inescapable triple max security slam Butcher Bay, home to the most violent prisoners in the galaxy. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay will be available on Xbox.

Activision and iGames announced today that the best-selling and award-winning Call of Duty, the gritty, cinematic first person action thriller from Infinity Ward, has been added to iGames competitive league play and is now featured throughout its gaming centers nationwide.

"Alias" is a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series’ lead character, Sydney Bristow, an agent for the CIA. Bristow must use her cunning, extensive knowledge of martial arts and array of high-tech gadgetry to accomplish dangerous missions. Read more for some new screens & 4 small trailers showing off Alias's splitscreen mode...

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. today released details from the keynote address given this morning by Andrew House, executive vice president, at the 2004 Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. The General Interest keynote, entitled Encouraging Innovation in Game Development, explored innovation past, present, and future and how developers can take advantage of innovation in their own titles to create experiences that are unique, enjoyable and profitable.

As most people will know this week's news is mainly dominated by various announcements and revelations at the GDC (Game Developers Conference) in San Jose, CA. Vivendi is showing off various in house productions and we have screens & trailers from the following titles :

• Men Of Valor (Xbox/PC) - Screens
• Leisure Suit Larry (PS2/Xbox) - Screens
• Red Ninja: End Of Honor (PS2) - Screens
• Cold Winter (Xbox) - Screens

Eventhough Burut's FPS Kreed is not available in most English speaking countries yet, they are already hard at work on a add-on titled Kreed: Battle for Savitar. Not much info is available, so these new screens will have to do for now ...

Ubisoft accepted two prestigious awards for its critically acclaimed hit Prince of Persia The Sands of Time, at the 4th annual Game Developers Choice Awards in San Jose last night. The Prince of Persia team took home the Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Game Design awards.

Activision, Inc. announced today that Call of Duty and developer Infinity Ward have received the Rookie Studio of the Year and Excellence in Audio honors at the 4th annual Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards, Wednesday night at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, Calif. Presented by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and held during the annual Game Developers Conference, the GDC Awards are the premier accolades for peer-recognition in game development.