Valve today announced a Source Engine licensing partnership with Arkane Studios, creators of Arx Fatalis. Already in development, Arkane's Source-based project is targeted for the PC. Valve's Source Engine Technology, the same used to create Half-Life 2, gives developers the ability to create expressive digital actors and physically simulated worlds. It also offers advanced rendering capabilities and the industry's most convincing artificial intelligence.

Wartime Command: Battle For Europe 1939-1945 is the stunning World War II tactical real time strategy game from Russian developers 1C Company in Russia. The game development project has been retitled from Battlefield Command to give it prominence in a cluttered market of similar product brands. Wartime Command will launch for PC in the spring of 2004. Read more for some new tank screens ...

As the one-year anniversary of the Xbox Live launch (14th March 2004) draws near, Xbox today announced a great-value Starter Kit package. Xbox also confirmed subscription renewal options that make it easy for the 100,000 European gamers now experiencing the service to continue enjoying the thrills of Xbox Live – Europe's first choice for online gaming.

Set in the near future, speed heads will be able to take control of one of a selection of bizarre characters and pilot a 'blade', a jet-engined, anti-gravity bike, around tracks designed to rattle nerves and brain alike. The ultimate goal is to master both the blade and 24 different circuits at break-neck speed across exotic locations such as a partially terra-formed planet and a sub-tropical jungle in a distant part of the galaxy. Evolved Games today announced the release date of Powerdrome, the fastest racing experience for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, as April 2004.

Big Huge Games, developer of the Rise of Nation strategy game, has licensed SpeedTree for an upcoming game title. "We chose SpeedTree for the phenomenal CAD abilities of the program, which we've used to create believable and compelling environments for our next game," said Big Huge Games founder and Vice President Tim Train. "This software package has saved us invaluable time. Once we had tried the free evaluation version, we knew we had to upgrade to the full product." Big Huge Games has not revealed the name or any details of the new title.

If you like your women with a sense of adventure then you're going to love the 29 levels of platform mayhem in Malice. You'll find yourself trekking through completely original environments from the Orrery, the gigantic clockwork heart of the universe, to the toxic river basin of Gloop River or the infernal Fire Fortress. What more do you want from a woman; a sense of adventure, great personality and sexy looks. Malice on PlayStation 2 and Xbox will make the perfect date when it is published by Evolved Games in March. Read more for some new screens ...

Van Helsing, the third-person action game, transports players back to the macabre world of 19th century Transylvania - home to the legendary Dracula, Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster. As the renowned monster hunter Van Helsing, players must hunt down and destroy the evil that inhabits these ancient lands before darkness engulfs the world. Van Helsing is being developed by Saffire Studios and will be available in the Spring of 2004 in conjunction with the film's release.

The storyline follows the player through the major actions in the conflict, from search and destroy missions around Danang airbase to the Tet offensive and the counterattack on Hue. A cast of AI controlled characters accompanies the player through the missions, and he learns their value and mourns their loss as the war progresses. The game will support a cooperative mode that allows the player to experience the entire tour of duty with his friends, and various multiplayer modes allow the player to experience the war from the perspective of North Vietnamese Army or Viet Cong guerillas as well as US Forces.

Battlefront has released the first patch for their recently released WWII hybrid turn-based/realtime 3D simulation Combat Mission: Afrika Korps. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.01 and addresses the usual gameplay tweaks, bug fixes and so forth. This patch works for the US as well as European edition of the game but games saved in v1.01 can't be loaded in by the older version. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...