Codemasters announced today that the development of Dragon Empires, the next generation massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has entered the first live testing phase, with a focus on the online Player vs. Player combat system. For the development team, this milestone was deemed critical as the combat mode lies at the heart of Dragon Empires, where battles for supremacy in the cities play a primary role in the game.

Electronic Arts today announced plans to release this September the SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition in North America. Players can now make the biggest cities with the most comprehensive and exciting SimCity ever. SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition includes SimCity 4, the best-selling PC game of 2003 to date* and the franchise's first expansion pack, SimCity 4 Rush Hour, that focuses on the #1 most requested feature among fans, transportation. SimCity 4 Rush Hour also is scheduled for release September 2003.

Over 2000 years ago there was a city called Sparta. The city had only two purposes – to train for war and to fight the wars she trained for. Over time Sparta became renowned for having the strongest, fastest, bravest and most deadly fighters in the known world. They were the Spartaites and were feared by all. With these warriors Sparta carved out an Empire for itself –‘Lakedaimon’. However, it was soon to find that its reign was not to be unopposed and other great cities were rising to the fore; Athens, Thebes, Corinth, Macedonia and not to forget the threat from the east – the massive Persian Empire. Can you unite Greece in time to defy the Great King and his mighty Persian Empire?

Egomaniacs launches its new funky site today in preparation for ECTS/GDC Europe. With their unique and professional approach to talent management, coupled with several new and exciting projects, the ego agents look set to continue their meteoric rise. Their business model is simple: they act as Agents for the creative talent in the video games industry. Egomaniacs represent their clients in the same way a sports agent would represent a sports star. "We personally know all the people we represent, giving us a more in depth understanding of their ambitions, skill and personality," said Elliot Hill, co-founder. "It is only in this way that we can offer them true representation. We are always on the prowl." With reference to their continual search for exceptional talent, if you would like to chat to the ego agents then visit their site at www.egomaniacs.biz

NovaLogic Ltd. today announced their plans to hit a new street date of first quarter 2004 for the brand new multiplayer based PC title Joint Operations. "Joint Operations will be NovaLogic's first pan-European release" commented Paul Rebhan, Managing Director of NovaLogic Ltd. "We're looking forward to offering European gamers - the most compelling experience of the modern battlefield ever seen." Set in Indonesia in the near future, Joint Operations takes the player to a country on the verge of disintegration. Regional independence movements have acquired advanced weaponry as the nation's military splits into competing factions. Escalating violence threatens innocent civilians and Western economic interests. Joint Operations will ship during Q1 2004 on PC.

Step into the world of SX Superstar, an ultra-realistic trip into the essence of supercross, chock full of smokin’ arcade-racing action that will release the rock star within. Take your rider from the poorhouse to the penthouse in the only supercross title that focuses on the lifestyle aspect of professional supercross. Pull huge air and squash the comp for a big win, then line your pockets with cold, hard cash. Rake in enough bucks and start living the good life with better bikes, bigger houses and of course, hotter chicks! It’s like your life, only better! All of this sounds very promising, so read on to find out whether it actually succeeds ...

Tecmo's Team Ninja has always released the Dead or Alive games on the most advanced hardware platforms available at the time the game is made. As a result of this, Dead or Alive 1,2, and 3 have all been released on different platforms. This fall, gamers will have the chance to experience the entire history of the DOA series for the first time on a single console. Tecmo's esteemed internal development group, "Team Ninja" and Microsoft's Xbox will be teaming up to bring the beloved classics Dead or Alive 1 and Dead or Alive 2 to the Xbox in Dead or Alive Online. The new anthology will bring 3D fighting to the masses with full Xbox Live capabilities.

In Squad Assault: West Front, you command troops in both the Allied and German Armies of the West Front of World War II in an immersive full 3-D continuous time environment. Squad Assault: West Front features detailed models for all the major armies that fought in France in 1944, including American, German, British, Canadian, and Free French. For those who prefer traditional turn-oriented play, a user defined auto-pause feature for order entry and battlefield assessment allows for a more thoughtful game. A 2D overhead map view with order entry is also available for those who prefer to see the battle from above. Check the new batch of screens ...

Activision held its yearly Activiate press event in the UK and all the way from oversead we have fresh new visual material. We have screens from Activision's following/upcoming titles :

• Pitfall Harry
• Call Of Duty
• Empire: Dawn Of The Modern World
• Spider Man 2
• Shrek 2
• Rome: Total War
• Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines
• True Crime: Streets Of LA
• Tony Hawk Underground
• Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure