Publisher Strategy First and developer Stardock are pleased to announce the release of update version 1.02 for Galactic Civilizations, their hugely successful 4x space strategy game that was released on March 26th. This upgrade brings a few new features and playability enhancements as well as some AI fixes. The update can be downloaded through the ingame Stardock Central. Read more for detailed fix list ...

‘The Great Escape’ is based on the 1963 Oscar nominated film staring Steve McQueen and revolves around actual events during WW2. The game is set in a number of unique locations, from POW camps to a mountain-top castle. Game levels include a busy hospital, a chase through a moving train and escape from an active Luftwaffe airfield. The core of the game centres on the largest mass breakout ever, from the ‘escape proof’ Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp. The game uses the powerful storyline and strong characters from the film to place the player in the heart of the action, as the POW’s resist the German war machine. It uses a combination of stealth, combat and frantic action involving multiple vehicles and an awesome motorbike based finale.

As announced and expected the ESO site mentions that the new 1.05 patch for Age of Mythology is now available through the auto updater. The patch fixes an armory tech research exploit, some localization bugs, a crash related to alt-tabbing and a fix when it comes to god power triggers. A manual patch will be released soon and we will mirror it when such becomes available (thanks Blues).

Harbinger is a single-player action / RPG set in a fantastic science fiction universe. As one of three distinct character types, players explore the world of Harbinger - journey to the far reaches of space, battle unique foes never before seen in any medium, discover powerful new weapons and alien technologies, and uncover the dark secrets buried within the massive starship's steel walls. Dreamcatcher has released the first patch for Harbinger bringing your retail game to v1.1. The upgrade adresses several quest issues, improves Culibine amp usage, configuration tools, and fixes a few other bugs. Read more for download links ...

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own post, we grouped them and so far there are trailers for :

• Sacred (Ascaron)
• Brute Force (Microsoft)
• 
  
  Read more for download links ...

Activision announced today that it has signed an exclusive, long-term agreement with California-based Spark Unlimited to create a Call of Duty console game for GameCube, Xbox and PS2. The title, which has been in development since late last year, will debut for all three platforms next year. The Spark-created console title will be totally different from the Infinity Ward-developed PC game, which is slated for release later this year.

In 'Gremlins', the two protagonists of one of the most celebrated battles in the cinema meet again in a platform game that promises hours of fun and laughs. Gizmo, the Mogwai attempts to find the Gremlins and capture them all to keep them from doing any more harm. The game recreates the most famous scenes of the movie on more than 10 different levels (Billy’s house, the school laboratory, the department store, the movie theater, etc.). With the option of playing either one of two radically different characters, the game is sure to offer hours of lasting enjoyment. Check these new screens ...

The cover story for the newest print issue of Game Informer magazine has some details about the upcoming Xbox version of Counter-Strike that is being developed by Ritual Entertainment and Valve Software. According to the article, the Xbox version of the popular PC multiplayer shooter will contain all the current content of the PC version plus all of the content of the upcoming Counter-Strike: Condition Zero single player game. There will be some Xbox exclusive content as well, including at least five new multiplayer levels, two new weapons (the Syringe and Machete) and some graphical improvements including 24 bit textures and better lighting and particle effects. There are also hints in the article that there might be support for user created gameplay modes in the Xbox Counter-Strike, although there were no specifics mentioned (thanks HomeLAN).

Konami of America, Inc. announced today that Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel for Nintendo Game Boy Advance has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. The latest installment in the best-selling Yu-Gi-Oh! video game series, Worldwide Edition brings to life the enormously popular Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game with stunning accuracy. Worldwide Edition features more than 1,000 game cards and updated Trading Card Game rules. As an added bonus Worldwide Edition comes with three powerful limited-edition Trading Game Cards only available with the game: Harpie's Feather Duster, Sinister Serpent and Valkyrion The Magna Warrior.