For years, the world record on NES' legendary Super Mario Bros. video game was stalled at 5 minutes and 20 seconds. In recent months, however, increased media publicity on classic gaming has re-ignited player enthusiasm for breaking long-standing records, with world titles falling on titles like Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

One of the most anticipated video games of 2004, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow will make its big screen debut next month, in a first ever coast-to-coast video game tournament that will connect participants playing the game in New York and Los Angeles. The world premiere event will take place on March 15, at the Loews Cinemas movie theaters as hundreds of fans watch gamers battle it out in the "Spies vs. Mercenaries" online tournament.

Barely released in the UK, Empire Interactive has alreadyreleased the first patch for Blitz Games' 3rd person shooter Bad Boys II. No details as to what this patch does, contains, not even a version number, so we will just have to take Empire's word for it (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

To celebrate its European launch Digital Jesters has released the promised v2.0 demo for S2 Games' 3D Online Action/Strategy game Savage: the Battle for Newerth. The latest game demo includes three new maps (Alpenglow, GlacierPoint and SacrificeLedge), alongside new human and beast units and structures, Xfire support, as well as a host of other improvements and enhancements have been introduced, it has been updated with the latest code and contains all the fixes and updates that were made with the previous v2.0 retail patch. Read more for details and download links ...

The Adventure Company today announced that it will publish Aura: Fate of the Ages on PC. Aura’s powerful story is based on an ancient legend that decrees that four sacred rings will bring great strength, power and immortality to he/she who collects them. Read more for details and screens ...

Enlight announced today that X²: The Threat is experiencing great sales across North America and debuted as the top selling PC game in the UK and Germany during the second week of February.

According to published reports Electronic Arts' Origin Systems division is expected to inform its employees today that the company will be closing Origin and relocating its operations to California sometime in the near future. While the Austin game development community is obviously disappointed by the EA's decision, the Austin region will continue to thrive as the 3rd largest hub of game development activity in the United States, with more than 50 companies in the local area making major contributions to the game industry, including game development, publishing, tools, middleware, chips and hardware.

Yee-haw cowboy, time fer ya' to wipe the dust off tha't horsey! Iridon's PC Western title has been signed to BigBen Interactive GmbH for publishing and distribution in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Under the deal a German edition will be produced which is scheduled for release on March 26, 2004. The title will carry a value price point. The Wanted Guns website is located at www.wantedguns.com

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, the follow-up to the number-one on-line action game in the world, Counter-Strike will hit the streets worldwide March 26th, 2004. Co-developed by Valve and Turtle Rock Studios, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero introduces a brand-new single-player experience to the Counter-Strike series, along with special enhancements for on-line play.

In the year 2093 the Nazi's control Earth after winning the Second World War. They appear to possess a time machine, which gives them ultimate power. As one of the members of the conspiracy, you decide to move back to the year 1944 to change the course of the war. Unfortunately the mathematical calculations fail and instead of landing in the time machine room you find yourself just outside the snowy castle.