You know Rayman, you know Globox and Murfy, and you've met the Hoodlums -- now get ready for the Knaaren, possibly Rayman's most imposing enemy to date. Not the kind of guys you want to encounter in a dark alley (or anywhere else for that matter), the Knaaren growl violent mantras as they systematically crush anything in their path. To succeed in his world-saving mission, Rayman will have to win their allegiance using both brains and brawn -- no easy feat. Oh, the Knaaren also have a bit of a gong fetish. Yeah, gongs. Go figure.

Strategic thinking and intense racing come together in APEX­ the most graphically stunning and sophisticated racing title for the Xbox. APEX immerses players in the glamorous, yet fierce, world of advanced car design and racing. After inheriting a small production garage, players immediately begin designing, building and racing their very own custom roadsters, sportscars, supercars and dreamcars.

Irrational Games has just released a new patch for their tactical RPG 'Freedom Force'. Freedom Force version 1.2 contains fixes for minor bugs and game tuning issues, as well as Surround Gaming support for the Matrox Parhelia. Read more for details and download links ..

The game is developed on original high-tech engine The Firestarter Engine, which uses the possibilities of the latest accelerator generation GeForce 3, 4. Among the engine possibilities are work with outdoor and indoor areas, coloured dynamic lighting, dynamic shadows, vertex and pixel shaders, T&L, procedure textures, various classes of particle system-based effects, interactive and destructible level objects, realistic physics, high-polygonal character and monster models (up to 5000 of polygons), skeleton animation. The official website has been updated (thanks Unrealik)with 3 new screens, read more to check them out

Sega has released a first trailer from AM2's gun-shooter Virtua Cop. The latest installment in the series is running on a Chihiro board which is based on the Xbox chipset and will feature Bullet Time-style slowdowns which can be activated with a pedal (thanks Evilavatar). Read more for download links ...

Noticed on Bluesnews that the German Anno 1503 Homepage has word that "Die Demo ist da," or that the German demo version of SUNFLOWERS' city-building trading strategy prequel is now available. This playable demo version for Anno 1503 contains four different game modes and scenarios. In two introduction games the player learns the first steps of establishing a settlement, discovering of civilizations, the trade with natives and the setting-up of commercial routes. When the two introduction games are successfully completed, 2 new scenarios ("settling" and "fight") will unlock. Read more for links where to download it ...

Galactic Civilizations is a strategy game set in space at the dawn of the 23rd century, where you become the leader of the human civilization. The galaxy has 6 major civilizations and the race is on to colonize, conquer, and dominate the galaxy using whatever means necessary. Today we got some new Galactic Civilizations screens, which just hit Beta 5! Njoy!

Casino. Inc features a fully interactive 3D environment, three cities, a selection of 6 different themed casino, and a huge cast of over 120 villains, gamblers and would-be entrepreneurs. Mixing humour with infinitely adaptable gameplay, Casino. Inc is proof of Konami's versatility as a publisher and marks Konami's first move into the simulation genre on PC.

Set in the year 2666, events in AquaNox 2: Revelation run simultaneously to the action in the original AquaNox game. After years of destruction, the land on planet Earth is no longer fit for human habitation. To continue their existence, humans descend into the oceans. The oceans now provide the stunning backdrop for the fierce power struggles and exciting battles which are now commonplace for life underwater. Chekc out the new screens ...

Set in the future where Earth is little more than a burnt cinder, players must battle their way through a series of arenas in fights to the death with CPU or human opponents. Viewed in the third person, players have access to a wealth of armaments and must use cunning, stealth and high velocity weapons to defeat the increasingly tough opponents. Projectile, handheld weaponry and spell-casting are used to progress, resulting in incredible melees as Apocalyptica draws the player further in.