Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, a prequel to the full GT 5 release, will be available for download, and on Blu-ray. GT 5 Prologue will sport improved AI, and for the first time include multiplayer up to 16 cars, with integrated with online features, such as a profile editor and an online event calendar.

KartRider fuses the thrill of addicting, old-school multiplayer kart riding mayhem with innovative track design customization options, millions of uniquely created character personalities and endless kart modifications. As promised, Nexon America has launched the open beta client. Sign up now!

Namco Bandai's One Piece: Unlimited Adventure, based on the animated TV series, will make its exclusive debut on the Wii. Join Captain Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates as they embark on a search for the ultimate treasure in this all new original quest.

A recent study by Virtual Worlds Management revealed that venture capital, technology and media firms have invested more than $1 billion dollars in 35 virtual worlds companies in the past 12 months, ranging from Walt Disney, CBS and Time Warner to Intel.

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

• Conan [PS3/X360] - Making Of Trailer
• Need for Speed ProStreet [ALL] - Social Features Trailer
• Geometry Wars: Galaxies [NDS/Wii] - Trailer #3
• Trauma Center: New Blood [Wii] - Trailer #2
• Fracture [ALL] - Terrain Deformation Trailer
• Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer [PS3/PC] - Trailer
• Beowulf [ALL] - Game Story Trailer
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

The Orange Box will be available via Steam and at retail outlets beginning next Wednesday, Oct. 10th. In preparation for launch, Valve has begun pre-loading both Portal and Half-Life 2: Ep. Two to those who have pre-purchased The Orange Box. The pre-purchase campaign, available via Steam and at participating retailers, grants gamers access to the Team Fortress 2 beta and a 10% discount off the regular price of $49.95.

SCEA has released several playable demos for upcoming games on the PlayStation Network, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War and The Simpsons, in addition to the full version of its latest skiing game, Go! Sports Ski, for $2.99 US. If those are not to your liking, there are also various game trailers and tutorial videos for Eye of Judgment and NBA 08.

As we revealed a few weeks ago, EA officially announced that Boogie is coming to the NDS/PS2. Boogie will have gamers dancing, singing and starring in their own music videos. Players can also choose and customize different characters in the game to best show off their dancing style and karaoke skills.

Cooking Mama 2 promises more culinary fun and even tastier gameplay as Mama cooks up a spicy storm with new recipes, twice as many mini-games and an all-new multiplayer mode to challenge other players to a ‘cook off’, Mama style.

With advanced next generation visuals, hundreds of new animations, and a wealth of new innovative features, including all new crowd atmosphere that can affect the game performance of teams, College Hoops 2K8 is set to run the competition off the court with authentic college basketball game action.