Sony Online Entertainment Inc. today announced Lords of EverQuest, the next-generation of Real-Time Strategy (RTS) gaming, marking the company's entrance into offline PC gaming. Inspired by the world of online gaming phenomenon EverQuest, Lords of EverQuest features an enthralling storyline drawing gamers to the land of Antonica as they control one of 15 Lords and manage massive armies in their quest for domination. Lords of EverQuest will set new standards for the traditional RTS genre with thousands of items, hundreds of spells, the ability for all units in the game to gain experience and abilities, and free online multiplayer options* for up to 12 players per game. Lords of EverQuest is being developed by Rapid Eye Entertainment and published by Sony Online Entertainment, and is expected to ship to U.S. and Canadian retail stores this fall.

TransGaming Technologies, a leading developer of software portability solutions for the video games industry, announced today the much-anticipated release of WineX 3.0, TransGaming's flagship Linux portability product that allows PC games and applications to seamlessly and transparently run on the Linux operating system, directly out-of-the-box.

Codemasters today confirms that Operation Flashpoint 2, a true sequel to the million-selling military simulator, has been commissioned. The setting and theme for the game will be revealed at E3, the global games expo (Los Angeles Convention Centre, May 14-16). Operation Flashpoint 2 is in design and development at Bohemia Interactive Studio, the Prague-based creators of the original title, and will launch late in 2004 for PC.

Details have emerged of Sony's plans to sell a variety of hardware bundles at existing prices through its online store in Japan - including a bundle which would feature a network adapter for free with a new console purchase. This deal would put the PlayStation 2 on an equal footing with the Xbox in terms of network functionality, as one of the key selling points of Microsoft's console has been that it requires no additional hardware for online gaming.

If you have pictures of your grandiose palaces, proud cities, mighty battles or impressive buildings then just send them to the 1503 A.D. team to take part in next month’s Screenshot Contest! Submit your screenshots before the middle of the month to take part in the current qualifier. They will then choose the twelve best submissions and post them in the brand-new Screenshot Contest area on their website.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that hard rock front man (Black Flag, Rollins Band), actor (“The Chase,” “Johnny Mnemonic”) and spoken word artist Henry Rollins has signed on to voice the role of Mace Griffin in the upcoming video game “Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter.” The sci-fi action game will be available second quarter 2003 for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo GameCube.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. today announced that Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, the continuation of the popular Arc the Lad series, will launch in June 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, a true, traditional role-playing game (RPG), takes place thousands of years after the last installment in the series with an all-new captivating storyline, an innovative battle system and a variety of playable characters with unique abilities. Set in a visually stunning world of life-like graphics and using motion-captured cut scenes to enhance an intriguing storyline, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits delivers an epic role-playing adventure perfect for fans of strategy, adventure and RPG games.

F-Zero will be a souped-up installment of the supersonic racing franchise, developed by SEGA for Nintendo GameCube. The Japanese arcade version of the game, tentatively titled F-Zero AC, was recently revealed in Tokyo at the AOU (All Nippon Amusement Machine Operators' Union) arcade show. Four new screens to check out below!

Age of Mythology: The Titans is an expansion pack for Age of Mythology. Using familiar elements of classical mythology, Age of Mythology casts players as one of nine unique civilizations from ancient Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythologies. Players can reinforce their armies with mythological creatures like Cyclopes and Medusas or call upon the mighty powers of gods such as Zeus to rain down lightning bolts on unsuspecting enemies. Age of Mythology also incorporates Ensemble Studios' trademark features from previous Age of Empires games, including a compelling economic model, a massive army and battle system, unequaled artificial intelligence, random maps, intuitive gameplay and extreme attention to detail. The expansion will be available in stores this fall.

The first Beach Soccer video game designed especially for fans of football and arcade games. Due out in May 2003 on Xbox/PS2/GBA/PC. Discover all the excitement of this new sport which is taking football's greatest stars by storm. This arcade game is set in the unique and exotic atmosphere of stadiums from Rio to Dubai. Pro Beach Soccer is a fun game with cool looking players, spectacular moves and DJs playing hot tunes in the different settings! check out these 20+ new PC screens ...