Xicat Interactive, the publisher of the award-winning video games brings RPG action to the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, with the release of BlackStone: Magic and Steel on Friday 28th March 2003, so steel yourself with this fact sheet.

Starting with nothing except some cash and a passion for food, build your restaurant from the ground up. Hire waiters, decorate your restaurant and even cook the meals! Buy, build, outsell and out-price the competition. The developers behind Restaurant Empire (Enlight) are one of the world's leading developers of entertainment software.. Five pictures of restaurants that look good enough to eat. At.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom" brings on surge of interest in military titles.. CNN reports that PC and video games may generally serve as nice breaks from reality, but the U.S. war on Iraq has sparked gamer interest in current events. Military-themed games, which were already experiencing a sales surge well before the war, are becoming even more popular. Titles such as "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault" (letting gamers recreate the storming of Normandy) and "Battlefield 1942" (a fictional version of World War II, letting players choose any of five nationalities) have been fixtures in the Top 10 selling games list for months now, but with last week's military action by the U.S., retailers say consumer demand has increased. Full article here!

Capcom today announced the release of Auto Modellista, the highly anticipated online racing action for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Auto Modellista is the first true cell-shaded online racing game to utilize SEGA Network Application Package (SNAP) technology for networked gameplay. The online feature in Auto Modellista provides players the option of racing head-to-head with eight driving opponents online. Auto Modellista is rated ‘E’ for everyone by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) and is now available at retailers across North America... Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and the Nintendo GameCube has shipped. Players can create and control their Sims like never before with level-based gameplay, two-player modes, and dynamic 3D graphics. The Sims for the Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube were developed by the company's Walnut Creek-based Maxis studio in conjunction with Austin-based, Edge of Reality, Ltd. and carries an ESRB rating of "T" for Teen.

Majorem Ltd. And The Stratics Massively Multiplayer Gaming Network are pleased to announce a dev-chat with the developers of Ballerium, the Massive multiplayer strategy game. The Chat will be held on Thursday April 3rd at 8PM GMT in #BalleriumHoC on the Stratics IRC servers. Their topic this evening will be "Ballerium Beta". They will also be discussing the game's current development status as well as the upcoming E3 showup so make sure to join them that evening! Read more for details!

Top Spin is the complete tennis experience, that allows gamers to define their own playing style, take risks, pull off world-class tennis shots, argue calls and work the crowd to develop their own unique image on the court. In addition, gamers can train with a coach to master different shots and playing surfaces and work their way up the online rankings to become the best in the world. "Top Spin" offers gamers singles or doubles matches with 16 of the world's top pros including cover athlete and the world's #1, Lleyton Hewitt.

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing division of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. proudly announces the street date for State of Emergency for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Developed by VIS, State of Emergency, already a "Greatest Hits" title for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system is expected to hit retail shelves at a MSRP of $19.99 on March 26th, 2003 in North America, and will be available in Europe on April 4th, 2003.

Ubi Soft Entertainment announced today that Shadowbane, the ground breaking massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game for both PC and Macintosh, has shipped to retailers in North America. Shadowbane was designed and developed by Wolfpack Studios, based in Austin, Texas, and is hosted and operated by ubi.com... ARUSH Entertainment and Groove Games today announced that developer Digitalo's first person shooter Devastation is shipping to North American retailers and will be on shelves this week at a MSRP of $39.99. The game features 22 huge singleplayer missions and a whopping 14 levels for multiplayer, plus the ability to choose to play in either Arcade mode or Simulation mode, each with varying degrees of difficulty.

The next evolution in off-road gaming has arrived with the release of Cabela's Off-Road Adventure 3 for the PC from Activision Value, a division of Activision, Inc. Featuring a combination of fast-paced off-road driving action and the ability to hunt, players explore vast landscapes as they advance through increasingly more challenging missions to earn money, upgrade their rigs and unlock additional activities that will take them one step closer to reaching their goal of becoming a member of the "Cabela's Driving Club." Cabela's Off-Road Adventure 3 is available at retail stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $19.99 and has been rated "T" (TEEN) by the ESRB.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that it has begun shipping The Lost Vikings for Game Boy Advance -- the company's first title under its recently formed Blizzard Classic Arcade label.