CVG today got the rumors confirmed with Infogrames about that Unreal II has been pushed back to a first quarter 2003 release.. Read the full scoop here!

Xbox Live, the fast-action, always-connected broadband gaming service which launches in Europe later this year, will be previewed on the Xbox stand in the Games Matrix at Stuff Live, Europe’s biggest technology showcase, from 3-6 October at Earls Court in London. "Plus the best of 175 new games for Christmas"

Mark Rein from Epic Games just released following good news that Unreal Tournament is now GOLD!! Here is the clip:

Just before 5AM Eastern Standard Time this morning we shipped the release version of Unreal Tournament 2003 to manufacturing. It should be in production later today and in stores before the end of the month. We want to thank everyone on the forum for all of the valuable feedback. In the week since we shipped the demo we worked pretty much non-stop to squash a lot of bugs and incorporate some of the great feedback we got from players all around the world.

Back in the driving seat, Acclaim Entertainment today announced it will release Dakar 2, the all-action arcade version of the most radical endurance rally in the world, across all console platforms in February 2003. The game sees a radical departure from the original, offering a wealth of options and gameplay advancements which will leave off-road race fans gripped and on the edge of their seat as they battle for the finish line. "Dakar 2 Builds On Success Of Paris-Dakar Rally By Delivering Exciting New Features, Adventure And Full-On Arcade Action"

The squad-based, action-adventure game, which will be presented in 3D real time, will be divided into three phases. The initial part of the game will involve stealth and strategy. Players will have to gather their escape squads and the equipment (wire cutters, digging tools, identity cards, etc.) necessary to succeed. The second phase will involve selecting the best method of escape and implementing it successfully - timing will be crucial. Read more below for all you need to know about the film and the game (if all you need to know is a little about them).

NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today announced that it is working closely with Square Co., Ltd., (‘Square’), Japan's leading third-party developer and publisher of home video game console software, on the development of Final Fantasy XI for the Microsoft Windows platform. Square has selected NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti graphics processing units (GPUs) for the development and deployment of the next instalment in the Final Fantasy series, one of the best-selling game franchises of all time. The first PC game developed by Square and the first massively multiplayer online game in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XI delivers crisp 3D graphics and unique visual effects, made possible only by NVIDIA GPUs.

BAM! Entertainment today announced that it has teamed up with acclaimed Japanese developer, Cavia Inc., to develop and publish titles for next generation gaming systems. Members of the development team have worked on award-winning titles, including Sega GT, Ridge Racer and Ace Combat. The first game to come out of this partnership is scheduled to ship in September 2003.

Today Global Star Software, a subsidiary of Take-Two interactive has announced plans to release Vietnam MEDEVAC. This title is the latest installment in their critically acclaimed Search and Rescue series, and will be released in conjunction with another SAR title, Coastal Heroes. Vietnam MEDEVAC represents a new direction in the SAR series, taking the most popular and realistic helicopter rescue simulation series of all time into the stifling hot jungles of war-torn Vietnam at the height of the infamous ideological conflict. But even though the time and place have changed, the ongoing SAR mission remains the same, to save American lives.

GGMania has posted an edited chat log (colorized HTML version) from a recent ALTAR Interactive IRC chat. The chat log is quite lengthy as Jiri Rydl and Martin Klima answered tons of questions about UFO: Aftermath, their upcoming strategy game which should be a spiritual successor to the legendary X-COM. According to the chat, they are close to sign a contract with "yet-unknown" UK publisher. If you havent yet, check out our new screens from earlier today...

An updated press release to celebrate the release of the demo at eidosinteractive.. This will be the first game developed using Reality Pumps brand new game engine Earth-3. Front Line Attack: War Over Europe is developed by Zuxxez Entertainment AG, Reality Pump and In-Images and is due for release September 2002 on PC.