Fragzone let us know that the Ultima Online monthly service rate will be changed June 25:

The Ultima Online monthly service rate will change from $9.95 per month to $12.99 per month on June 25, 2003. This rate change will allow us to increase the level of quality we provide our players. To make the change easier for you, we’re also introducing the following two multi-month discount packages, which will be available on June 25th:

• 3 Month Prepaid Discount Package — $34.99
• 6 Month Prepaid Discount Package — $59.99
  
  You can find out more details regarding these changes here!

Last week, Nintendo made some major announcements at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Nintendo dropped jaws once again by displaying an incredible line-up of killer titles for both Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance... Click here to see the full Nintendo GameCube game list and Click here to see the full Game Boy Advance game list.

Atari Inc. Friday said it had sold more than 1 million copies of "Enter the Matrix" one week after the computer and video game hit shelves in the United States and Europe. The game was released May 15, the same day as the movie it is tied to, "The Matrix Reloaded." The game includes additional footage and is one of the most expensive ever made.

Cold War is an action game set inside communist Russia at the height of the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain. The main character, Matt Carter, is an independent journalist and former CIA Agent who penetrates the deepest depths of the Former USSR to hunt down a group of communist hardliners who are plotting to threaten world peace. Razor will fight and match his wits against the enemy in environments like Chernobyl, Mausoleum and Kremlin, some of the most well-known and symbolic places of the former Communist rule.

ValuSoft, a division of THQ Inc. today announced the release of Midnight Outlaw Illegal Street Drag-Nitro Edition for PC. This street-smart racing game is rated "E" for Everyone and will be available at retailers nationwide for $19.99 SRP. Following on the heels of Midnight Outlaw Illegal Street Drag(TM), the industry's top-selling PC racing game for the last two quarters(a), Nitro Edition lets gamers rocket into the night behind the wheel of 10 supercharged dragsters.

Activision, Inc.'s Lost Kingdoms II, the sequel to the top-selling, critically acclaimed RPG title Lost Kingdoms, takes gamers on an all-new magical quest with its release exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. Set 200 years after the events of the original game, the title challenges players to uncover the origin of a new evil force that is threatening to destroy the Kingdom of Argwyll. Lost Kingdoms II is currently available at North American retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $49.99 and carries a "T" (Teen -- Comic Mischief, Violence -- content suitable for persons ages 13 and older) rating by the ESRB.

THQ and SEGA Corporation today shipped 'Sega Arace Gallery' for the Game Boy Advance. 'Sega Arace Gallery' is now available at major retail outlets throughout North America. 'Sega Arace Gallery' is a compilation of four classic arcade titles, "After Burner," "Outrun," "Space Harrier" and "Super Hang On," all created by Sega's top game designer, Yu Suzuki. Combining speed, action and high-flying adventure, the SEGA ARCADE GALLERY brings four classic SEGA titles together for ultimate arcade fun on the Game Boy Advance.

Electronic Arts today officially announced plans to publish the hugely successful game Dead to Rights on the Playstation 2 and Nintendo GameCube platforms. Both versions will be released next August in all PAL territories.

Sam Fisher, the shadow agent starring in Console Game of the Year (AIAS), Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, has simultaneously penetrated Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy Advance game systems. Developed by Ubi Soft Entertainment's Shanghai and Montreal studios respectively, both games will be released on June 5, 2003 in Europe (May 6 in the US)... Check out some new shots below!

GRIN now posts the "BANDITS - Phoenix Rising" patch for all territories. If you have installed the previous US patch 1.1 this is nothing new, only now it works on European and Australian versions as well. Read more for details and download links ...