Disney Online, part of the Walt Disney Internet Group, today announced it will officially launch its online, downloadable version of Disney's Toontown Online, the first massively multiplayer (MMP) 3D online game for kids and families, on June 2, 2003.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics announced today that Electronic Arts has been awarded the worldwide interactive rights to develop, publish and distribute computer and video games based on the world's greatest super hero, Superman. Financial terms of the deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics were not disclosed.

Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims 2, the next generation of the #1 PC game of all time, is in development at the company's Walnut Creek-based Maxis studio. For the first time, players control their Sims over an entire lifetime. Every choice that is made has a relevant and dramatic effect on the life of a Sim. More life-like Sims, all-new gameplay, and the ground-breaking addition of genetics, with the DNA of Sims passed down through generations gives players a more vivid, realistic, and in-depth Sims experience. All of this takes place in a new amazingly life-like 3-D world. The Sims 2 will be unveiled to industry insiders on May 13th at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition in Los Angeles and is scheduled to ship in early 2004.

LucasArts announce the PC version of its critically acclaimed role-playing game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is expected to release this fall. A version for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft is expected to be available this July.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is highlighted by a entirely original storyline set some four thousand years prior to the events in Star Wars: Episode I. The ancient era is dominated by an epic struggle between the Jedi and the evil Sith. The game features customizable male or female heroes and evolving playable characters, as well as dynamic lightsaber combat. Players can choose to pursue divergent paths of good or evil as they journey through numerous locations both familiar and new throughout the Star Wars galaxy.

The official Realms of Torment site is updated with descriptions of the 16 gods of Krel. Realms of Torment is a MMORPG developed by Quad Software and Maxim Software based in Europe for Limitless Horizons Entertainment LLC based in the United States.

Ign.com is offering a new unlocking tool for Relic Entertainments real-time strategy game, Impossible Creatures. This unlocking tool (1.5MB) opens up following ten bonus animals.

• Dolphin
• Garfish
• Horse
• Kangaroo
• Moose
• Rattlesnake
• Raven
• Walrus
• Warthog
• Wooly Mammoth
  
  Read more about it and download it here!

The official site for Battlefield 1942 is updated with a new Vehicle, the German Sturmmorser Tiger (Sturmtiger). When the Germans needed a powerful field vehicle to destroy fortified positions, the idea to merge a heavy 38cm naval mortar (used to bust submarines) with a Tiger I tank chassis gave birth to the Sturmtiger. Watch out for this rolling bunker buster.

UO Stratics let us know (thanks Blues) that the latest issue of GMR Magazine has the following quote in their June 2003 Issue on Page 21, written by Jeff Green of Computer Gaming World:

"The really exciting news this month should be going public as you read this. For over a year now, Origin has been quietly woodshedding Ultima-X its new MMORPG. And it’s going to surprise you. I can't say anything just yet except maybe three quick words: Unreal Warfare engine. Watch this one. EA surprised everyone when Battlefield 1942 showed up out of nowhere last year. They may do it again."

Making its first E3 appearance since the recent merger between Square and Enix, Square Enix U.S.A. is poised to take role-playing games (RPGs) to the next level with a variety of innovative titles. Read more for their complete (GBA NGC PC PS2) line up!

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic site is updated with new screens, new weapons and much more. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a upcoming single player RPG from BioWare.