Highland Warriors has over 30 single player missions and allows players to create an infinite number of multi-player missions and stage epic battles using the game’s map editor and hundreds of battle units. The game’s unique customizable game interface allows users to redesign the game presentation to suit an individual player’s ability. Drag and drop buttons, screens, a mini map, and direct access to characters can be customized according to a player’s sensibility. DataBecker just let us know that the first patch for Highland Warriors has been released! The patch updates graphics, bugs, and adds some features to the game. Read more for download links ...

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.

Entertainment software publisher NovaLogic Ltd. today announced that they are teaming up with Jolt.co.uk to launch the Official UK Devastation Death Match Demo tournament. The tournament will take place on Saturday 5th April. After Qualifying rounds the top four players from each qualifier will compete in the final with the winner and runner-up decided by their total score over two maps. Prizes include a AMD XP2500+ processor, Broadband JOLT ADSL line, BMX bike and limited edition Devastation merchandise. Servers will be open from 13.00 GMT and to participate players should join one of the servers and devastate the opposition in 15 minutes of pure mayhem.

Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson have only a few days left to squabble over which of them is the best manager in the UK, as from March 28th they will have hundreds of thousands of rivals when Championship Manager 4 is released. Championship Manager 4 is the new version of the best-selling Championship Manager series, developed by Sports Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive.

Datel, the world's leading developer and manufacturer of innovative video game enhancement products, today announced the release of Action Replay for the Microsoft Xbox games console. Action Replay is a revolutionary cheat system and game save manager designed specifically to unleash the power of Xbox.

Running late, but plenty of extras promised when it reaches Europe in September... Konami of Europe has announced a raft of additions exclusive to the European version of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, with the PlayStation 2 sci-fi action title now rescheduled for a September release. Created by the dream partnership of Metal Gear Solid producer Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa, the creative talent and mechanical designer behind the original game, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is a stunning 3D action title spanning the entire galaxy and boasting a mammoth task. It has been written and directed by Shuyo Murata, who gained lots of experience with past Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders titles.

Medieval: Total War - Viking Invasion challenges players to control eight new factions, including the Vikings themselves, the Saxons, Scots, Irish, Welsh and Picts, and embark on a campaign to dominate the British Isles. With a wealth of new historical heroes, players can lead a range of new units into battle, including Viking Berserkers, Saxon Huscarles and Fyrdmen, while conducting sieges enhanced by the introduction of flaming arrows and boiling oil. Check these 8 new screens ...

ARUSH Entertainment, Groove Games and Digitalo are pleased to announce that the 2-level multiplayer demo of the much-anticipated FPS Devastation has been released. The demo lets gamers play Devastation’s “Streetwar” (just like Deathmatch) and Capture the Flag game types over a LAN or online. It features two amazingly detailed environments, the Embarcadero Depot, and the abandoned Union Rail Yard. The maps are stocked with amazing weapons, including the powerful P*Laser and the remote-controlled Rat Drone. They have now updated the multiplayer demo and included the fix issued yesterday. Read more for download links ...

Vic DeLeon Sr. Producer @ Digitalo Studios posted up following information on Devastation forum:

The majority has spoken. Apparently this was a legitimate enough gripe and we will comply like the good developers we are trying to be. Most of the weapon sounds will be given an overhaul, with more bass, and pitch adjustments. I cannot promise anything but these changes should be in the full patch.

Thanks again for all the feedback and support. Keep it comin!

Champions of the forthcoming "official" Battlefield 1942 National Championship, hosted by iGames.org and Firingsquad.com, will be appearing in the next edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records. As part of a broad campaign launched by the editors of the Book of World Records to identify the top players on all PC, arcade and console games, the champions of the Battlefield 1942 event will receive 2-3 pages of coverage in the record book, including player biographies, photos, statistics and a table displaying the final rankings of the national champions.

Sony Computer Entertainment UK today announced the PlayStation 2 Creative Award 2003 and also announced that renowned BritArtists Dinos & Jake Chapman and Marc Quinn will be on the judging panel for the award. Designed to recognise fresh talent from UK universities, nominations for the PlayStation 2 Creative Award 2003 will be taken from work submitted to an intriguing art exhibition, "Primal Art - portrait of the artist as a video gamer".

Fasa Studio's Von revealed following MechWarrior information on their forum:

Over the past few months there has been plenty of speculation, email, and pleas for information regarding the future of the PC MechWarrior franchise, namely MechWarrior 5. Although an exceptional effort was made by an extremely creative and talented development team, we have decided not to continue the development of the project at this time. There were several factors in this decision, but most prevalent was our concern that we were not advancing the genre enough to meet and exceed our customer's expectations. Please know that this was a very difficult decision, but one we felt was in the best interests of our customers.

We deeply love the Mechwarrior franchise, and are committed to keeping it alive. Our plan is to re-invent Mechwarrior in a way that brings a fresh experience to our devoted customers and new fans alike. We would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the Mechwarrior 4 series of games, and greatly appreciate all the feedback we've received on our games. We are intensely focused on delivering outstanding game experiences, and rest assured we are working feverishly on some wonderful next-generation games.

A few days back Take-Two Interactive announced VIETCONG for the PC went gold. VIETCONG, a first person shooter set during the Vietnam War, is set to hit stores shelves in March 2003. Now you can listen to the hot newcomer band Rude Kostry and its instrumental soundtrack for VIETCONG, playing at Radio Vietcong. (thanks Unrealik)

ARUSH Entertainment, Groove Games and Digitalo have just released a performance fix for the Devastation Multiplayer Demo. This is a performance fix and not a full patch. This performance fix addresses specific problems that may cause players to experience extreme frame rate loss and connection lags even when running a local LAN game. Read more for further details and download links ...

ARUSH Entertainment, Groove Games and Digitalo are pleased to announce that the 2-level multiplayer demo of the much-anticipated FPS Devastation has been released. The demo lets gamers play Devastation’s “Streetwar” (just like Deathmatch) and Capture the Flag game types over a LAN or online. It features two amazingly detailed environments, the Embarcadero Depot, and the abandoned Union Rail Yard. The maps are stocked with amazing weapons, including the powerful P*Laser and the remote-controlled Rat Drone. Read more for download links ...

Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based single player game, however players who play on Stardock.net will be able to play as part of a “metaverse” where victories, defeats and campaigns can be recorded. We already had a featured story on the Stardock Central which is a program that consolidates software updates, message boards, chat, documentation updates, and more into a single easy-to-use program. Now Strategy First/Starddock announced that they will release a Galactic Civilizations Bonus Pack, a free set of game enhancements, in conjunction with the games release. The bonus pack will offer some extra features that players will appreciate including additional game session options, enhanced civilization customization interface, the ability to use your own MP3s in the game, two additional ships, and more galactic resolutions.

Activision and Disney Interactive today announced a new video game that gives skateboarding a magical twist. Designed to appeal to children and teens ages 6 – 14, Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure will use cutting-edge technology from Activision’s latest Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 engine to allow characters from three beloved animated films: Walt Disney Pictures’ presentation of Pixar Animation Studios’ “Toy Story 2,” “Disney’s Tarzan” and “Disney’s The Lion King” to skateboard just like the pros in their respective worlds for the first time. In addition to these characters, the new game includes a Create-A-Skater option where players can customize a youthful skater’s “look” by selecting clothing and accessories. Furthermore, as an Activision first, the company is holding a nationwide casting call search for 10 real kids who will become digitised characters in the game.

OpenTV one of the world's leading interactive television companies, will roll out a suite of interactive multiplayer games to viewers in the UK in May, with plans to introduce the service at a later date in the United States, France and South Africa.

Prepare yourself for the most emotionally involving and realistic football management game in history: Championship Manager 4 has arrived. Can you cope with the challenges of the league and the expectations of the board and fans? Can you deal with the demands of players and agents? Or will you collapse under the pressure, another mid-season casualty? Accept the challenge: take the reins at the club of your choice and lead your squad onwards. And remember, you're only as good as your last game. Sports Interactive has just released a playable demo which allows you to take control of your favourite English team for 6 months of action. Read more for details and links where to get it ...

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own post, we grouped them and so far there are trailers for :

• Rise of Nations (MicroSoft)
• XIII (UbiSoft)
• Devastation (Arush)
• City States (Wanadoo)
  
  Read more for download links ...

Earth. Twenty-second century. Five years after the rebellion on Mars. For the last 15 years the corrupt dictator, Sopot, has oppressed the people of the Commonwealth. His relentless pursuit of unification with the neighboring United Republic has left the country soaked in unnecessary bloodshed. A battle for power and control that leaves the people of the Commonwealth in poverty. As not so ordinary citizens, a squad of super soldiers injected with nano-technology is formed. Fed up after years on the front lines each member vows to unify with the common goal of replacing the dictator. Today we serve up a whopping 80 PC, Xbox and Gamecube screens .. Njoy!

Capcom today announced the release of Clock Tower 3 for the PS2. In this chilling mystery, an ordinary girl must unlock the mystery of her heritage and stop the evil powers that have enslaved her ancestors for generations. Clock Tower 3 promises to evoke fear with unnerving visuals and an equally intense storyline. Clock Tower 3 carries an “M” rating for mature audiences from the ESRB and is now available at retailers across North America... THQ and JAKKS Pacific today announced the release of their newest World Wrestling Entertainment licensed video game, WWE Crush Hour for the PS2 and GameCube. WWE Crush Hour takes the intensity, competitiveness and brute strength of the squared circle and drops it into the world of vehicular combat. The game is now available at retail outlets nationwide. SEGA officially announced today the release of "SEGA Sports World Series Baseball 2K3" for the PS2. "SEGA Sports World Series Baseball 2K3" launches with a host of gameplay and visual enhancements, including an ESPN telecast-style presentation, Hall of Fame legends, retro uniforms and ballparks, and new player moves and animations.

Publisher Strategy First and developers Paradox Entertainment and Slitherine Strategies have teamed up again and are pleased to announce Chariots of War, their new strategy title, scheduled to release in North America in Q2 2003.

Set on post-apocalyptic Earth where survival and ultimate dominance are all that matters, Devastation is an action teamplay oriented first person shooter. Developed by Digitalo and powered by the heavily modified, next generation Unreal Engine technology, it pits teams of rebelling street fighters, gang leaders, mercenaries and ex-military fighters against overwhelming armies of high-tech corporate troopers. Read more for eight new screenshots.