Earlier this year, Ubisoft's 2005-2006 release schedule made mention that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was going to be making an appearance on the PSP. While there still has not been an official announcement rumors are floating around that it may be called Splinter Cell : Essentials, and that name might indicate some sort of compilation instead of an all new product. Either way, the PSP will most likely includes wifi multiplayer, which is always a welcome addition.

Expected spring 2006 in Japan, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is situated in 1598 and will have several new features and additions over previous titles, such as a new camera system, updated graphics and optimized gameplay mechanics. While no specific info, or announcement, Capcom did reveal that Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is scheduled for released in North America on March 14, in Europe on March 17, and if all of that is too long, you can always import it from Japan on January 26, 2006.

NCSoft North America has released a new feature-packed game time card package for its player-versus-player (PvP) MMO Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle. The new Lineage II game time card package, includes content updates, is available at retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

Paradox Interactive announced today the street date for their next PC release. Galactic Civilizations II, the 4X strategy title from Stardock Entertainment, will be shipping to stores on February 22, 2006.

Dungeons & Dragons Online will provide players with the definitive online "Dungeons & Dragons" experience, complete with dramatic dungeon crawling, terrifying monster combat and challenging puzzles, character advancement and guild-based power struggles.

German publisher dtp has just signed a publishing contract with French company Micro Application about the publishing of Dreamfall in the German speaking countries. The long awaited sequel to the legendary The Longest Journey will be on the shelves in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in April 2006.

MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge (PSP) and MX vs. ATV Unleashed (PC) expand on the franchise's success, allowing PC gamers to personalize their racing experience with an all-new track editor. Both titles will allow gamers to race with a collection of new vehicles and chose between new tracks, challenges and mini-games.

Whiel there hasnt been an official announcement yet, a sequel to last years Outrun 2 isn't much of a surprise. According to Sony America, SEGA is working on Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast for the PS2 and PSP. While Sony is obviously not going to speculate on any competitor's platform, it will most likely also be getting an Xbox edition. Outrun 2006 is scheduled for Q2 2006 and will feature multiplayer on the PSP (Ad Hoc) as well as PS2.

Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play contains 21 arcade hits, 16 of which feature multi-player Wi-Fi accessibility. Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, together for the first time on the PSP, along with all time favorites such as Gauntlet, Joust, Wizard of Wor, Rampage, Defender, Paperboy and more!

The dust has cleared from the European launch of Xbox 360, and preliminary reports indicate it's a runaway hit. Thousands of gamers queued up at stores in the 16 European launch countries on the evening of 1st December to be among the first to purchase Xbox 360, resulting in a sell-out situation across the region in its first day at retail. UK retailers alone sold over 70,000 units over the weekend.

While not yet officially announced it seems Sony is bringing yet another PS2 franchise to the PSP. After Medievil, and most recently Socom, SCEE's vice president Phil Harrison revealed that The Getaway will get a handheld version. The Getaway : Gangs of London will not be a port, but more of a spin-off title. As with previous titles the game will be situated in London where rival gangs duke it out to gain power over the city. The Getaway : Gangs of London will also feature wifi multiplayer and is expected to ship in Europe Q2 2006.

2K Sports announced today that Major League Baseball 2K6 is slated for release in early spring 2006. Featuring New York Yankees All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter as the cover athlete and official spokesperson, Major League Baseball 2K6 will debut new features that will set a new standard for baseball video games.

The Atari Forums are now accepting signups to participate in the Act of War expansion pack beta test. The highlight Act of War: High Treason is a major new feature – it’s the first RTS game ever to feature modern naval combat! In addition, several major and minor additions and adjustments have been made to improve and simplify the experience of the original game, such as new units, upgrades, and streamlined interface mechanics.

Robert Byers, a Chicago resident who bought a new Xbox 360 has sued Microsoft saying the new video game console has a design flaw in the he power supply and central processing unit that causes it to overheat and freeze up.

EA today announced that it as opened a new development studio in the heart of Singapore city, which will focus on localizing and customizing popular EA games into at least five different languages for distribution throughout the Asia region, and eventually evolve into an online game development facility. A development team is already in place and the first localized projects have already started to be shipped.

As part of Blizzard's continuing commitment to keep World of Warcraft free from abuse, it has permanently banned more than 2500 accounts during the last several weeks which were involved in the use of cheats and/or hacks using third-party software or were otherwise violating our Terms of Use. Blizzard will continue to take an aggressive stance to ensure that the gaming environment remains an enjoyable place for its customers by actively pursuing those who would seek to violate the principle of fair-play, as well as breach the Terms of Use and policies in this way.

Icculus has now also released a new Win64 patch for Epic's sci-fi FPS Unreal Tournament 2004. This Windows 64 bit patch requires the previously released v3369 and addresses the usual slew of bug fixes, engine & network enhancements, and gameplay tweaks. This new patch is compatible with the ECE Bonus Pack (thanks Blues). Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

Japanese studio Red Entertainment, known for titles such as Blood Will Tell and Gungrave Overdose, has once again become independent after a successful management buyout. The reason, according to producer Hiroi Ouji, is that the former SEGA development studio wanted to develop Xbox 360 titles, but since SEGA predominantly publishes PS2 titles, this was the only logical option. Hiroi also said that due to the lower development cost for Xbox 360 titles compared to PS3, there was not really a need to be part of a big establishment.

Trying to boost interest amongst Japanese gamers, Microsoft has paid special attention to attract big-name developers and develop a few high-profile RPG titles for its new Xbox 360 console. One of those titles is Hudson Soft's Far East of Eden Ziria: Tales from Distant Jipang. Revealed a few months back at the X05 Summit, not many details have been announced, so these few small screens will have to do for now ...

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu revealed that Sony is working on a new RPG for the PSP. While details are still limited, Blade Dancer is scheduled for release in Japan March 2, 2006 and will allow 4 players to participate simultaniously. A European or North American released date is not being mentioned, but a lack of Japanese RPGs should entice the corresponding Sony territories to pay attention. A cinematic movie can be viewed on the official website.

East Front is a high-tech first-person 3D shooter, which takes place in an alternate universe where the fascist Germany won in the Second World War. Russobit released a Russian demo for BurutCT's FPS East Front.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo will offer fans of the multi-million selling franchise all-new single-player and wireless multiplayer gaming missions in four different Areas of Operation (AO). Players are tasked with completing 14 unique, realistic international single-player missions, including Chile, which is a unique AO only available in the PSP release.

Icculus has released a new linux patch for Epic's sci-fi FPS Unreal Tournament 2004. This patch brings your UT 2004 Linux install to v3369 and addresses the usual slew of bug fixes, engine & network enhancements, and gameplay tweaks. This new patch is compatible with the ECE Bonus Pack (thanks Blues). Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

Darwinia, the latest multi-genre creation from UK-based Introversion, is now available for pre-purchase via Steam. Those who pre-purchase the game will save 10%. In addition, a new Darwinia gameplay trailer (52MB) is now available from Steam and Steampowered.com.

Virtual Jam owner Pernell Harris has sued Electronic Arts over features included in EA's Madden NFL 06. Pernell claims he met with EA in 2003 to discuss a game he was developing, Heart of a Champion, in which players guide an athlete from high school to professional football, not unlike the NFL Superstar mode in Madden NFL 06. The lawsuit filed November 28 with the California Superior Court in San Mateo County, accuses EA of breaching an "implied in fact contract" by using those features without compensation and violation of a confidentiality agreement. EA's responsde " "We have read the complaint and the allegations are completely without merit."