Vivendi Universal Games' revenues for the first half of 2005 are €238 million were 61% above the prior year, mainly driven by World of Warcraft and the first quarter launch of Robots, a children's game based on the movie.

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.

Vivisector: Beast Inside developed by Action Forms (creators of Chasm and Carnivores series) is a unique mixture of 3D Action/Horror. The game blends a thrilling interactive story with intense, high-adrenaline action and immerses players in a rich and fascinating storyline.

Adventurers have long travelled to the shrouded continent of Xen'drik to explore ancient ruins and discover the treasures hidden beneath. The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown on the edges of this dark and dangerous continent, safe and secure as the gateway to Xen'drik. But now danger threatens. Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands near Stormreach ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction.

UC 2: The Liandri Conflict introduces a new gameplay style to the traditional FPS genre: acrobatic melee combat. Unreal Championship fans can play as any one of 14 characters from the Unreal universe, each with spectacular new Adrenaline Powers that enable new offensive and defensive combos. Midway is awaiting Microsoft approval to roll out a patch which will make various graphical & gameplay changes, network optimizations, and a few other fixes. No specific date for its release has been announced yet. Read more for details ..

Xing Interactive has released the first patch for Unicejo Entertainment RTS game Cloven Crania Meadow. This update brings your retail game to v1.05 and adds a group selection feature, fixes minor problems, and addresses a registry issue. An update demo is also available (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Take 2 and Rockstar are being sued in federal court in Manhattan over hidden sexual content in their "GTA: San Andreas" video game. The plaintiff, Florence Cohen, claims that she purchased the game for her teenage grandson in or about late 2004 when the game was rated "M" and was damaged when it came to light that sexually explicit scenes believed to be inaccessible by players were left in the game by developers.

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 is a collection of eight classic arcade racing games featuring insane jumps and stunts in RUSH: The Rock and RUSH 2049 along with jet boat adventures in Hydro Thunder. Test your arena-style 4x4 driving skills in Super Off Road or get down in the dirt with Off Road Thunder: Mud, Sweat and Gears. Experience stunt driving in Race Drivin’ or jump to the future for the post-nuclear battle of Badlands or shoot things up in S.T.U.N. Runner.

2K Sports and PowerBar today announced they have entered into a marketing relationship to mutually promote the new PowerBar Triple Threat energy bar line and the Fall 2005 release of NBA 2K6 and College Hoops 2K6 basketball video game titles from 2K Sports.

EA today announced that the development team at Hypnotix, known for the Outlaw Golf and Outlaw Volleyball series, has joined EA's Tiburon studio to develop action-oriented games, the first of which will be Arena Football based on the Arena Football League license. The team has relocated to Orlando, Florida, from Little Falls, New Jersey.

Majesco today announced a worldwide licensing agreement with DreamWorks SKG to publish GBA Video versions of the studio’s successful animated movies, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shark Tale.

Dead Rising is survival horror game, in which you play Frank West, a grizzled freelance photographer who has made his way to an idyllic suburban town to get his hands on the scoop. To his surprise, he soon discovers that the town has been overrun with zombies. As he fights tooth and nail against hordes of gruesome zombies, Frank must discover the cause of the disturbing outbreak. Full of mystery and thrills, this title is sure to please.

This forum post reveals plans for a Serious Sam 2 demo, said to be released a month before the game is scheduled to ship to stores. Certain outlets have SS 2 listed for October 10th, so that could mean that the demo could arrive ted as early as September. And Xbox demo is also scheduled, but won't arrive until later. If you pre-order now through EBGames or GameStop, you will get an original, LIMITED EDITION piece of artwork, signed, numbered and illustrated by famed comic book artist Greg Horn (thanks Blues).

Konami announced today that people who want to get their hands on a Death Jr. Limited Edition should pre-order through Gamestop of EBGames right now. Included will be an exclusive foil package that features different artwork than the regular version of the game, two Death Jr branded UMD cases, a bonus CD that contains the Death Jr soundtrack (in MP3 format) and a limited edition Death Jr. comic produced by Backbone Entertainment - both easily transferable to your PSP via your computer with a link cable. Death Jr. will be hitting store shelves in August. Supplies are limited so reserve your copy today!

SOCOM 3, developed by Zipper Interactive, captures the reality of modern day warfare, and features three Areas of Operation: Southern Asia, Northern Africa and Eastern Europe and is packed with over 10 missions, over 30 new weapons, larger maps, improved AI, allow you to drive/operate vehicles and you can now also go for a swim.

International Cricket Captain Ashes Year 2005 will give both cricket enthusiasts and management gaming fans their own taste of cricketing glory as they lead their teams on the long path to victory. Xplosiv has released a demo allowing you to try out a one day game. Read more for details, screens and download links ...

Dead or Alive 4 will redefine 3-D high definition graphics and sound, creating the most visually beautiful and realistic looking video game to date. Unsurpassed online capabilities via Xbox Live, new incredible interactive stages, an all star line-up of old and new favorite characters, and the most complex DOA countering system yet, all add up to the must-have video game to own along with Xbox 360 this holiday season.

Square Enix today announced that Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection will ship to retailers on August 16th, 2005. Including the expansion packs Rise of the Zilart, and Chains of Promathia as well as Tetra Master, the wildly popular and addictive mini-game, the special gold foil All-In-One packaging will carry a suggested retail price of $29.99.

Electronic Arts announced today that model and actress Josie Maran will star in Need for Speed Most Wanted, which is launching in November 2005. In Need for Speed Most Wanted, Maran takes on the role of a local street racer named Mia.

Digital Jesters has released a new patch for Cyanide's strategy game Chaos League: Sudden Death. This update brings your English, French or German retail game to v2.02, but not specific details are available at this moment. Read more for download links ...

The Force will return to retail stores Nov. 1 with a double whammy: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will be released on DVD, and Star Wars Battlefront II will be made available for all the top video game platforms.

Solar Studios and Tricor Entertainment have formed an alliance to develop upcoming blockbuster Hollywood-style action games and related film properties. The first Solar and Tricor project is an unnamed Sci-Fi action/adventure property.

Earlier today people reported that certain individuals managed to hack into EA's Battlefield 2 stats server and as a result unlocked all weapons for friends & family. EA responded "All of the changes made will be rolled back in the next couple hours. Users may have to rechoose any unlocks they would have legitimately made in the last day or so as a result of the roll-back, but no stats should be lost."

With an onverwhelming 355-21 vote, the House passed a resolution asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Rockstar and Take Two to see if they intentionally deceived the ESRB over hidden, sexually explicit scenes in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Funcom has once again broken away from the pack to bring a bold new direction for advertisement in videogames. By working in conjunction with Massive Incorporated, Funcom is now offering dynamically delivered video ads in Anarchy Online. The new advertising elements accompany the dynamic billboard ads introduced earlier this spring.