DreamCatcher Games today announced it has joined forces with MC2 to publish and distribute Obscure in North America. This Survival Horror game will be available for the PlayStation2, Xbox and PC, in March 2005.

After EA previously locked down the NFL, today it has signed a long-term agreement for the development and integrated marketing of EA SPORTS games containing ESPN content. The relationship will include established EA SPORTS franchises -- which will be enhanced by ESPN telecast, print and online content – as well as new sports games to be published by EA based on ESPN media properties.

Paradox has released the first patch for its strategy game Hearts of Iron 2. This update brings your retail game to v1.1 and adds interface inhancements, gameplay changes, AI improvements, addition of mod support, and a long list of bug fixes and balance adjustments. Read more for download links ...

After 2 months, 1.4 million mod profile visitors and 8,000 different voters, the 2004 Golden Spanner Mod of the Year Awards have been decided, by the visitors and gamers who know best. As expected, Half-Life based mods polled well, although mods from over 10 other games also finished up top, a testament to the talent out there. Head to the feature and read up on the top three mods from all gameplay styles (action, adventure, racing, etc.) and also the top three mods for each design area (best models, textures, maps, etc.)

Microsoft Game Studios today announced the complete car roster for its highly anticipated and critically acclaimed driving simulator for Xbox, Forza Motorsport. Slated to hit store shelves this April, Forza Motorsport will debut with more than 230 cars from over 40 of the world's top car manufacturers for gamers to own, customize, upgrade and race.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft will officially launch in Korea on January 18, 2005. Following a highly successful beta-testing period, the game is now being prepared for availability throughout the country. Once released, players can sign up for various subscription plans and experience the epic adventure of the Warcraft series in an immersive and continually evolving online environment.

IT GlobalSecure announces its new anti-piracy solution, SecurePlay Keeper to be released in the first Quarter 2005. Piracy and game hacking are growing more serious for the computer games industry. In 2004, the biggest industry news issues behind record sales were a series of serious security breaches ranging from software piracy, to code theft, and game cheating.

Electronic Arts is considering an interactive TV show that would let viewers control the actions of the characters as in its popular game "The Sims." Will Wright, father of The Sims, has been toying with the idea for quite some time, but it seems to be materializing at last...

DreamCatcher Games today announced that it will publish Universal Combat: A World Apart, the second title in the Universal Combat series. The game will release globally for PC in May 2005.

East Front is a high-tech first-person 3D-shooter. The action takes place in the alternate universe where fascist Germany won in the Second World War. A soldier of the German Resistance, Karl Stolz, turns out to be involved in the deadly play of mysterious powers, and at stake is control over the whole world. Read more for six new screens...

The current offer would have made EA the owner of more than 50 percent of the total number of shares, representing a majority vote in DICE after outstanding employee stock options have been exercised. Even though the extended acceptance period has not yet expired, EA has waived the above-mentioned condition.

Electronic Arts announced today that it plans to ship the first expansion pack for the Sims 2 on March 1st, making it arrive in stores March 3rd. The Sims 2 University is the first expansion pack for the highly-acclaimed The Sims 2, giving players of The Sims 2 the ability to watch their Sims become young adults and put childhood behind them as they settle into an all-new college town to live out their ultimate college fantasy.

Midway Games today announced that NARC will ship to retail outlets nationwide for $19.95. A mission-based 3rd-person action game set against a stylized, modern-day backdrop of the War on Drugs, NARC pits gamers as members of an elite narcotics squad; Marcus Hill, a DEA Agent with a squeaky clean image and Jack Forzenski, a cop on probation and fresh out of rehab. Together they investigate a new mystery drug that has hit the streets called Liquid Soul. In the fight against a powerful international drug cartel Marcus and Jack will face temptation as they choose to walk the thin blue line as a clean cop or follow the path of cover-ups, payoffs and unlawful brutatilty as a dirty cop. NARC will ship for the PS2 and Xbox on March 22, 2005.

"First of all, we’re putting the finishing touches on patch 1.01. This is a real meaty patch that includes some 50 tweaks, updates, and fixes of varying size and visibility. Probably the biggest feature of the patch is the addition of an online communicator. As in Generals and Zero Hour, it will let you add other users to a “friend list” that you can use to keep track of and chat with friends anytime they are logged into The Battle for Middle-earth online. Other features of the patch include a handful of technical fixes for the game itself as well as for World Builder; all known exploits addressed; balance changes; and three new multiplayer and skirmish maps. We’re targeting the release of the patch for this month, and should have a firm launch date later on this week."

Oxygen Interactive announced today that UK developer Kuju is working on a new FPS 'Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction.' Using the Fire Warrior engine, Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction, is under development for PC, PS2 and Xbox, and is scheduled for March 2005. Read more for details and 100+ new screens ...

UEFA Champions League will offer soccer fans the opportunity to guide their chosen club from qualification anxiety through to big night glory, adding an element of the unexpected allowing lower league teams into the glamour world of European football. Throughout the game, players need to negotiate 50 unique and challenging on- and off-field missions successfully to take control of their UEFA Champions League destiny.

America's Army Executive Producer Phil DeLuca has put up a community update on what they call 'Operation Punk Buster,' the action being taken against cheaters in America's Army (thanks ve3d). Here's a snip : "we have the means to detect bad guy activities that I know the bad guys do not know we can detect. That’s the way we want it, too – while we haven’t banned them yet, we’re using them to collect more data, track down their friends, and their friends, and learn more as we discover new behavior. Truth be told, the bloodiest day in America’s Army Game account history is still ahead of us and we got most of the information leading to that day from the bad guys themselves!" Good riddens, maybe I'll start p0laying again after they cleaned house...

It seems some people got trigger happy and jumped the gun on what was supposed to be announced tomorrow, Team 17 and Codemaster will be announcing Worms Mayhem. A preview on Gamer.nl, which has been removed on request of Codemasters, revealed that it is in the works for PC, Xbox and PS2 and is expected second half of 2005. Worms Mayhem will feature a destructible environment, more weapons than ever before (such as Iron Donkey), ability to make your own weapons which you can then use online, customize your worms' looks, it will of course have all classic online gamemodes and be Xbox Live enabled. Worms Mayhem will have more than 30 levels spread over five settings (Arabic, prehistoric, fantasyworld, wild west etc.) with five missions each and a boss fight to top it off. More details are surely to follow tomorrow, but Tiscali has the first screens..

NFL players are free from their real-world constraints to dominate the streets one stylin' move and one field at a time. Raise your game to the limits with up-the-wall passes, off-the-wall catches, and highlight-reel wall jukes that are sure to solidify your place as football's greatest urban legend. With New Exclusive STREET Events, head-to-head wireless gameplay, NFL superstars and legends playing both sides of the ball, and new PSP-specific content, the time to own the streets is NOW.

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.

CDV are pleased to announce the UK launch date of its strategy title; Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars. Set for launch APRIL 2005, armchair generals will be able to immerse themselves in all the pomp and circumstance of the Napoleonic era, as Cossacks II: Napoleonic Wars sets a defining milestone in grand strategy gaming, as the definitive Napoleonic strategy experience.

Live fastballs, suicide squeezes, grass-staining dives, seventh-inning stretches, walk-off homeruns, peanuts and hotdogs… these are just some of the things that make the sport of baseball America’s favorite pastime. The victory of a baseball game can depend on the walk-off homerun in the ninth inning or a simple second base steal.

Cenega has delayed Mithis Games' turn based strategy game from its original February 4, 2005 date to a more vague April 2005 (thanks Blues).

DJ Pooh “a.k.a Mark Jordan” the writer of the critically acclaimed movie Friday and the mega-successful video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has joined the 404 Gaming team as Senior Executive Writer. DJ Pooh will be creating the many stories that will define the Hip-Hop Urban based MMO 404 Gaming is currently developing. Pooh brings his many years of Urban story telling talents to the cutting edge team and technology that is 404 Gaming (thanks ve3d). Time will have to tell what this is all about ...

Atari announced today that it will continue its long-standing successful relationship with FUNimation Productions, Ltd. through a new five-year exclusive license for the Dragon Ball franchise covering the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Under the new agreement, Atari will have the rights to develop interactive video games based on the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT animated series and characters for all current and future gaming consoles and portable gaming devices, such as the NDS and PSP.