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."

Epic has released a new patch for its sci-fi FPS Unreal Tournament 2004. This patch brings your retail game 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. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

THQ today announced that the fourth installment of the epic Broken Sword series of games will be entitled Broken Sword: The Angel of Death. Created by Revolution Software, this latest epic adventure is due to launch on PC and is expected to hit stores around the world in summer 2006.

Ape Escape 3 is pached with more content than any previous Ape Escape titles, a full 28 stages (136 total areas, compared with 84 for the previous installment) and tons of mini games. Family-friendly Ape Escape Academy makes its PSP debut and features feature ad hoc wireless functionality and more than 40 mini-games that are diverse and range in difficulty. Both titles will be available on January 17, 2006.

The Interactive Entertainment Institute, announce today that Ray Kurzweil is the plenary keynote speaker for the G.A.M.E.S. Synergy Summit 2006 (GSS06) held at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on January 17-18.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding the latest update for its online delivery system Steam. This release updates Counter-Strike Source with the previously announced new de_nuke with High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting, as well as a slew of enhancements and bug fixes. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

Gamers will delve into a more mature, consistent fantasy universe that will appeal to fans of all fantasy genres. Heroes of Might & Magic V will benefit from the features and characteristics that established the success of the initial saga while offering a wealth of innovations such as a highly immersive scenario, a variety of appealing factions, modern 3D graphics, a revolutionary tactical combat system, and a story-based campaign mode.

Southpeak Interactive signed a publishing agreement with DCStudios for State of Emergency 2. Taking place 10 years after the original SOE2 has Spanky, Bull and MacNeill again up against the Corporation. This time, they not only have access to guns but also - for the first time - helicopters, speedboats, Tanks and APCs and new team members.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding the latest update for its online delivery system Steam. This release updates the DoD:Source with the previously announced new map dod_argentan, and Rag Doll Kung Fu gets fixed up so you can now play past the second level transition. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

A Battlefield 2 community update reveals that EA/DICE are keeping up the BF2 patch works. "We wanted to let you know that we're already hard at work on a post 1.12 update. While we can't go into details about it, yet, rest assured that we're checking the forums, listening to our customer support teams and working hard on the features that YOU'VE asked for. As soon as we can give more concrete details, we will. Just know that we're all 100% into making Battlefield 2 the very best that it can be."

If the "three strikes and you're out" rule would apply to games, DoA4 would be dead before arrival. Initially scheduled as an X360 launch title on November 22nd, it was slightly delayed for a week until December 1st, then another week, and now it seems online retailers have postponed Tecmo's brawler for another seven days until December 14. DOA4 features online capabilities via Xbox Live, new interactive stages, an all-star lineup of old and new favorite characters, and the most complex countering system yet.

Already available in Europe, SCEA announced today Spring 2006 release for its PSP exclusive action game Pursuit Force, bringing Hollywood-style movie action to life by delivering high-speed vehicle chases and thrilling shootouts, all in the quest for justice.