Strategy games publisher Paradox Interactive today announced, that the much-awaited sequel to the multiple award-winning Hearts of Iron, has gone gold. The game will be released in North America, Scandinavia, Russia, France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, Poland, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Portugal and Mexico. It will be available in stores in the beginning of 2005.

Queasy Games released a new beta of its multiplayer, action-RTS title, Gate 88. In addition to a graphical face lift inspired by abstract Japanese shmups (shoot'em-ups), players can now, at any time during the game, access a tightly integrated lobby chat (IRC client) to find other Gate 88 players. Significant improvements have also been made to the network code.

EA's Mark Skaggs has sent out a note to long time Command & Conquer fans quietly announcing that the team behind C&C: Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge and C&C Generals is working on an all-new Command & Conquer product. Not many details are revealed but read on for the full note ..

Midway announced today that two of its titles, NBA Ballers and Midway Arcade Treasures, have shipped more than one million units worldwide since their respective releases. NBA Ballers shipped to retail outlets in North America on April 5, 2004 and in Europe on October 14, 2004. Midway Arcade Treasures shipped in North America on November 24, 2003 and on February 6, 2004 in Europe. The compilation of classic Midway arcade titles retails for $19.99.

While it was already revealed in an interview over on Gamespy, Midway announced today that it has named Harvey Smith the creative director for Midway Studios-Austin. An industry veteran with more than 10 years of experience in game design and development, Smith will report directly to Denise Fulton, head of Midway Studios-Austin.

Electronic Arts announces the release of the eagerly-awaited PC game, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth. Based on the Academy Award-winning film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings fans will command the heroes and armies from all three movies as they find themselves immersed in the quest for domination of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth is a real-time strategy game that will capture the imagination of both gamers and The Lord of the Rings fans, alike.

Cold Fear is the first action-horror title to be published under the Ubisoft brand and combines the popular elements of both action and horror releases, delivering an action-packed, tension-filled gaming experience.

iGames will host its largest games premier to-date with a special, one-day-only party to celebrate the release of Electronic Arts’ The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth on Saturday, December 11. This exclusive event, in honor of the latest installment in EA’s The Lord of the Rings video game series, will be held at 50 iGames game centers throughout the US and Canada

The story of Baten Kaitos takes place at a time when lands exist in the sky. It is an era in which the once-vast oceans have become mere legend among men. This is the world in which Kalas and Xelha meet: A world in crisis, where a conspiracy for power may lead to its destruction.

Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

With the Source SDK now available, information on the upcoming Sven Co-op mod for Half-Life 2 has been released. Details of major features planned for the initial release, including cooperative support for Half-Life 2's original single-player campaign, are available. There is also news of a significant change to the mod's fundamental gameplay system.

SEGA Europe today announced the forthcoming PC version of the third part in the House Of The Dead trilogy. This highly anticipated third chapter in the hit light gun series will be released for the PC in early February 2005. Read more for details and screens ...

The Battle for Middle Earth utilizes the Generals game engine, and in the game, players can select from the different "good" or "evil" campaigns, where they will be given the freedom to command a variety of major armies from the films, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses. Check some screens from the official Prima strategy guide and 3 new trailers filled with ingame footage...

Cold Fear is the first action-horror title to be published under the Ubisoft brand and combines the popular elements of both action and horror releases, delivering an action-packed, tension-filled gaming experience.

In Lineage II, NCSoft's MMORPG, players can use in game money, called "adena," to place wagers or purchase lottery tickets. With the winnings they can purchase upgraded weapons, armor, magic spells or any of the in-game items available in the game's markets.

Konami of Europe has announced that the forthcoming PAL versions of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will include an extensive array of gameplay features not seen in the Japanese and US versions. Read more for details ..

Dark Age of Camelot undergoes a major new evolution with this third retail expansion. Launched in the United States in early December by Mythic Entertainment, the developer of the game, ‘Dark Age of Camelot: Catacombs’ will be managed and published in Europe by GOA, France Telecom’s game department. The expansion will be available in the first quarter of 2005 in French, English and German versions, prior to the release in Spring of the whole game and it’s expansions in Spain and Italy.

DEALER - Chronic, Pills & Coke is a 3rd person action shooter designed for PS2, Xbox and PC set in a huge metropolis, with a lot of driving and shooting, run on a GTA-type game course, in which the player can take part in the - not everyday - bloody and amusing adventures of a drug dealer. Read more for details and some early screens ...

This small modification enables you to start servers in the newly released Half-Life 2 Deathmatch by defining player numbers, server password, server name, and so on (thanks Andy). Read more for download links ...

Metalheart: Replicants Rampage provides a strong sci-fi story with intriguing cyberpunk influences, sophisticated turn-based combat, random quest generator with the unbelievable tasks variations, a complex character parameter system, and plenty of other wonders to make hardcore RPG fans amazed.Check the freshly launched website or read more for some screens...

Well when Valve says SOON, they really mean it. As speculated earlier today, Valve had a little surprise for the community, and by posting a screenshot it was strongly hinted at that a Deathmatch multiplayer mode might be coming. A few hours later, it has arrived! Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is now available through the latest HL2 Steam update. By the same token, they also released the full HL2 SDK and announced a Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Map Making Contest.

The Battle for Middle Earth utilizes the Generals game engine, and in the game, players can select from the different "good" or "evil" campaigns, where they will be given the freedom to command a variety of major armies from the films, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Valve's Adrian Finol broke the silence with a forum post, and an update on Valve's Steam website with nothing but a new screenshot which indicates that Deathmatch is coming, even says "SOON"! Valve did promise a community surprise, and this could be it!

Whiptail Interactive announced today that it will publish Restricted Area in North America. Developed by Master Creating, Restricted Area recently shipped in Germany where it enjoyed a warm reception from both press and consumers alike; being nominated in five categories for the 2004 German Developer Awards, including Best PC Game, Best Game Characters, and Best Story/Gameworld. The action RPG title will ship in the US late in the first quarter of 2005 for the PC.

Ubisoft announced today that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 for the PS2 is available this week at retail outlets across the U.S. Developed by Ubisoft’s Shanghai and Paris studios, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 for PS2 is the first-ever Clancy game built exclusively from the ground up for that console.