Epic Games today announced it will be demonstrating Unreal Engine 3 tools and technology and headlining three speaker sessions at this year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco March 9-11, 2005. Read more for details ...

While there is no official word yet, Russian developer Nival Interactive has signed the Novik mod team to bring their Silent Storm Sickle & Hammer modification to a full blown retail version. So far Sickle & Hammer is only announced for Russia, but Nival is currently looking for a Western publisher and will announce it accordingly (thanks Slaughter). Nevertheless we already have the first screens ...

Square Enix has revealed a new MMORPG called Fantasy Earth: Ring of Domination which will try to combine RTS, RPG and Action, allowing you to forge alliances, build fortresses and citadels and duke it out with your allies against huge armies. It's still a ways off, as it is only vaguely scheduled for 2005, but in the meantime, read more for new screens...

Dead to Rights II marks the return of action-hero Jack Slate and his K-9 companion, Shadow. In this super-charged sequel, Jack and Shadow find themselves once again in the squalid, mean streets of Grant City, ensnared in a labyrinth of crime, corruption and betrayal. Check the official Dead to Rights II website, or read more for 40+ new screens ...

ION Storm has released the editor for stealth/action game Thief: Deadly Shadows. This editor allows you to create and modify maps, scripts, conversations etc., and comes with several tutorial maps (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

The new adventure begins deep beneath the ocean waves! Sea life thrives as players are given the opportunity to create an underwater paradise of dreams. Swim with the whales, ride the turtles, play with the dolphins and feed the manatees. With so much to do and see, players can literally lose themselves to the hypnotic sounds and dazzling lights in a world of humour and mouth-watering animation! Read more for details and screens ...

Tomorrow Valve will release the promised update to Counter-Strike: Source. Along with a new hostage rescue map Valve's been working on (cs_compound), Turtle Rock Studios has been working on getting de_train converted over to CS:S. Along with the two new maps, there are a number of fixes to the bots in Counter-Strike, an enhancement to the radar to display your current location in the map, and a fix for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch where players are disguising themselves as headcrabs, filing cabinets, and other invalid models.

As was expected, Sony today announced the third installment in the SOCOM series, SOCOM III: U.S. Navy SEALs. Under development at Zipper Interactive, SOCOM 3 is scheduled for Q3 2005 and will take place in all new locations such as Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh, feature over 30 new weapons, larger maps, improved AI, allow you to drive/operate vehicles and you can now also go for a swim. Read more for details and the first batch of screens ...

Lethal fighting is all you know, and thank god you do! Entering the deadliest fighting tournament on the Shogun's island, your mission is to defeat hundreds of evil minions to reach the castle claiming victory over the other contestants in the tournament. Read more for new screens ...

Empire Interactive today announced that FlatOut will ship to retail outlets in the U.S. on June 14, 2005. Vivendi Universal Games will distribute the title in the U.S.

Sierra Entertainment announced today that its has launched the official Empire Earth II website, MadDoc's historical real-time strategy game. The site will thrill fans with the latest screenshots, news, and behind-the-scenes videos from this upcoming epic. Empire Earth 2 will build upon the award-winning formula of its predecessor by adding features requested both by casual game players interested in a brief spin through history and by more hard core gamers who demand a real-time strategy game that will challenge them for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours.

Nintendo Europe is set to release a strong software line up for the second quarter of 2005, with games such as Star Fox Assault for GameCube, WarioWare Twisted! for the GBA and Yoshi Touch and Go for the Nintendo DS among the selection of titles on offer. With all these games to choose from you won't want to leave the house until summer! Read more for details ...

The latest Settlers game takes the franchise and pushes it to the next level with fully animated 3D technology and enhanced gameplay features,. The game will take the player to a medieval setting, to re-conquer the kingdom currently under the domination of an evil tyrant. While Heritage of Kings is not released yet in English territories, Blue Byte is already working on a "The Fog Realm" addon with new maps, new heroes, and editor.

Matric Games has released the first update for its strategy game Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great. This update brings your retail game to v1.01 fixes a problem with the AI exposing their rear flank when attacking and repaired a small bug that caused a menu hang in certain machines. Additionally a spelling error was found and fixed. Read more for details and download links ...

Blitz: The League will feature a powerful story mode that, for the first time ever in a football videogame, explores the realism, lifestyle and drama found in professional football. Players will take the helm of a downtrodden football franchise and retool the players and coaching staff in a quest to guide them to the league championship. Additional features include intense multiplayer action with head-to head online play and complete customization of players, teams, stadiums and more.

Day of Defeat: Source, Valve's World War II-themed multiplayer action game, is approaching beta and will be available early this spring via Steam. A team-based multiplayer game that cast players in the Axis vs. Allies battles of Western Europe circa 1944, Day of Defeat: Source leverages the power of the Source engine to introduce integrated physics simulation technology, all new audio, updated maps, enhanced effects and more. More information about Day of Defeat: Source will be released in the coming weeks.

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.

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.

Epic has released a new patch for its sci-fi FPS Unreal Tournament 2004. This patch brings your retail game to v3355 and addresses the usual slew of bug fixes, network enhancements, and gameplay tweaks. This new patch is compatible with the ECE Bonus Pack. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

Cenega Publishing is proud to announce its debut title release for the Xbox! The first great tile: Creature Conflict: The Clan Wars is at the final stage and is expected to be released simultaneously with its PC counterpart.

Midway Games today announced the official AREA 51 Web site is now live. Exploding with fresh content, FPS fans and conspiracy theorists alike can now access an extensive amount of screenshots, video featurettes, trailers, character bios and much more. AREA 51 is scheduled to ship for the PlayStation2, the Xbox and PC on April 25, 2005.

Combining his expertise in programming and mixing hit records with the highest production values, Tom Salta has written the modern, industrial-fused orchestral soundtrack for Cold Fear, the new action-horror title from Ubisoft under development by Darkworks Studio for PS2 and Xbox.

Atari Europe has finally released the first patch for its strategy game Chris Sawyer's Locomotion. This update brings your European retail game to v1.76 and addresses about a dozen game balance issues, crash fixes, as well as interface adjustments (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

Tecmo and Xbox Live announced the official schedule and rules for the highly anticipated first round of the US and Canadian regional online tournament, entitled "The Dead or Alive Ultimate Mystery Gamer Competition".

Twisted Metal: Head-On, developed Incognito Entertainment, hits the road this spring, allowing gamers to take destruction anywhere, anytime. Featuring new gameplay designs, multiplayer modes via wireless connectivity and Mini-Game bonus levels, Twisted Metal: Head-On provides a wide variety of gameplay options for gamers on the go.