The AP has a story about five middle-school boys in Greensburg, Pennsylvania who have been arrested, charged in a graffiti blitz they blame on a video game. The boys range in age from 12 to 14 and are charged with institutional vandalism, criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief and desecration of venerated objects. Police said the boys claim they were inspired by the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (thanks ve3d).

Everown is a multiplayer-only game, focused on contesting against your friends over Local Area Network (LAN) or players from all around the world through built-in Internet Matchmaking System. It will be free to try, giving those of you not yet adjusted to online gaming an unique chance to find out that nothing can beat the immersion of battling against a sentient human being instead of a mindless computer drone (thanks Tiscali). Read more for details and screens ...

Keepsake, Wicked Studios' upcoming adventure game, will immerse you into a journey beyond compare. Assisted by a dragon afraid of heights, Lydia takes on to explore the Dragonvale Academy's empty structures in search for her best friend Celeste. But her curiosity turns to worry when she stumbles on something she has not seen in a very long time: an old doll, a keepsake she gave her best friend some 8 years ago. As she grabs it, strange images of Celeste's life begin to fill her mind...

In proximity of New Year's Eve Legend of Mir 3 is getting a new update that will enhance and add new features to the game. The update will contain among many things a whole new snowy mountain world area for players to explore. The new area will open up a whole new world of storylines and quests to immerse you in the icy plains of Mir 3. The new snowy field mountaintop area will play a large role in upcoming branches of the game's storyline.

Developed by Mad Doc Software and due for release in the first half of 2005, 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.

UEFA Champions League will offer followers of the game the opportunity to guide their chosen club from qualification anxiety through big night glory. It will add an element of the unexpected, allowing lower league teams into the glamorous world of European football. EA has launched the official 'UEFA Champions League 2004-2005' website.

In the third part of the zombie blasting series, PC gamers can expect an exciting new adventure plus an all-new shotgun weapon! Players will be able to mow down multiple enemies in a single blast as they plough their way through the most exhilarating House of the Dead yet.

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 48 new screens...

Gran Turismo 4 further demonstrates its mission to provide the most authentic driving simulation available in the marketplace. New features will extend above and beyond just pure automotive racing, providing a unique destination for automotive and PS2 enthusiasts to enjoy car culture in every dimension. Sony announced the European release date is pushed back from late February to March 9, 2004. Read more for the 52 tracks which will be available in GT4.

In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, China, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game's 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 100 players. Check out the freshly launched BF2 website, which at this point only featuring previously released screens & trailers. For new goodies, check our 30+ new screens & movies from yesterday.

Square Enix announced today that its PS2 exclusive RPG FullMetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel will ship to North American retailers on January 18, 2005. FullMetal Alchemist expands the story in the anime series which airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming. The tale follows the adventures of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric on their quest to make right the mistakes of their past.

Busy evening for the people over at Valve as today it disabled more than 30,000 Steam accounts (a few weeks ago Valve already banned 20,000) which had been used to try to illegally gain access to Valve games without a valid purchase. A new Steam update has been released fixing some some stuttering issues with Half-Life 2 and also addressing missing models when running the Counterstrike Source Video Stress Test.

Dreamfall continues the story of one of the most critically acclaimed adventure games ever made, and will bring adventure gaming into a new era. Focusing on story and characters, Dreamfall features unparalleled 3D visuals, advanced character animations, stunning audio, and innovative gameplay - wrapped in a unique and magical ambience.

Publisher Strategy First and developer Mayhem Studios are happy to announce that Shadow Vault has shipped to retailers nationwide.

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.

Cox Newspaper is reporting that a teenage girl who was photographed topless, apparently during Spring Break at South Padre Island, is now one of the topless image prizes in The Guy Game. The problem is, the girl was 17 when she was photographed, and is now suing Take 2, Sony and Microsoft as she claims she did not give consent.

Nanobreaker, developed by Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, is a fast-paced 3D action game in which the main character wields a powerful, shape-shifting Plasma Blade to defend mankind from deadly nanomachines. Read more for new screens ...

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.

Developed by Mad Doc Software and due for release in the first half of 2005, 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.

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.

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. Rockstar sent us a bunch of cheat codes, people say cheaters never win, well, they can at least have fun!

EA confirmed its decision to change one of the conditions for the offer to the shareholders of Digital Illusions CE AB (DICE) and to extend the acceptance period from Dec 16th until January 20, 2005. DICE's Board of Directors recommends its shareholders to accept the offer.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update which adds a slew of Source SDK tweaks. Read more for details ...

In an interview on Pirates Ahoy, Akkela's Project Manager Renat Nezametdinov, reveals that the game formerly known as Corsairs 2 is now finally getting an international release under the name of Age Of Pirates, and not Sea Dogs 2 as previously anticipated. While Corsairs 2 was only intented for Russian release at first, the new project under the AoP name will be targetted for European and North American audiences. For more details read the full interview

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. A new avenue for Ubisoft so time to catch up with DarkWorks' Guillaume Gouraud and Antoine Villette.