Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the release of Dark Cloud2, an imaginative, invigorating and vibrant 3D action-adventure, role-playing game (RPG) developed exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. The follow-up to the successful 2001 release, Dark Cloud 2 features a new character-driven story with two playable characters, an enhanced graphical look utilizing cell-shading technology, the return of the GEORAMA -- the unique ability enabling players to create, build and customize a fully interactive, 3D world, and the introduction of the Invention System which allows players to create an array of items for later use in battle and exploration.

Are you a pin punisher or a gutter lover? Take off your street shoes, buff up your ball, and step into the lanes of Big Strike Bowling. Choose from a horde of unique bowlers and head out on to the craziest alleys ever created.. Five screenshots of whacky character action.

Microsoft today announced that the first batch of new downloadable content is now available for "MechAssault" via Xbox Live. In this first update, players will find two new multiplayer maps which support all five of the current gametypes and two agile new 'Mechs: Raven and Corvus. The new maps include Hell's Kitchen, a fiery volcanic world; and Stone Cold, a frigid snowy environment. These new items will greatly expand multiplayer play, and this update is available for no additional charge.

Michael Rowland Community Liaison Officer @ Codemasters posted up following information in our forum:

Just though I'd let you know that IGI 2 - Covert Strike is officially released in Europe tomorrow, Friday 21st February and on March 4th in the US. Of course we still have the many demos on the Codemasters site so if you are still in doubt, have a bash at them.

Happy gaming

Mike

Devastation developers Groove Games seem to be working on another titles called "CTU : Marine Sharpshooter". One Shot One Kill. You are a Marine Sharpshooter, member of the elite Counter Terror Unit, a covert American military force waging a silent war against terror across the globe. Dropped behind enemy lines, you have uncovered a terrorist plan to construct a nuclear weapon and detonate it on American soil. You must follow the plot from the desserts of Afghanistan through the Russian winter and into the jungles of a small south Pacific island. Armed with an arsenal of authentic sniper weaponry, your only assistance is provided by your observer, your eyes, ears and close quarters machine gun. Make every shot count, your country is depending on it (thanks HomeLAN).

Infogrames has released an updated version 2206 of the demo for Unreal Tournament 2003, Digital Extreme's UT sequel. In addition to being updated to the latest Unreal-engine codebase, the new demo also adds another level. The updated demo includes five maps, four gameplay modes, a pair of mutators, etc. (thanks Bluesnews) A Windows as well as a Linux version are now available. Read more for download links ...

Hot on the heels of the previous patch, Strategy First & Paradox Plaza have released yet anotherpatch for their WWII based strategy war title Hearts of Iron. Even more gameplay tweaks, AI fixes and general improvements to the game! Read more for detailed fix list and download links for all localised versions ...

Thrustmaster is pleased to introduce its first cordless controller for PlayStation 2: Firestorm Wireless. With a design based on the Firestorm RF for PC, Thrustmaster's new radio frequency gamepad will be available from February 2003, providing gamers with a new level of enjoyment and unprecedented freedom of movement in games.

Capcom informed us that they have shipped "Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter" to stores. The latest iteration of this popular role-playing series follows the adventures of an underground dweller named Ryu who has an “awakening” about his mysterious past and finds himself leading his underground civilization to the surface after a world shaking catastrophe turns his world upside down. His quest is to lead the way for the people of Shelter to escape to the surface, but doing the journey is fraught with peril and woe. Enemies are at every turn impeding his safe passage to the surface. Using a variety of attacks including combinations, magic and tactics, Ryo and friends will break into the sunlight after generations of darkness- or die trying.

PC game fans everywhere are excited to learn that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, one of the hottest games of the year, has shipped and will soon be available on store shelves. Expected to blow PC game fans away, the game is already a critical success earning Editor's Choice awards from both Computer Gaming World and PC Gamer. Read more for details and a few new screens ...

Last week Western Canada based Two Guys Software released the retail version of Eternal War: Shadows of Light for online ordering. Hailed as the “Best Christian Game to date” (CCGR.org) the highly anticipated fast-paced action game is set in a spiritual conflict situation. Read more for some screens, and links where to download the demo.

Codemasters is attending this year's Game Developers Conference [GDC], March 4 – 8 in San Jose, California, with a clear mandate to acquire five A to triple-A game titles. As part of Codemasters' aggressive product acquisition programme, its team is ready to meet game developers with exceptional projects to discuss global publishing opportunities. Codemasters recently won the highly-contested publishing rights to 1C's "WWII:RTS" (to be published as Battlefield Command). With a particular interest in US-centric games, Codemasters is prioritising titles for PC, PC online, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube formats.

In the 23rd century, after having stimulated a subspatial breach and opened our solar system to an unknown system, a scientific expedition is attacked under appalling conditions by a quarrelsome species : a terrible war engaged between these two worlds. Men, in their will to maintain peace and discover new civilisations engaged into a military campaign in order to explore new planets and understand the major motivations of this species. You, Captain Demetrio, you lead a troop of elites and will discover during a perilous adventure the mysteries and dangers of areas filled of history and past and maybe reveal the secrets of ancestors who will lead you to the victory. Read more for features, screens and trailer...

Nintendo today announce the eagerly anticipated news that a limited edition bonus disk will be included with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker at launch on 3rd May. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, will include a bonus disk containing two additional Gamecube games: The N64 Classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and previously unreleased title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, which was originally designed for the N64DD. Also on the bonus disk will be additional gameplay footage including the all-new F-Zero, 1080° Avalanche, Time Splitters 2, Phantasy Star Online, Rayman 3 & Super Monkey Ball 2, all for Gamecube

Resident Evil: Dead Aim sees search and pursuit team agent, Bruce MacGavin spear heading a shady anti-Umbrella organization’s attempt to infiltrate and investigate a gigantic sea-cruiser as it makes its way across the Atlantic. Bruce MacGavin is a brand new character to the Resident Evil series and along with his mysterious female partner must battle against the hoards of relentless zombies that confront them for the first time.

Talk about a southern island fantasy! Imagine being in Paradise for two whole weeks, with no-one but the lovely ladies of Dead or Alive to keep you company! Except instead of fighting – it’s all about another exciting and reaction testing activity – beach volleyball. In “Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball”, you play as a character you select out of all seven of the Dead or Alive ladies, along with one new character and enjoy holidays at various spots on the island playing beach volleyball games.

Extreme Pool features ultra realistic graphics, numerous game modes and extremely accurate physics and ball kinetics all set within exotic photo-realistic high polygon environments. The most graphically detailed console pool/snooker game with a full career game mode, various tournament modes, create your own tournament mode and practice modes with multiplayer gameplay for up to 8 players. Graphic State, a leading UK developer whose clients include THQ, TDK, Midway and Lego, today announces the completion of 'Extreme Pool', a brand new pool and snooker game for PS2, GameCube and PC. Check out the screens ...

"The House of the Dead" movie will debut this Saturday, February 15 at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival. The premier will take place at the UA Galaxy 4 Theater at Sutter and Van Ness and starts at 7:00 pm sharp. Tickets are available at the box office the day of the show. Stop by if you're in the area! A supernatural horror thriller, "The House of the Dead" is the twisted tale of a band of college students that arrive on a mysterious island for a rave and must confront horrifying zombies and terrifying creatures intent on feasting on the flesh of the living. "The House of the Dead" is based on the video game franchise of the same name from SEGA. The film's director Uwe Boll ("Sanctimony," "Homeroom: The Heart of America") and stars from the movie, including Clint Howard, will all attend for some post-Valentine's Day carnage at this world premier showing of "The House of the Dead." The "House of the Dead" was produced by Shawn Williamson via his Brightlight Pictures banner and executive produced by Mindfire Entertainment, the producers of the award winning "Free Enterprise" and "The Specials" and Daniel Kletzky, a producer on "Resident Evil" and "Final Fantasy."

It is 1588 A.D., a critical year of an alternate history hauntingly familiar yet fantastically alien to our own. Because of one fateful event during the Third Crusade, the history of this world diverged. This event, the Disjunction, ripped open a long-sealed breach to other worlds. Magic energy and powerful spirits flowed into the world, changing the lands and the people forever. Cast into this world, you are a character of your own devices, strengths, and abilities. Set upon by human factions and powerful spirits, you must decide how to best develop your skills in order to triumph over obstacles that lie between you and your true fate. A fresh batch of Lionheart screens has arrived!

Activision is giving gamers an all access pass to go behind-the-scenes for its highly anticipated stealth-based, ninja action game at the official Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven web site. The site will kick off with an exclusive cinematic trailer showcasing the game's epic storyline and heart-pounding stealth action featuring all three playable characters - Rikimaru, Ayame and Tesshu. Additionally, the site will be updated weekly and will roll out a host of other downloads and information including custom wallpaper, character and weapon features, links to the online Ninja community and news updates. Named one of GameSpy's "Most Wanted Console Games of 2003," Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven will be available at retail early next month for a suggested retail price of $49.99.

Konami of America, Inc. today revealed a brand new title in the mega-popular Yu-Gi-Oh! series of videogames, Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel for Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Slated for release on April 15, 2003, Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel will ship with three limited edition Trading Game Cards inside the game box; Harpie's Feather Duster, Sinister Serpent and Valkrion The Magna Warrior.

Glen Dahlgren, Designer/Producer @ Legend Entertainment posted up a quick update on Infogrames Unreal II forum about what's going on (thanks Blues). Here is the full clip:

I wanted to give you all a quick update about what's happening on the home front. While we Legend guys haven't been posting here as much as we'd like (things are still pretty crazy here), I assure you we have been reading your comments and concerns, and we take them all very seriously.

As you may have read in the forum already, we're planning on releasing a patch sometime soon. It should address a number of the issues that people have raised in these forums. As well, we're going to be releasing a demo, especially targeted at those of you who want to 'try before you buy'. It should be a great benchmark to see how the game runs on your particular system.

In a later post, I'll try to get you some specifics about both of these, but it shouldn't be too long until you've actually got them in your hands.

Thanks to everyone for your support.

Shrapnel Games announced today that Stormcloud Creations' Interstellar Trader 2 has gone Gold. The game should be ready to ship in Early March.. More about it below!

Mr. Golf brings all the intricacies and challenges of golf to the Playstation 2 format and through a revolutionary swing control method can rightly claim to be as realistic an experience as you can get. Read more for features and screens!

The first official add-on for the massively multiplayer game Dark Age of Camelot, titled Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles.. This add-on, developed by Mythic Entertainment, will be published and operated by Wanadoo, and will allow European players to log-on the English, French or German servers of Dark Age of Camelot (2 servers for England, 3 for France and 4 for Germany).