Codemasters will reveal the breathtaking new visual style, enhanced landscape engine and character races for its MMORPG Dragon Empires at this year's E3 exhibition (booth 746, South Hall, Los Angeles Convention Centre, May 14 –16). Dragon Empires is set to deliver a online fantasy world that is immersive and compelling, where thousands of players will socialise, trade and fight alone or in clans to battle for control of the game's 50 cities. Read more for details and new screens ...

EA announced today that former All-American USC quarterback and 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer is the spokesman for the EA SPORTS' NCAA Football 2004. Palmer, who is expected to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft this weekend, will appear on the cover of the newest iteration of the best-selling and most popular college football videogame, NCAA Football 2004 (Xbox/PS2/NGC). His image will appear on all of the game's packaging and merchandising. Read more for details ...

Aspect Simulations announces the development of their World War I combat flight simulation, KNIGHTS OVER EUROPE. Brought to you by a team whose collective experience includes Red Baron II, the Falcon 3 series, the Close Combat series and Fly II, KNIGHTS OVER EUROPE brings the dawn of aerial combat up-to-date with leading edge graphics, high fidelity flight models and precision damage modeling. Dozens of highly detailed aircraft with historically accurate markings will set the stage for an experience that will attract both hard-core flightsim fans and novices alike. Read more for details and screens

DreamCatcher Games today announced its full line-up for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The company will be showcasing 5 new products, including the much anticipated Painkiller on PC and Arx Fatalis on Xbox.

After months in development on a far and distant tropical isle Tropico 2: Pirate Cove is making its sailing the seven seas into stores. An addictive real time strategy, empire building game for the PC this swashbuckling adventure is a treasure that can be discovered in stores on 25th April 2003.

At last the eagerly-anticipated release of the new patch for Unreal Tournament 2003 has been released. This upgrade brings your retail copy of the multiplayer first-person shooter by Digital Extremes and Epic Games to v2225. This patch can be applied to any previous version and has a buttload of gameplay tweaks and fixes, HUD/menus, AI, networking, mod support, D3D/OpenGL, audio as well as demo recording and playback. Read more for detailed fix list and links where to grab it ...

Inspired by its celebrated Secret Weapons series of classic World War II flight combat games, LucasArts' Secret Weapons Over Normandy brings the historic air battles of that era to PS2, Xbox, and PC this fall. Secret Weapons Over Normandy presents a dynamic, deeply engaging story-driven flight action experience that puts players in control of authentic World War II aircraft and challenges them to undertake the war's most dangerous missions. Check 4 new PS2 screens ...

Gamers get ready to finalize war plans and ready the reinforcements as Valve's Day of Defeat has gone gold. The multiplayer action-packed WWII game pits players in Axis vs. Allies squad-based combat in Western Europe at the height of the war in 1944. Day of Defeat is powered by Valve's Half-Life technology and is the first title to be published by Activision, Inc. under its new strategic partnership with Valve. The title is scheduled for release this May.

SEGA Europe Ltd today announced the development of Headhunter: Redemption, a cinematic third-person action epic for the PlayStation2 and the Xbox . The title is in development by Amuze and is slated for release in North America and Europe in late 2003. The title will debut at the E3.

NCsoft is pleased to announce Guild Wars, a mission-based competitive online role playing game, produced by its Seattle-based ArenaNet studio. Guild Wars will have its first major public showing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Created by EALA and developed by TKO Software, Inc., the new expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Medal of Honor Allied Assault, takes players from the sands of North Africa to the heart of Italy in the struggle to defeat the Third Reich. Medal of Honor Allied Assault Breakthrough is planned for release on the PC in fall 2003.

There was an email sent to the global beta sign up list this afternoon about pre-ordering EVE and getting into the beta (and pay for it). This does NOT apply to those who signed up for the beta through Worthplaying. Those that have signed up via WP site will be in for FREE, hence the word "beta give-away." You can still signup for the Eve Online beta, either click here or use the banner at the top of the page

Available for free download in Spring 2003, "Insect Invasion" is an add-on MOD for Impossible Creatures, the latest 3-D real-time strategy game from Alex Garden and Relic Entertainment, creators of the critically acclaimed "Homeworld." Building on the popularity of "Impossible Creatures" and its' MOD-friendly engine, Relic ups the ante with 15 new creatures, 9 new abilities and other game enhancements that add even more to Impossible Creatures already unprecedented gameplay features. Read more for details and the first screen..

Atari announced today that Test Drive and Stuntman for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system will be relaunched as part of Sony Computer Entertainment America's "Greatest Hits" program this summer. To be eligible for the special collection, each game must be available at retail for more than nine months and boast sales in excess of 400,000 units.

Rich Vogel Executive Producer for Star Wars Galaxies has updated the official forum with a status report (thanks Blues). Here is a clip from the posting:

Well, it’s been a while since I last posted. Some people probably don’t know who I am. I am the Executive Producer of SWG. I thought I would give you guys an update on where we are in development.

The client team is busy working on adding more visual effects, polishing and enhancing UI, adding more optimizations to the client, and fixing bugs. The Beta Testers have already seen the results of some of our efforts with a faster frame rate, less hitching as you walk around town, new character system features (such as pitch-pointing weapons in combat, or the soon-to-be-released head-turning towards your look-at target). There’s more to do here, and like art, we’re grateful to have a little time to really polish up the client.

Our current plan is to go to Open Beta in early May. This all depends on how polished we are. I realize lots of you want to play but it is important that we make your play experience an enjoyable one.

Inspired by its celebrated Secret Weapons series of classic World War II flight combat games, LucasArts announces Secret Weapons Over Normandy, which brings the historic air battles of that era to PS2, Xbox, and PC this fall. Secret Weapons Over Normandy presents a dynamic, deeply engaging story-driven flight action experience that puts players in control of authentic World War II aircraft and challenges them to undertake the war's most dangerous missions. Read more for details & some screens ...

EVE ONLINE is a new breed of computer game. Played online with thousands of other players, EVE draws people into what is essentially an alternate universe set some time far in the future in a place one can only dream of. Simon & Schuster is giving Worthplaying readers a chance to get in on the fun and sign up to beta test EVE Online. We have 1,000 beta test slots available, ONLY for the Worthplaying audience. All you need to do is get your sorry ass over to this EVE Online beta sign-up page and fill out the form. It's as simple as that. Keep in mind, the slots are limited and once they are all gone, they ARE gone. So head over there NOW! If you have no idea what Eve is about, check our Eve Online preview.

Blizzard, part of Vivendi Universal Games is looking for a European PR manager to be based at its office in Velizy, near Paris. French language skills are useful but not essential. But the successful candidate will need at least three to five years experience in PR, a degree and some knowledge of organising events. Send a CV, salary history and cover letter here or to Vivendi Universal Games Intnl, Recruitment Department, 32 Avenue de L'Europe, Immeuble Energy 1, 78 457 Velizy Villcoublay cedex, France.

On New Year's Eve, a band of renegade militia members from the hills of West Virginia seize a television station and broadcast their demands on the air. The F.B.I's Hostage Rescue Team is called in to deal with the situation. But this is only the first in a series of events that will take the team members from the mountains of West Virginia to the diamond mines of South Africa, and from the deserts of the Middle East to the corridors of wealth and power in Austria.At stake is the future of the free world, as terrorists unleash the most destructive weapon known to mankind.

What could be greater than God? To be God - just like in Heaven and Hell! In the year 1500 BC you announce to four peoples: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. To make your commandment effective, you are supported with miracles and plagues by seven different prophets. Convince your future followers with sound arguments such as chain lightning, locusts, and other mysteries. As you have to compete against a strong opponent at the same time, the fight for the most followers will be even more challenging. There can be only one after all!

Midway Games announced today that RoadKill, a mission-based, post-apocalyptic combat driving game, is scheduled to ship in fall 2003 for the PlayStation2, the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. Read more for details, features and the first screens ...

KOEI Ltd. today announced that it will be bringing Dynasty Warriors 4, the latest instalment of the worldwide best-selling Tactical Action series, to the European market this June. With more than one million units sold in Japan in little less than one month of release, and with the US version due in store next week, Dynasty Warriors 4 appears poised to become an instant hit in the European market as well.

Noticed on EvilAvatar that "Terminal Reality are now looking for a Lead Artist for BloodRayne II" at gamejobs.com. This is the first "official" hint that a sequel to BloodRayne will be developed. The sequel to Terminal Reality's horror-action game of 2002 will apparently be published by Activision, not the original game's Majesco.

Even though the gaming hobby has advanced onward to first-person-shooters and sensational role-playing landscapes, gaming accomplishments on old-fashioned titles can still make an ardent player sit up and take notice. One such achievement has been recently verified: the eternally popular 1991 SNES game, "Legend of Zelda:A Link to the Past," has been finished in under 2-hours for the first time in the title's history. Read more for details ...

‘The Great Escape’ is based on the 1963 Oscar nominated film staring Steve McQueen and revolves around actual events during WW2. The game is set in a number of unique locations, from POW camps to a mountain-top castle. Game levels include a busy hospital, a chase through a moving train and escape from an active Luftwaffe airfield. The core of the game centres on the largest mass breakout ever, from the ‘escape proof’ Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp. The game uses the powerful storyline and strong characters from the film to place the player in the heart of the action, as the POW’s resist the German war machine. It uses a combination of stealth, combat and frantic action involving multiple vehicles and an awesome motorbike based finale.