EA announced today that The Sims 2 Nightlife is under development from Maxis studio. With The Sims 2 Nightlife, players will be able to take their Sims out to hit all the swanky hot spots in the all new downtown location and spice up their lives with an all new dating gameplay and a new life goal focused on pleasure seeking.

Cold Fear is a first action-horror title with both action and horror, delivering an action-packed, tension-filled gaming experience. Players step into the role of Tom Hansen, a U.S. Coast Guard who is sent to board a drifting Russian whaling ship in the middle of a howling storm on the Bering Sea, who will discover there is no safe place here. On this constantly rocking and shifting ship and a mysterious oil rig, players must turn their interactive surroundings to their advantage to take down human enemies – and enemies that aren't human any more - and save their own life.

Linden Lab's 3D digital world Second Life goes global with Version 1.6, providing more access, more tools and more entertainment opportunities for the community. International keyboard support enabling Second Life’s international audience to communicate in their own language. New in-world tools streamline and simplify the 3D design process. In-world video streaming, letting residents screen their original movies to an ever-expanding audience. Get more details over at the official Second Life website.

The latest Matrix Online patch version introduces several new features and improvements to the game like special beta tester clothing, specially desgined by the MxO team exclusive to former beta testers, and an in-game media player, allowing you to play any file type supported by Windows Media Player, such as media streams, playlists, and local files. Other changes included in this update are an increase in player inventory capacities, and the introduction of Organization vs. Organization PvP combat. Read more for a detailed fix list ...

Eidos in conjunction with Highway 1 Productions, takes an unrelenting look at urban street crime in its upcoming action video game 25 To Life. 25 To Life is being developed by Avalanche Software and will be available for PS2, Xbox and PC. Read more for screens & trailer ...

The Adventure Company today announced that Still Life has gone gold. Developed by awarding-winning adventure game creators, Microids, this investigative thriller will be available for both the Xbox and PC on April 14, 2005.

Activision has released new Linux patches for Infinity Ward's WW2 based FPS Call of Duty: United Offensive. The patch brings your dedicated server to v1.51b and closes some exploits, fixed MG42 bug, other crashes. Read more for download links ...

Every year, Oktoberfest in Munich attracts millions of people from across the world. The event is synonymous with fun, a great atmosphere and wild partying, a good enough reason for 10Tacle Studios to now also develop PC, video and mobile phone games set in the pavillions, fun rides and fairground booths of the famous venue Münchner Wiesn. Consequently, 10T recently secured the exclusive worldwide licensing rights with regards to the biggest public festival and its official mascot, a Bavarian dachshund referred to as "Wies'n Wastl."

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Midway Games announced today the signing of a multi-territory publishing agreement to develop video games based on Happy Feet, a comedy adventure written and directed by George Miller (the Babe movies, Lorenzo's Oil, the Mad Max trilogy), scheduled for release in November 2006. The multi-platform deal includes games for console, handheld and PC.

Originally developed by BioWare, Neverwinter Nights has set a new standard in the role-playing genre with a deep and engrossing storyline; immersive character development; stunning graphics; and, an expansive multiplayer experience like none other. Now Atari, Obsidian Entertainment and BioWare are bringing Neverwinter Nights 2 to the PC, expected early 2006. Today we serve up some new artwork and the first game details ...

Ubisoft today announced that Cold Fear for the PC is available on store shelves today. Developed by Darkworks Studio, Cold Fear is a thrilling action-horror game that electrifies with action-packed gameplay and a horrifying, suspenseful storyline. In Cold Fear, players can master every situation if they keep their blood cold and use their wits. Because on a hell-bound ship, everyone is DEAD weight.

Planetwide Games will hold an official Golden Launch event at Digital Hollywood, March 30, 2005, in Santa Monica, CA for RYL: Path of the Emperor, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), which recently announced a $1,000,000 Grand Prize skill-based Player vs. Player tournament within the game.

NCsoft today announces the latest chapter to its massively multiplayer game, Lineage. Dark Conquest, Episode 3: Life and Death launches today on North American servers. This episode continues the story of the Lastabad Dark Elf army, introducing the group’s headquarters in the Diad Fortress. The fortress is located in the underground region of Lineage’s fictional world of Aden.

Electronic Arts today announced that TimeSplitters Future Perfect has shipped to North American stores under the EA GAMES brand. Produced by EA Partners and developed by Free Radical Design Ltd., TimeSplitters Future Perfect marks the return of the critically-acclaimed console first-person shooter franchise.

Akella announces the agreement with Ubisoft on publishing full localized version of Cold Fear by Darkworks in Russia and CIS. Cold Fear is the first action-horror title from Ubisoft. While the game shipped internationally earlier this month, no specific release date for the localized version has been set yet.

Activision has released a new patch for Splash Damage's free team-based multiplayer FPS Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. This release brings the multiplayer addon to v2.60 and optimizes netcode, various server crashes fixed, server can redirect clients to other servers when full, mods menu, and plenty more. Read more for details and download links ...

Coffee Tycoon lets gamers build a coffee empire. Starting fresh with one store, players customize their coffee business by giving it a name and choosing a logo and store design. From there, they'll choose a city to start their coffee empire, maybe New York or L.A., or if they're really daring, the coffee capital of the world: Seattle! Read more for download links ...

After much deliberation, Valve has announced the winners of its Half-Life 2: Deathmatch mapping contest. Contest Winner is Scott M Jordan, USA with his dm_Underpass map. Congratulations! First Runner-Up Jonathan Linker, Germany (dm_resistance), second Runner-Up Michael Schulz, Germany (dm_powerhouse) and Honorable Mention Michael Visser, Netherlands (dm_avalon). Read more to check out some screens...

Ys : The Oath in Felghana, sequel to Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, is situated in the same setting as its predecessor and sees the return of familiar characters Adol Christin, and his partner, Dogi. The game takes places in Dogi's homeland, the region of Felghana, and will handle much like its recent console counterpart, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim.

Step into the shadows of Gotham City's perilous criminal underworld as DC Comics' legendary Dark Knight in the Batman Begins video game. Slated for release day and date with the Warner Bros. Pictures film, Batman Begins challenges players to use fear as their ultimate weapon. Read more for details and features ...

TimeSplitters Future Perfect has gone gold for the PS2, Xbox and GameCube, and will be in stores beginning March 22nd. In TimeSplitters Future Perfect, Cortez - the hero from previous installments - returns with humanity on the brink of destruction. With the help of some familiar faces (some very familiar!) he must chase a mystery foe across different time periods to trace the origins of the TimeSplitters and save the day.

Created by Texas-based Gearbox Software, Brothers in Arms is the most realistic and authentic WWII shooter ever. While other WWII games have sugarcoated the war experience, Brothers in Arms is based on a true story and will immerse gamers into the gritty, uncensored and emotionally-charged side of war. According to Dutch website gamer.nl Gearbox is currently working on a demo, to be released in the next 2-3 weeks. No info on the contents of the demo are available at this point, but we will of course have it available on our files network as soon as it pops up.

Get behind the wheel and experience the sensation of racing actual cars. As in the real world, Enthusia emphasizes pure driving skills and ensures that winning is a result of ability rather than how much money has been spent tuning a car. Maintaining a subtle balance between the power of the car and the driver’s skill, Enthusia promises to deliver the ultimate driving experience for racing fans of all abilities.

Stoked Rider featuring Tommy Brunner' is an unique action-freesports game for PC, the first freeride snowboarding game inspired by Alaska's impressive peaks, presented in a unique 3D cellshaded graphical style. Tommy Brunner is one of the most experienced backcountry and big mountain snowboard riders in Europe, and has a string of horrifically impressive injuries to go with it, including a broken back!

Ubisoft today announced that Cold Fear has shipped for the Xbox and PS2. Cold Fear is a thrilling action-horror game that electrifies with action-packed gameplay and a horrifying, suspenseful storyline. In Cold Fear, players can master every situation ­ if they keep their blood cold and use their wits. Because on a hell-bound ship, everyone is DEAD weight. Cold Fear is rated "M" (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Language and has an MSRP of $49.99.