With the first Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 expansion pack Soaked! only a few weeks out in stores, Atari has revealed that Frontier Developments is already working on a second expasion pack for its theme park simulator. Atari Germany has 'RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!' scheduled for a November release, although no further details as to what the expansion pack will include are available at this point. More to follow soon no doubt ...

Based on the premise of Verne's novel, Voyage, previously called Journey to the Center of the Moon, follows as a group of scientists create a space capsule with the intent of landing on the moon's surface. As scientist Michel Ardan, players are able to wander the surface of the moon and witness the explosion of plant life at dawn.

2K Sports is proud to announce that Dallas Stars All-Star goalie Marty Turco will be the new cover athlete and official spokesperson for NHL 2K6. Turco has earned great respect from players and fans for his superb talent, dedication, and winning attitude, making him the natural choice as cover athlete for the NHL video game series.

Ubisoft announced today that it will launch the Splinter Cell Chaos Theory “Best Map” contest this summer. Everyone can create his own map thanks to the map editor provided with the game. The Jury – whose members are the creators of the Versus Mode from Ubisoft’s studio in Annecy (France)– will reward the 10 best maps created. Among the prizes to be distributed: Graphic card Point of View / GeForce 6800 GT AGP 256 Mo, statues of Sam Fisher, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory notebooks signed by the developers of the Versus mode.

Codename: Panzers, Phase Two will bring armchair generals to the war-torn battlefields of Africa, Southern Europe and the Balkans where they will fight as the Anglo-American Allies, the German-Italian Axis or the Yugoslavian resistance. A complement of heroes, both new and familiar, will be the players' alter egos in dozens of new missions as they attempt to lead their troops to victory. CDV producer Achim Heidelauf plans to release a demo (450mb) tomorrow, featuring an exclusive mission not available in the retail game. Of course we will have it on our fileserver network when it becomes available.

In Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean trying to become the most revered and feared pirate in history - exploring high seas and exotic ports, overtaking enemies in fierce naval battles, engaging in duels and attempting to seize valuable booty. In this developer diary Firaxis producer Dan Magaha talks about the bonus unlockable content that has been added to the Xbox version.

The Suffering: Ties That Bind is an action-horror game that emphasizes the disturbing terror of its predecessor, with all-new twisted creatures and a few familiar faces. Set in the slums and prisons of Baltimore, the player once again controls Torque as he seeks revenge against the mysterious grand manipulator Caleb Blackmore, a man somehow tied to the death of Torque's family.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced the production of the Justice League of America videogame, based on the DC Comics super heroes, for the PS2 and Xbox. Set for release in fall 2006, the Justice League of America game will be a super hero action role-playing game.

Ritual Entertainment today announced the development of SiN Episodes, featuring the highly anticipated return of Elexis Sinclaire, the world's most dangerous and seductive biochemist, and the only man who stands in her way, John R. Blade. The sworn enemies face off in Freeport City, a near-future mixture of San Francisco, Tokyo and New York, all set inside the unrestricted SiN universe.

Immerse yourself into the chaos of the 19th century gold rush as Colt Kaufman, a man caught in a degenerative struggle for money, power, and revenge in the western FPS Lawmaker. Harnesses breathtaking visual effects and the power of an intense, tightly knit single player storyline, Lawmaker will create a game that completely consumes the player in a world as grand as the old legends of the Wild West.

Universal Combat: A World Apart uses a new graphics engine, offer high definition first-person character models, new first-person weapon models and classes such as machine guns, fixed gun turrets and several new combat weapons. This 3rd demo contains elements from the previous two demos, but all the demo scenarios have been revised e.g. the Recon Force Marine scenario now takes place in stormy weather; in the Commander scenarios, you are piloting different crafts; some of the marine scenarios feature different weapons etc etc

TOCA Race Driver 2 brings the most motorsports in any game to PSP, complete with real performance cars, real damage, real physics, and real driver AI that adapts to suit your level of racing expertise.

Assembly Speaker Leland Yee today blasted the ESRB for failing to appropriately rate Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Recently it was reported that GTA:SA includes hidden animations which allow players to watch graphic scenes featuring oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse, which Rockstar denies. Despite these graphic scenes, GTA:SA only received a "Mature" rating instead of the ESRB's most restrictive rating "Adults Only." Most retailers will not carry games with an AO rating.

Painkiller: Hell Wars is a first-person horror shooter, designed to satisfy the gamer's hunger for intense, fast-paced action. You are Painkiller, a mercenary for hire, charged with cleaning out nests of the undead. But an unholy pact with a demon unknowingly puts you square in the middle of a fight for control of the underworld... with the future of humanity hanging in the balance.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory tells the conspiracy-ridden story of black ops agent Sam Fisher as he explores the world of international espionage. The game will offer a high adrenaline experience thanks to never seen before close range attacks, a totally open level design, a completely immersive and interactive environment, and challenging advanced AI. In addition, it will offer the best graphics in this generation of games and a unique, co-op multiplayer mode.

Far Cry Instincts is a technically advanced gaming experience built from the ground up using the kind of cutting-edge technology that Far Cry fans will recognize from the PC title. Yesterday Ubisoft announced Far Cry Instincts will ship exclusively for Xbox in September 2005, and today we catch up with technical creative director Laurent Mascherpa talking about the AI in the game.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• All Points Bulletin (APB) - Trailer
• Codename: Panzers Phase Two - Trailer Pack
• The Sims 2: Nightlife - Trailer #5
• Tak: The Great Juju Challenge [NDS] - Trailer
• TY the Tasmanian Tiger: Night of the Quinkan - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

A 22-year-old Cambridge graduate has become the first ever individual in the UK to be convicted for the illegal modification of video games consoles at Caerphilly Magistrates Court. Although Xbox modding is a grey area in a lot of countries, he fitted the consoles with a larger HD, partly pre-installed with illegal warez, and thats what did him in.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding the latest update for Counter-Strike Source and the Source Engine. As promised it includes the remakde cs_assault and a new terrorist model, but also new player animations, bug fixes, bot changes, and plenty more ... Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

Back in February we reported that Powerdrome was coming to the PC, and today more details trickle through. Powerdrome features futuristic racing in its purest, most distilled form: no weapons, no gimmicks - nothing but raw-power versus sublime control. A game that rewards those gamers with real skill, but even the losers will be left gasping for more.

Blending the best features from the first two installments with the talent, vision and ingenuity of Ubisoft's development teams, Prince of Persia 3 will enliven the franchise with a vitality - and plenty of unexpected twists - that will impress and satisfy long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Ubisoft has released a new patch for Gearbox's WW2 tactical FPS Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. This update brings your retail & downloadable game to v1.10 patch and addresses some sound effect, and text formatting issues, as well as prepares the game to support the upcoming SDK release. Read more for download links...

In anticipation of tomorrow's v1.01 patch for Battlefield 2, EA has released updated Unranked server files for Win32 and Linux, which contain all the files you need to host a dedicated server, including all 12 maps. Be advised that servers that are caught allowing users to play with the unlock weapons using the python workaround will incur a one week ban from the server list. Read more for download links ...

Atari today announced that it will distribute the forthcoming addictive puzzler 'Archer MacLean's Mercury' in key territories UK, France and Germany. Published by Ignition Entertainment and developed by Awesome Studios for PSP, Mercury has been specifically designed for the new gaming PlayStation Portable, which launches across Europe in September 2005.

Codename: Panzers, Phase Two will bring armchair generals to the war-torn battlefields of Africa, Southern Europe and the Balkans where they will fight as the Anglo-American Allies, the German-Italian Axis or the Yugoslavian resistance. A complement of heroes, both new and familiar, will be the players' alter egos in dozens of new missions as they attempt to lead their troops to victory.