After 2 months, 1.4 million mod profile visitors and 8,000 different voters, the 2004 Golden Spanner Mod of the Year Awards have been decided, by the visitors and gamers who know best. As expected, Half-Life based mods polled well, although mods from over 10 other games also finished up top, a testament to the talent out there. Head to the feature and read up on the top three mods from all gameplay styles (action, adventure, racing, etc.) and also the top three mods for each design area (best models, textures, maps, etc.)

The add-on to the successful game Transport Giant takes you to the Earth's most fascinating and mysterious, but also most dangerous continent – Down under to Australia!

SCi Games Ltd. confirms that Roll Call is still in full production. Originally developed by Argonaut Games Plc for PS2 and Xbox, the game is now being developed by a newly formed company, Rocksteady Studios.

Microsoft Game Studios today announced the complete car roster for its highly anticipated and critically acclaimed driving simulator for Xbox, Forza Motorsport. Slated to hit store shelves this April, Forza Motorsport will debut with more than 230 cars from over 40 of the world's top car manufacturers for gamers to own, customize, upgrade and race.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory 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. Check these new screens ...

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 :

• Blitzkrieg 2 - Trailer
• Universal Combat: A World Apart - Trailer

Driven by a hatred of crime bordering on insanity, Frank Castle became The Punisher, a one-man army whose mission goes far beyond revenge. Taking on the city's high-powered crime lords, he wreaks havoc on the corrupt with methods reserved for those on the wrong side of the law. Check these 80+ new screens, and two in-game trailers ..

Future Games, previously known for Black Mirror, is working on an all new horror/adventure game, Nibiru: Messenger of the Gods. You take on the role of Martin Holan, an Thechz archeologist working in France sent to investigate a newly found secret tunnel apparently made by Germans during the second World War. Nibiru is a 2D adventure featuring 80 locations, over 30 NPCs, and 50 pages of narrative (thanks demonews.de).

Oddworld Stranger features detailed interactive environments set in an enthralling new frontier of the Oddworld universe. Players step into the role of the Stranger, a rough and tumble bounty hunter who tracks down outlaws for moolah. Using a special weapons system that gives a whole new meaning to "live" ammo, players will encounter deviant species and hostile challenges along the way.

In Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, fans follow the Baudelaire orphans as their luck goes from awfully bad to incredibly worse. Based on the popular book series and the upcoming movie starring Jim Carrey, this treacherous tale allows players to experience the eccentric adventures of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire.

Reuters is reporting that U.S. video game sales rose 8 percent in 2004, despite a drop in sales in December due to widespread hardware (PS2/Xbox) shortages, analysts said on Friday. The Xbox outsold the PS2 slightly in the month, analysts said, but both consoles sold fewer units than they did in December 2003

Project: Snowblind is a the first-person action shooter putting you in the role of an elite super soldier, fighting on the front lines of a near-future war using unique weapons, abilities and high-tech gadgetry that inject depth and variety to gameplay. Read more for new screens and trailers.

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 :

• Brothers In Arms - Trailer
• Legend of Kay - Trailer #4
• Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure - Trailer
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Developer Diaries (3)
• Starfox Assault - Intro Movie

The official Counter-Strike Bot will be released for Counter-Strike: Source on Monday (January 17th). The Bot features enhanced abilities and will be available for all owners of Counter-Strike: Source. Also included in Monday's release is an updated version de_tides, rebuilt by Turtlerock Studios.

The Sims 2 University is the first expansion pack for the highly-acclaimed The Sims 2, giving players of The Sims 2 the ability to watch their Sims become young adults and put childhood behind them as they settle into an all-new college town to live out their ultimate college fantasy.

Continuing the crossover trend between the movie and games industry, details surrounding the theatrical-style music score for the highly anticipated new first-person action game, Pariah were announced today. Tim Larkin, known for his work on the blockbuster Myst adventure series was chosen by developer, Digital Extremes to create a score that captured the mood and style of Pariah.

Funcom announces that the free Anarchy Online offer has been a tremendous success and will be fully extended throughout all of 2005 and into 2006 (only new accounts & sign-ups until 15.01.2006). Anarchy Online now has more users than ever before, and the player feedback about the experience Funcom is offering has been fantastic. The game is setting records on an ongoing basis, with more active players now than seen in the month of launch more than 3,5 years ago.

Not content with allowing armchair managers to coach their favourite teams in photo realistic 3D, Pro Rugby Manager 2 is set to offer a 2D tactical display, bringing a whole new level of strategy to the world's number one rugby management game. The new option will provide gamers with all the tactical information, statistics and available strategies as well as a crystal clear representation of the match as it plays out.

DreamCatcher Games today announced that it will publish Universal Combat: A World Apart, the second title in the Universal Combat series. The game will release globally for PC in May 2005.

This eighth and ninth installments of the wildly popular King of Fighters franchise makes it way to the PlayStation2 and the Xbox in this ultimate double pack collection of 2D fighting. We had a chance to check out a build of one of the oldest & most favorite fighting games, read more for our updated impression...

The current offer would have made EA the owner of more than 50 percent of the total number of shares, representing a majority vote in DICE after outstanding employee stock options have been exercised. Even though the extended acceptance period has not yet expired, EA has waived the above-mentioned condition.

LucasArts has released an updated dedicated server file for Pandemic Studios' scifi shooter Star Wars Battlefront. This v1.2 server supports the new Battlefront Bonus Mission entitled Jabba's Palace, but apart from that no additional information is available. Read more for download links ...

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 :

• Close Combat: First to Fight - Trailers (2)
• The Sims 2: University - Trailer #2
• Star Wars Republic Commando - Trailers (2)

Electronic Arts announced today that it plans to ship the first expansion pack for the Sims 2 on March 1st, making it arrive in stores March 3rd. The Sims 2 University is the first expansion pack for the highly-acclaimed The Sims 2, giving players of The Sims 2 the ability to watch their Sims become young adults and put childhood behind them as they settle into an all-new college town to live out their ultimate college fantasy.

Oddworld Stranger's Wrath combines first and third-person gameplay with familiar Oddworld elements and an all-new engine to deliver a unique gameplay experience. Set to award-winning visuals, players will be moved by the complex and inspiring story as the Stranger comes to grips with his true nature in the hunt for the ultimate bounty. Read more for screens ...