The latest version of Gran Turismo 4 further demonstrates its mission to provide the most authentic driving simulation available in the marketplace. New features will extend above and beyond just pure automotive racing, providing a unique destination for automotive and PS2 enthusiasts to enjoy car culture in every dimension. As Gran Turismo 4 has just been released in Asia, reports have come in that, although it lacks an official online mode, people have been able to play multiplayer by combining the LAN option and using XLink. It has also become clear that you can export screens to your PC by means of the USB connection and the Le Mans map is included in the game.

Everown is a multiplayer-only game, focused on contesting against your friends over Local Area Network (LAN) or players from all around the world through built-in Internet Matchmaking System. It will be free to try, giving those of you not yet adjusted to online gaming an unique chance to find out that nothing can beat the immersion of battling against a sentient human being instead of a mindless computer drone (thanks Tiscali). Read more for details and 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 :

• MLB 2006 - Trailer
• God of War - Trailer #3
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Multiplayer Trailer

Online movie site Moviehole is claiming to have word from inside sources that Thomas Jane, who played Frank Castle in The Punisher, is in talks with Paramount to headline the recently announced film version of the game 'Splinter Cell.' To prepare for his role in The Punisher, Thomas Jane trained a few months with the Navy Seals, so a role as Sam Fisher would not be too much of a stretch. In the Splinter Cell movie, Fisher is sent into action when two CIA agents mysteriously disappear in Azerbaijan.

Developed by Mad Doc Software and due for release in the first half of 2005, Empire Earth 2 will build upon the award-winning formula of its predecessor by adding features requested both by casual game players interested in a brief spin through history and by more hard core gamers who demand a real-time strategy game that will challenge them for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours.

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.

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 :

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl - Trailer
• Star Wars: Republic Commando - Trailer

Ubi Soft has yet again released new patches for 1C Maddox's WW2 flight sim Pacific Fighters. This update brings your retail game to v3.03 (for both the standalone and merged installations) and addresses compatibility issues amongst the various language editions, as well as model enhancements, gameplay tweaks, new static objects, and the usual bug and crash fixes. Read more for download links.

"Imperator" is Mythic Entertainment's next-generation Sci-Fi themed MMO currently in development, featuring a thrilling new interplanetary game world based on an alternate history in which Rome never fell.

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.

Merely a month after it was announced by publisher Ignition Entertainment, Mercury is a refreshingly unique game with roots in many genres, has gone gold (thanks Eurogamer). Mercury provides an addictive challenge through its simple gaming mechanic. Players "tilt" each level to maneuver the blobs of mercury, with various switches, platforms, obstacles, and hazards standing between level goals.

European developer Frogwares has announced that it is working on yet another title in the Sherlock Holmes adventure series. After its recently released Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring, this will be the third game in the series. "Great news for all adventure game fans - Frogwares started work on third part of adventures of the greatest detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes. Incredible graphic[s], gripping story and unexpected ending."

The entire Worthplaying staff would like to say "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to our readers all around the world. We hope everybody has a wonderful holiday, loads of good food, and a joyful time with friends & family. May Santa bring you all the games you wished for, but above all, stay safe! Our news coverage will not slow down, but the news itself might be lacking. If there is anything worthy of your attention, you can be sure to read it here ...

In Sid Meier's Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean amassing fortune and fame in an attempt to seize your rightful place as one of the most revered (and feared!) pirates in history.

X-Isle is a singleplayer mod for Ubisoft/CryTek's FPS Far Cry. This Alpha v0.1 features 2 maps, 2 weapons, a jetski and a few other features. Read more for download links ...

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.

Activision Value has released the first patch for Creat Studio's motorbike building game American Chopper, based on the Discovery Channel's TV series with the same name. This update brings your retail game to v1.1, although no details as to what it fixes are available. Read more for download links ...

On December 22 many players were unable to access World of Warcraft for approximately seven hours, due to server problems. Blizzard will address this issue by automatically extending the trial period of all players who created an account on or before December 22 (11:59 PM PST) for an additional day.

SEGA of America has released the first patch for Sports Interactive's 'Worldwide Soccer Manager. This update brings your retail game to v5.0.2, fixes lots of bugs, tunes the game more realistic like the player position bug, and makes it compatible with the European Football Manager 2005 edition of the game. The patch is save game compatible, but to get the full out of it, start a new game. Read more for download links ...

In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, China, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game's 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 100 players in some of the largest online battles on the PC. Read more to check out 32 new screens, and a trailer showing off the 1st person perspective, weapons and vehicles...

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 :

• World Racing 2 - Trailer
• Jurassic Park 'FarCry Mod' - Trailer
• Dangerous Waters - Trailer

Oddworld Stranger's Wrath has officially gone gold for the Xbox and will begin shipping under the EA GAMES brand starting Tuesday, January 25, 2005.

Ubisoft announces that Prince of Persia Warrior Within has already doubled sales of the brand's first installment, with 1.8 million units delivered since its December 2nd release. During an extremely competitive holiday season, Prince of Persia Warrior Within has proven itself as a force with which to be reckoned.

Offering over 40 fully-licensed and faithfully replicated club and national teams, players can tinker with tactics, formation, line-up and training before each match. During the game, Pro Rugby Manager 2 displays each bone-crunching tackle, each heart-in-mouth drop kick and every maddening pass and dash to the try-line in such glorious, motion-captured detail, it rivals anything TV coverage can offer.

Wow, talk about a surprise! A few weeks ago Israeli game developer Majorem announced it was putting development of Ballerium on hold due to insufficient funds, and today Interplay announced that it will exclusively publish and distribute the massively multiplayer online strategy game. The game, currently in beta testing, is expected to be commercially launched by summer 2005.