'Stronghold 2 will bring the the castle-sim and siege-warfare RTS series to life in glorious 3D. Stronghold 2 will also offer players a "castle-life" campaign, enhanced multiplayer capability and a new, innovative and exciting single player campaign that will be revealed in the months ahead. Due to be released for PC in early 2005, until then, check these new screens and ingame footage trailers...

O~3 Entertainment today announced that D-Day, the real-time tactical strategy game for PC, has shipped to retail stores throughout North America.

Ubisoft has released a new patch for 1C Maddox's World War II combat flight simulation Pacific Fighters. This update brings your retail game to v3.02 and adds model enhancements, gameplay tweaks, and the usual crash & bug fixes. You first need to update both standalone and merged installations with the "common" patch and then utilize the appropriate patch for either IL2FB or IL2FB+Ace expansion. Read more for download links.

The Matrix Online fanzine is a first edition collector's item celebrating the evolution of The Matrix into a revolutionary new massively multiplayer online game. Created by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, The Matrix Online fanzine contains 24 pages of exclusive stories and articles regarding the evolution of the game - from character creation to beta testing. The fanzine also showcases special features, including Paul Chadwick's Writing the Matrix and an in-depth look at The Matrix Mega city with special edition maps of the game world. 4.

Just saw over on Reuters that Soccer Manager 2005 has been banned in China because it lists Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet as independent countries or as China's equals, thereby threatening the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."

NRA Varmint Hunter v1.01 upgrades your game by fixing some minor animal artificial intelligence bugs, and adds some performance upgrades to allow the game to run better on slower computers and those with less memory. Read more for download links ...

Captured, conveniently forgotten, tortured, and left for dead, MI6 agent Andrew Sterling awaits execution in a Chinese prison. The story begins when a mysterious friend from his past rescues him, setting off a chain of events that could rock the very foundations of global security and wreak chaos on a worldwide level.

EA's Mark Skaggs has sent out a note to long time Command & Conquer fans quietly announcing that the team behind C&C: Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge and C&C Generals is working on an all-new Command & Conquer product. Not many details are revealed but read on for the full note ..

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 :

• LotR: Battle For Middle Earth - Trailer (2)
• Nexus: The Jupiter Incident - Trailer #3

Midway announced today that two of its titles, NBA Ballers and Midway Arcade Treasures, have shipped more than one million units worldwide since their respective releases. NBA Ballers shipped to retail outlets in North America on April 5, 2004 and in Europe on October 14, 2004. Midway Arcade Treasures shipped in North America on November 24, 2003 and on February 6, 2004 in Europe. The compilation of classic Midway arcade titles retails for $19.99.

Jowood has updated the official SÖLDNER: Secret Wars website with word that you can now sign up to participate in the closed beta test for Wings Simulations' upcoming SÖLDNER: Secret Wars multiplayer shooter addon. You need to meet the following requirements : Age of 18, Broadband Internet Connection, 2 GHz Processor, 512 MB RAM and a GeForce 3 equivalent video card.

Mega Man Anniversary Collection is an anthology of classic Mega Man games (Mega Man 1 through Mega Man 8) from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation game console and arcade systems. The compilation provides a comprehensive look at the blue bomber's progression to become one of the longest running videogame icons to date. This set also features two never-before-released-in-the-US Mega Man arcade games: Mega Man the Power Battle and Mega Man 2 the Power Fighters. Mega Man Anniversary Collection will be available for the Xbox v in March 2005.

Conspiracy Entertainment today announced that they have been approved as a Nintendo DS platform publisher for the North America territory. The company is already a publisher on the Nintendo Gameboy Advance and Nintendo Game Cube platforms.

The player takes the role of the leader and has to build up a team – whatever action it may take. With the help of this team he has to take control of the world of Ground Zero. To achieve this he must conquer 20 different locations and protect them from his enemies. The leader can choose between 250 different equipments like weapons, armour, building materials and food. There are 3 different professions: mercenary, technician, and doctor.

THQ today announced Big Mutha Truckers 2, the sequel to the million-unit selling Big Mutha Truckers. Developed by Eutechnyx out of the United Kingdom, Big Mutha Truckers 2 is scheduled to release in Summer 2005 and will be available on the PlayStation2 system and Xbox.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes will be the premier third generation massively multiplayer RPG. A vast, seamless, immersive virtual world filled with elements of familiar High Fantasy, including traditional themes and more, all depicted using cutting-edge graphics technology. Sigil’s expertise and experience in the field will bring groundbreaking static and dynamic content to the genre.

The story of Baten Kaitos takes place at a time when lands exist in the sky. It is an era in which the once-vast oceans have become mere legend among men. This is the world in which Kalas and Xelha meet: A world in crisis, where a conspiracy for power may lead to its destruction.

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.

Act of War: Direct Action, developed by Eugen Systems, is Atari new action game with a storyline and game universe created in cooperation with Dale Brown, 15-time New York Times best-selling author and expert on US military, global conflict and future military technology. Check the freshly launched official website, or read more for 25 new screens and an ingame footage trailer...

Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space throws players into the shoes of a heroic cat bravely taking control of time in order to face tough battles and puzzling challenges. Just like using a VCR remote control, players' customised cats have the power to slow down the action, pause, review, fast-forward, record and even combine them in challenging situations.

THQ today announced that it has teamed up with iGames, North America's leading game center organization, to host a Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War LAN party this Saturday, December 4, at participating iGames Centers in the U.S. and Canada. The LAN party offers players a unique opportunity to play the game in a social environment.

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 :

• Stronghold 2 - Trailers (2)
• Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut - Trailer

Massive Entertainment has released a new multiplayer map or its sci-fi RTS Ground Control II: Operation Exodus. This Crystalline bonus map needs to be installed in the standalone copy in the game's Custom_Maps folder. Massive Entertainment will be releasing new maps every Friday for the next few months. Read more for download links ...

In Hunter Dan Bowfishing Survival Gauntlet you'll test your shooting and survival skills to the limits of life and death in the wilds! Fend off underwater man-eaters and angry headhunters as you escape from the tropical islands and journey down the Amazon. With over 50 species of swimming fish, slithering reptiles and stealthy predators to outsmart and arrow, you'll need every ounce of your archery shooting skills and outdoor survival savvy to come out the other end of this deadly gauntlet in one piece.

Ignition Entertainment announces The King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact is to come to Europe. This latest 3D iteration of SNK's most famous fighting franchise will be available with a bonus "Making of..." DVD in February '05, with a SRP of £39.99 for PlayStation 2.