A mighty race, now extinct, has left behind relics of their once-powerful warrior culture. Now bounty hunters from across the galaxy are racing against each other to lay claim to these relics to harness their power for themselves.

After Bowser gets hold of something called a magical Vibe Wand, he kidnaps Mario and Luigi and heads back to his castle on Vibe Island with an emotional troop of minions in tow. Intent on rescuing the Mario Bros., Peach gives chase, only to find herself affected by the emotional vibes given off by the island. Using these newfound vibes to channel special abilities, she sets off to rescue Mario and Luigi.

Earlier this week speculations about a possible Take 2 takeover started floating around. Today the NY Post is speculating that Bono's private-equity firm Elevation Partners might be in the running to maker a bid which could be worth more than $1 billion, including debt. Elevation is said to have teamed up with Pequot Capital, who already owns a large chunk of Take-Two's shares (thanks Gamecloud). Last year Elevation Partners purchased BioWare and Pandemic Studios, and merged them.

Phantasy Star Universe is being developed for both the PS2 and the PC, offering two complete RPG experiences - a single-player action adventure spanning multiple planets, and a robust online multi-player component.

Monster Hunter 2 improvements will include more weapons, a greater focus on grouping, and a much larger environment, with a dynamic day/night cycle, including season changing. This will have an effect on overall gameplay, as certain animals will only be accessible during specific times of the day. Owners of Monster Hunter 2 will also be able to connect with its little PSP brother, Monster Hunter Portable.

With an all-time record amount of overall entries, the judging process for Rockstar Games Upload IV these past months was indeed intensive. Now in '06, we are pleased to present the cream of this year's edition of our long running digital media competition - the very best creative works, as deemed by Rockstar Games, our esteemed judging panel of industry professionals, and our category sponsors.

Wintersport Pro 2006 is based on the upcoming Olympic Wintersports in Torino, and will feature 16 disciplines and over 700 athletes from 29 countries, as well as multiplayer. Cyanide has released the first patch bringing your English, French, Italian, Russian and German retail game to v1.01 and fixes an issue with the direction arrow in slalom mode, and several multiplayer problems. Read more for details and download links.

VUGames issued a press release regarding a reorganization of its global sales structure to further build the retail performance of Blizzard and Sierra titles. But more importantly was a small note way at the bottom "Phil O'Neil, President North America and COO, has elected to explore opportunities outside of VU Games. "

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None's storyline follows 10 strangers who are invited to Shipwreck Island only to be accused of murder by a recording from their absent host. This patch fixes the desktop return during the books writing procedures.

Sonic Riders integrates extreme sports, high-speed racing and head-to-head battles, and offers a new racing experience with Sonic. Sonic Riders is slated to ship in March 2006.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault features a deeper single-player experience, a brand new fifth race – The Imperial Guard – and even more intense Dawn of War action. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault is based on the world of Warhammer 40,000 - the dark, futuristic, fantasy universe from Games Workshop.

MS Saga: A New Dawn for the PS2 is an epic role-playing title where mech aficionados and casual gamers alike can customize their very own mobile suits for the first time. Players can craft a long range full-armored assault mech or metamorphose an agile warrior for dangerous hand-to-hand combat.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat will drop players into the heat of battle on the high tech frontlines, entering a new modern era of combat with more firepower and new expansive environments. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of over 30 vehicles, including tanks, helicopters and fast attack vehicles, to engage in major conflicts in some of the largest online battles.

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

• TOCA Race Driver 3 [PS2/Xbox/PC] - AI Trailer
• Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams [PS2] - Trailer #8
• The Godfather [ALL] - Trailer (2)
• Commandos Strike Force [PS2/Xbox/PC] - Killing Techniques Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

In Sonic Riders, Dr. Eggman challenges Sonic and his friends to a Worldwide Grand Prix, and the prize for coming out on top is an ultra-rare Chaos Emerald! Gliding on air boards gamers will experience a heightened sense of Extreme sports-style racing tension as Sonic and his pals perform tricks and stunts over treacherous wide-open terrain.

Codemasters announced today that Chris Deering, has joined the company's Board of Management as non-executive Chairman. Mr. Deerings, a 25 year industry veteran, was President of Sony Europe, Consumer Electronics Division, (2004-2005) as well as Chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe,

In Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 3, players will embody Captain Scott Mitchell as he commands the Ghosts and Special Forces allies equipped with the IWS in the quest to save the president of the United States, recover stolen nuclear codes and eliminate a vicious band of renegade soldiers hell-bent on unleashing catastrophe.

Although it exceeded predictions, THQ's sales and income were down compared to last year, in line with most other big publishers. Big sellers were WWE SmackDown vs. Raw, Bratz Rock Angelz, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer and SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights Camera PANTS! Unfortunately PC gamers are getting a punch in the stomach as THQ revealed in its subsequent conference call that STALKER and Supreme Commander have been delayed until 2007. Read more for detailed financial mumbo jumbo...

Originally scheduled for Feb 2005, then signed by the now defunct Digital Jesters, Widescreen Games' white water rafting and kayaking game Wild Water Adrenaline is finally scheduled for release Q1 2006, to be published by Nobilis.

2K Games has just launched a pre-order promotion surrounding the release of its upcoming action title 24: The Game for the PS2. If you pre-order 24: The Game at any Electronic Boutique or Game Stop, you will get a i-Play’s, 24 mobile phone game along with 4 exclusive mobile phone wallpapers, for free! 24: The Game is based on the hit television series "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland. 24 for mobile, enables gamers to play as Jack Bauer and save the US from terrorist attack.

Championship Manager 2006 offers a wide range of innovative new features and is the most realistic version to date, with Player data given a complete overhaul. It's the only game on the market for PC to contain signings from the January transfer window! Eidos today confirms that CM 2006 will be released in the UK on March 31st, 2006.

Rampage: Total Destruction reinvents the classic arcade series and offers up a wide array of playable monsters that have the ability to perform unique combo attacks and individual super moves. Rampage: Total Destruction unleashes the chaos like never before with new levels of destruction, and an interactive 3D environment.

UberSoldier is a high-tech first-person 3D shooter, which takes place in an alternate universe where the fascist Germany won in the Second World War. A soldier of the German Resistance, Karl Stolz, turns out to be involved in the deadly play of mysterious powers, and at stake is control over the entire world.

A new Polish games developing company has been founded by former members of 2015, 3D Magazine and People Can Fly. The Farm 51 is currently working on three new titles, first of them is an innovative first person horror, using highly enhanced Painkiller technology. It will be available on PC and X360 platform. Two other projects are games for Nintendo DS platform.

After a life of small-time jobs and petty thefts you've been accepted into America's most famous criminal organization, the Corleone family. Now it's up to you to carry out orders, earn respect, rise through the ranks, and make New York City your own. Play your cards right and you could even be running everything as the next, and most powerful, Don.