Pterodon has released a new "beta" multiplayer map for their tactical shooter Vietcong. This 'Riverdale' map will be features in the next update patch, but you can have a little sneak peek (thanks Tiscali). Read more for screens & download links ...

Lagsters is an arcade racing title, where the action takes place in closed environments - tubes. The player will be able to use a vast number of different weapons and upgrades to their cars to become the winner of one of the 32 races. The tracks are compiled into 4 different championships of the single player mode. The multiplayer mode will offer three different modes of play: 'Last Man Driving', 'Fox and Hounds' and 'Divided Glory' where up to 8 players may participate in one race.

In SÖLDNER - Secret Wars the player takes command of one of these special teams. As Commander he leads the small high tech army consisting of soldiers, light armoured vehicles, helicopters and VTOLs to fulfill a wide variety of mission. The Simulation of a highly complex political system creates a dynamic campaign: each decision has direct impact on the flow of the game. Read more to check some awesome screens ...

The universe is not as you know it… Think fast, shoot faster! Experience high-intensity space combat in a sinister alternative to the classic era setting of Star Trek: The Original Series. The opportunity awaits to pilot 10 unique, never-before-seen fighters into battle where you’ll engage enemies across 19 levels of incredible action. A good Star Trek game, could it be?

"Counter-Strike," the world's most popular online action game and first-person shooter for the PC, makes its console debut exclusively on Xbox and Xbox Live. "Counter-Strike" features single-player missions taking place over a gritty realistic counterterrorist world, and allows gamers to challenge other players in team-based multiplayer games on Xbox Live and System Link. Read more for the full review ...

With Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ubi Soft and Jordan Mechner are channeling their combined talents to breathe new life into the action/adventure genre. Players take the role of the Prince in the exotic, mysterious world of ancient Persia. Using groundbreaking animations and innovative time-control powers to recapture the Sands of Time, their role is to restore peace to the land. Read more for the full review ...

In their immeasurable greed and constant thirst for power, the thirteen most powerful Mages of all time doomed the land, hurling it into an endless spiral of chaos and despair. Entire countries were wiped out in the blink of an eye when the devastating power of the Elements was unleashed – Elements summoned by dark rituals. Continents shattered like glass, the pieces strewn about like leaves in the wind. Huge armies, bound by the the power of ancient runes, brought war and destruction to the lands that survived the initial onslaught. All that was left were a few islands, connected by magic portals. Read more for some tasty new screens ...

Cash prizes have been promised for top high-scores achieved during the course of the new year 2004. And the money is coming straight out of Robert Mruczek's own pocket - nearly $3,000 dollars in bounties. Mruczek, who is most well known as Twin Galaxies' Chief Referee, says: "I want to prime the pump and get players tackling old world records that have not been beat in some time. I think its good for the hobby."

Just as in the "Magic" card game, in "Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds" players will choose a duelist and up to two of "Magic's" five colors -- red, green, white, blue, and black -- to attempt to reduce their opponent's life to zero. Of course, getting an opponent to zero will not be easy; players will have to utilize lightning reflexes, strategic brilliance and, on occasion, raw power to overcome an enemy.

Maintaining law and society order is veteran Headhunter Jack Wade, older, wiser and battle hardened. At his side is the reluctant new sidekick, the rebellious street kid Leeza X. Whether ripping up the highways of the silver metropolis on a super bike or stalking the criminal masterminds of the shadowy underworld, they are led into the greatest danger of their lives and must overcome something much more sinister than a simple human threat. Each must face their darkest fears. Together they must redeem a world facing chaos...

Noticed on VE3D that Legend Entertainment has today been shut down by the powers that be at Atari, according to credible sources. Legend recently completed work on the XMP addon, which added an excellent multiplayer mode to Unreal 2. This was released free on the internet for existing owners of Unreal 2 and also in a special edition version of the game that was released recently. The patch that is currently being tested will be released and that the master server for the game will continue to operate. The LEgend Ent. website has already been taken offline and the Unreal 2 Xbox port (developed by Tantalus) is still on track for release. No Atari representative could be reached for comments, no surprise there... Thanks Andy!

Set in the late 1570s, one year after the original Tenchu, Tenchu: Return from Darkness allows players to assume the role of the ninjas Rikimaru, Ayame or the mysterious Tesshu as they battle the evil Tenrai and his six lords of darkness. As silent assassins, players must use cunning, strategy, deadly stealth and an arsenal of weapons to overcome dangerous missions and defend the Japanese countryside from Tenrai's armies. Read more for some new screens & trailer, or check out the freshly launched Tenchu: Return From Darkness website.

Ultimate Arena, Inc. today announced that the beta version of Xfire is available at www.xfire.com. Xfire automatically tracks when and where gamers' friends are playing PC games online. With one click, gamers can instantly join their friends' games. Read more for details ...

EverQuest II returns to the culturally diverse world of Norrath in the future of the original EverQuest, with the sheer size and graphical detail greater than ever seen before. Larger in scope than its predecessor, EverQuest II will allow players from every corner of the earth to explore familiar areas and new, undiscovered territories of Norrath. Read on to check out the latest screenshots!

Painkiller is a nickname of a pretty unusual mercenary, who is dealing with supernatural. There are places on Earth where demons and other evil creatures have their nests: abandoned prisons, private castles, deep caves in the mountains. "Cleaning" those places is good money, and our hero needs a lot of it, since he loves living the life to its fullest. One day he gets what seems to be a pretty simple job: to retrieve a religious artifact from one of the nests. When after a furious battle he realizes he might have been tricked into the war between two competing clans of the undead, he tries to play his own cards.

XS Games, in conjunction with Jack of all games (a subsidiary of Take 2), and Microïds have reached a distribution agreement for the publishing and distribution of three different titles from Microïds' 2004 catalogue, including the sequel to the Adventure Game of 2002, Syberia II.

Sony announced today the upcoming 2004 release of Hot Shots Golf Fore!, available exclusively for the PlayStation2. Developed by Clap Hanz, Hot Shots Golf Fore! returns as the fourth installment in the extremely popular franchise that has sold more than 7.5 million units worldwide.

Nexon has released a new updated version (as well as a small update patch) of their massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game Shattered Galaxy. This upgrade brings the game to v1.59 and features the usual game fixes, unit balancing, map updates and various other tweaks. Read more for detailed fix list and 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 :

• R-Type Final - Trailer
• Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes - Trailer
• Kuma War - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Get ready for some brake jamm'in, CB talk'in, convey roll'in action acoss America! From Portland Oregon to Miami Florida, you'll be hauling loads and trying to stay one step ahead of the law as you climb into your Big Rig for non-stop driving action. Activision Value has released a new patch for Stellar Stone's trucking title 'Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.' No specific details as to what it fixes are available at this point. Read more for download links ..

In an unprecedented event, Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow will premiere at an event coinciding with the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. This unveiling marks the first time a video game has debuted in or around a film festival and demonstrates the increasing prominence of video games in the entertainment pantheon. Published by Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is already one of the most anticipated video games of 2004 and was recently featured on MTV's "Ultimate Video Game Countdown."

Ubisoft announced its next submarine simulation, Silent Hunter III, for PC launching late 2004. The next title in the Silent Hunter franchise will add new dimensions to the simulation experience. The player will engage in a compelling ocean environment, featuring dynamic weather, and experience the intensity of historical naval warfare. Taking the role of the U-boat commander, players will seek their enemy with sonar and periscope, attack the enemy with torpedoes, destroy them with the deck gun, or command their crew to do the job. The all-new 3D engine features impressively detailed U-boat models, both externally and internally, with exact replica WWII technology.

This spring, early birds will have some serious competition, as Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., today announced that it has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Team 17 for Worms 3D, the latest installment in their popular video game brand that has sold more than 8 million units worldwide. Worms 3D, for the first time in the history of the popular series, transports players into a robust 3D world where they engage in epic battles against other teams of worms in an action-strategy game filled with outrageous, over-the-top weapons, humor and online head-to-head play.

In a move that proves once and for all that European games players are more ferocious than their American counterparts, Digital Jesters has announced an exclusive retail pack, which contains substantially more 'Savage' than ever before. The game will be available for PC CD-ROM throughout Europe on February 20th 2004, with a SRP of £29.99.

Players will be able to take the reins of their preferred team through European and World Championships. Over 15,000 real players are included within the game. Managers can buy and sell players, train their squads and develop match tactics - with matches portrayed in real-time through a detailed 3D engine. Every bone-crunching tackle, every eye-gouging scrum will be present in glorious 3D, with managers having to adjust their tactics as the games progress in order to secure victory. Multiplayer modes allow players to pit their teams against each other in individual games or leagues - with an Internet ladder ranking the world's greatest rugby managers.