TechRanch USA, a resource founded and funded by BizDev, Inc. announced today that TechRanch Roundup, a monthly column dedicated to delivering relevant, timely information and business strategies to independent game developers worldwide, is now available.

Thrustmaster has taken the pole position in the race to create multi-platform accessories and is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of its Universal 360 Modena Racing Wheel. Under official license from Ferrari, Universal 360 Modena is 100% compatible with all video game consoles on the market: PlayStation2, PS one, GameCube and Xbox.

Midway Sports Asylum announced today that Freestyle MetalX, the first true freestyle motocross game, has shipped for the PlayStation 2 with the Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube versions to follow.

THQ Inc. today announced Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon for GBA. Flight of the Falcon is scheduled for release during summer 2003. In Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon, gamers can pilot the Millennium Falcon, the most popular vehicle from the classic Star Wars universe, in 14 combat-filled missions interweaving the movie storylines with all new plot twists. Featuring highly detailed environments and ships, frantic battles and high-speed flying action, Flight of the Falcon lets gamers battle the Galactic Empire in the skies of Yavin, Endor and beyond.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), today announced Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, marking the company's entrance into single-player console gaming for the PlayStation2. Champions of Norrath, developed by Snowblind Studios (the creators of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance) and published by Sony Online Entertainment, is expected to ship to U.S. and Canadian retail stores this Fall. Read more for details & features ...

Capcom today announced it is developing a PC version of its PlayStation 2 title Chaos Legion. Due for a simultaneous global release this autum, Chaos Legion for PC will not only support Windows 98/ME/2000/XP but also eight languages covering all key territories. Read more for details!

3D Prophet 9600 Pro, Hercules’ new mid-range graphics board based on ATI’s RADEON 9600 PRO chipset, is about to make a splash in the world of 3D gaming. 3D Prophet 9600 Pro is the latest powerful offering in Hercules’s high-quality range of 3D graphics boards, providing impressive performance and rendering quality for a truly cinematic gaming experience. Read more for more details

Sega.com, Inc. announced today the official launch of "Legacy Online," a massively multi-player online strategy game for the PC. Developed by Oceanus Communications, a privately held Internet software company based in Ottawa, Canada, Legacy Online provides gamers with the ultimate network gaming experience. Shortly following the launch of the game, Sega.com will be conducting MMOG Tournaments where Legacy Online players can compete to earn the right to name a new planet.

Continuing its close partnership with the prestigious Prancing Horse-brand automaker and its history of unique and innovative accessories, Thrustmaster is thrilled to announce the release of the Enzo Force Feedback Racing Wheel. Bringing the power and precision of the Enzo Ferrari, Ferrari's mechanical and technological pinnacle, the Enzo Force Feedback Racing Wheel is compatible with all PlayStation 2 and PC games for maximum versatility and enjoyment.

Belgium developer Larian Studios today announces the first details of their upcoming RPG, Riftrunner. Based on the award winning fantasy universe first introduced in Divine Divinity, Riftrunner is set to capture the imagination of RPG players yet again, and provides a strong stepping stone for the planned extension of the Divinity World.

CDV Entertainment announces the simultaneous worldwide release of their latest 3D-RTS-Game No Man's Land – Fight For Your Rights which will hit shelves August 2003. In No Man's Land, the player leads the colonisation of the American continent between 1600 and 1900. In three campaigns, divided into 30 diversified missions, the player sees the historical development of this era from the viewpoint of six different ethnic groups: Englishmen, settlers, American patriots, Spaniards, Forest- and Prairie Indians.

Three high profile veterans of the computer games industry are joining forces at Real Time Worlds, the Scottish based games development studio. David Jones, creator of Lemmings and the infamous Grand Theft Auto franchises has joined forces with Ian Hetherington, former Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and founder of Psygnosis, and Tony Harman the former Director of Development and Acquisition at Nintendo of America. The three industry veterans have united to back Jones' latest original concepts and technologies. They are planning to utilise their unique distribution experience to maximize the revenue potential for Real Time Worlds products now in development.

Rockstar Games has shipped Midnight Club II for the Xbox. Midnight Club II is set to be in stores today in North America and on June 20th in Europe.

Majesco today announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with King of the Cage, a mixed martial arts fighting league. Under terms of the agreement, Majesco obtains the worldwide right to publish video games under the King of the Cage banner. The first title is scheduled for release at the end of next year.

It's Friday and WorthPlaying is giving away 10 Run Like Hell (Xbox/NTSC) CD's, sponsored by Interplay. Enter the sweepstakes here! Run Like Hell puts you in the role of Nick Connor, an exiled military hero sent to work on a mining station in deep space. Returning from a mission, you find your crew members wiped out by a vicious and intelligent alien race. Your mission is to stay alive long enough to discover the aliens' plans for your ship and find any survivors in the process.

Turning traffic-filled streets into a high-speed, two-wheeled obstacle course, Acclaim, today announced that it has shipped Speed Kings for the PlayStation2 and GameCube. An arcade-style motorcycle racing game, Speed Kings features adrenaline-infused tricks, stunts and combat, as well as hidden features and dangerous speeds. Gamers will need nerves of steel and lightning fast reflexes if they are to survive the danger on the road and be crowned the ultimate "Speed King."

With the launch this week of PlanetSide, subscribers now have access to a new free service that can be used to track their empire's progress, their individual stats in the game and more via MyPlanetSide all of these features combine to give the player the ability to see what's happening in the game, even when they don't have time to play. Read more for some additional details ...

The player starts of as a normal citizen in the society governed by the UCF. The "Freedom Front" offers the player a chance to join the group. The player can either join, or decline and join the UCF group. The player is then assigned the post of an army general, commanding a small army. From here, the story can go in any direction based on the way the player plays. Raptor Entertainment released some new screens, njoy!

Demonstrating the strength of its long-term development strategy, Majesco unveiled their new Game Boy Advance Video Pak at the E3, held last week in Los Angeles, CA. Developed in conjunction with DC Studios, the proprietary technology enables gamers to view streaming video and audio on a standard Nintendo Game Boy Advance system, without the use of additional external hardware. Read more for details..

Publisher Big City Games Inc. and developer Techland, are proud to announce that FIM Speedway Grand Prix, an officially licensed FIM motor-cycle race title, has shipped to retail stores nationwide.

LogicalVice announced today a multi-game agreement to develop 2 titles for multiple platforms with prominent Art House Shadows in Darkness (SID). LogicalVice is currently developing a 1st/3rd person action, adventure shooter for the PC/X-BOX scheduled for release in the 3rd Quarter of 2004, and has several more titles planned. "Boomtown", a multi-genre title that plays more like a RPG than a shooter, is a refreshing break from the norm, and boast stunning levels. Early Screenshots have been released and a demo is available. For more information log onto www.logicalvice.com

" The games replay value is endless," said Mark Sullivan, Project Manager at LogicalVice. "With 25 different player possibilities, specialized character attack animations, weapons, skill sets, numerous single and multiplayer gaming modes, "Boomtown" is sure to please gamers again and again."

Another year, another E3. Shrapnel Games unfortunately will not be able to attend E3 this year. Fear not though! For in this news release they unveil several of their upcoming titles that shall be released in 2003 and 2004. By no means a complete list, expect plenty of surprises to be announced over the coming months. And so, without further ado, their upcoming games below...

Unsigned Independent Developer LogicalVice, an Orlando based Interactive Entertainment and Games Studio announced today its plans to release a multi-genre video game for the PC/X-BOX. The game, "BoomTown" is based on a loose interpretation of the American Wild West frontier, its players, and the mystique of witchcraft, and is scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 04. Boomtown will host single player campaigns and multiplayer online scenarios in a third person default, or first person perspective. Running on Epic Games' Unreal Warfare and the Karma Physics Math Engine it infuses a fresh look and an untapped genre with action packed scenarios and gaming modes like Last Man Standing, Dueling, Siege, or 25 Card Draw. It is six-shooters and sorcery. It is bullets and blood sacrifice. It is a game that will reshape the vivid landscape of pulse-pounding, white-knuckle action.

Players will saddle up as one of 25 frontier personalities. Choose from Bryce Blackburn, a steely gunslinger that makes "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" look more like "The Meek, The Lame, and The Puny" to Elspeth, the spiritual leader of a displaced witches' colony capable of hurling an arsenal of deadly spells. Bryce, Elspeth, and an assortment of other colorful characters will traverse stunningly detailed terrain, eerie settlements, and amazingly textured towns either on foot or more quickly by horseback, stagecoach, or train. In addition, over 30 different weapons will be at the player's disposal. Classic western favorites like the Colt 45 Peacemaker and Parker Shotgun will announce their presence with authority. Finding mystical alternatives like the Angelic Bone Sword and Mace of Devouring will unlock a whole new way of disposing of your enemy.

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing division of Take-Two Interactive Software is proud to announce Manhunt, the next project from Rockstar North, the developers behind the global blockbuster Grand Theft Auto franchise. Manhunt will be available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and is expected to hit retail shelves in North America in Fall 2003. Manhunt will continue in the tradition of world-class gameplay, incredible production values, and sardonic sense of humor that has become synonymous with Rockstar North. Details surrounding the game remain shrouded in secrecy. To date, Rockstar has only admitted this: Manhunt explores the depths of human depravity in a vicious, sadistic tale of urban horror.

Mindscape today delivered a double volley with the announcement of Agassi: Tennis Generation for PS2 and Game Boy Advance, due to be released in July for only £19.99, around the time of the Wimbledon 2003 Tennis Championships.