Tecmo and Xbox Live announced today that online registration for all three rounds of the North America Master Ninja Tournament will begin on Monday, May 3rd. Starting then, participants in North America will be able to register online (http://www.xbox.com/MasterNinjaTournament) for tournament competition as gamers help ninja Ryu Hayabusa seek revenge for his clan who was massacred by the evil Vigoor Empire.

According to a top secret report from the British Secret Service, a PANZERS demo is on its way. Initial details communicate that there will be a single player demo in the beginning of May. Other unconfirmed information suggests that the age rating will not be under 18! Of course we will have it on our fileservers as soon as its available...

Take-Two Interactive announced today that its Global Star publishing label has shipped Serious Sam: Next Encounter for the PlayStation2 and GameCube to North American retailers and is expected to be released in Europe and Australia on April 30, 2004. Developed by Climax, the newest addition to the popular first-person shooter franchise features online play for up to eight players and two-player split screen action on the PlayStation 2, a four-player deathmatch option on the Nintendo GameCube, and two-player cooperative mode for both platforms. Serious Sam: Next Encounter is rated M for Mature and is available for the suggested retail price of $19.99.

Featuring exciting espionage action, "Spy Fiction" follows the exploits of two special agents in an underground spy agency. As members of the elite S.E.A. Phantom strike squad, Bishop and Sheila are dispatched to disable a diabolical plot that begins with an ominous message sent to world governments. To spare millions of lives from a new horrific biotech weapon, they must embark on missions spanning the globe to seek and destroy a shadowy terrorist organization. Read more to check out some new screens & trailer.

'Operation: Matriarchy' is an upcoming first-person shooter under development at MADia, due 1st quarter 2005. You are a trooper of the government army sent with the expeditionary force to attack Velian. As you accomplish missions given to you at the headquarters, you get new opportunities in selection of weapons and military equipment. Each mission will also get you closer to the secret of the origin of the Velian anomaly of the human race. Read more for details & screens ...

Atari, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast today announced that Duel Masters - the number one toy in Japan according to Weekly Toy News - will be released for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance in June 2004. Already an incredibly successful trading card game, television series and comic book in Japan, Atari's Duel Masters: Sempai Legends will launch hot on the heels of the newest round of the Duel Masters trading card game from Wizards of the Coast.

Electronic Arts announced today that the award-winning Battlefield franchise is coming to console for the first time with Battlefield: Modern Combat for the PlayStation2. The title, which is currently under development by Sweden-based Digital Illusions, is scheduled for release in late 2004 under the EA GAMES brand and will retail for $49.99. Read more for details and the first screens

Race Driver 2 will provide gamers the most diverse and thrilling range of motor sports ever seen in one game. This TOCA Race Driver 2 demo has the same amount of content as the single player demo (3 cars, 3 tracks) but the Vintage classic E-type has been replaced by a formula ford race at oulton park, and now also has multiplayer enabled. Read more for download links ...

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 screen ...

After a long hiatus Codemasters has released a new patch for Bohemia Interactive's FPS Operation Flashpoint: Resistance/GotY Edition. This update brings your retail game to v1.96 and addresses various fixes for multiplayer problems, improved stability & security, and various other game tweaks (thanks Blues). Read more for a 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 :

• Unreal 3 Engine - Trailer
• Manhunt - Trailer (4)
• Mercenaries - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Dreamcatcher has released a patch for their recently released FPS Painkiller. This fix does not change anything significant with the game itself, but focuses on making the dialogues clearer so as to make sure people with any CD problems are given a clear indication of what the problem might be (i.e. running off the wrong CD or having some background emulation software running) by eliminating the vagueness of "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc00000142)" error. Read more for download links ...

Today Interplay released its 4th quater 2003 results and apart from the usual digits & numbers (Interplay seems to be doing better, but still has financial hurdles to overcome) the real interesting bits came during the conference call disclosing several new titles. The fact that Interplay wants to focus on console titles is no surprise, neverthless KingPin 2 is in the works, but also new titles in the long running Decent & EarthWorms Jim franchise. Most important of all, an external studio is working on Fallout 3 (although not set in the typical D&D universe due to the Atari/Interplay dispute).

Supreme Ruler 2010 represents the next generation of strategy game. Not another build and attack 'click fest', but a challenging simulation of political and military leadership. Read more to check some new screens ..

According to a post on the Plutonium Games' website, it seems that their RPG/FPS Cleric has been cancelled or in the very least indefinitely postponed. The message reads : After a long trip, it looks as if Cleric may not be made for a long time to come, if ever. I want to thank everyone that has supported us over the years. This site will remain up as will the forums. I have recently (3 months ago) taken a job with another studio (Destineer Studios - www.destineerstudios.com) as a 3D Artist on their tactical shooter project "Close Combat - Marines: First to Fight". Head on over to the Plutonium Games' website to read more on the matter ...

Ubisoft and the U.S. Army, the world's premier land force, announced today that they have entered into a long-term agreement to develop and publish games based on the U.S. Army's industry leading America's Army game. This historic agreement marks the first time that the U.S. Army has ever exclusively licensed its brand to a game maker and will dramatically expand the reach of America's Army to the vast console game market.

Eastside Hockey Manager: Franchise Edition will be Sports Interactive's first non-football game, and is due to be released in late Q1 2004. The game will feature a detailed and realistic game engine with in-depth ice hockey content including numerous leagues, players with detailed statistics and personalities and full management features for trading, drafts and transactions. Read more for some screens ...

NVIDIA Corporation introduced today the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 models of graphics processing units (GPUs) for high-performance desktop computers. The NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series, which includes the flagship GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2is the long-awaited sequel to the best-selling modern military shooter that changed the online multiplayer experience for both PC and console fans around the world. Ghost Recon 2 launches on next-generation consoles and PC this Holiday season. The game is set in the chaotic battlefields of tomorrow, and will offer gamers an insider's view of the way large scale conflicts will be fought in the near future. Ubisoft has just launched a pretty blank Ghost Recon 2 teaser page...

The FirePower philosophy is to create the most realistic air combat experience possible. The veterans of the Second World War are leaving us at a rate of 1000+ a day. FirePower for Microsoft Combat Simulator 3, commemorates their skill and sacrifice by providing the player with an air combat experience like never before.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that World Tour Soccer 2005 from 989 Sports is now available in stores. Now in its third year, the World Tour Soccer franchise, developed exclusively for the PlayStation2, has set the tone for unmatched play options and realism for the core soccer enthusiast.

Today Buka announced 'Operation: Matriarchy' an upcoming first-person shooter under development at MADia, due 1st quarter 2005. You are a trooper of the government army sent with the expeditionary force to attack Velian. As you accomplish missions given to you at the headquarters, you get new opportunities in selection of weapons and military equipment. Each mission will also get you closer to the secret of the origin of the Velian anomaly of the human race. Read more for details & 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 :

• Hitman: Contracts - Trailer
• Men Of Valor - Trailer (2)
• Van Helsing - Trailer
• The Egyptian Prophecy - Trailer
• Tales of Symphonia - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Wargaming.net has released a new demo version for Massive Assault Network, an online 3D strategy game based on original Secret Allies political concept, where two commanders fight for global domination in sci-fi environment. This demo lets you practice in Single Player mode against challenging AI: 8 Training Missions, 3 Scenarios and unlimited World Wars (i.e. Deathmatches), play online games on Emerald planet against other live players (no time limited), built in chat and online assistance. Read more for download links ...

Ubisoft today reinforces its strategy to dominate the war games market by announcing a long-term deal with award-winning developer Gearbox Software to publish a new military franchise: Brothers in Arms. With its breakthrough squad-based combat mechanism and unprecedented realism, the first game in the series is poised to revolutionize the WWII genre when it ships on consoles and PC starting Holiday 2004. Read more for details and the first screens!