Groove Games today announced the shipping of the highly touted first-person action game, Pariah. Developed by independent development studio, Digital Extremes, Pariah hits store shelves this week on the Xbox and the PC.

The new game will follow the plot of the original "From Russia with Love" film, including the battle on the Orient Express and the boat chase sequence, but will expand the story with new action sequences. The development team approached the game as a director's cut of the film, which will allow the player to utilize such cool toys as the jetpack and a Q-copter as well as the trusty Walther PPK handgun.

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that its critically-acclaimed Xbox driving simulator, Forza Motorsport, has shipped to retail stores and is now available wherever video games are sold for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (U.S.). One of the most highly anticipated game titles of 2005, Forza Motorsport offers gamers and car enthusiasts the ability to completely transform an ordinary factory car into a speed-drenched racing machine.

In Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean trying to become the most revered and feared pirate in history - exploring high seas and exotic ports, overtaking enemies in fierce naval battles, engaging in duels and attempting to seize valuable booty.

TimeShift is an innovative FPS in which players control time to complete missions and defeat foes, is in development by Saber Interactive for the PC and Xbox. TimeShift will leverage first-of-its-kind gameplay abilities and functionality, the latest graphics technology, and high production values to create a truly unique action game experience.

A free-flowing game during which players can assume the role of multiple characters and experience the game from multiple viewpoints, Fahrenheit allows players' actions to affect the plot by offering a scenario driven interactive experience. Through motion picture techniques such as actor direction, multi-camera views, motion tracking and a contextual music score, players find themselves intimately immersed in the game.

Europe 1942. These are desperate hours for Allied forces as the Nazi war machine rages across a devastated European landscape. You are US Army Lieutenant William Holt, hand-picked by William “Wild Bill” Donovan to be the first field agent of the newly formed Office of Strategic Services­the OSS. Medal of Honor European Assault makes you the driving force in the struggle to liberate Europe.

Speaking at a meeting of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Microsoft's Bill Gates said that the newest version of the Xbox, code-named Xenon, would have an array of features that will make the device a more versatile tool for games, music, video and pictures in the living room. Gates also said that the new Xbox will give Microsoft a chance to overtake the leader in the gaming business, Sony Corp.

Limelight Networks today announced it has been selected by Microsoft as the Content Delivery Network for Microsoft's Xbox Live, the online gaming service for the Xbox. With full implementation of Xbox Live on Limelight Networks' powerful delivery network, the synergy of Xbox Live and the Limelight Networks platform will provide millions of gamers unprecedented online access to games, content and downloads from Microsoft and leading game developers directly via Xbox Live.

Tomb Raider: Legend revives the athletic, intelligent and entertaining adventurer who won the hearts and minds of gamers worldwide. Lara comes alive with intricately animated expressions, moves and abilities. An arsenal of modern equipment, such as a magnetic grappling device, binoculars, frag grenades, personal lighting device and communications equipment, allows gamers to experience tomb raiding as never before.

THQ has launched the official Evil Dead Regeneration website, although currently it is pretty bare. Voiced by Bruce Campbell, the game explores a "what if..." continuation from Evil Dead 2, where you control Ash, wrongfully arrested & convicted for killing his companions, and sentenced to Sunny Meadows, an institute for the criminally insane, but not for long. Ash's peaceful stay is about to end -- thanks to the perverted experiments of his very own psychiatrist, Dr. Reinhard. Hell-bent on using science to harness the Necronomicon's powers, the mad doctor unleashes the book's all-powerful Evil on the world -- releasing a new slew of Deadites, monsters and spirits, twisting reality into a hellish strudel and leaving mankind with that not-so-fresh apocalyptic feeling.

2K Games and FIRAXIS Games announced today the acquisition of publishing rights to Sid Meier's Pirates!. Pirates! for the Xbox will be released by 2K Games this summer. Also included in this expanded partnership between 2K Games and FIRAXIS Games are publishing rights to the previously released PC version of Sid Meier's Pirates!.

Spy vs. Spy is one of MAD Magazine's longest-running and best-known features. For nearly four decades, the Black Spy and White Spy have been building their bizarre, elaborate contraptions in an endless parry of "Joke and Dagger." Since 1961, award-winning cartoonist Antonio Prohias' Spies have been silently turning tables on each other in crazier and ever-more bizarre schemes of one-upmanship.

Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas...a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

Myelin Media today revealed details about the online gameplay in STACKED with Daniel Negreanu. The game will feature its own sanctioned multi-table tournament system called “STACKED Masters” and will also include involvement from the seven professional players associated with the game, providing the most in-depth online play and community experience for any console poker game.

While Phantagram announced it a few months ago, Microsoft announced today that it will distribute the next saga of the epic action-strategy game Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes exclusively for Xbox in late summer 2005. Read more for details & the very first screens ...

ForwardGames' Notcom Racing is a next-gen futuristic racing game with more than a twist. Race among beautiful, highly detailed environments, over the magnetic track at insane speeds, find your way out among track-traps of any sorts, change vehicle configuration on the fly and do not, do not use wisely your lethal embedded weapons arsenal!

The newest PSM issue reveals the first details about Activision's latest Spider-Man game. Several big changes over the previous Spider-Man 2 title have been made. First off, the game graphics will be more true to the actual comic book style, referred to as 3D comic inking, and include cinematics via a "comic panel" presentation. Ultimate Spider-Man will have a less expansive game world, but Treyarch made up for that by increasing the detail of the environment, adding a "threat assessment" feature which forces you to prioritize tasks, added more mission variety and a new combat system, and allows you to play as Spidey and Venom. The game story is written by comic book author Brian Michael and picks up after issue #39.

EA today announced the latest installment in the widely successful James Bond videogame franchise, From Russia With Love, starring Academy Award-winner, Sir Sean Connery. The highly anticipated game is scheduled to ship this winter on the PS2, Xbox, and the GameCube. Read more for screens & ingame trailer...

Prepare to rain hell from the skies above in World War II's fiercest aerial battles as Codemasters today confirms it has secured the PAL co-publishing and distribution rights to Heroes of the Pacific for PS2, Xbox and PC. Coming this September, Heroes of the Pacific puts the player in the boots of the courageous men who fought like heroes in incredible aerial and naval conflicts from the Pacific Theatre, 60 years ago.

Europe 1942. These are desperate hours for Allied forces as the Nazi war machine rages across a devastated European landscape. You are US Army Lieutenant William Holt, hand-picked by William “Wild Bill” Donovan to be the first field agent of the newly formed Office of Strategic Services­the OSS. Medal of Honor European Assault makes you the driving force in the struggle to liberate Europe.

Frontier Developments Ltd. announced today that it has been collaborating closely with Aardman Animations Ltd. ('Aardman') on the development of a major new console game, "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit", starring the much-loved, Oscar-winning, claymation duo Wallace & Gromit.

Groove Games has announced today that Digital Extremes’ highly anticipated first-person shooter, Pariah, has gone gold and has begun manufacturing. Created for the Xbox and PC, Pariah packs a punch with an in-depth storyline driven single-player campaign and robust multi-player action including a map editor that allows gamers to continually create new content for the game. Pariah will ship worldwide to retail stores the week of May 2nd.

Eidos announces that Championship Manager 5 will be released on Xbox and PlayStation 2 on 13th May 2005. Championship Manager 5 features 25 playable national leagues with 59 divisions and a massive database of footballers from around the world.

For the first time in 10 years, the Madden NFL Football franchise is overhauling its passing game. The new QB Vision Control lets you scan the field, look off defenders, and make perfect throws within your quarterback’s unique field of vision. QB Precision Placement will let you put the ball exactly where you want it. Lead the receiver into the open field or throw a jump ball and let your receiver go get it.