A new game studio, called 2XL Games, has been formed in Phoenix, Arizona by former Rainbow Studios Chairman Earl Jarred, Vice Chairman Jeff Padden and fellow Rainbow employees Rick Baltman and Robb Rinard.

Need for Speed Most Wanted delivers a unique, fast-paced and gripping ride in the racing genre as players build up their Rap Sheet and street cred to move their way up the Black List to become the most wanted racer on the streets. As promised, EA has released the Most Wanted demo, allowing you to try out 2 Quick Race Tracks, 3 cars, and 3 challenge tracks.

Global Star Software today announced the release of Ford Vs. Chevy for PS2 and Xbox. On back streets and dirt roads across America these factions of motorists have been competing to see which car truly rules the road. Now, the player will decide which brand will emerge victorious in America’s oldest motorist rivalry!

EA today announced that Hugo Weaving will expand his involvement with The Lord of the Rings franchise as he assumes the role of lead voiceover talent in The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II. Additionally, concept artist John Howe of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is on board to design entirely new creatures and locations of Middle-earth.

Aspyr Media today announced it shipped to North American retail outlets four PC compilation titles : SpellForce Platinum, Gothic II Gold, Silent Storm Gold, and The Guild Gold. All of the compilations include the original title and their corresponding expansion packs, for only $19.99.

Dimension Films has closed a North American distribution deal on "Castlevania," a thriller based on the Konami videogame franchise that Paul W.S. Anderson will adapt and direct. Dimension Films closed a deal Monday morning at 2:30 with Crystal Sky Pictures' Steven Paul and Benedict Carver, who'd just bought rights from Konami.

Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

EA today announced people can sign up for the Best of the Battlefield tournament with a grand prize of $250,000 for the winning team. The online tournament will challenge gamers to rule the battlefield in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat available now for the PS2 and Xbox. Gamers can now register for the online tournament which starts on November 21st.

Private equity firm Elevation Partners (remember the Eidos/Bono story?) has announced the formation of a creative and management partnership with Pandemic Studios, LLC and BioWare Corp. The combined investment, including future capital needs, will be more than $300 million, creating one of the world's largest independent game development houses.

Joint Task Force is a story of modern war where players match superior tactics and military technology against dangerous unconventional forces around the globe. The game’s exacting attention to detail – from buildings that dynamically collapse to military vehicles modeled down to the last rivet – will create a new benchmark for modern-day RTS games.

Fans of the Left Behind Series books will soon be able to join the Tribulation Forces and participate actively in the battle of good versus evil with the launch of the real-time-strategy (RTS) title, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the first PC game based on the blockbuster apocalyptic series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Mythic Entertainment today announced that its third Dark Age of Camelot expansion Trials of Atlantis is available to all current and retired players as a free download. All accounts have been activated to allow access to the expansion content.

Fantasy-based MMORPG Irth Online has been released by developer Magic Hat Software, and is now available for purchase. Irth Online is a virtual world in which players join Irth’s history at a period when a fragile truce exists among determine the course of history for each civilization.

The latest BFME community update reveals that EA is working on a new v1.03 patch, a release date will be announced soon. The new patch prmises to have a significant impact on the game due to the large amount of balance changes. there will be generic balance tweaks, but also to the Isengard side, although most of the changes seem to have been made to Rohan. Read more for a detailed fix list ...

EA announced today that servers for NFS Underground will no longer be in service as of January 13, 2006. You may continue to play the game up until the closure date, although certain community programs may begin to close down prior to that date. Please be advised that this does not affect PC peer-peer (IP-IP) play that may be a feature of certain games.

Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

BFME 2 takes part in the North where a battle is raging between Sauron's forces vs. elves and dwarves. It will be possible to create/customize your own hero, apart from known figures such as Arwin, and become more powerful as you progress in the game. While BFME was all land based, the sequel will also take the action on the sea, naval battles included, courtesy of an updated engine.

EA has revealed some additional details on the upcoming NFS MW demo, which is scheduled to be released early November (between 1st-14th ). The demo will feature 2 Quick Race Tracks (Sprint - Point-to-Point, and Speedtrap - New Race Mode), driveable in 3 cars (Tuned Mustang, Stock Cayman S, and Tuned Cayman S), with opponents using 6 cars (IS300, GTO, Golf GTI, Cayman S, Viper, and Mustang). Also included will be a Pursuit Length Challenge, a Tollbooth Challenge, and Roadblock dodge Challenge. Aural pleasure is assued with 4 music tracks, and as bonus there will be a 30 second video showcasing the blacklist and blacklist opponents.

Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

Need for Speed Most Wanted delivers a unique, fast-paced and gripping ride in the racing genre as players build up their Rap Sheet and street cred to move their way up the Black List to become the most wanted racer on the streets.

Vivendi and HD Publishing today announced an exclusive worldwide agreement for the modern day warfare RTS game, Joint Task Force. Under the agreement, VU Games will co-publish, market and distribute HD Publishing’s Joint Task Force for the PC in 2006 under the Sierra brand.

According to NPD's annual gaming report, PS2 and Xbox online gamers indicated an increased willingness to pay for online game play, as well as interest in paying for downloadable content. So while consoles are making gain, PC gamers who play online has experienced a two percentage point decline in usage penetration since last year.

Vietcong 2 is a FPS set against the background of the 1968 Tet Offensive, in and around the ancient city of Hue. Brought to life through a gritty story compiled from first hand accounts and memories of Special Forces and Infantry servicemen stationed in Hue during the assault. 2K Games announced that Vietcong 2 is now available in retail stores in North America, with Europe to follow on October 28.

Lead Pursuit announced today the first official add-on pack for Falcon 4.0: Allied Force. HiTilesAF adds photo realistic scenery to the award-winning F-16 combat flight simulator.

Project Entropia today announces film-maker and director of the movie "Hey DJ!", Jon Jacobs, a.k.a. "NEVERDIE", as the winner of this historic auction for virtual real estate. The auction began taking bids on the 21st of October and just three days later its $100,000 US buyout price was met for a virtual Space Resort.