Carnival Games MiniGolf features over 25 larger-than-life holes spanning nine theme park style courses. Gamers should expect to be walking the plank in Pirate’s Delight, having a showdown in the Wild West, riding a pterodactyl in Prehistoria, shooting ghostly ghouls in Spook-O-Rama, jiving to jungle beats in the Amazeon or playing with wizard golf balls in Fairytella.

All Points Bulletin is an MMO freeform combat and driving-based game, designed by the creator of the original GTA franchise, bringing players into a living, breathing city where cash is king and territory equals respect. Realtime Worlds' APB has added a variety inventory items (explosives, grenades, non-lethal weapons), not all of which will be available from the starts. Mini-games and leisure activities are being considered, but are most likely to arrive post-launch as part of a more generalized social expansion.

D3Publisher announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Imagi Studios for videogames based on the new animated adventure film, Astro Boy, scheduled to coincide the worldwide release of the movie in Oct. 2009.

When the New Xbox Experience launches on Nov. 19, four existing Xbox Live Arcade games will be updated to include Avatar functionality to make your gaming even more personal. Join your friends and play UNO!, Bomberman Live, Hardwood Hearts and Hardwood Spades and watch your Avatar come to life with custom animations throughout game menus and lobbies. On top of that, a new Xbox Live Arcade title will also launch with the first fully playable in-game Avatars, while the recently released Scene It? Box Office Smash will get a title update that will allow you to use your new Avatar.

Guitar Hero: World Tour will feature guitar, vocals, drums, the ability to create your own songs (and upload them on GHTunes), four-player on/offline co-op, and an eight-player battle of the bands multiplayer mode (4vs4). GameStop will host midnight launch events at 1,800 of its stores on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.

America’s Video Game Expo is expanding the scope of its exhibit include a new game industry conference, the ‘East Coast Games Summit’. Designed to serve the professional colleagues in the game industry, as well as those interested in starting a career in games, the Summit offers programming for all VGXPO attendees.

300 movie director Zack Snyder, currently working on Watchmen, has signed an agreement with EA to develop three original games with EA’s Los Angeles studio in Playa Vista. While the IPs will be owned by EA, Snyder’s Cruel & Unusual Films will have the option to produce film adaptations based on those properties.

A recent video game habits survey fielded by PoshMama, a women exclusive online community, revealed that many women would rather play video games than catch up on sleep.

Rockstar is bringing its open-ended crime series to the PC with GTA IV, returning the franchise to New York situated around the Eastern European protagonist Nikolai. The PC edition comes with a replay editor with Rockstar Social Club integration, expanded multiplayer, higher resolution, and match filtering.

Driftwood Ventures announced that on Sept. 12, 2008 it completed the previously announced merger with Zoo Games (formerly Greenscreen Interactive Software, Inc.), which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary and the sole operations of Driftwood.

Fable II will offer even more choices and features, while building on the core gameplay theme of Fable where every choice continually defines who you become, allowing you to truly live the life you choose. Available exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade, fans can transfer the gold earned in these casino-style mini-games to the world of Fable II.

Activision has acquired music-based games developer FreeStyleGames, currently developing localized downloadable content for the Guitar Hero franchise, as well as a yet to be announced new, intellectual property in the music genre.

Red Mile signed the license to Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels and comic books; signed Flint Dille, known for The Chronicles of Riddick, as designer/scriptwriting; and revealed Sin City: The Game will be powered by Epic's Unreal Engine 3. Red Mile revealed that Transmission Games is no longer developing the game, instead focusing on Heroes Over Europe. The studio switch happened a while ago, although Red Mile did not reveal who the new developer is.

Check out the following new screens and trailers from Deep Silver's Games Convention 2008 lineup:

• 'Baby Life' (NDS) - 5 New Screens
• 'Bangai-O Spirits' (NDS) - 9 New Screens & Trailer
• 'Blood Bowl' (NDS/PSP/X360/PC) - 5 New Screens
• 'Dark Horizon' - 5 New Screens
• 'Exit' (NDS) - 19 New Screens
• 'Hotel Giant 2' - 7 New Screens
• 'Igor The Game' (NDS/Wii/PC) - 20 Screens & Trailer
• 'Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim' - 4 New Screens & Trailer
• 'Mytran Wars' (PSP) - 6 New Screens
• 'Ride to Hell' (PS3/X360/PC) - First Screens
• 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky' - Screens
• 'TrackMania DS' (NDS) - 6 New Screens
• 'X3: Terran Conflict' - 15 New Screens

CDV announced the games it will be showing at the Leipzig Games Convention (20-24 August, 2008) such as the X360 version of Velvet Assassin, Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi, NDS titles Dementium: The Ward and Insecticide, as well as party title Hail to the Chimp.

Paradox Interactive has increased its presence in Leipzig with booths in the exhibition hall as well as the Business Center showing off its fantasy RTS Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim, as well as Paradox's internally developed, and yet unannounced, "Project Mayhem." Other titles in the line-up include medieval RPG title Mount & Blade, action space game Dark Horizon and the just announced fantasy strategy title Elven Legacy.

Brütal Legend chronicles of Eddie Riggs, a roadie of a virtuous metal band, pulled back in time to learn his true purpose. Offered the wealth and knowledge of an ancient kingdom in exchange for assembling a legion of his own design, the roadie commands a barbaric mob of demons, dragsters, amp stacks, leather and chrome. Earlier rumors speculated that MTV Games would publish Brutal Legend, which it denied, "We are big fans of Tim Schafer. We hope the game finds a good home."

Deep Silver unveiled the titles that it will have on display at the Leipzig Games Convention, ranging from action RPGs to thrilling adventures, from the fantastic Japanese RPGs to dark RPG first-person shooters, from educational handheld games for a young audience to challenging strategy games.

According to parental guidance organization What They Play, recent polls conducted on 3,000 respondents in two separate polls concluded that drinking beer and watching pornography were less objectionable activities for children than playing certain video games.

Play Ten unveiled the four titles that it will have on display at the Leipzig Games Convention. Apart from Precursors and White Gold for 360 and PC, it will be also showing, for the first time, playable console demos of Battle for Atlantis and The Wall.

Video Games Live and Crytek announced the music from Crysis will make its world premiere on Wed., Aug. 20, 2008 at the 7,000 seat Leipzig Arena in Leipzig, Germany during the world renowned Games Convention.

Seize the moment and step into the glamorous life of a high stakes gambler! Phantom EFX announced its lineup of Reel Deal casino video games: Reel Deal Slots Blackbeard's Revenge, Reel Deal Casino Millionaire's Club and Reel Deal Card Games '09.

Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games will be an authentic simulation of over 35 events from the upcoming Olympic Games and will allow gamers to experience the thrill of competing in many of the official venues.

Max Payne tells the story of a cop who wages a one-man war on crime when his wife and child are killed by thugs, but it is unclear whether the movie will follow the game plot. In Oct., the Max Payne movie is scheduled to launch, starring Mark Wahlberg (known for The Departed, Planet of the Apes or The Perfect Storm) and directed by John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix). In an interview at Comic-Con, Wahlberg revealed he hasn't played the game which his latest movie is based on due to him having "an addictive personality," and responsibility to his family.

Spyglass Board Games offers a fun new take on classic board games, like Chess, Checkers, Mancala, and Reversi. Play and chat socially on Xbox Live, play against the computer, or use the Xbox Live Vision camera to personalize the game board, playing pieces, and video effects.