Shrapnel Games is proud to announce the next in the highly acclaimed Combat Command series. From master designer Dave Erickson and Boku Strategy Games comes Combat Command 2: Danger Forward Gold Edition, slated for release June 09, 2003 it will be available online for $39.95, those who pre-order before the end of May will save $5.00. The gold edition takes the classic company-level wargame and makes it even better. New graphics! New battles! New rule tweaks! These tweaks offer subtle, yet important, enhancements to Combat Command 2's already mesmerizing gameplay.

Vanquishing a strange alien race on a distant ring-shaped world, battling against the end of creation as a Norse immortal, rewriting the world's past by prolonging Roman rule another thousand years, or re-creating Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flight: Microsoft Game Studios takes gamers on a gripping journey through the history of the world to distant lands with its PC games lineup at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week in Los Angeles, May 14-16.

L.S.P. announced today that they have signed a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to develop interactive games inspired by Universal Home Entertainment Production's first season of The Mummy animated television series. The Mummy, the game, will release on Xbox, Playstation® 2 and PC CD-ROM in 2004. Read more for details ...

Extreme Force is an action adventure game with a heavy emphasis on strategy and tactics; Casting gamers into the role of an elite member of the Grant City Anti-Crime Squad, players will be inundated with a bevy of special weapons and items (like the night vision goggles, grenades, and door charges), while simultaneously implementing several stealth maneuvers not unlike the disarm techniques of Dead to Rights. Action fans needn't worry either though, as there are plenty of mindless run-and-gun combat missions to compete in as well. Expected in stores on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube in Q4 2003. Read more for some of the first screens ...

Bethesda Softworks announced today that actress Lynda Carter, best known for her starring role as television's "Wonder Woman", has recently completed voice work for The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon. Slated to hit stores in June, Bloodmoon is the expansion pack that adds all new quests and content for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, which was named the Best RPG and Best Game of 2002 by numerous print and online publications.

The latest addition to Take Two's clutch of labels, Gotham Games, has announced that it's going to be on the look-out for new developers and games to sign up to its brand at E3 next week. The label will be showcasing three titles in Los Angeles, namely Celebrity Deathmatch, Conflict Desert Storm 2 and The Great Escape, and business development manager Juan Gutierrez will be on hand to meet with developers interested in working with the publisher.

The blockbuster fighting game of 2002 makes its way to the GameCube as Atari today announced that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai will be available for Nintendo players nationwide this October. Created by DIMPS, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai has shipped more than 1.3 million units in North America since its December 2002 release on the PS2.

THQ today announced it has acquired the worldwide publishing rights to the highly anticipated "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost" (working title). Developed exclusively for PC by Ukraine-based GSC Game World, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost" is the first game to utilize GSC Game World's proprietary X-Ray engine that allows for massive indoor/outdoor environments, real-time physics and the capability to push more than one million polygons per frame at 60 frames per second. "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost" provides players with an intense first person action experience that incorporates elements of survival horror and role-playing while taking place in the forbidden zone of the Chernobyl nuclear facility. "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Oblivion Lost" will be available in 2004.

Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced that one of music and film's hottest stars, Eve, will play the role of Major Jones in its highly anticipated action-shooter, XIII. XIII is an epic, conspiracy-driven thriller set in a highly stylized graphic-novel world. Eve will lend her voice talents to Major Jones, a beautiful yet mysterious character in the game, who helps players unravel clues behind the game's captivating story. XIII is planned to release on all platforms in Fall 2003.

Electronic Arts today announced that the first expansion pack for SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Rush Hour Expansion Pack* is in development at the company's Walnut Creek-based Maxis studio. SimCity is on the move in SimCity 4 Rush Hour. Players will now have the ultimate level of control over their city's transportation network by completely taking charge of roads, rail, air, waterways, and even vehicles. SimCity 4 Rush Hour will make its debut to industry insiders on May 13th at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition in Los Angeles and is scheduled to ship in fall 2003.

The most successful football management series ever for video game consoles is set to evolve this October as Codemasters confirms LMA Manager 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Introducing major new gameplay elements, LMA Manager 2004 will be a true advancement for the series, renowned as the most emotive and entertaining football management game designed exclusively for console players. Making it as stimulating visually as it is mentally, LMA Manager 2004 will give the series a whole new look. There are also more flexible management options, even more 2003/2004-season player stats, an engrossing new Fantasy Team game mode and, for seasoned managers, a challenging Expert setting in the full game.

For the first time ever, consumers and game enthusiasts will get a first-hand virtual look inside the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo), the world's preeminent interactive entertainment trade show, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) announced today. The Web site, E3Insider, will launch on May 14th at 10am when E3Expo's doors open to thousands of industry professionals at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Got a game designer inside of you dying to get out? Here is your chance! Vivendi Universal Games and Monolith Productions are proud to announce the release of the editing tools and source code for No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way, the sequel to the award-winning The Operative: No One Lives Forever. This release provides the latest level and model editing tools from the Jupiter engine - the powerful package behind NOLF2's creation. Read more for the highlights & details of what you can expect in the editing tools, as well as download links ...

Logitech announced today that the Logitech USB Headset for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system will be available on retail shelves in the U.S. and at logitech.com later this month for a suggested retail price of $39.95 US.

Set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation® universe, Star Trek Elite Force II allows players to break out of the confines of ship bulkheads and spacestation corridors to explore all new locations including alien worlds and zero-g environments. New and more powerful weapons will be at the player’s disposal and branching levels offer a more varied gameplay experience. As announced the singleplayer demo has npow been released allowing you to try out two missions from Ritual's Star Trek shooter sequel. Read more for download links ...

Set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe, Star Trek Elite Force II allows players to break out of the confines of ship bulkheads and spacestation corridors to explore all new locations including alien worlds and zero-g environments. New and more powerful weapons will be at the player’s disposal and branching levels offer a more varied gameplay experience. Ritual has released a trailer showing off various game sequences within Star Trek Elite Force II. Read more for download links ...

Bringing the dark and sinister Lobo comic book universe to the video game world, Kemco U.S.A. announced today its plans for a third-person adventure-shooter based on the popular franchise from DC Comics. Slated for the PlayStation2 and the Xbox , Lobo pushes entertainment to the edge in this outrageous combat game. Read more for details ...

Gamesindustry.biz let us know that it's been confirmed that an Xbox version of Half-Life 2 is in development, with Valve's Doug Lombardi telling German Xbox magazine AreaXbox that the console port is underway.

"Yes, we're also working on an Xbox version, though not releasing any specific details on that until after E3," says Mr Lombardi.

This doesn't rule out versions on other consoles - it seems unlikely that AreaXbox would have asked about PS2 or GameCube versions - but given the difficulty of porting the title to those platforms, we'd suspect that the Xbox will be the only console to see Half-Life 2.

A post on the official forum for World of Warcraft let us know that the beta is expected to begin sometime between August and October (thanks VE3D). Here is the full clip:

The beta is expected to begin sometime in Q3 (Sometime between August and October). It will be done in stages. That is all the information we have at this time, please watch the World of Warcraft site for any news.

Go ahead and dive under the falling safe, jump into the high-speed blender and flail into the blazing fire - the man of burlap can handle it! Microsoft Game Studios announced today that "Voodoo Vince" for Xbox will careen onto the scene this Autumn. "Voodoo Vince" allows players to explore and fight as a tattered but unrelenting voodoo doll as he explores the depths of the Louisiana Bayou full of outrageous levels and over-the-top characters. "Voodoo Vince" is the only game where kicking your own butt leads to victory!

Update: Added a batch of 20 new screens ...

Activision, Inc.'s Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven was the #1 selling video game for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the month of March, according to NPD TRSTS Data. Additionally, the game was the #4 selling PlayStation 2 video game in the U.K. for the month of March, according to the U.K. Chart Track Flash Report and the #5 selling PlayStation 2 video game in Germany, according to Media Control.

Earlier today we announced that Stake is shipping to stores and should be available as early as May 5th. Stake is the ultimate third person, multi-player 3-D arena fighting game exclusively for the Xbox. It boasts a deep action combat experience, intriguing characters and superior graphics. This game represents the essential elements of a fighting game but goes beyond that with multiple power-up weapons, lots of collectable items, insane combo attacks, special tricks, secret characters, inspiring graphics, 3-D isometric camera views, exciting locations and multiple multi-player modes. Check out the new batch of screens!

Metro3D, Inc., announced today the nationwide release of Stake: Fortune Fighters, its premier title made exclusively for the Xbox. Stake: Fortune Fighters features a "T" (Teen) ESRB Rating and will be available at major retailers on Monday, May 5th with a MSRP of $29.99.

Enter the adrenaline-filled world of high performance street racers in the latest game from the award-winning Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed Underground from Electronic Arts. The new EA GAMES title is under development by the award winning Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 team. The game features a breakthrough sensation of speed, developed by an OSCAR nominated special effects expert, and a spectacular graphic presentation showcasing an exciting lineup of licensed cars and aftermarket performance parts (mods) from top manufacturers.

UPDATE : The US press announcement mentions there is a PC version in the works as well.

Ca-ching! Are you a serious computer gaming fan who dreams of using your fine-tuned playing skills to cash in big time? If so, the moment you've been waiting for has finally arrived. Today, YouPlayGames launched its highly-anticipated online skill-based gaming service, where gamers compete against one another in a quest for real-world cash and prizes. id Software's widely popular Return to Castle Wolfenstein is the first title to be featured on YouPlayGames' gaming service. As a special promotion, participants who sign up for a limited time will receive a one-time only five dollar credit in their YouPlayGames account for use in game competitions.