In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games players will compete in events (100m track, table tennis, swimming etc.) that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games against a supporting cast of characters from the worlds of both Mario and Sonic, including Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and more.

Combining its humorous adventure roots with an epic storyline and immersive gameplay, R&C Future: Tools of Destruction draws players into a vast, new galaxy, with bustling cities, gigantic enemies and giant boss battles. While the downloadable demo will be available Oct. 4, you can already pre-order the game at GameStop (for $5) and get a one-level demo disc.

Big update for PS3 fans, as not only did Sony release the v1.93 firmware, but also a slew of new demos (PixelJunk Racers, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, NHL 08, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and FIFA 08), but also new downloadable games (PixelJunk Racers at $6.99, and High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition at $9.99). On top of that there are also new game trailers, and a free music track from Lair.

Research by Strategy Analytics reveals that the rapidly expanding MMO market is blazing the way for electronic sell-through and digital distribution of both PC and console games, and will by 2011 account for 30% of the games industry's revenue, which is expected to triple in the next 5 years.

Conspiracy Entertainment has entered into an exclusive publishing agreement to bring German based RTL Games' titles to the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Crimson Cow has released new material for the following of its upcoming titles:

• 'The Abbey' - Screens
• 'Loki' - 8 New Screens
• 'A Vampyre Story' - 9 New Screens

Sony Europe has released new material for the following of its upcoming titles:

• 'Heavenly Sword' (PS3) - 8 New Screens & Trailer
• 'Gran Turismo 5 Prologue' (PS3) - Screens & Trailer
• 'Folklore' (PS3) - Screens
• 'Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction' (PS3) - Screens
• 'Killzone 2' (PS3) - Screens
• 'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune' (PS3) - Screens
• 'Lair' (PS3) - 11 New Screens
• 'LittleBigPlanet' (PS3) - 13 New Screens
• 'Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror' (PSP) - 15 New Screens
• 'Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow' (PSP) - 18 New Screens
• 'Warhawk' (PS3) - 30 New Screens
• 'WipEout Pulse' (PSP) - 24 New Screens
• 'WipeOut HD' (PS3) - 4 New Screens

Konami has released new material for the following of its upcoming titles:

• 'Pro Evolution Soccer 2008' (ALL) - 16 New Screens
• 'Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE 2' (X360) - 10 New Screens
• 'Hellboy: The Science of Evil' (PSP/PS3/X360) - 8 New Screens
• 'Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles' (PSP) - Trailer
• 'Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus' (PSP) - 4 New Screens
• 'Silent Hill Origins' (PSP) - 3 New Screens
• 'Metal Gear Online (PS3) - 22 New Screens
• 'Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinee' (PSP) - 10 New Screens
• 'Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots' (PS3) - 12 New Screens & Trailer
• 'New International Track & Field' (NDS) Announced - Screens

Activision has released screens and trailers for the following upcoming titles:

• 'Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare' (NDS/PS3/X360/PC) - 27 New Screens
• 'Enemy Territory: Quake Wars' (PS3/X360/PC) - Screens
• 'Bee Movie Game' (NDS/PS2/Wii/X360/PC) - Screens & Trailer
• 'Spider-Man: Friend or Foe' (NDS/PSP/PS2/Wii/X360/PC) - Screens & Trailer
• 'Tony Hawk's Proving Ground' (ALL) - Screens
• 'World Series of Poker 2008' (ALL) - Screens & Trailer

Konami announced its product portfolio to be shown at the annual Games Convention, August 23-27 in Leipzig, Germany, featuring titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, new Silent Hills and a new take on a much-loved classic.

Take-Two announced the name change of Irrational Games, known for story-driven games like System Shock 2, Freedom Force, Tribes: Vengeance, and the just gone-gold Bioshock, to 2K Boston and 2K Australia, symbolizing the studios' further integration into the 2K Games family.

The predecessor to Halo, Bungie’s Marathon: Durandal offers classic first-person shooter game-play in a captivating futuristic context. Spyglass Board Games offers a fun new take on classic board games like Chess, Checkers, Mancala, and Reversi.

Epic's VP Mark Rein revealed they have been served with a lawsuit by Too Human developer Silicon Knights, but he refused to comment further on the matter, as advised by the legal department. Silicon Knights' president Denis Dyack, however, claims Epic's breach of contract forced them to proceed this way because "Epic simply refuses to acknowledge the inadequacies of the Unreal Engine 3 code it provides to its licensees," resulting in serious financial loss to SK and other developers. A full 52-page transcript of the lawsuit can be read over at Gamasutra...

emote Games is a specialist UK based Production Company established to work with brand owners and developers to grow intellectual property, maximise distribution and take advantage of the immense opportunities in cross platform development and digital distribution.

A new pan-European games ratings initiative has been launched to make online gaming safer and to help boost parental confidence in the online games industry. The PEGI rating system is now to be expanded to include games playable online via consoles, PCs and mobiles.

Atari announced its intention to move into the horse-themed video game market with the unique support and endorsement of the official license from the Fédération Equestre Internationale – the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

SouthPeak Games has confirmed that Monster Madness: Battle For Suburbia has been certified as an official Games for Windows title. This certification cements Monster Madness as being compatible with a range of hardware configurations as well as guaranteeing that the game lives up to Microsoft's security and stability standards.

Cartoon Network is expanding its games distribution to next-gen videogame consoles through an new browser application developed at AFI's Digital Content Lab. Launching in late 2007 to early 2008, the new multi-platform window called "MEGA Series" delivers an interactive video and gaming experience to PS3, X360 and Wii.

Valve announced plans to deliver Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch to all owners of ATI Radeon graphics cards. Steam will automatically confirm the presence of ATI Radeon hardware and then enable immediate access to full versions of the games free of charge.

Codemasters announced that Sensible World of Soccer has been listed as one of the ten most influential games of all time at this years Game Developers Conference.

SEGA and Nintendo announced that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario and Sonic, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, where players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Electronic Arts plans to make an equity investment in Korea-based online gaming company, Neowiz Corporation, and expand the existing co-development and publishing relationship with that company.

Major League Baseball Pitcher Curt Schilling announced that 38 Studios, LLC, will be the official corporate name of the Green Monster Games entertainment company he launched last fall.

Video Games Live is a concert event featuring music from the biggest video games of all time accompanied by a full orchestra and choir along with completely synchronized state-of-the-art lighting and massive video screens. Nintendo composer Koji Kondo will be making a special appearance at the event and is scheduled to perform one of his favorite melodies from his long and storied career.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that people who played action video games for a few hours a day over the course of a month improved by about 20 percent in their ability to identify letters presented in clutter, a visual acuity test similar to ones used in regular ophthalmology clinics.