iGames Publishing, the publisher behind the highly anticipated, genre-busting title Savage: The Battle for Newerth, has launched the next phase of beta testing for the first-ever real-time-strategy-shooter (RTSS). This next phase will open the beta test up to an additional 2000 players – an amount that will double shortly thereafter at the third beta testing stage. Gamers can apply to take part in the beta test, sign up HERE.

Raven Software is looking for a hi-poly modeler who can model sci-fi and fantasy, with an emphasis on realistic science-fiction military characters, bio-mechanical creatures, human and alien weaponry, vehicles, machinery, and world models for Quake 4. The candidate must have experience modeling hi-poly models in the 200,000 to 4,000,000 poly range using Maya or Lightwave. A more realistic modeling style is required with a great understanding of anatomy. Strong artistic/concepting/painting skills would be a major plus, but not required. If you think you got what it takes then apply here!

Well ladies and gents, Brute Force is finally out. After getting pushed back a few times, refined and honed by Digital Anvil, and eagerly awaited by the masses, the game has finally hit store shelves. Brute Force is a futuristic squad based, tactical shooter, played from a third person perspective. With just the tap of a button you can switch between four of the biggest bad-asses in the Universe. Command a team of elite mercenaries as they take on shadowy assignments across the known cosmos. Play simultaneously as the heavy assault trooper, Tex, the cyborg-enhanced sniper, Flint, the stealthy scout, Hawk, and the powerful feral alien, Brutus. Employ cunning, stealth and tactics to save your squad... or when all else fails just use Brute Force. Read more to find out wether the delays had a negative impact on the game’s quality or not...

Novalogic just send out word announcing the first expansion pack for Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. As the US army’s elite special operations soldiers you are the most potent ‘smart weapon’ known to man. You are the ‘tip of the spear’ for covert operations around the world - you are the first line of attack. Nothing stands in your way. From the war torn streets of Somalia you have been re-deployed to take out targets in Colombia and Iran. As the US military’s preemptive strike force you must work with your team to get the job done. Read more for some features and the first hi-res screens ...

Will Wright, creator of video game sensation "The Sims," has signed a first-look development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co. "It could be a sitcom or something completely different," said Mike Darnell, Fox executive VP alternative programming and specials. "This deal's not about taking a game and turning it into a TV show; it's about creating new entertainment franchises."

Jester Interactive the developers and publishers of the critically acclaimed Music 3000 for Playstation 2 are set to launch a USB sampler and microphone to accompany the game.The sampler will enable user to take advantage of extra features the game has to offer. These include the ability to sample from your own music collection, the unique V2m (voice to music), and of course being able to add your own vocals!

We are expanding our review staff and are looking for 2 additional volunteer reviewers who are interested in contributing to the continuing success and growth of Worthplaying... Get all information here!

Bethesda Softworks announced today that actress Keira Knightley will narrate the thrilling role playing video game, Pirates of the Caribbean. Knightley stars in Disney's upcoming feature film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" which opens in theaters nationwide on July 9th. Slated for a June 2003 release for the Xbox and PC, the Pirates of the Caribbean game offers players the most realistic pirating action to date.

Shacknews has got some new dirt on the ever elusive Duke Nukem: For-Never, titled Duke4 Not A 2003 Game", quoting a Take 2 conference call where the publisher mentions that there's no "possibility under the sun" that Duke Nukem Forever will be released by this year's holiday season. Also saying that since they have already accounted for the fee paid to Infogrames for the project, "right now we're just hopeful that the team in Dallas will finish it." The story also mentions their hopes of releasing Max Payne 2 in January 2004.

The PlayStation 2 hardware is to be integrated into a new home media device from Sony's consumer electronics department, codenamed the PSX, as the Japanese giant struggles to extend the success of its games division to other operations. The new device will feature a TV tuner, hard disc drive and a DVD recorder alongside the games console functionality, making it into an "all in one" device for gaming, media recording and playback. Details of the device are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but it's expected that it will offer hard disc video recorder functions, similar to the TiVo and Sky Plus systems, and will feature a high speed internet port to allow downloads of music and possibly movies through Sony's media distribution systems, in Japan at least.

It's time to get the party started right! SEGA today announced Sonic's return to the Game Boy Advance with the launch of "Sonic Pinball Party." In the ultimate handheld pinball experience, "Sonic Pinball Party" delivers fresh pinball boards filled with SONICTEAM characters and a huge assortment of multiplayer party games playable via the Game Boy Advance Game Link cable.

Video game publisher 3DO Co. on Wednesday said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and would seek to either sell the company or its assets. Redwood City, California-based 3DO, which has struggled to gain a foothold in the competitive games business and has relied on Chief Executive Trip Hawkins for funding of late, said it filed for bankruptcy protection in federal court in northern California (thanks HomeLAN).

Utilising the technical prowess of the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Xbox Live!, Digital Extremes, the developers of Unreal Championship in conjunction with Epic Games and Atari have completed the auto-update for the game and is available for download through Xbox Live! today. While new to the console arena, auto-updating has been a mainstay of PC games for many years, and is a requirement to maintain fair and fun online gaming. Online games are extraordinarily more complex than single player titles. Exploits will invariably be found by the hundreds of thousands of gamers playing and sharing ways to gain an advantage in the game. Auto-updates defeat these exploits and balance the playing field against those who would cheat to win.

On the Raven Shield Platoon site you can find the third map released by Amon, member of the Raven Shield dev team. This map is considered an official map by Ubi Soft. Amon first intended this map to be Multiplayer and now it is. The map supports only Adversial MP modes (except for Pilot). The download is 1.69 Mb and you can grab it here!

The Canadian Press reports that Microsoft has a vision for just how its Xbox video game console should fit in consumers' homes. It's a hub-and-spoke strategy. The personal computer is at the hub of the home, where people store their music, digital photos and other files. But when people want to share that experience, it's usually in front of the family TV.

All you need is Music Mixer, a product unveiled at the recent E3 Convention in Los Angeles. It allows you to transfer digital music and photos from the PC to the Xbox, play DVDs or CDs, strip lyrics off music - even karaoke. You can also customize your own soundtrack and visuals.

Check out the full scoop here!

Activision, Inc.'s Lost Kingdoms II, the sequel to the top-selling, critically acclaimed RPG title Lost Kingdoms, takes gamers on an all-new magical quest with its release exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. Set 200 years after the events of the original game, the title challenges players to uncover the origin of a new evil force that is threatening to destroy the Kingdom of Argwyll. Lost Kingdoms II is currently available at North American retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $49.99 and carries a "T" (Teen -- Comic Mischief, Violence -- content suitable for persons ages 13 and older) rating by the ESRB.

The player starts of as a normal citizen in the society governed by the UCF. The "Freedom Front" offers the player a chance to join the group. The player can either join, or decline and join the UCF group. The player is then assigned the post of an army general, commanding a small army. From here, the story can go in any direction based on the way the player plays. Raptor Entertainment released some new screens, njoy!

THQ today announced the release of MotoGP 2 for the Xbox and PC. Sequel to one of the most popular Xbox Live! titles and based on the fastest, most thrilling machines on two wheels, MotoGP 2 is available at major retail outlets nationwide.

Mindscape today announced the forthcoming release of Megarace 3, the third instalment of the futuristic cult racing game series, due to be published for the PS2 in July 2003 for only £19.99. Since its launch in 1993, the Megarace series has sold a staggering 1.3 million copies worldwide and the third instalment of the series is all set to continue this sterling performance when it is published for PS2 in July.

Capcom and Buena Vista today announced they are collaborating to bring Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas to the PS2. Based on the 1993 award-winning animated movie of the same name, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is a ghoulish tale with wicked humor and stunning animation. In this adventure action game, players assume the role of "Jack Skellington" the Pumpkin King and help reclaim Halloweentown from the mischievous Oogie Boogie. Capcom's production of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will incorporate extraordinary worlds filled with magic and wonder mixed with enchanting and musical elements. Capcom plans to release the game in the fall of 2004.

I saw on RITUALISTIC that the German localized version of the Elite Force II pre-release demo is now available for download. This demo is around 112 Mb, containing a sample of intense gameplay from two of the single-player missions. Here is some download links:

• FileShack
• GeekyGamer
• Hazard Team HQ
• EFFiles

Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. announced today that the SOFTIMAGE/XSI software, the industry-leading nonlinear 3-D production environment, was used exclusively by Valve to create all the characters, models and props for the new game Half-Life 2. This widely anticipated sequel to one of the best selling PC games of all time introduces life-like in-game characters that herald the next generation of characters for interactive entertainment. To exceed the expectations of a more sophisticated audience and deliver the new title on schedule, Valve converted its production pipeline to the award-winning SOFTIMAGE/XSI environment.

Unsigned Independent Developer LogicalVice, an Orlando based Interactive Entertainment and Games Studio announced today its plans to release a multi-genre video game for the PC/X-BOX. The game, "BoomTown" is based on a loose interpretation of the American Wild West frontier, its players, and the mystique of witchcraft, and is scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 04. Boomtown will host single player campaigns and multiplayer online scenarios in a third person default, or first person perspective. Running on Epic Games' Unreal Warfare and the Karma Physics Math Engine it infuses a fresh look and an untapped genre with action packed scenarios and gaming modes like Last Man Standing, Dueling, Siege, or 25 Card Draw. It is six-shooters and sorcery. It is bullets and blood sacrifice. It is a game that will reshape the vivid landscape of pulse-pounding, white-knuckle action.

Players will saddle up as one of 25 frontier personalities. Choose from Bryce Blackburn, a steely gunslinger that makes "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" look more like "The Meek, The Lame, and The Puny" to Elspeth, the spiritual leader of a displaced witches' colony capable of hurling an arsenal of deadly spells. Bryce, Elspeth, and an assortment of other colorful characters will traverse stunningly detailed terrain, eerie settlements, and amazingly textured towns either on foot or more quickly by horseback, stagecoach, or train. In addition, over 30 different weapons will be at the player's disposal. Classic western favorites like the Colt 45 Peacemaker and Parker Shotgun will announce their presence with authority. Finding mystical alternatives like the Angelic Bone Sword and Mace of Devouring will unlock a whole new way of disposing of your enemy.

Blizzard Entertainment gave show attendees an exclusive look at one of "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne's" highly anticipated single-player campaigns. With the multiplayer beta test nearing completion, the campaigns are among the last of many new features that are being finalized in preparation for the expansion set's launch this summer. In "The Frozen Throne," players revisit the war-torn world of Azeroth. Several months have passed since Archimonde and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, but a new threat has arisen throughout the land. More facts below!

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing division of Take-Two Interactive Software is proud to announce Manhunt, the next project from Rockstar North, the developers behind the global blockbuster Grand Theft Auto franchise. Manhunt will be available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and is expected to hit retail shelves in North America in Fall 2003. Manhunt will continue in the tradition of world-class gameplay, incredible production values, and sardonic sense of humor that has become synonymous with Rockstar North. Details surrounding the game remain shrouded in secrecy. To date, Rockstar has only admitted this: Manhunt explores the depths of human depravity in a vicious, sadistic tale of urban horror.