Calling all Xbox Live gamers! You're about to experience a whole new level in entertainment. Yes, we're talking about the launch of Xbox 360, but we're also talking about the brand new, and free, Xbox Live Diamond Card, an unprecedented merger of your entertainment activities, online and off. Never heard of it? Well, read more to find out what you're in for...

Disgaea 2 is the sequel to Nippon Ichi 2003 RPG hit title Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. While no information about a European or North American released is available, Disgaea 2 is scheduled for release in Japan February 2006. Until we do get more concrete details, these rather small screens will have to do ...

The community has released an unofficial German to English patch for Heuristic Park's action/RPG Dungeon Lords. This update brings your English retail game to v1.4 and adds new weapons, skills, hot keys, optimizes multiplayer, as well as the usual gameplay tweaks, crash/bug fixes, etc. Read more for details and download links ...

A few months ago, Bethesda disappointed a large portion of the community when it announced that TES IV:Oblivion was not going to make it as a launch title and delayed the game until March 2006, saying that more time was needed for polish. Spanish site players4players claims there is more to it, as a confidential source told them that the real reason was a little bit more interesting. Oblivion had already been finished, but upon arrival of the official Xbox 360 dev kits, they realized the machine was more powerful than originally anticipated. Bethesda then decided to delay the game for optimization, especially of the graphics.

True Crime: New York City will follow another policeman through the meticulously re-created streets of a real-life metropolitan area. However, instead of the wisecracking LAPD detective Nick Kang, gamers will now play as Marcus Reed, a former gang member-turned-NYPD officer.

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 is a collection of eight classic arcade racing games featuring insane jumps and stunts in RUSH: The Rock and RUSH 2049 along with jet boat adventures in Hydro Thunder. Test your arena-style 4x4 driving skills in Super Off Road or get down in the dirt with Off Road Thunder: Mud, Sweat and Gears. Experience stunt driving in Race Drivin’ or jump to the future for the post-nuclear battle of Badlands or shoot things up in S.T.U.N. Runner.

4Kids Entertainment and Pokemon USA announced today that they have agreed not to renew the Pokemon representation agreement set to expire on December 31, 2005. Beginning in 2006, Pokemon USA, Inc.'s in-house licensing group will handle all Pokemon licensing outside of Asia.

Combine fully-automatic, weapon-equipped vehicles with highly detailed and interactive urban environments and you have Full Auto, the most destructive racing action ever experienced in a video game. This racer allows players to choose from a wide selection of unique vehicle designs and arm them with any combination of machine guns, cannons, and other deadly weapons.

Titan Quest is an action role-playing game set in the ancient mythical worlds of Greece and Egypt. With an arsenal of more than a thousand pieces of unique and legendary equipment, players will have to overcome terrifying monsters and mythical beasts in their quest to save humankind from the Titans.

Delivering original gameplay was a dominant goal of GSC Game World team when creating the fantasy trilogy Heroes of Annihilated Empires. Playing HoAE you'll be able to pump up a selected hero in a common RPG manner, as well as build up cities and recruit massive armies, as traditional for RTS games. The first episode of HoAE is expected to ship in September 2006.

In each mission of Faces of War, players will be leading a squad of 6 soldiers in a full 3D environment. Through the decisive European battles of World War II, they will be in command of Allied, Soviet and German troops. With innovative new in-game features, two battles will never be fought the same way. Check the freshly launched official website or read more for ew screens & trailer...

Stardock announced today that it had reached an agreement with P.M. Studios to bring the fast-paced action-RPG ETROM: The Astral Essence to its TotalGaming.net game-distribution service in Feb. 2006 for only $29.95. ETROM: The Astral Essence takes players on a thrilling open-ended adventure to a bleak, futuristic world, where survival is earned, rather than expected.

Stoked Rider featuring Tommy Brunner' is an unique action-freesports game for PC, the first freeride snowboarding game inspired by Alaska's impressive peaks, presented in a unique 3D cellshaded graphical style. Tommy Brunner is one of the most experienced backcountry and big mountain snowboard riders in Europe, and has a string of horrifically impressive injuries to go with it, including a broken back!

An adventure on a grand scale , with isometric graphics , over 12 scenarios with a total of 101 game maps , 18 backdrops for fighting , with various senerios that bring forth the history of the three principal characters , each with different 21 techniques of fighting that are learned through experience , or the finding of hidden objects within the game.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new California state law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, saying a lawsuit challenging the measure was likely to prevail on grounds of free speech.

Shortly after previous update Firaxis has released another, large, patch for Sid Meier's Civilization IV. This update brings your retail game to v1.52 and includes numerous optimizations for memory usage that should help performance on all machines but are tailored to especially improve performance on machines at or near the minimum specification. Read more for download links ...

Several weeks ago we revealed that EA would start its BFME II multiplayer beta test mid December, and EA just announced it has now gone live. People who pre-order the game can join in and check out the sequel before anybody else, until the game ships somewhere early 2006. This online multiplayer beta includes two out of the six factions (Dwarves and Goblins), playable on two brand new maps (Harlindon and Withered Heath.) If you haven't done so yet, you can pre-order at EBGames or Gamestop.

When assassins from Agent 47's contract agency, The ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. For Agent 47 it's business as usual, until suddenly he loses contact with The ICA. Sensing that he may be the next target, he travels to America, where he prepares to make a killing.

Battlegoat has released a new patch for its strategy game Supreme Ruler 2010. This update brings your retail game to v4.4.1 and 30-player North America map, an extra mission (East to DC), new scenario (United States), 50 new units, and many small tweaks to the game to improve its performance and its playability.

Battlefront announced today that it has released a large free x-mas update for Dan Verssen Games' air combat strategy game DOWN IN FLAMES! This bundle is completely free and immediately available via the auto-update feature of the game, and includes four new campaigns, one set of updated animations for the F4F Wildcat, a new plane (Brewster Buffalo), and new fatigue rules for pilots as well as a few small bug fixes, too. Read more for details ...

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Bomber Command"... Map info: "Warring Marines have taken over Icecrown Glacier. Command your bomber force to destroy your opponent's town while scrambling to defend your own." This is a small map size and the suggested no. of players is 3v3. It is based on the "Icecrown Glacier" tileset. Go download it here!

The Guild 2 will be a combination of unique sweeping role-play and a fascinating life-simulation, conjuring the medieval life anew on your PC. As in the successful predecessor Europa 1400: The Guild and the subsequent expansion pack, the newest development by 4HeadStudios awakes the 14th century to a new life. Check the freshly launched official website, or read more to check new screens ...

Matrix Games and Playnet are pleased to announce that Battleground Europe is now available to North America for the first time via the Matrix Games Online Store as a digital download, with boxed copies to follow next week. Take control of a soldier fighting in World War II in a persistent massive multiplayer world of first-person combat with infantry, tanks, planes and ships.

As the only game that offers an open, fast-paced driving action-movie experience, Driver: Parallel Lines features an unfolding storyline of double crossing and revenge. Set in a photorealistic interpretation of New York City, players take on the role of a notorious 18 year old who, free from conscience and rules, is the most sought after driver-for-hire in town.

Frogwares has released another version of the patch for its Jules Verne based adventure game 80 Days. This update brings your English retail game to v1.1, and like the previous French/German patch, improves performance, stability, and adds a tutorial to the game. Read more for download links ...