CDV USA has secured the exclusive rights to distribute and promote GSC World Publishing's upcoming fantasy title, Heroes of Annihilated Empires, set to ship in 2006. The games will offer an extraordinary blend of RTS and RPG gameplay, challenging gamers to create a powerful leader and a dominant military force through battle, diplomacy and treachery in a rich fantasy world.

Activision and Nielsen Entertainment today released the results of a pioneering study on the effectiveness of in-game advertising that incorporates different levels of product integration. The research is the fourth component of an ongoing joint initiative between the two companies to establish standardized tools to measure the value of in-game ads.

SEGA announced it has licensed the next big international sporting event, The Olympic Games 2008. Titled Beijing 2008, SEGA has partnered with the Olympic Committee to bring the game not only to PC & consoles but also arcades, handhelds and mobile phones, and will feature more than 20 disciplines ...

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble takes you back to the movies in a bid to become the greatest action hero of all time! Do you have what it takes to help Joe make it onto the big screen? The movie industry is a cut-throat business and Joe has to battle his way to the top by any means necessary. Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble launches across Europe on 24th February 2006.

Trackmania Nations ESWC edition is a fast-paced racing game involving precision and agility specially built for competition and will be free for download in Januari 2006. Trackmania Nations will feature new environment (Stadium), new car, new blocks and new gameplay. 54 countries will determine the outcome over 6 months with the finals to be played from 27th June to 2nd July 2006 in Paris - Bercy, for a grand total of $40,000.

Japanese studio Red Entertainment, known for titles such as Blood Will Tell and Gungrave Overdose, has once again become independent after a successful management buyout. The reason, according to producer Hiroi Ouji, is that the former SEGA development studio wanted to develop Xbox 360 titles, but since SEGA predominantly publishes PS2 titles, this was the only logical option. Hiroi also said that due to the lower development cost for Xbox 360 titles compared to PS3, there was not really a need to be part of a big establishment.

World Championship Poker 2 features a much more detailed one player game, where you now have to work your way up the ranks, starting in your mom's basement. Once you start winning and accumulating money, you can spend your winnings on increasingly better pads, and furnishings. Hit a losing streak, and you may have to hock your stuff to stay in the game.

Paradise, developed by Benoit Sokal's White Birds Productions, is an adventure game which immerses the player in the heart of Africa, at once eternal and terribly contemporary. A young woman, the daughter of a fierce dictator, crosses the continent in the company of a leopard, to take him to the place of his birth, the peaks of Kilimanjaro. Check the freshly launched official website, or read more for some new screens ...

Star Wars Battlefront II takes one Imperial-walker step forward with all-new space combat, playable Jedi, and never-before-seen environments straight out of the Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith film. Enjoy an all-new single-player experience that takes players through an epic, story-based saga where every action the player takes impacts the battlefront and, ultimately, the fate of the Star Wars galaxy.

Trying to boost interest amongst Japanese gamers, Microsoft has paid special attention to attract big-name developers and develop a few high-profile RPG titles for its new Xbox 360 console. One of those titles is Hudson Soft's Far East of Eden Ziria: Tales from Distant Jipang. Revealed a few months back at the X05 Summit, not many details have been announced, so these few small screens will have to do for now ...

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu revealed that Sony is working on a new RPG for the PSP. While details are still limited, Blade Dancer is scheduled for release in Japan March 2, 2006 and will allow 4 players to participate simultaniously. A European or North American released date is not being mentioned, but a lack of Japanese RPGs should entice the corresponding Sony territories to pay attention. A cinematic movie can be viewed on the official website.

East Front is a high-tech first-person 3D shooter, which takes place in an alternate universe where the fascist Germany won in the Second World War. Russobit released a Russian demo for BurutCT's FPS East Front.

Monster Madness is a four-player cooperative online-enabled action game for the Xbox 360 and PC. Mix local and online players as you try to survive the monsters' invasion. Each player character has unique items and affects how the story plays out. Read more for new screens & trailer, or check out our Monster Madness hands on preview...

The latest chapter in the 3D Gauntlet saga is about to arrive with Seven Sorrows, boasting a new combo-oriented battle system and a brand new storyline. You can play it solo, but the real way to experience the Seven Sorrows is to play it with up to three other friends. Take your party and hack your way through hordes of enemies to put an end to the evil men who betrayed the Emperor, and destroy the unnatural Seven Sorrows that plague the land.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo will offer fans of the multi-million selling franchise all-new single-player and wireless multiplayer gaming missions in four different Areas of Operation (AO). Players are tasked with completing 14 unique, realistic international single-player missions, including Chile, which is a unique AO only available in the PSP release.

Empire Interactive is pleased to announce the next stage of continued multiplayer support for the ultimate PC sci-fi blockbuster Starship Troopers. In the next few days Empire will release a new patch with new maps for multiplayer and some minor bug fixes removing the over-bright glow effect from some graphics cards and resolving game lock-ups due to particular sound cards.

Call of Juarez is situated in 19th-century Wild West America and requires a combination of both intelligent stealth and pure shooting. Fast-paced revolver duels using historically accurate firearms, horseback riding, and memorable locations combine with top-notch graphics and an enthralling soundtrack to immerse both casual and hardcore players.

Icculus has released a new linux patch for Epic's sci-fi FPS Unreal Tournament 2004. This patch brings your UT 2004 Linux install to v3369 and addresses the usual slew of bug fixes, engine & network enhancements, and gameplay tweaks. This new patch is compatible with the ECE Bonus Pack (thanks Blues). Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

Sixteen Tons Entertainment has released a new patch for its 3D strategy game 'Emergency 3.' This update will bring your German retail game to v1.3 and

THQ has released an updated mod tools executable for Relic's 3D RTS Dawn Of War. This v1.41 exe updates the mod tools for compatibility with the latest version of the game (and thus also the Dawn of War expansion pack). This version does not include samples, only the exe needs to be replaced. Read more for download links ...

Histwar: Les Grognards! is a revolutionary Napoleonic strategic and tactical war game that thrusts you into the thrilling and challenging role of the Commander In Chief of one of the many powerful Napoleonic armies between the years 1805 -1814 including the mighty French, Austrian and Russians.

Ubisoft's latest Sam Fisher installment is currnetrly only known Splinter Cell 4, but according to domain registration Ubisoft has obtained SplinterCellDoubleAgent.com in early October and to add more credibility to the possible subtitle, early November Ubisoft also registered the Splinter Cell Double Agent trade mark with the United States Patent and Trademark office. So far there has been very little info revealed about the game's story, features or its official name. Now that the cat is out of the bag, an official announcement will most likely follow shortly.

Gas Powered Games has released an updated mod toolkit for its recently released RPG Dungeon Siege 2. This v1.1 mod kit allow modders to create their own content for DS 2, and does not add any new assets or documentation. All the changes were to code and adding of new features requested by the community. Read more for download links ...

Blue Sky Interactive has released the first patch (SP1) for its train recently released train simulation game ProTrain Perfect, bringing your German retail game to v2970, and fixes compatibility and crash issues with the content manager plus (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

City of Villains will provide players with a chance to play the "bad guy" in the comic-book inspired world created by Cryptic Studios. Take on the role of super-powered villains and create your own character using thousands of power and costume options. Then battle heroes and become a true menace to society while plotting your way to world domination.