EA announced today that The Sims 2 Nightlife, the second expansion pack to the critically-acclaimed PC game The Sims 2, will ship starting today in North America.

According to the rumor section in the newest Official Xbox Magazine issue, Monolith's FEAR is indeed in the works for Microsoft's next-gen Xbox 360 and would already be running on X360 dev kits. F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) is an intense combat experience with rich atmosphere and an engaging story presented entirely in first person. No further details or possible release date are mentioned, so take it with a grain of salt.

Parkan II is a 3D space simulator combined with first person action planet side. In the game players will get an opportunity to explore a vast universe, visit different planets, their satellites, huge space stations and immense space destroyers.

Video game composers, Tommy Tallarico (Advent Rising, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Earthworm Jim) and Jack Wall (Jade Empire, Myst III: Exile, Splinter Cell), and Clear Channel Music Group today announced that the nationwide Video Games Live tour has been expanded after the huge success of the concert series' debut at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 6, 2005.

PT Boats is the first simulator of the Mosquito-fleet, created with the use of technologies of a level never seen before in naval combat simulator games. The key features are: astonishingly beautiful dynamic sea, historically authentic World War II ships and weapons, possibility to control any member of the crew and a multiplayer game. Patrol Torpedo Boats were used in WW2 mainly to attack large cruiser due ot their maneuverability and speed.

Condemned: Criminal Origins allows players to experience an unnatural level of psychological tension as they use their instincts, forensic tools, and melee combat to track serial killers and bring them to justice. Gamers will play as Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent in the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU), whose pursuit of relentless serial killers leads him through detailed urban environments filled with deadly sociopaths who lurk on the periphery of humanity. Monolith sheds some like on the horror aspect in Condemned: Criminal Origins.

1942. Stalingrad. The battle for Stalingrad is one of the key battles of World War II. Players will take the role of Vasiliy Zaytsev, one of the most famous sharpshooters of the Red Army. One will have to go all the way long from a recruit to a real old-timer that pushes the panic among enemies.

Universal Combat: A World Apart gives hardcore fans an enhanced "Battlecruiser" experience, keeping the flavor of combat, but utilizing newer technologies.

Brigade E5: New Jagged Union is a tactical turn-based game. The scene of action is a small country called Palinero somewhere in the tropics. Recently a coup d'etat has happened in the country and civil war is about to break out. The main character of the game has to hire a band of mercenaries and take control of the situation.

Sony is recalling 3.5 million faulty power adapters for its PlayStation 2 because they may overheat and cause injury. The adapters were made between August and December of 2004 for the slimline PS2, which has a free-standing power adapter to save space. PS2 owners can go to http://www.ps2ac.com to determine if their adapters are being recalled.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• Black [PS2/Xbox] - Trailer
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - BMX Trailer
• Brothers in Arms [PS2/XboxPC] - Storyline Trailer
• Sonic Riders [NGC/PS2/Xbox] - Trailer
• Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion - Intro Movie
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Trailer
• Rugby League 2 [PS2/PC] - Trailer
• Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green [Xbox/PC] - Trailer
• GangWars - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Outfront II immerses players right in the heat of WWII action. The game includes all the highlights of the original and provides even better physics and unit models, complex team AI and new tactical opportunities. New unit commands such as move to cover and charge position help team survival while new personal moves like climbing over fences and aimed-shots keep individual soldiers fighting.

The new game will follow the plot of the original "From Russia with Love" film, including the battle on the Orient Express and the boat chase sequence, but will expand the story with new action sequences. The development team approached the game as a director's cut of the film, which will allow the player to utilize such cool toys as the jetpack and a Q-copter as well as the trusty Walther PPK handgun. EA has launched the official From Russia With Love website.

1967. The Cuban Missile Crisis that led to World War III continues. Use of nuclear weapons resulted in global cooling which changed history and aggravated the struggle for survival. Inspired by the takeover of Europe and Africa the Soviet government decides to start an unprecedented military operation called Ice Crusade.

Refuse. Home, Sweep Home! is the story about a confrontation between two groups of the toy soldiers. The genre of the game is third-person tactical shooter. The game is distinguished by the interactive 3D environment, original and brand new types of weapon, and the major feature like unusual setting: a gamer falls into small world of toys, and see all things by the "toy-eye".

Shortly after California passed the first bill banning sales of Mature or Adult Only rated games to minor, the state of Michigan follows suit. Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed legislation that that will make the sale or rental of mature or adult-rated video games to children illegal. The new law applies to children age 17 and younger and will take effect on December 1, 2005 (thanks Blues).

Football Manager 2006 is a comprehensive soccer management simulation offering a host of new features, including the ability for managers to negotiate with their board of directors - not only for a better contract for themselves, but also for improved player wage budgets and increased transfer budgets or even stadium expansion. Be aware though, if you push too hard and don't reach the heights that the board specifies, you'll soon be looking for a new job.

While Lionhead announced a release date a few weeks back, today there is a slight change in the North American release date, which has been postponed for a week to coincide with the European launch. "We say Black&White 2 now has a final release date! We know we mentioned two different dates a while ago, one for North America and one for Europe, but can now confirm that Black&White 2 has a worldwide release date of 7th October 2005."

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is coming to a game platform near you. If you have ever answered to the nickname Blondie, it might be time to dust off your poncho and make sure your six-shooter is fully loaded. In a deal with MGM Interactive, Bits Studios has acquired video game rights to the three Sergio Leone movies often called "The Man With No Name" trilogy.

Captain Blood is an action game based on the novels by Rafael Sabatini about the notorious Captain Blood. Players take the role of a brave and noble corsair, following his intriguing and amazing adventures in 1685 Spanish Main. The game’s mission-based structure allows players a diverse battlefield on both land and sea, with ship-to-ship battles and swashbuckling sword fights to gain control of boarded ships.

Bandai today announced that One Piece: Grand Battle for GameCube & PS2 has shipped to retail outlets. Capture the title of Pirate King as you outfight and outsmart all opponents in this wacky arena battle game based on the tremendously popular graphic novels published by Viz Media.

In Urban Reign, players assume the role of a gritty street brawler who has been hired by one of the city's dominant gangs to protect its leader. Players are thrown into a full-blown turf war, involving gang corruption and street justice that spans from the neighborhood block all the way to the upper levels of city government

Randy Peretzman, Nintendo's vice president of sales, will retire at the end of this year. After 20 years of dedicated service, Peretzman has decided to step down due to health reasons. His first project was the launch of the NES at a time when retailers had little interest in video games.

Last week we reported how California passed a law ending the sale and rental of violent video games that depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, to persons who are under 18 years of age. Today IEMA President Hal Halpin reacts to the events claiming that there is no need for such a law since stores are already doing the work on a voluntary basis, and Hal hopes Governor Schwarzenegger will veto the bill. Read more for the full statement.

Faithful to the tradition of parody that runs throughout the Asterix stories, Atari's latest Asterix offering is an explosive video game crammed with surprising encounters that parody the greatest icons of the video game world and is awash with wry references to many of the great moments that have marked over 25 years of video game history.