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.

The story of GTA: Liberty City Stories takes place 3 years before the events of Grand Theft Auto 3 and we find that our main character Toni Cipriani has returned from laying low for the past 4 years after taking out a rival mob boss for the Leone crime family. Having welcomed him back with open arms, the Don Salvatore Leone is putting Toni to back work under the watchful eye of Vincenzo Cilli, one of his most trusted capo’s.

Ascension to the Throne is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements. In a world of fantasy the hero will have to pass many tests on his way to victory. Enemies seek to stop players from regaining power and having taking revenge, gain new friends to aid you in reclaiming the throne. Become the King you were born to be - wise, brave and courageous.

Valve today announced that Half-Life 2: Game of the Year has started shipping to retail outlets in North America. Half-Life 2: GotYis a special edition release of the best-selling and critically acclaimed title that includes Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, plus Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life: Source. Half-Life 2: Game of the Year will begin shipping to other territories worldwide in the coming weeks.

SEGA today announced that it will publish SEGA Casino for the NDS. SEGA Casino deals out plenty of gambling action for gamers on-the-go with a casino experience that features five games, and six unlockable games.

Koch Media announce their partnership with UK publisher Reef Entertainment. The partnership secures Koch exclusive UK distribution rights for Reef's upcoming three PC titles for 2005, World War Zero, Dark Legion, WWII Tank Commander, all expected September 23. Read more for details on each title.

Mythic Entertainment today released details for Darkness Rising, the sixth expansion to the epic fantasy MMORPG Dark Age of Camelot. In this expansion, you will get to interact with the each Realm's new King to stop a rising force of evil. Check the freshly launched Darkness Rising website, or read more for some new screens ...

Zoo Tycoon developer Blue Fang Games is pleased to announce that Bruce Blumberg is joining its team as Director of its new Synthetic Animal Team.

Nexuiz is a free 3D deathmatch game that is simply first person shooting reduced to the very basics with perfect weapon balancing. This 1.2.1 adds a server fix, a new CTF map, RuneMatch and Domination ,ap support, menu fixes, etc. Read more for details and download links ...

Black Mountain Games announced today that their premiere game, Putt Nutz, is now finished for the PC. This means the games production is complete for both major consoles and home computers. Putt Nutz, a brand new miniature golf game, is a fast paced, over-the-top title that brings all the fun of miniature golf onto your PC.

SEGA today announced a partnership with developer Petroglyph to create an original RTS franchise for the PC. Most Petroglyph team members are former employees of Westwood Studios, where they worked on the company's titles including Blade Runner, Eye of the Beholder, Dune 2 and the blockbuster EA franchise Command & Conquer. The Las Vegas-based development team is presently completing the much-anticipated Star Wars: Empire at War.

Dead or Alive 4 will redefine 3-D high definition graphics and sound, creating the most visually beautiful and realistic looking video game to date. Unsurpassed online capabilities via Xbox Live, new incredible interactive stages, an all star line-up of old and new favorite characters, and the most complex DOA countering system yet, all add up to the must-have video game to own along with Xbox 360 this holiday season.

In The Hustle: Detroit Streets you are an unknown pool player, down on luck and out of money, and you must make a name for yourself by becoming the top player in the city by racking up points and earning cash.

Since recent updates to the Legend of Mir 3 servers, including a faster, more stable connection, and content updates such as the long anticipated Snow Patch, Quality Games Online Ltd has decided to offer free game time to all users, both those that have left, and those that still play, to give them a chance to take a new look at the game.

X-Men Legends II introduces the epic storyline of an uneasy alliance between the X-Men and the hated Brotherhood in a fight to reclaim Earth from Apocalypse's grasp. Impressive gameplay enhancements include more than double the superpowers and customization capabilities, the debut of several new playable characters, over 100 diverse types of enemies, and a breathtaking range of exotic and real-world environments—from the Madri Temple to Egypt.

Death Jr. is a new action platforming game that seamlessly blends elements from first-person shooters with the exploration of a third-person platformer and serves up a large dose of intense gameplay and weapon heavy combat for the PSP.

THQ and Relic Entertainment take explosive World War II combat to the next generation in an all new 3rd Person Action Game. Combining intense squad-based combat and easy to use strategic gameplay elements, The Outfit takes players behind enemy lines, battling the Nazi War Machine through a variety of combat missions. Lead designer Jeff Brown answers a few questions about Relic's first next-gen title ...

Artifact Rush is a survival racing where you use the most modern weapon: missiles, machine-guns, mines and other technics destruction tools. The main feature that distinguishes "Artifact rush" from other is the unusual car control. Player firstly has to put his route at the map and wait while his opponents do the same. Then the main task is to defend agent's vehicle and destroy the enemy's cars, because now the car is driven by autopilot.

187: Ride or Die tells the story of a reluctant urban hero named Buck, a young man living a thug's life seething with money, fast cars and beautiful women -- with danger lurking around every corner. Set in the underworld of Los Angeles, Buck must defend the territory of his mentor Dupree from Cortez and his gang of bandit roughriders, who are determined to take control of the streets.

EA has released the first patch for the North American NHL 06 edition. No specific details as to what it fixes or addresses are available at this point (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 delivers ultra-realistic course environments, allowing gamers to experience the intensity of a championship golf tournament. With greatness comes pressure, as players are put to the test of making perfect tee shots or sinking tournament-winning putts in crunch time.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Banewood Bog"... Map info: "Nestled in the Arathi Foothills lies the pristine resort enclave where the wizards of Dalaran retreat from the front lines to recuperate while relaxing in steamy hot mana pools." This is a small map size and the suggested no. of players is 2v2, or 3v3. It is based on the "Dalaran" tileset. Go download it here!

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 :

• Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers - Gameplay Trailer
• The Outfit [X360] - Gameplay Trailer
• Gun [PS2/Xbox/X360/PC] - Law & Order Trailer
• Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 - Trailer
• Saint's Row [X360] - Gameplay Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...