2K Games today announced that Stronghold 2 for PC has shipped and is currently available in retail stores across North America. Stronghold 2 will be available in European stores on April 22nd.

Not much of a secret for the past year, but 2K Games today officially announced Serious Sam II, the much-anticipated return of Sam "Serious" Stone to PC and the Xbox.

Guild Wars is a Competitive Online Role Playing Game with an emphasis on rewarding player skill. In large head-to-head guild battles, cooperative group combat, and single player missions, players will explore a fantasy world while pursuing professions and acquiring skills to develop their own personalized character. Unique items, special abilities, and a wide variety of skills add meaningful value for the player and for their comrades.

Kayak Interactive today announced that it has acquired the assets of Chasma Interactive Publishing, based in New Hampshire. The acquisition expands Kayak's portfolio of offered products with several products already in the distribution channel as well as two key properties to be launched in the near future, Slingo, and the TV show based Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament.

Akella today announced that it is heading towards North America and will be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held in Los Angeles, California May 18-20, 2005. (Kentia Hall, Booth # 6459). Akella's lineup reveals a few new titles, such as Heavy Duty, Enosta: Discovery Beyond, Raiders of the Lost Casino, S.M.E.R.S.H, and Dead Mountaineer Hotel. Read more for details ...

Funcom announces 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures', an Online Action RPG scheduled for Windows in the first half of 2006. A mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer end-game brings forth the ultimate representation of the Age of Conan. Now you can enter the brutal domain of the world's greatest fantasy hero.

The latest Famitsu issue has the first details for Capcom's newest title in the Onimusha series. Expected spring 2006 in Japan, Dawn of Dreams is situated in 1598 and will have several new features and additions over previous titles, such as a new camera system, updated graphics and optimized gameplay mechanics. Last week Capcom put a countdown clock on its Japanese website, indicating an announcement was coming Saturday. Whether this was meant for Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is not clear at the moment. More info to follow....

Paradox has released the first patch for its strategy game Hearts of Iron 2. This update brings your retail game to v1.2 and adds a new campaign, new battle scenario, AI enhancements, and a long list of bug fixes and balance adjustments. Read more for download links ...

Conflict: Global Terror brings the series into the 21st century and joins the war on terrorism in this highly anticipated sequel to the successful franchise which has shipped over 2.5 million units in North America alone. In fall 2005, the original Delta Force members from the Conflict series will return to fight alongside players on console and PC, in a variety of locations around the world where terrorism is present.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a squad-based first-person shooter that lets you explore the elite world of the Star Wars military. Leading a 3-man squad of Republic Commandos, your missions take you deep behind enemy lines on over 14 intense and challenging levels through three different campaigns where you will face more than ten brutal enemies.

The game puts the player inside the action of the hit TV show, and features 12 spine-tingling stunts that will test gamers' steadiness, stomachs and nerve. Players can choose to play Fear Factor: Unleashed single player mode, where they will face five other competitors in an intense three-challenge contest to crown a winner.

Mistland have another project lined up for the near future, "Alfa: AntiTerror". The sad reality of life in many countries. The global problem of modern times. A war, which can neither be won nor lost. The unpromising forecasts of scientists and experts concerning further development of things. Terrorism is waiting for our answer. An answer we are about to deliver.

Matrix Games and Koios Works today announced that the latest game in the Tin Soldiers series, Tin Soldiers: Julius Caesar has officially “Gone Gold” and will be available for sale from the Matrix Games website within a week. Caesar has several major improvements including a full 3D camera and non-linear campaigns.

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 :

• Rising Kingdoms - Trailer
• Close Combat: First to Fight - Trailer (2)
• Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - Trailer #2

Pursuit Force is a fast-paced arcade-action game, that fuses driving and combat mechanics to create a unique gaming experience for PSP. Developed by Bigbig Studios, a new development team that pulls together some of the leading creative talent in the gaming industry, Pursuit Force follows the misadventures of a rookie Police Officer tracking down five criminal gangs across an entire fictional state in America.

Back in 2001 Mindscape released DayDream's Ski-Doo X-Team Racing, and now that Resolution Interactive has acquired the rights, it will update the game with the latest 2006 sled models from Bombardier, update the engine and also port it to Xbox and PS2.

Oxygen Interactive announced today that UK developer Kuju is working on a new FPS 'Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction.' Using the Fire Warrior engine, Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction, is under development for PC, PS2 and Xbox, and is scheduled for May 2005. Read more for details and new screens ...

Broadcom Corporation today announced a strategic partnership to provide wireless technology for Nintendo's next generation gaming systems. Broadcom's diverse portfolio of technology solutions will enable Nintendo to add cutting-edge wireless features and connectivity to its popular line of gaming consoles. Nintendo's next generation console (codenamed "Revolution") will feature an advanced wireless platform that integrates multiple technologies to enable a new and exciting gaming experience.

LucasArts has released an updated dedicated server file for Pandemic Studios' scifi shooter Star Wars Battlefront. This v1.3 server is in anticipation of the client release, which is due shortly, but no specific details as to what it addresses are available at this point. Read more for download links ...

In Killer 7, players take on the role of Harman Smith an unlikely assassin who lives life at his own pace. Switching between seven different personalities, he employs each character’s abilities to terminate targets he deems "deserving to die." Read more to check out some screens ...

Namco today announced "Namco Museum Battle Collection" for the PSP. Offering new and original versions of some of Namco's most beloved arcade classics including "Galaga," "Pac-Man" and "Dig Dug," the game will be released with U.S. exclusive titles this summer for the ultimate handheld arcade experience.

While we already had the German announcement & screens last week, CDV today officially announced War Front: Turning Point, a new game for PC, will premiere at the 2005 Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3). War Front is being developed in partnership with Hungarian Developer Digital Reality, makers of popular titles such as Haegemonia, Desert Rats vs. Africa Corps and D-Day.

Of all places, an online retailer in South Africa has a listing for an upcoming Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth expansion pack. No additional information was listed, apart from it being scheduled for release in September 2005. We contacted EA to see if there was any truth to the matter, and all we got was, "Rumors and speculation, no comment," but also a friendly piece of advice: "I wouldn't line up outside the store." A very popular franchise, a good RTS, and EA so an expansion pack would not be unheard of, but only time will tell ...

The latest update to NCsoft's action-packed heroic MMO will add even more options to the most detailed character creation process in MMOs. As well as the brand new, Asian-inspired outfits and accessories, Issue #4 lets players customize various different physical attributes that weren't user-definable before – from waist size to muscle density, facial structure to chest diameter.