Dreamcatcher has released a massive patch for People Can Fly's FPS, Painkiller. This update brings your retail game to v1.61 and includes Battle Out of Hell’s graphic enhancements, reworked networking code, fixes for outstanding issues, the new CPL dueling maps from Ritual, a half dozen specialty maps, numerous CPL-ready network features, two additional multiplayer modes, Capture the Flag and Last Man Standing, as well as the exclusive weaponry offered in Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell. Read more for download links ...

Developed internally by Empire's award-winning Strangelite Studio, the game will be released on PC, and all current and next generation consoles. The length of the agreement will allow Empire to produce multiple titles. The game will be based on the movie of the same name and animated series franchise.

Vivendi has issued a small statement finally revealing some HL2 sales numbers. "Half-life 2 is already clocking up a massive success. With nearly 1.7 million copies sold in less than two months, this new release by Sierra Entertainment (a VU Games company) and Valve looks set to become one of the biggest hits of 2005. Sales have been particularly good in Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia – as well as the US." Valve remains tightlipped on the amount of HL2 versions it has sold through its Steam service.

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.

Seven Kingdoms: Conquest offers strategy fans the choice to play as human or demon in epic battles spanning 6,000 years on Earth. Starting in ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C. and ending in a final battle on a futuristic Earth, players will have to have their fingers on the pulse of their civilization as the two races clash every 1,000 years.

Microsoft's corporate vice president J Allard will deliver a keynote address at the 19th annual Game Developers Conference (GDC). Entitled "The Future of Games: Unlocking the Opportunity," Allard will discuss Microsoft's commitment to the next generation of interactive entertainment. Possible Xbox 2 announcement? We will be on site and report as it happens, or not.

Namco announced today that Prema Toy has awarded Namco the exclusive publishing rights to the classic children's entertainment property, Gumby. The deal allows Namco to create video games for all game systems, featuring Gumby and all related characters, such as Pokey, Prickle, Goo and the infamous Blockheads.

A new breed of baseball is coming exclusively to GameCube. Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball brings video game play to a new level of excitement and reality with fan-favorite players and teams. Slugger David Ortiz of the 2004 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox, will grace the cover of Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball, which will be available April 4.

Today at a press conference in Paris, Nintendo announced that this innovative new console will be available to buy in the UK on 11 March at the estimated retail price of around £99 and will be supported by a strong software line up. The Nintendo DS has been received exceptionally well in the US and Japan, having sold 2.8 million units by the end of 2004, and is expected to have the same response when it launches in the UK.

Midway games announced today the pre-sell program for NARC. Gamers can pre-order their copy of NARC and receive the 2-Disc soundtrack featuring select songs from the game, for free. The soundtrack includes 15 in-game tracks comprised of Classic rock-n-roll tunes and hip-hop tracks created exclusively for NARC by up-and-coming artists. Read more for details ...

Techland has released the first patch for their rally racing sim Xpand Rally. This update brings your retail game to v1.1.0.0 and improves the performance of the dedicated game server, fixes game's mods problems in multiplayer, allows for changing the time of the day and weather conditions when running player-created maps, introduces (by popular demand) a 'less dust' feature to the multiplayer mode (to increase the game's performance and make racing with more people easier), and improves the ChromEd tool. Read more for download links ...

Knuckle up, gamers: Overload Entertainment and Iridon Interactive today announced that Heavyweight Thunder, the first boxing simulation to celebrate the championship lifestyle, will be released on PC in March 2005.

DreamCatcher Games has released the first patch for Golem Labs' global domination strategy SuperPower 2. This patch brings your retail game to v1.4 and adds even more features :A.I. aggressiveness slider, ban console command, private chat, as well as a good numbers of tweaks and fixes. This patch is for the International and US editions of the game.

Strategy First and developer MiST land - South are pleased to announce that the futuristic tactical strategy game COPS 2170: The Power of Law has been shipped to retailers nationwide.

DRIV3R is an action-packed driving adventure game that stays true to its roots, incorporating the cinematic gameplay and gritty street crime of its predecessors with ground-breaking graphics and three mammoth, wide-open city environments: Miami, Florida; Nice, France; and Istanbul, Turkey. The PC version of Driv3r will feature a new level and additional footage, release date is set for March 2005. Read more for details ..

The guns of the greatest of all wars roar into life in and on The Road to Berlin. This fast-moving game drops the player right in the middle of frenzied combat action, where the thrills just keep coming! Pilot, gunner, sniper, paratrooper – all these roles are played out through a simple, intuitive point-and-click interface, allowing instant and complete immersion in the game world.

Big Mutha Truckers 2 begins with Ma Jackson being taken into police custody for tax evasion. The only way she can win her case is by hiring Cousin Jacob, the most "fancy-talkin' legal fella" this side of Booger's Canyon. Players will be challenged to raise the cash needed to bribe jurors to let Ma off by trucking, trading, wheeling and dealing.

A product listing at online retailer Gamestop revealed that Activision is planning to release an addon for Creative Assembly's 3D RTS title Rome Total War. No specific name, or details of any other kind, were included, but the Rome Total War Expansion Pack has a tentative release date set for October 17th, 2005. More details should follow soon ...

Juiced is the only racing to totally immerse you in the lifestyle and culture of the real street modding scene. Starting as a new kid on the block, without a set of wheels to your name, your main focus in life is to build up your own crew of ‘driving gods’ and dominate the established street racing scene of Angel City.

Moto GP 3 has taken the thrill of the first two titles and doubled it, taking the franchise beyond the realms of Grand Prix racing through the introduction of high-adrenaline street racing in Extreme Mode. Players can hone their skills on the streets, experiencing the carnival-like atmosphere that follows the Grand Prix Championship around the world.

Set before the events of both Universal Pictures' upcoming summer release, The Chronicles of Riddick, starring Vin Diesel, and the 2000 breakout hit Pitch Black, which first introduced Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero Riddick, the game tells the story of Riddick's dramatic escape from the previously inescapable triple max security slam Butcher Bay, home to the most violent prisoners in the universe.

WrestleMania can define a legacy, and yours is about to be written. The greatest spectacle in sports-entertainment comes to Xbox with WWE WrestleMania 21. Read more for additional details & screens..

Developed through a collaborative effort between Pandemic Studios and Mass Media, the game's innovative design, complex A.I. and advanced graphical prowess have been successfully transitioned to the PS2, pushing the hardware to its limits. We have just learned that the PS2 version will have an all-new exclusive level, not available in any of the previous PC or Xbox versions. Throughout the game, you always play an offensive role, but the new level will be the sole defensive mission. While you normally control fireteams Alpha and Bravo, you will now also have command over sniper team Charlie.

Lead a four-man fireteam of US Marines through the perils of authentic, modern urban combat in a Middle-Eastern urban battleground. This is an action-oriented, first-person 3D shooter that is being developed under the direction of the US Marine Corps as a training simulation for use by the Marine Corps. Close Combat: First to Fight is as close as you can get on a computer or Xbox to being a Marine fireteam leader in modern urban combat!

Square Enix has revealed a new MMORPG called Fantasy Earth: Ring of Domination which will try to combine RTS, RPG and Action, allowing you to forge alliances, build fortresses and citadels and duke it out with your allies against huge armies. It's still a ways off, as it is only vaguely scheduled for 2005, but in the meantime, read more for 34 new screens...