Developed through a collaborative effort between Pandemic Studios and Mass Media, the game's innovative design, complex artificial intelligence (A.I.) and advanced graphical prowess has been successfully transitioned to the PlayStation 2, pushing the hardware to its limits. Full Spectrum Warrior is scheduled to ship worldwide in early 2005.

The Elemental is a total conversion of Gas Powered Games Dungeon Siege. Elemental is set in an alternate mythical version of ancient Judea that is gritty, mean, and profane. This final release adds two new player character races, Mantis and Human Female, as well as a host of other fixes and improvements too numerous to mention. After two and a half years of development, the team is calling it quits, so enjoy this final product.

SEGA of America today announced the North American release of Worldwide Soccer Manager, a sports management simulation game that is officially licensed by Major League Soccer (MLS). Worldwide Soccer Manager represents the next evolution in fantasy sports by enabling gamers to control all team-related activities for their favorite professional soccer teams in the U.S. as well as 50 other countries across the world.

The coming weeks will see the wheat separated from the chaff, the big dogs from the puppies and the Rulerz from the N00bs with the imminent launch of the Joint Ops STAT tracking system for both Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising and Joint Ops: Escalation.

Devil May Cry 3 unfolds an earlier chapter in Dante's history, before the original Devil May Cry, to the fateful clash between Sparda's twin sons, divided by the divergence of their chosen paths. Take a peek at yet another 50+ new screens...

THQ has released a singleplayer demo for Volition's action game based on the Marvel comic book, The Punisher. Enter the twisted mind of Frank Castle as he wreaks havoc upon the scum of the criminal underworld. This demo features a cinematic intro and one mission set in the Central Zoo, where you have to rescue a friend taken hostage. Read more for download links ...

Vivendi Universal Games, in association with Vin Diesel’s Tigon Studios, announced today that their PC action game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay –Developer’s Cut has shipped to retail stores in the United States.

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 :

• Fight Night Round 2 - Trailer

Following a hugely successful year for its Los Angeles studio, Climax is proud to announce plans to expand its U.S. operation. The ambitious project will see the LA office relocate to larger premises and recruit new staff - a move that reaffirms Climax's commitment to creating a world-class development studio.

In addition to the PC version's signature locations, non-scripted A.I., and unprecedented view-distance, Far Cry Instincts will feature brand new gameplay scenarios that will challenge players to use an even broader range of strategies and survival tactics in order to uncover the many secrets within the beautiful-but-deadly islands. Far Cry Instincts producer Roxane Gosselin is on hand to answer some questions about the "traps" concept being used.

Ubisoft announces the release of Sprung for the Nintendo DS handheld game system, which has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. Engage in a risqué, daring adventure with sexy singles at Snowbird Mountain, a hip ski resort in Colorado. Written by North Shore (FOX) writer Colleen McGuinness, Sprung captures the essence of teen entertainment through fresh storylines, sex appeal, two gender-specific adventures 50 missions, bonus levels, cool characters and hours of stimulating fun. Developed by Guillemot Inc., Sprung is rated “T” (Teen) and retails for US$29.99.

NCsoft today announced the release of an extensive expansion for its MMORPG Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle. The expansion, Chronicle 2: Age of Splendor, includes more than 500 megabytes of new features adding three new zones, wondrous underwater areas, rideable mounts, new monsters, items and spells as well as an in-game gambling system consisting of a racetrack, throwing dice and a lottery.

Ubisoft has pushed back the original Q4 2004 release date for Blue Byte's 3D RTS Heritage of Kings: The Settlers, and it is now scheduled for Q1 2005. Heritage of Kings: The Settlers is a world-building strategy game with fully rendered 3D visuals and unavoidably addictive gameplay. Players can dive into a detailed medieval world offering a unique mix of RTS and simulation gameplay. A fully functioning community can be created; new advancements can be discovered, and enemy forces will be repelled (thanks Blues)!

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 March 2005. Read more for details and the first screens ...

City of Heroes is now accepting Beta applications in preparation for its European release, due in February '05. Potential Beta applicants should point their browsers at the official European City of Heroes website.

Catacombs is the just released expansion pack for Dark Age of Camelot in which players are given the opportunity to explore underground cities – with attached adventuring areas – based on the backstory of one underground player race per Realm. Mythic asked us to host the first patch for the new expansion pack, so you MUST have Catacombs installed before applying the patch.

With its diverse offering of music and variety of skill levels, TAIKO: Drum Master delivers a unique experience filled with flexibility and fun for players of all ages. The game offers more than 30 songs in its catalog, including well-known hits from today’s current chart-toppers and yesterday’s favorites.

Matrix Games and Strategic Studies Group have released a new patch for their strategy game Battles In Normandy. This update brings your retail game to v1.01 and improves enemy AI, provides four levels of opponents, adds a number of hotkeys, and the usual crash and bug fixes. Read more for download links ...

Darkwatch is a cinematic 1st person shooter with an original premise that blends Vampire-Horror and Western genres. They grind their enemies for fuel, fashion their skin into protective cloaks and create weapons designed to exterminate en masse, and they are the good guys. We got some hands-on time with a build, and here are our updated impressions ...

Alpha Black Zero is a fast-paced mission based 3rd person tactical shooter with a gripping storyline to test both your fighting abilities and your intelligence. Dozens of different enemies, all possessing strong Artificial intelligence, will punish your mistakes across huge and challenging levels.

Blizzard keeps its users on a tight rope as over 300 accounts have been banned so far. "We have recently verified that certain individuals were using third party "bot" programs to automate their characters in World of Warcraft. A bot is used to play an account non-stop, allowing its user to accumulate money, items, and experience without actually requiring the user to be physically present to play the game. The use of bots is a violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and is absolutely prohibited. Therefore, the accounts identified as having used bots have been banned."

EA has now released the linux patches/server files for Digital Illusions Battlefield 1942 & Battlefield Vietnam. These updates bring your server to v1.61 (BF1942) and v1.21 (BFV) and address an undisclosed exploit reported by community member Luigi Auriemma (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links.

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 :

• Shadow of Rome - Trailer #5
• Will of Steel - Trailers (3)

Just as Far Cry redefined the FPS genre on the PC, Far Cry Instincts will introduce wide open environments and unique, immersive gameplay elements that are destined to become the definition of survival action. In addition to the PC version's signature locations, non-scripted A.I., and unprecedented view-distance, Far Cry Instincts will feature brand new gameplay scenarios that will challenge players to use an even broader range of strategies and survival tactics in order to uncover the many secrets within the beautiful-but-deadly islands.

I'm working on an article for Retro Gamer magazine concerning the old censorship rules under which Nintendo of America operated during the NES/SNES period. If you're a developer, translator, or writer who worked with Nintendo back then and ran afoul of these rules, I'd like to interview you for the article. If requested, anonymity is, of course, guaranteed. Prospective interviewees can contact me at multimedia.superstar@gmail.com.