Video games developer and publisher Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that its popular role-playing game, Tales of Symphonia, has shipped to North American retail outlets.

PlayStation announced today the launch of Athens 2004, The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, from 989 Sports. Featuring a variety of game modes and venues that have been recreated down to the smallest detail, players will be able to choose one of 64 countries and 800 different athletes while attempting to break an Olympic or World Record in 25 events.

Electronic Arts and Digital Illusions announced today that Battlefield: Modern Combat will feature a single-player mode when it ships in fall 2005. The game is currently in development for the PS2 and Xbox. Originally slated for a fall 2004 release, this means EA delayed the title for a year!

Test Drive: Eve of Destruction blends the best elements of racing and demolition and is packed with 25 different events, including Demo Derby, where the last car standing wins; Gauntlet, where the player climbs behind the wheel of a hearse and tries to finish a set number of laps while the rest of the field attempts to stop them; Trailer Race, a new brand of racing event, where players compete while towing various types of trailers and must finish the race with something resembling a trailer still attached.

World War II springs to life as you experience the most epic battles in the history of mankind. For the first time, the world's five superpowers battle for control on truly global scale. Direct the military and economic destiny of Japan, England, Germany, Russia or Germany. With each battle fought in real-time, comes the opportunity to create a new destiny as you change the course of history itself. Atari has released a small gameplay Q&A with TimeGate Studios, read more to check it out...

Enter the covert world of the Star Wars infantry for the first time and become a member of an elite Republic Special Operations unit in LucasArts new squad based first-person shooter, Star Wars Republic Commando. Set during the Clone Wars, between Attack of the Clones and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III, Star Wars Republic Commando will be released fall 2004 for the PC and Xbox. Read more for new screens ...

Ubisoft today announced Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3, the third blockbuster in the millions-selling Splinter Cell franchise, will officially be called "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory." The game will be available on Xbox and PC for Christmas 2004, and on other formats in Q1 2005 (PAL territories), including the N-Gage platform, published by Gameloft.

Dark and Light is a real-time 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in the heroic fantasy and medieval fantastic worlds on a 15,000 square mile area, which has been divided into 10 Kingdoms of discovery and adventures and two protected learning Kingdoms. Two alignments are opposed to impose their magic, the Dark one and the Light one ...

Officially licensed by the Indy Racing League, IndyCar Series 2005 gets a boost with a host of new features to complement the action-packed oval track racing at speeds up to 235mph! The game's new online racing will see up to 12 players getting fiercely competitive out on the circuits. IndyCar Series 2005 is the only game to feature the full IndyCar Series season including the Indianapolis 500.

Using an all-new fluid player kinetic system, a player's first touch becomes a key advantage for players who can think quickly and act fast to outsmart the competition. An all-new animation system reacts to every button press with authentic responsiveness, directly translating to the speed and vision of the world's greatest players.

The latest Settlers game takes the franchise and pushes it to the next level. Fans will enjoy fully animated 3D technology and enhanced gameplay features, but still be able to relive the experience that makes the Settlers series such a big hit. The game will take the player to a medieval setting, to re-conquer the kingdom currently under the domination of an evil tyrant.

Mutable Realms has announced that beta phase 2 for their MMORPG "Wish" will start in fall 2004. You can already sign up to participate and keep your fingers crossed that you will be selected. Once you sign up, you will be notified by email when the Wish beta client is available for download and the test starts. Head over over to the MutableRealms website...

Firefly Studios is proud to announce the re-launch of FireFly Worlds. With a fresh new look and all new graphics and content this site will be the first point of call for fans to get the latest info on Firefly's current projects. Not much new information is available at this point but new announcements are "coming very soon."

Maintaining law and society order is veteran Headhunter Jack Wade, older, wiser and battle hardened. At his side is the reluctant new sidekick, the rebellious street kid Leeza X. Whether ripping up the highways of the silver metropolis on a super bike or stalking the criminal masterminds of the shadowy underworld, they are led into the greatest danger of their lives and must overcome something much more sinister than a simple human threat. Each must face their darkest fears. Together they must redeem a world facing chaos...

DC-Studios and Dino Dini have inked a deal to create a whole new generation of football games. Combining DC-Studios' and Dino’s expertise, passion and knowledge to take the beautiful game to a whole new generation of fans. Football games may never be the same again.

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:

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - Trailer (2)
• Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude - Trailer

Ubisoft today announced Advance Guardian Heroes for the Game Boy Advance. The title is a scrolling fighter videogame, featuring over 20 controllable characters, more than 160 powerful moves to master, and many incredible multiplayer scenarios.

Bethesda Softworks announced today that it will develop and publish Fallout 3 -- a sequel to the highly popular Fallout role-playing game franchise.

Video games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the highly anticipated, epic role-playing adventure Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean will be available for the U.S. market in November 2004. Here are some screenshots to tide you over until then ...

Sony Corp. expects to show off its latest PlayStation at the E3 trade show next May, it said on Monday, increasing pressure on Microsoft Corp. to take the wraps off its Xbox successor at that time.

Digital Jesters has released the English demo for Cyanide Studios' latest installment in the Cycling Manager franchise, featuring one month of management with all the features on simulated races. Also includes the mountain stage from the Tour De France and features the CSC team. Read more for download links ...

Blue Fang Games, developer of the games franchise "Zoo Tycoon," recently celebrated surpassing the 2 million unit mark in U.S. retail sales, according to The NPD Group. The developer is set to take the franchise to the next level with "Zoo Tycoon 2," coming this fall.

Online game sales and subscription revenue will triple to $1.1 billion by 2008, with new devices, shift from CD-ROM, and falling console prices creating revenue opportunities for online games, says Yankee Group research firm.

DRIV3R is an action-packed driving adventure game that recreates the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster car chase and plays like an interactive movie. Developed by Reflections Interactive, the masterminds behind Driver and Driver 2, DRIV3R 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.