TDK Mediactive announced today that two Muppet-filled games have shipped to retail shelves. Muppets Party Cruise is available for the PlayStation2 and Spy Muppets: License to Croak is available for the Game Boy Advance. Additionally, Muppets Party Cruise for the Nintendo GameCube will release in late November.

Project Three Interactive has released a new and updated playable demo for its FPS game New World Order. With this new version the game’s playable demo is now upgraded to version 1.42, the same version as the full game has already been upgraded to earlier. To celebrate this final demo release, the demo will feature two frequently played maps from the full game: ‘Restaurant’ and ‘Mansion’, playable in single & multiplayer. Read more for download links ...

Atari is bringing forward the release date of Horizons: Empire of Istaria to December 5th, to ensure eager gamers can get their hands on this highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game in plenty of time before Christmas. Available for PC, Horizons: Empire of Istaria will allow players to experience online gaming like never before in a single massive online world primed for exploration, brimming with adventure and rife with danger. The game is expected in North America on December 9th, in the meantime, read our preview ...

Take 2 has released a new patch for Illusion Softworks' 3rd person action/adventure game Mafia. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.2 and mainly addresses gfx card and other hardware issues, as well as overall performance tweaks. Read more for detailed fixlist and download links ...

TRON 2.0 is a story-driven, first-person action game that propels the player into an alternate universe inside a computer. Monolith has released an updated version of last weeks TRON 2.0 multiplayer deathmatch patch. This update requires you to have the latest v1.030 patch, is NOT compatible with the previous version and adds Derez (deathmatch) and Team Derez game modes, as well as three multiplayer maps designed by Touchdown Entertainment. Single-player save games are affected and will no longer work after applying this patch. The official patch requires WinXP to install, but there is also an unsupported 3rd party version that works on all Windows versions (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for details & download links ..

Barely shipping to stores earlier today, Sierra has already released the first patch for Amaze Entertainment's action/adventure The Hobbit. This upgrade brings your retail game to 1.2 and addresses several crash problems, improves the user interface, tweaks some water puzzles, and a few other fixes. Read more for download links ...

Valve's Doug Lombardi sent out a note to let us know that Day of Defeat 1.1 is in the final stages of development and will be available for wide beta testing via Steam later this week. The team-based multiplayer game sends players into Axis vs. Allies battles set in Western Europe during WWII. Version 1.1 adds enhanced animation through the incorporation of Valve's nine-way blending system. DoD 1.1 also includes new maps plus a host of tweaks and fixes. For more information visit www.dayofdefeat.com or www.steampowered.com.

Object Software has released a new update patch/expansion pack for the online version of Strategy First's RPG Prince Of Qin. This "Overlord of Conquerors" expansion prominently features Xiang Yu, the famous Chu General who fought a bitter war against the Qin Dynasty and then against Liu Bang for the throne of China. POQ Online will be greatly enhanced with new characters, enemies, items and locations. This major upgrade inclusive of the Expansion Pack will patch any version of your Prince of Qin Online client to v1.130E... Read more for details & download links ...

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy allows players to immerse themselves in the classic Star Wars universe as they take on the role of a student eager to learn the ways of the Force from Master Luke Skywalker. LucasArts has released a new patch for Raven Software's sci-fi action game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.01, but no additional details are available at this point. Read more for download links ...

Contract Jack is a standalone action experience focused on giving PC action gamers what they want: More action, less stealth, and more robust multiplayer gameplay. Developed by one of the industry's elite developers, Monolith Productions, Contract Jack showcases the award-winning storytelling of Monolith in a new singleplayer campaign, and adds new multiplayer content as well as a suite of mod-making tools. No specific details as to what this update patch adresses are available at this point (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Atari has released the long promised update patch for Troika's RPG Temple of Elemental Evil. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.0 and adresses a slew of quest, spell and rule fixes (thanks Blues). Read more for details and download links ...

Tennis is a nice game. Women wear pretty white dresses and men wear collared shirts and hit a little ball over the net in a civilized manner, but Microsoft's XSN Sports is about to change all of that. Tennis is going to get a huge dose of attitude. Microsoft Game Studios today announced that "Top Spin," the highly anticipated tennis game exclusively for the Xbox, will take its serve and volley game to store shelves in the UK on the 7th November for an estimated retail price of £39.99.

The DesertCombat team has released the next major public alpha of DesertCombat. Public Beta 0.5L features a slew of bug fixes and additions aimed at creating on of the best war game experiences on the PC. In this stage of development each is roughly balanced with some minor advantages to each, making gameplay much more fun and exciting. Read more for download links ...

The US Army has released the promised patch for America's Army: Operations. This upgrade brings their team-based multiplayer game to v 2.0 and adds a new Special Forces character class, new Indigenous Forces, new SF weapons (the SOPMOD M4 carbine, Special Purpose Rifle and Thermite Grenade), new OpFor weapons (Vss Vintorez and AKS-74U), 3D Ironsights, in-game IRC Chat Client, half a dozen new maps, and numerous other improvements and fixes (thanks Blues). Read more for details and download links ...

Techland has released an updated singleplayer demo for their sci-fi shooter Chrome. The demo is now up to date with the latest v1.1.1.0 code and still features the same tutorial and one full level (thanks Blues). Read more for download links ...

Call Of Duty fans will have the opportunity to chat with the Infinity Ward development team tomorrow, Nov. 7th, as well as possibly play the team at their own game. One chat is good for European fans, and one is better for North American fans. Both chats will take place in IRC channels. Read more for details where to participate...

Strategy First is pleased to announce it has signed the worldwide rights to Black Hammer Game’s upcoming turn based strategy title Supremacy: Four Paths to Power. “Supremacy: Four Paths to Power is a deep strategy game that brings something new to the strategy game genre,” says Don McFatridge, President of Strategy First. “We couldn’t be happier about our partnership with Black Hammer Game that will bring this game into the hands of strategy game lovers everywhere.”

Savage Eden: The Battle for Laghaim will be launched by iEntertainment Network for closed Beta play on 14 November 2003. The original game, Laghaim in Asia, is developed by one of the foremost game companies in Korea and has over 1,000,000 registered users. Now, this extremely popular and successful game is coming to the Americas in a new and improved version! Laghaim in Asia operates with over 50,000 current users and generated sales of over $1 million USD in its first two weeks of commercial operation. People interested in signing up for the beta test should register here.

Set within a world of treachery, nobility and milk (yes milk), Once Upon A Knight delivers powerful gameplay — while never taking itself too seriously. It features extensive play with a comprehensive real-time strategy mode and exciting RPG modes. Throughout, Once Upon A Knight mixes hardcore depth and detail with a clever, tongue-in-cheek sensibility that appeals to a broad range of gamers.

Ubisoft has released the first patch for Infinite Interactive's strategy title Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria (US version only). This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.01 and mainly addresses a few crashing issues and other bugs. Read more for download links ...

Vivendi Universal Games and Interplay Entertainment Corp. announced today that they have resolved all prior legal disputes and will resume the distribution contract signed in August 2002. Accordingly, VU Games will distribute Interplay's Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel in North America and Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan). VU Games will also retain exclusive distribution rights in these regions for all future Interplay titles through August 2005.

Jester is pleased to announce details of its forthcoming title Isle of Man TT Superbikes. The game will be based on the number one road race in the world for Playstation 2 and will be released in the first quarter of 2004. With its extreme road racing, fantastic environment, and dare devil tactics that Surrounds the event; the TT is a perfect match for video games. The Isle Of Man TT will be the definitive game in terms of playability, graphical elements, fun, and realism. At the same time engrossing the users in gameplay brimming with rewards and replay value. Read more for info & screens...

EA has released the promised C&C Generals update patch (English, French and German version) bringing your retail game to v1.07. This upgrade adresses various crash & desynch problems, makes some gameplay tweaks, adds firewall options, etc. Read more for detailed fix list download links ...

Hidden & Dangerous 2 puts you in charge of a squad of lethal SAS troopers. Set over European, African and Asian continents and reflecting the theaters of war where the SAS operated, Hidden & Dangerous 2 will be every bit as groundbreaking as the original game. Illusion Softworks released promised patch for their tactical action/strategy bringing your retail game to v1.02. This upgrade adresses a ton of single & multiplayer issues, as well as some general game improvements (thanks jd/tiscali). Read more for detailed fix list & download links ...

Developer S2 Games and iGames Publishing today announced that registration has begun for a new round of beta testing for Savage: The Battle for Newerth. Testers will be asked to play and evaluate the first in a series of free major content updates for the hugely popular online multiplayer game. To sign up, please visit the S2 Games beta website.