Experience the first console RPG set in The Lord of the Rings universe in The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age. Travel in the wake of the Fellowship in a unique structure that allows players to explore their own path while periodically intersecting the major events of New Line Cinema’s film trilogy.

Shaman King: Power of Spirit finds Yoh and his friends robbed of their powers by a mysterious force seeking to seize control over the minds of the Earth's populace. Players have access to multiple fighting styles that allow for long-range attacks, en-masse confrontations and solo hand-to-hand battles.

The Battle for Middle Earth utilizes the Generals game engine, and in the game, players can select from the different "good" or "evil" campaigns, where they will be given the freedom to command a variety of major armies from the films, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Garrett finds himself without allies, standing alone between the city and the forces that would crush it. Will his skills be enough to save the dying city? Can he survive betrayal, assassins, and war in the labyrinthine city streets? Will he destroy or be destroyed by the evil he awoke? And finally, what must he do to get what he wants most of all: to be left alone plying his trade as the city's greatest ... thief?

Experience the dramatic intensity of the frontlines of a war through the eyes of the first of a new breed of super soldiers in this gritty and epic first-person action game. Players live the fantasy of being an elite special operations combat soldier with access to the most high-tech weaponry, gadgets and vehicles, presented with all the realism, emotional intensity, and valor found in the popular "War Games" shooter genre.

Ubisoft announces the worldwide in-store dates for Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The next game in the critically acclaimed Splinter Cell franchise brings the intense realism of the original game to a whole new level. Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is unlike any game on the PlayStation 2 - amazing graphics, a deep single-player storyline and a ground-breaking multiplayer experience that's so mesmerizing, it's one of the most played games on the Xbox LIVE game service.

Ubisoft today announced Notorious: Die to Drive, an urban-style combat racing game. In a unique combination of urban warfare and car racing, Ubisoft will take players on a wild ride where they will race against ruthless street crews, eliminating their opponents and building an empire of cash - with all the action amplified by the heart thumping beat of various rap artists. Notorious: Die to Drive will ship for console game systems at the beginning of 2005.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today the development of the latest action-packed project from the developer that created award-winning games like Aliens vs. Predator, the No One Lives Forever franchise and Tron2.0. Developed by Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault and Recon), is an intense first person close-quarters combat experience with rich atmosphere and an engaging storyline.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today announced that Halo 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the hugely successful and critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved, will land on store shelves on November 9, 2004. In what promises to be one of the biggest launches in videogame history, Halo 2 will be the focus of an extensive marketing campaign that includes cinema, print, outdoor, online and television advertising.

NDL announced today, from the 2004 E3, that Gamebryo is being used by game developer Cyberlore in the creation of the upcoming title, Playboy: The Mansion for the Xbox, PS2 and PC. Cyberlore has fully integrated Gamebryo into its Prometheus Engine to improve graphics and reduce the time and resources associated with cross-platform development.

Matrix Games and Strategic Studies Group are pleased to announce that the award-winning Decisive Battles series, which includes The Ardennes Offensive, Korsun Pocket and Across the Dnepr, will continue. The next title in the series will be named Battles In Normandy and will cover the Allied and German campaigns in Normandy from the landings to the breakout.

Rally the troops! Captain Olimar needs your help as he returns to the planet of the Pikmin to save his company of debt. This time Captain Olimar returns with an assistant and you must explore every nook and cranny to erase the enormous debt once and for all.

The Bard's Tale combines the development team's collective knowledge of compelling RPG gameplay with brilliant graphics and major motion picture quality story and dialogue. The Bard's Tale eschews genre cliches in favor of intelligent humor for an original and truly entertaining experience.

Wargaming has released another patch for their strategy game Massive Assault bringing your retail game to v1.2.204. "This patch mostly affects Multiplayer mode of the game: after-game and before-game messaging has been improved, added random side challenges and an option to enforce victory in the time-out games. Also special message with achievements is being shown when advanced to new rank and smart replay name generation has been added. Some other bug fixes and gameplay improvements have been made, including the support of wide screen resolutions (useful for the latest laptops)."

Ubisoft has announced that they are getting ready to release (mid May)a new v1.2 patch for their recently released stealth/action game Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. Word is that "Special attention has been paid to comments from players who've had difficulties joining servers. The development team has done everything possible to improve this part of the game. Our objective was to reduce the amount of time spent in the menus."

Eidos in conjunction with Highway 1 Productions, takes an unrelenting look at urban street crime in its upcoming action video game 25 To Life. 25 To Life is being developed by Avalanche Software and will be available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in spring 2005. Read more for details and screens ...

Microsoft Game Studios today unveiled its product lineup at this year's E3, featuring games for the Xbox and Windows. We have screens for the following titles :

• Halo 2
• Zoo Tycoon 2
• Dungeon Siege 2
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
• BC
• Forza Motorsport
• Fable
• Conker: Live and Reloaded
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• MechAssault 2
• Jade Empire
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
• Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

Earlier than expected, ArenaNet has already launched the E3 demo session for their upcoming MMORPGGuild Wars. Since the game is still months from release, the demo limits players to a portion of the game available in the closed alpha test. As specified in one of the demo's loading screens, characters are limited to level 15, the number of quests and missions is limited, some professions lack a full range of abilities, and guild and trading features are not yet implemented. You can still grab the launch file off our download servers ...

Electronic Arts today announced one of the most anticipated events in the history of videogames: EA and Microsoft have struck an agreement that will allow players of EA SPORTS and EA GAMES titles to compete and play online through Xbox Live. Players will have access to voice communication, tournaments, ladders and all the fun of online play.

Strategy First will be presenting titles from their 2004 line-up on the E3 show floor. Among the titles being shown are: Chaos League, a highly anticipated 3D game combining RPG, RTS and sports elements in a no-holds-barred fantasy setting; ALFA: Antiterror, a turn-based tactical combat simulator that lets the player control the Alfa team, Russia's Special Operations force and Anti-Terror squad; COPS 2170: The Power of Law, a hybrid RPG and Tactical Strategy game set in a cyberpunk metropolis in the not to distant future.

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 :

• Cold War - E3 2004 Trailer
• Alfa Antiterror - E3 2004 Trailer
• Power Of Law - E3 2004 Trailer
• 
  

Sigil Games Online, Inc. today announced that original "EverQuest" designer Ryan Palacio has accepted the position of Senior Game Designer to begin work immediately on the next generation massively multiplayer game "Vanguard: Saga of Heroes." He joins many of his former teammates already at Sigil, including Milo Cooper, Steve Clover, Mike Hutchins and Brad McQuaid.

NDL announced today that more than a dozen computer video game titles using its Gamebryo 3D graphics engine and tools will be demonstrated at the annual E3. A wide range of genres, visual styles and platforms will be represented in the titles launched by top-tier developers and publishers at E3. Gamebryo enables these organizations to focus on creating stunning content and gameplay while saving development time and cost.

Return to Mysterious Island, a puzzle/adventure game is based on the novel by Jules Verne, follows Mina, a strong young woman alone on a round-the-world sailing expedition. Caught in a tremendous storm, she becomes stranded on the shores of a wild and apparently uninhabited island. As she explores her new surroundings, she uncovers artifacts, living spaces and technologies left behind by the people who came before her to this uncharted island.

Enlight announced today the long-awaited fantasy RTS title Warlords Battlecry III has reached gold status and will be available in retail stores across the U.S. and Canada next week.