The game that introduced stealth gameplay is back. Ion Storm has implemented a new 3rd person cinematic action view as well as the classic 1st person perspective from the previous Thief chapters. Breaking and entering, stealing, sabotage, combat, assassination, and setting up ambushes - tasks master thief Garrett is well equipped to perform. Players will enter into Garret's dark world of thievery on both Xbox and PC this Spring 2004 in "Thief: Deadly Shadows". Read more to check out some new screens ...

Painkiller is a nickname of a pretty unusual mercenary, who is dealing with supernatural. There are places on Earth where demons and other evil creatures have their nests: abandoned prisons, private castles, deep caves in the mountains. "Cleaning" those places is good money, and our hero needs a lot of it, since he loves living the life to its fullest. One day he gets what seems to be a pretty simple job: to retrieve a religious artifact from one of the nests. When after a furious battle he realizes he might have been tricked into the war between two competing clans of the undead, he tries to play his own cards.

Argonaut Games PLC today confirmed that the new publisher, Evolved Games will publish the eagerly awaited Malice and Powerdrome in Europe and other PAL territories. Additionally, the company also confirmed that both titles will be published in North America by Bethesda Softworks LLC a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media Inc.

Codemasters announced today that its internationally acclaimed rally game, Colin McRae Rally 04, is coming to the U.S. for the Xbox. The title will be available this March at a special suggested retail price of $19.99. We also have a fresh batch of awesome looking screens from the PC version...

"Singles", developed by German development team ROTOBEE, lets player's control the lives of Linda and Mike, two very different people, apartment sharing in a busy European city. How they interact and get on is totally up to the player. Expected in stores somewhere Q1 2004. Read more for details & screens (explicit material/sexual content) ...

Wargaming.net releases a totally new campaign for its turn-based strategy game Massive Assault. This "Ice Storm" campaign is set on Antarcticus and players will have to act as a Phantom League's Commander set to clear the planet from Free Nations Union forces. Read more for download links ...

Hitman: Contracts delivers more action-packed and suspenseful missions, with a greater variety of ways to make the perfect hit and an increased arsenal of firearms and close-combat weapons. A new graphics engine showcases Hitman's 'work' in brutal detail and brings new locations to life. An improved control system and more gradual learning curve will ensure that the game is accessible to all aspiring hitmen. Hitman: Contracts is being developed by Io Interactive and will be available for PS2, Xbox, and PC in spring 2004.

'Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow' will bring back more of the single-player intrigue that made the original game a bestseller. With exciting new action scenes and a strong cinematic feel, the player will experience new and even more realistic surroundings. Building on Ubi Soft's strong commitment to online gaming, Pandora Tomorrow will the be the first stealth game ever to feature multiplayer online missions allowing several players to simultaneously share Sam Fisher's shadowy world of espionage. Read more for some new screens...

Empire today announced that it has signed the rights to publish a special anniversary edition of Space Invaders for PlayStation 2 in Europe and North America, for its early 2004 line up. In addition to this, Empire has also signed worldwide rights to publish Space Invaders '95 for PC CD-ROM later in the year. Read more for details and screens ...

Bad Boys II will be a full on all action first/third person shooter with you playing both characters depending on where you are in the plot. Mike is the hard man who you will control whenever something is going down that needs a gun to do the talking. Marcus will jump into play when things need to be a bit subtler and stealth is required to move the investigation forward. Read more for some new screens ...

With the Black Hawk Down expansion pack Team Sabre arriving in stores this week, Novalogic has released an update patch for the original Black Hawk Down, as well as the Team Sabre expansion pack. This update brings your retail game v1.5.0.5 and adresses a few cheat glitches, adds new lobby code, and various gameplay and balancing tweaks. Read more for details list and download links ...

Getting under the hood and into the very heart of street racing, Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. today announced that it has signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with Juice Games for their next-generation racing game, Juiced due this Autumn. Combining the best elements of simulation and arcade-style play, Juiced will feature more than 50 licensed vehicles; real-time modding with hundreds of authentic aftermarket parts; realistic car physics and damage; and online head-to-head play, including for the first time ever, "crew based" team racing. Read more for details and screens ...

Ex-Senior members of critically acclaimed developers Naughty Dog and Blizzard Entertainment announced today the formation of their new console game development company, Ready At Dawn Studios. Ready At Dawn Studios has been founded by Didier Malenfant, former senior programmer at Naughty Dog, Andrea Pessino and Ru Weerasuriya, respectively former senior software engineer and senior artist at Blizzard Entertainment. Together, the management team for Ready At Dawn Studios represents over 35 years of game development experience.

Armed with her camera, aikido staff, and resolute investigative skills, Jade sets out to expose the dark secrets behind these alien invasions and to liberate the minds of her deceived people. Pushed to the very edge of her physical and spiritual will, she soon discovers that even these limits are not what they seem … Her quest for the truth knows no bounds.

Players of Looney Tunes: Back In Action will be able to switch off playing either Bugs or Daffy on a scavenger hunt adventure around the world through several themed levels inspired by the film's diverse and wild locations. The action of the game lies in the chases and constant racing from level to level, as players try to pick up gizmos and clues in their search for the Blue Monkey Diamond.

Ubi Soft has released another patch for 1C Maddox's WW II flight sim IL-2 Sturmovik: the Forgotten Battles .This upgrade brings your retail game to 1.22 and has once again quite an impressive amount bug fixes, series of gameplay, AI, sound, networking and other issues, and you can upgrade from the previous v1.21 or the original game. Read more for a detailed fix list and download links ...

The FirePower philosophy is to create the most realistic air combat experience possible. The veterans of the Second World War are leaving us at a rate of 1000+ a day. FirePower for Microsoft Combat Simulator 3, commemorates their skill and sacrifice by providing the player with an air combat experience like never before. This was accomplished by using authentic military test data and combat footage along with the input from over thirty real warbird pilots. Read more for some new screens ...

EA has released a new patch for the latest title in their golf franchise Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. This update brings your retail game to v1.1 and addresses some ATI gfx issues, some sound problems and a distance rendering issue. Read more for details and download links ...

iGAMES PUBLISHING, after reading numerous false online reports and fielding several phone calls from inquiring reporters seeking to verify the rumors that they have closed their doors, has decided to put an end to these unfounded rumors.

Van Helsing, the third-person action game, transports players back to the macabre world of 19th century Transylvania - home to the legendary Dracula, Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster. As the renowned monster hunter Van Helsing, players must hunt down and destroy the evil that inhabits these ancient lands before darkness engulfs the world. Van Helsing is being developed by Saffire Studios and will be available in the Spring of 2004 in conjunction with the film's release.

Aspyr has released a demo for Beenox's WakeBoarding Unleashed giving you the chance to ride as Shaun Murray on the Lake Powell level. Feel the rush as you crash into houseboats and catch huge air in nine exotic levels with seven world-class wakeboarders. Tired already? Then drive the boat and help your friend pull off challenging technical tricks on the most realistic looking water ever. 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 :

• Vietcong: Fist Alpha - Trailer (3)
• Flipnic - Trailer
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Ninja Gaiden is on the cutting-edge of action as the player takes on the role of powerful ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, who seeks revenge after his clan is massacred by the Vigor Empire. Taking full advantage of three-dimensional space, you follow the story with only your wits, your ninja skills, and your deadly sword, cutting down opponents in the Vigor Empire as you attempt to beat the Holy Emperor and reclaim the magic sword "Ryuken".

Publisher Strategy First and developer Nicely Crafted Entertainment are pleased to announce they have signed a deal to bring the MMO RTS Time of Defiance to North American retail shelves in April, 2004.