Ok, somebody needs to make up their mind and stop toying with all the HL2 fans out there. After a rumoured delay about a week ago, and then rather dismissed as a "miscommunication", our Nordic colleague's over at Gamereactor now have "confirmed" word from Vivendi Norway that HL2 is indeed being delayed. Now whether this is actually true, or maybe only for the European/Nordic version is not certain, but more details will most likely be available during the upcoming ECTS. Read the full article over at Gamereactor.

Medal of Honor Pacific Assault gives players a sense of the courage it took to fight the Imperial Japanese Army from the shock of Pearl Harbor to triumph on the shores of the Tarawa Atoll. Set in the Pacific Theatre of Operations from 1941-1944, players will assume the role of Marine recruit Tom Conlin as he survives the attack on Pearl Harbor, leads the assault on Guadalcanal, and finally charges up the beaches for the climatic battle at Tarawa. Armed with their wits and a variety of authentic weapons, it's up to players to stop the Japanese war machine in its tracks. Medal of Honor Pacific Assault immerses players in an authentic WWII experience, and will be available for the PC in the winter of 2004 under the EA GAMES brand... Read more for screens!

Got Game Entertainment and Anima Ppd/Interactive today announced a North American publishing agreement for "Conspiracies" a PC DVD Full Motion Video detective adventure game.

GameSpot reports that Eidos today announced that Republic: The Revolution has gone gold and confirmed the UK release date for the game as September 5. The game, which was developed by Elixir Studios, will challenge players to rise to power in the fictional former Soviet republic of Novistrana, which is being controlled by a ruthless dictator. (thanks Blues).. Check our recently posted screens here!

Get ready for a World War II experience like you’ve never imagined. Weapons and vehicles from the Allied and Axis laboratories are about to see combat for the first time in the stand alone multiplayer demo for Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII... Read more for download links and demo info!

Today Buka Entertainment, one of the leading games publishers from Russia, and Gramis, a leader of Bulgarian games publishing business, are pleased to announce a Battle Mages and Fair Strike deal. Gramis will localize and bring Battle Mages, RTS/RPG set in the fantasy world, and Fair Strike, a helicopter action/simulation highly anticipated by the fans of this genre, to Bulgarian market... Included with the pressrelease is 3 Battle Mages screens!

Midway Games Inc. announced today that it will make Midway Arcade Treasures, the first next-generation console offering of more than 20 classic arcade games, available for hands-on demonstrations at the 2003 Classic Gaming Expo. Midway Arcade Treasures is scheduled to ship in fall 2003.

Midway Arcade Treasures features hundreds of hours of classic gameplay action from all-time arcade favorites including the fast-paced action of Spy Hunter, the multiplayer collaboration of Gauntlet, the space-age adventure of Defender and the dueling combat of Joust, just to name a few.

Cenega UK is delighted to confirm its attendance at the annual European Computer Trade Show at Earls Court, London (Stand 1480) from 27th – 29th August 2003.

On show, Cenega UK is presenting the highly anticipated 3D action/adventure horror game Shade: Wrath of Angels; recently signed The Roots a 3D adventure role playing game for PC-CD and this years releases - UFO: Aftermath and Korea: Forgotten Conflict. Additional full price titles will be announced prior to ECTS.

Further immersing gamers into its gritty, first-person war-torn thriller Call of Duty, Activision, Inc. has enlisted Jason Statham and Giovanni Ribisi to provide their trademark voice talent in key roles. Additionally, accomplished writer/producer Michael Schiffer ("Crimson Tide, "Colors," "Lean of Me," "The Four Feathers" and "The Peacemaker") has added his screenwriting stamp to the game's action-filled script. Call of Duty will be available this fall for the PC and is currently rated "RP" by the ESRB.

20 years on, the most famous re-publisher of them all is set to return to the industry. Mastertronic will be re-launched by games software industry veterans Paul Patterson and Andy Payne and the company's mission will be true to the original, all be it updated to handle the demands of the modern software publishing industry.

Besides bringing many a legendary 8 bit game to a true mass market (One Man and his Droid, Hunter Patrol, Spellbound, Phantoms of the Asteroid and Master of Magic to name a few), Mastertronic also brought the Sega Master System into Europe in the late 80's. The name Mastertronic all but disappeared from the industry in 1991 when it was merged with Richard Branson's Virgin Games initially becoming Virgin Mastertronic before being renamed Virgin Interactive Entertainment.

Vivendi Universal Games Intl and Rebellion, today announced that the official website for their game: Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death, has gone live today.

Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death is an intense first-person shooter set in the future megalopolis of Mega-City One. This 22nd century melting pot is home to 400 million citizens, every one a potential criminal, and the only thing preventing the city from descending into complete anarchy is the group of elite law enforcers known as the Judges.

Activision, Inc. will once again be a featured sponsor of id Software's QuakeCon 2003, the world's most legendary multiplayer gaming event and ultimate fan-based game tournament, party and convention, taking place Aug. 14 – 17 in Dallas, TX. In addition to co-hosting with id Software the first-ever opportunity to play DOOM 3 multiplayer deathmatch, Activision will also provide financial support for the annual LAN-fest in celebration of all things QUAKE.

Valve, creators of Half-Life, the world's largest PC action gaming franchise, will team up with Vivendi Universal Games UK (VUG UK) at ECTS in London to present Half-Life 2 for the first time in Europe. In development for the past five years, Half-Life 2 was first unveiled in May 2003 at the E3 games convention in Los Angeles, where it received 12 Game of Show accolades and E3's Overall Game of Show award.

KOEI Ltd. today announced that the next title on the Radar is 'Naval Ops: Warship Gunner' which will launch in Europe in autumn 2003... Read more for all details!

KOEI Ltd. today announced that it will be bringing Dynasty Warriors 4, the latest instalment of the worldwide best-selling Tactical Action series, to the European Xbox market this November.

Ground Control 2 : Operation Exodus takes place during the year 2741 AD, roughly 300 years after the events in the original game. The democratic and freedom caring Northern Star Alliance (NSA) is being hard pressed by the warmongering Terran Empire. The war has recently entered a new stage; a brutal and deadly ground war, as the Empire has managed to land their first troopships on the last NSA controlled planet – Morningstar Prime...

Command an elite, multinational squad of special operatives against a hidden terrorist foe. In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, the third installment in the wildly popular Rainbow Six series, Team RAINBOW races against time to stop terror and unravel a mystery. In locations around the world, from London to the Cayman Islands to Rio de Janeiro, lead Team Rainbow in a desperate effort to battle a madman and foil his doomsday plot.

Following the fall of the mighty Soviet Union, the Republic of Novistrana verges on collapse, and numerous factions struggle for power. Starting with nothing more than a small base of local support, challenge the state and build a nationwide faction powerful enough to oust the President and enforce a new Republic… by any means necessary... Read more for some screens!

Ubi Soft has released some new patches for their first-person shooter Will Rock. Here are some details for this new v1.2 patch:

1.2 Patch additions:

• Improved multiplayer stability
• A beep when someone sends a multiplayer chat message
• Up to 6 players for coop (should only be used on higher-end machines with good processors and net connections, because framerate may suffer on lower-end machines)
• Added the ability to see ping when the game runs
• Added the ability to select all sublevels for coop
• In Single Player, levels are marked as passed and player can select any one of them as the starting point
• Switched off auto targeting for projectile weapons
  
  1.2 patch fixes:
  
  
• Fixed a rare "cannot continue" bug in the final part of Medusa Level.

SCi has released a playable demo of Conflict: Desert Storm II - Back to Baghdad. This demo lets you give Pivotal Games' upcoming team-based tactical shooter a try and features a Street Battle mission playable as a SAS or Delta Force team (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

Blues reports that the English-language single player demo for XIII is now available for download.. This demo contains 2 levels, the Beach and the Military base. Read more for download links ...

Want to play Etherlords II before anyone else? Find out how...

Strategy First has teamed up with GameStop to offer players a guaranteed spot in the open beta test of their adventure-RPG game, Etherlords II.

Once a player pre-orders the game from GameStop, that player will be sent an email asking them to sign-up and then they can enter the world of Ether to take part in an epic online magical combat experience. The beta test will be focused on the game's new multiplayer modes and auto rating server.

GMX Media has today announced the release of the official demo of its upcoming PC title - Northland. Northland will be released on the 15th of August in the UK and Benelux, other territories to follow soon after... Read more for download links and details!

RISK, the game of global domination, makes its debut on PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Using the same hands-on military planning found in the original RISK board game, players now see battles come to life. Each battle brings the chance for victory, as well as advice from historic military leaders as they earn medals and special bonus content for strategic accomplishments. This product will deliver a truly unique way to play the RISK game and provide an ideal social experience for up to six players in Multiplayer mode and online. Built on a proven combination of strategy and luck, the RISK video game delivers unmatched replayability and a fun, competitive experience... We'll take the risk that you'd like these 17 PS2 screenshots below.

Renowned UK game development veterans The Bitmap Brothers, creators of hit titles across almost every generation of hardware, today announced that they are one of the first companies to be accepted for the Government's new 'Access to Finance' initiative for expanding businesses.