The character made famous by Kurt Russell in "Escape From New York" is set to become a franchise in all media under the brand "The Snake Plissken Chronicles." Plissken has already been the pivotal presence in two films: the 1981 favorite and its 1996 sequel, "Escape From L.A." A series of deals by Russell, director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill, -- who, as the company Snake World, jointly own the character rights -- has added video games, an anime movie, comic books, action figures and novelization tie-ins to the ways Plissken's story is being told (thanks HomeLan).

A growing combat sport that has taken Japan by storm, K-1 brings together the toughest practitioners of karate, kickboxing, Tae kwon do and Kung Fu to create the world's most challenging fighting competition. And now, players can step in to the virtual ring and feel the sweat on their brow in Konami's new videogame, K-1 World Grand Prix - the most realistic recreation of the sport ever. It sure sounds interesting, so we had to get in the ring and fight it out!

NS 2.0 is a significant step forward in the process of merging first person shooters with real-time strategy into a combination of truly atmospheric and social gaming. With huge improvements over the previous gameplay of 1.04, plus plenty of all new features, levels, animations, sounds, and artwork, Natural Selection 2.0 stands ready to turn online gaming back on its ear just like its first release last October. Nearly every aspect of the game has been revisited and reworked from feedback from hundreds of the top NS veterans and thousands of games played on public and private servers around the globe. Read more to check out some nifty screens ...

Fair Strike is the recent project of published Buka Entertainment and developed by G5 Software, known from the helicopter action/arcade Red Shark. It seems that the team is really keen on helicopters because Fair Strike is also a chopper action, but with an antiterrorists background. We will have a preview available for you soon ...

Specialist driving game developer Eutechnyx has appointed Dave Thompson to its production staff. Dave joins the company as Executive Producer, where his primary responsibility is to head up SRS, Street Racing Syndicate, Eutechnyx' underground street racing game.

Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced that Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Island Thunder has gone gold. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Island Thunder brings realism, heart-pounding action and intense gameplay into one exciting operation. To celebrate this event, UbiSoft has released another trailer with more in game goodness, read more for download links ....

Just noticed on Gamespot that they got confirmed word about Half-Life 2 getting delayed from the original September 30 date to "somewhere later this year". They DO stress that it would still ship this year, but they are most likely aiming for the holiday season now. I am sure this will both disappoint as well as piss off quite a few people ... UPDATE Contrary to the above Shacknews says that according to Valve, this is the first time they heard about a delay .. Who should we believe, the publishers or the developers .. To Be Continued!

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 :

• Hunter The Reckoning: Redeemer - Trailer
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds- Trailer
• The Hobbit - Trailer
• Ghost Master - Trailer
• SimCity 4: Rush Hour - Trailer
• Trinity - E3 Trailer
• Spawn - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Go ahead and dive under the falling safe, jump into the high-speed blender and flail into the blazing fire - the man of burlap can handle it! "Voodoo Vince" allows players to explore and fight as a tattered but unrelenting voodoo doll as he explores the depths of the Louisiana Bayou full of outrageous levels and over-the-top characters. "Voodoo Vince" is the only game where kicking your own butt leads to victory! Check out the new screens!

Several weeks ago, Sony Online announced our future plans for PlanetSide and started on the never-ending journey of continually adding content and gameplay. The Liberator bomber and the SkyGuard anti-aircraft buggy have had a huge impact on battle conditions across Auraxis. Commanders are now able to rain destruction on their enemies through the Orbital Strike and EMP Blast. Medics are now able to locate soldiers that need their help easier. Read more to check out what else they have in store for you Planetside junkies ...

Capcom today announced a worldwide publishing agreement with Cinemaware to release Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown for the PC, PS2, and the Xbox. Based on Cinemaware’s mega hit Defender of the Crown franchise whichhas sold more than one million units worldwide, Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is a fusion of action, role-playing and strategy genres that seamlessly blend cinematic presentations with unique medieval action-sequences. Players must rely on their skill at sword fighting, castle sieges, jousting, daring archery ambushes and massive army battles to restore England to its glory and remove the tyranny that plagues the land. Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is scheduled to release across North America August 2003.

Capcom today announced plans to release Auto Modellista, a true cell-shaded arcade-style racing game for the GameCube. Designed to capture the essence of the racing experience, Auto Modellista allows players to customize real-world cars from the get-go and acquire essential components to enhance their vehicles. Licenses from seventeen different car manufactures including Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and more are represented giving players a total of 69 real-world cars to offer the ultimate realism. Auto Modellista is scheduled to release this September. The ESRB rating is “E” for everyone.

The Adventure Company today announced that it will publish The Black Mirror on PC in North America. Terms of this exclusive deal with the Czech Republic’s Future Games were not disclosed. Read more for details ...

DreamCatcher Games today announced that it has shipped Emergency Fire Response, developed by Monte Cristo Games, on PC-CD. This ‘hot’ new strategy title puts gamers in charge of a squad of firefighters. But before sending their team out to battle blazing infernos, they must train them in every aspect of firefighting.

The most popular football videogame franchise of all time, Madden NFL Football, from Electronic Arts will be honored and displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting today. The newest version of this storied franchise from EA SPORTS, Madden NFL 2004, will be unveiled Saturday. The Madden NFL Football Franchise is the only interactive videogame to receive this honor at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Read more for details or check the recently released Madden 2004 trailer.

Enlight today unveiled the Official Website for their recently announced title Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc. The official Joan Of Arc website contains the latest screens released from the Enlight development team and will serve as a central location for players to receive the latest information on Joan of Arc.

As expected & announced Ubisoft has now released the new patch for their FPS/Stealth action game Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.31. This patch fixes a server crash during countdown due to armpatch files being uploaded/downloaded. We have US, UK, French and German versions of the patch as well as a v1.31 dedicated win32 server has also been released (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for details and download links ...

Enter the colossal world of Monster Truck Fury, a combined off-road and stadium track racer for the PC that puts you in control of some of the baddest and most powerful trucks in the world! Read more for details and screens ...

Colin McRae may be the most successful competitor in world rally history but soon everyone will have the chance to set international rallying records as Codemasters confirms Xbox Live leagues for Colin McRae Rally 04. Due late September, Colin McRae Rally 04 will enable the fiercest rally drivers to compete for best stage times in Leagues updated online via Xbox Live. At launch, Live leagues will open for each stage and Super Special stage in the game – with some already tough times to beat set by the development team. Read more for some Xbox & PS2 screens ...

Play as Shrek or Princess Fiona in Shrek Reekin' Havoc! TDK Mediactive announced today that Shrek: Reekin' Havoc has shipped for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance handheld system. The newest entry to the extremely successful family of Shrek videogames is now available at retail outlets throughout North America.

"Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" lands on store shelves today. This 20th anniversary edition of "Flight Simulator" celebrates the first 100 years of powered flight while continuing the traditions of realism, technological innovation and richness that have delighted aviation enthusiasts and pilots around the world and made Microsoft "Flight Simulator" the best-selling aviation simulation produced for the PC. "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" is available today at retail stores nationwide for an estimated retail price of $54.95

I-Ninja is an adrenaline-charged adventure game. An ultra-cool ninja with major attitude meets extreme sports game play, I-Ninja is the consummate warrior who has spent years mastering his weapons and honing his skills. In true gravity defying game play, I-Ninja can scale buildings, "shred" on extreme rails, hover great distances with a "sword copter", ride drifting roller spheres and utilize specialized manga-style ninja moves to navigate through each dynamic environment. We had a chance to take a look at a build, read more to find out how it went...

Get your groove on with Ulala in her Game Boy Advance debut! When the Morolians invade, ace reporter Ulala scoops the story for Space Channel 5. The hip-hopping aliens zap citizens into a hypnotic dance trance, but beat girl Ulala is their ultimate match. So they challenge her to a dance battle, and she busts out her grooviest moves to free the captives. Get down with Sega’s supernova star as she struts through the space station in style!