Genki is revving up to immerse players in the "fast and furious" street racing lifestyle defined by cool cars and non-stop action. Players will feel the ultimate rush of nitrous-infused speed as they race their ultimate rides through the beautifully rendered city streets of Los Angeles to the pulsing beat of more than 35 musical tracks. You can expect The Fast And The Furious to appear on store shelves (being published by Vivendi) in the fourth quarter 2003 (PS2) while the Xbox version is scheduled for early 2004. Read more for download links ..

Fan site Max Payne Headquarters has posted up the first scanned screenshots (from a game magazine but does not mention which) from Remedy's upcoming third person crime action game Max Payne 2. Check them out here... If you want to read some reactions to those screens (including comments from Remedy), head over to the 3D Realms forum...

Noticed on HomeLAN that Activision's Doug Pearson has posted up a note on the Ritualistic forums with an update on their plans for the Star Trek: Elite Force II (already available in Europe, coming later this week in North America). Specifically a beta fix will soon be tested and later released for dedicated servers to no longer require the game to be in the CD-Rom drive, as well as mod tools for the community.

TechRanch USA, a resource founded and funded by BizDev, Inc. announced today that TechRanch Roundup, a monthly column dedicated to delivering relevant, timely information and business strategies to independent game developers worldwide, is now available.

PanVision sent out word that they have launched the official website for IDOL FX's vampire-inspired FPS Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi. The site sports the usual story details, game features, screenshots (posted here last week), as well as a previously released trailer (local mirror here). Go check it out!

The Nintendo Fusion Tour, headlined by Evanescence, one of the hottest new bands in the country, brings fully immersive entertainment from the worlds of music and cutting-edge gaming to 25 cities across North America. The tour kicks off in Los Angeles on Aug. 4 and ends in the Pacific Northwest in late September. Read more for details ...

Thrustmaster has taken the pole position in the race to create multi-platform accessories and is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of its Universal 360 Modena Racing Wheel. Under official license from Ferrari, Universal 360 Modena is 100% compatible with all video game consoles on the market: PlayStation2, PS one, GameCube and Xbox.

Codemasters has confirmed that IndyCar Series, the official video game of the U.S. open-wheel Indy Racing League, has shipped for the Xbox. The Xbox version features enhanced graphics and allows for four player support, and is priced competitively at a $39.99 MSRP.

Codemasters has released a new multiplayer map for their stealth/action game IGI2: Covert Strike. The new Area27 multiplayer map is set indoors at the Lab. Conspiracy are attacking the lab, their final objective to place and explode their bomb. IGI's job is to stop them at all costs. Use the multiple entry points, corridors and tunnels to gain access. That chinese bloke is counting on you. After an initial release and then removal

Fox Int. & EA have launched the official website for their upcoming sci-fi console game Aliens versus Predator: Extinction. The site sports some new, but tiny, screens, game features, info, trailer and the usual other tidbits. small details about the game & features, several new (low res) screenshots, the first trailer, and more. Aliens versus Predator: Extinction (based loosely on the Aliens & Predator movies) is expected in stores for PS2/Xbox this summer. Go check it out!

Midway Sports Asylum announced today that Freestyle MetalX, the first true freestyle motocross game, has shipped for the PlayStation 2 with the Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube versions to follow.

Gamers can suit up for top-secret covert operations with the release of Activision's highly anticipated first-person action game, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, for the Xbox. Based on the critically acclaimed PC title from Raven Software, the game features all of the intense, gritty action found in the original, plus full Xbox Live support for mayhem-packed, all-out multi-player combat. Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix for the Xbox is currently available at North American retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $49.99 and carries an "M" (Mature -- Blood, Violence -- content suitable for persons ages 17 and older) rating by the ESRB.

Namco announced today that the company has signed a five-year exclusive licensing agreement with Hip Games for the rights to publish million unit-selling video game property, Dead to Rights for the PC. Hip Games will begin shipping Dead to Rights PC in North America in fall 2003. Dead to Rights PC will launch in Europe in October 2003 and will be distributed by L.S.P. Read more for details ...

Blitzkrieg is a breathtaking RTS game set during the Second World War. Similar to Sudden Strike, the gamer commands Allied, Russian or German troops. 3D surroundings and 3D units offer brand new tactical possibilities. From the historical point of view, this RTS game is even more accurate than Sudden Strike. With its generated missions and adaptive degree of difficulty, it has everything a war gamer could possibly wish for. Sudden Strike is a lot to live up to, so read more and find out if Blitzkrieg is up to the challenge...

GarageGames announced today it has begun shipping the company’s first two titles, Gadgets (formerly Chain Reaction) and Marble Blaster, to retailers throughout North America. The Windows versions of the games are being published and distributed by eGames through a licensing agreement with GarageGames.

And Patch Monday continues as JoWood has issued not one, but 2 patches for their just released FPS Chaser (only for UK, not available in the US yet). There's an install fix that needs to be run before re-attempting to install the game, and an executable (aka as .exe) fix that provides a new game executable in case the original won't launch the game (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

FINAL FANTASY XI is a massively multiplayer online RPG which is already live in Japan and will be available in North America for both the PlayStation 2 console and PC. Square Enix USA in association with several online magazines is giving you the chance to win a spot on the beta test for FINAL FANTASY XI for PC. This giveaway is open only until 11:59pm on Wednesday, June 25th. While Gamespy only offers slots to its FilePlanet subscribers, Gamespot to its paid subscribers, IGN's Final Fantasy Vault offers the chance to all users, but you have to answer a 10 part questionnaire. If all of this is not enough, Stratics also seems to offer the beta to its paid members. And now also gfx card manufacturers Nvidia, as well as revil ATI are offering free slots,

Focus Interactive/Cyanide Studio have released the first patch for their recently released cycling simulation game Cycling Manager 3. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.1b (beta, full version available next week) and fixes the 'time bug', adjusts some ratings, improves AI, fixes a few problems in editor etc. Read more for detailed fix list and download list.

Hot on the hells of last week's beta patch, Illusion Softworks has released now released another patch for their Vietnam based FPS Vietcong. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.27b (beta) and details as to what this new version adresses are not available yet, last weeks improved anti-cheat protections, fixes & crashes, map problems, improves M60 aiming (thanks Unrealik). Read more for details and download links ...

Alienware is the first PC manufacturer to offer the new Klipsch GMX A-2.1 speakers. The GMX A-2.1 speakers deliver the dynamic sound quality and innovative design that Alienware customers demand. These state-of-the-art speakers are available now with all Alienware systems. Read more for details ...

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own post, we grouped them and so far there are trailers for :

• HomeWorld 2 - Trailer
• Beyond Good & Evil - (DivX) Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers became available. Read more for download links ...

'Horse Race Manager' allows the player to control and participate in various challenges of running a successful thoroughbred racing organization, including hiring of the staff, racing the horses, and betting on the races. The game also has online multiplayer capabilities through Gamespy, allowing players to race against each other. Cyanide Studios (known for the Cycling Manager series) has released a new patch for their management game, 'Horse Race Manager' . This upgrade will bring your retail game to v1.2 and adresses some AI issues, a few modifications and bug fixes etc. Read more for details and download links ..

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) is pleased to announce that EverQuest Macintosh Edition is now available at retail. For the first time, over 25 million Apple Macintosh gamers running OS X will be able to experience the leading massively multiplayer online role-playing game. EverQuest Macintosh Edition carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 and includes a 30 day subscription to the game.

THQ Inc. today announced Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon for GBA. Flight of the Falcon is scheduled for release during summer 2003. In Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon, gamers can pilot the Millennium Falcon, the most popular vehicle from the classic Star Wars universe, in 14 combat-filled missions interweaving the movie storylines with all new plot twists. Featuring highly detailed environments and ships, frantic battles and high-speed flying action, Flight of the Falcon lets gamers battle the Galactic Empire in the skies of Yavin, Endor and beyond.