SOE will be opening applications for beta testing EQOA: Frontiers, the second edition of EQOA. Beta testing can be an exciting time and an opportunity for new players to check out the game. SOE hopes to have roughly 10,000 existing EQOA players in the beta and the other half (10,000) be new people who haven't played the game before. To apply for a Beta slot, players should head over HERE . Beta applicants will need to have a PlayStation 2 and their own internet connection and must be at least 18 years old. SOE will be mailing out Beta DVDs in July to those chosen to be part of the testing process. Read more to check out a few new screens from the upcoming expansion ...

Sony Online Entertainment is breaking ground yet again, delivering the first unlockable content in EverQuest Online Adventures. EverQuest Online Adventures takes place during the Age of Adventure; a time set approximately five centuries before the original EverQuest for the PC. A brand new zone, the nefarious Isle of Dread, is now available for high level EQOA heroes to explore. The Isle of Dread is actually already encoded on the EQOA disc and is now being opened to players. Read more for details on the new 'Isle of Dread' zone and some screens ...

"Insect Invasion" is an add-on MOD for Impossible Creatures, the latest 3-D real-time strategy game from Alex Garden and Relic Entertainment, creators of the critically acclaimed "Homeworld." Building on the popularity of "Impossible Creatures" and its' MOD-friendly engine, Relic ups the ante with 15 new creatures, 9 new abilities and other game enhancements that add even more to Impossible Creatures already unprecedented gameplay features. Read more for download links ..

Valve, creators of Counter-Strike and Half-Life, and Plantronics, a leading manufacturer of computer headsets, today unveiled a custom Counter-Strike headset. Based on the Plantronics' popular DSP-500, this plug-and-play USB headset features DSP technology and Counter-Strike's distinctive branding. The Counter-Strike headset is now available exclusively right here!

Sammy Studios today announced that Lethal Skies II will release exclusively for PS2 on September 9, 2003. The title is the new sequel in the popular arcade-style jet combat series developed by Asmik Ace. The series, known as Sidewinder in Japan, was introduced on the PS2 in North America last year with Lethal Skies. Lethal Skies II delivers brilliant graphics and particle effects and a host of new features, including new planes, 2-player dogfight mode, reversible missions and an updated premise heavily influenced by popular space flight shooters and science fiction films. Read more for details and a few new screens ...

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), today announced Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, marking the company's entrance into single-player console gaming for the PlayStation2. Champions of Norrath, developed by Snowblind Studios (the creators of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance) and published by Sony Online Entertainment, is expected to ship to U.S. and Canadian retail stores this Fall. Read more for details & features ...

This is not a drill. KOEI announced today, Naval Ops: Warship Gunner, the real-time naval action game is prepared to ship this Tuesday June 24, 2003. Consumers can still pre-order the title at gamestop.com, ebgames.com, and amazon.com. The title is available exclusively for the PlayStation2. Read more for details ...

S2 Games and iGames Publishing announce the debut of the beast horde into the current beta testing phase for Savage: The Battle for Newerth ; the much anticipated, first-ever real-time-strategy-shooter (RTSS). Participants in the beta test can now choose to fight on the side of man, equipped with technology and science, or on the side of the beast horde, armed with the forces of magic and nature. Savage: The Battle for Newerth is due to ship later this summer.

Gathering and software developer Triumph Studios have fired up the Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic website. All the latest screenshots, downloads, and features are now available at the official Age Of Wonders: Shadow Magic website . The PC game, due to ship this July, is the latest installment in the award-winning spellbinding fantasy series. Read more to check out a few local screens ...

According to an article on TheRegister, gaming site Spong.com has claimed its recent story ATI will provide the chipset and graphics technology for the Xbox 2 has been confirmed by an unnamed "senior source close to Nvidia". According to Spong.com's source, "[Nvidia] didn't want to meet Microsoft's demands for the floating design of Xbox Next. It didn't make sense to partner on the project. At this moment in time, ATI is working with Microsoft." Check the entire article for more juicy rumor bits. To be taken with a serious grain of salt ..

Thrustmaster announces co-development agreement with leading game publisher Empire Interactive Europe Ltd. regarding its racing wheel and light gun for Xbox and the awaited game “Starsky & Hutch” (Xbox version) which is to be released. Read more for details ...

NDL announced today that its Gamebryo 3D graphics engine and toolkit will be used by Firaxis Games in their remake of the classic hit title Sid Meier's Pirates! Sid Meier's Pirates! is among the most popular and loved titles in gaming history. Originally released in 1987, Pirates! received unprecedented critical acclaim for crossing multiple game genres to offer unique, unrivaled gameplay options. Pirates! set the industry standard for innovative game design with its unique blend of open-ended role-playing, real-time adventures and thrilling action sequences.

Chaser is a first person shooter, built on the high-end 3D engine (CloakNT), in which main character passes through real environments and uses real weapons. The official Chaser Multiplayer Demo is now available for download. The multiplayer demo includes two game modes: Deathmatch and Shock Troops. The Deathmatch map is "Building Site". There are also two Shock Troops maps: "Final Strike" and "Building Strike". Read more for download links!

Codemaster has released a new upgrade for their stealth/action game IGI 2:Covert Strike. This upgrade will bring your retail game to v1.2 and increases framerates, improves synchronization of lifts and game timers, and fixes a few multiplayer bugs. There are also updated v1.2 dedicated servers for Win32 and Linux. Read more for details and download links!

Console accessories specialist Venom is pleased to announce the release of the S Club 8 Licensed Dance Mat. S Club 8 is one of the UK's premiere pop bands from Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment (including Pop Idol, American Idol, S Club, Annie Lennox, Will Young). S Club and S Club 8 were both named among the top 5 UK entertainment properties for 7 - 14 year olds by readers of Toy News in February 2003. S Club Juniors became S Club 8 in April 2003 following S Club's announcement that they were parting company as of June 2003 following a nation-wide tour which saw both bands performing to over 200,000 fans.

EyeToy: Play is a compendium of twelve games, which are not only stunningly simple and instantly playable but deliver compelling entertainment for every member of the family. From the wild and wacky UFO Juggling to the more serene water effects in the playroom, EyeToy: Play is the party game for the 21st century. Here is a link to the new website for Sony's camera thing. Might be worth keeping an eye on.

Capcom today announced it is developing a PC version of its PlayStation 2 title Chaos Legion. Due for a simultaneous global release this autum, Chaos Legion for PC will not only support Windows 98/ME/2000/XP but also eight languages covering all key territories. Read more for details!

SN systems has strengthened its position as market leader in the Japanese market by opening a dedicated office in Tokyo and signing a technical alliance with games developer and publisher giant Sega. The technical alliance is the first step in forging the way for a unique strategic alliance between SN Systems and Sega as they work towards new and improved products for next generation consoles.

Stake boasts a deep action combat experience, intriguing characters and superior graphics. This game represents the essential elements of a fighting game but goes beyond that with multiple power-up weapons, lots of collectable items, insane combo attacks, special tricks, secret characters, inspiring graphics, 3-D isometric camera views, exciting locations and multiple multi-player modes. Sound like it could be good!? Read more and find out if it actually IS.

Today we @ WorthPlaying announces the 30 lucky winners of our 'Tenchu: Wrath Of Heaven' T-shirt giveaway.. Click here to find out if you did win!

In Tom Clancys Ghost Recon you are invited to lead this brand-new squad as they focus on covert military strikes and international peacekeeping missions that do not always go as planned. You and your team conduct extensive missions on foot, but you’ll occasionally have assistance from troops in tanks, helicopters and close air support. In many cases, you will be working with international military forces and NATO to fight against rising dictators and rebel groups. Does the gamecube version life us to the rest of the franchise's success? Read more and find out ...

Out of the Park Baseball 5 is the newest version of the award-winning baseball simulation that offers a sports gaming experience unlike any other. Multiple play options, a career mode, an exhaustive financial model, an open-ended design allowing you to completely customize your gaming experience, and much more. .400 software has just released a new update patch with bug fixes and feature enhancements, like new trading AI options. The demo has a 7 day, 10-executions limit, and simulations will not advance past May 31st in the game. But that should still give you plenty of time to get a feel for the game which scored a perfect 10 at Baseball Sim Central! Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

GarageGames announced today it has signed an agreement to electronically publish titles from PomPom Games. The award winning UK developer is now going to have its games, Space Tripper and Mutant Storm added to the "Garage".

DiabloII.net has a log of a recent IRC Blizzard Chat Session about the upcoming v1.1 patch for Diablo II, they talk about ladder changes, gambling changes, the synergy abilities, changes to PvP combat, changes made to experience and Battle.net enhancements etc. The log is a Q&A type form of conversation with responses from Bill Roper, Max Schaefer, Brian Fitzgerald, Derek Simmons, Peter Hu, Ken Williams, Robert Bridenbecker, Chris Arretche, Matt Householder, Geoff Fraizer, Lisa Bucek, George Wang and Gil.