Vivendi Universal Games today announced that "Hoyle Majestic Chess" is currently in development for the PC and is scheduled to ship this July. Offering new and original features to entice beginners and challenge experienced players, "Hoyle Majestic Chess" is being developed at Novato, CA-based Fluent Entertainment by a highly experienced team that includes key members from the team that developed titles in the successful "Chessmaster" franchise.

Microsoft Game Studios announced the in-house development of "Mythica," a revolutionary online PC game that uses new Private Realms Technology to merge the depth and sophistication of a single-player game with the social experience of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). "Mythica" is scheduled to arrive on store shelves in 2004.

This world-builder title is inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment's Jurassic Park franchise-the studio's most successful film franchise. Jurassic Park allows you to fulfill Dr. John Hammond's dream by successfully designing and managing your very own Jurassic Park. Create the most amazing dinosaur theme park the world has ever seen, OR battle your way through 12 intense missions that will truly test your skills against the awesome powers of nature and its most dominant creatures.

The Return of the King will let players journey through multiple gameplay paths, taking control of the motion picture trilogy’s heroes including Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam, and Frodo. Set in all of the breathtaking locations from the upcoming movie, The Return of the King’s third person gameplay will include immersive action and epic adventure elements based in rich, interactive levels. An all-new multiplayer co-op mode will let players form their own Fellowship before embarking on their journey through Middle-earth.

Starting with nothing except some cash and a passion for food, build your restaurant from the ground up. Hire waiters, decorate your restaurant and even cook the meals! Buy, build, outsell and out-price the competition. Enlight Software has just released a new patch for their restaurant sim bringing your retail copy to v1.13 (it comes in US and UK versions). The upgrade adresses some copy protection issues, some AI tweaks and various other fixes. Read more for detailed list and download links ...

Drop into the ultimate skating challenge with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. Players take on the role of legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and 13 other athletes as they skate through enormous free roaming levels, choose from 190 progressively harder goals and build their skills to perform 14 of the greatest skateboarding stunts of all time. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 delivers the deepest and most challenging gameplay experience in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. The game's enhanced career mode allows players to earn respect and the chance to take on all new pro goals by conquering a skater-specific Pro Challenge based on each skater's personal history (thanks VE3D). Read more and check out the trailer!

Set in Somalia in 1993, DF: Black Hawk Down is based upon and around the Operation Restore Hope and Task Force Ranger campaigns and follows members of the elite Delta Force and US Army Rangers as they participate in a number of daring raids against the oppressive Somali warlords in and around Mogadishu. NovaLogic has released another patch for DF: Black Hawk Down, upgrading their new special forces tactical FPS to v1.2.1. This upgrade is merely a "General Maintenance Update". Read more for download links ...

The anticipation is over! Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced that Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell has shipped for the GBA. Game Boy Advance owners can now experience the thrill of the award-winning espionage thriller. Game Boy Advance fans can enjoy the original tension-filled storyline - complete with characters and locations endorsed by famous author Tom Clancy - plus something special just for Nintendo fans. By connecting the GameCube to the GBA and completing the GameCube version, players will be treated to 5 exclusive levels on the GBA.

Northland is a Stand-alone Adventure Strategy game. The exciting plot tells the story of Viking God Loki who tried to take revenge on Godfather Odin for his banishment from Asgard to Earth. For that he abuses our four human heroes with his intrigues and traps. The story begins where the plot of "Cultures 2 - The Gates of Asgard" ended. Read more for some details and download links where to grab the movie goodness ...

The quest to destroy the One Ring continues in the first Real-Time Strategy game based on The Lord of the Rings saga. Massive battles will erupt as the peoples of Middle-earth fight for control of Tolkien's World. Play as the forces of good and valiantly fight for the One Ring's destruction or play as the forces of evil to claim control over Middle-earth forever. On to the screens!

The quest to destroy the One Ring continues in the second installment to The Lord of the Rings saga. What was once a quest for a Fellowship of nine is now an epic struggle between the races of Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs. Influence the tides of war as you control multiple characters in their epic confrontation with evil. Play the Greatest Story Ever Written .. but first some screens ...

"The Hobbit" is a third-person action/adventure game set in the world of Middle-earth. In the game, you take the persona of Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit who has been unwittingly thrust into an epic adventure. Explore the mystical world of Middle-earth where you'll need to jump gaping chasms, climb treacherous mountains, solve mind bending puzzles and battle hordes of enemies just to survive. Meet enchanting Elves, battle-ready Dwarves, a powerful Wizard, massive Trolls, bloodthirsty goblins, and more as you traverse from the peaceful lands of the Shire to the harrowing forests of Mirkwood. And that's just the beginning. Read more for another batch of screens ...

Vivendi Universal Games announced today details about its upcoming The Fast And The Furious racing game scheduled for release for the PS2 in fourth quarter 2003 and the Xbox in first quarter 2004. The game will feature both cars and characters from the original The Fast And The Furious movie as well as Universal Pictures' upcoming theatrical sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, set to debut in theatres on June 6, 2003. Read more for details ...

Activision is unleashing a one-man cybernetic wrecking crew with the announcement of 'Trinity', a new first person action game for the PC and Xbox. Set in the year 2013, Trinity transports players into a dark alternate future where a deadly plague threatens to destroy the city of New Orleans.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that the universe of the classic science fiction TV series Battlestar Galactica will expand in the form of a multi-platform video game. Battlestar Galactica will debut on both the PlayStation2 and the Xbox in fall 2003. Battlestar Galactica delivers a compelling and immersive space action experience as players move seamlessly between stunning cinematics and epic space battles against the insidious, mechanical power of the Cylons. Fight the insidious Cylons in epic space battles utilizing advanced tactics and an arsenal of weaponry, including the greatest weapon mankind ever conceived — The Battlestar Galactica.

There are strange happenings in Springfield. People are missing, very mysterious crop circles are appearing, and hidden cameras are being exposed. When Homer notices a black van with a satellite dish parked outside the Simpsons house, he decides to investigate further into these odd events. What he reveals could be the biggest mystery to rock Springfield since Who Shot Mr. Burns? The Simpsons Hit & Run promises a hilarious mission based driving game with exciting out-of-the-car platform gameplay, the signature satire of The Simpsons, and the interactive world of Springfield. Read more for details and a few fuzzy looking screens ...

You are Glitch, the gun-slinging, half-ton menacing bot of Droid City who blasts his way to victory. Found as scrap metal, but transformed into destructive machinery, Glitch is determined to free his people from the evil clutches of General Corrosive and his maniacal army of Mil bots. Unleash a world of pain as you annihilate the General's sinister plan to dominate the world, and salvage the robot race. Read more for details and a whopping 1 screenshot ...

In this frenetic, story-driven action game, for the first time ever, players will seamlessly combine dynamic space and ground-based combat. Additional gameplay elements include exploration and investigation. Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter takes place hundreds of years in the future, where both human and alien settlers are rapidly colonizing the galaxy. The player will assume the role of ex-Special Ops officer, Mace Griffin. Against a backdrop of corporate, political and religious intrigue, Mace Griffin is framed for being involved in his comrades' deaths. After spending 10 years in prison, he becomes a Bounty Hunter, a vocation that gives him access to classified information and a means to aggressively pursue his search for the people who framed him.

Lords of the Realm III (Lords 3) is a real-time strategy game of historic medieval conquest that spans castle building, siege, politics, religion, and conquest. The game is set in the Middle Ages, between 850 AD and 1350 AD, and features authentic castle designs and characters. Various scenarios and campaigns encompass the British Isles, Germany, France, Normandy, Brittany, Flanders and Denmark. Extending the medieval world beyond combat, Lords 3 takes into account the powerful clergy and merchant classes of the time which are important factions in the player's quest to become King.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds is a 3rd person action-adventure game based on the successful cult series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just like the show, the adventure takes place at ground zero for all things vampire – Sunnydale, California. Developed with the show's writers as a 'lost episode' from season 5, Chaos Bleeds involves an unraveling tale in which a dimensional bleed has been enabled by Pure Evil to consume humanity once and for all. It's up to Buffy and her friends to stop it all from happening...again! Read more to check some screens ...

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that it will publish Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, a 3D action-adventure game inspired by the upcoming Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures/Imagine Entertainment presentation of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. Developed by Magenta Software for console and Digital Eclipse Software for the handheld and PC, Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat interactive game will make its multi-platform debut in the fourth quarter 2003. Read more for details on all platforms ...

Vivendi Universal Games announced today its plan to release the next installment in the Crash Bandicoot franchise, a new character-based racing title named Crash Nitro Kart. The game is scheduled for release fourth quarter 2003 for the PlayStation2, the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and the Game Boy Advance. Albany, NY-based studio Vicarious Visions (Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced) is developing the game.

Konami has issued a new patch for their recently released stealth action game Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance, bringing your retail copy to v1.01. This upgrade only fixes issues associated with ATI Radeon 8500 and above. Owners of video cards other than the aforementioned cards should not apply this patch. Read more for details and download links ...

Electronic Arts officially announced today the development of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King for the PlayStation2, the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and the PC. All versions of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King game will be released worldwide in fall 2003 under the EA GAMES brand.