Codemasters is attending this year's Game Developers Conference [GDC], March 4 – 8 in San Jose, California, with a clear mandate to acquire five A to triple-A game titles. As part of Codemasters' aggressive product acquisition programme, its team is ready to meet game developers with exceptional projects to discuss global publishing opportunities. Codemasters recently won the highly-contested publishing rights to 1C's "WWII:RTS" (to be published as Battlefield Command). With a particular interest in US-centric games, Codemasters is prioritising titles for PC, PC online, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube formats.

In the 23rd century, after having stimulated a subspatial breach and opened our solar system to an unknown system, a scientific expedition is attacked under appalling conditions by a quarrelsome species : a terrible war engaged between these two worlds. Men, in their will to maintain peace and discover new civilisations engaged into a military campaign in order to explore new planets and understand the major motivations of this species. You, Captain Demetrio, you lead a troop of elites and will discover during a perilous adventure the mysteries and dangers of areas filled of history and past and maybe reveal the secrets of ancestors who will lead you to the victory. Read more for features, screens and trailer...

Here is a news story on a growing gaming culture seen growing mostly in the bigger cities... As the editorial deadline draws nearer for the forthcoming edition of Twin Galaxies' Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records, more and more champions are surfacing to represent the many distinct genres of gaming. And, most interesting among the new genre are the dancing games... More about it below!

Thousands of gamers flooded the world of ancient Egypt on February 15, as eGenesis unveiled A Tale In The Desert, marking the birth of the intelligent MMORPG. A Tale In The Desert diverts from the shallow, violent gameplay that is typical of the genre, focusing instead on non-violent conflict that encourages creative thinking and ingenuity. The game is available now as a free, downloadable demo featuring 24 hours of game-time, or 30 days of service, whichever comes first. Following the trial period, the game is $13.95 per month.

SEGA of America, Inc. today announced it has entered into an affiliation with McDonald's Corporation, the world's largest quick service restaurant to create a new line of McDonald's Happy Meal premiums. Based on two top-selling SEGA franchises - Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Monkey Ball, the premiums will come alive this summer at participating McDonald's restaurants throughout North America.

4D Rulers has just released the promised demo release of the AMP II showcasing their new engine. The tech demo offers the chance to check out the next generation version of the engine that powered Gore, which is going to be available for license for commercial games, as well as smaller projects. The initial version of the engine requires the use of either an NVIDIA GeForce 3 or GeForce 4 ti accelerator. Read more for download links ...

Nintendo today announce the eagerly anticipated news that a limited edition bonus disk will be included with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker at launch on 3rd May. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, will include a bonus disk containing two additional Gamecube games: The N64 Classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and previously unreleased title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, which was originally designed for the N64DD. Also on the bonus disk will be additional gameplay footage including the all-new F-Zero, 1080° Avalanche, Time Splitters 2, Phantasy Star Online, Rayman 3 & Super Monkey Ball 2, all for Gamecube

Hercules is pleased to announce today the release of SmartTV on Screen, an external unit which connects to a PC for full screen viewing of television and other video sources on a computer's monitor via composite and S-Video inputs.

Mirage Interactive has official announced that Mortyr II, a sequel to their World War II first-person shooter, is in production. A demo is expected soon and they have released a list of new "features" that we can expect to see in their new Mortyr II WIP version. Read more for details ...

Resident Evil: Dead Aim sees search and pursuit team agent, Bruce MacGavin spear heading a shady anti-Umbrella organization’s attempt to infiltrate and investigate a gigantic sea-cruiser as it makes its way across the Atlantic. Bruce MacGavin is a brand new character to the Resident Evil series and along with his mysterious female partner must battle against the hoards of relentless zombies that confront them for the first time.

Talk about a southern island fantasy! Imagine being in Paradise for two whole weeks, with no-one but the lovely ladies of Dead or Alive to keep you company! Except instead of fighting – it’s all about another exciting and reaction testing activity – beach volleyball. In “Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball”, you play as a character you select out of all seven of the Dead or Alive ladies, along with one new character and enjoy holidays at various spots on the island playing beach volleyball games.

Set on post-apocalyptic Earth where survival and ultimate dominance are all that matters, Devastation is a high action, teamplay oriented first person shooter. Powered by heavily modified, next generation Unreal Engine technology, it pits teams of rebelling street fighters, gang leaders, mercenaries and ex-military fighters against overwhelming armies of high-tech corporate troopers. We finally had a chance to sit down with Digitalo's Lead Producer Vic DeLeon and fired off some annoying questions. Read more to check out our devastating interview!

Conflict:Desert Storm is a 3rd person squad based action game that has unprecedented realism and depth and is a carefully balanced equation of fast paced action, stealth and tactical warfare. Conflict:Desert Storm will be released in May 2003 on Nintendo GameCube and is currently available on PS2, Xbox and PC CD-Rom. Read more for some NGC features & screens ...

Psychotoxic is a first person shooter with an exceptionally exciting story line. The setting is New York, in the year 2020. Three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse have caused terrible damage on Earth. The fourth horseman is now preparing for his return. Violence and aggression are increasing drastically. Humanity's last hope is protagonist Angie Prophet. Basically a human, she is also an angel and guardian, marked centuries ago to save mankind. Play on two different levels: The reality level contains the main elements for the battle against the horseman, including both indoor and outdoor scenes. In the mind level, Angie enters other people's thoughts - here time and space have no meaning. Check the new batch of screens ...

In a move that has the videogame world salivating like Pavlov's crack whore of a dog, Running With Scissors announced that POSTAL 2 will be published by Whiptail Interactive, who simultaneously announced they will deliver the long-awaited sequel to the original Postal its debut offering!

The official site for Battlefield 1942 is updated with information about their upcoming v1.31 patch.. Here is the clip:

In this weeks update we're going to talk about some fixes we're working on for the upcoming 1.31 patch. While we don't have a release date for this yet, we do know what we're focusing on. Naturally, with all updates of this nature, none of these are set in stone and could change by the time the patch is released. So without further adieu, here's what we're working on for 1.31.

Wall Hacking
Parachuting Into Objects
Single Player and Co-Op Crashes
Stand Alone Server Error
Text display on-screen time

Keep in mind, we're aware of the other issues reported by our troops in the field and are working to resolve those in another upcoming patch. This patch will be coming sooner than you think!

She's beautiful and deadly. And her ironic timing may catch some men at their most vulnerable. The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse has come to Earth. Rumored to have been sighted in North America, "Pestilence" should be the last horseman according to the Book of Revelation. The 3DO Company has no comment on the widespread speculation that its upcoming game "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" may be the cause of her arrival, but has nevertheless gathered what initial information is available on its website!

Nathan Pearce from Sony let us know that they launched a new website for EverQuest Online Adventures. There is TONS of content already on the site, the TV commercial, a new gameplay movie, race and class pages, getting started guide, Welcome Letter from the Dev team, brand new forums and a lot more. Have a look!

"The House of the Dead" movie will debut this Saturday, February 15 at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival. The premier will take place at the UA Galaxy 4 Theater at Sutter and Van Ness and starts at 7:00 pm sharp. Tickets are available at the box office the day of the show. Stop by if you're in the area! A supernatural horror thriller, "The House of the Dead" is the twisted tale of a band of college students that arrive on a mysterious island for a rave and must confront horrifying zombies and terrifying creatures intent on feasting on the flesh of the living. "The House of the Dead" is based on the video game franchise of the same name from SEGA. The film's director Uwe Boll ("Sanctimony," "Homeroom: The Heart of America") and stars from the movie, including Clint Howard, will all attend for some post-Valentine's Day carnage at this world premier showing of "The House of the Dead." The "House of the Dead" was produced by Shawn Williamson via his Brightlight Pictures banner and executive produced by Mindfire Entertainment, the producers of the award winning "Free Enterprise" and "The Specials" and Daniel Kletzky, a producer on "Resident Evil" and "Final Fantasy."

Challenging gamers to "haul ass" across the U.S. in their own nitro-powered 18-wheeler, "The King of Route 66" is the ultimate white-knuckled road trip from Illinois to California. Players must square off against the evil Tornado Corporation and their army of goons on a quest to become the King of the Road and win the hearts of the seductive Queens of Route 66. Today we have 20 new screens, some character art and a brand new trailer ... Njoy!

It is 1588 A.D., a critical year of an alternate history hauntingly familiar yet fantastically alien to our own. Because of one fateful event during the Third Crusade, the history of this world diverged. This event, the Disjunction, ripped open a long-sealed breach to other worlds. Magic energy and powerful spirits flowed into the world, changing the lands and the people forever. Cast into this world, you are a character of your own devices, strengths, and abilities. Set upon by human factions and powerful spirits, you must decide how to best develop your skills in order to triumph over obstacles that lie between you and your true fate. A fresh batch of Lionheart screens has arrived!

Designed by SEGA's legendary SEGA-AM2 studio, "Aero Elite" puts gamers in the cockpit of more than 60 of the world's most high-performance aircraft - from supersonic fighters to heavily-armed attack helicopters. "Aero Elite's" realistic training mode puts rookie pilots through their paces, fully preparing gamers for intense aerial combat. With a blend of fast-paced action, realistic fighter controls, and a slew of flight options, "Aero Elite" delivers dozens of customizable missions, scores of environments and a thrilling two-player mode that virtual pilots everywhere won't want to miss. Check out these new airborne screens...

Splinter Cell will grant players access to the highest echelons of national security, where shadowy operatives have the freedom to do whatever it takes to safeguard America. In Splinter Cell, the player controls Sam Fisher, a field operative of a secretive "black-ops" NSA sub-agency called Third Echelon. Sam Fisher is geared up to infiltrate high-security strongholds, seize critical intelligence, destroy threatening data and neutralize the enemy - all without leaving a trace. UbiSoft released a new demo featuring Tbislisi 1, Tbilisi3 and Kalinatek missions from the full game. Also a new Splinter Cell trailer is available. Read more for download links ...

Rockstar Games proudly announced today that the PC version of the global blockbuster, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, is set to hit retail shelves in North America on May 13th and in Europe on May 16th. The PC version will possess enhanced features including improved graphics and sound, additional PC controls, as well as several options for players to customize the game.

Activision is giving gamers an all access pass to go behind-the-scenes for its highly anticipated stealth-based, ninja action game at the official Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven web site. The site will kick off with an exclusive cinematic trailer showcasing the game's epic storyline and heart-pounding stealth action featuring all three playable characters - Rikimaru, Ayame and Tesshu. Additionally, the site will be updated weekly and will roll out a host of other downloads and information including custom wallpaper, character and weapon features, links to the online Ninja community and news updates. Named one of GameSpy's "Most Wanted Console Games of 2003," Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven will be available at retail early next month for a suggested retail price of $49.99.