Publisher Electronic Arts will release the single-player demo for Anno 1503 tomorrow. The sequel to the acclaimed Anno 1602 from German developer Sunflowers blends real-time strategy and empire building during the time of colonial expansion. Anno 1503 will be released under the title "The New World" in North America. CDV has announced that a demo for Nival Interactive's War War II RTS, Blitzkrieg, will be released next week. The upcoming Blitzkrieg demo consists of three Singleplayer Missions: one from the Germans, Allies and Russians. The first Mission is a German counterstrike against Russian forces. First you have to get rid of two Russian IS-II tanks. The easiest way is to outflank them, and hit them from behind, where the plates are quite weak. Use a sniper to destroy the local air defense, and clear the way for the heavy bombers which are taking care of the heavy artillery afterwards. After that, you're ready to utilize the giant mortar „Karl" to destroy an important bunker in the north of the map. And these were only 3 of many mission objectives in the first mission! You will spend some thrilling hours for sure.

At the heart of Gladius is a unique mix of dynamic game play that requires players to develop and manage a school of gladiators who, over time, gain experience, learn new skills, improve their abilities and finally test their might in epic battles. Players fight with deadly weapons and powerful magic, learn vital combat tactics, and enhance and customize characters... Check out six new shots!

Konami of Europe returns to the football field with Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka, Inc (KCEO)'s International Superstar Soccer 3 (ISS3) running out for PlayStation 2 in March, with a version for the Nintendo GameCube following in May. Read more for details and some new PS2 screens ...

Netamin Corporation announced today the selection of alpha testers for their highly-anticipated, forthcoming title Ultimate Baseball Online (UBO). Due to be released in summer 2003, UBO accurately recreates the exciting world of baseball online. Read more for details and info where to apply ...

Empire Interactive announces that it has signed the global publishing rights to Sony Pictures’ summer blockbuster film, Bad Boys II, through a license from Sony Pictures Consumer Products.Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back on the streets of Miami in Bad Boys II, reuniting them with producer Jerry Brukheimer and director Michael Bay for a Summer 2003 release. Read more for extra information ...

Mercury Steam Entertainment, the game developer founded in May 2002 by staff from Rebel Act Studios (Severance: Blade of Darkness) has presented his new game entitled SCRAPLAND. SCRAPLAND is a 3D sci-fi game with action, speed and air combat that takes place in Chimera, a gigantic city inhabited by robots. The player assumes the role of D-Tritus, an extraordinary robot -and very nice guy- who has made himself in a distant space junk dump and gambles on finding work in Chimera.

Bigben Interactive is to publish the forthcoming Horse Racing Manager on PC. French developers, Cyanide, have created this all-encompassing management simulation. Horse Racing Manager will be released in the UK at the end of March. Horse Racing Manager lets you enjoy the sport of kings at all levels. Choose whether to play the game as an owner, breeder, trainer, jockey or punter. Each activity will require specific know-how that you will be able to acquire with each play.

A couple days ago I received my very own copy of Everquest Online Adventures for the Playstation 2. Having played the original Everquest for the PC, I wondered what the PS2 version had to offer. Since the game won't launch until later this month, I knew I would be adventuring alone. So let’s summons our Pets, receive our buffs, and set out into the unknown land of Tunaria!

Epic Games posted up a tweak guide for all Unreal Tournament 2003 fans.. Here is a clip from it:

This guide provides an overview of how to get the best possible performance out of UT2003, when you have patched the game to version 2186 or higher. When tweaking performance, its best to start from the default settings which were set based on your system configuration when you first installed UT2003. To return to the default settings, delete your UT2003.ini file (in your UT2003system) directory, and start the game.

Proving once again that good taste and common decency have no place amongst hardcore videogamers, Running With Scissors took its best and most twisted shot at putting "fun" back into "dysfunctional" by hosting the biggest game press machine gun shoot in history to warn the world that POSTAL 2 is going Gold this quarter! We also have a local link to the new "explicit" trailer (aren't all Postal trailers?). Read more for details and download links ...

Today was a busy mod news day with the final release of Fusion Pack 10 (we mentioned this a few days ago) as well as the fifth chapter of the team-play Half-Life modification, The Vampire Slayer (thanks Homelan). To top it all of there is also a new v1.7b patch for the Half-Life mod Frontline Force. The changes in this v1.7b update reside on the CLIENT side, however for clients to utilize this update, servers must upgrade. Both Win32 AND Linux server files are included in this archive. Read more for further details and download links on all these mod related files ..

Europa Universalis II is the sequel to one of the greatest strategy games ever made - Europa Universalis. It invites you to a global struggle for supremacy from the dark times of Jeanne D'Arc to the flaming wars of Napoleon. As the leader of a country you have to guide domestic and foreign policies. Engage in religious struggles, set up expeditions to claim the New World, lead your country to prosperity and victory. This patch contains fixes for features, game balance issues, general bugs, multiplayer, stability and plenty more. NA (North America) and UK versions are avilable. Read more for detailed fix list and download links ...

The exciting online world of Nexus: TK has now been made even more alive and vibrant, with the game upgrade to Nexus 5.32. Coming to the new and improved Nexus is a greatly enhanced sound system; a faster mapping system for improved navigation through the game; and new items, armor, weapons and character image graphics, for more visual variety and options to choose from. In Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds, explore the mysteries of a realm inspired by captivating Asian mythology. Become part of the astounding depth and the ever-growing world of Nexus! To find out more about Nexus, and to download for free the latest version of this PC online game offering free trial play, visit the newly updated official website !

Ubi Soft today announced plans for two exciting games based on the classic Disney movie, The Jungle Book. First released in 1967, The Jungle Book remains one of Disney's most popular animated features captivating three generations of moviegoers. Now, for the first time in 36 years, Disney is bringing Mowgli and his friends back to the big screen in The Jungle Book 2. Two engaging games based on the original film will complement this new adventure, Disney's The Jungle Book for the Game Boy Advance and Disney's The Jungle Book: Rhythm n' Groove for the PS2. Both are scheduled to launch in Feb. 2003, to coincide with the theatrical release of the new movie.

Xicat is set to release ChopLifter: Crisis Shield (the name was changed from ChopLifter: Search and Rescue, due to a combination of license and trademark issues). Xicat adds the finishing touches to their exciting helo-rescue title set for release in March 2003 for PS2. ChopLifter allows players to select from six different helicopters as they charge through the skies, engaging in perilous missions rescuing the wounded and helpless from certain doom. Sweat will pour from their helmets as players save victims within the game’s 22 missions - which include a hotel fire, an erupting volcano, chasing an explosive-packed bus or a mountain-top plane crash. With ChopLifter: Crisis Shield, lives are on the line, including yours. Available throughout North America for PS2 in March of 2003.

Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward, developed by High Voltage Software, continues the story of the successful action adventure franchise Hunter: The Reckoning. High-speed action combined with top-notch graphics translate the dark fantasy world of the White Wolf role-playing game and bring the essence of the game to life, fully submerging the player into the realm of The World of Darkness. Wayward comes to the PS2 this summer with an all new story, game-play features, weapons and terrifying monsters. Check out the first trailer as well as an introduction (including screens & another trailer) to the first character Kassandra. Read more for all the goodies...

Last week we revealed that Nokia was working on a new handheld console and today Activision, Inc. confirmed that the company plans to support Nokia's highly anticipated N-Gage platform. Activision also confirmed that it expects to work closely with Nokia on developing games that would support the platform at launch. Starting to sound exciting indeed!

Warthog today announces that it has acquired the American development studio, Fever Pitch, based in Austin, Texas. The business has been acquired for an initial consideration of £183,000 ($300,000) to be satisfied by the issue of 973,015 new ordinary Warthog shares (the "Initial Consideration Shares"). Further Warthog shares will be issued for each financial period up to 31 March 2005 dependent on Fever Pitch achieving annual pre-tax profits in excess of $100,000 for each financial period. The acquisition is immediately cash flow and earnings enhancing.

Showcased at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Shadowlands is the upcoming expansion pack for Funcom's award-winning massively multiplayer online game, Anarchy Online. Shadowlands provides the traditional elements of an expansion pack such as new playfields, weapons, monsters and items, but with many exciting twists and turns. It's an ancient realm rediscovered, with different rules and technology, and landscapes of both intense beauty and immense horror.

'Bikini Karate Babes' is a hilarious spoof on the trend in the fighting game genre with 19 characters and 10 play modes. Plus lots of hidden secrets. The demo features 3 of the 19 characters. Playability is somewhat limited, and many of the crazier moves (like bikini stealing) are not included. There are 3 play modes included (all of them are for single player only). The full version, of course, comes with many more characters, play modes, moves, and video clips. It also features a lot of hidden secrets and is designed for high replay value. Read more for download links ...

Screen Daily reports that the Danish computer game Hitman looks to be the next hit game to get the Hollywood treatment. The game's international distributor EIDOS is currently negotiating with unnamed Hollywood studios - although it has an existing relationship with Paramount for the Tomb Raider franchise. The Danish developers at IO Interactive have so far produced two games based on the Hitman character, and both have been international hits... Hitman 3 is set for a spring 2004 release.

From the creator of award-winning Capitalism series and Seven Kingdoms series, Trevor Chan, here comes a break through in business simulation genre. The game that takes the art of cooking and running a restaurant to new heights, Restaurant Tycoon is a gastronome's dreams come true. Starting with nothing except some cash, a passion for food and a great idea, you start by building a restaurant from the bottom up - hiring waiters, decorating, even cooking the meals. Buy, build, outsell and undermine your competition in the world's culinary capitals, all faithfully recreated in stunning 3D environments.

THQ Inc. today shipped GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing for the Game Boy Advance. Handheld fans can get behind the wheel of the world's top cars, race multiple tracks spanning various weather climates and challenge the world's best drivers for the championship. GT Advance 3: Pro Concept Racing is available now at major retail outlets nationwide.

Codemasters has its weapons loaded for its first major launch of 2003 - IGI 2: Covert Strike, the sequel to the award-winning stealth-based first-person shooter from developers Innerloop AS. The game will launch for PC on February 21.