Details have emerged of Sony's plans to sell a variety of hardware bundles at existing prices through its online store in Japan - including a bundle which would feature a network adapter for free with a new console purchase. This deal would put the PlayStation 2 on an equal footing with the Xbox in terms of network functionality, as one of the key selling points of Microsoft's console has been that it requires no additional hardware for online gaming.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that hard rock front man (Black Flag, Rollins Band), actor (“The Chase,” “Johnny Mnemonic”) and spoken word artist Henry Rollins has signed on to voice the role of Mace Griffin in the upcoming video game “Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter.” The sci-fi action game will be available second quarter 2003 for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo GameCube.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. today announced that Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, the continuation of the popular Arc the Lad series, will launch in June 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, a true, traditional role-playing game (RPG), takes place thousands of years after the last installment in the series with an all-new captivating storyline, an innovative battle system and a variety of playable characters with unique abilities. Set in a visually stunning world of life-like graphics and using motion-captured cut scenes to enhance an intriguing storyline, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits delivers an epic role-playing adventure perfect for fans of strategy, adventure and RPG games.

Age of Mythology: The Titans is an expansion pack for Age of Mythology. Using familiar elements of classical mythology, Age of Mythology casts players as one of nine unique civilizations from ancient Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythologies. Players can reinforce their armies with mythological creatures like Cyclopes and Medusas or call upon the mighty powers of gods such as Zeus to rain down lightning bolts on unsuspecting enemies. Age of Mythology also incorporates Ensemble Studios' trademark features from previous Age of Empires games, including a compelling economic model, a massive army and battle system, unequaled artificial intelligence, random maps, intuitive gameplay and extreme attention to detail. The expansion will be available in stores this fall.

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 :

• Sacred (Ascaron)
• Brute Force (Microsoft)
• 
  
  Read more for download links ...

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.

Gamespot reports that LucasArts has opened up its E3 site, giving the public a glimpse of the games the company will be showing at the event this May. The strategy RPG Gladius is expected to be at the show, as are Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and Star Wars Galaxies.

Responding to criticism that it was trying to take advantage of the Iraq war for commercial gain, Sony Corp said on Wednesday it will not use the phrase "shock and awe" for PlayStation videogames made by a subsidiary. A U.S. unit of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc has withdrawn an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the phrase for commercial use, a Sony spokeswoman said.

In 'Gremlins', the two protagonists of one of the most celebrated battles in the cinema meet again in a platform game that promises hours of fun and laughs. Gizmo, the Mogwai attempts to find the Gremlins and capture them all to keep them from doing any more harm. The game recreates the most famous scenes of the movie on more than 10 different levels (Billy’s house, the school laboratory, the department store, the movie theater, etc.). With the option of playing either one of two radically different characters, the game is sure to offer hours of lasting enjoyment. Check these new screens ...

The cover story for the newest print issue of Game Informer magazine has some details about the upcoming Xbox version of Counter-Strike that is being developed by Ritual Entertainment and Valve Software. According to the article, the Xbox version of the popular PC multiplayer shooter will contain all the current content of the PC version plus all of the content of the upcoming Counter-Strike: Condition Zero single player game. There will be some Xbox exclusive content as well, including at least five new multiplayer levels, two new weapons (the Syringe and Machete) and some graphical improvements including 24 bit textures and better lighting and particle effects. There are also hints in the article that there might be support for user created gameplay modes in the Xbox Counter-Strike, although there were no specifics mentioned (thanks HomeLAN).

Konami of America, Inc. announced today that Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel for Nintendo Game Boy Advance has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. The latest installment in the best-selling Yu-Gi-Oh! video game series, Worldwide Edition brings to life the enormously popular Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game with stunning accuracy. Worldwide Edition features more than 1,000 game cards and updated Trading Card Game rules. As an added bonus Worldwide Edition comes with three powerful limited-edition Trading Game Cards only available with the game: Harpie's Feather Duster, Sinister Serpent and Valkyrion The Magna Warrior.

Codemasters, a global video game publishing company, announced today that the latest installment of its critically acclaimed racing series, Colin McRae Rally 3, has shipped to North American retail outlets. To date the Colin McRae Rally game franchise has sold an impressive 6 million units worldwide. The newest version for the PlayStation©2 computer entertainment system version will be available for a suggested retail price of $49.99.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. announced that it has reached open beta for its highly-anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person action game, PlanetSide. The company has added 30,000 additional beta players to help test the game which will allow hundreds and thousands of players to fight online in an all-hours-of-the-day massive conflict. PlanetSide will ship to U.S. and Canadian retail stores in mid-May.

Atari has shipped "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee," a one-to-four player monster-on-monster fighting game, to the Xbox. Based on the classic movie characters created by Toho Co., Ltd., the game recreates the look and feel of the titanic film legends and challenges players to punch, kick, stomp, throw and blast each other in massive, city-wide arenas. "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee," developed by Pipeworks Software, Inc., is currently available on the GameCube.

Following on from the news that it's possible to run unsigned applications on the Xbox by using a loophole in EA's Agent Under Fire, crackers have discovered how to mod the system without a physical modchip... More about it below!

SYLVANIA Advanced Technologies, a division of Unical Enterprises, Inc, announced today an alliance with Go Direct International Ltd, a developer and manufacturer of consumer retail products. The first products to be shipped as a result of this agreement include a two-player RF WirelessPort, an innovative and timely product for PlayStation, PS one and PS2 consoles. In addition, scheduled for release in Q3 2003, Sylvania will launch the RadioWave RF wireless controller, bringing next generation wireless technology to the most successful game console, Sony PlayStation.

Unleashing the horror throughout nine levels, The Suffering features dynamic lighting that illuminates frightening visions of horror-filled exploration and frantic combat sequences. In the dark world of The Suffering, creatures attack from the shadows and emerge from jail cells, chambers, the ground and trees, surprising the player in the most disturbing ways possible. As Torque, the main character, players encounter a cast of uniquely hardened criminals, prison guards and grotesque apparitions. Read more to check some screens

Summitsoft announced today it will publish Avaria’s Endless Ages, the world’s first true real time first person shooter MMORPG (massively multiplayer role playing game). Situated in the persistent world environment of Iia, Endless Ages has proved an addictive success since the official launch of its online pilot program last year. Players can hook up with clans or go it alone as they hit the arenas, uncover thousands of quests, tame and ride wild beasts, run trade stores on- or offline, and pilot any number of vehicles including jetpacks, hover bikes, hydro crafts and submarines. Unique skills such as shape shifting and mind control further sets Endless Ages apart from others in this genre.

Enhanced editions of Codemasters’ Pro Race Driver, the the worldwide hit that debuted on the PS2, steer their way onto store shelves today for the Xbox and PC. Set to be the most dynamic and dramatic circuit racer for PC and Xbox, the new editions are even fiercer than the best-selling PS2 version. Pro Race Driver lets players race as a touring car professional in a gaming experience packed with 42 real cars, 13 championships and an incredible 38 real-life, internationally renowned, race circuits. The new editions also add a qualifying round to championship races. With up to 20 cars tearing up the track simultaneously - six more cars than in the original – the game is sure to make any driver’s adrenaline race.

NEC Interchannel, Ltd. today announced it is shipping Tube Slider, a fast and furious racing game developed exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube to retailers across North America. Tube Slider is developed by NDCUBE, creators of the critically acclaimed F-Zero: Maximum Overdrive for the Game Boy Advance. The game's vehicles were designed by Studio 4C, the animation studio behind the anime classic, Akira.

Activision just sent out word that they're planning on releasing a public beta test of the free Return to Castle Wolfenstein extension. Enemy Territory was initially planned as a full standalone title until the single player was dropped leaving only the multiplayer component. It was announced that this multiplayer portion of the game would be released free of charge at a later date. Currently the beta version is undergoing some internal testing but they hope to have it released next week. Players will NOT need Return to Castle Wolfenstein to play Enemy Territory (or the ET test we're releasing soon). Enemy Territory is a free stand-alone game, so anyone who wants to play will be able to download it (thanks VE3D).

"Prisoner of War" offers a new style of gaming that is brave, original and non-violent. Prisoner of War features a novel approach in a historical and tense environment. This combines with solid gameplay mechanics to create a truly intelligent, fun and appealing game. Codemasters has released a new patch for its action/adventure game, Prisoner of War. This upgrade "fixes the situation whereby the main menu loads but there is no mouse cursor and it is impossible to select any of the options. This does not affect any other issues, so if you do not have this problem you should not install this upgrade" (thanks GamersHell). Read more for download link ...

In "Line Of Sight: Vietnam" you are an eagle-eyed sharpshooter in the Army's Special Forces (better known as "The Green Berets") at the height of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. nFusion Interactive has just released the map/mission editing tools for their recent budget-priced tactical shooter letting you modify and create new content. The package contains the nWorld and MissionEd editors, auxiliary tools, all necessary resources, and documentation to get you on your way. Read more for download links ...

The exceptional level of interest from games developers experienced by Codemasters' acquisitions team at the recent Game Developers Conference [GDC] will see the company continuing to focus its business development on acquiring further titles at this year's E3 expo (May 14-16, Los Angeles). Codemasters’ product acquisition team will be at E3 (Codemasters booth 746, South Hall, Los Angeles Convention Centre) to meet game developers and discuss global publishing opportunities. Codemasters is ready to sign titles for PC, PC online, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube formats.