Unreal Engine build 829 was recently released to licensees. This was a major update that included a lot of performance and feature improvements. Head over to the official site for full article with all facts.

PC.IGN let us know that Raven's Soldier of Fortune II, the visceral, and surely to be controversial first-person shooter sequel, will be seeing a spring release because of the extra time required by the game's developer, Raven, to enhance and perfect the title's random mission generator and multiplayer component. The newly improved AI, graphics, and play style built into SoF II should prove to be well worth the wait for both fans of the original as well as the genre as a whole, whenever the hell it ends up shipping.

Building the world of Dragon Empires, Codemasters' online persistent world of incredible fantasy and clan rule, is a project that embraces two development teams, one on either side of the Atlantic, and brings together US and European players in its online forum and forthcoming Beta Test programme.

Universal Interactive, Inc., a studio of Vivendi Universal Publishing, announced today that it will release an enhanced version of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex* for the Xbox* video game system from Microsoft in first quarter 2002.

THQ Inc. today announced that Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights is in development for PlayStation2 and Nintendo GameCube. Based on the classic Scooby-Doo! cartoon series that features a quirky animated cast of characters and mysterious masked villains, Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights for PlayStation 2 is scheduled for release in summer 2002, followed by the GameCube version in fall 2002.

Put your driving skills to the ultimate test as you defend Monument City from a criminal gang of racing villains. Combine the cool cars, wild aerial stunts, blazing crashes, huge loops, banked turns, and lightning-fast speed that Hot Wheels is known for with a destructible 3D Hot Wheels world, an arsenal of futuristic weapons, missionbased game play, and an immersive story to create a racing adventure unlike any other in the racing genre. Release date: Q4-2002.

Dungeon Siege.com and also Microsoft's Dungeon Siege have gotten a face lift. At Dungeon Siege.com there is a completely new and comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section. At the Microsoft site there are details on almost every aspect of Dungeon Siege including combat, magic, armor, weapons, spells, and much more. Read More about to see the new screens from GasPowered Games. There is also a new download section where you can find the current Dungeon Siege movies, banners, fan site kit, and wallpapers. Enjoy!

We asked Erik Johansson, responsible for the controversial rock'n'roll sim management ROCK MANAGER) a few questions about the making of the Rock Manager game ... Rock'N Roll Baby! Yeah! Read and Enjoy!

Tiscali.cz just tossed up two nice videos from Counter-Strike 1.4 beta gameplay, which shows in 2x 3-minutes long movies and some of the new features and maps in the upcoming version of this Half-Life mod. Grab them here!

A few days ago we presented you a ton of screens taken from the first few levels of Starfighter, today we bring you the rest of the levels, bonus levels and to add extra game value you can replay all missions with any of the 3 different spaceships (and Darth Maul's Infiltrator as extra bonus). This game is truely fun to play...

A spell of dark magic and adventure will descend upon gamers next month, as Acclaim today announced that it will release Shadow Man: 2econd Coming for the PlayStation2 at the end of February. Featuring an all new game engine that was designed, developed and delivered exclusively for the PlayStation2, Shadow Man: 2econd Coming is the latest chapter in the Company’s successful supernatural franchise which captivated consumers worldwide with its rich story, immersive gameplay and non-stop action. Expect the game March 7, 2002.

Computer and video game publisher Gathering of Developers, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., along with developer BreakAway Games, today announced that the expansion pack for "Tropico" has gone gold. "Tropico: Paradise Island" is an expansion pack for the best-selling simulation, and is set to ship February 5, 2002.

Westwood has today released another Command & Conquer Renegade movie for download. This one is 10.2 MB to grab and runs for a minute, showing some gameplay footage. The title is "Fun With Lasers." Grab it here.

With a sly wink and a nod to its legacy of unique humor, LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC has chosen Planet Moon Studios to create an original humorous action title for next generation game consoles. Best known for its clever and off beat genre-bending Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Planet Moon’s game for LucasArts will follow in the rich tradition of wry humor and intelligently crafted play style of the company’s classic titles. The game is expected to release in 2003.

Kemco's Egomania (developed by UK's Hotgen Studios) for the Gameboy Advance is scheduled to be released end of March. A Playstation2 versio is also expected by no specific date is set/known as of yet.

"REALITY PUMP STUDIOS", the award winning development team from ZUXXEZ Ent. responsible for the highly acclaimed "Earth 2150 Series" and other award winning titles, has now confirmed the release date of their current top title for Sept. 2002.

Manic Miner for the Gameboy Advance is to be published by Jester Interactive. No specific release date is set yet and until they do, mine away on these 20-some screens.

Universal Studios Theme Park from Kemco (developed by Japanese NAI'A DIGITAL WORKS) for th GAMECUBE covers various game themes ranging from Jaws, Jurrasic Park to Backdraft and ET. Interested already? Check out these screens coz its looking good!

THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. today announced details of an extensive marketing campaign backing the first World Wrestling Federation licensed title for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, WWF Raw. An exclusive Xbox title, WWF Raw will ship on February 12 and benefit from multi-million dollar marketing support, including a national television campaign featuring the music of Limp Bizkit.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will release the Linux Kit (for PlayStation2) in May 2002, targeted towards the Linux community in Europe. Since the launch of PlayStation 2, Sony Computer Entertainment has received numerous requests from members of the Linux community to enable Linux programs to run on PlayStation 2. In response to these requests, the Linux Beta Version Kit was made available to approximately 7,900 enthusiasts in Japan in July 2001.

The gamingsite spelletjesgarnaal just tossed up a new 17 Mb C&C Renegade movie. The movie is 10 min long and show completion of the first mission aswell as some cutscenes. Grab the movie here.

Earlier today we tossed up some PC screens and a lot of facts around this game. Now we bring you a Worms Blast gallery for PS2 with 44 screens.. Check them out below! If you don't like the game, you can always catch fish with it. Release date: PS2 - 29/3/2002.

Infogrames celebrates 30 years of Atari classic arcade fun with the release of Atari Anniversary Advance for Nintendo Game Boy Advance. This special 6 game compilation is being released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Atari's founding in 1972, as the first company ever established solely for the purpose of creating and marketing video games.

Marking a first for the series, Worms Blast is the first game to appear using 3D characters, play in a real-time environment and see the series start to move into new genre's whist crossing them with the familiar genre that is Worms. There are so many things that make a big difference to how the game plays. Just looking at screen shots it is easy to make the comparison but on closer analysis Worms Blast offers the player much more. Release date: PC - 8/3/2002.

Today GamingGroove have tossed up an interview with the Static development team, in a chat about their upcoming Fallout-style RPG that was a finalist for the Independent Games Festival Award. Here is a snip:

GamingGroove: What exactly is Static about?

Static Team: “STATIC” is an RPG that roots itself in a plot about mind-control and what happens when the process becomes futile... Read more.