Swedish game developer Digital Illusions upcoming Rally game, “RalliSport Challenge”, will be demonstrated during Bill Gates’ keynote speech on January 7th at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The game clearly demonstrates some of the great elements of the Xbox video game system from Microsoft.

The Privateer project is now in its beta version stage! One of the best real-time naval tactics game featuring the romantic age of "wooden ships and iron men" planned to be released in the 1st quarter of 2002.

Tiscali Games just tossed up 3 new exclusive hi-res screenshots from Cossacks: The Art of War, developed by GSC Game World. "the top three screens in the gallery" More info about this addon is available on the offical site.

Drakan II is coming to the Playstation 2. This totally new game will put players in the role of the brave heroine, Rynn, along with her noble dragon Arokh. The world of Drakan is being overrun with an alien race called the Desert Lords. Together, Rynn and Arokh will travel across many lands to awaken the ancient Dragons of The Order to free the land of their oppressors.

In case you haven’t had enough new Unreal 2 screenshots this week, Gamesxtreme.de have tossed up 60 new exclusive screens from Unreal 2..

Rez is an endorphin machine that releases the essence of trance through futuristic sound and visuals. Players shoot digital enemies to release the enemies frequency. Already released in Japan for the Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2, Rez will be in stores on January 8, 2002. New screens below!

Eidos has released a second trailer for Core Design's forthcoming herdy adventure, Herdy Gerdy. “ brimming with originality and innovation, and showcases some of the most fluid animation ever seen in a video game.” Grab the 24.3 Mb trailer here.

LucasArts has released the official PS2 trailer "5.6 Mb" for Star Wars Racer Revenge and the good news is that it looks as if we're in for a visceral combination of high danger and brutal Pod-bound violence packed with special effects. Much of the game's content is revealed here, including an interesting glimpse at some extremely varied tracks, a lot of interaction between Pods and a very brief look at the oddly monikered (not to mention bizarre-looking) pilots that you'll soon be able to get to grips with. The game's not due until the second quarter of this year, but this is definitely a worthwhile download to get your appetite fully whetted.

The Sims: Vacation will be the fourth expansion to The Sims. This new expansion will let players take their sims to a number of different locations, including a beach, a mountain setting, and a wilderness camping area. Maxis has confirmed that they are working on a new expansion for The Sims, but did not confirm any details. A spokesperson said an official announcement would be made next week.

Civ Fanatics let us know that Civilization III will have multiplayer as an add-on and this new "expansion" add-on will be out February or March 2002. Here is a snip from the posting:

According to the Civilization III review on the December issue of the PC GamePlay UK magazine, the multiplayer feature of Civ III will be released as an expansion pack in February or March 2002.

Hundreds of people who bought Microsoft's hot new Xbox gaming console over the holidays received defective systems, and some said they had to wait weeks and endure shoddy customer service before their systems were fixed.

Today on Blizzard's Warcraft III Races Page you can check out, The Archer, a Night Elf Unit in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos..

Infogrames confirms Unreal Tournament 2 in the making by Digital Extremes. As rumored all week online, the co-creators of Unreal and Unreal Tournament are currently working on the sequel to the infamous 1999 Game of the Year... Read more below for full story, game description and key features.

It's like christmas for all Unreal fans nowdays. PlanetUnreal let us know that the Dutch/English site GamePower got 5 new Unreal 2 screens posted on their site. Bring it on.

Fishtank Interactive, a division of Ravensburger Interactive Media, announced today that "Car Tycoon," their unique simulation game for the PC, is now available in retail stores. The first of its kind, this automobile business simulation allows players to design a winning business strategy and conquer the automobile industry.

GamingGroove tossed up an article and some nice links today about the folks that producing the cinematics for WXP's The Lord of the Rings, have released some concept art and still shots from the E3 trailer. Full story here!

30 GOLD screens came at the same time as the Serious Sam: The Second Encounter was announced today. Just hit the Read More link below to enjoy the screens!

Computer and video game publisher Gathering of Developers, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., along with PC developer, Croteam, announced today that "Serious Sam: The Second Encounter" has gone gold. The game is due to arrive on store shelves February 5, 2002.

Earlier today we tossed up 18 screens from Sony's upcoming PS2 title, Virtua Fighter 4. Now we bring you six character renders to check out. Njoy!

The Thing is the upcoming third-person action adventure in the works at Computer Artworks that's based on the classic 1982 horror movie by John Carpenter. Today 3D Gamers tossed up some screens and a movie trailer that sports over three minutes of gameplay and cutscene footage. Bring me there.

THQ Inc. today announced Matchbox Rescue Rigs for PC. This title will mark THQ’s fourth release under the strategic publishing agreement with Mattel, Inc. for both Matchbox and Hot Wheels which was announced in January 2001. As one of the most highly recognized worldwide brands for boys, Mattel’s Matchbox brand has been a household favorite for nearly 50 years. Matchbox Rescue Rigs for PC is scheduled to release in winter 2002.

We just recived 18 screens from the PS2 version title, Virtua Fighter 4. Release date: PS2 - March 2002. Check them out below!

High Voltage Software and Digital Mayhem have released a new 11.6 Mb movie for their 3rd person action X-Box title Hunter: The Reckoning. Grab this movie at Fileplanet.

Blizzard update: Today you can learn about Immolation, an ability of the Demon Hunter, a Night Elf Hero in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

The Belgian site JIM.be posted up the press kit for Unreal Tournament 2 that Infogrames were handing out. Screens here and Artwork here.