In SpellForce II the player takes over the role of the avatar, solving quests and overcoming obstacles as in classical RPGs, but also leads armies as in a RTS. The avatar is supported by up to 5 heroes, who can be summoned at special monuments – these will become available in stronger versions as play progresses. Finally in most scenarios, the player leads one of three factions (Alliance of Light, Hordes of Chaos, Brotherhood of Darkness) and builds bases to gather resources and summon troops at monuments. Read more for details and the first 7 screens ...

Land of Legends, developed by Tiny Hero Game Studios and soon to be published by Shrapnel Games, is an exciting new fantasy strategy game for the Windows OS based on a simple premise: make a strategy title chock full of tactical nuances and deep gameplay, yet easy enough to allow gamers to simply pick it up and play, and pace it so that games can fit into everyone's busy lifestyle.

Football managers rejoice! A thorough evolution in Codemasters' LMA Manager series, the genre-leading football management console game, is coming this October. Promising a defining moment for PS2 and Xbox football management games, LMA Manager 2006 is set to become the star player for the 2005/2006 footy season.

German publisher dtp announced today that City Interactive is working on an addon for its Terrorist Takedown action game, Payback. Scheduled for an April release, Terrorist Takedown: Payback is a standalone expansion pack in which the player once againtakes on the role of GIs fighting against terrorrism. The expansion incorporates various gameplay improvements over the original title and adds 10 new missions, and lets you fly AH 64-Apache, control the .50 caliber humvee machine gun, or take aim with an antitank cannon, all for the low price of $9.99.

Namco announced today that it is celebrating Pac-Man's 25th birthday with the release of Pac-Man World 3 this fall. The latest iteration of the classic series will be available for the PS2, Xbox, NGC, PSP, and PC. Read more for details & screens ...

WildTangent announced today that it is nearing the release of it’s new fantasy adventure game FATE. FATE is the first game of its kind to offer a friendly entry point for the casual gamer, as well as game play depth and infinite replayability for the experienced gaming enthusiast.

Majesco today announced it will publish the video game adaptation of the popular comic book series, The Darkness, for the next generation of consoles. Scheduled for release in 2006, The Darkness is being developed by Starbreeze, the acclaimed development studio behind the top-selling video game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

ArenaNet and NCsoft today announced that Guild Wars will be available across Europe in a special Collectors Edition. In addition to the game itself, the Guild Wars Collectors Edition will contain a full-colour art book, the official music sound track, a Logitech headset, three months' free subscription to the Speakeasy: Teamspeak service and an exclusive in-game item, the Divine Aura.

After much deliberation, Valve has announced the winners of its Half-Life 2: Deathmatch mapping contest. Contest Winner is Scott M Jordan, USA with his dm_Underpass map. Congratulations! First Runner-Up Jonathan Linker, Germany (dm_resistance), second Runner-Up Michael Schulz, Germany (dm_powerhouse) and Honorable Mention Michael Visser, Netherlands (dm_avalon). Read more to check out some screens...

Drawing on the heart-racing intensity and widespread appeal of tournament poker and off-road racing, Majesco today announced Texas Hold 'Em Poker and ATV: Quad Frenzy, two new titles for the Nintendo DS scheduled for later this year.

EGOSOFT today announces the beginning of a new era for the X series of space combat/trading games. The planned expansion for the award winning PC title, X²: The Threat known as X²: The Return has been cancelled. The essence of the expansion pack has been used to give birth to the next generation of X game, in the form of X³: Reunion, the first multi format product, set in the X universe. Read more for details and screens ...

The acclaimed TOCA series will return with every element of motorsport for real in TOCA Race Driver 3, Codemasters announced today. Coming this winter for PS2, Xbox and PC, race drivers will be competing in a massive variety of the world's most aggressive motorsports, complete with explosive damage effects, head-to-head online multiplayer racing and a game engine rebuilt for a greater degree of simulation.

Truck Tycoon is a new generation project of the tycoon genre. The game process consists in organising trucking industry in a competitive environment. The game environment is a landscape with objects such as cities, facilities, roads, motor vehicles, etc. Each facility can manufacture and/or consume some kind of goods. The game objective is to earn profits by fulfilling contracts for the transportation of goods between facilities.

Black Bean announced today it has signed a publishing deal with Haemimont Games for the incoming Rising Kingdoms for PC. Rising Kingdoms is a Real-Time Strategy set in a fantasy world, which focuses on empire development and dynamic tactical battles. This impressive title stays true to Haemimont's long tradition of RTS and RPG type games that started with Tzar: the Burden of the Crown and Celtic Kings series – Celtic Kings: Rage of War and Nemesis of the Roman Empire a.k.a.Imperivm II.

Already revealed early last year, JoWooD Productions and Massive Development todya officially announced the PS2 version of the successful underwater shooter which intensifies the fear of the dark and cold. Aquanox: The Angels Tears is the player's entry into the scaring world of Aqua, the place where his fascinating story takes part.

Groove Games today announced Combat: Task Force 121, a full featured modern military shooter that thrusts gamers into the most elite covert unit of the United States military. Developed by Direct Action Games, founded by the creators of the best-selling SPEC OPS series, and using the Unreal Engine2, Combat: Task Force 121 features state of the art graphics, an immersive storyline and intense multiplayer action on Xbox Live and LAN over PC, all at a value price.

Electronic Arts announced today that Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects under the EA GAMES brand will be released this fall for the PS2, Xbox, GameCube and the PSP. The game will feature Super Heroes from the Marvel Universe as well as a new set of characters created through collaboration with EA and top comic book industry talent.

Starting March 20, when buyers place a deposit for Pokemon Emerald at a participating retailer, they will immediately receive exclusive Battle Gear. In addition to the pre-sell program, the Pokemon Emerald Frontier Battle Brain Contest will test fans' knowledge of all things Pokemon, which will culminate in a competition for a grand prize trip to Pokemon Park in Nagoya, Japan.

Fans now have the best of both worlds with a game that not only captures the 'real' essence of the sport but delivers an unrivalled experience with real racing satisfaction. Formula One 05 boasts all of the official cars, drivers and teams, including the new Turkey Circuit. Driving fans will be able to explore new functions with now interactive pit stops, a variety of new modes and the opportunity to race in the cars that have made Formula One history.

Warfare is a real-time global war simulator with real material and it's devoted to a conflict in the Near East. There are two campaigns, one for the USA, the other for Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the first campaign is taking full control of the region; the second one is coming to power in Saudi Arabia and achieving the withdrawal of all American troops.

Metal Slug has been around for seemingly ages. SNK's little franchise, a wonderful little action game, first impressed gamers on the Neo-Geo, but has since visited other consoles, including the Xbox and PS2; and, in its short lifespan, the Neo-Geo Pocket Color. November 2004 we saw the first Metal Slug on GBA in the Advanced version, some mechanics were changed, no blood and while the game was still great, it wasn't true port from the original game. While no specific details were disclosed yet, SNK's release schedule show it will be be bringing Metal Slug 1 to the GBA, expected winter 2005.

SNK Playmore USA announced that it will release a special Metal Slug 4 & 5 bundle pack for the PS2 and Xbox. The Metal Slug 4 & 5 will ship in early summer 2005 and each will have a suggested retail price of $39.99. Read more for details and screens ...

The first ever 3D version of the most popular fighting franchise in history, The King of Fighters Maximum Impact comes to the Xbox Video Game System. Gamers from around the world will be able to battle it out across the Xbox Live network and play as their favorite SNK character in full 3D with beautifully rendered backgrounds and full flowing animation.

Perpetual Entertainment, developer of the upcoming Star Trek Online, today announced Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, a new massively multi-player game (MMG) designed by Stieg Hedlund, the lead designer of Diablo II. Gods and Heroes is being unveiled at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week and will launch in the fall of this year.

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that Fable: The Lost Chapters is currently in development for Windows and is expected to reach store shelves this fall. Fable: The Lost Chapters will feature a host of enhancements from its top-selling Xbox version, including new quests to conquer, areas to explore, creatures to slay and story elements to discover.