Adorable and heart-warming Hamtaro and his hamster pals, the Ham-Hams, are coming to America! ShoPro USA, an affiliate of Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro), will introduce one of Japan's hottest children's properties, Hamtaro, to kids across the United States this Summer. ShoPro, one of the leaders in the development of children's entertainment in Japan, is also a subsidiary of one of Japan's largest publishing companies, Shogakukan, Inc.

Empire Interactive has announced that Antonio Fargas, aka Huggy Bear, has been signed for the in-game voice-overs and to help promote the PlayStation 2 and PC versions of its new “Starsky & Hutch” game. Helping Starsky and Hutch clean up the streets, Huggy was present in almost every episode of the hugely popular 70’s show.

As a result of its aggressive pre-launch awareness programs and strong retailer support, Infogrames, Inc. today announced that the initial shipment of its highly acclaimed Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku for the Game Boy Advance will surpass the 300,000 unit mark, making it the largest Game Boy Advance launch in company history. Already acclaimed by the video game media and bolstered by tremendous consumer demand, Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku is shipping to more than 20,000 retail outlets nationwide on May 14.

Gaming industry analysts report that Sony Entertainment of America will lower the price of the PlayStation 2 console to $199 as early as tomorrow, with the PSOne price being lowered to $49 (Thanks Gamespy). Click 'Read More' for more info.

Punch King, is a new boxing game for the Game Boy Advance in the spring. Punch King is being developed by Full Fat, the heralded developer of the Company's premier Game Boy Advance title, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, which has been extremely well received by consumers and the media. New screens below!

Next week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), in Los Angeles, Sony Online Entertainment reinforces its commitment to multiplayer online gaming with the announcement of a ground breaking lineup, including: EverQuest: The Planes of Power, PlanetSide and EverQuest II. Capitalizing on its game expertise and well-known properties SOE also announced that the company will be taking its popular EverQuest property to the console audience with the upcoming EverQuest Online Adventures for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. In addition, SOE will become an official PlayStation 2 developer, specializing in massively multiplayer online games, an entirely new genre for the console player. SOE will be expanding massively multiplayer games into new genres with PlanetSide and Star Wars Galaxies, both of which are currently in development.

Nintendo of America Inc. unveiled plans for its online gaming initiative for NINTENDO GAMECUBE, slated to begin this fall. The first announced product is Sega's Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II launching this fall in North America. Sega's game will be playable at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) starting May 22 in Los Angeles.

Midway announced today that a revamped version of the classic game, SpyHunter, will ship tomorrow for the Game Boy Advance. SpyHunter is available now for the PS2, the Xbox and the GameCube. Check the screens!

Unreal Tournament 2003 is the sequel to 1999's multiple 'Game of the Year' award winner. It uses the very latest Unreal Engine technology - where graphics, sound and gameplay are taken beyond the bleeding edge. The official website has just been opened, not a lot of "new" stuff there but it DOES contain some sweet looking screens, info and a FAQ!

Activision, Inc. and Raven Software’s Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix has gone gold and is on its way to manufacturing. The sequel to the award winning Soldier of Fortune, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix drops players into the ranks of America’s shadow soldiers in a gritty and intense battle for survival. Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is rated M for MATURE (17 and above) for animated blood, violence and gore. To celebrate this most excellent news we added a mere 20 screenshots for your enjoyment! Bring it on!

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, the Tokyo based parent of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced that cumulative world-wide factory shipments of the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system had reached 30 million units.

Eidos Interactive announces its lineup for the forthcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), held May 22-24 in Los Angeles, California. The key featured games on Eidos’ stand include: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PS2/PC); TimeSplitters 2 (PS2/Xbox/GameCube); Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (PC/Xbox/PS2); Praetorians (PC) and Deus Ex 2: Invisible War (PC/Xbox). The Eidos stand (#1300) will be located in the South Hall.

This tutorial was written using the MP Beta Test and assuming you have Photoshop, ModView, a good digital camera or scanner, lots of skills & patience. Check it out!

Test your skills playing "Star Wars Jedi Knight® II – Jedi Outcast" by using the Force to destroy 12 opponents. Plus, you’ll get a chance to win some very cool prizes (Win over $60.000 in prizes)! Register today to join our largest Gateway Gaming Challenge to date!

Akaei announces that it is to publish Earth 2150: Lost Souls, the third Real Time Strategy (RTS) title in the Smash hit Earth 2150 series. Both previous 2150 titles received critical acclaim and scooped a mass of awards.

After POMPEII, Cryo and Mindscape introduces the second episode of the Adrian Blake trilogy. Some facts, info, screens and art to "enlighten" you ;)

The 21st century, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. The USS Shark, a nuclear submarine on an exploration mission, detects a strange echo on its sonar. No one on board can identify it – is it a creature from the depths or a man-made creation? One thing is sure, never in living memory has a sonar operator ever heard anything like it. The crew of the Shark is divided: should they go and investigate or wait and observe? The Secret of the Nautilus - inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - is released for PC CD-Rom priced £29.99 in May 2002.

Stealth Combat is a tactical action game for PC CD-Rom set in the near future, where a war is raging between the EMA (Economic and Military Alliance) and the Great Empire. Choose your side and immerse yourself in more than 25 infiltration, reconnaissance or destruction based missions in the cockpit of the best mobile military equipment the Special Forces have to offer. Stealth Combat is released in June 2002, priced £34.99.

THQ Inc. announced that it will unveil "Red Faction II" at the (E3) in Los Angeles on May 22. Developed exclusively for the PS2 by THQ's studio, Volition, "Red Faction II" is the sequel to one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed original game franchises of 2001. Featuring an enhanced Geo-Mod engine that allows players to strategically alter and destroy the game environment in real-time, "Red Faction II" builds upon the experience and technology of the original game with more blistering action, highly detailed graphics, new multi-player options and an engaging storyline. "Red Faction II" is scheduled to release in holiday 2002.

Free Mind Software turns back the clock for strategy games with Knights of the Cross. Based on a period in time surprisingly undiscovered by the gaming industry, the 15th Century conflicts between the Polish and German nations, KotC revives a game format that many will follow: that of the turn based strategy game.

In an attempt to come up with something different to the normal Role-Playing features of magic, fiction, quasi science fiction, and strange creatures, the setting of Another War is a possible first for the genre: that of W.W.II, possibly the darkest era in our history. Although using 1940 as the period, Another War can be compared with games such as ‘Diablo’ and ‘Planescape Torment’. Njoy the screens & expect a preview SOON!

The renowned UK development veterans, The Bitmap Brothers, creators of hit titles across almost every generation of hardware today announced a significant internal restructure to allow for expansion and diversification across current and future products and platforms.

Black Element Software under the direction of Bohemia Interactive Studio (developers of the award winning Operation Flashpoint) brings you a new epic in horror action/adventure that will extend the rules of gaming entertainment. Utilising the smart, original 3D engine, the cinematic storytelling is spiced with a thrilling atmosphere.

THQ, developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, wireless devices and those manufactured by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will be at the biggest trade show (E3) for interactive entertainment, being held May 22-24, 2002 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre