Tri Synergy announced today that it will release Purge, an online-only title that delivers a compelling combination of first-person-shooter gameplay and role-playing character development in Q1 2003. Developed by Freeform Interactive LLC, Purge immerses players in a strife-torn world that blends science fiction and fantasy. In Purge, players will find themselves engrossed in a war between two opposing forces, the Order (humans genetically modified to scientific perfection) and the Chosen (religious believers who reject all forms of technology).

Ubi Soft Entertainment announces the immediate availability of Scrabble 2003 Edition for the PC. This follows the successful launch of Junior Scrabble in November 2002 and precedes Scrabble for Sony PlayStation 2 scheduled for Q1 2003.

Atari Interactive today announced they will be releasing the much-anticipated hit Japanese game Ikaruga for the Nintendo GameCube next generation console system. With an MSRP of $39.99, Ikaruga is expected to land in America in April 2003. Read more for details ...

Not that it was a secret anymore but Activision today finally announced the development of Rome: Total War for the PC, the next game to be released in the Total War series and the follow-up title to The Creative Assembly's multi-award winning Medieval: Total War. In the game players return to the golden age of antiquity to take command of the most fearsome armies in a bid to rewrite the annals of history and be proclaimed Imperator.

Infogrames, a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment software, is proud to announce that its hugely successful V-Rally franchise is hitting the Nintendo Gamecube system. Following on from the unprecedented success of the PlayStation 2 version and the impending release of the Xbox version, V-Rally 3 on Gamecube will hit the streets in June 2003.

Aggressive tackling, mesmerising flicks and scorching goals are guaranteed as Acclaim Entertainment Ltd announces the launch of Urban Freestyle Soccer. Developed by Silicon Dreams, this action-packed four-on-four football feast encompasses everything that's great about the beautiful game by taking it back to the streets and combining silky skills with hard-edged extreme rules to deliver end-to-end, arcade-style action. Urban Freestyle Soccer will be released in Autumn 2003 on PC, PlayStation2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube.

Last year, 2015 released one of the more exceptional World War II first person shooters - Medal of Honor Allied Assault - on January 22, 2002. On the anniversary of that release, Vivendi Universal Games announced today the development of Men of Valor: Vietnam for the PC and the Xbox. Men of Valor: Vietnam, developed by 2015, Inc. and published by Sierra Entertainment, is a historical first-person shooter that portrays infantry combat during the Vietnam War. Combining the latest Unreal technology with the gameplay expertise of 2015, Men of Valor transports the player to the humid jungles of Southeast Asia in the most controversial conflict of the modern era. Read more for details and the first few stunning looking screens!

Flying Lab Software just announced Pirates of the Burning Sea, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game set in the Caribbean islands of the 18th Century. You play a bold sea captain, master of your own ship and crew, as you seek glory and adventure across the trackless deep.. Flying Lab let us know that the game will let thousands of players take on the role of a pirate and sail the seas. Read more for features and a few new screens ...

Capcom Entertainment announce four Nintendo GameCube titles, Dead Phoenix, Killer 7, P.N.03 and Resident Evil 4 each promising to take interactive entertainment to a whole new level. This impressive line up of games will have players exploring the far reaches of the sky, fighting futuristic enemy mechs, assuming the role of an assassin with seven different personas, and investigating the origin of the progenitor virus. P.N.03 is scheduled to release this summer, Dead Phoenix this fall, Killer 7 in 2004, and the release date for Resident Evil 4 is TBD. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for all four titles is pending. (thanks GameSpyDaily)

Callisto Interactive would like to present their first game - The Polaris Project, a 1st person action adventure PC game being developed using the open source game engine - Genesis3D. Working in association with Hostway UK, they aim to develop market and publish the game them selves. Their main aim is to build up a large supportive community to provide ideas and support while their team of 4 enthusiastic friends exploit their talents developing the game itself.

Noticed on Bluesnews that the German Anno 1503 Homepage has word that "Die Demo ist da," or that the German demo version of SUNFLOWERS' city-building trading strategy prequel is now available. This playable demo version for Anno 1503 contains four different game modes and scenarios. In two introduction games the player learns the first steps of establishing a settlement, discovering of civilizations, the trade with natives and the setting-up of commercial routes. When the two introduction games are successfully completed, 2 new scenarios ("settling" and "fight") will unlock. Read more for links where to download it ...

THQ Inc. today announced that Disney Princesses for Game Boy Advance is currently in development and is scheduled to release in Spring 2003. The game is based on the Disney Princess characters in Disney's animated classic films "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Sleeping Beauty," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin."

UK Based Independent Games developer Positech Computing announced today the release of their arcade/strategy game Planetary Defense. Planetary Defense puts you in charge of a variety of worlds, defending them against enemy attack. You have to defend against missiles, laser equipped satellites, cloaked starships, multiple-warhead rockets and flaming meteors, by guiding defensive missiles to their targets. On some levels you have multiple orbiting moons, complete with their own bases and space colonies, ships evacuating your planet to defend, and energy shields that keep the enemy rockets at bay. Its also possible for enemy fire to disable the all-important radar... Screens, gameinfo and demo is available here!

Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. has announced that its award-winning, top-selling arcade racing video game Burnout 2: Point of Impact will be available for Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube in the spring. Developed by Criterion Games Limited, Burnout 2: Point of Impact received worldwide praise for its release on the PlayStation 2 from both media and consumers alike.

Bits Studios, together with NDA Productions, a studio of Vivendi Universal Games today announce that New York's unluckiest cop, John McClane, returns in a new adventure on PS 2. The first-person action adventure Die Hard: Vendetta - in which McClane fights to save his kidnapped daughter - is being developed under licence from Fox Interactive, and will be released in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Interplay and Vivendi Universal Games today announced the development of Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward for the PS2. Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward, developed by High Voltage Software, continues the story of the successful action adventure franchise Hunter: The Reckoning. High-speed action combined with top-notch graphics translate the dark fantasy world of the White Wolf role-playing game and bring the essence of the game to life, fully submerging the player into the realm of The World of Darkness. Wayward comes to the PS2 this summer with an all new story, game-play features, weapons and terrifying monsters.

Midway Sports announced today that MLB SlugFest 20-04 is currently in development for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

THQ today announced that its critically acclaimed action game Red Faction II will be coming to Nintendo Gamecube, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and PC in March. Featuring an enhanced Geo-ModTM engine that allows players to strategically alter and destroy the game environment in real-time, Red Faction II expands and builds upon the experience and technology of the original game with blistering action, an engaging storyline, highly detailed graphics and a number of multi-player options.

Games development is set to get cheaper and quicker, following the announcement today of a new development tool for the Nintendo GameCube, by SN Systems Ltd, the leading provider of development tools to the console games industry. The new hardware, developed as part of a collaboration between SN Systems and Nintendo, can be used with SN's development tools "ProDG for Nintendo GameCube" to build, debug, view and optimise games.

The stars are coming together for a great cause ­ TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF EACH OTHER! Gotham Games has released the list of sacrificial celebs who have signed on to lend their likeness to MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch, a new game coming later this year to the PS2, Xbox, PSOne and GameCube. Based on the gore-filled, MTV claymation hit, MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch will feature digitally rendered versions of teeny-boppers, tabloid princesses and other notorious superstars. Read more for details ...

Entertainment software publisher NovaLogic, Ltd. today announced the release of the official single player demo for Highland Warriors. Featuring two single player missions from the Mackay and Cameron clans campaigns, the 154 MB playable demo lets gamers re-enact the Scottish battle for freedom. The demo will be available for download from www.novalogic.com.

Atari today announced that the World of Greyhawk, one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings of all time, will make its first interactive appearance with the upcoming release of "Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil." Developed by Troika, creators of the critically acclaimed "Arcanum", "Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil" will feature an exciting party-based single player campaign, an engaging storyline based on the classic D&D adventure of the same name as well as a faithful translation of the latest 3rd Edition rules. Read more for details ...

Activision, Inc. today announced an expansion pack for Medieval: Total War, the critically acclaimed PC strategy game which was honored as the top PC game of all time by PC Gamer (UK). Developed by The Creative Assembly, Medieval: Total War - Viking Invasion turns the clock back to 790AD, when the Viking hordes descended from their Scandinavian strongholds to pillage their neighbors. This is not the Rome : Total War from Creative Assembly but a mere addon for the original game.

Nintendo today unveils the latest incarnation of the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP. Guaranteed to meet the needs of the hippest gamers who demand premium quality both in design and technology, this sleek new addition to the range is set to launch in Europe on 28 March 2003.

An entirely new computer role-playing system is already in development at CrossCut Games! CrossCut Games is taking all the great parts of their past efforts, pulling out all the stops, ramping up the graphics, charging up the game editor, electrifying the thrill and blasting into a brand new gaming experience. This time rather than travel the well-trod road of fantasy themes, CrossCut Games is rocketing out in the direction of hard sci-fi. In RuneSword 3: Worlds Apart, laser rifles, alien planet-scapes, fantastic creatures and stellar mysteries abound in a story brimming with adventure. Read more for features and a CrossCut Games developer Q&A.