Prowler Productions is pleased to announce that beta tester signup for their upcoming Sci-Fi MMORPG StarLock will begin October 1st. Beta testing itself is slated to start November 1st with the final public release of StarLock planned for January 1st. Please stay tuned for more information on StarLock and on how to register for the beta test as the October 1st signup draws closer. In the meantime, those looking to learn more about StarLock can visit the official website.

Brightstar Entertainment today announced its latest epic space combat simulation, Drift - The Second Stone Age. Developed by Redward Studios, Drift will be available for the PC in October 2002.

Answering the call from thousands of its die-hard Madden NFL Football video game enthusiasts Electronic Arts today announced the creation of the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge, a nationwide, 10-city Tournament to decide the best player of the world's top-selling football video game. Winners from each of the ten Regional Tournaments will be flown to the new Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for the Madden Challenge Finals. The ultimate winner will be invited to attend the famed EA SPORTS Madden Bowl, held every year during Super Bowl week, in San Diego, California.

Sam & Max, interactive entertainment's most beloved canine and rabbit combo, hit the road again first quarter 2004 in a long awaited adventure comedy sequel for Windows PC from LucasArts. The follow up to the critically acclaimed 1993 adventure classic Sam & Max Hit the Road® will dispatch the Freelance Police into a wild world of screwy and vaguely quixotic missions. Each one will be jam packed with nerve-jangling action, brain-busting puzzles, and the kind of easygoing banter one might expect from a talking dog and a naked, hyperkinetic bunny.

Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced a pre-order program for Catz 5 and Dogz 5, the newest editions of its best-selling Petz family. Petz fans can now pre-order both titles through Ubi.com or Amazon.com reserving their copies for when the games hit North American retail shelves in mid-November. Additionally, Ubi Soft announced that anyone purchasing any two Petz 5 titles (two copies of Catz 5 or Dogz 5, or one of each) can also receive a $10 mail-in rebate. Catz 5 and Dogz 5 have an MSRP of $29.99 each.

Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world's largest video game publishers, today announced the forthcoming release of the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder mission pack. In the tradition of its multi-award winning predecessor, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder is expected to blow PC gamers away with its gritty, realistic battlefield action, and is set for release November 2002. Tour of Duty: Cuba. Read more for features and the 3 first screens ...

Donning yellow trousers and mounting a shiny red engine, Monte Cristo today announced the release of Fire Department for PC for November 2002. Fire Department allows players the chance to experience what life is really like as a fire fighter. As captain of their own fire departments, players will be able to choose and train their team of specialists how to fight fires, develop their stress resistance in emergency situations and, most importantly, how to survive emergency call-outs intact. 38 new screens is included below with the announcement!

Fresh off the overwhelmingly successful Pentium 4 Processor Summer Championships, the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) today announced their next major event in the United States - The Pentium 4 Processor Winter Event 2002. Scheduled for December 18th to 22nd at the Dallas Hyatt Regency, the event will bring together the best professional computer gamers on the planet to play Half-Life Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament 2003, and a special Team Fortress Classic tournament.. With over $150,000 being awarded, the Pentium 4 Winter Event will be the largest US gaming event this year.

Agetec, Inc today announced that it has secured the rights to release IREM's sleeper hit, Zettai Zetsumei Toshi, for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system in the United States and Canada. Zettai Zetsumei Toshi, which garnered the #3 ranking in Famitsu Weekly Magazine upon its April release in Japan, will be localized and released under the name Disaster Report. Disaster Report is currently slated to reach store shelves during the fourth quarter of this year.

In FaitH, you get to take on the role of an Emperor who must rule over a Province and an army in order to fulfill a mysterious Divine Quest. Yourself and 24 online players from all around the globe will come together and form a Kingdom, wherein you will work as a team to strategize your way to the top and stand the chance to win prizes from your FaitHful neighbourhood Dragon Claw Studio! FaitH is unlike other web-based games in that it boasts a highly graphic interface, featuring a unique brand of artwork that immerses players into an innovative gaming experience. Plus, if you’ve played FaitH during the beta phase or Era 0, then you’ll be glad to know that Era I features more interactive NPCs, more quests, more locations to discovers on the maps, and a lot more images to behold! To sign up for FaitH, or try out the trial version, simply go to www.dragonclawstudio.com/faith.

Electronic Arts today announced plans to release this September The Sims Deluxe Edition, the definitive version of the top-selling PC game of all time, The Sims. The Sims Deluxe Edition will combine the full version of The Sims, the best-selling Sims expansion pack The SimsLivin' Large, and exclusive new content including the all-new Sim customization tool: The Sims Creator. Translated into 16 different languages, The Sims has inspired five expansion packs; The Sims Livin' Large, The Sims House Party, The Sims Hot Date, The Sims Vacation and, also due out this September, The Sims Unleashed. Combined sales for the franchise have topped 16 million units worldwide.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the Fall 2003 release of Rise to Honor (working title), a fast-paced action-adventure game inspired by the excitement and cinematic styling of the Hong Kong action movie genre, developed exclusively for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. Created by Sony Computer Entertainment America's Foster City Studio in collaboration with action star Jet Li (The One, Kiss of the Dragon, Lethal Weapon 4, The Bodyguard from Beijing, Fist of Legend, Shaolin Temple), Rise to Honor will immerse players into a chain of lethal missions that extend from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

LucasArts today announced Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga, which gathers the popular real-time strategy Windows PC game Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds and its dynamic Episode II mission expansion Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns in a single package. The value oriented Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga, expected to release this October, will challenge players with more than 50 battle campaigns representing the classic and prequel Star Wars universe.

Activision, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into an agreement with the U.K. - based developer, Team 17, to publish the highly anticipated title Worms 3 and an additional yet-to-be-announced Worms title. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision has acquired multi-platform worldwide publishing and distribution rights for the game, excluding PC rights in Korea, Taiwan and China.

Booster Pack is additional game-play and add-ons which is: 1. too big in megabytes to patch and 2. too small in content for an expansion pack. In addition to some beautiful graphic updates and new sounds, the first booster pack for Anarchy Online will feature land control. Read more below for full story from Funcom's Anarchy-Online Game Director, Gaute Godager, 'Behind The Scenes' !

Radon Labs, developers of the upcoming action/adventure game Project Nomads, announced its latest project for Xbox and PC platforms, Schwarzenberg.

Microsoft Game Studios Announces 'Halo 2' and 'Project Gotham Racing 2,' Highly Anticipated Sequels to Top-Selling Xbox Games.. Microsoft Corp. today announced at the X02 North America event that "Halo 2" and "Project Gotham Racing 2," sequels to best-selling Xbox games from Microsoft Game Studios, are in development for the Xbox video game system. "Halo 2," developed by Bungie Studios, is expected to arrive on store shelves for the 2003 holiday season, and "Project Gotham Racing 2," developed by Bizarre Creations, is due in early 2004.

Rage, one of the UK's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, is pleased to announce its line up of titles to be shown on stand 1546 at ECTS 2002, Europe's premier interactive entertainment expo, taking place at London’s Earl’s Court from 29-31 August. Titles on display for the Sony PlayStation2, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube include Rocky, Crashed, Twin Caliber, Rolling and Lamborghini.

On the heels of a few highlights at this year's E3 in Los Angeles, JoWooD Productions now surprises experts by announcing the new RTS Against Rome. Against Rome takes players to the darkest of Europe during the age of the migration of peoples. That part of the continent which, at the time, was not controlled by the Roman Empire, served as the habitat of countless uncivilized peoples, and was called "Barbaricum" by the Romans.

Rage, one of the UK's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, is pleased to announce that it has been invited by Sony Computer Entertainment to participate at the forthcoming PlayStation Experience event taking place at London’s Earl’s Court from 29-31 August. Rage will be unveiling several exciting PlayStation 2 titles at the event, including Rocky, Crashed, Twin Caliber, Rolling and the world exclusive first showing of Lamborghini. Read full pressrelease below and check out the new Twin Caliber and Lamborghini candy!

Stan Winston Studio, home of four-time Academy Award-winning special effects legend Stan Winston, and Midway Games Inc. a leading software industry publisher and developer, have teamed in a development association for Midway's action-adventure videogame tentatively titled, AREA 51. In addition, Stan Winston Productions has secured the exclusive motion picture rights for the project. AREA 51 is currently in development and scheduled to ship in 2004 for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube.

Rock Solid Studios announce the development of Tremors for PC, PS2, Xbox and GameCube. The game is published by Conspiracy Entertainment. Tremors is based on the successful Tremors movie franchise, created by Universal Pictures and Stampede Entertainment. The game is a third person action adventure set in the desert around the town of Gold Rock, where Graboids - gigantic landsharks threatens mankind. Players will experience an immersive storyline, filled with surprises and challenges in combination with high-octane action. The game is scheduled for release during the fall of 2003.

Activision, Inc. is bringing the sounds of surf culture to its latest O2 action sports title, Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer, with a diverse soundtrack featuring some of today’s hottest artists. Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer will be available for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance this summer, and will feature a lot of artists and tracks. Find out more below!

Activision, Inc. announced today that the company has acquired the publishing and distribution rights to Gungrave for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system in Europe and Australia/New Zealand. A third person, all action game featuring anime-style cel-shaded graphics, Gungrave was developed by Red Entertainment™ of Japan, and is expected to ship winter 2002.

Codeco is proud to announce the development of their new online strategy game, "StarShift: The Zaran Legacy". StarShift: The Zaran Legacy will please strategy fans with its captivating atmosphere and its ease of use, which will provide an incredibly dynamic experience to players.