Atari will bring Boiling Point: Road to Hell, previously known as Xenus, to the personal computer in Spring 2005. Boiling Point: Road to Hell will combine intense armed combat with exploration and interaction with a vast and seamless open-ended gaming world. Boiling Point: Road to Hell is in development by Ukrainian developer Deep Shadows and is scheduled for release in Spring 2005.

Atari has announced three new Backyard Sports titles shipped to retail stores nationwide today, including Backyard Skateboarding and Backyard Hockey 2005 (PC) and Backyard Basketball (GBA).

Atari has announced a "RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Pre-Order Campaign" and demo program, which allows consumers who reserve a copy of RT3 to download three professionally designed coasters that were created exclusively for the game. A playable demo of the game will be available for download on Monday, September 27th at www.atari.com/rollercoastertycoon and on partner sites.

Atari today announced Atari Anthology, a round up of 85 vintage Atari games being released for the first time for the PS2 and Xbox. Capturing the nostalgia and sheer fun of the original video game revolution, Atari Anthology is scheduled to hit retail shelves in November for $19.99, making it irresistible for holiday shoppers.

Atari held their summer press event last week, and here are a deluge of screens from the titles that were presented:

• Act of War: Direct Action
• Axis and Allies
• Chris Sawyer's Locomotion
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
• Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury
• Dragonshard
• Dungeons & Dragons Online
• Godzilla: Save the Earth
• Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
• Sid Meier's Pirates
• Terminator 3: The Redemption
• Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament
• 
  
  Click "Read More" to check them out!

Atari announce the release of Bandai's Digimon Rumble Arena 2 for the PlayStation2, GameCube and the Xbox. From October 2004, the Digimon will go at each other for the second time in a frenzied four-way fight to reign supreme.

As you read this Atari’s Driv3r will have be in the shops and being played in homes across the world after it’s worldwide release. If you’ve played it already you’ll no doubt be aware that the game is a huge disappointment and certainly not the Grand Theft Auto beater that the hype may have had you believe. Folk out there playing the game will be aware of it, and judging by Atari’s actions over the last week they are also very aware of it.

Atari, Inc. today announced that it has shipped 2.5 million units of its highly anticipated DRIV3R to retails outlets worldwide (that doesnt mean they actually "sold" that many though ed.). Since DRIV3R hit store shelves on June 21 in the U.S. and June 22 in Europe and Australia, consumer demand has been extremely strong.

Atari, Inc. and fashion pioneer Marc Ecko, creator and founder of the urban lifestyle brand Ecko Unltd. and publisher of COMPLEX magazine, are joining forces to create the first truly authentic video game based on urban culture and graffiti art. A sneak peek at Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure will be available exclusively at Atari's booth at the E3 in Los Angeles May 12-14. In graffiti terms, "getting up" means getting your name (or tag) out and visible.

Last week we had the chance to attend an Atari Pre E3 event where we had the chance to see the new lineup in action. Some products are to be revealed later on this week but so far today we have new screens for :

• Terminator 3: The Redemption (NGC/PS2/Xbox)
• Locomotion (PC)
• RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC)
• ShadowOps: Red Mercury (PS2/Xbox/PC)
• Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PS2)
• Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament (PS2) - Screens
• Sid Meier's Pirates! - Screens (PC) - Screens
• Godzilla: Save the Earth (PS2) - Screens
• 'Transformers' (PS2) - Screens
• 'Driv3r' (PS2/Xbox) - Screens

Acknowledging the global demand for and success of the Dragon Ball Z video game franchise, Atari today announced its DBZ lineup for 2004. The two titles, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 for the PlayStation2 and Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors for Game Boy Advance, find Goku and his fellow Z-Warriors in a new realm of challenges and missions.

Highlighting the entertainment industry relationships that have become its hallmark, Atari, Inc. today announced an ongoing cross promotional collaboration with Universal Motown Records Group, which will tie-in ReAlign/Universal's hot new band, DROPBOX, with Atari's highly anticipated TRANSFORMERS video game for the PlayStation2, based on Hasbro, Inc.'s popular TRANSFORMERS brand.

Atari, Inc. today announced the launch of the Company's first online software service that delivers its back-catalog titles over the Internet to Atari fans worldwide. The service will distribute the software to personal computers in pure digital form, bypassing the need to install from a disk. Unlimited access to Atari's growing e-catalog of games, productivity software, and kids' software is available at www.atariondemand.com for a monthly fee of $14.95.

WizardWorks better know for its record selling Deer Hunter series has apparaently been shut down by Atari in order to streamline operations. WizardWorls was purchased by GT Interactive in the mid 90's, which on its own was then purchased by Infogrames, now Atari. The closure affected 19 people who will most likely be transferred to other Atari departments. No titles have been cancelled or dropped as the Minneapolis Studio (internal Atari name for WizardWorks) had no dedicated titles in production, a0nd publishing responsibilities have been transferred to another office. Previously, Atari also closed their Hunt Valley studio, and most recently Legend Entertainment. You can read the full story over at Gamespot.

Noticed on VE3D that Legend Entertainment has today been shut down by the powers that be at Atari, according to credible sources. Legend recently completed work on the XMP addon, which added an excellent multiplayer mode to Unreal 2. This was released free on the internet for existing owners of Unreal 2 and also in a special edition version of the game that was released recently. The patch that is currently being tested will be released and that the master server for the game will continue to operate. The LEgend Ent. website has already been taken offline and the Unreal 2 Xbox port (developed by Tantalus) is still on track for release. No Atari representative could be reached for comments, no surprise there... Thanks Andy!

Further extending its already deep ties within the entertainment community, Atari, Inc. today unveiled another "convergence first" between Hollywood and the interactive entertainment company. Atari announced that it has retained Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) - the commercial production company owned and run by legendary filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott - to produce an original three-minute live-action film inspired by Atari's highly anticipated upcoming game, DRIV3R. The film short, which is the first of its kind in the video game industry, is titled "Run The Gauntlet" and will be the core component of both the DRIV3R web site, www.DRIV3R.com, and an extensive marketing and advertising campaign for DRIV3R being launched globally by Atari, beginning in late January.

Atari has signed a blockbuster Hollywood cast to lend voices to its greatly anticipated video game, DRIV3R, scheduled for release in Spring 2004. Michael Madsen, Ving Rhames, Mickey Rourke and Michelle Rodriguez will play the lead roles in the third installment of the gritty, crime-fighting Driver video game series, one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. DRIV3R is being developed by Atari's Reflections Interactive for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft.

As the annual holiday shopping season kicks into gear, Atari, Inc. today announced its 2003 Holiday Lineup, which represents one of the strongest in the Company's history, and features several titles that are already exceeding the Company's expectations... Check the lineup below!

Neverwinter Nights, developed by BioWare Corp. and published by Atari, under license from Hasbro, Inc., has captured the minds and hearts of PC gamers worldwide with one of the most captivating Dungeons & Dragons role-playing experiences to ever grace a computer screen. Based in the Forgotten Realms, created and published by Wizards of the Coast, the Neverwinter Nights Gold Edition game will give gamers a chance to rediscover the magic, extend the experience or even explore it anew this November.

Atari announced today that the first new Pajama Sam and Putt-Putt adventure titles to be created by the renowned children's software developer Humongous Entertainment, Pajama Sam: Life is Rough When You Lose Your Stuff and Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise, have shipped to retail stores nationwide. Starring two of the most beloved PC characters of all time, Pajama Sam: Life is Rough When You Lose Your Stuff and Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise, feature Sam, the boy turned superhero once he dons his red cape, and the loveable purple convertible, Putt-Putt, and good friend Pep, the dog in their fourth and seventh adventures, respectively.

At Futuris Powerplay many big names will show their upcoming or recent releases for different platforms. Atari today announced which games will be playable at the show; these include "full products" but also several "preview games"; games which will not be releases in the near future.

Atari today announced that Beyblade: Super Tournament Battle for the Nintendo GameCube video game system has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. Based on the Japanese sensation that has become a hit TV series and a blockbuster line of Hasbro toys, Super Tournament Battle invites legions of fans to become active competitors and live the complete Beyblade experience on console.

Atari is bringing all the action and intrigue of the "Mission: Impossible" movie franchise to video games with "Mission: Impossible - Operation Surma" (been known for a while) for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Developed by Atari's Paradigm Entertainment and scheduled for release in November, "Mission: Impossible -- Operation Surma" provides players with a chance to become IMF super agent Ethan Hunt in the stealth action game of the year.

Also Atari has a bunch of interesting titles coming up in the near future. So far we got following screens from ECTS (more to be added as they drop in):

• Driver 3 (PS2/Xb)
• Unreal II: The Awakening (Xb)
• Kya: Dark Lineage (PS2)
• Risk: Global Domination (PS2)
• Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon (PS2)
  
  Also a few days back from the 'Atari's Gamer Day' we posted up following screens (same screens they show up at ECTS), worth checking out:
  
  
• Civilization 3: Conquests (PC)
• Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)
• T3: War Of The Machines (PC)
• Once Upon A Knight (PC)
• Hordes of the Underdark (PC)
• Gothic II (PC)
• Temple Of Elemental Evil (PC)
• Dead Man's Hand (Xbox)
• DragonBall Z: Budokai 2 (PS2)
• Shadow Ops: Red Mercury
• 
  
  You find the Atari's Gamer Day screens here, read more for the ECTS screens!

Atari had their annual gamer day last week where they presented their lineup of upcoming titles. Today we have screens for most of those products, such as:

• Civilization 3: Conquests (PC)
• Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)
• T3: War Of The Machines (PC)
• Once Upon A Knight (PC)
• Hordes of the Underdark (PC)
• Gothic II (PC)
• Temple Of Elemental Evil (PC)
• Dead Man's Hand (Xbox)
• DragonBall Z: Budokai 2 (PS2)
• Shadow Ops: Red Mercury