GameStop announced today that it would buy rival Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. for $1.44 billion in cash and stock, likely creating the leading video game retailer in the United States. Electronics Boutique stock jumped 29 percent, while GameStop shares fell 1.6 percent in early trading.

Midway announced today that Unreal Championship 2, the latest entry in the long established Unreal franchise and the sequel to Unreal Championship (2002), has shipped for the Xbox.

TT Superbikes will feature on the channel around the launch along with a strong presence at this year's TT event in June. There will be several promotions including prize give-away copies of the game to Men and Motors viewers. The game will also feature the Men and Motors Suzuki superbike, which will race at this year's event. Read more for details and screens ...

Buena Vista Games announced today the development of new video game titles based on the highly anticipated feature film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," scheduled for release in Summer 2006.

Europe 1942. These are desperate hours for Allied forces as the Nazi war machine rages across a devastated European landscape. You are US Army Lieutenant William Holt, hand-picked by William “Wild Bill” Donovan to be the first field agent of the newly formed Office of Strategic Services­the OSS. Medal of Honor European Assault makes you the driving force in the struggle to liberate Europe.

Boiling Point: Road to Hell, previously known as Xenus, 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.

NASCAR 2006 is expected somewhere in August and instead of the "you vs. the rest of the pack," it will now focus on team play. NASCAR 2006 will allow you to be part of a racing team, give commands, switching over to other cars in your team (especially useful in case you wreck your own ride), and of course slightly updated graphics. Your team members will either like or dislike you, depending on your action on the track.

NCAA Football 2006 is the latest iteration in EA's college football franchise, and one of the new features will be the Race for the Heisman. The new mode allows you to create a profile and work your way up through the stats, including perks to pimp out your college dorm room, and once your won the trophy, eventually you will be able to get drafted by the NFL, and transfer your character, and his stats, over to continue your football career in Madden NFL 2006. More details later ...

Tony Tough 2 acts as a prequel to 2003's Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths. In this 3D point & click adventure game you get to Tony at the age of 13, and he has his first case to solve. Under development at ProGraph, and published by dtp, Tony Tough 2 is scheduled for release in April 2005. Not much info available at this point, but we do have some new screens...

Announced last month, then delayed earlier this month, the latest BFME community update reveals that the v1.02 is almost ready and is currently in Quality Assurance testing. While the new patch will address numerous technical issues, the core of this patch will revolve around further balancing the 4 playable factions, in order to push The Battle for Middle-earth towards a more challenging and intriguing experience. The production of patch 1.02 has been largely influenced by community & fan sites feedback, top players, and dedicated fans. Read more for a detailed fix list ...

As a follow-up to our SAG vs. publishers article from earlier this week, representatives of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and a group of video game publishers have agreed to extend the current interactive agreements to May 13, 2005. Discussions on successor interactive agreements are continuing. A press blackout remains in effect (thanks Blues). By extending the previous agreement, which expired last Friday, an immediate strike was avoided.

3000AD front man Derek Smart announced that the UCAWA has gone gold and will be available in two versions, retail and downloadable. Universal Combat: A World Apart gives hardcore fans an enhanced "Battlecruiser" experience, keeping the flavour of combat, but utilizing newer technologies. Universal Combat: A World Apart, the second title in the Universal Combat series will be published by Dreamcatcher and released globally for PC in May 2005.

It seems rumors from earlier this month about a possible resurrection of Prey are becoming more and more legit. Shacknews uncovered that 2KGames has re-launched the official Prey website, with a hidden message in the web code pointing to a worldwide unveiling in next month's PC Gamer issue. 3DRealms' George Broussard further confirms all of this by opening the Prey forums on the company's website, which also reveals that the game is being developed by Human Head Studios, previously known for Blair Witch 3, Rune, Dead Man's Hand. Prey, using the Doom 3 engine, will be on display at E3, but at the ATi booth instead of the 2KGames stand.

Crave Entertainment announced today the release the first handheld version of the Tokyo Xtreme Racer series with Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance for GBA. For fans of Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero and Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3, Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance will take players beyond the open roads of Tokyo and onto the motorways of London and the freeways of Los Angeles.

For the first time in 10 years, the Madden NFL Football franchise is overhauling its passing game. The new QB Vision Control lets you scan the field, look off defenders, and make perfect throws within your quarterback’s unique field of vision. QB Precision Placement will let you put the ball exactly where you want it. Lead the receiver into the open field or throw a jump ball and let your receiver go get it.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Phantom Grove"... Map info: "An ancient horror lurks in these twisting paths turning away all but the most stalwart of champions. These would-be heroes enter confidently, seeking battle and adventure to immortalize their legacy... but none have returned." This is a small sized map and the suggested no. of players is 1v1 or 2v2. It is based on the "Lordaeron Summer" tileset. Go download it here!

SpecForce is Techland's latest futuristic tactical shooter with a plot connected to already known Chrome. Game development has been underway for some time now, and will use an optimized Chrome Engine. Read more for some new screens ...

NASCAR SimRacing is the perfect combination of realism, true racing ‘feel’, depth, and advanced EA SPORTS presentation. This update primarily addresses scoring and rules related problems that have been brought to EA's attention for both single and multiplayer modes. The update does however include fixes for some other areas and also includes the new Dodge Charger for the NEXTEL Cup Series - 2005.

Activision has sent us a pleasant surprise tonight, just for your weekend enjoyment, the first Quake IV screen in quite a while. We also have some updated info on the backstory of the game. Read more and check out the goods ...

Coded Arms is a first person shooter in where you take the role of a computer hacker who infiltrates the abandoned virtual reality system. Gamers will use weapons and power-ups that they discover while exploring the expansive single player mode. Coded Arms will also utilize the PSP handheld system's wireless capabilities for multiplayer action for up to four people.