TrackMania Sunrise, the legitimate heir to the throne, is shifting up a gear. Sunrise moves faster, handles better and features improved air-control – vital for making the massive jumps – to ensure that gameplay never moves at anything less than fast. And it's all about the gameplay.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power seems to reveal quite a few of interesting facts. In a listing of upcoming Namco titles it seems that last years hit title Katamari Damaci might be making an appearance on the NDS, but also EA's Goldeneye Rogue Agent is scheduled. Further more there are also the first details about Age of Empires: The Age of Kings, to be published by Majesco. AoE II will of course utilize both screens, bottom will show the game map for playing and controlling the units, while the top view will be used for game info and characteristics. The game will feature 5 civilizations, 15 different buildings that can be constructed and upgrade, 50 unit types, and also wi-fi multiplayer for up to 4 people, which is said to be powered by GameSpy.

Dave Jaffe, creator of the 'Twisted Metal' franchise and the upcoming PS2 action adventure title 'God of War,' will meet with fans at EB Games' Universal Citywalk Store on Tuesday, March 22nd from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.'God of War' puts players into the role of Kratos, an ex-Spartan warrior, as a story unfolds in ancient times with various plot twists that take them through explosive aggressive gameplay, fused with traps, stunts, and story-driven puzzles.

When Microsoft releases the Xbox 2, presumably this year, it plans to include a storefront that will offer "microtransactions." Browseable by game, by genre, and in a number of other ways, the Marketplace will provide a one-stop shop for consumers to acquire episodic content, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, skins and new community-created content.

While North American racing fans are still waiting for the retail launch of the initial GTR: FIA GT Racing Game, Simbin has revealed that they are planning to release a 'King of Ovals' addon. The free expansion pack will feature three ficticious NASCAR-style oval racing circuits and is scheduled to be released soon, most likely as a download patch. German gamers already had a similar surprise a few months back when 10tacle & Simbin released the Proximus 24 Hours of Spa expansion, which included eight new cars.

World Snooker Championship 2005 offers gamers the ultimate simulation of the beloved game. As you might expect, this game has all the big names, but this time there's simply a lot more than any snooker game gone before. More features, options, game modes and faces to make this the ultimate must have snooker title for any serious fan.

Another day, another batch of game trailers were released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for :

• Medal of Honor European Assault - Trailer
• Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - TV Commercial
• Jade Empire - Trailer (2)

Quick, what's the first thing you think of when someone says "Star Wars?" Whatever it is, it's probably not "Lego"… but after playing Lego Star Wars, that might be different. Relive the Star Wars saga as retold in Lego form, guiding an increasingly large cast through everything from adventures on Naboo to the Pod Race on Tatooine. Sure, the ships are made out of bricks and your characters are all little guys with detachable plastic hair, but that just makes Star Wars better.

Mythic Blades is a visually breath-taking entertainment title which places the player in the role of Legendary Hero or Terrifying Monster during combat to determine the fate of the Olympus. Ares has challenged his father; if Ares wins, he will take over Zeus' place and rule over the Olympus - but the battle does not take place there. Instead it will be fought between Man and Monster.

According to French fansite XboxMag the upcoming issue of GameInformer magazine will have the announcement that Oddworld Inhabitants is alreayd working on a new title in the Oddworld franchise. A few changes are certainly worth mentioning. For staters, the new title will apparently be rated "M" (Mature) and not be published by EA, but by Majesco instead. Unlike the Far West theme in Oddworld Stranger, the new game will take place in Fangustan, and that is also where the new title comes from "Oddworld: Fangus." Fangus is a shepperd who's quiet life is being interrupted by invaders (Fangustan = Afghanistan ?) and thus he will be called on to save the world. Gameplay will remain the same, switching between first and third person view. Oddworld: Fangus is scheduled for somewhere in 2006, Xbox or Xbox 2, more details will surely be released in a few months at E3.

After much deliberation, Valve has announced the winners of its Half-Life 2: Deathmatch mapping contest. Contest Winner is Scott M Jordan, USA with his dm_Underpass map. Congratulations! First Runner-Up Jonathan Linker, Germany (dm_resistance), second Runner-Up Michael Schulz, Germany (dm_powerhouse) and Honorable Mention Michael Visser, Netherlands (dm_avalon). Read more to check out some screens...

Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade, developed and published by SOE, will be one of the few original titles developed in North America, and the only multiplayer action role-playing game (RPG) available at the system's launch. Read more to check out some new screens...

A wet, wild and totally soaked new expansion pack to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will ride into stores this June. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Soaked!, the first expansion pack to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will let players create and control their own water parks for the first time. Read more to check out some more new screens ...

WrestleMania can define a legacy, and yours is about to be written. The greatest spectacle in sports-entertainment comes to Xbox with WWE WrestleMania 21. Read more for additional details & screens ...

MaxGaming Technologies has released a demo for Dark Horizons: Lore Invasion, a fast action FPS style massively multiplayer online mecha game where the player’s stats will affect the outcome of the war and ultimately write the history of the Dark Horizons universe. This demo features a Team Deathmatch map, an Assault level titled Sector 2, and a Capture the Core map called Crash Site in a choice of four mechs on either side (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ...

SWAT 4 allows players to take control of a squad of up to five police officers tasked with performing dangerous operations such as high-risk arrests, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism. As the unit's commander, players must follow authentic police tactics as they breach and clear a concrete jungle filled with armed felons and innocent bystanders alike. SWAT 4 will be shipping April 5th in North America, worldwide 1 week later. In the meantime check out the brand new SWAT 4 website, or read our preview.

Nuclear Vision has now released the English demo version for its cyberpunk FPS Psychotoxic: Gateway To Hell. This patch brings your North American retail game to v1.04 and it deals with an issue with the weapons pick up in the dream levels and fixes some other minor bugs. Read more for download links ...

Revealed on the Korean Xbox website, it seems Microsoft and Bungie are gearing up to release a previously unannounced addon for Halo 2. Speculation has it that the Halo 2 X-Pack addon will feature eight new maps, but there is no confirmation from Microsoft in any way on the validity of the information. We contacted the Powers That Be and got the usual "no comment" reply, which could either mean it's bogus information or that an announcement is imminent and no details are supposed to be released yet. Sources also claim that after its initial retail debut, the addon will be released through Xbox Live at a pace of two maps at a time.

Based on the popular Ape Escape series, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (Japan) brings Ape Escape onto the PSP this spring. Family-friendly, Ape Escape for PSP will feature multiplayer functionality and a wide variety of mini-games for players of all ages. Read more for details and screens ...