Crytek developers and Ubi Soft will participate in an IRC chat Thursday beginning at 4 p.m. EST to promote their upcoming first person shooter Far Cry. The chat can be accessed via an IRC client at server irc.beyondirc.net, channel #FarCry.

EA has already released the dedicated Linux server for Digital Illusions' Battlefield Vietnam. This package, contains all the game executables, maps and doc files, will give people who want to host/run multiplayer games a chance to prepare their servers for the games launch. Read more for details and download links ...

For the first time gamers will play as friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as well as Harry Potter, switching between characters and utilizing their key attributes and skills to resolve challenges and overcome enemies. The three friends will need to combine their strengths and master a variety of new spells as they face Harry's most terrifying opponents yet: the escaped convict Sirius Black and the Dementors, the sinister guards of Azkaban prison. Read more for 60+ new screens...

Award-winning developer Paradox Entertainment today announced that much longed-for Crusader Kings has gone gold, and the localization process for all markets will start immediately. The game has been signed for North America, Scandinavia, Russia, France, the UK, Poland, Spain, Germany, Italy and several Asian territories including China and Japan.

BAM! Entertainment today announced that it will publish, under license from Japan-based Taito Corporation, Bujingai: The Forsaken City for the PlayStation 2. The North American release date is currently set for this May. Read more for screens ...

"Singles", developed by German development team ROTOBEE, lets player's control the lives of Linda and Mike, two very different people, apartment sharing in a busy European city. How they interact and get on is totally up to the player. Expected in stores somewhere Q1 2004. Read more for details & screens ...

Climax today announced that the company will be having a booth in the Career Pavillion at this year’s Game Developers Conference, a massive gathering of the industry’s leaders and enthusiasts, in San Jose, California. The leading independent game development company is currently in the process of hiring developers in a variety of positions, including VP of Development, as well as artists, programmers, and designers to staff its Los Angeles studio.

Enlight has released a new update patch for EgoSoft's sci-fi flight sim X²: The Threat. This update brings your retail game to v1.3 and adds mod support, save-game and interface improvements, gameplay tweaks, bug fixes, etc (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for details & download links ...

New weapons, new armor and a new race for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Xbox! New content is now available for download through Xbox Live! The content features a new race, the Trandoshans, and a new area, Yavin Station, selling high level armor and additional lightsaber crystals. Players can purchase additional weapons, such as the Baragwin heavy repeating blaster and flame thrower, and new items, including an Advanced Bio-Stabilizer Mask that will provide immunity to poison. LucasArts and BioWare Corp. have made the Game of the Year even better - the journey continues for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic!

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 :

• Red Ninja: End Of Honor - Trailer
• Ground Control II - Trailer
• Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - Trailer
• X-Files: Resist Or Serve - Trailer
• 
  
  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

Lords of the Realm III (Lords 3) is a real-time strategy game of historic medieval conquest that spans castle building, siege, politics, religion, and conquest. The game is set in the Middle Ages, between 850 AD and 1350 AD, and features authentic castle designs and characters. Various scenarios and campaigns encompass the British Isles, Germany, France, Normandy, Brittany, Flanders and Denmark. Read more for some new screens ...

In Tribes: Vengeance's single-player campaign, gamers become immersed in a roiling galactic thriller. Throughout the game, the player catches glimpses of other, interrelated stories that are unfolding behind-the-scenes. In addition, gamers are given the opportunity to experience the full scope of the single-player story through multiple viewpoints and characters. Check out these new screens ...

In Colin McRae Rally 04 it's the player in control - choose from over 20 rally cars and which championships to compete in. Game modes include 4-wheel drive and 2-wheel drive Championships (both with normal or advanced skill levels), Rallies, Stages, a Group B Championship featuring classic powerful rally cars and, for the professional, an Expert Championship, which demands the best performance from the most die-hard rally fan. Check out these awesome 100+ new screens, showing off 16 of the available cars in the game ...

Get behind the wheel of the fastest and most dangerous dirt track vehicles in the world with the next generation of dirt track racing. Bash fenders in Pro Stock races, plow through packs of Late Models or kick up the mud in open wheel Midgets. Ratbag has released a trial demo allowing you to play for one hour, but includes the full game which you can unlock by purchasing a license key online (thanks 3DGamers). Read more for download links ..

Majesco Sales Inc. today announced that Bomberman Jetters has shipped to retail stores nationwide. The sequel to the widely popular and critically acclaimed Bomberman Generations, Bomberman Jetters is available exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube at a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Activision, Inc's Tenchu stealth ninja series is back with Tenchu: Return from Darkness on the Xbox. Based on the best-selling Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, Tenchu: Return From Darkness brings the acclaimed series to Xbox gamers with several new enhancements including Xbox Live gameplay featuring two-player cooperative stealth ninja action and online death match with 20 playable characters across six maps. Tenchu: Return From Darkness has been rated "M" ("Mature" - intense violence, blood and gore - content suitable for persons ages 17 and older) by the ESRB and is available for $49.99 at North American retail outlets.

Konami Digital Entertainment today announced that Firefighter F.D.18 for the PlayStation2 has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. Packing the excitement and tension of battling real-life infernos into the ultimate firefighting game, Firefighter F.D.18 places players in the heat of the action as they unravel the mystery of random eruptions of fire throughout a sprawling metropolis.

Ubi Soft has released the first patch for Rainbow Six 3: Ravenshield and Athena Sword. These update patches bring your Ravenshield retail game to v1.54 or 1.55, the Athena Sword retail game to v1.01 and brings compatibility between the original Rainbow Six 3 and the Athena Sword add-on, as well as a minor sound looping bug. Read more for download links ...

"Alias" is a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series’ lead character, Sydney Bristow, an agent for the CIA. Bristow must use her cunning, extensive knowledge of martial arts and array of high-tech gadgetry to accomplish dangerous missions. Read more for some new screens ...