Black & White 2 includes other new elements, such as improved graphics and Miracle effects such as rivers of fire and earthquakes that yield mass destruction. The game also includes weather systems that impact gameplay; players will see the impact of a drought that scorches the arid plains of Egypt or the effect of a heavy snowfall on the Norse Mountains. Players can also tap new resources and disciples by creating ties with the Japanese or dueling the Aztecs. Players will also have the ability to construct new buildings including armories and a harbor, and explore new islands each with their own culture and climate.

The NIN (Nine Inch Nails) Hotline let us know that Trent Reznor is no longer involved with ID software's Doom 3 project. The length of time needed to complete the gaming project has taken longer than expected. "Trent's music/sound will not be available for release in the retail game or in any further game demos".

Sniper Elite, a new title from Wide Games and other choice items coming our way from Wanadoo.. Spring 1945: World War 2 is drawing to a close and the Russians and Germans are caught in a furious battle for a devastated Berlin. The cold war starts... As a sniper, recruited by the OSS (former CIA), it is the beginning of a lonely stealth mission in the Russian territory.

More than 62,000 industry professionals from more than 80 countries gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the ninth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo), the world's premier interactive entertainment trade show. According to the show's owner, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), approximately 400 exhibitors showcased thousands of software titles, including more than 1,350 never-before-seen computer and video game related products, occupying 520,000 net square feet of exhibit space. Exhibitors reported 83 percent of these products will be found on store shelves this holiday season.

We met up with Russian publisher Russobit-M to check out their upcoming titles and our comrades were so nice to pack our bags with loads of goodies... We got screens for :

• Xenus
• FireStarter
• Kreed
• Lethal Dreams
• Homeplanet
• Neuro
• GoldenLand
• Hover Ace
• 
  
  Check them out in our E3 Day 3 Coverage

The E3 is finally over and the WP team has slaved themselves tirelessly, worked their asses off, and met with tons of publishers and developers. Thanks to all the good people at the show who put up with our annoying questions. In the coming days, and probably weeks, we will be rolling out various interviews, previews, trailers and all the other goodies we secured during our trip. We might even sell our soleless shoes just so we can afford new one's :)

I saw on VE3D that Andy tossed up info about a E3 footage of Unreal Tournament 2004 on E3 Insider (there's a glimpse of the title screen in there too). To check out this movie click here, then 'Watch Floored' ..

Andy also let us know that Beyond Unreal also has following comment from Mark Rein:

Sorry I have not been able to visit the forum sooner but we've been extremely busy showing off UT2004 during the day and then meeting with licensees and potential licensees at night.

The reception to UT2004 has been great which is especially gratifying considering how early everything is. There are so many cool things going into UT2004 that aren't in showable shape yet. But regardless of that people are really liking the parts they're seeing and we know they're going to be even more delighted in a few months when everything comes together.

I see many of you are discussing the topic of UT2004 pricing. Atari has not yet set the retail price of UT2004 however they have told us that all along they've been planning to have some sort of deal for existing UT2003 owners who buy UT2004. The game is still many months away so there's plenty of time to figure this out and let people know.

I have guests here in my suite and I need to get back to them now. I'll try (no promises) to post more tonight and possibly get on IRC again sometime in the next few hours to answer peoples' questions.

In True Crime: Streets of L.A., players assume the role of rogue Elite Operations Division (E.O.D.) operative Nick Kang, a no-holds-barred badass, whose brutal reputation and lethal skills have landed him the nasty task of taking down the Chinese Triad and Russian Mafia cartel that has turned the City of Angels into a war zone. Take part in explosive gun battles with double fisted firepower, devastating martial arts brawls, and high-speed shootouts across 250 square miles of accurately recreated L.A. In car or on-foot, the unique branching missions include locating hostile witnesses, searching for case-cracking clues, taking out evasive informants and busting the heavily armed and deadly bad guys.. Read more to check out a bunch of new PS2 and Xbox screens!

Sid Meier's Pirates! is among the most popular and loved titles in gaming history. Originally released in 1987, Pirates! received unprecedented critical acclaim for crossing multiple game genres to offer unique, unrivaled gameplay options. Pirates! set the industry standard for innovative game design with its unique blend of open-ended role-playing, real-time adventures and thrilling action sequences.

Take over the world... one conquest at a time... Sid Meier's Civilization III: Conquests takes players on a provocative journey through the ages as they pursue victory in the most famous conquests in history. What does Civ Conquests give to fans of the award-winning series? Simply put — more Civ: More to Build, More to Fight, More to Rule!

Get in, get out, get even! Eidos Interactive invites you to take the wheel of the high-octane movie experience The Italian Job. The video game The Italian Job is based on the forthcoming Paramount Pictures feature film. The game is being developed by driving-game specialists Climax (Brighton) and will be released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in summer 2003... Read more for 12 PS2 screenshots. perhaps more than you need just to blow doors off, your first ten GameCube screenshots and buon journo, ten Xbox screens!!

LogicalVice announced today a multi-game agreement to develop 2 titles for multiple platforms with prominent Art House Shadows in Darkness (SID). LogicalVice is currently developing a 1st/3rd person action, adventure shooter for the PC/X-BOX scheduled for release in the 3rd Quarter of 2004, and has several more titles planned. "Boomtown", a multi-genre title that plays more like a RPG than a shooter, is a refreshing break from the norm, and boast stunning levels. Early Screenshots have been released and a demo is available. For more information log onto www.logicalvice.com

" The games replay value is endless," said Mark Sullivan, Project Manager at LogicalVice. "With 25 different player possibilities, specialized character attack animations, weapons, skill sets, numerous single and multiplayer gaming modes, "Boomtown" is sure to please gamers again and again."

In this chapter of Thief, you once again take on the role of Garrett, a master thief who is rarely seen, never caught and capable of breaking into the most ingeniously secured places. Garrett steals from the wealthy and gives to himself, making his living in the dark and foreboding City. Although Garrett would prefer to be left alone to ply his trade, the prophecies of an impending Dark Age dictate a different plan for the thief. In his efforts to prevent the Dark Age, Garrett has inadvertently roused an ancient, hidden evil. He finds himself without allies, standing alone between the City and the forces that would crush it.

Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. announced today that the SOFTIMAGE/XSI software, the industry-leading nonlinear 3-D production environment, was used exclusively by Valve to create all the characters, models and props for the new game Half-Life 2. This widely anticipated sequel to one of the best selling PC games of all time introduces life-like in-game characters that herald the next generation of characters for interactive entertainment. To exceed the expectations of a more sophisticated audience and deliver the new title on schedule, Valve converted its production pipeline to the award-winning SOFTIMAGE/XSI environment.

Nintendo today announces a new worldwide retail offer combining its Nintendo GameCube home console with the new Game Boy Player. The combination allows players to enjoy more than 1,200 Game Boy games on the home TV screen, along with the full library of more than 300 Nintendo GameCube titles.