Tri Synergy announced that its role-playing, first person shooter Purge has shipped to North American retail outlets. The online-only PC game blends science fiction with fantasy as players square off in a war-like environment to defend their respective belief systems.

Those crazy Ape Escape monkeys are back on the loose and plotting to take over the world as Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world's top videogame publishers, announces plans to publish Ape Escape 2 exclusively for the PS2. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Ape Escape 2 promises the same fun gameplay as the original version including advanced game features, amazing 3D graphics, and plenty of monkey pandemonium! Ape Escape 2 has an ESRB rating of "E" for Everyone and will have a suggested retail price of $39.99. It is scheduled to ship July 1, 2003.

Softwrap today announced that Flipside, Inc., a leader in online games, game shows and skill-based gaming, has chosen Softwrap to provide a Digital Rights Management and distribution solution for its games. With over 14 million unique visitors per month, the Flipside Network reaches one in five people on the Internet and serves over one billion advertising impressions per month. Flipside is initially Softwrapping three new games - Dropwords, Spellbound and GoBingo - which will be distributed through Softwrap channels in Europe and the US.

Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc. announced today that Ubi Soft Entertainment has joined the growing number of leading development studios to adopt and standardize their animation, modeling and rendering tools based on Discreet's 3D technology solutions. Ubi Soft has agreed to upgrade existing licenses as part of its game development program to utilize Discreet 3ds max software throughout its European development studios, which encompasses over 200 animation software licenses. The agreement between Ubi Soft and Discreet represents the biggest European 3D software partnership to date, and follows the recent decision from Ubi Soft Canada to also purchase licenses for its Montreal-based development studio.

Matrix Games and Panther Games are pleased to announce a new partnership aimed at producing outstanding new wargames based on the critically acclaimed Airborne Assault engine. In development currently is Airborne Assault: Highway to the Reich covering all three battles from operation Market Garden. This will include the battles for Arnhem (with the British 1st Abn Division, as covered in their first game Airborne Assault: Red Devils over Arnhem), Nijmegen (with the US 82nd Airborne Division) and Eindhoven (with the US 101st Abn Div). This will be the first in this series to be published through Matrix Games.

NovaLogic Ltd. today announced that they are teaming up with Europe's largest and most popular independent online gaming service provider Jolt.co.uk for the Official Delta Force - Black Hawk Down European Online Tournaments.

The non-profit making science fiction and gaming organisation, Infinite Frontiers, is now pleased to announce that they have now reached a major milestone of having over 100 former commercial games and applications free to download from their sci-fi / gaming website across a range of formats.

Gamehelper send us a mail to throw out a reminder that they is hosting a developer chat tonight at 6pm PST / 9pm EST. Lead Programmer Andy Muir, Art Director Steve Macomber, and Programmer Dale Bloom will be attendiing the event. Read more for the details..

Racing throughout Mother Earth's most unpredictable terrains and into consumers' living rooms, Acclaim today announced that it has shipped Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally for the Nintendo GameCube. A rough-and-tumble ride through 7,000 miles of the most turbulent environments in the world, Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally offers high-speed arcade action that captures the thrill of the famous Paris-Dakar Rally.

Austrian based developer and publisher JoWooD Productions Software AG today announced that it has signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Encore, Inc. a majority-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation for the marketing and distribution of nine games throughout North America. Encore will be managing the sales, distribution and marketing for these titles while JoWooD will be delivering content.

Midway Games Inc announced today that SpyHunter 2, the high-speed, mission-based, action/combat racing game is scheduled to ship in fall 2003 for the PlayStation2, the Xbox and GameCube.

DreamCatcher today announced a worldwide deal with Arkane Studios to publish Arx Fatalis for the Xbox. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Arx Fatalis is a first-person RPG, which plunges players into an amazingly complex fantasy-world of trolls, goblins and 'Snake-women'. Creating weapons, solving puzzles and completing amazing quests, gamers become heroes as they battle in an evil world. Players will also need to master a unique real-time magic system to cast more than 50 different spells based on 20 different runes.

The 1503 A.D. Web team let us know that the demo of 'ANNO 1503 - The New World' is now available in five different languages "French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Polish". All demo files weight around 190MB and consist of four playable scenarios: the two introductory scenarios "Exploration and Colonization" and "Trade and Diplomacy" teach you the basics on how to erect and maintain a functional settlement and allow you to trade with the natives and a computer player. Download links here!

Nintendo is celebrating the anniversary of the European launch of the NINTENDO GAMECUBE with the release of a very special Limited Edition Pak on May 3rd 2003. The celebratory pak will feature an exclusive platinum NINTENDO GAMECUBE and controller coupled with one of the most anticipated video games in history, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, also launched on this date. The Limited Edition Pak also contains a bonus disc featuring the original NINTENDO 64 title, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: The Master Quest, updated exclusively for NINTENDO GAMECUBE.

Publisher Whiptail Interactive today confirmed that it will be unleashing POSTAL 2, the highly anticipated first person PC adventure game, on gamers across Europe and the UK from 14th April 2003.

Majorem Ltd. is pleased to announce the addition of new unit types to Ballerium. New screenshots showing the new air and cannon units can be seen on Ballerium's gallery. The new units are the first two in a line of units that will be added to the seven original races of Ballerium. These units can be purchased at cities across Ballerium, in the local Smitium of each such city. Like everything else in Ballerium, the prices of the new units will be determined according to the players' demand of those units, imposing a perfect balance in the game.

WorthPlaying is giving away goodies sponsored by Strategy First. Enter the sweepstakes and have a chance to win one of 5 New World Order CD's... NWO is a tactical team-based first person shooter game.. "In New World Order, players meet Agent John Dobbs, one of the best military operatives in the world and GAT’s (Global Assault Team) newest recruit. Formed by some of the world’s most powerful nations, the GAT is a top-secret organization that has been brought together to stop The Syndicate, a group of militant separatists and terrorists who have set out to fill the world with fear, chaos and destruction... unless Agent Dobbs and his team get to them first"

JediKnightII.net let us know that according to the popular german game magazine 'GameStar' there WILL be a Jedi Knight 3! April joke or not? Here is a clip from Lucas forum:

The game will once again use a heavily-modifed Quake 3 Team Arena engine, as well as all of Raven’s own enhancements to it! Despite its Age, the screenies sure look spectacular! The multi-player part will also be enhanced, and rumours speak of vehicular combat!

According to Raven, JK III is 60% done, including story, scripts and levels. So, if everything goes well, you will be able to play it this fall!

Check out some screens here!

Purge is an online-only computer game. It is a First-Person-Shooter / hybrid Role-Playing-Game set in the near future accounting a war between the diametrically opposed forces of science-fiction (the Order) and fantasy (the Chosen). Technology versus magic. Science versus religion. Purge is being developed by Freeform Interactive LLC and utilizes the LithTech Talon system. Over the course of next 5 Mondays, an avid fan Roy Smart will discusss one type of character. We were introduced to Android last week, and today's guide discusses the Commando.