Sony Online has put up a note in the official EQ2 forums about a total blackout of the EQ2 servers. "All US servers and Innovation are currently down for an upate. We do not have a solid ETA available at this time, but will be updating you with progress hourly and will deliver a more firm ETA when we can. Worlds will be brought back online as they are ready. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes you and thank you for your patience while our folks here work to correct this issue." SOE is posting an hourly progress report, as they gradually are bringing servers back up after 24hours downtome

Atlus U.S.A. announced today that Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, the latest game in the popular RPG series, will be packaged in a special deluxe box set when it ships in the spring of 2005.

DeepSilver announced today that Egosoft's space sim addon X²: The Return will not meet its February release deadline and postponed it until a more vague Q2 2005 date. No explenation for the delay has been given by either publisher or developer, but they did release some new screens, so read more to check them out ...

Massive Entertainment has released a new multiplayer map or its sci-fi RTS Ground Control II: Operation Exodus. This Nashorn bonus map needs to be installed in the standalone copy in the game's Custom_Maps folder. Massive Entertainment will be releasing new maps every Friday for the next few months. Read more for download links ...

THQ has released a patch for the recent The Punisher singleplayer demo. This update adds a mouse sensitivity slider, adresses a framerate issue as well as a few other graphical problems in Volition's action game based on the Marvel comic book. Read more for download links ...

The strategy role-playing game from Japan, Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity, is coming to North America for the PlayStation 2, courtesy of Atlus U.S.A. Read more for details, screens and trailer ...

Just six weeks after a very successful launch, the developers of Star Wars Galaxies have announced that over 30 new missions have been added to Jump to Lightspeed, the game’s new space component. Also announced is the addition of another multi-passenger ship to the already over 20 craft in game, the M22-T Krayt Gunship. With the M22-T, Privateers Pilots, the Han Solos of the sky are now able to enter battle with a friend acting as a defensive gunner. Read more for details ...

UFO: Aftershock follows directly from one of the endings of UFO: Aftermath, where the player agrees to hand over the Earth to the Alien scientists, who are trying to change the planet into a giant living organism. The Council of Earth and their followers take refuge on an orbiting satellite prepared for them by the aliens, but not all the survivors of the original invasion where re-located.

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 :

• The Unseelie - Trailer
• 25 to Life - Trailer

Namco announced details today about TEKKEN’s bonus mode in its PS2 exclusive fighting franchise title TEKKEN 5. The action-based game mode allows players to enjoy the distinct game play with use of renewed control mechanics. TEKKEN 5 is scheduled for a North American release in Q1 of 2005. Read more for new screeny goodness ...