Konami has announced that it will launch Yu-Gi-Oh! Online, an online version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game, Konami's global strategic product. Konami Online, Inc. and Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, Inc. have joined forces to develop the new on-line service, which is scheduled to start December 18 on a test basis.

Oddworld Stranger's Wrath combines first and third-person gameplay with familiar Oddworld elements and an all-new engine to deliver a unique gameplay experience. Set to award-winning visuals, players will be moved by the complex and inspiring story as the Stranger comes to grips with his true nature in the hunt for the ultimate bounty.

Electronic Arts today announced a tender offer for all outstanding shares of the Swedish game developer, Digital Illusions (DICE). The offer is scheduled to close on December 27, 2004. EA currently owns approximately 19 percent of DICE's outstanding shares.

Flat-Out developers Bugbear have put a message in the game's community forum notifying its fans that they are working on an update patch for their recently released racing game. The fixes will include at least the following Blue screen / crashes (as far as these can be reproduced), incompability with certain Nvidia Forceware driver version, DirectX 9.0 detection and reporting, force feedback and the horsepower bugs are also on the to-be-fixed list. No multiplayer patch is being worked on, although BugBear recognizes the fan outcry, but says it depends on publisher Empire Interactive.

City of Heroes developer Cryptic Studios has updated its official website with a brief statement regarding last week's copyright lawsuit by Marvel Comics. "As reported by The Associated Press, Marvel Enterprises Inc. and Marvel Characters, Inc. have sued NCsoft Corporation and Cryptic Studios. The complaint is meritless. Cryptic Studios is confident that the District Court will reject all of Marvel's claims and fully vindicate Cryptic Studios in all respects."

SimBin Development Team is nearing completion of the first ever official racing game based on the FIA GT racing series. GTR – The Ultimate Racing Game represents the most intense and immersive racing experience ever to grace a PC or games console. GTR is scheduled to ship in North America in late Q1, 2005 for the PC.

HL2DB and GameSurge are holding a Half-Life 2 Release Party on IRC and GameSurge Radio, with various events scheduled for the hours leading up to the release (midnight on November the 15th), including a possible interview with members of Valve Software. From 9PM Pacific Standard Time, an interview with Sven Viking and Sniper of the Sven Co-op team -- on the subject of their upcoming co-operative mod for HL2 -- is to be held in the #HalfLife2 channel on irc.gamesurge.net.

After Strategy First losing the license last week, Matrix Games is pleased to announce that it has secured the rights to publish Black Hammer Game's new turn-based sci-fi strategy game, Supremacy: Four Paths To Power, which is scheduled for release in December, 2004.

The Kessen series melded two elements, ‘game’ and ‘drama’ together into grand epics that have won the acclaim of critics and consumers worldwide. The appeal of commanding one side of an epic clash between two great armies and the awe of watching dramatic events unfold across spectacular vistas are what the Kessen series is all about. Kessen III will be considered the game that redefined the Kessen series.

TDK Mediactive and AC Cars have concluded an agreement to feature one of the world’s most famous sports cars in the racing game World Racing 2. The famous 1960's AC Cobra will enhance the variety of car models in the game and offer the experience of an authentic piece of sports motoring history.