Effective immediately, Sir Howard Stringer will replace longtime chairman Nobuyuki Idei, assume the position of Chairman, Group CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation. Sir Howard will be the first foreigner to take the Sony top spot and run Sony's overall group business operations on a global basis from headquarters in both New York and Tokyo. Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi also get the boot but will remain head of the SCE gaming division.

You belong to an elite force fighting against global counter-terrorism. Your team is made up of two crack agents poised to react to any threat. Stealth Owl is an infiltration expert, whose skills are accuracy and skydiving. Raptor uses weapons of mass destruction and favors close combat. Your main objective is to dismantle the NEMESIS network and retrieve the stolen technology. Known in Europe as CT Special Forces: Fire For Effect.

Maximus XV Abraham Strong: Space Mercenary created by Rebelmind is a sci-fi RPG/action title presented in astounding real-time 3D graphics. This update brings your retail game to v1.03 and improves stability of the game. Read more for download links ...

Bet On Soldier is a first-person shooter which presents something considerably different in order to stand out from the crowd. With a corporation-takes-over-the-world-style plot, Bet On Soldier allows players to do exactly what it promises with its title - that is, bet on the outcome of encounters with specific enemies. Before entering battle, players can wager on which particular enemy soldiers they are going to kill.

The Worms series recently diversified with Worms Forts Under Siege, a tactical RTS-like spin-off created for Sega. However, Worms 4: Mayhem is a return to the series' trademark gameplay and sees Team 17's core Worms design and development team regrouping for a game of explosive annelid annihilation.

Taxi 3: eXtreme Rush is a high end racing game in which you dash frantically through the city of London in order to pick up and drop off passengers. Xing Interactive have announced Taxi 3 for February 1st 2005, and will be distributed by Atari in some territories and by local distributors in others. Read more to check out some new screens ...

Lionhead Studios announced the launch of a completely new Black & White 2 website. Designed for the community to read about the game and check out the latest information, screenshots and other artwork. The website also features a look behind the scenes with quotes and development screenshots; webcams broadcasting images live from the development team and other (interactive) aspects are planned.

Gameindustry.biz seems to have gotten some inside information that Creative Assembly is working on a "Total Warrior" console version, due for release in September. There are no specific details available yet, an official announcement is expected later this week, but already comparisons are being made with KOEI's Dynasty Warriors series, or Phantagram's Kingdom Under Fire. This product however will not be published by Activision, but rather by SEGA Europe.

Sammy Studios, Inc. today announced that it has completed a management buyout from parent company Sammy Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. The private investment group led by John Rowe, president and chief operating officer of Sammy Studios, purchased all shares of the company as well as the rights to original video game properties being developed at the studio, including the upcoming console title Darkwatch.

Stronghold 2 will bring the the castle-sim and siege-warfare RTS series to life in glorious 3D. Stronghold 2 will also offer players a "castle-life" campaign, enhanced multiplayer capability and a new, innovative and exciting single player campaign that will be revealed in the months ahead. Check out these new screens ...