Nov. 15, 2002 was the official launch date of Xbox Live in North America, and next week is the service's fifth anniversary. Instead of throwing a party that only a few hundred people can attend, Microsoft decided to do all its celebrating on Xbox LIVE itself with a handful events and tons of prizes.

IDDK and G5 Software announce a new tank simulation to be set during the Second World War. WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger tells the story of the great triumph of the Soviet Army during the summer campaign of 1944.

Valve has released an updated Source SDK through Steam with content and tools to create custom games for Half-Life 2: Ep. Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, as well as continued use for other Source engine-based games, such as Half-Life 2: Ep. One and Counter-Strike: Source.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, a prequel to the full GT 5 release, will be available for download, and on Blu-ray. GT 5 Prologue will sport improved AI, and for the first time include multiplayer up to 16 cars, with integrated with online features, such as a profile editor and an online event calendar.

As the Nov. 20 launch date for Bioware's sci-fi action-RPG Mass Effect draws nigh, Microsoft teams up with Sci-Fi TV channel for a 30-minute 'Sci vs. Fi: Mass Effect' special, sweepstakes, as well as premiering the two-hour extended episode of Battlestar Galactica: Razor in select movie theaters. A new micro-site was launched, and a soundtrack is now available for pre-order.

Stranger combines epic RPG with some of the best elements of RTS. The never-before-seen spell and item enchantment system allows a never-before-seen flexibility as players simply have to swap the amounts of used crystals to adapt to their enemies' strategies.

Beowulf is a combat-driven action adventure game set in the realms of Nordic mythology. It tells the story of a daring hero, Beowulf, and his adventures in the times of the early Viking age. Ahead of its launch next week, Ubisoft has already released the first patch, fixing shaders load time, and a Windows Vista display bug.

Space Empires V completely updates the user interface, and takes the player into a real-time rendered 3D universe. Watch space battles play out in glorious detail with realistic effects. This v1.58 patch version is for the European version of Space Empires V.

Huxley is an MMOFPS utilizing the Unreal Engine 3 that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Human beings have mutated and are divided into two opposing races, Sapiens and Alternative, who are forced to battle against one another to gain control of the world and its resources. The second stage of testing will take place from Dec. 13-17, 2007, in Korea.

Initially, Take Two pinned the GTA IV release to Oct. 2007, assuring there would be no delay, while delaying it shortly thereafter to the more ambiguous Q1 2008. At the BMO Capital Markets Interactive Entertainment Conference, CEO Strauss Zelnick went even further and took the "When It's Done" attitude, saying, "we weren't able to stick to our firm date the last time. We're going to give a firm date when we are utterly convinced that we have it and that isn't right now."