Epic Games have finally launched the official website for the upcoming Gears of War. From CliuffyB's initial news post:

As I write this, the team is hard at work putting together the rollercoaster cinematic experience that is Gears of War®.

Words cannot express how excited we are to bring you a new universe on this phenomenal new platform. You—the gamers and fans—have been there with us every step of the way. From our unveiling at last year's E3, to the Tokyo Game Show, to X05 and Zero Hour, we've been reading about how excited you all are about Gears of War.

We're just as excited to deliver the game to you. We feel we're giving you the next evolution of cover combat in a fantastical setting that you'll be able to enjoy with a friend, be it locally or over Xbox Live®.

I hope the information provided on this website whets your appetite and might just give you a few pointers on how to survive on Sera. Emergence Day is closing in on us. The ground is about to shatter. The Locust are ready to attack. Will you be?

Wrapstar have announced the imminent release (April 2006...) of a range of stickers designed for the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. The stickers are designed to totally cover the console, giving it a new look.

Wrapstar's easily-applied, pre-cut skins are made of a high-quality cast vinyl and come in five distinctive designs; Leopard, Flux, Wood Camo, Blue Rain and the classic Union Jack. The adhesive-backed skins are easy to apply and remove, leaving behind no mess or goo. Laminated to resist wear and fading, the skins remain flexible and thin enough to never hinder either the player or the machine's performance.

2K Games have announced a pre-order program for the highly anticipated First Person Shooter Prey. Here is the press release in full:

2K Games today announced an incentive based Pre-Order program and Limited Collector's Edition for Prey for PC and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The Limited Collector's Edition is available for both the Xbox 360 and PC editions of Prey and includes a special metal packaging upgrade, two die-cast pewter figurines including the lead character Tommy and the alien Hunter, a free download to a Prey soundtrack, and "The Art of Prey" book featuring collected conceptual and development images from the artists behind Prey. In addition, the PC Limited Collector's Edition will include an upgrade to DVD media from CD-ROM.

Customers who pre-order either the Limited Collector's Edition or standard edition of Prey on either Xbox 360 or PC will receive a die-cast pewter figurine of Mutate. The Mutate is a melding of the DNA of human and alien victims of the living Sphere, possessing a massive claw that it uses in-game to impale its enemies in a spinning attack. All four versions of Prey will be released simultaneously this July.

The Prey Limited Collector's Edition is a single production run available on a first-come, first-served basis. Both the Limited Collector's Edition and the Pre-Order program are available while supplies last at participating retailers.

Customers who have previously pre-ordered Prey are automatically "grandfathered" into the incentive based Pre-Order program. Prey is developed by Human Head Studios and Venom Games and produced by 3D Realms. For more information on Prey and a list of participating retailers, please visit www.prey.com.

The following games are listed for release in the UK today.

Nintendo DS
Lost Magic, Pokemon Link, Trauma Center: Under the Knife.

PC
Black & White 2: Battle of the Gods ,Cabbage Patch Kids: Where's My Pony? , Guild Wars Factions, Lock On Gold, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Shadowgrounds, War on Terror.

Playstation 2
Kuon, Stock Car Crash, WWII: Tank Battles.

Sega has announced the resurrection of Sega Rally for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

"The rally genre has become the domain of ultra realistic simulation based titles that portray the sport in minute detail but offer little in terms of fun," commented Guy Wilday, Studio Director, SEGA Driving Studio . "With the emphasis being on entertainment, SEGA Rally will focus on delivering an adrenaline fuelled competitive racing experience but without over-complicating the rally experience."

SEGA Rally will encourage players to put the pedal to the metal and enjoy thrilling head-to-head racing. Skilled driving will go hand-in-hand with pure luck as you hurtle around looping tracks in a wide selection of 4WD, 2WD & Classic vehicles that react quite differently depending upon the racing surface. SEGA Rally offers a vast variety of fully deformable environments and surfaces, from littered gravel tracks, all weather tarmac roads, to snow driven trails - no two laps let alone a race will ever be the same!

After a marathon battery recharge and network update to get the v2.70 firmware, I finally managed to download the Locoroco demo for my PSP. The 7Mb demo installs in a flash on the PSP and is immediately available from the Game menu.

The game itself is one of the most interesting, quirky and downright different (and addictive!) little games I've played in a long while. Locoroco for PSP is due for release on June 23.

We mentioned the other day that Sony were planning on releasing the v2.70 firmware for download in Europe towards the end of May. It now appears the v2.70 update for Europe is available now via wireless update from the PSP's Network Update menu.

Technorati Tags: PSP, PSP Update

Nintendo have announced the final name for their upcoming console, previously know as the Revolution. The name, as revealed on the Revolution website, is Wii.

Yes, really. As you can see, we've renamed the category to Wii News. And no, it's not April 1st...

A playable demo of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter for the PC has been released. The demo includes a full mission from the game, as well as support for multiplayer. You can nab the demo from one of these mirrors:

• 3D Gamers
• Computer Games
• Gameguru Mania
• Gamer's Hell
• Worthplaying

Microsoft have announced that Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends has gone gold and will be available in the UK from May 26.

The RTS gameplay of "Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends" has been improved for a more rewarding experience - gamers have the choice of drawing out battles for multiple hours for the classic RTS feel or focusing on shorter, 20-minute, campaigns.

As the second installment of the "Rise of Nations" franchise, "Rise of Legends" also extends the gaming experience using a 3-D engine with dynamic lighting, deformable terrain, destructible buildings, ground-rattling earthquakes and massive armies locked in enormous strategic battles. "Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends" combines cutting-edge, industry-leading technology with awe-inspiring art design to create environments unlike anything ever seen.

(via Guardian Gamesblog)

Clyde Bielss has posted an enormous list of free to play MMO and other online games over at http://mmolist.blogspot.com/. If you've ever wanted to find a new online game to play, this is the place to look.

Technorati Tags: MMORPG

Here is this week's ELSPA sales charts. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend is still at the top. Highest new entry is The Sims 2: Open for Business at 16, with the only other new entry, SOCOM 3: US Navy Seals, at 17.

1. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
2. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
3. Animal Crossing: Wild World
4. FIFA Street 2
5. The Godfather
6. Football Manager 2006
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
8. Buzz! The Big Quiz
9. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
10. The Sims 2
11. FIFA 06
12. Championship Manager 2006
13. Pro Evolution Soccer 5
14. Dragon Quest: Journey of the Cursed King
15. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
16. The Sims 2: Open for Business
17. SOCOM 3: US Navy Seals
18. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
19. Fight Night Round 3
20. Black

Click any one of the game names to go to Amazon if you haven't already got it.