Koch has announced that the SoE/Sigil MMORPG they are publishing, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, has officially launched in Europe.

"From day one Vanguard was created with the vision of developing an MMO with an unparalleled feeling of immersion," said Brad McQuaid, CEO of Sigil Games Online. "To accomplish this, we included innovative features that break the shackles of the traditional MMO experience. Our diplomacy system, for example, is one of many original concepts we employed to invigorate the MMO game play experience."

Midway has announced the development of the third in the Unreal Tournament series, Unreal Tournament III.

Players assume the role of a futuristic warrior engaged in intense battles against skilled opponents that can be controlled by either human contestants online or by cutting edge Artifical Intelligence online and off. With the most powerful sci-fi weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!

• Unparalleled graphical and physical realism from the latest Unreal Engine 3 technology delivers the most compelling First Person Shooter Experience to date...online and offline!
• Vast arsenal of weapons. This installment's arsenal is bigger and badder than ever. Destroy your opponent from a distance with the ever popular Shock Rifle or blast away at close range with the Flak Cannon. Over two dozen weapons and vehicles have been upgraded and enhanced for maximum performance and killing sprees.
• Single player mode rivals the online experience! Battle against lightning fast A.I. in the deeper and richer single player campaign.
• New and favorite characters. Fight side-by-side with or compete against new and returning characters from the UT franchise, all with enhanced abilities, extremely detailed designs, and distinct personalities.
• Enhanced popular game types, including: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Onslaught, and more.
• Online innovations. Unreal Tournament III provides seamless loading on servers in addition to improved matchmaking and co-operative campaign play online.
• Bundled with the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 Toolset. Build your own levels, gametypes, and more, or download the latest mods from the massive Unreal community. (Toolset for PC only)

Here is this week's ELSPA all formats, all prices sales chart.

1. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
2. FIFA 07
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 6
4. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
5. Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
6. World Snooker Championship 2007
7. Need For Speed: Carbon
8. Call of Duty 3
9. New Super Mario Bros.
10. The Sims 2: Pets
11. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
12. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007
13. Gears of War
14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
15. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
16. Football Manager 2007
17. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
18. Animal Crossing: Wild World
19. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
20. Scarface: The World Is Yours

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2006 ELSPA Ltd

Midway have announced a new World War 2-themed first person shooter named Hour of Victory.

"Hour of Victory is an entirely new World War II experience designed exclusively for the Xbox 360 that will place players in a pivotal role during key battles using the gameplay style they choose," said Matt Booty, senior vice president, worldwide studios, Midway. "Using the powerful Unreal Engine 3.0 we're able to create exciting, cinematic moments that allow players to feel like a hero, not just another cog in the war machine."

IGN have posted up an interview with Crytek's CEO Cevat Yerli. Although there is still no mention of a release date, the interview does covers a number of interesting aspects of the highly-anticipated first person shooter: Crysis.

IGN: One of the cool features that we've seen in the game and only had a little chance to use is the nano suit. Why was it important for you to implement this into the game?
Cevat Yerli: The Nano Suit has always been a key aspect of the core game mechanic from the beginning. The idea was to create an experience that adds another dimension to how you can play the game. In an FPS you obviously need to cover the shooting aspect of the game but when you add the abilities of the suit into the mix you really start to see some creative ways in which you can approach a given in-game situation. It adds a tangible set of choices around the hero.

IGN: How much of a difference is there really going to be between the DX9 and DX10 versions of Crysis?
Cevat Yerli: The difference is in the density of simulation, the quality of lighting & shading. Some of the visual features are DX10 only. Performance is improved and finally we are evaluating features that would do DX10 real justice in multiplayer gaming, with the goal to finally make a massive leap there.

Pro-G is reporting on a slight delay to Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Here is a short snippet from the news piece:

It's now been revealed that the game will also miss Activision's fiscal year 2007, having been moved back into fiscal year 2008. The delay might not be as pronounced as it appears though, with Activision's fiscal year 2008 beginning on April 1, 2007. The worry is that the game has slipped much further - fiscal year 2008 ends on March 31, 2008.

Midway has announced BlackSite: Area 51 for the PC and Xbox 360. The game is the follow up to Midways first alien encounter on the Xbox. Here is a snippet from the press release:

Developed by Midway Studios - Austin, BlackSite: Area 51 is a next-generation game that will redefine the first person shooter (FPS) genre. While other FPS titles claim to feature "action-packed, highly realistic gameplay," BlackSite: Area 51 takes next-gen gaming to an all-new level integrating cutting edge technology, game design and story writing to create the ultimate entertainment experience. The player's modern-day emotions and fears are driven into a world charged with grave responsibility affecting lives hanging in the balance and eventually finding himself torn between his professional orders and his own ethical standards. In the end, only the actions of the player and his squad can shape the outcome of BlackSite: Area 51 during this potentially pivotal moment in history.

"BlackSite: Area 51 gives players the opportunity to experience next-generation, first person shooter action in one of the world's most intriguing and mysterious environments," said Denise Fulton, studio head, Midway Studios - Austin. "Gamers will be instantly immersed in the game's seamless storyline, set in the desert and small towns surrounding Area 51 that feature highly detailed environments that transform themselves into awesome battlefields. Without question, BlackSite: Area 51 will raise the bar in the next generation FPS genre with its stunning visuals, life-like squad interactions and its multitude of online multiplayer modes."

About BlackSite: Area 51

Featuring a powerful single-player campaign, along with multiple online multiplayer modes, BlackSite: Area 51 delivers vicious combat action, next generation graphics and A.I., and a plethora of powerful weapons and vehicles. Set in present day, players take the role of a decorated military veteran charged by the government to lead a squadron of "secret soldiers," each with his/her own specialty skill set, into the Rachel, Nevada area to fight off the invasion of unidentified enemy races.

Reviews

• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC) - PlayTM

Funcom has announced the release date for their next MMORPG Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures.

"'Age of Conan' brings something brand new and highly innovative to the MMO genre" says CEO Trond Arne Aas. "'Age of Conan' today looks and plays fantastically, as countless press previews and industry feedback attest to. Even so, we believe that by spending even more time and effort into polishing and enhancing the game we will ensure that the game reaches its full potential in terms of quality and subscriber base. We are confident that our fan base will appreciate this commitment to quality. The prolonged development time reflects our ambition to meet and exceed the expectations of our fans for this game."

Codemasters has announced that their licensed MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar will launch in Europe on April 24.

"It's exciting to announce the release date for what is going to be one of the top PC releases of the year," said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming "The Founder's Program offers gamers some amazing benefits when choosing how to start their adventure in this landmark title. April is going to be the month when everyone moves to Middle-earth!"

According to 360 Gamer, the first shipment of copies of Crackdown will all contain invitations to play the Halo 3 beta. You can read more about it over on 360 Gamer.

For all you Wii owners who have been itching to play with the Wii News channel, the good news is from this morning you'll be able to do just that, because Nintendo has annnounced that the Wii News channel is now active.

To start it up, all you have to do is click on the channel button, allow your console to update and then hey presto, you'll be able to play around with the newest channel on Nintendo's console. A word of warning though, for the time being news is being supplied by Associated Press, who deal with mainly american news so 'regional news' is currently set to America although UK news is still available on 'international news'.