My Virtua Fighter 5 review may be a bit late, but I've got an excuse: I actually had to play the game as it was meant to be played before reviewing it. And playing Virtua Fighter 5 in its whole depth and beauty takes time - much time ...<!--break-->

Is Virtua Fighter 5 really the best fighting game of its genre? What are its ups and downs, and why is its gameplay generally described as "terribly deep?" Find out all this and more in my in-depth mega review, exclusively on GamersGlobal.

Whether it was a mistake to unleash some of the secret plot points of LucasArt's newest blockbuster game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, we do not know. Fact is that the newest video episode of Star Wars: A Force Unleashed spoils its viewers with interesting story bits and pieces. Read more after the break for some stunning plot teasers.<!--break-->

Even though the cinematic scenes still appear to be rather uninspiring, the Force Unleashed comes with a story full of unexpected twists. As it is the case throughout the whole Star Wars saga, Darth Vader will become once more the central focus of the story. At the beginning of the The Force Unleashed you will even start out with Vader himself - until you discover someone even more powerful ...

Who that is and what that is all about can be found out in LucasArts' most recent video episode about the main plot mechanics behind Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, available from GameTrailers in HD and SD.

The consoles-only game is dated for September 16 this year.

It took Midway quite some time to come up with a release date for Epic's Unreal Tournament III, probably due to the debate with Microsoft whether UT3 will feature mod support on Microsoft's console.

The positive news is that the boys over at Midway finally got into gear:<!--break--> the Xbox 360 console version will hit the American shelves on July 7 and the European ones on July 4.

Negative is that Microsoft still stand by their old motto: talk is silver, silence is golden. According to the current state of information, it's rather unlikely that there will be mod support for the Xbox 360 if we remember the N+ debacle correctly: regarding the map-sharing functionality Metanet's developers had to pull the plug in the very last second before the launch of their ninja platform game N+ cutting the map sharing to a utmost minimum (that is: you can only share maps directly, from peer to peer). If the sharing of simple levels is a problem for Microsoft, then imagine what a headache a fully fleshed-out, powerful mod interface could do to them.

Apart from split-screen capabilities, two brand-new characters, an overhauled Warfare mode, and all the downloadable content released by Epic, the Xbox 360 version will feature five exclusive maps though. Is this consolation enough for the 360 fanboys out there?

Through the net it went like an uproar of excitement; through Flagship Studios it must have swept more like an outcry from its developers. No wonder then that Guy Somberg's weblog article Work Is Depressing has been deleted ever since despite its striking popularity. It seems that working for Flagship Studios was Hellgate on Earth for most employees of this multiplayer action RPG. Read on why after the break.<!--break-->

Somberg doesn't want to leave, but instead holds to and believes in his company. "I don't want to leave Flagship. I'm happy here. I like the people, I like the environment, I like the pay, I like the location."

Rightly so because there is still hope. China and Korea could very well become the new Asian anchor for Hellgate. This goes especially for Korea where more than one million accounts were registered within two weeks since the Korean launch of Hellgate.

Now it is official. The highly anticipated survival-horror Alone in the Dark went gold. The release dates in a nutshell:<!--break-->

1. June 20th in Europe [Xbox 360, PC, Wii, and PlayStation 2]
2. June 24th in the States [Xbox 360, PC, Wii, and PlayStation 2]
3. Fall 2008 for the PlayStation 3 version

Don't miss out on GamersGlobal's tech demo wrap-up of the game, and the official press announcement below.

The release of Atari's newest blockbuster title Alone in the Dark draws closer. The team around Eden Games producer Nour Polloni has released a must-see set of impressive demo videos showcasing their unique real world engine and that the player's action in the game is only limited to his imagination.
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The survival-horror takes place in Central Park (which was, by the way, faithfully reproduced via "GPS satellite data to a 50cm precision and with artists ... recreating every bump, bridge, and building" according to Polloni). Alone in the Dark follows an episodic gaming concept where the player can skip a chapter just like with a DVD movie if he thinks that a part is yet too hard to master.
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The tech demo videos in a nut-shell (available in HD or SD from GameTrailers):

1. Real World Rules Episode 1 (HD SD): the principles of real world rules are explained with the use of objects and their interaction with environments.

2. Real World Rules Episode 2(HD SD): in this episode, learn how to manipulate large objects and see some of the ways to use fire to your advantage.

3. Real World Rules Episode 3 (HD SD): in a pyromaniac's paradise, fire can be your best friend - or your worst enemy. Take a look at the self-propagating fire mechanics.

The multi-platform release of Alone in the Dark (PC, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2) is set for June 20th in Europe, June 24th in the US, and July 3rd for Australia. The exact release date of the PlayStation 3 version (around fall this year) has yet to be announced.