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CPL Europe has unveiled its first major pro-gaming event of 2002, taking place in the German city of Köln between May 17th and 19th. There's no information yet on how much it will cost, how big the prizes will be or how many people will be able to take part, but all of these details should be announced over the next few weeks, with registration opening next Monday (March 24th). What we do know at this stage is that both Counter-Strike and Quake 3 teamplay tournaments will be taking place at the event, which will be hosted by the Maritim Hotel, conveniently situated on the banks of the river Rhine. CPL Europe have also decided to eliminate the bring your own computer LAN party area which has been a fixture of previous events. Apparently this "underlines its intention to focus on the official tournaments". And is nothing to do with the fact that only about a dozen people bothered to show up for the free BYOC area at the CPL Europe event in London last summer. Related Feature - CPL London coverage

SCi has issued a snappy press release (more of these, please) announcing The Italian Job's ascension to Platinum sales status. The PSone game, released at the beginning of October, has enjoyed chart-topping status and remains a firm favourite with the PSone-buying public. Don't get too excited though; the Platinum re-issue of the game isn't due out until September.

PS2 owners can now turn their console into a multi-region DVD player for the price of a magazine. Datel informs us that this month's PSi-2 magazine (issue 18) ships with a copy of its vaunted DVD Region-X software, for almost a third of its usual price. Plus you get a mag into the bargain. DVD Region-X allows PS2 owners to watch DVDs from any region by inserting the disc, choosing a region and then inserting the appropriate DVD. The software also cures the PS2's annoying green-tinged RGB DVD output problem, so it really is indispensable. In related news, both Amazon and Gameplay are promising a March 22nd release of DVD Region-X for the Xbox. We'll be sure to let you know once we have our hands on this. Update - Datel has been in contact to confirm that copy of DVD Region-X distributed with PSi-2 does indeed work with the latest PlayStation 2 consoles. "We immediately upgraded our disc format in December and now all Datel CDs work with the newer PS2 models," Datel Marketing Manager Grant Hughes told us this afternoon. So for all of you worrying about that, don't!

One of the PlayStation 2's forthcoming summer blockbusters, Final Fantasy X, looks set to feature a number of extras for European gamers. Our version of the game will actually be based on the Final Fantasy X : International edition which went on sale recently, featuring a bonus DVD, "Beyond Final Fantasy", packed with extras like developer and voice actor interviews, along with a preview of the upcoming Square / Disney RPG crossover, Kingdom Hearts.

EuroGamer's prestigious Gaming Globe Awards are over for another year. It's been one of the closest contests we've seen, following a year of great new releases, and today we'll be announcing which games and developers you voted as top of their class in each of the ten categories. So without any further ado, here are the results for the third annual Gaming Globe Awards!

GP32 or GamePark 32, the MP3-playing 32-bit Korean handheld with a backlit colour LCD screen larger than Nintendo's and SmartMedia support, is finally receiving the attention it deserves, with many Japanese retailers busily importing the console. Although the company has refused to be drawn on the issue of an American or European launch, Capcom has now pledged its support to the console with the announcement of a handful of new games; Breath of Fire III, Fire Pro Wrestling, Hello Kitty Tetris, King of the Fighters, Rockman (Mega Man) X5 and Street Fighter Zero 3. With Capcom now on board, we can probably expect to see more Japanese developers following suit in the near future. Related Feature - New handheld sighted in Japan

Capcom Eurosoft has announced that it plans to publish Capcom vs SNK Pro for the PlayStation this July throughout all PAL territories, demonstrating its continued commitment to the platform. The £19.99 release comprises 15 fighters from Capcom's Street Fighter series and 15 from SNK's King of the Fighters and Fatal Fury games, so even oft-ridiculed SNK die-hards can look forward to it. The main focus of the game is the Arcade mode, which features a novel point system that allows players to choose up to four characters to take into each bout. With values of 1-3 depending on fighter (boss chars are worth three, weaklings worth one), the player is allowed a total of four points per bout, and must select characters based on a combination that fits the four-point rule. Related Feature - Capcom vs SNK 2 : Mark of the Millennium review

Surprising nobody, Microsoft has announced that Midtown Madness 3 is in development and headed to Xbox. Scheduled for release sometime this autumn, the game is being handled by Rallisport Challenge developer Digital Illusions, and will be set in fully interactive 'interpretations' of Paris and Washington, D.C. Microsoft is promising 30 licensed vehicles to choose from and familiar blitz, checkpoint and cruise gameplay modes. Improvements over Midtown Madness 2 include resampled ambient sound effects and voice-overs for the game's central characters. Related Feature - Midtown Madness 2 review

Capcom Eurosoft looks set to join the illustrious ranks of PlayStation 2 Platinum sellers, when its two chart-topping adventure games, Onimusha : Warlords and Resident Evil Code : Veronica X, are relaunched on Sony's budget label this coming June. Onimusha : Warlords was launched to almost universal critical acclaim last year, before soaring past its sales targets and establishing itself as one of the most colourful, intense and graphically impressive adventures ever to issue forth from the halls of Mega Man and Street Fighter. Cursed by flaky control and camera systems, the game may struggle to stand up to the likes of Capcom's own Devil May Cry nowadays, but at £19.99 it deserves investigating. Perhaps even for the $2 million intro movie alone. The game's popularity also inspired its conversion to Microsoft Xbox, where it launches this Friday as the vaguely updated Genma Onimusha. Resident Evil Code : Veronica X makes a slightly less convincing argument as a Platinum title. Undoubtedly the most visually stunning chapter of the Resident Evil saga, it is nonetheless a sloppy conversion, and whether we liked the Dreamcast original or not, the control system is diabolical, and a number of other niggles also endured. That said, Resident Evil has a lot of fans, with whom this PS2 Platinum release will no doubt strike a chord. Onimusha 2 : Samurai's Destiny is due out on PlayStation 2 this autumn, along with a remake of the original Resident Evil for Nintendo GameCube. Related Feature - PS2 goes Platinum

Following the success of id classic Doom on the GameBoy Advance, Bam Entertainment have secured the rights to publish a hand-held version of the game that started it all - Wolfenstein 3D. Released way back in 1992 and pretty much launching the entire first person shooter genre in the process, Wolf 3D dropped you into the boots of William "BJ" Blazkowicz and sent you off behind enemy lines to fight hordes of Nazis, put an end to their evil plans for an über army, and eat lots of turkey meals that the guards had carelessly left lying around on the floor. Co-developed by id Software and Stalker Entertainment, the newly announced GBA version will feature all 60 levels of Nazi-slaughtering mayhem from the original game. And while it may lack the deathmatch support and gorgeous graphics of its successor Doom, it should still be a lot of fun on the GBA. With a May release on the cards, we're already polishing our jack boots in anticipation. Related Feature - Wolfenstein 3D screenshots

Mad.co.uk, some sort of new media shrine, is reporting that Xbox sales "outran Sony PlayStation 2's first monthly sales in one night". Before anybody goes getting excited though, the article refers to figures from Virgin's Glasgow Megastore only, and not its London (Oxford Street), Birmingham or Manchester stores, which also opened at midnight to accommodate fans. According to the article, HMV sales were also "meeting expectations", but no greater detail was entered into. The article did include rough figures for each of the main Virgin Megastores, however. Virgin allegedly sold more than 100 Xbox consoles at each of its stores, and topped 250 during launch night in Oxford Street. Conservatively then, we're looking at 550+ units between the four Megastores. With a further 70 consoles selling before lunch in London. Microsoft has yet to release opening day or weekend sales figures concerning the European launch, but we're expecting to hear from them any day now. Indeed, it's unusual to go more than a couple of days without having to finger some sort of pulse at Redmond... Related Feature - Ch€ap Xboxes in Germany!

Capcom picked up Toki Tori from Netherlands-based Two Tribes at a time when the company could have been forgiven for abandoning the ageing GameBoy Color format altogether. Instead they have released what turns out to be a surprisingly entertaining and deceptively cute little platform puzzler. This is a genre which rarely involves any kind of complex plot content to trouble your mind with, and Toki Tori is no exception. For some unexplained reason, an unknown force has abducted all the eggs on a chicken farm. Only one egg remained, containing Toki, who hatched just in time to see his brothers and sisters flying off into the distance. He followed them until they all dropped inside a castle, which then proceeded to fling them all over the place. So it's your goal as Toki to find all the eggs and discover the force behind this nonsense. This incomprehensible mission leads Toki across a massive sixty levels, spanning four seperate lands. And while the developers could have settled with just serving up a mediocre platform adventure, instead they have injected a fiendish puzzle element into the proceedings.

Epic engine programmer Tim Sweeney has confirmed that the forthcoming slew of Unreal games could be undergoing name changes, apparently in an attempt to "reduce the confusion we've created by having several Unreal games in development". So it's goodbye Unreal Tournament 2 and hello Unreal Tournament 2003. Yes, that's much clearer. Especially as it's going to be released in mid 2002. Obviously this opens the way for EA Sports style annual updates, although Tim insisted that this "is just another concept we've been debating internally". Meanwhile rumours earlier in the week that Unreal 2 was going to be renamed Unreal Episode 2 (another great improvement in clarity, I'm sure you'll agree) have been partially confirmed, with Tim saying that Epic, Infogrames and developer Legend have been discussing the idea. "Some of the guys love it and some of the guys hate it", he added. Whether or not they manage to push through the name changes, Infogrames have snapped up a whole host of relevant web domains for Unreal Episodes two through six and Unreal Tournament 2003 right up to 2010. Either the company is just covering all its bases to be safe, or they're planning to milk this franchise thoroughly for the next decade or two. So .. that's Unreal Episode II, Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Championship and Unreal Warfare currently in development at various companies. And at least three of those are due out this year, including the one labelled 2003. Are you confused yet? Related Feature - Unreal 2 goes solo

Rock Manager is not a game that takes itself seriously. Over the course of its eight scant missions you'll get to turn the tone deaf daughter of a Russian mobster into a star, manage a pair of feuding brothers who bear more than a passing resemblance to Oasis, take a past their prime heavy metal band on one last world tour, and send a scientifically manufactured pop band's sales into orbit (literally) with a tune that sounds like a cross between a Eurovision Song Contest entry and the Hamster Dance song. The first few missions ease you into the swing of things, starting you off with access to only a few key buildings in your home town of Rock City and introducing you to the basics of the game. Most missions will begin with you taking control of an existing band or singer, although you can hire and fire artists ranging from cheap talentless punks to arrogant overpaid pop divas, each with their own needs, tastes and talents .. or lack thereof. Your next task will be to sign a licensing deal to get hold of a song (most of Rock City's musicians can't write their own apparently) and then head over to a studio to record it. This is where the real fun begins, as you find yourself faced with a mixing desk which allows you to adjust the relative volumes of your band members (or mute them entirely and replace them with session musicians if they're really bad), pan them left and right and add echo, flanger or phaser effects. Each part of a song (apart from the vocals) has three variations to choose from as well, allowing you to sometimes drastically change the sound of a song by altering the drumbeat, bass riff, guitar style or keyboard backing. As each musician will play a song in a slightly different style anyway (forcing a heavy metal band to play a pop song is always good for a laugh), the possibilities are almost endless.

It's 40 years since the creation of the very first video game - Space War - and to celebrate this anniversary the Barbican gallery in London is opening its doors to the rabble for an exhibition on the gaming industry's past, present and future. We spoke to guest curator Lucien King to find out what visitors can look forward to seeing when the show opens in May.

Activision has announced its plans to publish action RPG Lost Kingdoms on the GameCube worldwide (excluding Japan, Korea and China). Lost Kingdoms concerns the plight of the five Kingdoms of Argwyll, which are being threatened by a deadly menace that Princess Katia - the player's character - wants to put a stop to. Players find and gather guardian creatures cards that hold magical powers perfect for use on the battlefield against the endless hordes of monsters that stand between her and her goal. The game also features a two player versus mode so that players can pit their guardian creature card collections against one another.

When Xbox launched in Germany yesterday, punters found themselves scrambling to cancel pre-orders with the larger online retailers and high street stores when two major, nationwide chains (MediaMarkt and Saturn) lowered the price of the console to €399 from the starting price of €479 (£299), The Inquirer is reporting. But despite the rush to discount the expensive new console, nobody seems to be buying them, and The Inquirer quoted one shopper in Munich as saying there was "no buzz of customers lining up for them, just two staff in Xbox t-shirts". Microsoft has set official recommended prices of £299 for the UK, AUS$649 for Australia and €479 for Europe, but is quick to point out that actual pricing may vary depending on the retailer. Having recently learned the respective trade prices of the Xbox and GameCube in this country, we reckon there's enough leeway to support a reasonable Xbox price cut in the future, but unless there is a significant lack of interest, we don't expect to see Microsoft make any changes itself. Related Feature - Xbox down under

The GIA has unearthed pricing information for Squaresoft's forthcoming massively multiplayer RPG, Final Fantasy XI. The long-awaited online revision of the series will cost punters 1,280 yen (£7 / €11) per month with the first month free, and an additional fee of 100 yen (£0.55 / €0.90) for each additional character the player uses. Final Fantasy XI is due out on May 16th in Japan, and will retail for 7,800 yen (£42.50 / €68). Related Feature - Final Fantasy XI preview

It's been just over 36 hours since the launch of Xbox, and since Microsoft hasn't deigned itself to announce sales figures just yet, we thought we'd take a look at how the Xbox has been faring down under. According to ZDNet in Aus, gamers had queued in Sydney's Grace Bros Pitt St. mall since from as early as 3pm in the afternoon to secure prime positions in the line, which reportedly reached several hundred metres in length. In contrast, the first Xbox-owning Brit, Scott Rawlins, descended upon Oxford Street at 5:30pm and happened to find himself at the front of the queue. Australian gamers also received two complementary games with their Xbox bundle purchases, and went into the draw to win a black Chrysler Jeep Wrangler (worth $41,997) with a special Xbox paint job. Related Feature - Redmond, we have lift-off

A twenty year old unemployed man by the name of Jomar Allen has gained the unenviable reputation of being the first man in Europe to be accused of attempting to steal an Xbox, achieving the feat within minutes of the console's launch. A report from Reuters suggests that the man was apprehended and charged shortly after midnight on Thursday morning as the Xbox first went on sale in Oxford Street, London. No doubt he was easy to catch as he hobbled down the road straining under the load. Ok, sorry, that's the last joke we'll make about the size of the Xbox. Honest, guv.

Over a year after they announced that they had snagged a license to develop games based on the Belgian comic book XIII, Ubi Soft have unveiled the first title to emerge from the deal. Imaginatively titled XIII, it will be a first person shooter for the PC, PS2, GameCube, Xbox and Kitchen Sink (probably), powered by the latest Unreal technology and featuring cel shaded graphics. Although the world is currently suffering from a spate of dodgy cartoon rendered games, in this case it is at least justified as the game tries to achieve the same atmosphere as the graphic novels it's based on.

When they announced the latest installment in the TOCA series, Codemasters promised it would be a little different from your average motor racing game, with a focus on characters and storyline as well as on track action. Today the developers have revealed the first details of this plot, which will follow a rookie called Ryan McKane as he works his way up through the field as a professional racing driver. Overshadowed by both his famous father and an elder brother, Ryan must prove he's got what it takes to make it in the competitive world of motor racing under his own steam, while dealing with short tempered rivals and the attentions of gorgeous women. Poor fellow. The game's cutscenes are fully motion captured, recording both voice acting and character movements simultaneously in a Motion Analysis system similar to the one that Square used for their Final Fantasy movie. To add to the atmosphere, the cutscenes will apparently be rendered in real time by the game engine, allowing the developers to include the right race track scenery and the car you were just driving in a cinematic shot along with the various pre-scripted characters as they deliver their lines. Codemasters were quick to point out that it's still the actual racing which makes up the vast majority of the game though, and this is no Metal Gear Solid 2. "Each story sequence lasts between just 15 and 45 seconds", according to producer Gavin Raeburn. "This avoids players feeling the need to press buttons to skip scenes. Certain characters will also feature in other parts of the game, replacing text information and option displays with actual speech. This helps dispense with the impersonal documentary feel of many licensed racing games and keeps TOCA Race Driver a dramatic and fast, though personal, experience throughout." With the game due out in June 2002, we should soon be able to see for ourselves whether this novel approach has worked. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the storyline and the game's use of motion capture, there's plenty more information (along with possible spoilers) in the press release. Related Feature - TOCA Race Driver screenshots

Acclaim has announced its latest, controversial advertising campaign, for the PlayStation 2 game ShadowMan 2econd Coming due out this Friday. In a bizarre twist on the game's cult and undead themes, the firm plans to rent space on tombstones and memorial plaques up and down the land, or "erect small billboards and sponsor the headstones of the subsidised dead as a permanent advertisement". "The concept of what we're calling 'Deadvertising' is entirely consistent with the theme of the ShadowMan 2econd Coming game and provides us with a permanent presence for our advertising. Content and context are two important principles of marketing ShadowMan," Acclaim Communications Manager Shaun White commented. I'm sorry? Is it April 1st? The company is expecting a rush of enquiries for the new "deadverts". If we were them, we'd expect a shower of complaints and abuse from flabbergasted punters, journos and, oh, just about anybody with a modicum of taste. Curiously, the press release announcing the controversial campaign carries several disclaimers. "Advertising on gravestones falls outside the codes of conduct and regulations of any formal advertising bodies," the unintentionally pun-addled press release remarks. Relatives of the deceased wishing to enquire about opportunities should email shadowman@acclaimworld.com.

Scrolling beat 'em ups are all the rage again. Admittedly, they've had a lick of paint, but those 8 and 16-bit classics of yore seem to have inspired plenty of games recently, State of Emergency for one. And Barbarian for two. Titus / Virgin's slick new fighter sees players picking from eight warriors and wreaking havoc across ten fantasty environments, which the press release boldly compares to those dreamt up by JRR Tolkien. Along with GBA and Xbox versions, a PlayStation 2 release is promised this June, and Virgin has just released ten new shots of the game, which, despite being labelled GBA, PS2 and Xbox, we're pretty sure come from the PS2 version of the game exclusively. Budding Barbarians can use anything in their path to pummel their enemies, including rocks, chairs, dead bodies and .. even the odd swordfish, apparently. Magical powers and attacks will gradually become available as players progress, and with a non-linear storyline and RPG elements that allow players to hone their Barbarian's skills in certain areas, this looks like an interesting prospect. Multiplayer modes are also promised, including what sounds like up to four player co-operative modes... Related Feature - Barbarian screenshots

To celebrate the thunderous success of the GameBoy Advance Stateside, Nintendo now plans to release a limited edition platinum coloured model on June 3rd, 2002, for the suggested retail price of $79.95, a touch under what we pay for the vanilla consoles here. For reference, yanks can usually expect to pay $69.99 for their GBAs. There is no word on whether the platinum console will be available in Europe. Nintendo also promises recent converts a total of 200 GBA games to choose from by this June. Related Feature - Join Mario on the Dark Side

Hercules has just announced the latest addition to its 3D Prophet line, the 3D Prophet 4800. Based on the KYRO II SE chipset announced by Imagination Technologies during CeBIT 2002 yesterday. Apart from everything mentioned previously, the 3D Prophet 4800 will also be available in a TV-out edition, bundled with a copy of Cyberlink's ubiquitous PowerDVD software DVD player. Pricing has yet to be announced. Related Feature - PowerVR unveils KYRO II SE

Earlier this week, it emerged that several Dabs.com customers placed orders for the company's "Xbox Ultimate Bundle" (consisting of the console, memory card, extra controller and three games) for £249 ex-VAT, an obvious oversight on the e-tailer's part. This was quickly corrected to £379 ex-VAT, and the 13 customers who couldn't believe their luck were kicked to the curb and warned of increased delays and the higher price tag. As repeatedly witnessed in the past however, mounting pressure from the press (including El Reg, for their part) and consumers alike has led to the e-tailer rescinding its original decision and opting to supply the 13 lucky gamers with their new toys at the incorrectly advertised price, as a gesture of goodwill, once stock is allocated. Related Features - Redmond, we have lift-off

Afterburner is the inauspicious name given to a US-made GameBoy Advance lighting modification, which is finally approaching fruition and as of tomorrow, is available to pre-order inside the United States. The hubbub surrounding the mod stems from the "prototype pics" on show at the project's website, Portable Monopoly. These clearly depict a strongly lit GBA unit displaying Advance Wars, and according to the team, this substantial improvement comes at the expense of a modicum of battery life. Pre-order details for our American readers can be found at the Portable Monopoly website, and we fully expect to find Afterburner modifications available through the usual grey market channels in due course. Related Feature - Portable Monopoly approaching

Yesterday at CeBIT 2002 in Hannover, AMD unveiled its Athlon XP 2100+ processor for desktop users, clocking in at 1.73GHz, along with an Athlon 4 1600+ processor for notebooks, operating at a slightly more sedate 1.4GHz. The chip giant also demonstrated new Athlon MP 2000+ for servers and workstations. Pricing on the new desktop chip is said to start at $420 (£296 / €478), but as always that's only if you happen to buy it in quantities of 1,000 units or more. In reality, it's not quite so bleak a picture. Bolton based e-tailer Scan is flogging the new, top-end Athlon XP chips for £239+VAT, roughly £280. The new Athlon 4 is expected to start appearing at the centre of top-end notebooks in due course. Coupled with a new GeForce 2 GO or Mobile Radeon, it should make quite an impression, and arrives just in time to compete with Intel's recently announced Pentium 4 processor-M. Related Feature - Pentium 4 goes mobile

Microsoft Xbox has gone on sale in shops across Europe this morning, with many stores opening at midnight to cope with demand. The new console launches at £299.99 in the UK, but its price varies somewhat throughout mainland Europe. Accompanying the console are twenty launch titles, including Microsoft's highly anticipated flagship shooter Halo, Project Gotham Racing and Dead or Alive 3. Latecomer Wreckless, which was not present for the American launch, is also expected to fare well. The keenest of the new console's fans turned out to be Heathrow resident Scott Rawlins, who plucked his new console from the hands of Richard Branson himself before borrowing the millionaire's limousine for his ride home. Speaking to BBC News Online, Rawlins commented, "I only came down to see what the atmosphere was like and I found I was first in the queue." Early sales estimates are not yet available, but Microsoft has pledged to sell between four and six million of the consoles worldwide before June, 1.5 million of those in Europe. New machines are to be supplied weekly, as with November's American launch. Hundreds of fans flocked to the Virgin Megastore launch, partly to catch a glimpse of celebrities Richard Branson and Jonathan Ross, partly to have a bash at the latest games, and in most cases, to bear witness to the heavily armoured, Xbox-covered tank Microsoft had apparently hired for the day (or borrowed from one of its other deployments, perhaps). Operating the green tank were several Grinch look-alikes, struggling to look festive in their green Christmas outfits. Of course, as any child (or Jim Carey fan) will attest, the Grinch stole Christmas, and so I suppose one has to deduce that Microsoft's Grinch plans to steal the console market… Related Feature - Xbox launch tonight!