Ubisoft has released a Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East demo for those of you interested in trying the upcoming strategy game expansion pack.

The 900mb demo allows you to play as an Orc faction and use their new "Blood Rage" and "War Cries" features to rock the battlefield.

Developed by Nival Interactive, the retail version of the stand-alone expansion ships October 16.

Over at FileShack you can find the Clive Barker's Jericho demo, which comes in at 1.06gb. The demo includes the singleplayer mission "The Sewers".

Developed by Mercury Steam and published by Codemasters, the first person horror action game will be released on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this October.

As part of Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show Bringing It Home celebration, a 971 MB demo of the Xbox 360 mini-game competition Viva Pinata: Party Animals is now available for download from Xbox Live Marketplace.

Developed by Krome Studios and based on the pinata-tastic property created by Rare, Party Animals arrives in North America later this year.

A demo for Visual Concepts' NBA 2K8 (PS2, PS3, X360) is now available for download on Xbox Live Marketplace. The 325MB demo lets players run through a four-minute exhibition game.

Though not featured in the demo, this year's iteration of the NBA 2K series features a Slam Dunk Contest. The game retails for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on October 2.

A demo of the space combat simulator Tarr Chronicles is now available at FileShack. It is unclear what exactly is included with the 481mb download, though it's most likely one of the game's nine missions.

Developed by Quazar Studio, the retail version of Tarr Chronicles will ship to stores September 24.

Over at FileShack you can now find the PC demo for John Woo presents Stranglehold, Midway's new third person action game.

The 1.97gb demo includes one level from the game, which is currently out on Xbox 360 and will ship for PC next week. The PlayStation 3 release will follow September 25.

The PlayStation 3 firmware update discussed yesterday is now ready for download. Marked as version 1.93, it is said to fix some of the network issues introduced when 1.92 hit last week.

Users will be prompted to download the new firmware when attempting to sign into the PlayStation Network, and it will also be available from the official PlayStation site in due time. As with all PS3 system updates, the latest version is required to access the PlayStation Network and its online multiplayer.

The PlayStation Network also allows users to browse the online PlayStation Store, which will gain two new games and oodles of new demos later today. Selling for $9.99 is Sony Online Entertainment's High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition, with Q Games' $6.99 slot racer PixelJunk Racers at its side.

Meanwhile, today's demo offerings include Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, NHL 08 and FIFA 08--both from EA Canada--EA UK's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and a trial version of PixelJunk Racers.

Two more downloadable demos hit Xbox Live Marketplace this morning, providing internet-connected gamers with advance glimpses of FIFA 08 and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. Both EA Canada's baller and Next Level Games' family-friendly co-op beat 'em up are expected in early October on a number of platforms.

Specifically, FIFA 08 will rush the field on PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PSP in addition to Xbox 360. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe poses its ethical query to PC, PS2, X360, Wii, NDS, and PSP owners, with the portable iterations handled by Artificial Mind and Movement.

While we're on the subject of Xbox Live Marketplace, the third map pack for NinjaBee's downloadable strategy game Band of Bugs is also on the service. It brings five new single and multiplayer maps to the game for 150 Microsoft Points ($1.88).

A demo for Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Proving Ground grinded onto Xbox Live Marketplace this morning. The ninth Tony Hawk title in just as many years ollies to retail outlets October 16, arriving in PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS varieties. The Xbox 360 edition will carry a Guitar Hero III demo in tow.

Speaking of Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft announced it will be providing the usual Bringing It Home assortment of trailers, demos, and other content from the Tokyo Game Show beginning September 13.

Sony Online Entertainment's High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition arrives in the PlayStation 3's North American online PlayStation Store this Thursday, September 13. Featuring five different types of poker--Texas Hold'em, Super Hold'em, Billabong, Tahoe, and Shanghai--along with six-person multiplayer, the game will sell for $9.99.

Then on October 4, the long-awaited demo of Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction lands in Europe's PlayStation Store, or so says IGN UK. Shacknews has contacted SCEA and Insomniac regarding the timeframe of the demo's debut in North America, where the full game springs into stores October 23.

As promised, the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars demo is now available. The 727 mb download includes the Valley map, which you can play online or against bots. Windows server administrators can download this file to run a dedicated server. For you Mercury subscribers with download accelerators, the demo is on our Quicksilver file server.

Also, a special note for ATI Radeon owners, as they will need an updated driver to run the game.

In case you felt like doing some racing today, you can now download the RACE 07: The WTCC Game demo from FileShack.

The 504mb download comes with two tracks and three cars (BMW E90, Seat Leon and Formula 3000). You can also race online with up to 24 people.

Add-on packs for off-road racer MotorStorm and Ninja Gaiden Sigma along with two demos mark this week's update to the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store.

Priced at $5.99, MotorStorm's Revenge Weekend pack adds the new Coyote Revenge track, five new vehicles, nine new events, and the Eliminator online mode to the repertoire of Evolution Studios' gritty racer. Alternately, four of the new cars can be purchased separately at $0.99 a pop.

On the demon-killing ninja front, owners of Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden Sigma can snag the $2.99 Weapons Master download, which adds more spirit-crushing challenge in the form of a new survival mode.

As for demos, PlayStation 3 owners can now sample Midway Chicago and Tiger Hill Entertainment's Stranglehold, as well as EA Canada's NBA Live 08. Both demos are also available on Xbox 360 via the console's Xbox Live Marketplace.

The latest development blog entry over at the official community site for Splash Damage's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars sheds some new light on the PC demo set to arrive Monday, September 10.

Containing the rebalanced Valley Map--complete with myriad of tweaks based on beta feedback--the demo includes bot support as well as online and LAN functionality. It also features the same XP, weapons balance, player movement, and vehicle handling properties that will be in the final game when it hits Europe on September 28 and North America on October 2.

The system requirements for the demo are as follows: ... Read more

A 752 MB demo of Bugbear Entertainment's FlatOut Ultimate Carnage fishtailed onto Xbox Live Marketplace today and splattered its contents all over the service. The demo, which hit Europe this past July, features three levels of car-crashing, driver-ejecting goodness.

Already available in Europe, FlatOut Ultimate Carnage arrives in North America later this year.

PC users will be able to download a demo of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars on Monday, a Splash Damage community manager said on the official Quake Wars forums. The PC version recently went gold and is scheduled to arrive in stores on October 2 in North America and September 28 in Europe and Australia.

Retailers will carry both a $49.99 regular and $59.99 limited edition with the limited edition including a premium slipcase, bonus DVD, and ten collectible cards. There's no word yet on a release date for Nerve Software's Xbox 360 version, Z-Axis' PlayStation 3 version, or Aspyr's Mac version.

A 582MB demo for Saber Interative's overhauled time-tweaking shooter TimeShift hit Xbox Live today. The game will arrive on Xbox 360 and PCs October 30, with the PlayStation 3 version bringing up the rear at an unannounced date.

Shacknews' Team Chris power duo tag-teamed coverage of the title, with Chris Faylor exploring the multiplayer and Chris Remo getting the details on the game's drastic reinvention.

A demo for Techland's Wild West FPS Call of Juarez hit the Xbox 360's download service earlier today. The game was released last year on PC, but just recently hit the 360 in June.

Call of Juarez follows the gun-toting characters of Billy "Candle" and Reverend Ray--the latter wielding a gun in one hand, and an enemy-stunning Bible in the other. While certainly original in some respects, the game received mixed reviews. However, if you're tired of replaying LucasArts' Outlaws, your pickings are slim. Mosey on over to Xbox Live and give it a try.

September 25 is sure to bring relief to some lucky PC gamers and premonitions of system upgrade expense to others, as the Crysis single-player demo is released. The demo will contain the first level from the full game, and publisher EA promises it will showcase "a huge surprise from Crytek."

No minimum system requirements were released; Shacknews has contacted EA for more information. Along with the announcement came a new Crysis trailer showcasing the game's power-enhancing Nanosuit:

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Download the full HD Crysis trailer from FileShack.

It has taken a while, but Microsoft finally released the Halo Wars E3 2007 presentation showing more from the Xbox 360 exclusive strategy game. The 10 minute long video offers gameplay footage and narration by lead designer Graeme Devine.

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