With Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots due out June 12 (PS3), developer Kojima Productions has revealed that the long-awaited stealth-action title is finished.

"I can now saw we have finished, Metal Gear Solid 4 is finally completed," series creator Hideo Kojima announced at a press event yesterday. "It was quite a test. Honestly, I feel relieved."

During his presentation, Kojima detailed some of the product placement contained within the game, including a 30GB iPod and Playboy magazines. The iPod can be used to play music found during the game, with Kojima demonstrating the feature by playing a light jazz melody whilst massacring enemy soldiers.

As for Playboy, the well-known nudie publication replaces the generic dirty magazines that have been used to distract enemies in past releases. Kojima noted that flipping through the in-game magazine will help reduce the stress level of protagonist Solid Snake.

The North American version of SCS Software's bus driving sim Bus Driver (PC) has gone gold and entered the manufacturing process, publisher Meridian4 has announced.

With the title due out at some unspecified point this month, the publisher took the time to size up the mammoth competition that has everyone else holding back:

GTA IV stand aside because here comes Bus Driver! Can you drive buses in GTA IV...oh you can? But does it reward you for picking up and dropping off passengers according to a schedule...I didn't think so. One point to Bus Driver!

Though Bus Driver does not allow players to squash, splatter, or run over pedestrians a la Grand Theft Auto IV, it should be noted that improper braking or vehicular collisions can result in passenger injury and, subsequently, a lower score. ... Read more

The oft-delayed PC edition of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has gone gold and entered the manufacturing process, developer Funcom and publisher Eidos had announced.

Complete with nipples and over-the-top violence, the mature MMO is slated to launch on May 20 in North America, with a European release following on May 23. An Xbox 360 edition will arrive at a later, unspecified date.

"Age of Conan has been in development for a long time, as with all MMOs, but we have spent that time well and ended up with a game we are incredibly proud of," said Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. "We believe we have truly succeeded in realizing the vision of the game."

For more on Age of Conan and its real-time battle system, scope out our CES impressions along with our previous preview and interview.

Digital Extremes' glaive-wielding action title Dark Sector (PS3, X360) has entered the manufacturing process and will ship to North American retailers on March 25, D3Publisher announced today.

Powered by Digital Extremes' Evolution Engine, the title has players assuming the role of Hayden, a former special ops agent infected by a virus that grants him superpowers. Just like Mega Man, Hayden must defeat bosses in order to acquire their specific powers, such as the ability to create a bullet-deflecting bubble shield.

Dark Sector also sports a multiplayer mode, featuring two different gameplay types, with Digital Extremes hoping to eventually flesh out the title's multiplayer component via downloadable content.

For more on Dark Sector, check out our hands-on impressions from earlier this year.

The Nintendo DS version of Crackpot Entertainment's action adventure game Insecticide has gone gold and will ship to stores March 11, publisher GameCock has announced. The game was previously scheduled for a February release.

A PC version of the game is expected as well, albeit in episodic form, with the first episode showing up online shortly after the release of the game on the DS.

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Registered users can use the HD stream for this trailer, which contains cutscene footage.

Stardock announced today that Ironclad Games' Sins of a Solar Empire (PC) has gone gold and will be released on February 4. Priced at $39.95, the 4X and RTS mash-up will be available in retail stores and via Stardock's digital download service next week. A collector's edition which includes a CD soundtrack, poster, and other bonuses will also be released for ten dollars over the standard version.

The PC version of Petroglyph Games' sci-fi RTS Universe at War: Earth Assault has gone gold and entered the manufacturing process.

One of the many Sega-published titles announced for digital distribution via Steam, the latest effort from the Star Wars: Empire at War (PC) developer is expected to be available from traditional retail outlets and Steam next Wednesday, December 5.

For a taste of how the game plays, check out the 1.2GB demo over at FileShack, which includes a tutorial and the first two missions from the Hierarchy campaign.

"Thanks to all of you who have been following the development, participating on the boards and playing along," community manager driph-PG posted on the studio's official site. "It's been a hell of a ride."

An Xbox 360 version of the game is slated to arrive early next year, and will be among the few Xbox 360 titles to support cross-platform multiplayer.

Epic has completed its race to the finish line, pushing the PlayStation 3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 out in time for the holidays.

"We got news last night that Unreal Tournament 3 has been approved by SCEA and has been released to North American manufacturing," said Epic VP Mark Rein on the company forums.

Though no release date has been set, Rein suggests keeping an eye out in mid-December for the anticipated, moddable online shooter.

"Midway has started talking to retailers to figure out exact timing and they will have a formal announcement early next week when everyone is back from the Thanksgiving holiday," continued Rein. "My guess is that Midway will start shipping the title to North American retailers on Monday December 10th and it could show up in stores as early as December 11th but more likely toward the middle of that week."

The third entry to the Soldier of Fortune series, finalized by developer Cauldron HQ, has gone gold today. The game will ship to stores on November 13 on the Xbox 360 and PC, with the PS3 version arriving on November 20.

"With over 40 Achievements available on Xbox 360, there's a reward for every action," claims publisher Activision. "Just like a real mercenary!"

Activision also sent along some new media to mark the occasion. For more details on the title, give a listen to Chris Remo's impressions on the 15th episode of the Shacknews podcast.

Rock Band, the much-hyped multi-instrument supergroup simulator from Harmonix, has gone gold and will be arriving on PlayStation 2 a bit later than expected.

The $159.99 PlayStation 2 Rock Band bundle, which packs a wired microphone, guitar, and drum kit and was originally expected on December 10, is now slated to arrive December 18.

The $169.99 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 bundles officially hit stores November 20. The game will also be available separately for $59.99. All three versions are slated to rock Europe in Q1 2008.

Individual instruments will not be available for purchase at launch. However, Rock Band is compatible with the Xbox 360's wired X-Plorer guitar, which came with Guitar Hero II, along with other unspecified third-party peripherals. Harmonix notes the Rock Band PlayStation 3 wireless guitar can be used with the PlayStation 2 edition.

Though reports of the game being spotted in stores began circulating last week, Harmonix claimed that retailers were inadvertently selling "hobbled" demo units, which do not include the final game code or all of its accessories.

"Rock Band is a true symbol of Harmonix's vision, dedication and passion... Read more

Midway Studios Austin's alien-infested shooter BlackSite: Area 51 (PC, PS3, X360) has gone gold, Midway announced today. The game retails for PC and Xbox 360 November 12, a week later than expected, with the PlayStation 3 version following some time in December.

Along with Midway's John Woo Presents: Stranglehold (PC, PS3, X360), the PS3 version of BlackSite was delayed due to problems with using the Unreal Engine 3 on Sony's platform. Though a demo for the game has already hit Xbox Live, Midway promises a second demo will be arriving soon, with a demo for PS3 gamers coming to the PlayStation Network as well.

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Mercury subscribers can use the HD stream.

The first Wii outing of the Soul Calibur franchise is complete and has entered replication, developer and publisher Namco Bandai announced today. The game, which is referred to as both Soul Calibur Legends and Soulcalibur Legends, is a Wii exclusive and arrives in stores on November 20.

Unlike other entries in the series, Legends focuses less on one-on-one fights and more on action and adventure. According to Namco, players will use the Wii Remote and nunchuck to "master orchestrated attacks to crush scores of enemies or large bosses." Over ten different stages are available in single-player mode, and the game offers both two-player co-op and versus.

The next fighting game in the Soul Calibur series, Soul Calibur IV, is currently in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and is scheduled to arrive in 2008.

Tilted Mill Entertainment's SimCity Societies has gone gold and will retail for the PC November 21, publisher EA announced today. The game is the first major PC installment in the SimCity series that series creator Maxis hasn't developed.

The game strips away some of the more technical aspects of the SimCity series like zoning and setting up public works in favor of socially oriented constructs. And new kinds of resources called "social energies" gauge a city's industry, wealth, obedience, knowledge, devotion, and creativity, allowing gamers to use these resources to enhance their society's features.

For more information, check out longtime SimCity fan and Shacknews editor Nick Breckon's surprisingly optimistic preview of the title.

Crysis, Crytek's long-awaited and gorgeous-looking Far Cry followup, has gone gold and entered the manufacturing process. It will hit stores November 16.

"We are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish with Crysis," said Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli. "We wanted to push the boundaries both visually and with open-ended, non-linear gameplay and we believe the end result delivers that vision."

Though the title doesn't hit for another couple of weeks, gamers can whet their appetites and test their system's worth with the single-player demo.

Those interested in the game are also urged to read our chat with Yerli about the technology behind Crysis in order to plan their system upgrades accordingly, and our preview of the full game for more gameplay details.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed are now being manufactured and will hit stores on November 13, Ubisoft announced today. A $69.99 limited edition, said to pack a figurine and other goodies, will be available along with the standard $59.99 version.

The PC version of the latest stealth adventure title from the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time team was originally scheduled to release alongside the console iterations, but was recently delayed until early 2008. A Nintendo DS edition is also in development and is currently slated for a February release. For more on the console and PC edition of Assassin's Creed and its escapist atmosphere, check out our hands-on impressions.

"We've been working very hard for nearly four years to make Assassin's Creed a reality and now there is a confirmed date when players will get to experience the results of our efforts," producer Jade Raymond quipped while attempting to avoid her creepy mob of admirers. "This is a huge event for the team. Our biggest reward will be everyone having a lot of good solid fun."

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the premiere PlayStation 3 adventure title from Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter creator Naughty Dog, has gone gold.

"We went ‘gold’ last week," Naughty Dog AI and animation programmer Christian Gyrling posted in the commnets of the official PlayStation blog. "Right now the game is in other words 100% done and is currently going through the approval process."

The timing of the gold announcement bodes well for the title's planned release on November 20. For more on Uncharted, check out our extensive interview and hands-on coverage.

However, it appears players won't need to wait until the game's launch to get their first taste of the expressive Nathan Drake and his treasure hunting ways. "A demo will be available [for download] in the PlayStation Store sometime mid November," wrote Gyrling. "I don’t know the exact date as of now."

Sierra Entertainment today announced that Empire Earth 3, the strategy game sequel from Mad Doc Software, has gone gold and is off to manufacturing. It will ship to stores November 6.

The PC edition of Epic's grimy cover-based shooter Gears of War (PC, X360) has gone gold, Microsoft announced today. The title will hit retail stores November 6, almost one year exactly after its November 7 release last fall on Xbox 360.

In its PC form, Gears has several additional goodies for gamers: five new singleplayer chapters, a new Annex multiplayer game mode, three new multiplayer maps, and a game editor. You also get to throw down with the Brumak, that big scary thing you never actually got to fight in the 360 version.

The entirety of Xbox 360 downloadable content will be included on the disc as well, and the package will retail for $49.99. For more on the title, check out the Shack's own thorough preview.

CD Projekt's impressive-looking PC RPG The Witcher has gone gold and ships to stores in North America on October 30. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski's series of novels, the game follows Geralt, who in his role as a mutant witcher, drinks, seduces women, and slays monsters as he explores the seedy underbelly of the world.

"Not only does The Witcher shine with its stellar action gameplay, its thought provoking storyline riddled with mature social issues is sure to get gamers talking," claimed Atari senior producer Larry Liberty. "We're confident that The Witcher will prove to be one of the most acclaimed RPG titles this fall."

"Creating The Witcher was a huge challenge, but also an adventure. Our task was to create a game with an incredibly involving story and a credible world--a role-playing game that we ourselves would like to play," said CD Projekt joint CEO Michal Kicinski. "We approached this task with no compromises."

For more on The Witcher's lengthy adventure and its moral quandaries, dig into my hands-on preview of the game and check back tomorrow for Nick Breckon's impressions.

Developer Renegade Kid today announced its Nintendo DS survival horror FPS Dementium: The Ward has gone gold. The release date is set for this Halloween, October 31.

Centering around a man who finds himself alone in a creepy hospital, Dementium will throw monsters, puzzles, and mysteries at the player. The game features fully 3D environments and a real-time flashlight.

Take a look at a few new screenshots of the game below, and check back for more coverage of the game in the days to come.