With GDC scheduled for later this month, publisher Paradox Interactive announced that they will be present at the San Francisco event, along with their lineup of development teams who will be on hand to showcase their titles.

These are the games will be open for demo opportunities during the show:

Hearts of Iron III
The eagerly anticipated third instalment in the critically acclaimed World War II strategy series, Hearts of Iron III will feature a plethora of brand new features to satisfy veteran and novice players alike, including a huge game map with more than 14,000 land and sea provinces. At GDC, Hearts of Iron III will be at the beta stage of development where all functionality of the game will be present. The development team will be on hand to demonstrate every aspect of the game. Hearts of Iron III is scheduled for release in Q3.

Majesty 2
The long overdue sequel for the beloved real-time strategy classic is finally approaching completion. With nothing else out there quite like it, the world of Majesty 2 is full of charm along with a unique sense of humour where the player only has indirect control of the characters and units. The independent thinking Heroes are just as likely to go shopping as they are to fight monsters and undertake heroic quests! Majesty 2 will make you think in totally new ways. Majesty 2 is scheduled for release in Q2.

Elven Legacy
Elven Legacy is a fantasy strategy game that sends players on an epic quest aimed to restore the former glory of the Elven race, and delivers a world filled with magic. The game has a thrilling non-linear storyline with multiple endings. Elven Legacy also offers tools that allow players to create their own missions and campaigns and share them in multiplayer mode. Elven Legacy is scheduled for an April release.

Mount & Blade Multiplayer Expansion
The first expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Mount & Blade introduces an array of brand new features, highlighted by a multiplayer capability that allows up to 32 players to battle it out in team death-match style combat on a single map. Additional features of the expansion include improved strategic AI, extended diplomatic options, and state-of-the-art rendering technologies. The Mount & Blade Expansion is scheduled for release in Q3.

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Wrath of the Lich King, its second expansion pack for World of Warcraft, has sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first day of availability, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. The record was previously held by the studio’s other expansion for WoW – The Burning Crusade – released back in January 2007, selling nearly 2.4 million copies during its first day at retail.

“We’re grateful for the incredible support that players around the world have continued to show for World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we’ve created for the game so far, and we look forward to seeing even more players log in to experience it in the days ahead.”

The expansion adds a whole new continent to explore, the Death Knight hero class and more. World of Warcraft, prior to the launch of the expansion, had more than 11 million players.

Sony’s long-running and way past its prime MMORPG EverQuest 2’s latest expansion The Shadow Odyssey is scheduled to launch worldwide today. It is the fifth expansion for the franchise and will add even more content to the game. A compilation pack for gamers is now available via retail stores and digital download for $39.99.

“The storyline of The Shadow Odyssey allows players to explore uncharted regions in the virtual world of Norrath while experiencing nostalgic areas made famous in the original EverQuest almost 10 years ago,” said Bruce Ferguson, senior producer, Sony Online Entertainment. “This expansion comes on the heels of the highest selling expansion to date, Rise of Kunark, and the incredibly successful Living Legacy program, which ran over the summer months and attracted large numbers of new and returning players who are ready for exciting new adventures.”

The add-on adds more than 20 new zones, nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes and increases the Achievement Point level cap to 200. It also adds a new Dungeon Delving mission system and five new Heritage Quests with unique rewards. Two new deities and more have added as well.

To celebrate the release of the Meme expansion for Metal Gear Online on November 25, Konami sent out these nonsensical screenshots that show off one of the game’s major character in a shirtless pose and a rather content girl with one guy checking her out.

Funcom has launched a free update for Age of Conan, terming it the largest gameplay content addition since launch. The update adds the new outdoor area of Ymir’s Pass where players will now be able to partake in more quests, meet new characters, slay new monsters and experience a new storyline. It also adds a new dungeon – the Amphitheater – that reportedly holds “one of the most epic and memorable monster encounters ever created for the game.”

"This is an important update that opens up a lot of new gameplay content for players who have already passed the level fifty mark," says game director Craig Morrison. "In the months ahead we will introduce even more new content, and coming up soon are two exciting new high-level dungeons intended for players who have reached the maximum level. At this stage adding more content and keeping people entertained is very important to us!"

Below are a couple of screenshots from the update.

Can’t wait for Halo 3 Recon, the upcoming expansion to the popular shooter? Well, some information on it has surfaced, and the length isn’t something to exactly look forward to.

Bungie is downplaying the length of the game, noting that it’s not a “$60 title” and that it is going to be more like a “three to five-hour expansion pack.”

There’s more! Those who buy the expansion will be able to get the ultra-rare “Recon Armor” which has previously been reserved for Bungie employees and their community-based friends. Now, you can just purchase the expansion when it comes out next year and be proud of the not-so-rare-anymore armor!

Best Buy has announced plans to hold a midnight launch for Wrath of the Lich King, the upcoming highly anticipated expansion for World of Warcraft, in New York city on November 13.

Beginning at 8pm on Wednesday, gamers can gather at the Times Square Best Buy to meet with Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce; G4’s Geoff Keighley will also be there. The event will be host to interviews, prize giveaways and more.

Continuing the expansion of one of the longest running MMOs around, CCP today announced November 11 as the launch date for the final deployment in the two-part staged release of EVE Online: Quantum Rise, the ninth free expansion to the game.

This expansion offers performance-enhancing improvements, in-game subscription services, assembly array modules, UI changes, more efficient bomb production, upgrades to graphics, new music tracks and more.

It will be available completely free to subscribers. Interested non-subscribers can check out the free trial to see if they like it or not.

The official World of Warcraft website offers details on the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion for the game. There is a new Death Knight gameplay information page, new gameplay features page and new wallpapers among other things.

The Two Worlds universe is being expanded with “The Temptation”, an upcoming add-on that adds a new gameplay feature allowing the player to influence the environment more than before. Players will be able to use chests, barrels and other items to defeat opponents as well as reach higher ground; there are also ladders.

New environments will also be present. Two have been disclosed – a Savannah and a Jungle. “So with ‘The Temptation’ we’ve succeeded in realizing a truly intensive gaming experience – an experience that also includes the refining of the ‘older’ elements together with truly stunning new features,” commented Zuxxez CEO Alexandra Constandache. “When you move objects, for example, the possibilities are almost endless… you can use all your creative talents and enable very interesting quests at the same time.”

Below are the first four screenshots:

The third bomb pack for Bomberman Live is now available for purchase on Xbox Live. It adds more than a dozen new features, including ten new characters, two additional levels, two new leaderboards and a brand new game mode. The add-on costs 250 Microsoft points.

The development of an add-on for Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory was announced earlier this week. Dubbed the “Ardennes Offensive”, the expansion will feature two campaigns playable for Germans and Allies, plus a campaign playable for the German and Soviet sides. Multiplayer maps and new features will also be included.

Set for release in April 2008, the add-on will feature fully interactive landscapes, massive maps, thousands of units fighting in real time, more than 300 new units, advanced micro-AI behavior, and even more.

Though it isn’t confirmed yet, TGMOnline, by way of Halifax, the Italian distributor for Capcom, reports that a PC version of Dead Rising is in the making, as well as an expansion to Lost Planet dubbed Colonies.

Capcom is yet to comment on the rumor.

Bethesda has announced that it will release Shivering Isles, the expansion pack to Elder Scrolls IV, for the PS3 through retail. The standalone disc will allow gamers the chance to experience the expansion of the award-winning RPG.

This retail release follows the October release of the Game of the Year edition of Elder Scrolls IV for the PS3, which includes the Shivering Isles pack. The expansion offers more than 30 hours of new gameplay, allowing players to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion.

Shivering Isles will hit PS3 on November 20.

Those looking for more awesome Neverwinter Nights 2 action won’t have to wait much longer: Atari has announced an Adventure Pack for the game that will be made available exclusively by digital download. Created by Atari and some of the most prominent members of the NWN2 communities, Mysteries of Westgate will offer a new storyline, professional voice acting, new musical scores, new in-game content and more.

Set in the infamous Forgotten Realms city of Westgate, players find themselves in possession of a powerful but cursed treasure that threatens to destroy them. Linked to the underworld organization known as the Night Masks, the treasure will draw players into a city-spanning clash between warring factions. Players must choose their allegiance in order to break the curse and ultimately uncover a plot that threatens Westgate itself.

The expansion will feature a non-linear, open-ended single-player campaign with numerous side quests covering more than 15 hours of game play. It will also feature 3 new companions, an entirely new underground sewers tile set, new monsters and more. It is scheduled for release later this Fall.