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Koei has announced that the fourth game in its Dynasty Warriors series has been sent off to retailers in North America. Dynasty Warriors 4 is set against the backdrop of the Three Kingdoms period in China, and it pits players against numerous opponents on large battlefields. The game adds a number of new features to the series, and it also features greater detail on the characters involved in its plot.

"The Dynasty Warriors series established a new genre of 3D combat and in the process captivated legions of gamers," said Amos Ip, vice president of sales and marketing at Koei Corporation. "Fully loaded with new features, devastating new moves, striking visuals, and a stirring musical score, Dynasty Warriors 4 will again have fans and soon-to-be fans alike enthralled with an epic story of loyalty, strength, courage, and desire."

Maxis and Electronic Arts have announced that The Sims has shipped for the Xbox and GameCube. The Sims features full 3D environments, as well as both objective-oriented and open-ended gameplay modes in which players control the day-to-day activities of their sims. The game also supports multiplayer options, allowing two players to control two different sims in the same environment.

"The unique and challenging experience of The Sims is now available on all next-generation console platforms," said Sinjin Bain, vice president and executive producer of the game at EA's Maxis studio. "After the wildly successful launch of The Sims on the PlayStation 2, we are excited to bring the zany and creative gameplay of The Sims to Xbox and GameCube players."