As GamesCom 2011 draws near, Namco Bandai Games is preparing to unleash a hard-hitting line-up featuring a heavy dose of combat, death and devastation, alongside special guest appearances and exciting events on the stand throughout the show. 

Madden NFL 12 provides an immersive and authentic experience that fans have come to expect from the franchise, including all 32 NFL teams and more than 1,700 NFL players.

Avernum: Escape From the Pit is the first chapter in an Indie fantasy role-playing saga, the tale of desperate exiles and their battle for survival and a land to call their own.

In Tropico 4, El Presidente returns to the island of Tropico, and this time, he’s bringing new enemies and allies along for the ride, as he fights to turn his little island into a superpower.

Executive producer Jeremy Gaffney of NCsoft’s Carbine Studios has confirmed that the project they have been working on will be the subject of a world exclusive reveal at gamescom, and that they will bring the game to PAX Prime as well.

WWE '12 is the electrifying rebirth of the renowned WWE franchise, featuring a bigger game, badder presentation and better simulation-based gameplay, including critical core gameplay improvements, the most creative and extensive feature set to date and a visceral, edgy and polished presentation.

Another day, another batch of games shipped to stores. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are announcements for:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops - Annihilation DLC (PS3/PC)
• Homefront: The Rock DLC (X360)
• Reel Deal Slots: Gods of Olympus (PC)
• Total War: Shogun 2 - Sengoku Jidai Unit Pack DLC (PC)
• Uncharted Waters Online: The Ottoman Empire (PC)

We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

Kicking off the college football season on a high note, Microsoft and ESPN today announced a major update coming to ESPN on Xbox LIVE on August 25 that will truly transform your living room into the ultimate fan cave.

A reinvention of the classic action snowboarding franchise, SSX packs adrenaline into every run with compelling characters and heart-pumping adventures as riders battle the most treacherous and diverse mountain ranges on Earth.

Rising Star Games unveiled an all-star line-up of titles for the final six months of 2011, catering for five different genres with some of the best loved franchises in their respective categories.

Wargaming.net announces their participation at Gamescom 2011, where it will unveil the first details on World of Warplanes, as well as a new project.

In a world in which rumors are becoming reality, an unlikely team of citizens must discover and harness a hidden power dormant within each of them if they're to have any chance of getting to the bottom of this dangerous phenomenon and stopping it before it gets out of control.

GameStop is making it easier for PC gamers to get their hands on hot new releases as customers can now use any accepted form of payment, including trade credit and GameStop gift cards, to purchase digital PC games at their local store and access the titles immediately at launch.

Nintendo added one WiiWare, one Virtual Console, and four  NDSi/eShop titles to the Shop Channels. Nintendo owners with online access can redeem points to download:  Burn the Rope (Wiiware), Let’s Golf 3D, GO Series: Portable Shrine Wars, Oscar’s World Tour, My Australian Farm (NDSi/3DS/eShop), and Brawl Brothers (VC).

Supremacy MMA raises the bar in the MMA space by bringing an unprecedented level of fluid combat, intuitive controls and true-to-the-sport brutality.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 continues Konami's determination to create a truly realistic, immersive and utterly playable take on the modern game. Thus, the focus in PES 2012 is the instinctive way the game can be played and on teamwork in particular.

Kinect Star Wars brings the Star Wars Universe to life like never before. Harnessing the controller-free power of Kinect for Xbox 360, Kinect Star Wars allows fans to physically experience training as a Jedi, using the Force and battling with a lightsaber. Using full body motions, players can live out the ultimate Star Wars fantasy, no controller required.

Islands of Wakfu is an adventure/beat-'em-up game that can be played by two players in team mode. It reveals never-before-seen background content from the world of Ankama casual MMO titles DOFUS and Wakfu.

Nintendo of America announced plans to drop the suggested retail price of its portable Nintendo 3DS system to $169.99 in the United States, as new games based on some of the most beloved video game franchises head to the system.

I've flaked on the MOTD for the past couple of days, but I have a legit excuse! I do, really ... I was tired and needed to catch up on my beauty sleep. For the people who've had the misfortune to meet me (all two of them), they know I have a lot of catching up to do.

Later today, we get to meet up with id Software/Bethesda to check out RAGE, play the game, chat with the development team, and maybe a few interviews. Keep an eye out for that coverage somewhere down the line (not sure when the embargo lifts).

In our downtime, we finished Enslaved (good story, frustrating controls), The Witcher 2 (finally in Act 2, loving it) and some APB Reloaded (oddly lag-free for the past two days!).