Namco Bandai America unveiled the formation of Surge, a new studio and publishing label dedicated to providing cutting-edge, genre-defining games that are targeted at satiating the appetite of western gamers, starting with Afro Samurai on Jan. 27, 2009.

Encompassing a variety of different characters while exploring many exotic locations and cultures across the game's universe of parallel worlds, Suikoden: Tierkreis will expand the bounds of the handheld RPG.

Set between the largely unexplored era between Ep III and Ep IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed casts players as Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. As promised, LucasArts has released a new campaign (Jedi Temple on Coruscant) for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) while the playable characters (Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto) will cost you 400 Microsoft Point ($5).

Alternativa is a classic point & click adventure game based on the original sci-fi/cyber-punk script which is composed of a number of shorter stories that lead us through the lives of individual characters as well as the fictional world of the future.

With an extensive range of features Runes of Magic prepares to redefine the standard of free-to-play MMO games. Even at the beginning Runes of Magic conveys its absorbing story in over 600 quests embedded in an atmospheric world.

This week Xbox 360 is kicking off two global 30-day specials to bring great deals on select Xbox Live content (every monday a deal on either a movie rental, a map pack or even an XBLA game) and even free multiplayer for a list of great XBLA titles.

In the Hotel for Dogs, based on the upcoming motion picture starring Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, players enter the old hotel to help two siblings, Andi and Bruce, feed and entertain an adorable collection of canines by building amazing gadgets, playing with the pooches and keeping the dogs happy in their new hotel home.

While Microsoft lauded last week's Black Friday sales in North America, overseas numbers have been through the roof as well. November was the Xbox 360's biggest sales month since its launched in Europe six years ago, with sales up 124% over last year.

SouthPeak Games will publish Load Inc's latest game Things On Wheels, an accessible, pure arcade racing title placing players at the helm of radio-controlled vehicles as they compete on tracks set within a gigantic house.

Stickmen Studios is developing Dragon Master Spell Caster for Nintendo's WiiWare, where players ride dragons and battle foes using unique combinations of melee and spells. Stickmen Studios has chosen Emergent’s Gamebryo engine for this new title, as well as future development.

Legends of Daemonica: Farepoynt's Purgatory is a full 3D psychological thriller containing unique features, elaborate characters, and a truly non-linear storyline set in the14th Century.

Mirror's Edge is a first-person action adventure game where you are Faith, a 'runner' framed for murder in a world where communication channels are highly monitored and the movement of human traffic is closely watched.

Martian Panic is a three-dimensional sci-fi shooter game, the Martian Invasion Force has targeted Earth for complete destruction and players will need more than manpower and firepower to avoid mission defeat.

NASCAR Kart Racing enables players to grab the steering wheel as a famed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and speed through treacherous landscapes, wind around rocky cliffs, jump rivers and dodge falling boulders.

With the New Xbox Experience, Xbox 360 fans have been able to customize their avatars with various features and attributes. Microsoft promised it would be releasing new items every 2 weeks. Making good on its promise, you can now pimp out your avatar with winter clothes (scarfs, boots, mittens, etc), labeled with a gold star in the Avatar Creator Tool.

Larger, deeper, and loaded with thrills, Persona 4 delivers an all-new story set in the Japanese countryside. A mysterious chain of deaths remains unanswered and only you and your team of gifted supernatural sleuths can uncover the truth.

SCi/Eidos' takeover talks that it declared were "over" in early 2008 are back on track with EA, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. (who already owns 20% of SCi) in the running, but according to UK trade mag MCV, a new player has emerged. A few months ago, Square Enix tried to acquire Tecmo but was rejected in favor of KOEI, while more recently it not only signed Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander 2, but has also set up a new development studio in California, making its Western expansion plans quite clear.

In Divinity 2: Ego Draconis you will take on the role of a young Dragon Slayer and ultimately become a Dragon Knight, a legendary hero with unique abilities. Discover a detailed world full of twists and turns in which your actions can make a real difference.

Dragon Quest IX: Defender of the Stars, developed by Level 5, is the first title on any Nintendo system since Dragon Quest VI, 10 years ago, now featuring WiFi support for four-player co-op. According to Quartermann's rumor section in the latest EGM, Square Enix might be bringing DQ IX to the Wii, like it announced it would do by connecting both FFCC: Echoes of Time platforms.

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:

• Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun (Wii)
• Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Wii)
• Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (NDS)
• Ski and Shoot (Wii)
• Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (Wii)
• 
  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...