Kingdom Hearts II follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing quest to find their friends and King Mickey. Sora and friends are joined by a vibrant new cast of characters, including the king himself! In the effort to help Mulan and stop the villain Hades' devious plots, they will encounter countless dangers both familiar and brand-new.

XSEED announced today that its RPG Wild Arms 4 will ship to North American outlets January 1, 2006. Wild Arms 4 follows the journey of four teenagers as they reshape the future of Filgaia, featuring a new cast of characters, an original storyline, and a new strategic battle system, it appeals to new players of the series while fans will instantly recognize the mainstays of the Wild Arms world of Filgaia.

ALTAR games, Black Element Software and Bohemia Interactive Studio, three independent game developers, announced the creation of the Independent DEvelopers Association today. The point of the association is to give indie developers a better change to compete with big publishers by combining resources.

Reuters is reporting that Sony is on track to double the number of PSP's sold in North America to around 6 million at the end of its first holiday season this year. Although nowhere near the appeal of Apple's iPods, the paperback-sized video game device has increasingly won over movie fans, citing its long load times and akward mini joystick as drawbacks.

Valve lastest Steam Update has a few details on what to expect before the end of 2005. Next week Valve will release two new player models, one for each team, released for Counter-Strike: Source, as well as an update to Day of Defeat: Source, which will include a number of small changes. Early next year we can expect a completely rebuilt version of cs_milita. There is also a mention of Introversion's strategy/adventure Darwinia's four IGF nominations.

Fantasy Earth: Ring of Domination is Square Enix's latest MMORPG which will try to combine RTS, RPG and Action, allowing you to forge alliances, build fortresses and citadels and duke it out with your allies against huge armies. Originally announced in 2004, Fantasy Earth has recently entered its beta phase and is scheduled for released in Japan on February 23.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences announced today that it has added Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime, Valve's Gabe Newell and several others to the all-star lineup of speakers for the 2006 D.I.C.E. Summit which takes place at the Green Valley Ranch Hotel in Las Vegas February 8 – 10.

BFME 2 takes part in the North where a battle is raging between Sauron's forces vs. elves and dwarves. It will be possible to create/customize your own hero, apart from known figures such as Arwin, and become more powerful as you progress in the game. While BFME was all land based, the sequel will also take the action on the sea, naval battles included.

Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy will return gamers to the front lines of the greatest battles in history with new civilizations at their command, new campaigns and a host of new features that make this year's best strategy game more addicting than ever. Bold victories on far-off battlefields, from wintry Russian plains to scorching African deserts, will establish the player's undisputable reputation as the world's greatest leader – past, present and future.

Galactic Civilizations II takes place in the distant future, when mankind has become a space-faring civilization and must contend with other extraterrestrial powers for domination of the galaxy. The sequel is a true evolution for the series, with rethought fundamentals and exciting new changes.

Dreamcatcher announced today that Painkiller: Hell Wars is scheduled to ship to stores February 28, 2006. Painkiller is a first-person horror shooter, designed to satisfy the gamer's hunger for intense, fast-paced action. You are Painkiller, a mercenary for hire, charged with cleaning out nests of the undead. But an unholy pact with a demon unknowingly puts you square in the middle of a fight for control of the underworld... with the future of humanity hanging in the balance.

A Texas Hold 'em game that captures the spirit of the professional poker tour, Stacked utilizes an advanced learning artificial intelligence system that adapts to each player's style of play and a detailed tutorial mode to deliver a thrilling and realistic poker experience.

CDV and developer Deck 13 are delighted to announce their joint publishing agreement for Jack Keane (working title), a classical adventure game for the PC. Slated for a Q1 2007 retail release, this game will highlight Deck 13's newest technology as the player guides hero Jack Keane to face some of his toughest challenges yet.

Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday is a stand-alone expansion pack for their strategy title Hearts of Iron II. The expansion will include the original game and boasts a World War III scenario, a complete scenario editor as well as an extended time line.

In Ape Escape 3 players can create their own 15 second mini-films, complete with subtitles, using characters from the video game. The process, otherwise known as "machinima," is quickly catching on as a new way to convey artistic expression. Director/producers of the monkey-film shorts can post their creations online for the whole world to see.

The Chronicles of Spellborn is an MMORPG set in the Enclave of the Five Sacrifices. The nine classes of characters are divided into three groups: Warriors, Spellcasters and Rogues. Each character must choose a group during creation. As they gain more experience in the world, the character may select which class within that group to become. Read more for full details ...

Eidos in conjunction with Highway 1 Productions, takes an unrelenting look at urban street crime in its upcoming action video game 25 To Life. Eidos today revealed that 25 To Life will feature all new multiplayer modes for up to 16 players. Read more for details ...

Dead Rising is survival horror game, in which you play Frank West, a grizzled freelance photographer who has made his way to an idyllic suburban town to get his hands on the scoop. To his surprise, he soon discovers that the town has been overrun with zombies. As he fights tooth and nail against hordes of gruesome zombies, Frank must discover the cause of the disturbing outbreak. Capcom has narrowed down the release date in North America to May 2, 2006.

Although there are still a number of critical selling days left in the quarter, which ends Dec. 31, 2005, Activision today announced that it expects net revenues and earnings for the third and fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2006 to be lower than the outlook previously provided by the company on November 2, 2005.

Galactic Dream is a space-based strategy game in which four species are fighting for their very survival. This game brings you the shaped wings of your very galactic dreams: you will command star-ships and terrifying space monsters in real time.

Introversion's Darwinia is now available to gamers worldwide via Steam for just $19.95. Darwinia is a captivating mix of multiple genres including real-time strategy, arcade, and puzzle games. A demo can also be downloaded through Valve's Steam service.

Already revealed a few weeks ago, Square Enix announced today that its PS2 exclusive Grandia III will be released stateside in February. Grandia III draws gamers into a wondrous world with an innovative battle system and uplifting story about the freedom in controlling one’s own destiny.

EA announced today that BLACK will be shipping Feb. 28, 2006 for the PS2 and Xbox. You are Sergeant First-Class Jack Kellar, seasoned veteran of the US military and a leader of a BLACK ops team. Your squad have been sent into the heart of Eastern Europe on a dangerous mission, drawn in to the midst of a relentless combat zone to bring in a traitor.

Unreal Tournament 2007 is being developed by North Carolina-based Epic Games. The game promises to blow fans away with the gameplay, modifiability and visuals that Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology will deliver.

A South Korean man has collapsed and died after playing computer games non-stop for 10 days. The 38-year-old man collapsed as he was playing an online game at an internet cafe in Incheon, west of Seoul. It's not the first time such a cause of death has been reported in South Korea. In August, a 28-year-old man died in the city of Taegu after playing an online computer game for more than two days.