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.

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

GRID takes you to locations over 3 continents to compete in a variety of racing events. Packed with the most powerful racecars - new, classic, circuit and drift - you will compete in urban street races, official racetracks and championships. The premium 8 Ball pack features eight new cars to race and two new online events to compete in.

When Melvin ducks into a candle shop to get out of the rain, he is whisked away to a medieval town to learn wizardry and overcome his fears. Along the way, he'll have to cope with vitriolic caretakers, touristy hermits, lecherous spinsters and other strange creatures. What he uncovers about the town's history leaves him speechless ...

Armed with iconic moves from rigorous assassin training, including "Curving Bullets" and "Bullet Explosion," as well an arsenal of powerful, high-tech weapons, players will explore Wesley’s quest to becoming an unmatched uberassassin in fast-paced, action-packed combat against the world’s most notorious killers.

Battlefront.com and Fury Software announced the third, and newest, game in the Strategic Command series. WWII Pacific Theater shifts the focus from Europe and into the steaming jungles and islands of Asia- Pacific.

The Tale of Despereaux is an interactive game based on Universal Pictures’ animated adventure of the same name. The game shares the fairy-tale look and feel of the upcoming film about a chivalrous mouse, full of courage and honor. Since the demise of Brash Entertainment, it has been quiet around The Tale of Despereaux, but with the imminent release of the movie, Atari picked up all platforms, but oddly not the Xbox 360 edition.

Another day, another batch of game trailers was released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for:

• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest [ALL] - Trailer #3
• Ghostbusters: The Videogame [ALL] - Trailer #3
• Heroes over Europe [ALL] - Trailer
• Race Pro [X360] - Trailer #3
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena [ALL] - Trailer
• DemiGod [PC] - Trailer #3
• Codename Panzers: Cold War [PC] - Trailer #4
• Ready 2 Rumble Revolution [Wii] - Trailer
• Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop [Wii] - Gameplay Trailer
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...

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.

Apart from Massive's announcement with Blizzard from earlier today, the Activision Blizzard/Massive ad-focused press event also confirmed a slew of titles that have popped up in various financial statements. Further showing off in-game ads, future titles such as Guitar Hero 5 will feature integrated commercials, while also unveiling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a James Bond-themed racing game (by PGR devs Bizarre Creations) and stating that the new Tony Hawk will not be played with a regular controller.

Rockstar's open-ended crime series returns to New York situated around the Eastern European protagonist Nikolai. The PC edition features a replay editor with Rockstar Social Club integration, expanded multiplayer, higher resolution, and match filtering. Fans anticipating the PC release may be in for a rude awakening, as both PC Games Hardware and Gameblog.fr are reporting that the game often doesn't start, is hampered by the DRM, has loads of hardware/gfx card issues (mainly with ATi), CTDs, texture issues, and a cumbersome install/update routine with getting the Social Club working (requires .net Framework 1.1 and .net Framework 3.5). There are a few workarounds, and while a patch is already in the works, there is no ETA yet.

World Championship Games, known in Europe as International Athletics, is the most realistic athletics simulation available on handheld consoles. Featuring fourteen varied track and field events playable in jaw-dropping international stadiums, the game delivers online and wireless multiplayer fun for up to four players via Nintendo Wi-Fi channel and local LAN.

Supreme Ruler 2020 is a strategic and tactical geo-political game where direct control of the military and the policies of a nation becomes the key to survival. The Global Crisis add-on adds new single- and multiplayer maps, new sandbox map, improved UI/AI/graphics, and plenty more.

Hit the mountains on your quest to become the next snowboarding phenomenon in Stoked, the open-world, back country snowboarding experience featuring five huge open-world mountains, changing weather patterns, and the sponsorship and cooperation of some of the most respected and influential names in the sport.

Atari's My Horse and Me 2 is packed with exciting new features, brand new graphics and animations, and an engrossing storyline to give fans the most complete equestrian experience and the most realistic horse simulation ever seen in a game.

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:

• A Vampyre Story (PC)
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  We will update this throughout the day when new announcements become available. Read more for details ...

Expanding its comic book themed MMO City of Heroes with Issue 13: Power and Responsibility, NCSoft adds several new features such as the ability to have two different build-outs per character, pact leveling of two characters, a Day Job feature, new misison content, and PvP powers rebalancing, paving the way for new PvP features to come.

The Octane 120 is the ultimate home arcade racing simulator and combines three things every adult gamer craves: classic arcade games, arcade-style racing, and a beer tap to get your favorite beverage without having to get out of the seat!

Featuring three intense campaigns, brand-new multiplayer modes and an innovative “direct-fire” feature that allows even more tactical control during the heat of battle, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor will immerse players in some of the most historic, tide-turning clashes of World War II. We sit down with Relic lead designer Brian Wood.

The new Fishing Master World Tour offers over 200 different types of fish to catch and enables players to catch fish in over forty different locations across seven different regions. Fish on Easter Island, under the Golden Gate Bridge, on the Amazon River and many more exotic global locations.

Guitar Hero: World Tour will feature guitar, vocals, drums, the ability to create your own songs (and upload them on GHTunes), four-player on/offline co-op, and an eight-player battle of the bands multiplayer mode (4vs4). The Eagles, Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins are returning in December with exclusive DLCs, as well as three free Reggae Rock tracks from Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Expendables.

Perfect World's Ether Saga Online, the English-based version of KDXY, is a Free-To-Play MMORPG, combining lavish graphics with a young anime style, and featuring a slew of unique features and systems that make the game truly one of a kind.

EA announced the acquisition of Korean developer J2MSoft, known for developing free-to-play online games which are monetized through micro-transactions and advertising. Online games created and wholly owned by J2M include RayCity, TAAN, and Debut, and other properties to be announced.

MindArk, developers of Entropia Universe, has licensed Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne's single "Let it Rock" to herald the switching over to the CryENGINE2 in 2009. MindArk will host a competition inside the virtual world to find the best user created music video to the song, with a highly prized virtual treasure as reward.

Another day, another batch of game trailers was released. Instead of giving them all their own posts, we grouped them, and so far there are trailers for:

• Yakuza 3 [PS3] - Trailer #10 [JAP]
• Skate 2 [ALL] - Making The Game Trailer
• The Godfather II [ALL] - Key to Success Trailer
• Cursed Mountain [Wii] - Trailer #2
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  We will update this throughout the day when new trailers become available. Read more for download links ...