A few days ago Ubisoft announced that it was working on a plan to defend itself against what it considers "a hostile takeover" from Electronic Arts. Today French financial newspaper La Tribune may have revealed more on the matter as it ran an article in which it claims that Ubisoft is having positive talks with Take Two and Activision to form a front against EA. Ubisoft President Yves Guillemot is also quoted as saying that he is working with the shareholders to ensure they act in the best interest of the company and stay on the same page as the Guillemot family.

1C Company and KDLab revealed today that they are working on an addon for last year's innovative RTS Perimeter. Scheduled for release in Russia Q1 2005, Perimeter: Emperor's Testament will feature all new & updated graphics, tons of new units and structures, a new soundtrack by the St. Petersburg Orchestra, and a total of 25 new missions. Until we get more details, enjoy the first 20 screens ...

'FIFA Street' is a combination of arcade action blended with the culture of freestyle street football. By removing the rules from the simulation football experience, 'FIFA Street' exposes the heart of the world's beautiful game, on-the-ball flare and individual style.

In Killer 7, players take on the role of Harman Smith an unlikely assassin who lives life at his own pace. Switching between seven different personalities, he employs each character’s abilities to terminate targets he deems deserving to die. Capcom has updated the official Killer 7 website indicating that it has pushed its action game, which was originally slated for Feb 2005 release date, back to early June 2005.

Ubisoft and Sony Online Entertainment today announce that an EverQuest II character creation tool is available for players who want to introduce to the world of EverQuest II. This tool is free and can be downloaded from the official Everquest 2 website. The tool sizes 365 Mo and the languages available are English, French and German. Players will be able to create and save their own hero. Please note that a full version of EverQuest II (sold separately) is required to use the character.

Roma Victor is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) based on the Roman Empire, circa 180AD. Roma Victor features social interaction on a massive scale, freestyle and mission-led gameplay, one on one combat in the Coliseum, tactical warfare on the battlefields of Europe and a deeply rich and varied non-combat crafting and skill system.

GunGriffon: Allied Strike takes place in a hostile futuristic world where there is little hope for survival among the human race. The player takes on the role of a renegade soldier, enlisted in an anti-tank troop, whose prime mission is to take down armored tanks, the ultimate ground weapon used to destroy the earth and any living thing that gets in its way.

Area 51 takes the player through eight massive levels within a clandestine government complex. Combining intense combat, exploration, adventure, discovery, and puzzle solving, the game blends graphic violence with science fiction. Further confirming earlier speculations, the official Area 51 website now has a "PC CD ROM" logo added to the list of platforms (hover over the blank space next to Xbox logo at the bottom right of the page), indictating that Midway's shooter is indeed coming to the PC.

Matrix Games announced today that the tactical wargame Flashpoint Germany has officially gone gold and is set for release sometime next week. The game will be available both via CD and download from the Matrix Games website.

Champions: Return to Arms introduces two new playable races, a whole new non-linear storyline letting the playing chose to team both with the forces of Good or Evil, the ability to import characters from the original game, more character customization options with up to level 80 levelling, thousands of new items, weapons and spells, beautifully detailed environments, innovative medal system which unlocks secret gameplay modes, more online and multiplayer options and much more.

Red Ninja: End of Honor is an action-adventure title, developed by Tranji, which will feature a variety of innovative game-play features blending action, adventure, stealth, seduction and fighting. These elements have been placed in a historical Japanese environment with an event-driven story written by famed Japanese feature film director, Shinsuke Sato.

Blitzkrieg II is created with a new focus on fast-paced gameplay, a strategic layer and new tactical opportunities. A completely new engine takes WWII into full 3D where players can command famous aces and units, strategically plan battles in multiple theatres, choose their reinforcements and use a wide range of new unit types such as aircraft and ships.

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

• Second Sight - Trailer [PC]
• Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - Trailer #9
• Blitzkrieg 2 - Trailer #3
• Close Combat: First to Fight - Trailer
• Iron Phoenix - Trailer #3
• LotR: Battle for Middle-Earth - Trailer #10

404 Gaming today released more info about its still quite mysterious hip-hop mmog. We already know DJ Pooh “a.k.a Mark Jordan,” who wrote the movie Friday and story for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, is involved but now 404 Gaming has released a list of hip-hop stars, such as RUM DMC's D.M.C., Public Enemy #1's Flava Flav and Chuck D, but also deceased stars like Jam Master Jay and Notorious B.I.G. More info is promised in May, in the meantime, read more for additional names...

Devil May Cry 3 unfolds an earlier chapter in Dante's history, before the original Devil May Cry, to the fateful clash between Sparda's twin sons, divided by the divergence of their chosen paths. Along the way, Dante encounters formidable foes and unusual characters including a mysterious man named Arkham and a female hunter named Lady whose mission is to take down all demons, including Dante. Capcom has launched the official Devil May Cry 3 website, so head on over there for the latest news, screens and updates.

Turbine's execute producer for D&D Online Judith Hoffman has revealed in her January producer letter that Turbine is about to move the project into beta stage. Judith goes on to explain that the beta will be split in four stages, with the first one (beta 0) being most likely internal, while two to four will be closed tests with participation from the community, but gradually openinig up to the public. "In the next month or two" signups will begin on the official Dungeons & Dragons Online website, so keep an eye out if you are interested in participating.

Jade Empire is set in a new fantastical world based on mythical China, where sinister events have upset the peaceful harmony of an isolated martial arts school. Featuring furious action previously found only in Hong Kong cinema, the game lets players master more than 30 fighting styles and a wide range of mystical powers.

Star Wars: Imperial Assault is a Star Wars mod for EA's RTS Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour. Its intent is to bring the excitement of Star Wars ground battles, atmospheric air battles, and Jedi/Sith to the CnC Generals Zero Hour engine. This "demo" includes Imperial Assault menu screen and interface with shell map, and demo mission. Skirmish and Multiplayer play are disabled.

With Hidden Stroke II, the Allied Power Team created a rousing sequel of Hidden Stroke. The completely new designed damage system and many new features are waiting for the fan of strategy. Further new units are ready for action in new thrilling campaigns and missions. Cities and coasts aren't safe - The war has begun. Read more for details and screens ...

Project: Snowblind is a the first-person action shooter putting you in the role of an elite super soldier, fighting on the front lines of a near-future war using unique weapons, abilities and high-tech gadgetry that inject depth and variety to gameplay. Read more for new screens ...

Live fastballs, suicide squeezes, grass-staining dives, seventh-inning stretches, walk-off homeruns, peanuts and hotdogs… these are just some of the things that make the sport of baseball America’s favorite pastime. The victory of a baseball game can depend on the walk-off homerun in the ninth inning or a simple second base steal.

A few weeks ago Hip Interactive revealed that it signed an agreement to develop games based on cult horror director George A. Romero's work. Today Hip informs us that UK developer Kuju Entertainment has been tagged to work on the first, yet unnamed, game, which is scheduled for release next fiscal year ending March 31, 2006.

SWAT 4 allows players to take control of a squad of up to five police officers tasked with performing dangerous operations such as high-risk arrests, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism. Vivendi has just launched the official SWAT 4 website, Irrational Games' tactical shooter. Head on over there for news, game info, screenshots, or sign up for the SWAT 4 newsletter.

EBGames is now offering a Jade Empire Limited Edition which will feature an extra character and combat style w/ Foil Outer Wrap. Order and receive a Jade Empire demo and "Making of" DVD! Disc also includes demos of Forza, MechAssault 2, and Conkers. Jade Empire is set in a new fantastical world based on mythical China, where sinister events have upset the peaceful harmony of an isolated martial arts school. Featuring furious action previously found only in Hong Kong cinema, the game lets players master more than 30 fighting styles and a wide range of mystical powers.

GSC GameWorld sent out a newsletter with details on how the AI it has implemented in its FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl will work, react to circumstances, and how the development team faced the necessity to invent new methods of game AI. Read more for the full newsletter...