Can’t say I saw this one coming, though I’m not entirely shocked considering EA recently shelled out an estimated $860 million for BioWare/Pandemic.

That said, this move would be TERRIBLE for gamers everywhere. Hopefully Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, 2K Games and 2K Sports, can stand strong against EA’s takeover attempt.

Here are the details, courtesy of our fine friends at The Associated Press: 

SAN FRANCISCO — Electronic Arts Inc. said Sunday it was pushing ahead with a bid to take over upstart gaming rival Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., despite rebuffs from the smaller company.
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During its keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference Wednesday, Microsoft formally announced “Gears of War 2,” the Xbox 360-exclusive sequel to Epic Games’ critically acclaimed third-person shooter.

If that announcement alone wasn’t enough to get Xbox 360 fanboys worked into a frenzy, this should do the trick — the game is set to be released this November!!!

We’ll have more details on “Gears of War 2″ as they become available.

The January sales figures have been released by the NPD Group. Can you name the top-selling console in the U.S. during the first month of 2008?

If you said the PlayStation 3, you’d be wrong.

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The headline says it all. The story was broken in this morning’s edition of The Wall Street Journal, which you can read here.

I’ll admit, I’ve got mixed emotions about the news. I thought “Madden 08″ was actually pretty good, but was still holding out hope of seeing a fully-licensed followup to “NFL 2K5.” That dream is dead now.

In a related note, it looks like “Madden” lead producer David Ortiz is leaving the EA Tiburon development house. Could this be a blessing in disguise? Perhaps some new blood is just what the franchise needs to return to its glory days. We’ll find out when “Madden 09″ drops later this year. 

After sitting in the dark for the better part of the last two days, it feels good to finally be back in front of a working computer.

The storm that blew through the area in the wee hours of Tuesday morning knocked out the power at my house, leaving me cut off from the outside world until about 5 p.m. Thursday. Thankfully, my trusty red Nintendo DS was at full charge, so at least I had something to help pass the time.

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Does your DS Lite clash with your outfit? Upset that your handheld gaming system doesn’t match your shoes? Nintendo has heard your cries.

The Big N has announced a new color scheme for its DS Lite handheld — Cobalt/Black. Available Feb. 10, the new blue design brings the number of unique DS Lites to seven, joining Coral Pink, Polar White, Onyx, Crimson/Black and the limited-edition Gold and Metallic Rose.

Now, according to Nintendo, there’s a DS color to complement any outfit. And for that, we are grateful.