Rock out with Ultimate Band - the new music video game that allows you to build a band or jam alone to become the ultimate rock performer!

Experience the rush of rock stardom in story mode. Advance your music career and popularity from playing in a neighbourhood garage to performing in front of an international audience at a world famous venue. Only then will you be able to call yourself a true legend of rock!

Get a unique look for your band as you try to get to the top of the tree. You can create and customise your characters to reflect their own unique personalities. Along the way, you will be able to unlock extra accessories that can also be used to customise your band.

Ultimate Band is available on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS and is out now! To celebrate its release in the UK, we have partnered with Disney Interactive Studios to give away an absolutely unique copy of the game on Wii - signed by the Jonas Brothers!

You can also go to www.ultimateband.co.uk and play the ‘Bubble Run’ mini-game as well as get much more info on the Ultimate Band game!

To win, simply enter by sending us an email telling us the names of the three brothers in the band. One person will be drawn at random on April 24th to win!! Good luck everyone!

These are the first screens of the just announced Nintendo Wii game G-Force by Disney Interactive

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More About: Nintendo Wii, G-Force

Ever wondered what it would be like to experience living like the Ultimate Band?

Well this is your chance to find out! To celebrate the launch of Ultimate Band on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, Disney Interactive Studios is offering you and a friend the chance to win a trip to London to experience the life of the Ultimate Band.

Gamers and music lovers of all ages will realise their dream of becoming a rock legend when they build their own band or jam alone, all fuelled only by the power of the Wii controllers and the DS stylus. Ultimate Band contains over 30 current hits and all-time rock favourites. Friends and families can rock out on guitar, bass, drums or as the front man. This is your chance to not only perform like the Ultimate Band, but to experience life as the Ultimate Band for the day!
Disney Interactive Studios is working with ultimate rock performer, Lil’ Chris to promote the launch of Ultimate Band and he has filmed a brilliant vodcast which will give you all the inside information on the game, including how to pull off the special moves for each band member, such as the guitarist, drummer and front man. The hints and tips in the vodcast will help you and your mates progress through the game with more style and flair to ensure you become the Ultimate Band! To watch the vodcast visit www.ultimateband.co.uk

The winning prize will include:
• Overnight stay in one of London’s top hotels, for you, your friend and your parents/guardians.
• Dinner in the music hall of fame, the Hard Rock Café
• Tickets to a gig in one of London’s many live music venues or £300 in vouchers to spend on music!
• Your own paparazzi photographer to take snaps of you to show off to your mates
• Your very own limousine to take you to and from the airport.
You will also get to prolong the Ultimate Band experience when you leave by taking home a Nintendo Wii and copy of Ultimate Band!
Disney Interactive Studios are also giving away runner up prizes which consist of:
• 1 copy of Ultimate Band on Nintendo Wii (or DS if requested)
• 1 x 1 GB Ultimate Band Guitar USB stick
• 1 x Ultimate Band Miniature Finger Drum Kit
• 1x Plain White T’s CD (Plain White T’s, who brought you the hit ‘Hey There Delilah’, are back with a new album BIG BAD WORLD which is out now.)
All you have to do to enter is tell us about your Ultimate Band’s ultimate gig, by clicking on the link below. Enter the competition and don’t forget to check out the Ultimate Band videos and play the mini-game ‘Ultimate Band Bubble Run!!’ too!
http://tinyurl.com/uk-ultimateband

These are some new images of the Nintendo Wii game TH!NK Fast from Disney Interactive

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More About: Nintendo, Wii, TH!NK Fast, Disney Interactive

THQ Announces Plans to Launch Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E Across All Major Gaming Systems

Gamers Will Bring Humanity Back to Earth in Summer 2008

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Thi is the Wii games lineup for the E3 (minus Nintendo made titles):
Atari:

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Godzilla Unleashed

Capcom:

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure

Crave:

Brunswick Pro Bowling
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection

D3 Publisher:

Ben 10: Protector of Earth
Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution

Disney Interactive Studios:

High School Musical: Sing It!

Electronic Arts:

Boogie
NBA Live 08
Madden NFL 08
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Need for Speed ProStreet

Gamecock:

Mushroom Men

LucasArts:

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Natsume:

Harvest Moon Wii

Sierra Entertainment:

Crash of the Titans
Geometry Wars: Galaxies

Warner Bros. Interactive:

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal

Family Fun Comes Home This Fall With Disney Channel Video Games:

BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Families have a lot to look forward to with all-new video game adventures based on hit Disney Channel series coming to consoles and handhelds this fall. Published by Disney Interactive Studios, the video game lineup includes Hannah Montana: Music Jam on Nintendo DS™, Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour on Wii™ from Nintendo, The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations on Nintendo DS and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Circle of Spies on Nintendo DS. Additionally, fans of all ages will be singing along with the gang in High School Musical: Sing It! on Wii and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and showing off their dance moves in High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut on Nintendo DS. And finally, action-lovers will battle enemies alongside renowned heroes in Power Rangers: Super Legends on Nintendo DS, PC and PlayStation 2 system.

“Whether they aspire to dance and sing with the characters of ‘High School Musical’ or save the world with the heroic Red Ranger, kids, tweens and families will have plenty of options with our lineup of video games based on popular Disney Channel properties,” said Craig Relyea, vice president of marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “We understand parents are looking for games that are appropriate for the entire family, and we’re providing a line-up of games that are positive, safe and fun for every member of the family.

Get those vocal cords ready! Based on the phenomenally successful Disney Channel original movie “High School Musical,” Disney’s High School Musical: Sing It! features songs, sets and characters from the original film and “High School Musical 2” premiering in August. Available for Wii and the PlayStation 2 system, this karaoke video game allows fans to interact with the movies’ stars for the first time on any gaming console. With 30 songs to choose from, along with 30 minutes of “High School Musical” bonus footage and cast interviews, High School Musical: Sing It! will be the karaoke game of choice for fans, kids, tweens and families. Players can also choose their favorite backdrop and belt out hit songs from other popular Disney Channel favorites. High School Musical: Sing It! will be available in August and rated “E” for everyone. On Wii, the product will be $59.99 bundled with a microphone. For the PlayStation 2 system, the game will be $49.99 bundled with a microphone and $39.99 without the microphone.

High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut! on Nintendo DS tests players’ dance and rhythm skills as they compete in a cross-country musical competition, choreographing and dancing to the well-known songs from “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2”. In this addictive rhythm-based game, fans play as any of the six “High School Musical” stars (or their own customized character) as they dance to the beat and travel across America. Additionally, players can create their own music videos and share them with friends via the Nintendo DS’ wireless capabilities. High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut! will be available in August for a $29.99 MSRP with an “E” for everyone rating.

Power Rangers fans play as the ultimate super heroes on an action-packed adventure to save the world from evil in Power Rangers: Super Legends. Players battle enemies, solve puzzles and explore an interactive world as some of the most beloved Power Ranger heroes from the original Mighty Morphin squad to the current Operation Overdrive team. The game combines fast-paced, martial arts combat with super moves and gravity-defying aerial combos. In the spirit of the series, players can team up with a friend for cooperative missions and massive Zord battles. Power Rangers: Super Legends will be available in November on the PlayStation 2 system, Nintendo DS and PC. Anticipated prices include $29.99 for Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2 system, and $19.99 for PC with an anticipated E10+ rating for everyone 10 and older for all platforms.

In Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour for the Wii, players tour the world as the pop princess herself and live the dream of rock stardom. Players dance with their Wii controllers as Hannah dances with you on stage to earn devoted fans worldwide. Off stage, players design the look of each show, including stage settings and wardrobe, and even special effects and pyrotechnics. Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour will be available in October for $49.99 with an anticipated E for everyone rating.

In Hannah Montana: Music Jam on the Nintendo DS, girls are transported into the exciting and sometimes crazy world of Miley Stewart and her alter ego Hannah Montana. Playing as both characters, kids practice their musical talents, coordinate high fashions and live out their dreams of becoming a pop star in Hannah’s greatest musical challenge yet. To help her win this competition, players use their Nintendo DS touch screen to master instruments including lead, bass and rhythm guitars, along with drums. On top of everything else, a new and mysterious pop-star blasts onto the scene to steal Hannah’s thunder. Hannah Montana: Music Jam will be available in October for $29.99 with an anticipated E for everyone rating.

The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations brings the pop star life to girls on the go in an all new adventure featuring the “cheetah-licious” Disney Channel stars. Available on the Nintendo DS, The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations takes advantage of the handheld’s touch screen and microphone allowing players to dance with the stylus and sing along to the official Cheetah Girls soundtrack. Players help Galleria, Chanel, Aqua and Dorinda practice their unique talents of song writing, singing, fashion and dance. Girls also take on the role of stylist, selecting new outfits for the Cheetahs and sharing them with friends. The Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations will be available in October for $29.99 with an anticipated E for everyone rating.

The popular characters of the hit Disney Channel Series “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” take on their biggest mystery yet in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Circle of Spies for Nintendo DS. The game transports players beyond the Tipton Hotel to the St. Mark, a rival hotel where clues lead to the discovery of a secret spy organization. Players will take on the role of Zack and Cody encountering characters from the show, plus new personalities such as “The Magician.” Cool gadgets and entirely new places including a mysterious traveling carnival combine for a unique experience, with all the mischief, mystery and hilarious fun that fans of the show expect. Also, for the first time, fans will be able to play as Maddie and London in fun mini games. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Circle of Spies will be available in October for $29.99 with an anticipated E for everyone rating.

More About: Disney Channel Video Games

An excerpt from a Fin24 article:

The head of the LucasArts, the game division for “Star Wars” series creator George Lucas, told AFP a Wii game that lets players wield virtual light sabers is on the horizon.

“The Wii opens up a range of creative possibilities for new and innovative game design,” said Disney Interactive Studios vice president Craig Relyea.

“Our Pirates of the Caribbean game for the Wii lets you slash and thrust with the Wii remote just as someone would do using a sword for combat. We wouldn’t have been able to offer those controls on any other platform.”

Source

More About: Star Wars, light sabers

NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO’S SUMMER LINEUP SATISFIES CORE AND NEW GAMERS

Wii

This is An excerpt from an Aussie-Nintendo interview with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Wii / DS game producer Jeff Blattner:

AN: Late last year, Disney established a new studio to focus solely on creating products for Nintendo platforms. Clearly your company agrees with Nintendo’s newfound philosophy of making games that everyone can play, and choosing to focus on gameplay over graphics?

JB: Well, you know, Nintendo is a company with obviously a rich history in videogames. And some amazing intellectual property that are recognisable around the world – everybody knows Mario, even if they haven’t played videogames. And strangely enough, the Walt Disney Company is also a company with amazing and broad intellectual property – there’s almost essentially nobody on the planet who doesn’t know who Mickey Mouse is. So, we both have a vested interest in reaching people with great, rich experiences, and the Nintendo platforms – both past and present – have afforded us an opportunity to reach Disney fans everywhere, with our properties and deliver a gaming experience that’s rich and rewarding for them. And Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s greatest properties, and, really delivers to a Nintendo player.

AN: Do you think that - given the unique capabilities of the Nintendo DS and Wii - we’ll see a lot more brand new IPs coming to these platforms over the others?

JB: I was at a talk last year given by Bob Iger, and it wasn’t about videogames specifically, but we all enjoy a large variety of entertainment choices, more available to us now than at any time in human history. And the Walt Disney Company is committed to delivering the right type of content to consumers however they want to receive it, and certainly, consumers have demonstrated their commitment to DS and Wii, but we are also interested in continuing to develop for those platforms but we want to make sure that we reach our consumers no matter what platform choices they’ve made.

AN: The average Australian game-player is 28-years-old, and I’ve personally seen people much older than myself buying into the Wii and DS. Yet, it seems you’re only bringing games suited to younger players to Nintendo platforms. Will this change in the future?

JB: I think that the Disney brand, frankly, stands for family values and core values. Pirates obviously has a particular appeal and a particular sort of age slot, so, while we are trying to make sure we appeal to people who are young at heart, we are also trying to appeal to people of all ages. We would never consciously ignore any of our audiences on a platform, so I think that with any title that we create now, we’ll definitely take into consideration gamers and gamers, like you said, the average gamer in Australia – and I’m not going to doubt your statistics of 28. And certainly, I think there are a lot of gamers around that age, and we’d never want to exclude them from anything, but there are sometimes factors that determine what platforms you’re supporting based on just the platform’s image. There are technological reasons, or a developer may not have experience with a platform and things like that. I think that what you’re seeing on Nintendo Wii is there obviously are new properties coming out that will appeal to the mature gamer, but we’re going to decide on a property first and, you know, Disney Interactive Studios is going to choose properties that are appropriate to it.

Full Interview 

More About: Pirates of the Caribbean, Wii, DS