ACTIVISION
PUBLISHING PARTNERS WITH NICKELODEON

ON GLOBAL LICENSING DEAL AROUND NETWORK’S HIT TV SERIES

SANTA MONICA, CA – May 13, 2009 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), and Nickelodeon today announced a global partnership where the two companies will create an all-new videogame based on the number-one live-action kids’ television show iCarly. Releasing internationally this Fall, the videogame will bring the interactive elements from the series to Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ for the first time.

“iCarly is a groundbreaking show that encourages viewers to contribute content of their own,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “This game is a natural extension of that creativity, and allows players to interact with the characters they know and love through a variety of different ways, any time they like.”

“In order to make a property as huge and irreverent as iCarly into a videogame, we tapped into the interactive model of the show itself,” said Steve Youngwood, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “iCarly’s entire premise is to allow kids and tweens to actively participate in their entertainment experience, and Activision is doing a phenomenal job in recreating that for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems.”

In the iCarly videogame, the possibilities are truly endless as players help Carly, Sam, Freddie and the other characters from the hit TV series craft all-new webisodes of the show in an original storyline designed specifically for the game. Fun and frenetic mini-games, presented as show skits, capture the creativity of the series, and allow players to work with the characters through new adventures. The innovative iCreate mode provides opportunities for gamers to add their own touches to the webisodes by swapping out props, characters, color schemes, audio, intros, outros and more. Up to four players can either compete or cooperate together on Wii to complete the skits and earn Web-Cred, which can then be used to purchase new items, props, accessories and locations from in-game websites.

Nickelodeon’s iCarly, a web show within a show, is the number-one live-action program on all of broadcast and basic cable television with kids and tweens, and the top kid-targeted live action series on basic cable with total viewers. It averages nearly 26 million total viewers each week (source: Nielsen Media Research). The show’s companion website www.iCarly.com recently boasted its best month ever in March among total visits, visitors and page views (source: comScore Media Metrix March 2009).

For more information visit www.activision.com.

Ok this will be a List of Friend Codes for the Smash Bros Brawl Game, post your Smash Bros Brawl Friend Code Here

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THQ announced Deadly Creatures, a title being exclusively developed for the Nintendo Wii, it was described as “an original action thriller” that “throws players into a venomous world of desert terror.” An armoured scorpion and a deadly tarantula are the main characters..

THQ has announced a new Wii exclusive property with Deadly Creatures, an action thriller due for release this year by internal developer Rainbow Studios (MX vs ATV), which puts players in control of a scorpion and a tarantula in “a venomous world of desert terror, where the greatest victory is survival.”

The publisher says players follow the adventures of a scorpion and a tarantula as they “struggle against a variety of creatures including vicious Gila monsters, tarantula wasps, black widows, and the most dangerous predator of all – Man.”

THQ also promises “intuitive motion controls” which take advantage of the Wii remote allowing players to “fully experience every pounce and tail sting,” and a “deep combo-based combat system” the plays out in a mix of action and suspenseful exploration.

Said Rainbow executive producer and general manager Nick Wlodyka, “Deadly Creatures is a creepy, cinematic thrill ride, where the distinction between predator and prey can shift around every corner. With brutal motion-controlled combat, a dark, compelling story and some of the best visuals to date on the Wii, we are excited to bring Deadly Creatures to a large core Wii audience that hungers for a new experience.”

source

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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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These are some new images of the Nintendo Wii game Nicktoons Attack of the Toybots

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This is the list of the Wrestlers to appear on the Nintendo Wii Game Smackdown VS Raw 2008

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Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, officially announced for North America (details on DS, Wii versions)

EDISON, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hot on the heels of her debut title’s success, Mama is back in the kitchen as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of digital entertainment products and content, today announced Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends for the Nintendo DS™. With several new game modes and brand new recipes, Cooking Mama 2 has all the ingredients of an interactive smorgasbord. Recipe details for the new Wii™ home video game system version will be announced at a later date.

“Mama’s genuine appeal coupled with a truly unique and fun game concept made the original Cooking Mama a best seller that garnered several industry accolades,” said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing. “In Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, we’re building on that success with all new recipes, a new tasting mode and multiplayer wireless play that will entice fans to keep on cookin’.”

In Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, players use the stylus as the ultimate kitchen utensil in 150 different cooking mini-games across 80 new recipes that range from cultural delicacies like shark fin soup to the all-American apple pie. However, this time around players actually have hungry mouths to feed since nine finicky dinner friends will be tasting and judging each meal! A new Challenge Mode lets up to four friends compete in a wireless cook off with only one game card, while players can customize their kitchen—and even Mama!—in the fresh Decoration Mode.

For additional information about Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends as well as Majesco’s exciting line of products, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Escape from Bug Island by 1up

A couple of moments do feel inspired when compared to the rest of the wreckage. Traversing crevice-spanning logs requires you to keep balance by twisting the Wii-mote to remain aligned with a finicky meter. Also, not to spoil the closest thing to a puzzle, but logs again come into play in a mildly clever way (again, that’s all relative to the rest of game). Unfortunately, you’ll probably play these sections, as well as the countless bad ones, far too often thanks to the shoddy save system (you can save only after completing a level or at the sparse save lamps). Likewise, a several-seconds load between the pause screen and inventory and equipment access is just long enough to make the simple act of switching to a gun or eating a health-replenishing mushroom a chore.

Bug Island fails and frustrates so thoroughly throughout its 10-plus-hour playtime that its greatest feat may be fooling someone into finishing it who isn’t paid to do so. It’s easily the Wii’s worst showing yet.

Full Review 

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THQ Announces New Nintendo Wii Games in development:

• Nicktoons 2007
• SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis
• Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth

THQ Announces Robust Product Slate for 2007 Based on Nickelodeon’s Biggest Hits

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced the company’s 2007 Nickelodeon video game lineup. The upcoming portfolio will include the debut of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, as well as all-new titles based on some of the top-rated kids TV shows including SpongeBob SquarePants™ and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon fans can also look forward to a new installment of the popular Nicktoons. In addition, THQ plans to release new adventures based on highly-rated Nickelodeon live-action TV shows Zoey 101 and Drake and Josh. The company’s overall portfolio is expected to ship across multiple game systems, including the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, along with Nintendo’s Wii™ video game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ and Game Boy® Advance.

“Our Nickelodeon video game portfolio continues to lead the kids market with more than 45 million units sold-in to date,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. “We expect a continued robust Nickelodeon business in 2007 with an even greater presence on the popular Wii, our first title slated for release on Xbox 360, and additional titles in our new series of games based on Nickelodeon’s live-action properties.”

“We’re excited to expand our relationship with THQ in 2007 as we introduce our first El Tigre video game, along with all new games based on Nick’s biggest hits,” said Shaul Olmert, vice president of digital products, Nickelodeon. “Nickelodeon is the number one entertainment brand for kids and the innovation that THQ brings to our gaming lineup continues to elevate us to new creative heights.”

The 2007 THQ Nickelodeon videogame lineup includes:

* Nicktoons 2007 (Working Title) — Players must defeat Professor Calamitous’ vast army of evil toys based on the Nicktoons Heroes in this fast-paced action platform game. Featuring the largest selection of playable Nickelodeon characters from the most popular TV shows including SpongeBob SquarePants, Danny Phantom and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Nicktoons 2007 (working title) is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall.
* SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis — The game will follow SpongeBob and the rest of the Bikini Gang as they leave Bikini Bottom and journey to the legendary city of Atlantis. Players will discover the treasures of Atlantis, while experiencing new game mechanics and multiplayer features. SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall. In addition, SpongeBob SquarePants: Atlantis Treasures (working title) is scheduled to release for various mobile carriers.
* Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth — Based on the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, players will follow the second season storyline as Aang teams up with friends to defend the greatest Earth Kingdom city against a deadly Fire Nation threat. Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth is scheduled to release for Xbox 360, the PlayStation 2 system, Wii, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance this fall.
* El Tigre (Working Title) — Based on the animated series, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, players will follow the adventures of Manny, the son of a superhero and the grandson of a supervillain. Players will help Manny as he must choose to use his El Tigre superpowers for good, or let his mischievous side take over. El Tigre is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this fall.
* Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco — Players will take on the role of Zoey Brooks, played by Jamie Lynn Spears, as she embarks on a field trip to Red Stone Gulch Canyons with her friends. With the aid of a park ranger, players will learn the techniques needed to survive the seemingly hostile wilderness terrain once they become separated from their guide. Zoey 101 is available now for Game Boy Advance. Zoey 101: Field Trip Fiasco is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this summer.
* Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown — Featuring all of the humor from the hit TV series, players will enjoy adventure-style gameplay as they help Drake and Josh win the infamous talent show, “Teen American Talent,” by avoiding sabotages from other contestants and by perfecting their music skills. The game allows players to interact with all of their favorite characters from the TV show, including Drake, Josh and Megan. Drake & Josh is available now for Game Boy Advance. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown is scheduled to release for Nintendo DS this summer.

More information about the THQ Nickelodeon videogame lineup can be found at www.thq.com.

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An excerpt from a Cubed3 interview with Evan Skolnick, producer at Vicarious Visions for the Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance:

Cubed³: Could you please introduce yourself and tell our readers what your role is on this project?

Evan Skolnick, Producer at Vicarious Visions: I’m Evan Skolnick, the producer at Vicarious Visions for the Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

C3: What are the benefits that the Wii will bring to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance?

ES: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Wii is the same Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game as seen on the other console platforms. What sets the Wii version apart is the way the player interacts with the game. We spent countless hours designing, prototyping and testing various concepts to make the best use of the Wii’s incredible controllers as they could be applied to a complex, deep, superhero-based RPG.

With that said, there were some modifications to the game design that resulted directly from the particulars of the Wii control scheme. One important way that we modified the design for the Wii was to allow players to perform Popups, Trips, and Stuns at anytime without having to remember the button combo that triggers these moves. This makes the combat more intuitive, gives the player a much greater connection to the on-screen character’s and their super powers that cannot be felt with a non-revolutionary controller.

C3: In trailers, we’ve seen extremely exaggerated movements needed to activate moves. How much movement is actually required in-game? Is there any concern that players will get tired during play?

ES: Funny question! We made those trailers to show how interactive and exciting the gameplay can be. But in reality, the actual basic movements required are actually quite modest. Players can choose how much they want to “get into it” and fling themselves around the room – after all, it is fun! — but all that’s generally required are simple flicks of the arm or wrist. Also, the basic attacks can be executed with gestures OR simple button presses, allowing the user even more choice in this area.

During the development of our control scheme for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Wii, we were definitely focused on avoiding user fatigue. We did a lot of user testing to analyze this area and our final scheme is the result of our attempts to avoid the player experiencing undue fatigue.

C3: Were you disappointed at the lack of an online component being available at launch? Would you consider an update via WiiConnect24 down the line to add online functionality?

ES: I’m sure we feel the same way our audience does on this subject; it’s something that would have been nice, but we understand that it’s a launch title and that often means certain trade-offs.

Full Interview 

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